University of Delaware

Daniel D Carson

Mary C Farach-Carson

Ronald Gomes

Jeffrey B Safran

Margaret French

Rupert Timpl

Implantable devices for adhering eukaryotic cells and devices providing a substrate for eukaryotic cell growth and/or differentiation in vitro are described. Each device comprises a scaffold that is coated with a protein comprising an adhesive polypeptide that has at least 90% sequence identity to a specific peptide sequence within domain IV of perlecan. The devices adhere epithelial cells, epithelial stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and osteoblasts.

Bioactive peptide for cell adhesion

A device comprising a scaffold coated with a protein having at least 83% identity to the amino acid sequence of the core protein of domain I of a mammalian perlecan, wherein at least one glycosaminoglycan is attached to the protein is described. The device may be used in vitro or in vivo to induce replication and/or differentiation of connective tissue cells and to repair tissue.

Delivery system for heparin-binding growth factors

The invention is directed to a polypeptide derived from domain IV of the extracellular matrix protein perlecan that can selectively adhere cells, nucleic acids encoding the inventive polypeptide, vectors comprising the nucleic acids, devices comprising a scaffold coated with the inventive polypeptide, and methods of adhering cells to a scaffold using the inventive polypeptide.

New uses of proteoglycans to bind and present growth factors, methods of accelerating wound, tissue or bone repair using such proteoglycans, pharmaceutical compositions of such proteoglycans, and scaffolds coated with such proteoglycans are disclosed. The proteoglycan of the invention is derived from domain I or perlecan.

Growing community of inventors

Hockessin, DE, United States of America

Daniel D Carson