Patents by Inventor Eugene Makeyev

Eugene Makeyev has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080199915
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods and kits for propagating target nucleic acid in the form of double stranded RNA. This invention relates in particular to a method for mass production of dsRNA. The method comprises that a target nucleic acid is provided in a form replicable by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in a living cell, said replicable form of the target nucleic acid is contacted with said polymerase under conditions sufficient for template-directed RNA synthesis, wherein one of the reaction products is necessarily double-stranded (ds) RNA and said dsRNA products are recovered in a sufficiently pure form. The dsRNA products can be used in various applications, for example in gene silencing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Inventors: Eugene Makeyev, Dennis Bamford
  • Publication number: 20060257976
    Abstract: A novel strategy for directed evolution of nucleic acids and proteins is described, in which target nucleic acid is copied by a polymerase devoid of proofreading function. Advantageous mutations generated during this process are recovered using an appropriate selection or screening procedure. The invention provides fast, inexpensive and non-laborious methods for practicing said strategy, which are utilized either separately or in combination with other methods for engineering biopolymers with desired properties. The invention furthermore provides kits for directed evolution according to the described methodology. In an aspect, the invention discloses methods and kits for producing nucleic acids encoding proteins with desired properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2004
    Publication date: November 16, 2006
    Inventors: Eugene Makeyev, Dennis Bamford
  • Publication number: 20060154237
    Abstract: A polymerase protein originating from a eukaryotic cell and involved in the RNA silencing pathway is for the first time provided in a purified soluble form that possesses a detectable RNA polymerization activity. This polymerase is useful in methods and kits for in vitro RNA synthesis. A polymerase of the invention copies ssRNA templates to produce two types of reaction products: short and long RNA copies. It can also copy ssDNA templates. The polymerization does not require a primer for the initiation of RNA synthesis, although RNA synthesis can be also initiated in the presence of a primer. In addition to standard nucleotides polymerase of this invention also accepts a number of modified nucleotides. The polymerase is useful in many downstream applications such as production of labeled RNA probes or generation of trigger RNA molecules to induce RNA interference effects in living cells or suitable in vitro systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Publication date: July 13, 2006
    Inventors: Eugene Makeyev, Dennis Bamford