Patents by Inventor Harald J. Sontheimer

Harald J. Sontheimer 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).

  • Use of phenylglycine derivatives to decrease neuronal death caused by brain tumors and brain lesions
    Patent number: 6197820
    Abstract: The present invention describes impaired glutamate uptake in glioma cells, and further shows that instead of removing glutamate from the extracellular fluid, glioma cells release large amounts of glutamate. The high levels of extracellular glutamate result in elevated [Ca2+]i followed by widespread neuronal death, which could be prevented by treating neurons with the NMDA receptor antagonists, MK-801 or D-AP5, or by depletion of glutamate from the medium. Significantly, several phenylglycine derivatives, including the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist/antagonist (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine (S-4CPG), potently and selectively inhibited glutamate release from glioma cells and thereby prevented neurotoxicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: UAB Research Foundation
    Inventors: Harald J. Sontheimer, Zu-Cheng Ye