Methods for identifying potential therapeutic agents for treatment of osteoporosis using mitogenic indices

US6713269B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• CO.DON AG · DE

Inventors

• Olivera Josimovic-Alasevic · Berlin, DE
• Karl-Gerd Fritsch · Berlin, DE
• Jochen Ittner · Augsburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 27, 1998
• Grant date: Mar 30, 2004
• Expiry date: Mar 27, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12N2503/00
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method of screening potential therapeutic substances that may be useful in the treatment of osteoporosis is provided herein utilizing primary osteoblast precursor cell cultures to determine the mitogenic effect of the tested agents. This method comprises preparation of the primary cultures from osteoporotic patients for the expression of several intracellular proteins in early and late osteoblast differentiation phases, expression of other proteins involved in matrix synthesis, and quantitative analysis of the cellular proliferation rate. The expression of such intracellular proteins and cell proliferation in the cultures derived from osteoporotic patients are quantitatively compared to primary osteoblast cell cultures from non-osteoporotic patients that are standardized for the same approximate age and sex.