Chemokine-binding proteins for treating congestive heart failure
AssigneeSurroMed, Inc.
InventorAnthony Allison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Chemokine-binding proteins are administered as a treatment for congestive heart failure and related disorders. Evidence indicates that CC chemokines are a factor in the disease pathogenesis; by binding to receptors on heart muscle cells, the chemokines may, through a G-protein-coupled transduction system, increase the concentration of free calcium ions in the cytoplasm. This disrupts the normal calcium cycle required for muscle contraction and relaxation, and is a likely mechanism for development of congestive heart failure. Suitable proteins include poxyirus-encoded CC chemokine inhibitors and promiscuous chemokine receptors; these proteins bind to a number of different CC chemokines with high affinity but generally do not bind to other subfamilies of chemokines.
Claims21
A method for treating congestive heart failure in a mammal, comprising administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a chemokine-binding protein.
A pharmaceutical composition comprising an amount of an isolated chemokine-binding protein effective to ameliorate the effect of CC chemokines on cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in cardiac muscle cells.
A method for identifying a compound that modulates the activity of at least one CC chemokine on cardiomyocytes, comprising:
- a) contacting a compound suspected of modulating the activity of at least one CC chemokine with cardiac myocytes in the presence of said at least one CC chemokine and under conditions suitable for measuring L-type Ca2+ transients;
- b) stimulating said myocytes to increase cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations;
- c) repeating steps (a) and (b) in the absence of said compound;
- d) comparing cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations in the presence of said compound with cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations in the absence of said compound;
- and
- e) based on said comparison, determining whether said compound modulates the activity of said at least one CC chemokine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.