Pitt Innovators were issued six patents in September 2022.
Featured patent: 11,439,624 “Promoting Sleep Using AT1 Receptor Blockers”
Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder. Current treatments for insomnia target the symptoms instead of the pathophysiologic alterations that underlie those symptoms, and these treatments are associated with undesirable side effects as well as high risk for abuse and dependence. In addition, current treatments decrease REM sleep substantially and do not restore normal sleep. Angiotensin II (AngII) is a signaling molecule well known for its role in cardiovascular regulation. Drugs that block AngII signaling are frequently used to treat cardiovascular disease. Recent work suggests that brain AngII is involved in the regulation of stress responses.
Pitt researchers led by Georgina Cano, research assistant professor of neuroscience, have shown that AngII AT1 receptor antagonist seems to restore normal sleep (including REM sleep) in a rat model of stress-induced insomnia. This effect appears to be mediated by inhibition of the cortex and arousal system, which receive inputs from limbic neuronal groups that are activated during insomnia and have AngII AT1 receptors. Thus, brain AngII system constitutes a novel and more specific target for the treatment of insomnia.
Advantages
- Therapeutic use for the treatment of insomnia
- Angiotensin II antagonists are safe and well tolerated in humans
- Angiotensin II antagonists target specific brain areas that become activated during insomnia and, therefore, are more specific and will cause less side-effects and are non-addictive
- Decreases the time to fall asleep
- Increases non REM sleep
- Does not suppress REM sleep
For more information on this technology, including licensing inquiries, contact Maria Vanegas at mvanegas@innovation.pitt.edu.
Below is a listing of all patents issued to Pitt innovators in September 2022, or search all available Pitt technologies.
Patent Number |
Title | Inventor(s) | Licensing Manager | Status | |||||
11,433,241 | Monitoring and Regulating Physiological States and Functions Via Sensory Neural Inputs to the Spinal Cord | Timothy Burns; Robert Gaunt; Douglas Weber | Janice Panza | Optioned | |||||
11,432,731 | Novel Ultra-Low Profile Wireless Flow Sensors to Monitor Hemodynamic Alterations in the Vasular System | Young Jae Chun; Brian Jankowitz; Sung Kwon Cho; Yanfei Chen; Woon-Hong Yeo; Connor Howe; Yongkuk Lee | Janice Panza | Available for Licensing | |||||
11,433,238 | Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain and Diabetic Neuropathy Pain, and Increasing Prosthetic Control by Stimulation of Dorsal Rootlets and Lateral Spinal Cord | Lee Fisher; Douglas Weber; Robert Gaunt | Janice Panza | Available for Licensing | |||||
11,439,624 | Promoting Sleep Using AT1 Receptor Blockers | Georgina Cano; Alan Sved | Maria Vanegas | Available for Licensing | |||||
11,439,433 | Optically Transparent Polymeric Actuator and Display Apparatus Employing Same | Ravi Meenakshisundaram | George Coulston | Available for Licensing | |||||
11,445,946 | Pedot/CNT Coated Neural Recording Probes for Measurement of Tonic and Phasic Dopamine | Ian Taylor; Xinyan Tracy Cui | Janice Panza | Available for Licensing | |||||