The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Velico Medical, Inc.

Children's Medical Center Corporation

Zymequest, Inc.

John H Hartwig

Thomas P Stossel

Paul A Janmey

Henrik Clausen

Karin M Hoffmeister

Roland Vegner

C Casey Cunningham

Keith Rosiello

Raif S Geha

Hans H Wandall

Narayanaswamy Ramesh

Ines M Anton

Hans Wandall

Clausen Henrik

The present invention provides modified platelets having a reduced platelet clearance and methods for reducing platelet clearance. Also provided are compositions for the preservation of platelets. The invention also provides methods for making a pharmaceutical composition containing the modified platelets and for administering the pharmaceutical composition to a mammal to mediate hemostasis.

Prolonging survival of platelets using CMP-sialic acid,UDP-galactose or both

Methods for prolonging survival of platelets using UDP-galactose

Compositions and methods for prolonging survival of platelets

Described herein is a novel gene and its product, WIP, which associates with WASP. The subject invention relates to the isolated WIP gene or cDNA (see FIGS. A- B); nucleic acid probes, which can be fragments of the WIP gene or WIP cDNA or full-length; nucleic acid primers, which are fragments of WIP cDNA or the WIP gene; methods of assessing cells (e.g., for diagnostic purposes) for the presence of WIP DNA, (e.g., wildtype or mutated) or for the absence or occurrence of a reduced level of WIP DNA; WIP mRNA; WIP or WIP fragments, such as those which are useful to generate antibodies which bind WIP; and antibodies which bind WIP. Also the subject of this invention are methods of treating conditions in which WIP and/or WASP DNA or protein is deficient (in quantity) and/or defective (e.g., mutated/altered) such that an individual is adversely affected (e.g., has Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome); methods of altering or regulating WASP and its functions; and methods of altering actin content, actin polymerization or both in cells, such as human lymphoid cells (e.g., &bgr; lymphocytes). A further subject of this invention is an assay to identify drugs which alter (e.g., enhance) the activity of WIP or expression of WIP DNA.

WIP, a WASP-associated protein

Methods and compositions for preserving platelets at cryogenic temperatures with retention of hemostatic activity are provided. The compositions include a first agent for inhibiting actin filament severing and a second agent for inhibiting actin polymerization. Contacting the platelets with the first and second agents prior to exposure to cold temperature prevents cold-induced platelet activation.

Preservation of blood platelets

Methods and compositions for facilitating the transport of a membrane-impermeable extracellular agent having an intracellular activity across the membrane of a cell are provided. The methods involve covalently coupling an amino terminal blocking group to a transport-mediating peptide to form a carrier molecule. The carrier molecule is covalently coupled to the extracellular agent to form a membrane-permeable prodrug. The transport-mediating peptides are highly basic and bind to polyphosphoinositides.

Polyphoshoinositide binding peptides for intracellular drug delivery

Polyphosphoinsitide binding peptides for intracellular drug delivery

Methods for preserving platelets at temperatures of less than about 15.degree.C. with retention of hemostatic activity are provided. The method uses a first agent for inhibiting actin filament severing and a second agent for inhibiting actin polymerization. Contacting the platelets with the first and second agents prior to exposure to cold temperature prevents cold-induced platelet activation.

Growing community of inventors

Jamaica Plain, MA, United States of America

John H Hartwig