Surrozen Receives U.S. Patent For Antibody-Based Molecules Focused On Key Receptors In The Wnt Pathway

Surrozen, Inc., a company at the forefront of developing targeted therapeutics that selectively activate the Wnt Pathway for tissue repair and regeneration, has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,297,278. This patent adds to Surrozen's growing intellectual property portfolio, which includes six issued U.S. patents, 10 patents granted in other countries, and 11 pending patent families in both the U.S. and internationally. The company also has five patent families pending exclusively in the U.S., two pending PCT applications, and four patent families with pending U.S. provisional applications. In addition, Surrozen has in-licensed two patent families related to the modulation of the Wnt pathway.

The newly issued patent covers Surrozen's SWAP™ technology, which involves tetravalent, multi-specific Wnt surrogates. These molecules are composed of two Frizzled (Fzd) binding regions, each of which binds specifically to one of two Fzd receptors. Each Fzd binding region consists of an antibody or its antigen-binding fragment. Additionally, the patent covers two LRP5/6 binding regions, which bind specifically to either Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein 5 (LRP5) or LRP6. Each LRP5/6 binding region is fused to one of the two Fzd binding regions via a linker moiety.

Craig Parker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Surrozen, mentioned, “The issuance of this patent demonstrates our continuing leadership in discovering novel, antibody-based technologies for surrogate Wnt molecules that selectively and potently modulate Wnt signaling. We believe this recently issued patent covers a broad range of antibody-based approaches to modulating Wnt signaling through Fzd and Lrp receptors.”

Surrozen's novel Wnt surrogate molecules are tetravalent antibodies that combine two different sets of antibody-binding domains—one that binds to Fzd receptors and another that binds to LRP. Surrozen's research has demonstrated that merely inducing a bi-molecular interaction between one Fzd receptor and one LRP is insufficient for effective Wnt signaling. The company’s findings show that multivalent binding to both Fzd and LRP is necessary for optimal Wnt signaling. Furthermore, Surrozen has shown that the potency and effects of selective Wnt surrogates can be fine-tuned by adjusting the valency of Fzd and LRP binders, the properties of each binder, and the format of bispecific molecules.