Patents Examined by Robert C. Hayes
  • Method of myelinating isolated motoneurons
    Patent number: 8828721
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of inducing myelination of isolated motoneurons by preparing a non-biological substrate having thereon a covalently attached monolayer of DETA; depositing isolated motoneurons on the substrate in a defined serum-free medium; plating isolated Schwann cells cultured in the defined serum-free medium onto the motoneurons, thereby initiating a co-culture; and passaging the co-culture as necessary into fresh, defined serum-free medium supplemented with L-ascorbic acid at least until the motoneurons form Nodes of Ranvier indicative of myelination. The invention also includes a method of testing for new drugs effective in demyelinating diseases. Additionally, cellular products provided by the invention include an isolated motoneurons myelinated or remyelinated in vitro according to the methods disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: James Hickman, John Rumsey
  • Treating post-seizure patients
    Patent number: 8785446
    Abstract: Patients are subject to a post-seizure treatment regime to separately inhibitor consecutive targets of an epileptogenic cascade comprising neurotransmitter receptor signaling, kinase/phosphatase activity, protein translation, and apoptosis or inflammation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Children's Medical Center Corporation
    Inventors: Frances E. Jensen, Sanjay N. Rakhade
  • Methods of screening for compounds for treating muscular dystrophy using mIGF1 mRNA translation regulation
    Patent number: 8741572
    Abstract: The present invention provides compounds and assays for the identification and validation of compounds for use in the treatment of muscular mystrophy (MD), or a form thereof, in which said compounds increase the post-transcriptional expression of a target gene (i.e., mIGF1, ITGA7, or UTRN).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: PTC Therapeutics, Inc.
    Inventors: Westley J. Friesen, Nikolai Naryshkin, Meenal Patel, Charles Romfo, Yuki Tomizawa, Ellen Welch, Jin Zhou
  • Small survival-promoting/immunomodulatory peptide for treatment of brain damage, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammatory disorders
    Patent number: 8716223
    Abstract: A synthetic peptide sequence demonstrating neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory functions is disclosed. Methods of use for the synthetic peptide are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Drexel University
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, Lihua Yao
  • Method of isolating human neuroepithelial precursor cells from human fetal tissue
    Patent number: 8709807
    Abstract: A method for isolating human neuroepithelial precursor cells from human fetal tissue by culturing the human fetal cells in fibroblast growth factor and chick embryo extract and immunodepleting from the cultured human fetal cells any cells expressing A2B5, NG2 and eNCAM is provided. In addition, methods for transplanting these cells into an animal are provided. Animals models transplanted with these human neuroepithelial precursor cells and methods for monitoring survival, proliferation, differentiation and migration of the cells in the animal model via detection of human specific markers are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation
    Inventors: Margot Mayer-Proschel, Mahendra S. Rao, Patrick A. Tresco, Darin J. Messina
  • Complement inhibition for improved nerve regeneration
    Patent number: 8703136
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and medicaments used for treating conditions that require axonal regeneration, e.g. in mammals affected by injury or disease of the central or peripheral nervous system. The medicaments used in these methods facilitate axonal regeneration by inhibition of the complement system. Conditions requiring axonal regeneration that may be treated in accordance with the invention include physical injuries as well as neurodegenerative disorders of the peripheral or central nervous system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Regenesance B.V.
    Inventors: Frank Baas, Valeria Ramaglia
  • Myelin basic protein peptide composition
    Patent number: 8623827
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition which comprises the following myelin basic protein peptides: MBP 30-44, MBP 83-99, MBP 131-145, and MBP 140-154. The composition may be used to treat a disease, in particular multiple sclerosis and/or optical neuritis and the invention also relates to such uses and methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Apitope Technology (Bristol) Limited
    Inventors: David Wraith, Heather B. Streeter
  • Synthetic peptides and peptide mimetics
    Patent number: 8569449
    Abstract: The present invention provides Parotid Secretory Protein peptides, nucleic acids encoding the peptides, and methods of using the peptides, and methods of screening GL13 mimetics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventor: Sven-Ulrik Gorr
  • YS68 polypeptide involved in primitive hematopoiesis
    Patent number: 8569454
    Abstract: A novel gene, dubbed “YS68”, involved in primitive hematopoiesis was successfully isolated from cDNA derived from mouse yolk sacs. In addition, a human gene corresponding to this gene was successfully isolated. Expression characteristics of these genes suggested their involvement in primitive hematopoiesis. The proteins of this invention and genes encoding the proteins may be utilized as tools for drug development against diseases, such as hematological disorders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Taga, Naoki Kimura
  • Human nerve growth factor by recombinant technology
    Patent number: 8557768
    Abstract: The ?-subunit of human nerve growth factor (?NGF) is prepared in essentially pure form in commercially useful quantities using recombinant DNA technology. The nucleotide sequence and vectors encoding human ?NGF and host cells transformed with the vectors are also provided. The ?NGF which the invention provides is useful, for example, in treating nerve damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Genentech, Inc.
