Patents Examined by Richard Ekstrom
  • Patent number: 9410165
    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 for producing and using the polypeptides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Novozymes, Inc.
    Inventors: Kimberly Brown, Paul Harris, Elizabeth Zaretsky, Edward Re, Elena Vlasenko, Keith McFarland, Alfredo Lopez de Leon
  • Patent number: 9402884
    Abstract: Methods of treating pulmonary sarcoidosis are described herein. Patients in need of treatment for pulmonary sarcoidosis are administered a therapeutically effective amount of a mucolytic agent such as DNase I. In some embodiments, the DNase I is a recombinant human DNase I such as dornase alfa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Inventor: Barry Burns
  • Patent number: 9404093
    Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having peroxygenaseactivity, and 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: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Novozymes A/S
    Inventors: Sara Landvik, Lars Henrik Oestergaard, Lisbeth Kalum
  • Patent number: 9404094
    Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having peroxygenase activity, and 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. A polynucleotide encoding a peroxygenase was isolated from Myceliophtora hinnulea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Novozymes A/S
    Inventors: Sara Landvik, Lars Henrik Oestergaard, Lisbeth Kalum
  • Patent number: 9365875
    Abstract: Provided herein are recombinant yeast cells having an active 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid (3-HP) pathway and further comprising a heterologous polynucleotide encoding a non-phosphorylating NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPN). Also described are methods of using the recombinant yeast cells to produce 3-HP and acrylic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: NOVOZYMES, INC.
    Inventor: Mariah Bindel
  • Patent number: 9359634
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for determining an analyte as well as a diagnostic element suitable therefore. In one particular form, a method for determining an analyte includes contacting a sample containing the analyte with a diagnostic element comprising a dry reagent layer. The dry reagent layer contains a mutated dehydrogenase which is specific for the analyte and an artificial coenzyme. The method also includes determining at least one of analyte presence and an amount of the analyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care, Inc.
    Inventors: Carina Horn, Claudia Gaessler-Dietsche, Dieter Heindl, Joachim Hoenes, Thomas Meier, Rainer Schmuck
  • Patent number: 9353401
    Abstract: The present invention encompasses modified luciferases, methods for making modified luciferases, and assays utilizing modified luciferases. Modified luciferases of the invention show increased activity over wildtype luciferases and also show increased stability of signal. The present invention also encompasses multiplex assays utilizing multiple luciferases reporters with different emission spectra and different substrates for simultaneous luciferase measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Targeting Systems
    Inventor: Rampyari Walia
  • Patent number: 9347048
    Abstract: The invention relates to an isolated nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence that is at least ?90%, ?92%, ?94%, ?96%, ?97%, ?98%, ?99% or 100%, preferably ?97%, particularly preferably ?98%, very particularly preferably ?99%, and extremely preferably 0%, identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, wherein SEQ ID NO:2, at position 553, or at a corresponding position of the amino acid sequence, has a proteinogenic amino acid other than L-tyrosine, to a microorganism comprising the nucleotide sequence and also to a process for producing fine chemicals using this microorganism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Evonik Technochemie GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Gerstmeir, Iris Wiegrabe
  • Patent number: 9322023
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a synthetic nucleic acid scaffold comprising one or more subunits, each subunit comprising two or more different protein-binding sequences coupled together. The present invention further relates to systems and methods for assembling a synthetic biological pathway and producing a biological pathway product or a precursor product using the synthetic nucleic acid scaffold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Cornell University
    Inventors: Matthew Delisa, Robert Conrado
  • Patent number: 9322037
    Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure provide compositions, methods, and kits for improving the specificity of RNA-programmable endonucleases, such as Cas9. Also provided are variants of Cas9, e.g., Cas9 dimers and fusion proteins, engineered to have improved specificity for cleaving nucleic acid targets. Also provided are compositions, methods, and kits for site-specific nucleic acid modification using Cas9 fusion proteins (e.g., nuclease-inactivated Cas9 fused to a nuclease catalytic domain). Such Cas9 variants are useful in clinical and research settings involving site-specific modification of DNA, for example, genomic modifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, John Paul Guilinger, David B. Thompson
  • Patent number: 9315831
    Abstract: Provided herein are compositions and methods related to the direct conversion of the starch in a ground or fractionated grain into a fermentable sugar feedstock capable of serving as a carbon source for the industrial production of one or more products by a fermenting organism, such as isoprene, isoprenoid precursor molecules, and/or isoprenoids. Such conversions may be performed at temperatures at or below the initial gelatinization temperature of the starch present in the grain and may utilize one or more isolatable endogenous enzymes present in certain unrefined grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignees: DANISCO US INC., THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
