The General Hospital Corporation

Raymond T Chung

Clifford J Woolf

Tarek A Samad

Herbert Y Lin

Jodie L Babitt

Alan Schneyer

Emmett Vance Schmidt

Jodie Babitt

The present invention provides new systems and strategies for the regulation of iron metabolism in mammals. In particular, methods of using agonists and antagonists of TGF-&#x3b2; superfamily members to modulate the expression or activity of hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, are described. The inventive methods find applications in the treatment of diseases associated with iron overload, such as juvenile hemochromatosis and adult hemochromatosis, and in the treatment of diseases associated with iron deficiency, such as anemia of chronic disease and EPO resistant anemia in end-stage of renal disease. The present invention also relates to screening tools and methods for the development of novel drugs and therapies for treating iron metabolism disorders.

Methods and compositions to regulate hepcidin expression

Hemojuvelin fusion proteins

The present invention provides new systems and strategies for the regulation of iron metabolism in mammals. In particular methods of using agonists and antagonists of TGF-&#x3b2; superfamily members to modulate the expression or activity of hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, are described. The inventive methods find applications in the treatment of diseases associated with iron overload, such as juvenile hemochromatosis and adult hemochromatosis, and in the treatment of diseases associated with iron deficiency, such as anemia of chronic disease and EPO resistant anemia in end-stage of renal disease. The present invention also relates to screening tools and methods for the development of novel drugs and therapies for treating iron metabolism disorders.

Use of modulators of compounds of TGF-&#x3b2; superfamily to regulate hepcidin-mediated iron metabolism

Methods and compositions to regulate iron metabolism

A nucleic acid having a first nucleotide sequence encoding an infectious hepatitis C virus, a second nucleotide sequence encoding a ribozyme, and an inducible promoter operably linked to the first and second nucleotide sequences, the ribozyme being configured to remove a 3&prime; sequence unnecessary for replication of the infectious hepatitis C virus from a transcript initiated by the inducible, is described. A cell containing the nucleic acid and methods of using the cell are also described.

Production of replicative hepatitis C virus

Growing community of inventors

Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America

Raymond T Chung