Patents by Inventor Kevin Michael Esvelt

Kevin Michael Esvelt 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: 20240011002
    Abstract: The invention relates, in part, to methods of preparing male organisms of a species that include engineering the male organisms in a manner that eliminates post-embryonic viability of the female offspring and female descendants of the engineered male organisms. Certain aspects of the invention include use of such prepared engineered male organisms in methods of controlling population levels of organisms of the species.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventor: Kevin Michael ESVELT
  • Publication number: 20230154569
    Abstract: The invention relates, in part, to methods of accurately and reliably detecting biological sequences corresponding to a particular function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Kevin Michael Esvelt, Dana Gretton
  • Publication number: 20220408702
    Abstract: The invention relates, in part, to methods to introduce gene alleles of interest into members of a population of a species. The invention also relates to methods to prepare large numbers of organisms comprising one or more introduced alleles of interest in an otherwise wild-type genome.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicants: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Trustees of Tufts College
    Inventors: Kevin Michael Esvelt, Sam Rountree Telford, III
  • Publication number: 20220195418
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Patent number: 11214792
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Publication number: 20210017516
    Abstract: The invention relates, in part, to methods and systems with which to identify guide RNAs (gRNAs) and methods and systems with which to prepare, design, and generate gRNAs and minimally repetitive arrays of gRNAs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Mariah AVILA, Kevin Michael ESVELT, Elizabeth Ashton STRAIT, Emma CHORY
  • Publication number: 20200385724
    Abstract: The invention, in part, includes compositions comprising quadruplet decoding tRNAs and their encoding sequences. The invention also includes assay methods to assess quadruplet decoding as well as methods of preparing quadruplet decoding suppression tRNAs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Ahmed Hussein Badran, Erika Alden DeBenedictis, Kevin Michael Esvelt
  • Publication number: 20190276816
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Publication number: 20190256842
    Abstract: Strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits for phage-assisted continuous evolution are provided herein. These include strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits allowing for stringency modulation to evolve weakly active or inactive biomolecule variants, negative selection of undesired properties, and/or positive selection of desired properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Jacob Charles Carlson, Ahmed Hussein Badran, Kevin Michael Esvelt
  • Patent number: 10336997
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Patent number: 10179911
    Abstract: Strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits for phage-assisted continuous evolution are provided herein. These include strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits allowing for stringency modulation to evolve weakly active or inactive biomolecule variants, negative selection of undesired properties, and/or positive selection of desired properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Jacob Charles Carlson, Ahmed Hussein Badran, Kevin Michael Esvelt
  • Patent number: 9771574
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to an apparatus for continuous directed evolution of a gene of interest. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises a cellstat and a turbidostat. In some embodiments, the apparatus is useful in methods of passing a nucleic acid from cell to cell in a desired function-dependent manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt
  • Publication number: 20170009224
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Publication number: 20160348096
    Abstract: Strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits for phage-assisted continuous evolution are provided herein. These include strategies, systems, methods, reagents, and kits allowing for stringency modulation to evolve weakly active or inactive biomolecule variants, negative selection of undesired properties, and/or positive selection of desired properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Jacob Charles Carlson, Ahmed Hussein Badran, Kevin Michael Esvelt
  • Patent number: 9394537
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Publication number: 20150275202
    Abstract: The present invention discloses generalizable methods of evolving nucleic acids and proteins utilizing continuous directed evolution. The invention discloses methods of passing a nucleic acid from cell to cell in a desired function-dependent manner. The linkage of the desired function and passage of the nucleic acid from cell to cell allows for continuous selection and mutation of the nucleic acid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt
  • Patent number: 8734823
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems are described for administration to at least one biological tissue of at least one device including at least one altered microorganism. In an embodiment, the altered microorganism includes at least one nucleic acid construct encoding at least one therapeutic agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Dario G. Amodei, Mahalaxmi Gita Bangera, Xiaoyan Robert Bao, Anna Bershteyn, Brett Bethke, Philip A. Eckhoff, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Kyle B. Gustafson, Edward K. Y. Jung, William Michael Kaminsky, Jordin T. Kare, Lily Yvonne Kim, Eric C. Leuthardt, Erez Lieberman, Ankur Moitra, Christopher Somogyi, Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Jeremiah James Zartman
  • Patent number: 8682619
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems are described for administration to at least one biological tissue of at least one device including at least one altered microorganism. In an embodiment, the altered microorganism includes at least one nucleic acid construct encoding at least one therapeutic agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Dario G. Amodei, Mahalaxmi Gita Bangera, Xiaoyan Robert Bao, Anna Bershteyn, Brett Bethke, Philip A. Eckhoff, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Kyle B. Gustafson, Edward K. Y. Jung, William Michael Kaminsky, Jordin T. Kare, Lily Yvonne Kim, Eric C. Leuthardt, Erez Lieberman, Ankur Moitra, Christopher Somogyi, Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Jeremiah James Zartman
  • Publication number: 20130345064
    Abstract: The invention provides systems, methods, reagents, apparatuses, vectors, and host cells for the continuous evolution of nucleic acids. For example, a lagoon is provided in which a population of viral vectors comprising a gene of interest replicates in a stream of host cells, wherein the viral vectors lack a gene encoding a protein required for the generation of infectious viral particles, and wherein that gene is expressed in the host cells under the control of a conditional promoter, the activity of which depends on a function of the gene of interest to be evolved. Some aspects of this invention provide evolved products obtained from continuous evolution procedures described herein. Kits containing materials for continuous evolution are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: David R. Liu, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Jacob Charles Carlson
  • Publication number: 20110172826
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems are described for administration to at least one biological tissue of at least one device including at least one altered microorganism. In an embodiment, the altered microorganism includes at least one nucleic acid construct encoding at least one therapeutic agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Inventors: Dario G. Amodei, Mahalaxmi Gita Bangera, Xiaoyan Robert Bao, Anna Bershteyn, Brett Bethke, Philip A. Eckhoff, Kevin Michael Esvelt, Kyle Gustafson, Edward K.Y. Jung, William Michael Kaminsky, Jordin T. Kare, Lily Yvonne Kim, Eric C. Leuthardt, Erez Lieberman, Ankur Moitra, Christopher Somogyi, Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, JR., Jeremiah James Zartman