Stimulator of Endothelial Cell Proliferation - Isis Project No 779

A new stimulator of endothelial cell proliferation has been identified through research in the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Molecular Oncology laboratory at Oxford University.

Therapeutic Areas/Application

The treatment of disorders that may be improved by angiogenic therapy. These include coronary artery disease, critical limb ischaemia in diabetes, wound healing, and other disorders where an increased blood supply is desirable.

Background

Amongst the many important disorders of relevance to this invention, the most significant indication is that of coronary artery disease, which is a leading cause of death in the developed world. Conventional therapy for the treatment of this disease is through surgical intervention. This may be either angioplasty where the arterial blockage is decreased through the inflation and deflation of a balloon in the affected vessel but is frequently subject to restenosis (re-blockage), or where angioplasty is not suitable then open-heart surgery with its associated risks is attempted.

One new area of huge interest to health care companies of all types is angiogenic therapy. This therapy can alleviate coronary artery disease by stimulating new vessel growth and returning blood flow to the heart, through the delivery of angiogenic proteins or their genes to this organ.
Endothelial cells that line blood vessels are the initial targets for promoting new vessel growth. Therefore new biological agents that can stimulate endothelial cell growth are important candidates for angiogenic therapy.

The Oxford Invention

A stimulator of endothelial cell growth has been characterised. The agent is a monoclonal antibody that binds a protein present on endothelial cells and switches on endothelial cell proliferation. It is therefore a novel and exciting candidate for angiogenic therapy.

Commercialisation Opportunity

The patent application, which has now been published (WO 02/43747), is available for license and we are actively seeking partners for the licensing and commercial development of this technology.

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