Patents Examined by Nancy T. Vogel
  • Patent number: 6861229
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of identifying a gene product. The method comprises providing a multiplicity of cells comprising a first gene product. Preferably, the first gene product is produced in the multiplicity of cells by expressing a first exogenous nucleic acid sequence encoding the first gene product. A library of second nucleic acid sequences encoding second gene products is then introduced into the multiplicity of cells. The second nucleic acid sequences are expressed in the multiplicity of cells to produce the second gene products such that the first gene product and at least one of the second gene products contact. The method further comprises causing a complex to form between the first gene product, an affinity molecule that binds the first gene product, and at least one of the second gene products, and subsequently retrieving the complex. At least one second gene product of the complex then is identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: GenVec, Inc.
    Inventors: Miguel E. CarriĆ³n, Imre Kovesdi
  • Patent number: 6861258
    Abstract: A method for introducing and stabilizing heterologous and recombinant genes in a thermophilic host in which a characteristic gene defining a detectable host characteristic is inactivated or deleted from the thermophilic host, resulting in a modified thermophilic host expressing an absence of the detectable host characteristic. A DNA fragment of interest is inserted into the modified thermophilic host together with an intact characteristic gene, whereby the detectable host characteristic is restored to the thermophilic host, thereby enabling detection and confirmation of successful transformation using plasmid vectors and integration of the DNA fragment into the chromosome of the thermophilic host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Gas Technology Institute
    Inventors: Kevin J. Kayser, Ho-Shin Park, John J. Kilbane, II
  • Patent number: 6855534
    Abstract: In the present invention, viruses, plasmids or both are constructed which contain viral DNA, at least one head-to-head ITR junction, and recombinase recognition sites positioned such that site-specific recombination between recombinase recognition sites in separate plasmids results in generation of infectious viral DNA at high-efficiency in cotransfected host cells that have been engineered to express a site-specific recombinase. Because of the high-efficiency and specificity of the Cre enzyme, suitably engineered plasmids can be readily recombined to produce infectious virus at high-efficiency in cotransfected 293 cells, without, at the same time, producing wild-type adenovirus, with the attendant problems for removal thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Inventors: Frank L. Graham, Robin Parks, Philip Ng
  • Patent number: 6852845
    Abstract: The invention provides methods of identifying toxic agents, e.g., hepatotoxic agents, using differential gene expression. Also provided are methods of predicting the risk level and or injury type of NSAIDs. Also disclosed are novel nucleic acid sequences whose expression is differentially regulated by NSAIDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Curagen Corporation
    Inventors: Bonnie Gould Rothberg, Vincent A. DiPippo, Tenmore M. Ramesh, Robert W. Gerwein
  • Patent number: 6852498
    Abstract: The invention relates to a genes isolated from an oomycete that encode homologs of an FtsZ protein. The invention includes methods of using these proteins to discover new antimicrobials, based on the essentiality of the gene for normal growth and development. The invention can also be used in screening assays to identify inhibitors that are potential antimicrobials. These antimicrobials may be used in a method of controlling oomycete growth on crop plants and seeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Syngenta Participations AG
    Inventor: Fumiaki Katagiri
  • Patent number: 6849442
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods for generating mycolic acid bacterial biosensors for particular analytes (especially industrial pollutants) by the use of innovative methods for isolating DNA encoding an inducible promoter which is induced in response to the specific analyte (and/or associated operon proteins), the methods generally comprising the steps of: (a) culturing a source of mycolic acid bacteria in a selective medium containing said specific analyte and being selective for oligotriphic bacteria; (b) identifying mycolic acid bacteria capable of subsisting on said medium, especially those which do not display catabolic repression; (c) extracting DNA from said mycolic acid bacteria; (d) incorporating said DNA into vectors, such as various shuttle vectors; (e) cloning said vector into a suitable host cell (which may be E.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Cambridge University Technical Services Limited
    Inventors: John Anthony Charles Archer, David Keith Summers, Herve Jacquiau Roland, Justin Antoine Christian Powell
