Gene therapy for obesity
AssigneeMerck & Co., Inc.
InventorsManal A. Morsy, Ming Cheng Gu, Jing Zhoa, C. Thomas Caskey, Stephan Kochanek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Gene therapy can treat obesity in mammals. An obesity regulating gene is delivered to a mammal. Preferably, the gene encodes leptin or a leptin receptor. The protein which is delivered and expressed in vivo is more effective than protein which is injected into the animal.
Claims16
A method of treating a condition caused at least in part by an insufficient production of a peptide or protein hormone in a mammal comprising administration of a viral vector comprising a gene construct encoding the peptide or protein hormone.
A method of treating obesity, lowering serum glucose levels or lowering serum insulin levels in a mammal in need of such therapy comprising delivering a gene encoding leptin to the mammal;
- wherein transcription and translation of the gene encoding leptin occurs in vivo.
A transgenic non-human mammal or progeny thereof which expresses a leptin transgene.
A helper dependent adenoviral vector comprising:
- a) a first segment of adenovirus DNA;
- b) a first segment of stuffer DNA;
- c) a transgene construct comprising a leptin transgene;
- d) a second segment of stuffer DNA;
- and
- e) a second segment of adenovirus DNA;
- wherein no adenoviral proteins are expressed in a host cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.