Nature Technology Awarded US Patent for VL30 Vector Technology.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers LINCOLN, Neb.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 11, 2001 Nature Technology Corporation (NTC NTC Notice NTC National Training Center NTC National Telecommunications Commission NTC National Transport Commission (Australia) NTC Negative Temperature Coefficient NTC Naval Training Center ) announced the issuance, today, of US Patent 6,287,863, for its VL30 gene delivery and expression system. Also covered in the patent are claims for the production of pharmaceutical proteins in animal milk and chicken eggs. "Retroviruses have long been a preferred vehicle, or vector, for delivering genes into humans," said Clague Hodgson, NTC Scientific Director, "But a significant drawback has been the inability to obtain predictable, long-term activity of the genes in specific tissues - the virus is usually inactivated inactivated rendered inactive; the activity is destroyed. inactivated viruses treated so that they are no longer able to produce evidence of growth or damaging effect on tissue. in animals and in humans." The VL30 vectors overcome this problem, according to Hodgson. Recently published research by workers at Boystown National Research Hospital and Creighton University School of Medicine demonstrated stable lung-directed gene expression in a genetically modified mouse, using a VL30 vector. Organ specificity is desired for the treatment of inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis cystic fibrosis (sĭs`tĭk fībrō`sĭs), inherited disorder of the exocrine glands (see gland), affecting children and young people; median survival is 25 years in females and 30 years in males. , which affects the lungs. Previous work has shown that animal tissues recognize virus DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. entering cells and inactivate in·ac·ti·vate v. 1. To render nonfunctional. 2. To make quiescent. in·ac  ti·va it. Substituting a cellular mobile genetic element (VL30) bypasses this blockade, permitting activation of the therapeutic genes. NTC has acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to VL30 technology from Creighton University and The Ohio State University Ohio State University, main campus at Columbus; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1870, opened 1873 as Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, renamed 1878. There are also campuses at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. . Partnership opportunities exist for the development of relevant therapeutic and transgenic applications, according to the company. NTC is a gene technology company and contract service provider to the biotechnology industry. The company's focus is gene therapeutics and vector development. More information about the company's technologies and products can be found online at: http://www.natx.com. Literature References: US Patents: 6,287,863; 6,207,722; 5,879,933; 5,354,674 Grunkemeyer, J.A., Hodgson, C.P., Cosgrove, D. (2001) Sustained tissue-specific transgene transgene a gene that has been incorporated into the genome of another organism. expression from a VL30 retrotransposon-derived vector in vivo. Gene Ther. Mol. Biol. 6:91-99. http://www.gtmb.org/PDFVolume6/0.8_clague_91-99.pdf More information about the VL30 vector system can be found at: http://www.natx.com/VLVectors.html |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion