Bone-Inducing Agent

File # 97KUMC022/047

Description:   Researchers at the Medical Center have discovered a bone-inducing agent in extracts of Saos-2 cells that has been used to promote healing of large, surgically-induced bone defects. 

The Saos-2 cell line originated from an osteosarcoma in an 11 year-old girl, grows a matrix-free monolayer with epithelial-like features, is osteogenically well differentiated in the sense that it strongly expresses alkaline phosphatase, and does not proliferate to form tumors when injected into Nu/Nu mice.

Filed of Applications: The development of an agent that promotes bone growth has many potential clinical uses. They include but not limited to: 

1. Implantation into large bone defects created by surgery for cancer and other diseases to promote bone growth.
2. Implantation between broken bone edges to promote the repair of non-union fractures, and to speed the healing of fractures in the elderly, e.g. in hip fractures of osteoporosis.
3. Promotion of spinal repair after operations, e.g. after Harrington Rod implacement for scoliosis or after intervertebral disk removal.
4. Promotion of bone healing after reparative surgery for large maxiollofacial defects.
5. Promotion of bone ingrowth at the interface between in the resection site and an intraosseous implant.
6. An untested possibility would be to introduce a bone growth-promoting agent via the circulation to enhance bone growth in osteoporosis.
7. Therapeutics

Patent Status: U.S. Patents # 5,035,90, #6,008,197. #6,020,313, #6,322,786 
                                         
Licensing Availability: Negotiable. For more information, please contact the Technology Transfer Office
at 913-588-5721.

References:

Journal of Musculoskeletal Research, Vol, 3, No 1 (1999) 39-48
Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research (1995) No. 313, 129-134
Curr. Opin. Ther. Patents (1994) 4(1): 17-29