IP Verse

Enhancing Autophagy Or Increasing Longevity By Administration Of Urolithins Or Precursors Thereof

Patent No. US11020373 (titled "Enhancing Autophagy Or Increasing Longevity By Administration Of Urolithins Or Precursors Thereof") was filed by Amazentis Sa on Jun 27, 2013.

What is this patent about?

’373 is related to the field of nutritional supplements and methods for promoting health and longevity by increasing autophagy. Autophagy, a cellular process for degrading and recycling damaged components, declines with age and is implicated in various age-related diseases. The background highlights the importance of autophagy in maintaining cellular homeostasis and its potential role in preventing age-related pathologies, including neurodegeneration and heart disease. Several compounds are known to stimulate autophagy, but there is a need for new and effective agents.

The underlying idea behind ’373 is that urolithins, metabolites of ellagitannins and ellagic acid, can be used to increase autophagy and promote longevity. The inventors recognized that these compounds, naturally produced by gut microflora, possess unique properties that can be harnessed to stimulate the cellular recycling process. This insight leverages the body's own metabolic pathways to address the age-related decline in autophagy, offering a potentially safer and more effective approach than existing methods.

The claims of ’373 focus on orally administering urolithin A to healthy or elderly humans to increase autophagy. Specifically, claim 1 covers a method of increasing autophagy by orally administering an effective amount of urolithin A (or a salt thereof) to a healthy human, excluding those with or predisposed to cancer, with the effective amount being between 70 mg and 1050 mg. Claim 3 is similar, but targets elderly humans.

The implementation involves formulating urolithin A into a form suitable for oral administration, such as a capsule, tablet, or powder, and administering it to individuals within the specified dosage range. The method differentiates itself from prior approaches by utilizing a naturally derived metabolite, urolithin A, which is produced in the gut from dietary precursors. This contrasts with synthetic drugs or other autophagy-inducing agents that may have different mechanisms of action and potential side effects.

The practical differentiation lies in the targeted delivery of a specific metabolite known to enhance autophagy, rather than relying on broad-spectrum approaches or compounds with potential toxicity. By focusing on urolithin A, the invention aims to provide a more precise and potentially safer way to boost cellular recycling and promote healthy aging. The claims specify oral administration to healthy or elderly individuals, suggesting a focus on preventative or maintenance applications rather than treating acute diseases.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the early 2010s when ’373 was filed, at a time when research into autophagy was growing, methods for modulating cellular processes often involved identifying compounds that could influence specific signaling pathways. When hardware or software constraints made high-throughput screening and complex data analysis non-trivial, researchers commonly relied on in vitro and in vivo models to assess the effects of compounds on cellular function.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were amended during prosecution. Arguments were presented by the applicant, but some claims were rejected in a final office action. The examiner maintained rejections based on prior art combinations under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a). The prosecution record describes claim changes and arguments made, but does NOT describe the technical reasoning that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent contains 20 claims, with claims 1 and 3 being independent. The independent claims focus on methods of increasing autophagy in healthy or elderly humans through oral administration of urolithin A. The dependent claims generally specify particular autophagy types, effective amounts, and administration forms.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Effective amount
(Claim 1, Claim 3)		“An aspect of the invention is a method of increasing autophagy in an animal, comprising the step of administering to an animal in need thereof an effective amount of a urolithin or a precursor thereof, thereby increasing autophagy in the animal.”The quantity of urolithin A, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, needed to increase autophagy in a human, specifically between about 70 mg to about 1050 mg.
Elderly human
(Claim 3)		“Multiple reports indicate that proteins required for autophagy induction, such as sirtuin 1, have reduced expression in aged tissues; levels of autophagy have been shown to diminish with age.”A human who is not suffering from cancer or predisposed to developing cancer.
Healthy human
(Claim 1)		“In animals, autophagy serves principally as an adaptive mechanism to protect organisms against diverse pathologies, including infection, cancer, neurodegeneration, heart disease, and aging.”A human who is not suffering from cancer or predisposed to developing cancer.
Orally administering
(Claim 1, Claim 3)		“An aspect of the invention is a method of increasing autophagy in an animal, comprising the step of administering to an animal in need thereof an effective amount of a urolithin or a precursor thereof, thereby increasing autophagy in the animal.”Providing a substance to a human via the mouth.
Urolithin A
(Claim 1, Claim 3)		“Urolithins are ellagitannin- and ellagic acid-derived metabolites produced, e.g., by mammalian colonic microflora, including human colonic microflora. An aspect of the invention is a method of increasing autophagy in an animal, comprising the step of administering to an animal in need thereof an effective amount of a urolithin or a precursor thereof, thereby increasing autophagy in the animal.”A specific ellagitannin- and ellagic acid-derived metabolite. It is also a compound of Formula II wherein X2 and X6 are OH, and X1, X3, X4, X5, X7, and X8 are H.

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US11020373

AMAZENTIS SA
Application Number
US13929455
Filing Date
Jun 27, 2013
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Jun 27, 2033
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents