Spore-like cells and uses thereof

• US 20040057942A1
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VCellTherapeutics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: University Of Massachusetts
• Inventors: Vacanti, Martin P., Vacanti, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,575,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/93.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 35/12 Materials from mammals; Compositions comprising non-specified tissues or cells; Compositions comprising non-embryonic stem cells; Genetically modified cells vaccines or medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies A61K39/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0602 Vertebrate cells

Abstract

Highly undifferentiated spore-like cells can be isolated from many different tissues and bodily fluids and used to treat a wide variety of disorders.

Claims

1. An isolated spore-like cell, wherein the spore-like cell is:

multipotent;

approximately one to seven microns in diameter;

tolerant of oxygen-deprivation; and

has an outer membrane containing sufficient glycolipids and mucopolysaccharides that the cell appears to have one or more dark stripes when viewed by transmission electron microscopy.

2. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein the cell is isolated from the blood of a post-natal mammal by size-exclusion.

3. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein the cell is isolated from the heart, intestine, bladder, kidney, liver, lung, adrenal gland, skin, retina, or pancreas of a post-natal mammal by size-exclusion.

4. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein the cell is isolated from a deceased mammal.

5. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein the cell is approximately one to three microns in diameter.

6. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein the cell is approximately one micron in diameter.

7. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein at least about half the volume of the cell comprises nucleic acids.

8. The spore-like cell of claim 1, wherein the cell fails to express nestin.

19. An isolated cell that is a non-terminally differentiated descendent of the spore-like cell of claim 1.

20. The isolated cell of claim 19, wherein the cell fails to express a component of keratin, tyrosinase, glutamic acid, glutamate, citrulline, tricohyaline, filagrin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, insulin, dopamine, melanin granules, opsin, rhodopsin, collagen, serotonin, bile, bilirubin, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, Thy-1.1, or tyrosine hydroxylase.

22. A tissue engineering construct comprising a cell of claim 1.

23. The construct of claim 22, further comprising a support structure.

24. The construct of claim 22, further comprising hydrogel, wherein the hydrogel and the cell of claim 1 form a hydrogel-spore-like cell composition.

25. A method for generating an artificial tissue, the method comprising combining hydrogel with a spore-like cell of claim 1.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising delivering the hydrogel-cell composition into a permeable, biocompatible support structure.

27. A method of treating damaged tissue, the method comprising obtaining a hydrogel-spore-like cell composition of claim 24 and applying the composition to the damaged tissue.

28. A method of treating a patient who has a skin disorder, the method comprising administering the spore-like cell of claim 1 to a damaged region of the patient'"'"'s skin.

29. A method of treating a patient who has a tumor, the method comprising removing the tumor and administering a spore-like cell of claim 1 to the tissue from which the tumor was removed.

30. A method of treating a patient who has diabetes, the method comprising administering the spore-like cell of claim 1 to the patient.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the spore-like cell is implanted in the patient'"'"'s pancreas.

32. A method of treating a patient who has a deficiency of functional cells in the retina, intestine, bladder, kidney, liver, lung, or adrenal gland, the method comprising administering the spore-like cell of claim 1 to the patient'"'"'s retina, intestine, bladder, kidney, liver, lung, or adrenal gland.

9. An isolated spore-like cell, wherein the spore-like cell is:

multipotent;

less than approximately one micron in diameter; and

tolerant of oxygen-deprivation.

10. The spore-like cell of claim 9, wherein the spore-like cell is approximately one-tenth to one-fifth of a micron in diameter.

11. The spore-like cell of claim 9, wherein the cell has an outer membrane containing sufficient glycolipids and mucopolysaccharides that the cell appears to have one or more dark stripes when viewed by transmission electron microscopy.

12. The spore-like cell of claim 9, wherein at least about half the volume of the cell comprises nucleic acids.

13. The spore-like cell of claim 9, wherein the cell fails to express nestin.

21. An isolated cell that is a non-terminally differentiated descendent of the spore-like cell of claim 9.

14. A method for isolating a spore-like cell, the method comprising passing a tissue sample through a series of devices having progressively smaller apertures.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the devices are pipettes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the smallest pipette has an inner bore diameter of approximately 15 microns.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the devices are filters.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the finest filter has a pore size of approximately 15 microns.