Patent attributes
The present invention relates to compositions comprising one or more connective tissue derived polypeptides having a molecular weight of less than 30,000 Da that are capable of tolerising individuals to antigenic components of cartilage and prevent the appearance of and/or treat symptoms of arthritis and other musculoskeletal degenerative conditions. The present invention provides methods for recovering polypeptides having a molecular weight of less than 30,000 Da from connective tissue and having anti-arthritic or anti-inflammatory activity. The present invention further relates to compositions comprising a polypeptide containing an NC4 domain of collagen type IX alpha 1 chain or fragment thereof, having a molecular weight of less than 30,000 Da, where the polypeptide is capable of tolerising individuals to antigenic components of cartilage, preventing the appearance of arthritic symptoms, and/or treating the symptoms of arthritis.
