Patents Examined by Celine Qian
  • Patent number: 8604180
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of inducing expression of a promoter function of various genes in a Coryneform bacterium related to function exertion, in order to exert the function of a Coryneform bacterium highly and effectively under an anaerobic condition, for producing an organic compound useful under an anaerobic condition, more particularly, provides a method of enhancing and/or suppressing the promoter function related to various genes, for the purpose of highly and effectively expressing various protein genes necessary for production of an objective substance, and suppressing expression of an unnecessary protein gene. The DNA fragment of the present invention is useful as a primer which is introduced into a transformed Coryneform bacterium producing a useful substance such as lactic acid and succinic acid highly and at a high efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth
    Inventors: Hideaki Yukawa, Masayuki Inui
  • Patent number: 8580941
    Abstract: Isolated nucleic acids comprising a lipocalin gene promoter region, isolated nucleic acids comprising a human lipocalin gene, isolated nucleic acids encoding a lipocalin polypeptide, isolated lipocalin polypeptides, and uses thereof. The disclosed lipocalin nucleic acids and polypeptides can be used to generate a mouse model of male infertility, for drug discovery screens, and for therapeutic treatment of fertility-related conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Vanderbilt University
    Inventors: Jean-Jacques Lareyre, Marie-Claire Orgebin-Crist, Robert J. Matusik
  • Patent number: 8575109
    Abstract: The present invention provides novel, modified pokeweed antiviral proteins, nucleic acids that encode the proteins, conjugates that incorporate the proteins, and methods to make and use the proteins. The present invention also provides methods to administer the conjugates to animals, for the purpose of directing toxin to particular cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignees: Cedus, Inc., Colorado State University Research Foundation
    Inventors: Eric R. Weber, Torrance M. Nett
  • Patent number: 8557542
    Abstract: The present invention aims to synthesize a polypeptide having an unnatural structure at the N-terminus via a biosynthetic process by translation of amino acid sequence information encoded by a nucleic acid. A polypeptide having any amino acid at the N-terminus is synthesized by using an ARS ribozyme that catalyzes the acylation of tRNA with any amino acid to attach any amino acid to an initiator tRNA, thereby initiating a translation with the initiator tRNA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: The University of Tokyo
    Inventors: Hiroaki Suga, Hiroshi Murakami, Yuki Goto, Atsushi Ohta
  • Patent number: 8557972
    Abstract: The present invention provides reagents and methods for RNA transfection and protein expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: University of Washington through its Center for Commercialization
    Inventors: Thomas A. Reh, Olivia M. Bermingham-McDonogh, Toshinori Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8557574
    Abstract: A very safe and useful agent for inhibiting fungal growth and the like are provided by the present invention. Specifically, the present invention provides (1) an agent for inhibiting fungal growth comprising hyaluronic acid or a salt thereof excluding a heavy metal salt as the active ingredient, and a method for inhibiting fungal growth, which comprises at least a step of allowing hyaluronic acid or a salt thereof excluding a heavy metal salt to contact with a fungus, (2) an agent for reinforcing activity of inhibiting fungal growth possessed by a cell, which comprises a DNA encoding a hyaluronic acid synthase as the active ingredient, (3) a method for reinforcing activity of inhibiting fungal growth of a cell, which comprises at least a step of transfecting a DNA encoding a hyaluronic acid synthase into the cell, and (4) a method for inhibiting fungal growth, which comprises at least a step of allowing a cell transfected with a DNA encoding a hyaluronic acid synthase to contact with a fungus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Seikagaku Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuji Nishihara, Sumio Akifusa
  • Patent number: 8552170
    Abstract: The present invention provides an expression vector which is effective in an efficient establishment of transformed cells which express the aimed protein gene in a high level. An expression vector which has a cassette for expressing the drug selective marker gene containing mRNA destabilizing sequence, at least one element for stabilizing the gene expression and a cassette for expressing the gene of the aimed protein. Preferably, the mRNA destabilizing sequence is derived from AT-rich sequence existing in the 3?-untranslated region of cytokine, interleukin or proto-oncogene, and the element for stabilizing the gene expression is derived from Chinese hamster genome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Toyo Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomomi Yamazaki, Kenji Masuda, Shigeaki Nishii, Bunsei Kawakami
  • Patent number: 8546079
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a reporter gene construct. The reporter gene construct comprises a transcriptional regulatory sequence and a reporter gene that is functionally bound to downstream of the transcriptional regulatory sequence. The reporter gene construct is activated dependently of environment and the reporter gene codes for a protein producible of producing a free radical by the activation of the transcriptional regulatory sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Mitsuko Ishihara, Hiroyuki Kayano, Eiichi Akahoshi
  • Patent number: 8540965
    Abstract: The present invention provides soluble single wall nanotube constructs functionalized with a plurality of a targeting moiety and a plurality of one or more payload molecules attached thereto. The targeting moiety and the payload molecules may be attached to the soluble single wall carbon nanotube via a DNA or other oligomer platform attached to the single wall carbon nanotube. These soluble single wall carbon nanotube constructs may comprise a radionuclide or contrast agent and as such are effective as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Methods provided herein are to diagnosing or locating a cancer, treating a cancer, eliciting an immune response against a cancer or delivering an anticancer drug in situ via an enzymatic nanofactory using the soluble single wall carbon nanotube constructs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
