Patents by Inventor William Brent Derry

William Brent Derry 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).

  • Methods for identifying novel therapeutics and diagnostics in the p53 pathway
    Patent number: 7196242
    Abstract: The present invention identifies a p53 homolog gene, cep-1, and mutations thereof in the nematode C. elegans which allows for the application of molecular genetic methods to identify new components of the p53 pathway as well as genes that act in parallel to the p53 pathway. cep-1 mutants show elevated physiological germ cell death during normal development. The present invention also provides a simple system with which to perform high-throughput screens for pharmacological agents that suppress the effects of eliminating the cep-1 gene or that enhance its effectiveness when in a mutant state. This strategy should identify agents that selectively kill p53-deficient cells that are resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic regimens and thus block the formation of human tumors that arise when p53 function is compromised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Joel H. Rothman, William Brent Derry
  • Methods for identifying novel therapeutics and diagnostics in the p53 pathway
    Publication number: 20020007496
    Abstract: The present invention identifies a p53 homolog gene, cep-1, and mutations thereof in the nematode C. elegans which allows for the application of molecular genetic methods to identify new components of the p53 pathway as well as genes that act in parallel to the p53 pathway. cep-1 mutants show elevated physiological germ cell death during normal development. The present invention also provides a simple system with which to perform high-throughput screens for pharmacological agents that suppress the effects of eliminating the cep-1 gene or that enhance its effectiveness when in a mutant state. This strategy should identify agents that selectively kill p53-deficient cells that are resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic regimens and thus block the formation of human tumors that arise when p53 function is compromised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2001
    Publication date: January 17, 2002
    Inventors: Joel H. Rothman, William Brent Derry