Seikagaku Corporation

Meiji Milk Products Company, Limited

Medical Therapies Limited

Takashi Muramatsu

Cellmid Limited

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Nagoya University

Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Inc.

Meiji Dairies Corporation

Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd.

Local Government of Aichi Prefecture

Muramatsu, Takashi

Sadatoshi Sakuma

Kenji Kadomatsu

Shinya Ikematsu

Hisako Muramatsu

Munehiro Oda

Mitsuru Horiba

Reiji Kannagi

Kenji Uchimura

Osami Habuchi

Hideshi Kumai

Kazuhiko Inoh

Hideki Muramatsu

Makoto Kikuchi

Itsuo Yokoyama

Takaaki Kobayashi

Haruko Ogawa

Itsuo Kodama

Shuhei Torii

Takashi Matsui

Akio Yamashita

Masayuki Uchida

Naoki Kato

Takanori Ito

Kenichiro Hata

Mineko Izawa

Norio Ohba

Tsukasa Uno

Akiko Okubo

Hitoshi Arimura

Kazuhiko Unoki

Minehiko Yokoyama

Minoru Ueda

Yukio Sumi

Kohji Okamoto

Kazuhiro Toriyama

Tohru Takada

Hisaaki Ishiguro

Hiroharu Takenaka

Arihiro Sumida

Masatoshi Hayashibara

Hideaki Hosokawa

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

A method to treat the chronic stage of heart injury after ischemia or reperfusion by administering Midkine to a subject in need of such treatment is described.

Method to reduce loss of cardiac function following ischemia/reperfusion

The present inventors discovered that oligonucleotides which suppress midkine expression and antibodies which suppress midkine activity can be used to prevent post-surgical intraperitoneal adhesions.

Preventive for adhesion following abdominal surgery

The object is to find a nitric oxide synthase activator, a method for the administration of the activator, and the amount of the activator to be administered. Disclosed is a nitric oxide synthase activator comprising a midkine family protein or a midkine derivative as an active ingredient. Specifically disclosed is a nitric oxide synthase activator which is intended to be administered through the blood, a coronary artery or a vein and which comprises a midkine family protein or a midkine derivative as an active ingredient.

Activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase by midkine and uses therefor in effecting vasodilation

Anti-midkine antibody for preventing post-laparotomy adhesions

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

The present invention provides a method for examining colorectal cancer and colorectal adenoma, which enables to detect colorectal cancer patients and patients at high risk of colorectal cancer at a high probability and is useful for diagnosis of colorectal cancer and colorectal adenoma, and provides the examination reagents thereof. The present inventors discovered that there are significant differences in the distribution of GlcNAc-6-sulfotransferase isozymes, sulfation enzymes of sugar residues, among non-cancer colorectal tissues, colorectal cancer tissues and colorectal adenoma tissues. Furthermore the inventors applied the discovery to diagnosis and found that colorectal cancers and adenomas are detected specifically by assaying a definite range of GlcNAc-6-sulfated sugar residues in tissues from patients or feces samples. MECA-79 antibody (Pharmingen, catalog No. 09961D, Distributor: Becton Dickinson), reacting with GlcNAc-6-sulfated sugar residues, which are produced specifically by the enzyme present in colorectal cancer and colorectal adenoma tissues could be used for the examination of colorectal cancers and colorectal adenomas.

Method of examining colon cancer and colon adenoma

A full-length cDNA is obtained by analyzing the partial amino acid sequence of purified endo-&#x3b2;-galactosidase C, constructing primers based thereon, effecting PCR with the use of the genomic DNA ofas a template to thereby obtain a fragment of cDNA encoding endo-&#x3b2;-galactosidase, effecting cassette PCR by using the cDNA fragment thus obtained to thereby obtain the 5'-terminal and 3&#x2032;-terminal domains, and further effecting PCR with the use of primers constructed on the basis of the data acquired above.

DNA coding for endo-&#x3b2;-galactosidase

Midkine (MK), which is a retinoic acid-inducible heparin-binding growth factor, enhances neutrophilic migration and exists in an inflammatory state at a high concentration. The midkine or its inhibitors can be used for treating neutrophilic functional disorders or inflammatory diseases.

Agents comprising midkine or an inhibitor thereof as active ingredient

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

DNA encoding endo-&#x3b2;-galactosidase

The pharmaceutical formulation for inhibiting wound contraction of the present invention includes secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor as an active ingredient. The SLPI concentration in the pharmaceutical formulation is preferably 1&#x2013;5000 ng/ml, and more preferably 1&#x2013;100 ng/ml. The pharmaceutical formulation for inhibiting wound contraction of the present invention may be prepared as an external preparation including a base and the SLPI as an active ingredient. The pharmaceutical formulation for inhibiting wound contraction of the present invention may be prepared as an injection including the SLPI as an active ingredient. The external preparation may preferably include a preservative. The injection may preferably include a stabilizer (an antioxidant), a preservative and an analgesic agent.

Wound contraction inhibitor

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

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Takashi Muramatsu