Antagonists of the Alpha Epsilon Beta 7 Integrin as Therapeutic Agents for Inflammatory Diseases
Description of Invention:
The disclosed invention relates to a method of treating and/or preventing the inflammatory response of an autoimmune disease, an allergic disease, a graft-versus-host disease and a transplantation rejection. In particular, this treatment or prevention is accomplished by administering antagonists of the alpha epsilon beta7 integrin. alpha epsilon beta7 is expressed on intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and on lamina propria (LP) lymphocytes. alpha epsilon beta7 can be upregulated by TGF-beta, and it is speculated to have regulatory functions such as homing or retention. The pathogenesis of chronic intestinal inflammation may depend on the traffic of lymphocytes from sites of induction to sites of inflammation. The inventors have shown that chronic intestinal inflammation can be prevented and reversed in an IL-2 -/- murine model. Administration of anti-alpha epsilon beta7 prevents colonic inflammation and reverses pre-existing inflammation. Therefore, this technology can be used to treat, prevent or reverse inflammatory conditions as well as providing a method of screening for substances effective in reducing the inflammatory effects of alpha epsilon beta7.
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-282-1998/0 --
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/109,957 filed 25 Nov 1998
PCT Application No. PCT/US99/27817 filed 23 Nov 1999, which published as WO 00/30681 on 02 Jun 2000
U.S. Patent Application No. 09/856,544 filed 20 Dec 2001
For Additional Information Please Contact: David A. Lambertson Ph.D.
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301)435-4632
Email: lambertsond@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
