Patents Examined by M Walicka
  • Patent number: 7374918
    Abstract: An isolated DNA molecule encoding modified sarcosine oxidases having optimal pH, high activity in the slightly acidic range and improved stability and a method for preparing the modified sarcosine oxidases is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Kikkoman Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke Furukawa, Naoki Kajiyama
  • Patent number: 7374933
    Abstract: Novel human polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences are disclosed that can be used in thereapeutic, diagnostic, and pharmacogenomic applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Inventors: D. Wade Walke, Nathaniel L. Wilganowski, C. Alexander Turner, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7323327
    Abstract: The invention relates to newly identified gene sequences that encode novel proteases obtainable from Aspergillus niger. The invention features the full length gene sequence of the novel genes, their cDNA sequences as well as the full-length functional protein and fragments thereof. The invention also relates to methods of using these enzymes in industrial processes and methods of diagnosing fungal infections. Also included in the invention are cells transformed with DNA according to the invention and cells wherein a protease according to the invention is genetically modified to enhance or reduce its activity and/or level of expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: DSM IP Assets B.V.
    Inventors: Luppo Edens, Albertus Van Dijk, Philipp Krubasik, Kaj Albermann, Alexander Stock, Erik Kimpel, Sabine Klugbauer, Christian Wagner, Andreas Fritz, Wilk Von Gustedt, Oliver Heinrich, Dieter Maier, Fabio Spreafico, Ulrike Folkers, Sylvia Hopper, Wolfram Kemmner, Pamela Tan, Josephine Stiebler, Richard Albang
  • Patent number: 7091014
    Abstract: The present invention relates to genetic engineering of production microorganisms used in biotechnology to improve their properties so that they produce useful products more efficiently. The microorganisms express at least one enzyme that causes the functional coupling of the oxidation and reduction of substrates by two pyridine nucleotide-linked dehydrogenase reactions with different specificities for the NAD/NADH and NADP/NADPH coenzyme couples and so facilitates the transfer of electrons between the two coenzyme couples through the said substrates. In particular the invention relates to increasing the yields of products such as ethanol or amino acids from carbon and nitrogen sources such as biomass comprising hexoes, pentoses or their polymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus
    Inventors: Aristos Aristidou, John Londesborough, Merja Penttilä, Peter Richard, Laura Ruohonen, Hans Söderlund, Anita Teleman, Mervi Toivari
  • Patent number: 6953684
    Abstract: The present invention provides a microorganism for the production of 1,3-propanediol from a variety of carbon sources in an organism capable of 1,3-propanediol production and comprising a) at least one gene encoding a dehydratase activity; b) at least one gene encoding a glycerol-3-phosphatase; and c) at least one gene encoding protein X. The protein X may be derived from a Klebsiella or Citrobacter gene cluster. The recombinant microorganism may further comprise d) at least one gene encoding a protein having at least 50% similarity to a protein selected from the group consisting of protein 1 (SEQ ID NO:60 or SEQ ID NO:61), of protein 2 (SEQ ID NO:62 or SEQ ID NO:63) and of protein 3 (SEQ ID NO:64 or SEQ ID NO:65) from Klebsiella or Citrobacter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Genencor International, Inc.
    Inventors: Nigel Dunn-Coleman, Maria Diaz-Torres, Matthew W. Chase, Donald Trimbur
  • Patent number: 6943004
    Abstract: A transformed microorganism prepared by inserting into a host microorganism with zinc tolerance a D-aminoacylase-producing gene which selectively produces D-aminoacylase alone between D-aminoacylase and L-aminoacylase. A process comprising culturing the transformed microorganism in a culture medium containing zinc ion and obtaining D-aminoacylase from the culture at a high efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Amano Enzyme Inc.
    Inventors: Ken-ichi Takeuchi, Yoshinao Koide, Yoshihiko Hirose, Mitsuaki Moriguchi, Kimiyasu Isobe
  • Patent number: 6893835
    Abstract: The present invention relates to in vitro and ex vivo methods of screening for modulators, homologues, and mimetics of lethal factor mitogen activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) protease activity, as well as methods of treating cancer by administering LF to transformed cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Nicholas Duesbery, Craig Webb, Stephen Leppla, George Vande Woude
  • Patent number: 6855532
    Abstract: This invention relates to newly identified polypeptides which have zinc metalloprotease activities and are referred to as IGS5, and polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides, to their use in therapy and in identifying compounds which may be stimulators and/or inhibitors which are useful in therapy, and to production of such polypeptides and polynucleotides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Solvay Pharmaceuticals B.V.
