In Vivo Elastic Fiber Formation via Tropoelastin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to restore the elastic profile of aged or injured tissue by simply administering exogenous tropoelastin, as adult cells lack the necessary factors for elastogenesis, leading to inadequate elastic fiber formation.
Innovation Solution
Administer tropoelastin to the tissue using a treatment regime that maintains it for a sufficient time to allow endogenous factors to engage with the tropoelastin, facilitating the synthesis of elastic fiber, thereby restoring or recreating the elastic profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If exogenous tropoelastin is administered to aged or injured tissue, then the elastic profile can be restored, but adult cells lack the necessary factors for elastogenesis leading to inadequate elastic fiber formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces endogenous factors (such as lysyl oxidase, fibulin-4, and other elastogenesis-related molecules) as intermediaries that mediate between the administered exogenous tropoelastin and the adult cells. These factors enable the cells to process and utilize the tropoelastin for elastic fiber formation, resolving the contradiction between providing elastic substrate and lacking cellular processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-administering or co-administering endogenous elastogenesis factors with the exogenous tropoelastin. This ensures that the necessary cellular factors are present and activated before or during the tropoelastin administration, enabling immediate engagement and elastic fiber formation without waiting for endogenous factor production
2Duration of action of moving object
If a treatment regime maintains tropoelastin in tissue for sufficient time, then elastic fiber synthesis can occur, but the duration of action must be carefully controlled to enable cellular engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies continuity of useful action by designing treatment regimes that maintain tropoelastin presence in the tissue continuously or repeatedly over an extended period. This continuous availability ensures that cells have sufficient time to engage with the tropoelastin and complete the elastic fiber formation process, transforming a potentially transient intervention into a sustained regenerative therapy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enables adult tissues to form elastic fibers resembling those of younger tissues, improving physical appearance and function by maintaining tropoelastin in the tissue long enough for cellular engagement and elastogenesis-like processes to occur.
Implementation Method 1
the various molecules of the extracellular matrix in a range of clinical and cosmetic interventions for correcting loss of tissue structure and function. Key molecules of interest were those that are substrates of the relevant extracellular matrix fibers, namely collagen and elastin.
Implementation Method 2
Where enzymatic cross linking was used in vivo, recombinant or other exogenous lysyl oxidase was used. U.S. Ser. No. 09/498,305 describes one approach to enzymatic cross linking of tropoelastin monomers in vivo by administration of a composition including exogenous lysyl oxidase and tropoelastin monomers.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are methods of restoring elasticity in tissue using tropoelastin containing compositions.