Diagnosis and treatment of neurogenic heterotopic ossification: Patent No. EP 23382063

The term heterotopic ossification (HO) refers to the formation of mature lamellar bone in extra-skeletal soft tissues According to its etiology, HO is classified as genetic or acquired Within the acquired variant, neurogenic HO (NHO) stands out due to its high incidence

NHO is one of the most common complications following a nervous system injury, such as a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, associated with a long bone fracture The pathophysiology of NHO remains unknown to this day However, it has been suggested that neuroimmunological factors secreted by the damaged brain and peripheral nervous system could play a crucial role in the development of this pathology

Despite the high incidence of NHO, its diagnosis is based on the collection of a series of nonspecific signs and symptoms of the pathology (e. g. pain, swelling, limited range of motion, radiographic, evidence of ectopic bone formation, etc) once the ectopic bone has already formed. In addition, current therapies to remove ectopic bone have low effectiveness, and those that are effective are highly aggressive and associated with numerous side effects and complications.

In this patent, we focus on the prevention o NHO through the identification os new serum markers that allow predicting its development, as well as the search for new therapeutic tools to reduce the levels of the identified biomarkers. In this regard, we have identified a biomarker potentially related to the development of NHO and are working on developing new therapies to reduce its levels.

Morphological changes induced by neurogenic factors in pre-osteoblastic cells.