Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Shogo Koshida

Yohei Hirai

Yumiko Oka

Koji Fujii

Kozo Yoshimura

Makoto Kobayashi

Kyoko Takebe

Hokari Tsuda

Keiko Tochigi

Hideo Goto

Toko Shinagawa

Kayoko Murakami

The present invention provides oligopeptides having morphogenesis promoting activity and in particular, hair promoting activity. The oligopeptides may be in monomer form, monomer having a reactive substance bound form or as a polymer, such as a dimer including a homodimer; heterodimer; homotrimer; or heterodimer. The present invention also provides monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognize a 220 kDa antigen of epithelial new hair follicles; hybridomas producing such antibody; and methods and kits for assaying hair growth in mammalian subjects.

Oligopeptides for promoting hair growth

Epimorphin antagonist and process for producing it

In this invention there are provided a polypeptide having morphogenesis-accelerating activity or cell-proliferating activity against epithelial cells, said polypeptide being defined by the 1st to 103rd amino acids from the N-terminal of human epimorphin or being defined by the 1st to 104th amino acids from the N-terminal of murine epimorphin, and a medicament containing said polypeptide as an effective ingredient. Such polypeptides are soluble in water and are useful as the effective ingredients of medicaments for the treatment or prevention of diseases involving the aberration of morphogenesis, such as inflammatory disorders, burn or wound, and as those of medicaments for use in hair growth promotion.

Water-soluble polypeptides

Disclosed herein are a modified epimorphin obtained by adding a hydrophilic peptide composed of 5 to 99 amino acids to at least one terminus of a polypeptide containing the functional domain of epimorphin, and a modified epimorphin composed of a polypeptide having a structure wherein a hydrophobic domain adjacent to the C-terminus of the whole-length epimorphin consisting of a coiled coil domain (1) on the N-terminal side, a functional domain (2) at the center, a coiled coil domain (3) on the C-terminal side and the hydrophobic domain (4) adjacent to the C-terminus has been deleted from the whole-length epimorphin, and at least part of amino acids have been deleted from the terminal side of at least one of the coiled coil domains (1) and (3) as well. The invention also discloses a variant modified epimorphin obtained by making partial substitution, deletion and/or insertion of amino acids in the amino acid sequence of the modified epimorphin, wherein the variant maintains the function of the original sequence. The invention further discloses DNAs encoding the modified epimorphin and variant thereof, recombinant vectors containing the DNAs, transformants obtained by introducing the recombinant vectors, and a production method of the modified epimorphin and the variants thereof making use of the transformant.

Modified epimorphin

A light beam irradiation apparatus includes a light source, a reflector for condensing light emitted from the light source, and a fiber cable for transmitting light reflected by the reflector. The fiber cable accommodates at least one bundle of optical fibers arrayed at random so that a fiber array at its first end differs from that at its second end. The apparatus further includes a lens, mounted on the second end of the fiber cable, for focusing the light on an object to be treated.

Light beam heating apparatus and method utilizing a fiber optic cable

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Shogo Koshida