Patents by Inventor Francesc Balaguer

Francesc Balaguer 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).

  • Identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) in fecal samples as biomarkers for gastroenterological cancers
    Patent number: 8956817
    Abstract: A simple, rapid, inexpensive, and promising commercial biomarker assay method for multiple diseases is described herein. The present invention detects miRNA-based biomarkers in human stool specimens. The method of the present invention amplifies miRNA directly from stool specimens without any prior miRNA extraction. Differential expression of specific microRNAs in stool of colorectal cancer CRC and adenoma patients suggest fecal microRNAs as a novel potential biomarker for colorectal neoplasia detection. The method of the present invention has diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance for gastroenterological cancers/colorectal cancer and as well as further acquired or hereditary GI diseases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Baylor Research Institute
    Inventors: Ajay Goel, C. Richard Boland, Alexander Link, Francesc Balaguer
  • LINE-1 Hypomethylation as a Biomarker for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
    Publication number: 20120238463
    Abstract: A method for detecting an early-onset of colorectal cancer in a human subject is disclosed herein. The method comprises the steps of: (i) identifying the human subject suspected of suffering from a colorectal cancer, (ii) obtaining one or more biological samples from the human subject; (iii) determining a LINE-1 methylation level for the one or more biological samples; and (iv) comparing the LINE-1 methylation level to a LINE-1 methylation control level, wherein a higher degree of the LINE-1 methylation level is indicative of an early-onset colorectal cancer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: Baylor Research Institute
    Inventors: Ajay Goel, C. Richard Boland, Francesc Balaguer
  • MicroRNAs (miRNA) as Biomarkers for the Identification of Familial and Non-Familial Colorectal Cancer
    Publication number: 20120088687
    Abstract: A technique for the analysis of global miRNA signatures including a larger panel of miRNAs in various groups of well-characterized colorectal cancers (CRCs) is described in the instant invention. The results presented herein provide a large list of miRNAs that are dysregulated in CRC compared to the normal colonic tissue, and, more importantly, the present invention shows for the first time that Lynch syndrome and sporadic MSI tumors exhibit a different miRNA signature that distinguishes them.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicants: Baylor Research Institute, Centro de Investigacion en Red de Enfermedades Hepaticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), Hospital Clinic de Barcelona
    Inventors: Ajay Goel, C. Richard Boland, Francesc Balaguer, Meritxell Gironella i Cos, Antoni Castells i Garangou, Leticia Moreira Ruiz, Juan Jose Lozano Salvatella
  • Identification of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in Fecal Samples as Biomarkers for Gastroenterological Cancers
    Publication number: 20110086353
    Abstract: A simple, rapid, inexpensive, and promising commercial biomarker assay method for multiple diseases is described herein. The present invention detects miRNA-based biomarkers in human stool specimens. The method of the present invention amplifies miRNA directly from stool specimens without any prior miRNA extraction. Differential expression of specific microRNAs in stool of colorectal cancer CRC and adenoma patients suggest fecal microRNAs as a novel potential biomarker for colorectal neoplasia detection. The method of the present invention has diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance for gastroenterological cancers/colorectal cancer and as well as further acquired or hereditary GI diseases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Applicant: BAYLOR RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Ajay Goel, C. Richard Boland, Alexander Link, Francesc Balaguer