Non-surgical method of treatment for cataract

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9675623-B2
Application number	US-201313944477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2013
Priority date	Jul 17, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

The invention provides inhibitors of α-crystallin aggregation and methods of using α-crystallin aggregation inhibitors to, e.g., treat or prevent cataracts in a subject having or at risk of developing cataracts. The invention further provides high throughput methods of screening compounds for modulation of protein thermal stability, the method comprising contacting a protein with each of a plurality of test compounds; and (b) measuring the melting transition (T m ) of the protein in the presence of each of the plurality of test compounds, wherein a compound that decreases or increases the apparent T m by at least 2 standard deviations is identified as a pharmacological protein chaperone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing aggregation of an α-crystallin protein by at least 5% in an eye of a subject in need thereof, wherein the subject has age-related cataract, diabetic cataract, a hereditary form of cataract, a cataract associated with surgery, a cataract resulting from exposure to radiation, a cataract resulting from a genetic illness, a cataract resulting from an infection, or a cataract resulting from medication, the method comprising administering to an eye of the subject in need thereof an effective amount of a composition comprising a compound represented by the formula:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Gestwicki Jason E
• McMenimen Kathryn
• Makley Leah

Classifications

• A61P43/00

  Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00 · CPC title

• A61P27/12

  for cataracts · CPC title

• A61P27/02

  Ophthalmic agents · CPC title

• A61K31/045

  Hydroxy compounds, e.g. alcohols; Salts thereof, e.g. alcoholates · CPC title

• G01N21/6428

  Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" (in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53) · CPC title