    Inventors: Collette M. Blake, Gopal K. Chotani, Gang Duan, Douglas Ko, Floor Kooy, Sung Ho Lee, Michael J. Pepsin, Ying Qian, Matt Reboli, Vivek Sharma, Jayarama K. Shetty, Bruce A. Strohm, Pauline Johanna Maria Teunissen, Hongxian Xu
  • Patent number: 9315791
    Abstract: The present invention relates to new metalloproteases derived from Alicyclobacillus and the use thereof in cleaning processes, such as laundry and dish wash, and in particular to the use in low temperature wash and in removal of egg stains. The invention also relates to detergent compositions and cleaning compositions comprising Alicyclobacillus sp. metalloproteases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: NOVOZYMES A/S
    Inventors: Astrid Benie, Peter Rahbek Oestergaard, Morten Gjermansen
  • Patent number: 9309541
    Abstract: Strains of cyanobacteria that produce high levels of alpha ketoglutarate (AKG) and pyruvate are disclosed herein. Methods of culturing these cyanobacteria to produce AKG or pyruvate and recover AKG or pyruvate from the culture are also described herein. Nucleic acid sequences encoding polypeptides that function as ethylene-forming enzymes and their use in the production of ethylene are further disclosed herein. These nucleic acids may be expressed in hosts such as cyanobacteria, which in turn may be cultured to produce ethylene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
    Inventors: Jianping Yu, Troy Paddock, Damian Carrieri, Pin-Ching Maness, Michael Seibert
  • Patent number: 9273290
    Abstract: In order to provide: a phosphite dehydrogenase protein having both improved solubility and improved heat stability; a method for producing a gene encoding the phosphite dehydrogenase protein; a method for producing the phosphite dehydrogenase protein; and use of the phosphite dehydrogenase protein, (i) a phosphite dehydrogenase protein having a specific amino acid sequence and (ii) a gene encoding the phosphite dehydrogenase protein are used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Akio Kuroda, Ryuichi Hirota
  • Patent number: 9267127
    Abstract: Strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits for the directed evolution of bond-forming enzymes are provided herein. Evolution products, for example, evolved sortases exhibiting enhanced reaction kinetics and/or altered substrate preferences are also provided herein, as are methods for using such evolved bond-forming enzymes. Kits comprising materials, reagents, and cells for carrying out the directed evolution methods described herein are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Irwin Chen, Brent M. Dorr
  • Patent number: 9267123
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for correction and/or mutation of genes associated with Parkinson's Disease as well as clones and animals derived therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignees: Sangamo BioSciences, Inc., Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
    Inventors: Rudolf Jaenisch, Josee Laganiere, Frank Soldner, Lei Zhang
  • Patent number: 9260699
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel glucose dehydrogenase, a method for producing the glucose dehydrogenase, and applications of the glucose dehydrogenase. An isolated flavin-binding glucose dehydrogenase comprising a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence with 80% or more identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, and having glucose dehydrogenase activity is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Toyobo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Sumida, Hiroshi Aiba, Hiroshi Kawaminami, Rie Hirao, Yuu Utashima, Takahide Kishimoto, Shusaku Yanagidani
  • Patent number: 9249420
    Abstract: The present invention relates to recombinant microorganisms comprising an isobutanol producing metabolic pathway and methods of using said recombinant microorganisms to produce isobutanol. In various aspects of the invention, the recombinant microorganisms may comprise one or more modifications resulting in the reduction in the expression and/or activity of an endogenous transporter protein. In various embodiments described herein, the recombinant microorganisms may be microorganisms of the Saccharomyces clade, Crabtree-negative yeast microorganisms, Crabtree-positive yeast microorganisms, post-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast microorganisms, pre-WGD (whole genome duplication) yeast microorganisms, and non-fermenting yeast microorganisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignees: VIB VZW, KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN, K.U. LEUVEN R&D
    Inventors: Catherine Asleson Dundon, Christopher Smith, Piruz Nahreini, Johan Thevelein, Sofie Saerens
  • Patent number: 9249448
    Abstract: The invention pertains to the field of reaction systems generating malodor, particularly from constituents of human sweat. Specifically, the invention pertains to proteins for generating malodors, substrates for generating such malodor, inhibitors of such malodor generation and test and screening systems for measuring their malodor inhibition efficacy and finding substances previously not known to inhibit malodor generation. Thus, the invention also pertains to the field of deodorants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventor: Markus Pompejus
  • Patent number: 9249449
    Abstract: This invention relates to a probe reagent comprising, in order from the N-terminus to the C-terminus, the amino acid sequences of a fluorescent protein I, a peptide capable of terminating protein degradation (i.e., a degradation-terminating peptide), a spacer peptide, a fluorescent protein II, and a protein to be degraded, wherein the protein to be degraded is a protein degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and the probe reagent is degraded from the C-terminus, but that the degradation of the probe reagent is terminated at the degradation-terminating peptide, a nucleic acid encoding the probe reagent, and use of the probe reagent or the nucleic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignees: Japan Science and Technology Agency, Riken
    Inventors: Atsushi Miyawaki, Masahiko Hirano