Treatment of pulmonary vascular remodeling with neprilysin
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate
InventorEdward C. DEMPSEY
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Abstract
The present invention relates to agonists of Neprilysin and their use in preventing and treating pulmonary vascular remodeling. Also described are diagnostic and screening applications stemming from the inventor's discovery that Neprilysin is expressed at reduced levels in disease tissues.
Claims27
(canceled)
The method of claim 51, wherein said agonist of neprilysin is an expression cassette comprising a polynucleotide encoding a neprilysin polypeptide under the control of a promoter operable in eukaryotic cells.
3-6. (canceled)
(canceled)
10-11. (canceled)
The method of claim 51, wherein said agonist is neprilysin or an enzymatically active fragment of neprilysin.
The method of claim 51, wherein said agonist is administered orally, intravenously, intraarterially, subcutaneously, transdermally or by inhalation.
The method of claim 51, wherein said subject is a human.
The method of claim 51, wherein said subject is or was a smoker.
The method of claim 51, wherein said subject has emphysema.
17-18. (canceled)
The method of claim 51, wherein said subject is administered a second therapy.
(canceled)
A method of diagnosing pulmonary vascular remodeling in a subject comprising the steps of:
- (i) obtaining a tissue sample comprising lung tissue, pulmonary vascular muscle, endothelial cell tissue or fibroblast tissue from a subject;
- and
- (ii) assessing the expression of neprilysin in cells of said sample,
- wherein a reduced amount of neprilysin expression in cells of said sample, as compared to healthy cells, indicates that said subject has pulmonary vascular remodeling.
31-50. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.