EP1891093B1 — Method of treating or preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia using modified pore-forming proteins

USPTO Abstract

The present invention provides a method of treating BPH using modified pore-forming proteins (MPPs). These MPPs are derived from naturally occurring cytotoxic proteins (nPPs) that kill cells by forming pores or channels in the cell membrane, resulting in cell death. The MPPs are generated by modification of the nPPs such that they are capable of being selectively activated at normal prostate cells. Such modification may include the addition of a prostate-specific protease cleavage site to the activation sequence, and/or the addition of a prostate-specific targeting domain to allow selective targeting of prostate cells. These MPPs are capable of selectively targeting and killing normal prostate cells in vivo. The MPPs may be used either alone or in combination with other therapies for the treatment of BPH.