Patents Examined by David A. Lambertson
  • Patent number: 7229784
    Abstract: Methods for improving the production of a secondary metabolite by a fungus by increasing the yield or productivity of the secondary metabolite produced by the fungus are described. The methods include increasing the expression of LYS14, for example, by transforming a cell with a nucleic acid molecule encoding LYS14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Microbia, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Holtzman, Kevin T. Madden, Mary Maxon, Amir Sherman
  • Patent number: 7223575
    Abstract: Disclosed in the present invention is a Zymomonas integrant and derivatives of these integrants that posses the ability to ferment pentose into ethanol. The genetic sequences encoding for the pentose-fermenting enzymes are integrated into the Zymomonas in a two-integration event of homologous recombination and transposition. Each operon includes more than one pentose-reducing enzyme encoding sequence. The integrant in some embodiments includes enzyme sequences encoding xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transketolase and transketolase. The Zymomonas integrants are highly stable, and retain activity for producing the pentose-fermenting enzyme for between 80 to 160 generations. The integrants are also resistant to acetate inhibition, as the integrants demonstrate efficient ethanol production even in the presence of 8 up to 16 grams acetate per liter media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Midwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Min Zhang, Yat-Chen Chou, William Howe, Christine Eddy, Kent Evans, Ali Mohagheghi
  • Patent number: 7090864
    Abstract: Liposomes containing therapeutic genes are conjugated to multiple targeting agents to provide transport of the encapsulated gene across the blood-retinal barrier and the plasma membrane of ocular cells. Once across the blood-retinal barrier and ocular cell membrane, the encapsulated gene expresses the encoded therapeutic agent within the ocular cells to provide diagnosis and/or treatment of disease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventor: William M. Pardridge
  • Patent number: 7067649
    Abstract: An isolated polynucleotide functional as a promoter in eukaryotic cells is disclosed. The isolated polynucleotide includes an endothelial specific enhancer element as detailed herein. Further disclosed is a method of expressing a nucleic acid sequence of interest in endothelial cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Vascular Biogenics Ltd.
    Inventor: Dror Harats
  • Patent number: 7060461
    Abstract: Methods for enhancing expression levels and secretion of heterologous fusion proteins in a host cell are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Lifesensors, Inc.
    Inventors: Tauseef R. Butt, Steven D. Weeks, Hiep T. Tran, Michael P. Malakhov, Oxana A. Malakhova
  • Patent number: 7056728
    Abstract: The present invention relates to bacterial luciferase transposon cassettes suitable for conferring bioluminescence properties on a Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and other organisms of interest. The invention further includes cells transformed with vectors carrying the transposon cassettes, cells whose genomes have been modified by introduction of such cassettes, and methods of making and using such transposon cassettes, transposon cassette vectors, and cells containing the transposons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Xenogen Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin P. Francis, Anthony F. Purchio
  • Patent number: 7053196
    Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a genus of bacteria known as Ketogulonigenium. The present invention further relates to transformed Ketogulonigenium, and methods of transforming Ketogulonigenium. The present invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules, and vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
    Inventors: John D'Elia, Steven F Stoddard
  • Patent number: 7053197
    Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a genus of bacteria known as Ketogulonigenium. The present invention further relates to transformed Ketogulonigenium, and methods of transforming Ketogulonigenium. The present invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules, and vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
    Inventors: John D'Elia, Steven F Stoddard
  • Patent number: 7045611
    Abstract: The invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule, comprising a nucleic acid which codes for a polypeptide with chorismate mutase activity and derivatives thereof, whereby the derivatives have at least 10% of the chorismate mutase activity of the chorismate mutase, according to the identification number of the SEQ ID NO:2. The invention further relates to vectors containing nucleic acid molecules, to host cells comprising nucleic acid molecules and their use in methods for producing polypetides with chorismate mutase activity. The invention also relates to the polypeptides with chorismate mutase activity and antibodies which specifically recognize the same. In addition, the invention relates to methods for producing auxotrophic yeast strains using the nucleic acid molecules and to the preparation of the yeast strains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Rhein Biotech Gesellschaft für neue Biotechnologische Prozesse und Produkte mbH
    Inventors: Gerd Gellissen, Gerhard Braus, Ralph Pries, Sven Krappmann, Alexander W. Strasser
  • Patent number: 7030233
    Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a genus of bacteria known as Ketogulonigenium. The present invention further relates to transformed Ketogulonigenium, and methods of transforming Ketogulonigenium. The present invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules, and vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
    Inventors: John D'Elia, Steven F Stoddard
  • Patent number: 7026460
    Abstract: The invention provides variant regulator proteins of secondary metabolite production and nucleic acids encoding said variant regulator proteins. In particular, the invention provides variant regulator molecules of the lovE protein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Microbia, Inc.
