Patent ID: 7442684

Claim:
A method for increasing vascularization in a tissue by contacting the tissue with an amount of a composition of matter comprising (a) at least one subunit of a hormone or growth factor selected from the group consisting of VEGF, GH, TGFα, TGFfβ1, EGF, FGF, SCF, IGF-I, IGF-II, GDF-9, KGF, GM-CSF, LIF, follistatin, a neurotropin, angiopoiten I or II, MCP-1 and (b) a serum half-life-increasing moiety, wherein the hormone or growth factor subunit and serum half-life-increasing moiety are covalently bound, and wherein the serum half-life-increasing moiety is a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence ser-gly-ser-asn-ala-thr-gly-ser-gly-ser-asn-ala-thr-ser-gly-ser (SEQ ID NO:9), effective to increase vascularization in the tissue.