Joint Development of Prediction for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Expansion and Therapeutic Drugs

This approach uses TET2-mutated clonal hematopoiesis to predict AAA expansion. It proposes bisphosphonates to treat AAA by inhibiting the macrophage differentiation into osteoclast-like cells that drives aortic wall degradation.

2026.05.22

Advantages

- Predicting the risk of aneurysm expansion in patients with AAA based on the presence or absence of CH.
- A breakthrough new drug for AAA, for which no medical treatment has existed to date.
- Repositioning of bisphosphonates, which reduces safety risks and associated concerns.

Current Stage and Key Data

PoC stage based on clinical observation data and animal experiments:
- In patients with AAA, the presence of CH was associated with a more rapid expansion of the aneurysm.
- AAA was exacerbated in TET2-mutated CH model mice.
- TET2-mutated macrophages infiltrating the AAA differentiated into osteoclast-like cells.
- Bisphosphonates inhibited the differentiation into osteoclast-like cells and suppressed the expansion of aortic aneurysms in the model mice.

Partnaring Model

Seeking partner companies to evaluate, license, and develop this technology in collaboration with the inventing university. The university is seeking to license out the patent and is open to discussing various forms of collaboration.
- Target Partners: Pharmaceutical/Biotech companies focusing on cardiovascular diseases and/or repositioning therapies. Diagnostic/Testing companies and Manufacturers interested in developing diagnostic applications for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms.

Background

Aortic aneurysms, most notably AAA, typically progress asymptomatically. Once a rupture occurs, the mortality rate skyrockets to 80–90%, making life-saving intervention nearly impossible. Currently, the only treatment options for AAA with an increased risk of rupture are surgical: aortic aneurysm repair or endovascular stent-grafting to prevent fatal hemorrhage. No pharmacological therapies have been established to date. Furthermore, methods for predicting the progression of aortic aneurysms are largely limited to morphological evaluations—such as aneurysm diameter and characteristics via CT scans—which necessitate frequent and repetitive testing.

Principal Investigator

Yoshimitsu YURA (Department of Cardiology, Nagoya University Hospital, Tokai National Higher Education and Research System)

Patents and Publications

- Patent pending
- J Clin Invest. 2026 Feb 25:e198708. doi: 10.1172/JCI198708.

Interested in this
technology?
[ Download Materials ] Want to subscribe to new technology alerts?
[ Go to Registration ]

Category：diagnostics-biomarker

Tag：

Project No：bk-05391