Responsible Regional Contact Point
Organisation:	FLANDERSBIO
Contact person:	Willem Dhooge
Contact details:	Willem.Dhooge@flandersbio.be +32 9 241 80 46
Organisation Details
Founded (Year):	1996
No of employees:	11-50
Organisation Type:	Research Organisation
Company (Organisation) details
Areas of activity:
-  Medicine, Human Health -  Biology/Biotechnology
1) Technology Offer
Use of VEGF for treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome
ABSTRACT: The present invention identifies VEGF as an important factor in lung maturation of the fetus, and shows the role of a VEGF related transcription factor in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension DESCRIPTION: Patent application WO02/086497 in one aspect shows that loss of the transcription factor HIF-2a causes fatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in newborn. RDS is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and RDS results from insufficient production of surfactant by immature type 2 pneumocytes in pre-term infants. It is shown that HIF-2a and one of its induced genes, VEGF, plays an important role in lung maturation because intra-uterine delivery of VEGF before birth or intra-tracheal injection of VEGF after birth improved lung function and prevented RDS in mature. A second aspect of the application shows that HIF-2a is a new therapeutic target for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Chronic hypoxic conditions are known to induce pulmonary vascular remodelling and subsequent pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy, thereby constituting a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Several molecules are known in the art that can inhibit the expression of hypoxia inducible factors, said molecules could be used for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. INNOVATIVE ASPECTS: MAIN ADVANTADGES / BENEFITS: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: CURRENT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR): Patent applied for. MARKET APPLICATIONS: VEGF can be used for the treatment of RDS. HIF-2a can be used in a method for screening molecules that are able to inhibit the development of pulmonary hypertension. HIF-2a inhibitors could be used for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. TYPE OF COLLABORATION SOUGHT: Licensing PARTNER PROFILE:
Market application:
-  Health issue treatment -  Other human health related topics
Further comments	Respiratory Distress Syndrome, pulmonary hypertension therapeutic using VEGF (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) Drug development (Targets for hypoxia inducible factor gene 2a in pulmonary hypertension)
Entry/Update:	2006-11-10  /  2007-01-09