Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd.

Gesellschaft Fuer Biotechnologische Forschung Mbh

Helmholtz-Zentrum Fur Infektionsforschung Gmbh

Andrea Hoffmann

Dan Gazit

Gadi Pelled

Gerhard Gross

Gadi Turgeman

Kristin Verschueren

Stefan Czichos

Yoram Zilberman

Peter Eberle

Claas Wodarczyk

This invention provides method for repairing, regenerating, treating, or inducing the repair of an injury, a defect or a condition of a connective tissue of a subject. This invention provides a method of regenerating, enhancing, inducing repair and/or development of connective tissue as a result of a defect, injury or condition of the connective tissue of a subject comprising the step of inserting an engineered cell which comprises a nucleic acid encoding a SMAD protein or variant thereof, so as to induce regeneration, repair and/or development of the connective tissue. This invention further provides methods of ex-vivo implantation of engineered cells into an injury, defect or condition of the connective tissue. This invention also provides a nucleic acid encoding a SMAD 8 protein variant, cells comprising such SMAD 8 variant, include mesenchymal stem cells, progenitor cells or cells derived from a connective tissue. Lastly, this invention provides SMAD 8 protein variant.

Methods of inducing or enhancing connective tissue repair

The invention relates to methods of enhancing repair of a cartilage and/or inducing formation of a cartilage by administering a cell which expresses a factor of the T-box family, which includes inter-alia the brachyury. In another embodiment, the invention relates to an engineered cell, which is transfected with a vector comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a factor of the T-box family, thereby expressing a factor of the T-box family. In another embodiment, the invention relates to compositions comprising a vector which comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a factor of the T-box family and in another embodiment the composition comprising cell which expresses a factor of the T-box family, which includes inter-alia the brachyury.

Methods and compositions for enhancing cartilage repair

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Hannover, Germany

Andrea Hoffmann