Recent Patents on DNA & Gene Sequences (Discontinued) - Volume 1, Issue 2, 2007

Gene therapy is defined as the transduction of organisms or cells with replication-deficient recombinant viruses containing the desired gene or genes. Many replication-deficient viruses are currently used or have been proposed as gene transduction vectors. Examples include retroviruses, adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses and herpesviruses. Although gene therapy seems to be feasible using recombinant viruses, all involve significant problems that limit or preclude their applicability to gene therapy in a clinically relevant setting. Many reasons for these difficulties lie in the nature of the viral agents used to introduce the foreign gene(s) in question. SV40 (Simian Virus-40) has been demonstrated to provide a unique vector for gene therapy which has several advantages over any of the currently available viral vectors. This review will discuss recent patents on making SV40 vectors from SV40 virus, on designing improved packaging cell lines for SV40 production, and ultimately, on producing SV40-like nanoparticles devoid of SV40 genome sequences. These patents and patent applications provide valuable information essential for fighting multiple diseases using gene therapy..

Marbling and intramuscular fat (IMF) content are commonly used to describe or measure intramuscular fat deposition in meat, which contributes to taste, texture and flavor. Four types of genetic markers, i.e., microsatellite, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been used in genome scans or association studies to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for these traits in cattle and swine. For the most part microsatellite markers help define QTL regions but have been used in limited ways to patent gene tests because of the uncertainties associated with the microsatellite marker scans. However, SNPs in candidate genes selected based on physiological, positional or comparative information often lead to patent applications once strong associations have been determined. To date, at least 22 patents have been awarded or under review for genes/markers affecting marbling or IMF in cattle and swine. Unfortunately, similar muscle lipid accumulation in humans has significant negative impacts on health, causing obesity/type 2 diabetes and their associated conditions. Many studies have also been performed on human subjects or on the mouse as a model organism to understand the genetic complexity of these conditions. A collection of over 2,000 reports on genes/markers affecting fat phenotypes in humans, mice, cattle and swine have led to construction of a mammalian concordant QTL map for lipogenesis. The concordant QTL map provides power for fine mapping and narrowing each of these QTL regions to a few genes.

Bird flu or H5N1 infection is a new emerging zoonosis. With the pandemic in avian species in Asia, it is now under surveillance for a possible new public health threat to human. There are many present researches focusing on several aspects of bird flu. There are some recent patents and patent applications published within a few years. In this article, the recent patients relating to bird flu infection covering the diagnostic and treatment aspects for both avian species and human are reviewed and discussed.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of small non-coding regulatory RNAs. By pairing with target mRNAs, miRNAs could inhibit translation and/or lead to the cleavage or decay of mRNAs targeted. Due to the broad targeting ability, miRNAs play critical roles in regulating diverse biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In normal cells, the expression of tumor-suppressor genes and oncogenes is tightly regulated by complex gene regulatory networks consisting of miRNAs. The disruption of such networks could lead to various kinds of diseases, including cancers. Due to the biological and medical significances, miRNA studies become an extremely active field, and the number of patent applications related to miRNAs is growing exponentially. This review summarizes some recent published patents and relevant research advances on computational prediction and experimental identification of miRNAs and their targets, along with the potential applications of miRNAs on cancer diagnosis and treatment.

All living organisms use protein to perform essential functions. However, environmental factors induce stress and relevant proteins that may not function properly. Inappropriate misfolding and aggregation are major issues in functioning of a protein and this may impact critical cellular processes implicated in diseases. To overcome this issue, organisms have evolved a system based on the use of Heat Shock Proteins (Hsps) or stress proteins. This diverse set of proteins acts like “chaperones” to other proteins within the cell including the maintenance of key proteins in their native state and in their right cellular compartment. These protein aid in folding and cellular movement, and also in export of waste cellular products and presentation of proteins and peptides to the immune system. Recent studies have shown new insights on the physiological roles of Hsps in different metabolic pathways. Hsps play a key role for many proteins not only in adverse conditions but also in the ambient environment as well. Since altered functions of these proteins cause several diseases, a number of drug developments are underway to target Hsps. This review focuses on recent patents in this particular area.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006 was shared by A.Z. Fire and C.C. Mello. The honour was given to these two principal investigators for demonstrating in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that double stranded RNA directs cleavage of messenger RNAs (mRNA) in a homologous manner. This process was termed RNA interference (RNAi) and was published in 1998. Since then, further research revealed that small 21-22 nts long RNAs guide an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) to a target mRNA causing translational inhibition or mRNA cleavage. This review will focus on RNAi patents, delivery of RNAi to combat human disease and reviewing some recent applications regarding detection and possible cure of human diseases using RNAi.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) (also known as stress proteins) protect the cells from damages caused due to different stresses like heat, injury, chemical induced toxicity, etc. Some HSPs can act as molecular chaperones to help in correct folding of proteins or directing misfolded proteins for degradation. This action prevents toxic accumulation of proteins in cells that can otherwise lead to damage and then death. Correct folding of proteins is essential for all cells but in particular, it is known that improper folding of proteins in neurons can lead to diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases etc. This review focuses on patents that deal with direct or indirect applications of HSPs to prevent neurodegeneration or diagnosing neuropathy.

The Federal Circuit uses particular patent doctrines as policy levers to control the nature of the nation's patent output. Most recently, the court has looked to the narrow implementation of the written description doctrine to limit the scope of biotechnology patents in general and DNA patents in particular. Recent case-law now indicates a slow evolution within the Federal Circuit to loosen this control and broaden the scope of DNA patents. This paper explores this evolution through a cursory review of the enigmatic written description requirement, examining particularly its history and purposes. It then examines some of the recent cases that allude to this Federal Circuit's policy shift. The paper then attempts to explain this evolution through the application of Public Choice Theory to the Court's decisions.

In this review, we report on patents concerning self-quenching DNA probes for assaying DNA during or after amplification as well as for direct assaying DNA or RNA, for example in living cells. Usually the probes consist of fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides whose fluorescence is quenched in the absence of the matching target DNA. Thereby the fluorescence quenching is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), photoinduced electron transfer (PET), or electronically interactions between dye and quencher. However, upon hybridization to the target or after the degradation during a PCR, the fluorescence of the dye is restored. Although the presented probes were originally developed for use in homogeneous assay formats, most of them are also appropriate to improve surface-based assay methods. In particular we describe patents for self-quenching primers, self-quenching probes for TaqMan assays, probes based on G-quartets, Molecular Beacons, Smart Probes, and Pleiades Probes.

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