Oregon Health & Science University

Imperial Innovations Limited

Imperial College Innovations Limited

Malcolm J Low

Roger D Cone

Michael Alexander Cowley

Andrew A Butler

Stephen Robert Bloom

Caroline Jane Small

Rachel Louise Batterham

Flavio Silva Junqueira De Souza

Marcelo Rubinstein

Mohammad Ali Ghatei

Wenbiao Chen

Mohammad Ali Ghatel

Michael Cowley

Methods are disclosed for decreasing calorie intake, food intake, and appetite in a subject. The methods include peripherally administering a therapeutically effective amount of PYY or an agonist thereof to the subject, thereby decreasing the calorie intake of the subject.

Modification of feeding behavior

Screening methods of use in identifying agents that affect caloric intake, food intake, appetite, and energy expenditure are disclosed herein. These methods are used to identify agents of use in treating obesity, or that can be used to decrease the weight of a subject. These methods can also be used to identify agents of use in treating anorexia or cachexia and can be used to increase appetite and to increase the weight and lean body mass of a subject.

Method for screening for agents that affect food intake

The nucleic acid sequence of the POMC enhancer is disclosed herein. Sequences from the human, rat, rabbit, hamster, mouse, and cow POMC enhancer are disclosed. Hybrid transgenes, comprising a POMC transcriptional control element operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a marker are also enclosed. In addition, transgenic mice carrying a hybrid transgene including a POMC control element operably linked to a marker are disclosed herein.

Upstream control elements of the proopiomelanocortin gene and their use

This invention provides methods and reagents for developing naturally-occurring and synthetic agonists and antagonists specific for a mammalian melanocortin receptor, and the use of such agonists and antagonists for treatment and alleviation of dysfunction and disease. The invention specifically provides reagents and methods for developing naturally-occurring and synthetic agonists and antagonists specific for a mammalian melanocortin receptor termed MC5-R. The naturally-occurring and synthetic agonists and antagonists specific for the MC5-R receptor are provided by the invention for the treatment, control, amelioration and alleviation of diseases, and dysfunctional and abnormal states related to thermoregulatory disorders, as well as other diseases relating to exocrine gland disorders, including lacrimal gland dysfunction and sebaceous gland disorders including acne and other skin problems. Also provided by the invention are nucleic acids, constructs, vectors and methods for producing an animal bearing a genetically-disrupted endogenous MC5-R melanocortin receptor, in both the heterozygous and homozygous condition, preferably a rodent and most preferably a mouse. Rodents bearing genetically disrupted MC5-R genes homozygously, termed &ldquo;gene knockout&rdquo;rodents in the art, are also advantageously provided.

Mammalian melanocortin receptors and uses

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Malcolm J Low