Patents Examined by Christian Fronda
  • Patent number: 9506071
    Abstract: Methods for the fermentative production of four carbon alcohols is provided. Specifically, butanol, preferably isobutanol is produced by the fermentative growth of a recombinant bacterium expressing an isobutanol biosynthetic pathway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC
    Inventors: Gail K. Donaldson, Andrew C. Eliot, Dennis Flint, Lori Ann Maggio-Hall, Vasantha Nagarajan
  • Patent number: 9506090
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods for producing a product of one or more enzymatic pathways. The pathways used in the methods of the invention involve one or more conversion steps such as, for example, an enzymatic conversion of guluronic acid into D-glucarate (Step 7); an enzymatic conversion of 5-ketogluconate (5-KGA) into L-Iduronic acid (Step 15); an enzymatic conversion of L-Iduronic acid into Idaric acid Step 7b); and an enzymatic conversion of 5-ketocluconate into 4,6-dihydroxy 2,5-diketo hexanoate (2,5-DDH) (Step 16). In some embodiments the methods of the invention produce 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) as a product. The methods include both enzymatic and chemical conversions as steps. Various pathways are also provided for converting glucose into 5-dehdyro-4-deoxy-glucarate (DDG), and for converting glucose into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The methods also involve the use of engineered enzymes that perform reactions with high specificity and efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Synthetic Genomics, Inc.
    Inventors: Spiros Kambourakis, Benjamin M. Griffin, Kevin V. Martin
  • Patent number: 9499806
    Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Novozymes, Inc.
    Inventors: Yu Zhang, Junxin Duan, Lan Tang, Wenping Wu
  • Patent number: 9493812
    Abstract: The described invention provides a method for detecting a target analyte that exhibits protease enzyme activity. The described method includes contacting a sample with a hybrid oxidase enzyme engineered to exhibit increased catalytic activity over that of a starting oxidase enzyme upon cleavage of a mutated protease cleavage recognition sequence. The mutated protease cleavage recognition sequence is a recognition sequence specific for the target analyte. The described method further includes contacting a substrate with the engineered hybrid oxidase enzyme. The substrate comprises a cognate composition of matter to the engineered hybrid oxidase enzyme, and the engineered hybrid oxidase enzyme is configured to catalyze conversion of the cognate composition of matter into a detectable product upon proteolytic cleavage of the mutated protease cleavage recognition sequence by the target analyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Abbott Point of Care
    Inventors: Dan Wang, G. Bruce Collier
  • Patent number: 9492511
    Abstract: The present invention provides, among other things, improved methods for purifying I2S protein produced recombinantly for enzyme replacement therapy. The present invention is, in part, based on the surprising discovery that recombinant I2S protein can be purified from unprocessed biological materials, such as, I2S-containing cell culture medium, using a process involving as few as four chromatography columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Shire Human Genetic Therapies, Inc.
    Inventor: Dave Nichols
  • Patent number: 9493814
    Abstract: A flavin-binding glucose dehydrogenase having high substrate specificity for D-glucose and decreased reactivity to D-xylose and/or maltose. More specifically, a flavin-binding glucose dehydrogenase having one or more amino acid substitutions at a position corresponding to position 78, position 79, position 81, position 121, position 122, position 123, position 569 and position 612 of Mucor-derived flavin-binding glucose dehydrogenase. The flavin-binding glucose dehydrogenase enables D-glucose to be measured accurately without being susceptible to the effects of the presence of D-xylose and/or maltose, even under conditions of mounting a large amount of an enzyme such as in glucose sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: KIKKOMAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuko Araki, Atsushi Ichiyanagi, Keiichi Ichikawa, Kozo Hirokawa
  • Patent number: 9487819
    Abstract: An isolated nucleic acid reporter construct, the protein for which it encodes and methods for its use for the in vivo or in vitro measurement of the concentration of a specific biologically important molecule in a subcellular compartment or locale are provided. Certain constructs described are useful in measuring the local concentration of ATP at synapses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Cornell University
    Inventor: Timothy A. Ryan
  • Patent number: 9464279
    Abstract: The invention relates to a variant of a parent Termamyl-like alpha-amylase, which variant exhibits altered properties, in particular reduced capability of cleaving a substrate close to the branching point, and improved substrate specificity and/or improved specific activity relative to the parent alpha-amylase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: NOVOZYMES A/S
    Inventors: Carsten Andersen, Christel Thea Jorgensen, Henrik Bisgaard-Frantzen, Allan Svendsen, Soren Kjaerulff
  • Patent number: 9453183
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of synthesizing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, in recombinant cells such as yeast or plant cells. Also provided are recombinant cells or plants which produce long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a group of new enzymes which possess desatorase or elongase activity that can be used in methods of synthesizing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION
    Inventors: Surinder Pal Singh, Stanley Suresh Robert, Peter David Nichols, Susan Irene Ellis Blackburn, Xue-Rong Zhou, James Robertson Petrie, Allan Graham Green
  • Patent number: 9441216
