Polymer implants for treatment of metabolic disorders
AssigneeUniversity of South Carolina
InventorsRobert Gower, Michael Hendley
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Abstract
Implantable devices including a biocompatible matrix configured for long term location in adipose tissue and a biologically active agent that can be carried by the matrix and delivered to the adipose tissue following implant therein. The biologically active agent can include a modulator or a precursor thereof that can directly or indirectly modify the gene expression of adipose cells, e.g., adipocytes, and thereby modify the presence or quantity of one or more expression products of the adipose tissue that may act locally on distant from the implant site in an endocrine fashion. Modulators can include small molecules (e.g., resveratrol), polynucleotides (e.g., RNAi), or polypeptides (e.g., antibodies or functional fragments thereof).
Claims6
An implantable device comprising:
- a biocompatible matrix comprising a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) copolymer;
- and
- an adipose tissue expression product modulator encapsulated within or bonded to the biocompatible matrix, the adipose tissue expression product modulator comprising resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-tans-stilbene), butein (3,4,2′,4′-tetrahydroxychalcone);
- piceatannol (3,5,3′,4′-tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene);
- isoliquiritigenin (4,2′,4′-trihydroxychalcone);
- fisetin (3,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyflavone);
- or quercetin (3,5,7,3′,4′-pentahydroxyflavone);
- wherein
- the implantable device is configured for implant into adipose tissue and the biocompatible matrix is configured to release the adipose tissue expression product modulator into the adipose tissue over time wherein the biocompatible matrix comprises polymer particles comprising the poly(lactide-co-glycolide) copolymer and the adipose tissue expression product modulator encapsulated within the polymer particles, further comprising additional polymer particles that do not encapsulate the adipose tissue expression product modulator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.