Methods for modulating bone tissue formation, orthogenic agents and pharmaceutical compositions
OwnerLuc Van Rompaey, Peter Tommeinventors
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Abstract
The present invention relates to in vivo and in vitro methods, agents and compound screening assays for inducing differentiation of undifferentiated mammalian cells into osteoblasts, including bone formation enhancing pharmaceutical compositions, and the use thereof in treating and/or preventing a disease involving a systemic or local decrease in mean bone density in a subject.
Claims30
A method for identifying a compound that induces differentiation of undifferentiated vertebrate cells into osteoblasts, comprising
- (a) contacting a compound with a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
- 42-64;
- and
- (b) measuring a compound-polypeptide property related to the differentiation of said cells.
An agent for inducing the differentiation of undifferentiated mammalian cells into osteoblasts, selected from the group consisting of an antisense polynucleotide, a ribozyme, and a small interfering RNA (siRNA), wherein said agent comprises a nucleic acid sequence complementary to, or engineered from, a naturally-occurring polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
- 42-64.
A method for in vitro production of bone tissue, comprising contacting undifferentiated mammalian cells with a polynucleotide sequence comprising a nucleic acid sequence complementary to a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
- 1-18 for a time sufficient to differentiate the undifferentiated cells into osteoblasts, thereby producing a continuous bone matrix.
A method for diagnosing a pathological condition involving a systemic or local decrease in mean bone density or a susceptibility to the condition in a subject, comprising determining a first amount of polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
- 42-64 present in a biological sample obtained from said subject, and comparing said first amount with the ranges of amounts of the polypeptide determined in a population of healthy subjects, wherein an increase of the amount of polypeptide in said biological sample compared to the range of amounts determined for healthy subjects is indicative of the presence of the pathological condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.