Patents by Inventor Randall B. Weitz

Randall B. Weitz 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).

  • Gene silencing using mRNA-cDNA hybrids
    Patent number: 8080652
    Abstract: The present invention provides novel compositions and methods for suppressing the expression of a targeted gene using mRNA-cDNA duplexes. The invention further provides novel methods and compositions for generating amplified mRNA-cDNA hybrids, whose quantity is high enough to be used for the invention's gene silencing transfection. This improved RNA-polymerase chain reaction method uses thermocycling steps of promoter-linked double-stranded cDNA or RNA synthesis, in vitro transcription and then reverse transcription to amplify the amount of mRNA-cDNA hybrids up to two thousand folds within one round of the above procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: University of Southern California
    Inventors: Shin-Lung Lin, Cheng-Ming Chuong, Randall B. Weitz