  • Patent number: 6838249
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods for identifying test substances that bind to the ?2? subunit of a calcium channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Inventors: Sui-Po Zhang, Susan K. Yagel, Ellen E. Codd
  • Patent number: 6825033
    Abstract: Methods of treating tumors, preventing restenosis, and treating hyperplasias, corneal haze, and cataracts by administering to an animal a mutated cyclin G1 protein. The mutated cyclin G1 protein may be administered to an animal by administering to an animal an expression vehicle, such as a retroviral vector comprising a gene construct encoding a mutated cyclin G1 protein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: University of Southern California
    Inventors: Erlinda Maria Gordon, Frederick L. Hall
  • Patent number: 6815537
    Abstract: The present invention relates to cloned DNA containing origin of DNA replication and to cloned DNA encoding repliation protein, RepT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: New England Biolabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Wayne, Shuang-yong Xu
  • Patent number: 6812336
    Abstract: The present invention provides a substantially purified nucleic acid molecule encoding p/CIP, which regulates the activity of CBP/p300 dependent transcription factors. The invention also provides substantially purified p/CIP and peptide portions of p/CIP. The invention also provides methods of selectively inhibiting signal transduction pathways using a peptide portion of p/CIP or a nucleic acid molecule encoding such a peptide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Michael G. Rosenfeld, Christopher K. Glass, David W. Rose, Joseph Torchia
  • Patent number: 6787356
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of culturing cells which includes a proliferating step in which the number of precursor cells is expanded and a differentiating step in which the expanded precursor cells develop into neuronal cells. The proliferating step includes the step of incubating the precursor cells in proliferating medium which includes basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The differentiating step includes incubating the precursor cells in differentiation media in a manner effective to form a cellular aggregate that is not adhered to any surface of the incubation vessel. In a preferred embodiment, the cells arc incubated in a roller tube. The differentiation media can also include at least one differentiating agent. The invention also provides a method for treating a neurological disorder, such as Parkinson's disease, a method of introducing a gene product into a brain of a patient, an assay for neurologically active substances, and a cell culture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Lorenz Studer, Ron D. McKay
  • Patent number: 6770446
    Abstract: This invention relates to novel modified host cells which express heterologous fused proteins and methods of screening for test samples having peptide-binding activity; wherein the modified host cell comprises: (a) a gene sequence encoding a heterologous fusion protein; said fusion protein comprising a first peptide of a peptide binding pair, or segment of said first peptide, which is joined to either a DNA binding domain or its corresponding transcriptional activation domain of a transcriptional activation protein; (b) a gene sequence encoding a heterologous fusion protein, said fusion protein comprising a second peptide of the peptide binding pair in (a), or a segment thereof, fused to either a DNA binding domain or its corresponding transcriptional activation domain, whichever one is not employed in (a); (c) a luciferase gene operatively associated with the transcriptional activation protein, or a portion thereof; (d) optionally, a deletion or mutation in the chromosomal DNA of the host cell for the transc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Wyeth
    Inventors: Kathleen H. Young, Jian Cao
  • Patent number: 5858765
    Abstract: An isolated gene and mutations thereof capable of imparting constitutive pseudohyphal growth to S. cerevisiae is provided. The isolated wild type gene referred to as ELM1 is also capable of coding for a novel protein kinase that determines the yeast morphology and specific physiological properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignees: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Institut Pasteur, Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale
    Inventors: Alan M. Myers, Pascal Madaule
  • Patent number: 5843744
    Abstract: A transposable element, or transposon, isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) and designated as transposon Tn5401. The invention also includes a method of using this transposon in a site-specific recombination system for construction of recombinant B.t. strains that contain insecticidal B.t. toxin protein genes and that are free of DNA not native to B.t.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Ecogen Inc.
