Use of Combined Growth Factor and Carrier Protein Therapy to Increase Bone Mass in Humans

Reference #:

1997-001

Inventors/Contributors

Sundeep Khosla, M.D., Cheryl A. Conover, Ph.D., Raymond Hintz

Description

With the aging of the population, osteoporosis is emerging as a major public health problem. Drugs used to treat osteoporosis can be classified into those that decrease bone resorption and those that increase bone formation. While a number of anti-resorptive therapies for osteoporosis are presently available, there is a clear need for novel anabolic approaches. New insights gained from a detailed study of a rare, acquired disorder have led to a new hypothesis regarding means to produce a marked increase in bone formation in adults. Individuals afflicted with this rare disease have been found to have extremely dense bones that are normal histologically. Following extensive investigation, these investigators have developed a strategy utilizing a combination of growth factors to increase bone formation in adults. Early studies show this therapy is preferentially targeted to bone.

Patent Status

U.S. Patent Number 5,998,369 Issued December 07, 1999 Australia Patent Number 746423 Issued August 15, 2002 U.S. Patent Number 6,548,482 Issued April 15, 2003 U.S. Patent Number 6,916,790 Issued July 12, 2005 Australia Patent Number 784028 Issued May 04, 2006 Liechtenstein Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006 Italy Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006 United Kingdom Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006 France Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006 Germany Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006 Switzerland Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006 Europe Patent Number 0981545 Issued September 13, 2006