Boehringer Mannheim Gmbh

University of California

Max-planck-gesellschaft Zur F&#xf6;rderung Der Wissenschaften E. V.

Roche Diagnostics Gmbh

Cancerforskningsfonden Af 1989

Ilse Bartke

Kurt W Naujoks

Jurgen Unger

Axel Ullrich

Ulrich Kohnert

Ulrich Weidle

Vincent Ellis

Michael Ploug

Stephen L Hauser

Bernhard Konig

Claude P Genain

Keld Dano Slashed

Yorn Schmidt

Hans-Hinrich Althaus

J&uuml;rgen Unger

Ulrich Pessara

Gunter Kostka

This invention pertains to the discovery that nerve growth factor (NGF) is capable of preventing further demyelination of nervous tissue in pathologies characterized by the demyelination of nervous tissue (e.g. multiple sclerosis). In one embodiment, this invention provides a method for inhibiting demyelination in a subject having an inflammatory disease of a nervous tissue. The method involves administering an effective amount of NGF, an NGF analogue, or an active fragment of NGF where the effective amount is sufficient to downregulate the production of interferon &#x3bb; by T cells infiltrating the central nervous system and/or to upregulate IL-10 production by glial cells.

NGF for the prevention of demyelination in the nervous system

A method is presented for regenerating oligodendrocytes in diseases such as multiple sclerosis by administering human &bgr; nerve growth factor (NGF-&bgr;) by bolus injection. Treatment comprises 1-10 bolus injections in a dose of 0.05 to 5.0 &mgr;g/kg body at an interval of 1 to 21 days.

In vivo regeneration of oligodendrocytes by bolus injection of NGF&bgr;

The invention relates to an antibody which inhibits the binding between u-PA and u-PAR to an extent of at least 90% in an assay as defined in the specification, or an active fragment or immunological equivalent of said antibody. Examples of such antibodies are deposited Jul. 7, 1994 at Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSM) with accession numbers DSM ACC2178 and DSM ACC2179 under the terms and conditions of the Budapest Treaty. The invention furthermore relates to a method for detecting or quantifying u-PAR or a glycosylation variant of u-PAR in a sample by use of an antibody according to the invention. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a therapeutic agent for preventing or counteracting localized proteolytic activity using of an antibody of the invention as well as to use of an antibody according to the invention for the preparation of a diagnostic agent which is capable of targeting a diagnostic to a cell that contains a u-PAR on the surface.

Hydrophobic u-PAR binding site

The invention concerns a process for improving the regeneration of oligodendrocytes, in particular of human oligodendrocytes, in which oligodendrocytes are treated in cell culture with nerve growth factor (NGF) or active fragments of NGF. Furthermore a composition is disclosed for treating diseases in which a demyelination of nerve fibres occurs which contains NGF or an active fragment thereof as the active substance, if desired, together with the usual pharmaceutical vehicles, auxiliary substances, fillers and diluents.

Regeneration of oligodendrocytes

The invention concerns monoclonal antibodies against the human c-kit receptor which are obtainable from the cell lines DSM ACC 2007, DSM ACC 2008 and DSM ACC 2009 or are capable of binding to the c-kit receptor in an equivalent manner to the antibodies produced by the cell lines DSM ACC 2007, DSM ACC 2008 or DSM ACC 2009. The present invention also concerns a method for testing the malignancy of tumours of haematopoietic cells, of seminomas or small-celled lung carcinoma in which a tissue sample is incubated with at least one monoclonal antibody against the c-kit receptor according to the present invention and subsequently bound antibodies are detected by means of known methods.

Monoclonal antibodies against c-kit and method of detecting a malignancy

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Bernried, Germany

Ilse Bartke