Current Patents on Osteoinductive Molecules for Bone Tissue Engineering

Bone formation via osteoinductive molecules is an established and promising approach for musculoskeletal regenerative therapies. Bone tissue engineering utilizing biocompatible scaffolds with osteoinductive molecules offers a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of bone defects and diseases. Currently, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) are the only FDA-approved protein-based osteoinductive molecules. Since their approval, millions of patients worldwide have been treated with these protein-based medications. A large number of osteoinductive molecules have been recently discovered and patented due to the need for effective and affordable therapeutic strategies for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The authors take this opportunity to review the osteoinductive molecule patent literature paying specific attention to molecular biology, current clinical applications, and future prospects.