Columbia Technology Ventures

Multi-peptide regimen for the treatment of autism, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, and autoimmune disorders

This technology provides methods of combining secretin and oxytocin for the treatment of autism as well as central nervous system, gastrointestinal, and autoimmune disorders.

Unmet Need: Effective therapies for simultaneously treating gut and brain disorders

Recent studies have demonstrated pathology in the gastrointestinal tract of autistic children, including findings of impaired gut/immune system development, altered production of gut/brain peptides, increased intestinal mucosal permeability, and inflammation. Thus, effective clinical or pharmacokinetic intervention for autistic symptoms may require a method that acts simultaneously upon the gut and brain, as well as on the associated gut/brain stress axis in order to re-establish homeostasis. However, it remains a major therapeutic challenge to find new effective approaches to improve the diagnosis and treatment of GI and other brain/gut disorders as the link between these psychiatric disorders and gastrointestinal abnormalities remains poorly understood. Therefore, a need exists for the development of therapeutic measures for treating patients with psychiatric and physical illness associated with chronic visceral inflammation.

The Technology: Combination of secretin and oxytocin for the effective and highly versatile treatment of gut and brain disorders

This technology is a method for simultaneously treating gut and brain disorders using a multi-peptide regimen that includes secretin and oxytocin. Secretin is a regulatory hormone with peripheral and central mechanisms of action on multiple organ systems. Although one hypothesized mechanism of secretin is its well-established role in regulating gut function, secretin’s regulatory role in other organ systems may underlie some of its ameliorative actions. Oxytocin is a nine-amino acid peptide that is synthesized in hypothalamic neurons and transported down axons of the posterior pituitary for secretion into the blood. The localization of oxytocin has been found to overlap with those of secretin, highlighting a potentially complementary method of treatment. This technology, therefore, offers a highly versatile, effective therapeutic for treating a variety of disorders including autism, gastrointestinal, central nervous system, and autoimmune disorders.

Intravenous administration of combined secretin and oxytocin was demonstrated to prevent colitis-associated activation of central neurons in rats.

Applications:

  • Therapy for gastrointestinal disorders
  • Treatment for autism spectrum disorders
  • Therapeutic for autoimmune system disorders
  • Method for preventing and treating pain

Advantages:

  • Offers a treatment option for a broad range of diseases
  • Highly versatile therapeutic
  • Potential to treat gut and brain disorders simultaneously

Lead Inventor:

Martha G. Welch, M.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Issued (US 7,884,076

Related Publications:

Tech Ventures Reference: