Patents by Inventor Fenfei LENG

Fenfei LENG 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: 20230364057
    Abstract: The subject invention provides fluorophore-quencher nucleic acid molecules comprising relaxed or supercoiled DNA molecules, and their use in rapid and efficient high-throughput screening (HTS) assays to screen and identify compounds that inhibit DNA gyrases. These compounds can be used as antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, especially, multidrug resistant bacterial infections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Fenfei LENG, Eddy ALFONSO, Zifang DENG, Adel NEFZI, Kyle ROHDE
  • Patent number: 11732286
    Abstract: The present invention provides assays and methods for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The assays and methods utilize a circular plasmid DNA comprising one or more hairpin structures and the ability of T5 exonuclease (T5E) to digest the circular plasmid DNA in a specific configuration. The assays and methods can be used as a high throughput screening for inhibitors of, for example, DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases I for anticancer drug and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventors: Fenfei Leng, Zifang Deng
  • Publication number: 20230136466
    Abstract: The subject invention provides fluorophore-quencher nucleic acid molecules comprising relaxed or supercoiled DNA molecules, and their use in rapid and efficient high-throughput screening (HTS) assays to screen and identify compounds that inhibit DNA gyrases. These compounds can be used as antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, especially, multidrug resistant bacterial infections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventors: FENFEI LENG, EDDY ALFONSO, ZIFANG DENG
  • Patent number: 11613780
    Abstract: The disclosure describes the effects of transcription mediated from a promoter on the transcription mediated by divergently coupled supercoiling-sensitive promoter. Transcription initiated from a promoter inhibits transcription mediated by a specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to the promoter. A gyrase inhibitor relieves this inhibition and substantially increases the transcription mediated by the specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to another promoter. Accordingly, the invention pertains to a method for identifying a compound as a gyrase inhibitor or not a gyrase inhibitor based on differential expression of genes under the control of divergently coupled promoters in the presence of the compound. Another embodiment of the invention provides an assay for identifying one or more compounds from a library of compounds as a gyrase inhibitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventors: Fenfei Leng, Xiaoduo Zhi, Samantha Dages, Kelley Dages
  • Publication number: 20220170070
    Abstract: The present invention provides assays and methods for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The assays and methods utilize a circular plasmid DNA comprising one or more hairpin structures and the ability of T5 exonuclease (T5E) to digest the circular plasmid DNA in a specific configuration. The assays and methods can be used as a high throughput screening for inhibitors of, for example, DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases I for anticancer drug and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventors: Fenfei LENG, Zifang DENG
  • Publication number: 20220119858
    Abstract: The present invention provides assays and methods for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The assays and methods utilize a circular plasmid DNA comprising one or more hairpin structures and the ability of T5 exonuclease (T5E) to digest the circular plasmid DNA in a specific configuration. The assays and methods can be used as a high throughput screening for inhibitors of, for example, DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases I for anticancer drug and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventors: Fenfei LENG, Zifang Deng
  • Patent number: 11286514
    Abstract: The present invention provides assays and methods for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The assays and methods utilize a circular plasmid DNA comprising one or more hairpin structures and the ability of T5 exonuclease (T5E) to digest the circular plasmid DNA in a specific configuration. The assays and methods can be used as a high throughput screening for inhibitors of, for example, DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases I for anticancer drug and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventors: Fenfei Leng, Zifang Deng
  • Patent number: 11268129
    Abstract: The present invention provides assays and methods for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The assays and methods utilize a circular plasmid DNA comprising one or more hairpin structures and the ability of T5 exonuclease (T5E) to digest the circular plasmid DNA in a specific configuration. The assays and methods can be used as a high throughput screening for inhibitors of, for example, DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases I for anticancer drug and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventors: Fenfei Leng, Zifang Deng
  • Patent number: 10150987
    Abstract: The present invention provides labeled circular plasmid DNA molecules for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The molecules of the present invention also provide tools for high throughput drug screening for inhibitors of DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases for anticancer drug discovery and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventor: Fenfei Leng
