METHODS OF INDUCING PLURIPOTENCY INVOLVING SOX2 PROTEIN

• Main Authors: KIRKLAND, MARK, ALEXANDER, GOUGH, TAMARA, JANE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 15.09.2010
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; VINEGAR; WINE

The invention relates to a method of inducing pluripotency in a responsive mammalian cell, which comprises introducing into the cell an effective amount for initiating pluripotency within the cell of Sox2 protein or a functionally equivalent analogue, variant or fragment thereof. The invention also relates to a method of treatment and/or prophylaxis of a degenerative disease or injury in a mammal, which comprises removing from the mammal one or more responsive cells and culturing the cells in a suitable medium, introducing into the cells an effective amount of Sox2 protein or a functionally equivalent analogue, variant or fragment thereof and subsequently returning the cells to the patient. In a further embodiment the invention relates to a method of treatment and/or prophylaxis of a degenerative disease or injury in a mammal, which comprises introducing into responsive cells of the mammal an effective amount of Sox2 protein or a functionally equivalent analogue, variant or fragment thereof.