Meiji Milk Products Company, Limited

Ribomic Inc.

Medical Therapies Limited

Takashi Muramatsu

Toyo Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Meiji Dairies Corporation

Cellmid Limited

Advangen International Pty Ltd

Muramatsu, Takashi

Sadatoshi Sakuma

Shinya Ikematsu

Munehiro Oda

Takashi Matsui

Masatoshi Fujiwara

Yoshikazu Nakamura

Kenji Kadomatsu

Shin Miyakawa

Hiroyuki Itoh

Akio Suzumura

Mitsuru Horiba

Hideshi Kumai

Jinyan Wang

Makoto Kikuchi

Akio Yamashita

Akira Kikuchi

Masayuki Uchida

Naoki Kato

Takanori Ito

Darren Jones

Maria Halasz

Yukiyoshi Jonoshita

Yasunori Suzuki

Kenji Nomiya

Yoshiko Takabatake

Tetsushi Sudo

Takahiro Kurotsu

Minehiko Yokoyama

Kohji Okamoto

Yoshihiro Yoshida

Tsukasa Uno

Masatoshi Hayashibara

The present application relates to use of a Midkine family protein for growing hair on a mammal, or in the manufacture of a medicament for growing hair on a mammal, especially for treatment or prevention of different forms of alopecia.

Method of treatment or prevention of hair loss or for the enhancement of hair growth

It is intended to provide an antibody which inhibits the function of midkine. An antibody which recognizes an epitope consisting of amino acid residues 62 to 104 of midkine or a fragment thereof; DNA encoding the antibody or a fragment thereof; a recombinant vector which contains the DNA; a transformant which has the vector or a hybridoma which produces the antibody; a method for producing the antibody by allowing the transformant or hybridoma to produce the antibody or a fragment thereof and collecting the resulting antibody or fragment thereof; a pharmaceutical composition containing the antibody or a fragment thereof as an active ingredient; and a diagnostic agent containing the antibody or a fragment thereof as an active ingredient.

Antibody recognizing C-domain of midkine

The inventors examined the role of MK in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is a human model for multiple sclerosis. As a result, they discovered that MK has the effect of inhibiting regulatory T cells, and that the autoimmune mechanism induced by type 1 helper T cells can be suppressed by inhibiting MK expression or its activity, thereby increasing the number of regulatory T cells. Furthermore, it was found that diseases associated with the functional disorder of regulatory T cells can be treated with the administration of an inhibitor that inhibits MK expression or activity.

Methods for treatment or prevention of diseases associated with functional disorder of regulatory T cells

Method for treatment or prevention of disease associated with functional disorder of regulatory T cell

A pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing cytopathy caused by ischemia, comprising a midkine family protein as an active ingredient, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing ischemic disorders, comprising a midkine family protein as an active ingredient, are provided. Midkine is efficacious in treating or preventing ischemic disorders and cytopathy caused by ischemia and can remarkably prevent, for example, the development of cerebral infarction, a representative of ischemic brain disorders. The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is also efficacious against, for example, cerebral ischemic disorders such as cerebrovascular-spasm following a subarachnoid hemorrhage, Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia of Alzheimer's type, and cerebrovascular senile dementia, as well as cerebral ischemia, transient cerebral ischemic disease, and head trauma, and other cerebrovascular diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, and amyotrophic regressive disorders.

Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating ischemic diseases

Provided is a high-quality aptamer against midkine. An aptamer possessing an inhibitory activity against midkine; a complex comprising an aptamer possessing a binding activity or inhibitory activity against midkine and a functional substance (for example, affinity substances, substances for labeling, enzymes, drug delivery vehicles, drugs and the like); a pharmaceutical drug, cell migration inhibitor, diagnostic reagent, labeling agent and the like comprising an aptamer possessing a binding activity or inhibitory activity against midkine, or a complex comprising the aptamer and a functional substance; a cell migration inhibitor, a diagnostic reagent, a labeling agent and the like.

Aptamer against midkine and use thereof

The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of angiostenosis, comprising a compound inhibiting the function of midkine (MK) in blood vessel tissues as an effective ingredient. The present invention is useful for the prevention or treatment of angiostenosis attributed to arteriosclerosis or restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). As compounds inhibiting the function of MK, antisense oligonucleotides that bind to a segment of a single-stranded mRNA transcribed from the MK gene to inhibit the synthesis of MK protein in cells, antibodies against the MK protein, and such can be used.

Midkine inhibitory compositions for the treatment of angiostenosis

Pharmaceutical compositions for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and restenosis after PTCA

MK (midkine) was found to rise in the blood or urine of patients with various types of cancers at early stage. Based on this finding, a method for detecting early cancer, comprising the step of measuring MK in blood or urine was completed.

Methods for detecting early cancer

The present invention provides novel use of the MK family that is used alone as an agent for proliferating hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoietic precursor cells. The invention also provides an agent for remarkably enhancing the above-described effect for promoting the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoietic precursor cells, comprising the MK family in combination with known hematopoietic factors such as IL-3, IL-6, G-CSF, GM-CSF, M-CSF, SCF, and EPO.

Expansion of hematopoietic cells using midkine or pleiotrophin

The present invention provides a novel drug for relieving drug-induced nephropathy and acute hepatopahy containing a midkine (MK) family protein such as pleiotrophin (PTN). The MK family proteins can inhibit nephropathy induced by an antitumor agent or acute hepatopathy caused by carbon tetrachloride and thus effectively relieve drug-induced nephropathy or hepatopathy.

Method for suppressing or treating drug-induced nephropathy

Composition comprising midkine or pleiotrophin protein and method of increasing hematopoietic cells

An anti-ulcer composition is provided, which comprises as an active ingredient at least one of MK protein, its derivative having biological activity of MK protein, and their fragment having biological activity of MK protein, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The composition exhibits an effect for treating ulcer by promoting autotherapy without recurrence of ulcer.

Treatment of peptic ulcers using midkine (MK) proteins

Antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agent

Freshness retentive for cut flowers

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Sadatoshi Sakuma