    Inventors: Alane M. Gray, Axel Ullrich
  • Screening for neurotoxic amino acid associated with neurological disorders
    Patent number: 8541184
    Abstract: Methods for screening for neurological disorders are disclosed. Specifically, methods are disclosed for screening for neurological disorders in a subject by analyzing a tissue sample obtained from the subject for the presence of elevated levels of neurotoxic amino acids or neurotoxic derivatives thereof associated with neurological disorders. In particular, methods are disclosed for diagnosing a neurological disorder in a subject, or predicting the likelihood of developing a neurological disorder in a subject, by determining the levels of ?-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in a tissue sample obtained from the subject. Methods for screening for environmental factors associated with neurological disorders are disclosed. Methods for inhibiting, treating or preventing neurological disorders are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: The Institute for Ethnomedicine
    Inventors: Paul Alan Cox, Sandra Banack, Susan Murch
  • Methods of identifying agents that modulate mitochondrial function
    Patent number: 8512958
    Abstract: The present invention provides isolated cells comprising a nucleic acid encoding a toxic form of apoE. The present invention further provides screening methods for identifying compounds that reduce apoE-induced impairment of mitochondrial integrity and/or function. The present invention further provides kits for use in carrying out a subject screening method. The present invention provides agents that reduce apoE-induced impairment of mitochondrial integrity and/or function; and use of such agents in the treatment of apoE-related disorders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: The J. David Gladstone Institutes
    Inventors: Yadong Huang, Jens Brodbeck
  • Method for obtaining active pro-NGF and beta-NGF
    Patent number: 8501439
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing biologically active ?-NGF from the proform proNGF. After expressing the proform of the ?-NGF in a prokaryotic host cell, the recombinant protein is isolated in the form of insoluble inactive aggregates (inclusion bodies). After the solubilization thereof in a strong denaturing agent and the subsequent conversion thereof into the natural conformation, which is determined by the disulfide bridges present in the natural ?-NGF, biologically active ?-NGF is obtained by subsequently splitting-off the prosequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Scil Proteins GmbH
    Inventors: Anke Rattenholl, Adelbert Grossmann, Elisabeth Schwarz, Rainer Rudolph
  • Methods of treating neuropathic pain with an environ polypeptide
    Patent number: 8492336
    Abstract: There is disclosed an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a human neurotrophic growth factor designated enovin and having the amino acid sequence illustrated in FIG. 1, 21, 23 or 24 or encoding a functional equivalent, derivative or bioprecursor of said growth factor. The growth factor preferably comprises the amino acid sequence from position 27 to 139 of the sequence illustrated in FIG. 1, or a functional equivalent, derivative or bioprecursor thereof. The nucleic acid molecule encoding enovin can be used to transform a host cell, tissue or organism by including it in an appropriate vector. The host cell, tissue or organism and the vector also form part of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V.
    Inventor: Stefano Leo Jozef Masure
  • Treatment of autism spectrum disorders with agents that activate the Locus Coeruleus-Noradrenergic system
    Patent number: 8470546
    Abstract: Methods are provided for treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using agents that activate the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system of the brain and for screening for compounds for treating ASD comprising determining whether or not the compounds activate the LC-NA system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
    Inventors: Dominick P. Purpura, Mark F. Mehler
  • Agents that modulate Eph receptor activity
    Patent number: 8461119
    Abstract: Novel agents are described that bind to Eph receptors. Methods of using these agents to modulate the activity of Eph receptors, stimulate apoptosis, and deliver therapeutic agents are also described. Methods of screening for agents capable of selectively binding to Eph receptors are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: The Burnham Institute
    Inventors: Elena B. Pasquale, Mitchell Koolpe, Keith K. Murai
  • Antibodies against nerve growth factor (NGF) with enhanced in vivo stability
    Patent number: 8435523
    Abstract: The present invention provides anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) antibodies that contain an IgG4 constant region comprising a stabilizing hinge region mutation and wherein the antibodies exhibit an unexpectedly long serum half life in cynomolgus monkeys. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the anti-NGF antibodies, nucleic acids encoding the NGF antibodies, host cells for expressing the NGF antibodies and methods of using the antibodies for treating NGF-related diseases or conditions are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Abbott Research B.V.
    Inventors: John Powell, Duncan Casson, Mark Maginn, Wei Liu, Sandeep Dutta, Andrea Best, Jerry A. Hall
  • Diagnosis of mood disorders by detecting latent infection with human herpesvirus-6
    Patent number: 8431352
    Abstract: Disclosed are a protein and a gene each of which is a factor involved in latent infection with a herpesvirus. An antibody against the factor was detected in approximately 50% of patients suffering from mental disorders, whereas the antibody was hardly detected in healthy persons. Further, a mouse having SITH-1 introduced therein developed a mental disorder such as a manic-depressive illness or depression-like disorder. Based on these findings, it is possible to provide a method for objectively determining a mental disorder and an animal model of a mental disorder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignees: Virus Ikagaku Kenkyusho Inc., Japan Tobacco Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kondo, Nobuyuki Kobayashi
  • Pathological animal model for pelvic pain syndrome
    Patent number: 8426673
    Abstract: A pathologic animal model characterized in that a pain or discomfort behavior and urinary frequency are induced by administering a stimulative substance into the testes of a small-sized mammal, and a screening method for a therapeutic agent for pelvic pain syndrome, particularly non-bacterial chronic prostatitis, which comprises administering a test substance to the pathologic animal model and measuring pain or discomfort behaviors and/or urinary frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Astellas Pharma, Inc.
    Inventors: Masayuki Tanahashi, Katsuro Yoshioka
  • Therapeutic use of IgG as a neuroprotective agent
    Patent number: 8414888
    Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions containing IgG and methods for the promotion of nerve regeneration or prevention or inhibition of neuronal degeneration by IgG to ameliorate the effects of injury, disorder or disease of the nervous system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: University Health Network
    Inventors: Michael Fehlings, Sherri Robins