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news.VG Life Sciences, a biotechnology company developing therapies for autoimmune and infectious diseases, announced the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 8906846, covering a method of treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) through the administration of a CLIP-inducing agent.
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The patent, along with the company’s existing intellectual property, demonstrates VG Life Sciences’ expertise in researching the role of CLIP (class II-associated invariant chain peptide) in chronic inflammatory conditions.
The company’s research hypothesizes that when an epithelial or endothelial cell of the mucosal tract is devoid of the cell’s own CLIP, the cell will be susceptible to mediated cell death causing the autoimmune condition.
The invention is based in part on the company-sponsored discovery that CLIP provides a protective armor on a cell surface, shielding it from mediated cell death that occurs in certain diseases. Therefore agents that promote CLIP, including exogenous CLIP, are useful in the treatment of mucosal system disorders and autoimmune diseases, especially ulcerative colitis.
"This patent fortifies our growing intellectual property portfolio in the field of autoimmune diseases and further validates the company’s expertise in elucidating the complicated yet important role CLIP plays in many chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions," said David Odell, VG Life Sciences’ CFO.
"Current therapies for IBD treat the symptoms but don’t address the underlying immune response. As one of the more than 1.3 million people in the U.S. who have suffered with IBD, I’m very excited by the potential of the company’s research to address this unmet need."
VG Life Sciences plans to continue its research in this area with the goal of taking it through pre-clinical studies.