Surrozen Granted Patent from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Directed to Antibody-Based Molecules Targeting Key Receptors in the Wnt Pathway

Core Insights - Surrozen, Inc. has been granted U.S. Patent No. 12,297,278, which is part of its expanding intellectual property portfolio focused on generating novel Wnt surrogate molecules for therapeutic applications [1][2][4] Patent Portfolio - Surrozen currently holds six issued U.S. patents, 10 patents issued in other countries, and has multiple pending patent families, including 11 in the U.S. and other countries, and five pending in the U.S. only [2] - The newly issued patent covers tetravalent, multi-specific Wnt surrogates that include two Frizzled (Fzd) binding regions and two LRP5/6 binding regions, each comprising antibodies or antigen-binding fragments [2] Technology and Mechanism - Surrozen's Wnt surrogate molecules are designed as tetravalent antibodies that bind to both Fzd and LRP, which is essential for efficient Wnt signaling [3] - The company has demonstrated that multivalent binding to Fzd and LRP is necessary for maximal signaling through selective Wnt surrogate molecules [3] Product Development - SZN-8141 is a product candidate that combines Fzd4 agonism and VEGF antagonism, showing potential benefits for treating Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) [5] - SZN-8143 also combines Fzd4 agonism, VEGF antagonism, and IL-6 antagonism, indicating potential advantages over single-agent therapies for DME and wet AMD [6] - SZN-413 is a bi-specific antibody targeting Fzd4-mediated Wnt signaling, currently in development for retinal vascular-associated diseases, showing promise in preclinical models [8] Company Overview - Surrozen is a biotechnology company focused on developing tissue-specific antibodies to selectively modulate the Wnt pathway, with a current emphasis on ophthalmology [9]