    Inventors: David A. Scheinberg, Michael McDevitt, Christophe Antczak, Debjit Chattopadhyay, Rena May, Jón Njardarson, Mark Reid Philips
  • Patent number: 8541237
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a composition for molecular imaging comprising a trans-splicing ribozyme coupled with an imaging reporter gene. The trans-splicing ribozyme targets a specific gene associated with a disease. Also disclosed is a molecular imaging method using the composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: National Cancer Center
    Inventors: In-Hoo Kim, Seong-Wook Lee, Seung-Hee Hong, Jin-Sook Jeong, Yoon-Jong Lee, Yeon-Su Lee, Haeng-Im Jung
  • Patent number: 8519110
    Abstract: Dinucleotide cap analogs are disclosed, modified at different phosphate positions with a boranophosphate group or a phosphoroselenoate group. The analogs are useful as reagents in the preparation of capped mRNAs and have increased stability both in vitro and in vivo. They may be used as inhibitors of cap-dependent translation. Optionally, the boranophosphate or phosphoroselenoate group has a 2?-O or 3?-O-alkyl group, preferably a methyl group, producing analogs called BH3-ARCAs or Se-ARCAs. ARCAs may be modified with ?-, ?-, or ?-boranophosphate or phosphoroselenoate groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University And Agricultural and Mechanical College
    Inventors: Joanna Kowalska, Jacek Jemielity, Edward Darzynkiewicz, Robert E. Rhoads, Maciej Lukaszewicz, Joanna Zuberek
  • Patent number: 8512949
    Abstract: Disclosed are: a method for using a particular microRNA as a biomarker for head-and-neck tumor; a method for the determination of head-and-neck tumor; a kit for the determination of head-and-neck tumor, and the like. The present invention is characterized in that at least one microRNA selected from the group of microRNAs consisting of miR-455-3p, miR-455-5p, miR-130b, miR-130b*, miR-801, miR-196a, miR-21, miR-31, miR-133b, miR-145 and miR-375 is used as a biomarker for head-and-neck tumor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Inventors: Takeru Zama, Koichiro Saito, Akira Hirasawa, Hideki Naganishi
  • Patent number: 8513018
    Abstract: This invention relates to immortalized avian cells, including those deposited under accession numbers 09070701, 09070702, and 09070703 at the ECACC, and to the use of these cells for the production of viruses. The cells according to the invention are particularly useful for the production of recombinant viral vectors which can be used for the preparation of therapeutic and/or prophylactic compositions for the treatment of animals and more particularly humans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Transgene S.A.
    Inventors: Philippe Erbs, Marina Kapfer, Nathalie Silvestre
  • Patent number: 8507271
    Abstract: The present specification discloses clonal cell lines susceptible to BoNT/A intoxication, methods of producing such clonal cell lines, and methods of detecting Botulinum toxin serotype A activity using such clonal cell lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Allergan, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Zhu, Joanne Wang, Birgitte P. S. Jacky, D. Dianne Hodges, Fernandez-Salas Ester
  • Patent number: 8501397
    Abstract: Subjecting a heterogeneous cell population (one with both stem cells and non-stem cells) to extreme stress selectively eliminated the non-stem cells and resulted in the enrichment of stem cells in the population. The stress can take many forms, including without limitation, cell toxins, high temperature, high salt, and low oxygen (hypoxic) conditions. The number of stem cells remaining after stress were increased, and showed increased expression of traditional stem cell markers. The stem cells were shown to be capable of proliferation and differentiation into multiple types of cells. This method allows purification of stem cells from adult heterogeneous cell populations on a large scale basis without requirement of expensive equipment, and without requiring the presence of cell surface markers. Stem cells produced by the above method can be used for clinical applications, including tissue engineering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University And Agricultural and Mechanical College
    Inventors: Gary E. Wise, Shaomian Yao
  • Patent number: 8501469
    Abstract: The present specification discloses clonal cell lines susceptible to BoNT/A intoxication, methods of producing such clonal cell lines, and methods of detecting Botulinum toxin serotype A activity using such clonal cell lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Allergan, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Zhu, Joanne Wang, Birgitte P. S. Jacky, D. Dianne Hodges, Fernandez-Salas Ester
  • Patent number: 8486701
    Abstract: A method for modulating cell differentiation capabilities using heterologous gene expression. Some embodiments of the invention relate to a method for inducing a cardiac progenitor cell by delivering a reprogramming factor to the cell, wherein the reprogramming factor comprises ETS2 or a combination of ETS2 and Mesp1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignees: University of Houston, Texas Heart Institute, The Texas A&M University System
    Inventors: Robert J. Schwartz, Vladimir N. Potaman, Jose Francisco Islas
  • Patent number: 8476068
    Abstract: The present specification discloses clonal cell lines susceptible to BoNT/A intoxication, methods of producing such clonal cell lines, and methods of detecting Botulinum toxin serotype A activity using such clonal cell lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Allergan, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Zhu, Joanne Wang, Birgitte P. S. Jacky, D. Dianne Hodges, Fernandez-Salas Ester
  • Patent number: 8476069
    Abstract: The present specification discloses clonal cell lines susceptible to BoNT/A intoxication, methods of producing such clonal cell lines, and methods of detecting Botulinum toxin serotype A activity using such clonal cell lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Allergan, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Zhu, Joanne Wang, Birgitte P. S. Jacky, D. Dianne Hodges, Fernandez-Salas Ester
  • Patent number: 8470973
    Abstract: The present invention refers to methods for selectively recognizing a base pair in a DNA sequence by a polypeptide, to modified polypeptides which specifically recognize one or more base pairs in a DNA sequence and, to DNA which is modified so that it can be specifically recognized by a polypeptide and to uses of the polypeptide and DNA in specific DNA targeting as well as to methods of modulating expression of target genes in a cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Inventors: Ulla Bonas, Jens Boch, Sebastian Schornack, Thomas Lahaye