Claims
- 1. A method for suppressing disease caused or enhanced by effects of intracellular iron mismanagement comprising:
increasing the intracellular amount of at least one ferritin-H or a derivative thereof to an effective level.
- 2. The method for suppressing disease of claim 1 wherein exogenous ferritin-H or derivative thereof is introduced into globin-producing cells.
- 3. The method for suppressing disease of claim 1 wherein the globin-producing cells are fused with liposomal constructs containing ferritin-H or derivative thereof.
- 4. The method for suppressing disease of claim 1 wherein the ferritin-H or derivative thereof is produced by inducing expression of an endogenous ferritin gene of the globin-producing cell.
- 5. The method for suppressing disease of claim 1 wherein the intracellular concentration ferritin-H or a derivative thereof is elevated by repressing expression of Ferritin-L or a derivative thereof.
- 6. The method for suppressing disease of claim 1 wherein the expression of ferritin-L or a derivative thereof is repressed by introduction into the cell of antisense DNA specific to the ferritin-L or derivative thereof.
- 7. The method for suppressing disease of claim 1 wherein the ferritin-H or derivative thereof is produced after transfection of at least one cell with a vector encoding ferritin-H or a derivative thereof.
- 8. The method for suppressing disease of claim 7 wherein the transfection occurs in vivo.
- 9. The method for suppressing disease of claim 7 wherein the transfection occurs ex vivo.
- 10. The method for suppressing disease of claim 7 wherein the transfection comprises inserting the vector into a liposomal construct having a ligand or antibody on the surface of the construct that is capable of binding to a specific receptor on the surface of a cell.
- 11. A method for treating sickle cell disease comprising: suppressing the expression of adult β-globin genes in globin-producing cells with ferritin-H or a derivative thereof.
- 12. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 11 wherein exogenous ferritin-H or a derivative thereof is introduced into globin-producing cells.
- 13. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 12 wherein the globin-producing cells are fused with liposomal constructs containing ferritin-H or a derivative thereof.
- 14. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 11 wherein the ferritin-H or derivative thereof is produced by inducing expression of an endogenous ferritin gene of the globin-producing cell.
- 15. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 11 wherein the intracellular concentration ferritin-H or a derivative thereof is elevated by repressing expression of Ferritin-L or a derivative thereof.
- 16. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 15 wherein the expression of L or a derivative thereof is repressed by introduction into the cell of antisense DNA specific to the ferritin-L or derivative thereof.
- 17. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 11 wherein the ferritin-H or derivative thereof is produced after transfection of at least one cell with a vector encoding ferritin-H or a derivative thereof.
- 18. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 17 wherein the transfection comprises inserting the vector into a liposomal construct having a ligand or antibody on the surface of the construct that is capable of binding to a specific receptor on the surface of a cell.
- 19. The method for treating sickle cell disease of claim 11 wherein the ferritin-H or derivative thereof binds to the promoter region of the β-globin gene.
- 20. A method for treating sickle cell disease comprising: administering to a patient a ferritin-containing vehicle in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, said vehicle targeting hematopoietic stem cells, erythroid precursor cells or, hematopoietic cells.
- 21. A method for treating neurological disorders caused or enhanced by excess intracellular iron, the method comprising: increasing the intracellular amount of ferritin-H or a derivative thereof in affected neural cells to an effective level.
- 22. A pharmaceutical composition comprising: ferritin-H or a derivative thereof; and, a cell specific targeting ligand.
- 23. A pharmaceutical composition comprising: a gene encoding ferritin-H or a derivative thereof; and, a suitable transfection vector.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/245,003, filed Nov. 1, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60245003 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10003669 |
Nov 2001 |
US |
Child |
10818676 |
Apr 2004 |
US |