Columbia Technology Ventures

Preventing bone loss through osteoclast checkpoint inhibition

This technology is an immunotherapy strategy to stop bone loss by selective osteoclast inhibition.

Unmet Need: Selective treatment for bone loss due to osteoclast activation

Bone diseases such as osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, osteolysis, osteoarthritis, and multiple myeloma may present with bone loss due to overactivation of osteoclasts. Current bone loss interventions, such as bisphosphonates, non-selectively inhibit the enzymatic activity of osteoclasts and may cause severe side effects such as osteonecrosis. There are currently no selective or highly targeted treatment options for bone loss due to osteoclast overactivation.

The Technology: Highly selective osteoclast activity inhibitor by blocking PD-1H

This technology identifies a target for highly selective osteoclast inhibition by blocking the receptor, programmed death one homolog (PD-1H), on osteoclasts. This disrupts the interaction between PD-1H and matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13), which is highly expressed on multiple myeloma plasma B cells. This technology may provide a therapeutic approach with higher specificity for downregulating osteoclast activity in bone disease and bone loss in multiple myeloma.

Applications:

  • Checkpoint inhibitor therapy
  • Treatment of bone disease
  • Immunotherapy for high PD-1 expressing bone cancer
  • Research tool for studying PD-1 pathways in osteoclasts

Advantages:

  • Highly targeted and selective treatment
  • Fewer side effects
  • Therapy for bone disease and immune suppression
  • Boosts T cell anti-tumor function

Lead Inventor:

Suzanne Lentzsch, M.D., Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

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