Kits for treatment of hematologic disorders

Patent Number: 7,408,039

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has saved many lives of patients with hematological and metabolic malignancies.  Unfortunately, one of the major side effects of this treatment is graft versus host.  The company Osiris is in advanced stages of clinical trials (Phase III) using mesenchymal stem cells to treat this condition in which lymphocytes from the donor start attacking the recipient. 

The current patent presents an alternative method of inhibiting graft versus host.  It provides a "kit" that consists of: a) an agent that is cytoreductive (ie like radiation or chemo); b) the anti-CD2 antibody BTI-322 (blocks co-stimulatory molecule); c) an agent which blocks a CD28-B7 costimulatory pathway of T cell activation; or d) an agent that blocks the CD40-gp39 costimulatory pathway of T cell activation.

Essentially, this patent is covering the use of costimulatory blockade in order to block graft versus host disease.  This approach seems to have some selectivity in terms of preserving a graft versus leukemia effect.

It will be interesting to see how this patent will be enforced.

View this patent on the USPTO website.