Description:
Reference #: 01421
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for Natural Compounds for Modulation of Cell Secretome Production and Composition
Background:
Plants are the oldest source of natural compounds with medicinal and cosmetic properties explored by the world. 11% of the existed essential drugs used in modern human medicine are still of plant origin. There is an increasing number of studies showing positive effects of condition media (secretome) with secreted proteins derived from various stem cells in tissue regeneration confirming the hypothesis for using paracrine/autocrine factors secreted by cells rather than the cells themselves to affect tissue repair. The potential to generate a therapeutic cocktail that effects in vivo tissue regeneration and can be administered immediately following injury, thus limiting scar formation and the avoidance of the issues such as tumorigenicity and immune compatibility associated with ex vivo cell culture. In addition, secreted proteins can serve as an essential source for biomarker discovery. Here we are using natural compounds to modulate proteins secretion by stem cells according to the final application of secretome. The use of natural products under different culture environments (normoxia and hypoxia) enhance stem cell secretion and improve their therapeutic capacity.
Invention Description:
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are pluripotent stem cells that have been shown therapeutic potential for regenerative medicine, and inflammatory diseases due to their ability to proliferate and differentiate. This invention is the use of an effective dose of natural products to improve proteins, growth factor, cell’s signals, and other molecules secreted by stem cells for potential therapeutic applications such as musculoskeletal injuries, improving cardiac function in cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disease, and ameliorating the severity of graft versus host disease, soft tissue regeneration (scar reduction). The use of secretome decrease the risk of unwanted reactions in allogenic use. The use of cell-free therapies in regenerative medicine holds several advantages over more conventional stem-cell based applications.
Potential Applications:
The use of this invention can be applied to the treatment of inflammatory diseases, immune-related disease, and regenerative therapy. The present invention also relates to the used of the secretome of natural compound-treated stem cells under different conditions (normoxia and hypoxia) in combination with other natural products.
Advantages and Benefits:
The use of secretome could potentially bypass issues related to immune compatibility, generation of tumors, and the transmission of infections associated with cell therapies. Secretome use could also greatly reduce the time and cost associated with the expansion and maintenance of clonal cell lines since secretome therapies could be prepared in advance in large quantities in an allogeneic or off-the-shelf fashion and be immediately available for treatment when desired.