    Abstract: The present invention provides culture mediums that are useful for the expression of ADAMTS proteins, such as ADAMTS13. Methods for the expression and purification of ADAMTS proteins are also provided. In some embodiments, the mediums and methods of the invention are useful for the expression of ADAMTS proteins having high specific activities. Also provided are ADAMTS, e.g., ADAMTS13, protein compositions with high specific activities, which are expressed and purified according to the methods provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignees: Baxalta Incorporated, Baxalta GmbH
    Inventors: Leopold Grillberger, Alexandra Spenger, Meinhard Hasslacher, Rana Grillberger, Manfred Reiter
  • Patent number: 9441208
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and compositions for improving the productivity of recombinant vitamin K dependent protein expression in host cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Darrel W. Stafford, Tao Li
  • Patent number: 9428740
    Abstract: A substrate or coating is provided that includes a lipase with enzymatic activity toward a component of a fingerprint. Also provided is a process for facilitating the removal of fingerprints is provided wherein an inventive substrate or coating including a lipase is capable of enzymatically degrading of one or more components of the fingerprint to facilitate fingerprint removal from the substrate or said coating. Applying heat to the substrate or coating increases the rate of fingerprint removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Motor Corporation, Regents of the University of Minnesota
    Inventors: Andreas Buthe, Ping Wang, Songtao Wu, Hongfei Jia, Masahiko Ishii, Minjuan Zhang
  • Patent number: 9428778
    Abstract: This invention relates to metabolically engineered microorganism strains, such as bacterial strains, in which there is an increased utilization of malonyl-CoA for production of a chemical product, which includes 3-hydroxypropionic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Cargill, Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael D. Lynch, Ryan T. Gill, Tanya E.W. Lipscomb
  • Patent number: 9422534
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to non-naturally occurring monooxygenase polypeptides useful for preparing prazole compounds, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods of using the polypeptides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Codexis, Inc.
    Inventors: Yong Koy Bong, Michael D. Clay, Steven J. Collier, Benjamin Mijts, Michael Vogel, Xiyun Zhang, Jun Zhu, Jovana Nazor, Derek J. Smith, Shiwei Song
  • Patent number: 9404091
    Abstract: The present invention relates to 3-hydroxypropionate dehydrogenase variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignees: Novozymes, Inc., Novozymes A/S
    Inventors: Monica Tassone, Leonardo De Maria
  • Patent number: 9399049
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to the field of phage therapy for the treatment and control of bacterial infections. In particular, the present invention is directed to the novel bacteriophage F387/08, F391/08, F394/08, F488/08, F510/08, F44/10, and F125/10, isolated polypeptides thereof, compositions comprising one or more of the novel bacteriophage and/or isolated polypeptides, as well as to methods for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections using same, either alone or in combination with other antibacterial therapies, e.g., antibiotics and/or other phage therapies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignees: Technophage, Investigacao E Desenvolvimento Em Biotecnologia, SA, Tecnifar-Industria Tecnica Farmaceutica, S.A.
    Inventors: Miguel Ângelo Da Costa Garcia, Carlos Jorge Sousa De São José, Clara Isabel Rodrigues Leandro, Filipa Maria Rodrigues Pardal Dias Antunes Marçal Da Silva, Ana Raquel Martins Barbosa
  • Patent number: 9388434
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an engineered bacteria for producing short chain fatty acid with the overexpression of a long chain (>C12) acyl-ACP thioesterases (long-TE) and a short chain (?C12) acyl-ACP thioesterases (short-TE).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: William Marsh Rice University
    Inventors: Ka-Yiu San, Songi Han
  • Patent number: 9388419
    Abstract: This invention relates to metabolically engineered microorganism strains, such as bacterial strains, in which there is an increased utilization of malonyl-CoA for production of a chemical product, which includes 3-hydroxypropionic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignees: Cargill, Incorporated, The Regents of the University of Colorado, a Body Corporate
    Inventors: Michael D. Lynch, Ryan T. Gill, Tanya E. W. Lipscomb
  • Patent number: 9388392
    Abstract: Provided herein are polypeptides having ketol-acid reductoisomerase activity as well as microbial host cells comprising such polypeptides. Polypeptides provided herein may be used in biosynthetic pathways, including, but not limited to, isobutanol biosynthetic pathways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC
    Inventors: Sridhar Govindarajan, Yougen Li, Der-Ing Liao, Daniel P. O'Keefe, Jeremy Stephen Minshull, Steven Cary Rothman, Alexander Vincent Tobias
  • Patent number: 9375487
    Abstract: A recombinant fusion protein comprising a human erythropoietin peptide portion linked to an immunoglobulin peptide portion is described. The fusion protein has a prolonged half-life in vivo compared to naturally occurring or recombinant native human erythropoietin. In one embodiment, the protein has a half-life in vivo at least three-fold higher than native human erythropoietin. The fusion protein exhibits enhanced erythropoietic bioactivity compared to native human erythropoietin. In one embodiment, the fusion protein comprises the complete peptide sequence of a human erythropoietin (EPO) molecule and the peptide sequence of an Fc fragment of human IgG1, which Fc fragment includes the hinge region, CH2 and CH3 domains. The EPO molecule may be linked directly to the Fc fragment to avoid extraneous peptide linkers and lessen risk of an immunogenic response when administered. In one embodiment the hinge region is a human Fc fragment variant having a non-cysteine residue at amino acid 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: NOVAGEN HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haitao Wang, Yong Du, Rui Zhang, Jing Xu, Longbin Liu