Patents Examined by Ritra Mitra
  • Patent number: 7358331
    Abstract: The application identifies novel fragments of alpha-synuclein in patients with Lewy Body Disease (LBD) and transgenic animal models thereof. These diseases are characterized by aggregations of alpha-synuclein. The fragments have a truncated C-terminus relative to full-length alpha-synuclein. Some fragments are characterized by a molecular weight of about 12 kDa as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis in tricine buffer and a truncation of at least ten contiguous amino acids from the C-terminus of natural alpha-synuclein. The site of cleavage preferably occurs after residue 117 and before residue 126 of natural alpha-synuclein. The identification of these novel fragments of alpha-synuclein has a number of application in for example, drug discovery, diagnostics, therapeutics, and transgenic animals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Inventors: Tamie J Chilcote, Jason Goldstein, John P Anderson, Donald Walker