    Inventor: James A. Baum
  • Patent number: 5814520
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an isolated and purified DNA fragment comprising a DNA sequence encoding a plant decarboxylase. Preferably, the DNA sequence encodes a plant tryptophan decarboxylase, more preferably from Catharanthus roseus. A 1747 bp cDNA clone was isolated by antibody screening of a cDNA expression library produced from poly A.sup.+ RNA found in developing seedlings of C. roseus. The invention also includes DNA sequences encoding a plant tryptophan decarboxylase which are synthetically produced to correspond substantially to the isolated and purified DNA sequence encoding the same enzyme. The nucleotide sequence of the synthetic DNA sequence is determined on the basis of codon degeneracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: National Research Council Canada
    Inventors: Vincenzo De Luca, Normand Brisson, Wolfgang Gebhard Walter Kurz
  • Patent number: 5766915
    Abstract: Functional derivatives of endoglucanase I (EGI), and the cloning and recombinant expression thereof, are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Alko-Yhtiot Oy (Alko Group Ltd.)
    Inventors: Jonathan Knowles, Merja Penttila, Tuula Teeri, Helena Nevalainen, Paivi Lehtovaara-Helenius, Sirpa Aho, Sunee Nitisinprasert, Marja Paloheimo, Sirkka Keranen
  • Patent number: 5750372
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an expression vector which is induced by methanol and/or glycerol utilizing an alcohol oxidase gene of a methylotrophic yeast; a recombinant methylotrophic yeast containing said vector and capable of accumulating a significantly high amount of an expression product of a heterologous gene; and a method for producing useful products utilizing said recombinant.The expression vector is constructed by utilizing the promoter and terminator of an alcohol oxidase gene of methylotrophic yeast. Further, a significantly high amount of adenylate kinase, cytochrome C552 or peroxidase is produced by using said expression vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Suntory Limited
    Inventors: Yasuyoshi Sakai, Yoshiki Tani, Yuji Shibano, Hiroto Kondo, Haruyo Hatanaka
  • Patent number: 5747308
    Abstract: There is described a method for obtaining a eukaryotic cell containing in its DNA multiple copies of a GS gene, comprising: transforming a eukaryotic glutamine auxotroph with a GS gene; selecting transformant cells containing the GS gene; and culturing the selected transformant cells in a medium which lacks glutamine or in which the amount of glutamine is progressively depleted, the GS gene being of a character such that, or the conditions employed during the culturing step being such that, the GS gene is so weakly transcribed that the cells in which the GS gene has been amplified are selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Celltech Therapeutics Limited
    Inventors: Christopher Robert Bebbington, Geoffrey Thomas Yarranton
  • Patent number: 5733780
    Abstract: Methylation of DNA can be a critical step in the introduction of DNA into P. haemolytica. A methyltransferase has been isolated and molecularly cloned for this purpose. Use of the methyltransferase has allowed construction of defined, attenuated mutants for use as vaccines to protect cattle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Research and Development Corporation
    Inventors: Robert E. Briggs, Fred M. Tatum
  • Patent number: 5723588
    Abstract: Thermoplastics interdispersed with a variety of functional thermostable polypeptides, including proteins, and methods of making such thermoplastics are provided. The disclosure demonstrates that certain polypeptides can retain functional activity through exposure to plastic thermomolding. The polypeptides are exposed to the heating and molding/extrusion/casting process and are hence present on the formed plastic surface and at a depth below the plastic surface. The polypeptides contained in the disclosed compositions retain functional properties or binding specificities through the heating and molding/extrusion/casting processes. Preferred thermostable polypeptides used in the disclosed compositions include silk-like protein polymers, particularly ProNectin.RTM.F. The disclosed methods and compositions find use in many applications where plastics containing functional thermostable polypeptides are desired, in particular, cell cultureware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Protein Polymer Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Donofrio, Erwin R. Stedronsky