Inhibitors of hedgehog signaling pathways, compositions and uses related thereto
AssigneeThe Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
InventorsPhilip A. Beachy, Michael K. Cooper, Jefferey A. Porter
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Abstract
The present invention makes availables assays and reagents inhibiting paracrine and/or autocrine signals produced by a hedgehog protein or aberrant activation of a hedgehog signal transduction pathway, e.g., which involve the use of a steroidal alkaloid or other small molecule.
Claims13
A method of therapy for a human subject having a basal cell carcinoma tumor,
- comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a medicament comprising cyclopamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier,
- wherein in said tumor smoothened-dependent hedgehog signaling is utilized for inhibition of apoptosis, and
- said amount of cyclopamine selectively inhibits smoothened-dependent hedgehog signaling in said tumor and is sufficient to induce apoptosis in said tumor and inhibits tumor cell proliferation.
A method of therapy for a human subject having a tumor in which smoothened-dependent hedgehog signaling is used for inhibition of apoptosis and selective inhibition of differentiation, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a medicament comprising cyclopamine and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein said amount of cyclopamine selectively inhibits smoothened-dependent hedgehog signaling in said tumor and induces apoptosis in and inhibits proliferation of said tumor.
A method for the treatment of a human subject having a tumor in which smoothened-dependent hedgehog signaling is used for inhibition of apoptosis, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a medicament comprising cyclopamine, wherein smoothened-dependent hedgehog signaling is also used for selective inhibition of differentiation in said tumor, wherein said medicament is a pharmaceutical composition for topical or systemic administration, wherein the composition is in the form of a liposome.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.