  • Publication number: 20180305755
    Abstract: The disclosure describes the effects of transcription mediated from a promoter on the transcription mediated by divergently coupled supercoiling-sensitive promoter. Transcription initiated from a promoter inhibits transcription mediated by a specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to the promoter. A gyrase inhibitor relieves this inhibition and substantially increases the transcription mediated by the specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to another promoter. Accordingly, the invention pertains to a method for identifying a compound as a gyrase inhibitor or not a gyrase inhibitor based on differential expression of genes under the control of divergently coupled promoters in the presence of the compound. Another embodiment of the invention provides an assay for identifying one or more compounds from a library of compounds as a gyrase inhibitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventors: Fenfei LENG, Xiaoduo ZHI, Samantha DAGES, Kelley DAGES
  • Patent number: 10000807
    Abstract: The disclosure describes the effects of transcription mediated from a promoter on the transcription mediated by divergently coupled supercoiling-sensitive promoter. Transcription initiated from a promoter inhibits transcription mediated by a specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to the promoter. A gyrase inhibitor relieves this inhibition and substantially increases the transcription mediated by the specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to another promoter. Accordingly, the invention pertains to a method for identifying a compound as a gyrase inhibitor or not a gyrase inhibitor based on differential expression of genes under the control of divergently coupled promoters in the presence of the compound. Another embodiment of the invention provides an assay for identifying one or more compounds from a library of compounds as a gyrase inhibitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventors: Fenfei Leng, Xiaoduo Zhi, Samantha Dages, Kelley Dages
  • Publication number: 20180135112
    Abstract: The present invention provides labeled circular plasmid DNA molecules for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The molecules of the present invention also provide tools for high throughput drug screening for inhibitors of DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases for anticancer drug discovery and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventor: Fenfei LENG
  • Patent number: 9920014
    Abstract: The present invention provides novel bisbenzimidazole compounds and methods of using the compounds as antibacterial agents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignees: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Nihar Ranjan, Dev P. Arya, Fenfei Leng
  • Publication number: 20180057877
    Abstract: The disclosure describes the effects of transcription mediated from a promoter on the transcription mediated by divergently coupled supercoiling-sensitive promoter. Transcription initiated from a promoter inhibits transcription mediated by a specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to the promoter. A gyrase inhibitor relieves this inhibition and substantially increases the transcription mediated by the specific supercoiling-sensitive promoter that is divergently coupled to another promoter. Accordingly, the invention pertains to a method for identifying a compound as a gyrase inhibitor or not a gyrase inhibitor based on differential expression of genes under the control of divergently coupled promoters in the presence of the compound. Another embodiment of the invention provides an assay for identifying one or more compounds from a library of compounds as a gyrase inhibitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventors: Fenfei LENG, Xia duo ZHI, Samantha DAGES, Kelley DAGES
  • Patent number: 9890416
    Abstract: The present invention provides labeled circular plasmid DNA molecules for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The molecules of the present invention also provide tools for high throughput drug screening for inhibitors of DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases for anticancer drug discovery and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
    Inventor: Fenfei Leng
  • Publication number: 20170096701
    Abstract: The present invention provides labeled circular plasmid DNA molecules for studying DNA topology and topoisomerases. The molecules of the present invention also provide tools for high throughput drug screening for inhibitors of DNA gyrases and DNA topoisomerases for anticancer drug discovery and antibiotics discovery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventor: Fenfei LENG
  • Publication number: 20160229810
    Abstract: The present invention provides novel bisbenzimidazole compounds and methods of using the compounds as antibacterial agents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventors: Nihar RANJAN, Dev P. ARYA, Fenfei LENG
  • Publication number: 20150253323
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods of screening compounds that inhibit or enable or activate or enhance the sequence-specific or nonspecific binding of a polynucleotide binding protein to a polynucleotide fragment. Also provided are enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits for screening for compounds that inhibit or enable, activate, or enhance the sequence-specific or nonspecific binding of a polynucleotide binding protein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: The Florida International University Board of Trustees
    Inventors: Fenfei LENG, Nicole ALONSO, Jeremy CHAMBERS