    Inventors: Willy Deleersnijder, Rico Wiegers, Michael Weske
  • Patent number: 6617110
    Abstract: The invention provides compositions and methods related to human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTRT), the catalytic protein subunit of human telomerase. The polynucleotides and polypeptides of the invention are useful for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of human diseases, for changing the proliferative capacity of cells and organisms, and for identification and screening of compounds and treatments useful for treatment of diseases such as cancers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignees: Geron Corporation, University Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas R. Cech, Joachim Lingner, Toru Nakamura, Karen B. Chapman, Gregg B. Morin, Calvin B. Harley, William H. Andrews
  • Patent number: 6566108
    Abstract: A bacterial cell containing a functional cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system, said cell comprising a genetic construct capable of expressing a cytochrome P450 and genetic construct capable of expressing, separately from said cytochrome P450, a cytochrome P450 reductase, wherein each of the cytochrome P450 and the cytochrome P450 reductase have at their N-terminus a bacterial signal peptide. The cytochrome P450 and the cytochrome P450 reductase may be encoded by different constructs or the same construct. A bacterial cell containing a cytochrome P450 comprising a genetic construct encoding, and capable of expressing, said cytochrome P450 wherein the cytochrome P450 has, at is N-terminal, a bacterial signal peptide. The bacterial cells are useful as, for example, bioreactors, in drug testing and mutagenicity testing and as a source of cytochrome P450.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: University of Dundee
    Inventors: Charles Roland Wolf, Thomas Herbert Friedberg, Michael Patrick Pritchard
  • Patent number: 6485925
    Abstract: The present invention relates to in vitro and ex vivo methods of screening for modulators, homologues, and mimetics of lethal factor mitogen activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) protease activity, as well as methods of treating cancer by administering LF to transformed cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Nicholas Duesbery, Craig Webb, Stephen Leppla, George Vande Woude
  • Patent number: 6368594
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes DNA damage endonucleases which exhibit broad specificity with respect to the types of structural aberrations in double stranded DNA. These enzymes recognize double stranded DNA with distortions in structure, wherein the distortions result from photoproducts, alkylation, intercalation, abasic sites, mismatched base pairs, cisplatin adducts and inappropriately incorporated bases (for example, 8-oxoguanine, inosine, xanthine, among others). The UVDE (Uve1p) of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, certain truncated forms of that UVDE (lacking from about 100 to about 250 amino acids of N-terminal sequence) and certain endonucleases from Homo sapiens, Neurospora crassa, Bacillus subtilis, and from Deinococcus radiodurans. The present disclosure further provides methods for cleaving double stranded DNA having structural distortions as set forth herein using the exemplified endonucleases or their stable, functional truncated derivatives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: Emory University
    Inventors: Paul W. Doetsch, Balveen Kaur, Angela M. Avery
  • Patent number: 6365387
    Abstract: The invention provides fabG polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding fabG polypeptides and methods for producing such polypeptides by recombinant techniques. Also provided are methods for utilizing fabG polypeptides to screen for antibacterial compounds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: SmithKline Beecham Corporation
    Inventors: Jianzhong Huang, Damien McDevitt
  • Patent number: 6355468
    Abstract: The present provides a Rhodotorula phenylalanine lyase polypeptide, polynucleotides that encode the polypeptide, and methods of obtaining and using these products. In particular the polypeptide can be employed for the production of phenylalanine, phenylalanine analogs, and optically active unnatural amino acids having phenylalanine-like structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: PCBU Services, Inc.,
    Inventors: Roberta K. Yoshida, Anna B. Kootstra
  • Patent number: 6331421
    Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for the production of human superoxide dismutase and a novel protocol for enhancing efficiency of expression. The gene encoding for human superoxide dismutase is isolated and inserted into a vector in conjunction with a synthetic linker which provides for enhanced efficiency in translation. E. coli strain D1210 (pSODX8) was deposited at the A.T.C.C. on Sep. 27, 1983 and given Accession No. 39453. Yeast strain 2150-2-3 (pC1/1GAPSOD) and E. coli strains D1210 (pSOD11) and D1210 (pS20R) were deposited at the A.T.C.C. on May 9, 1984, and given Accession Nos. 20708, 39679 and 39,680, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: Chiron Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Hallewell, Guy T. Mullenbach
  • Patent number: 6294363
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods for rapidly and efficiently purifying proteasomes using fusion proteins having homology to ubiquitin using amino acid sequences adhered to a solid support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
    Inventor: Kiran Madura