    Inventors: Shannon Roberts, Amir Sherman, Joshua Trueheart, G. Todd Milne
  • Patent number: 7022513
    Abstract: The present invention makes available a rapid, reproducible, robust assay system for screening and identifying pharmaceutically effective compounds that specifically interact with and modulate the activity of a cellular protein, e.g., a receptor or ion channel. The subject assay enables rapid screening of large numbers of compounds to identify those which act as an agonist or antagonist to the bioactivity of the cellular protein. In particular, the assay of the invention makes use of a cell that harbors a protein that is responsive to a cellular signal transduction pathway. The protein is operatively linked to a polypeptide which causes a detectable signal to be generated upon stimulation of the pathway, e.g., when a compound interacts with and modulates the activity of a cellular receptor or ion channel of the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Cadus Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Xu, Joshua Trueheart
  • Patent number: 7015010
    Abstract: A microorganism which can metabolize a carbon source at a specific pH in a liquid medium containing L-glutamic acid at a saturation concentration and the carbon source, and has ability to accumulate L-glutamic acid in an amount exceeding the amount corresponding to the saturation concentration in the liquid medium at the pH; and a method for producing L-glutamic acid by fermentation, which comprises culturing the microorganism in a liquid medium of which pH is adjusted to a pH at which L-glutamic acid is precipitated, to produce and accumulate L-glutamic acid and precipitate L-glutamic acid in the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Izui, Mika Moriya, Seiko Hirano, Yoshihiko Hara, Hisao Ito, Kazuhiko Matsui
  • Patent number: 7009045
    Abstract: This invention is directed to the transformation of the flavinogenic yeasts, Pichia guilliermondii and Candida famata, and mutants thereof, by electroporation (electrotransformation) and by spheroplast transformation. The invention is also directed to nucleic acid constructs such as vectors, plasmids, and ARS sequences which transform flavinogenic yeasts, and mutants thereof, at a high level and in a stable manner so as to result in stably transformed yeast host cells which express/produce recombinant products. This invention also is directed to flavinogenic yeasts, Pichia guilliermondii and Candida famata, and mutants and temperature sensitive mutants thereof, which produce or overproduce riboflavin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
    Inventors: Charles Abbas, Andrii Y. Voronovsky, Liubov R. Fayura, Barbara V. Kshanovska, Kostiantyn V. Dmytruk, Kateryna A. Sibirna, Andrii A. Sibirny
  • Patent number: 6987017
    Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to the over-production of L-isoleucine by nonhuman organisms. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods for producing L-isoleucine comprising: (a) growing a transformed nonhuman organism under conditions that provide for synthesis of L-isoleucine, wherein the nonhuman organism comprises one or more copies of a transgene comprising at least one nucleotide sequence encoding catabolic threonine dehydratase; wherein the L-isoleucine is synthesized by the transformed nonhuman organism, the synthesis being greater than that of the corresponding non-transformed nonhuman organism; and (b) recovering the L-isoleucine from the culture medium in which the transformed nonhuman organism was cultured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Stephane Guillouet, Anthony J. Sinskey, Avital A. Rodal, Philip A. Lessard
  • Patent number: 6977295
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods for inhibiting, cloning, modifying or labelling an endogenous DNA sequence using compositions comprising recombinases in combination with exogenous polynucleotides containing “anchoring” or “locking” sequences. The anchoring sequences serve to stabilize structures formed by the exogenous polynucleotides and the endogenous DNA. The stabilized structure thus can either serve to regulate gene transcription or replication, or can allow the endogenous sequences to be labelled or pulled out, i.e. cloned, or modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Invitrogen Corporation
    Inventors: Boris Belotserkovskii, Gurucharan Reddy, David A. Zarling
  • Patent number: 6974867
    Abstract: Inhibitors of KIAA0175 are provided that reduce the expression or biological activities of KIAA0175, p53 and/or p21 in a mammalian cell. KIAA0175 inhibitors include anti-sense molecules, ribozymes, antibodies and antibody fragments, proteins and polypeptides as well as small molecules. KIAA0175 inhibitors find use in compositions and methods for decreasing KIAA0175, p53 and/or p21 gene expression as well as methods for increasing the chemo and/or radiosensitivity of mammalian cells, including tumor cells, methods for decreasing the side effects of cancer therapy and methods for treating neoplastic diseases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Chiron Corporation
    Inventors: Bin Wu, Todd W. Seeley, Lewis T. Williams
  • Patent number: 6969603
    Abstract: Method for isolating DNA contained in a biological sample. The method includes combining in a solution a DNA-containing biological sample, a salt, a cationic surfactant, and a DNA-binding carrier, the solution having a salt concentration higher than the DNA precipitation inhibition-initiating concentration, to lyse the DNA-containing biological sample and to bind DNA to the DNA-binding carrier while in the solution to form a bound DNA-carrier. The method also includes separating the DNA-bound carrier from other components. The method further includes dissociating the bound DNA from the DNA-binding carrier. The method still further includes recovering dissociated DNA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignees: Riken, Kabushiki Kaisha Dnaform
    Inventors: Yoshihide Hayashizaki, Piero Carninci
  • Patent number: 6962990
    Abstract: The invention provides origin of replication sequences and replication genes and proteins for a plasmid functional in Fusobacterium (e.g., F. nucleatum) and related species. Provided by the invention are also plasmids and vectors that can replicate in Fusobacterium. Further, the invention provides shuttle vectors that can replicate in Fusobacterium and in other microorganisms, such as E. coli. Still further, the present invention provides host cells comprising the plasmids and shuttle vectors, and methods for transformation of the host cells with the plasmid and shuttle vectors of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Gwynne Attarian, Kara K. Podkaminer, Sean C. Yoder, Susan A. Kinder Haake
  • Patent number: 6962804
    Abstract: A method for generating a Drosophila clipped FRT (cFRT) chromosome is provided, wherein the chromosome is incapable of reacting with a P transposase but remains capable of reacting with a yeast site-specific flippase recombinase (FLP). The method includes steps of: (a) exposing a FRT chromosome to the P transposase causing a local and imprecise transposition, wherein the FRT chromosome contains a P[FRT] insertion with a selection marker gene, (b) screening the P[FRT] insertion insensitive to the P transposase to obtain screened products, (c) selecting candidate products from the screened products by further examinations, and (d) exposing the candidate products by the P transposase and selecting a desired product by the further examinations to obtain the Drosophila clipped FRT (cFRT) chromosome incapable of reacting with the P transposase but remaining capable of reacting with the yeast site-specific flippase recombinase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: National Science Council
    Inventor: Tze-Bin Chou