Recent
Patents on Biotechnology
ISSN: 1872-2083
Recent Patents on Biotechnology
Volume 2, Number 1, January 2008
Contents
Living Heart Valve and Small-Diameter Artery Substitutes
- An Emerging Field for Intellectual Property Development
Pp. 1-9
Anita Mol, Mirjam P. Rubbens, Maria Stekelenburg and Frank
P.T. Baaijens
[Abstract]
Laccases and Their Applications: A
Patent Review Pp. 10-24
Adinarayana Kunamneni, Francisco J. Plou, Antonio Ballesteros
and Miguel Alcalde
[Abstract]
Biodiesel: An Alternative Fuel
Pp. 25-34
Maximino Manzanera, Maria Luisa Molina-Muñoz and
Jesús González-López
[Abstract]
Optically Pure α-Amino
Acids Production by the “Hydantoinase Process”
Pp. 35-46
Josefa M. Clemente-Jiménez, Sergio Martínez-Rodríguez,
Felipe Rodríguez-Vico, and Francisco J. L. Heras-Vázquez
[Abstract]
Recent Inventions on Receptor Tyrosine Kinase RET
Modulation Pp. 47-54
Jaana M. Jurvansuu and Adrian Goldman
[Abstract]
The Application of Nanoparticles in Biochips
Pp. 55-59
Ye-Qin Zhang, Ye-Fu Wang and Xiao-Di Jiang
[Abstract]
IPR and Technological Issues Regarding a Biopharmaceutical
Formulation -Hemoglobin Pp. 60-67
Chandrashekhar Honrao, Uttam C. Banerjee and Parikshit
Bansal
[Abstract]
Patent Selections Pp. 68-72
Abstracts
[Back to top]
Living Heart Valve and Small-Diameter Artery Substitutes
- An Emerging Field for Intellectual Property Development
Anita Mol, Mirjam P. Rubbens, Maria Stekelenburg and Frank
P.T. Baaijens
Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart valve dysfunction
and coronary artery stenosis, are next to cancer the leading
cause of death in the US. Treatments involve replacement of
the heart valve or bypassing the obstructed coronary artery
with a small-diameter vascular graft. The major limitation
of currently used replacements is their inability to grow,
adapt and repair in the patient. Considering the increasing
age of the population and the subsequent increase in cardiovascular
disease incidence, efforts to improve existing replacements
and unraveling novel types of replacements are of paramount
importance. Cardiovascular tissue engineering represents a
rapid evolving field of research, providing living heart valve
and small-diameter vascular substitutes with the ability to
grow, adapt and repair after implantation. Various tissue
engineering approaches are being employed, based on in
vivo and/or in vitro tissue formation. This
review provides an overview of the current heart valve and
small-diameter vascular replacements and presents the status
and future developments within the various tissue engineering
approaches. The potential of tissue engineering for the development
of living heart valve and small-diameter vascular substitutes
is reflected in the numerous patents related to this emerging
field of research.
[Back to top]
Laccases and Their Applications: A Patent Review
Adinarayana Kunamneni, Francisco J. Plou, Antonio Ballesteros
and Miguel Alcalde
Laccases are an interesting group of multi copper enzymes,
which have received much attention of researchers in last
decades due to their ability to oxidize both phenolic and
non-phenolic lignin related compounds as well as highly recalcitrant
environmental pollutants. This makes these biocatalysts very
useful for their application in several biotechnological processes.
Such applications include the detoxification of industrial
effluents, mostly from the paper and pulp, textile and petrochemical
industries, polymer synthesis, bioremediation of contaminated
soils, wine and beverage stabilization. Laccases are also
used as catalysts for the manufacture of anti-cancer drugs
and even as ingredients in cosmetics. Recently, the utility
of laccases has also been applied to nanobiotechnology. This
paper reviews recent and important patents related to the
properties, heterologous production, molecular cloning, and
applications of laccases within different industrial fields
as well as their potential extension to the nanobiotechnology
area.
[Back to top]
Biodiesel: An Alternative Fuel
Maximino Manzanera, Maria Luisa Molina-Muñoz and
Jesús González-López
Biodiesel is an alternative energy source and could be
a substitute for petroleum-based diesel fuel. To be a viable
alternative, a biofuel should provide a net energy gain, have
environmental benefits, be economically competitive, and be
producible in large quantities without reducing food supplies.
Most of the sources, methods and apparatus to produce biodiesel
are reviewed here. Some of the patents propose the use of
oils and fats of animal or vegetal origin and other kind of
sources. Many others focus on the methods for the production
or oxidation stability of the biofuel in order to make its
production economically competitive. Several apparatus comprising
reactors and refineries are also presented. This review article
summarizes recent and important patents relating to the production
of biodiesel to make its production a viable alternative.
[Back to top]
Optically Pure α-Amino
Acids Production by the “Hydantoinase Process”
Josefa M. Clemente-Jiménez, Sergio Martínez-Rodríguez,
Felipe Rodríguez-Vico, and Francisco J. L. Heras-Vázquez
Optically pure D- or L-amino acids are used as intermediates
in several industries. D-amino acids are involved in the synthesis
of antibiotics, pesticides, sweeteners and other biologically
active peptides. L-amino acids are used as feed and food additives,
as intermediates for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pesticides
and as chiral synthons in organic synthesis. The specific
activity of these optically pure amino acids depends on their
structure, chirality and purity. There are two main approaches
to obtain optically pure amino acids, namely chemical and
enzymatic synthesis. Chemical synthesis gives racemic mixtures
of amino acids of low yield and is not environment friendly.
One of the most widely-used enzymatic method is the “Hydantoinase
Process”. In this cascade of reactions, the chemically
synthesized D,L-5-monosubstituted hydantoin ring is first
hydrolyzed by a stereoselective hydantoinase enzyme to give
the corresponding N-carbamoyl α-amino
acid that is hydrolyzed by highly enantiospecific N-carbamoyl
α-amino
acid amidohydrolase (N-carbamoylase) to yield the
free amino acid. At the same time, the remaining non-hydrolyzed
5-monosubstituted hydantoin is racemized by the hydantion
racemase enzyme. This process has evolved over the years from
the isolation of microorganisms with one or several of these
enzymes to the construction of recombinant systems for industrial
application.
[Back to top]
Recent Inventions on Receptor Tyrosine Kinase RET Modulation
Jaana M. Jurvansuu and Adrian Goldman
Rearranged during transfection, RET, is a receptor tyrosine
kinase expressed in neural crest derived cell lineages. RET
is activated by dimerisation facilitated by its binding to
the heterodimeric complex formed by Glial cell-derived neurotrophic
factor (GDNF) -family ligand (GFL) and GNDF-family receptor
(GFR). Both GDNFs and their co-receptors are a small protein
family of four members. RET kinase mediated signaling can
lead to survival, cell growth, differentiation, and migration.
Pharmaceutically RET is of interest due to its involvement
in several disease conditions. Oncogenic RET activation by
mutations or rearragements predisposes to cancers like multiple
endocrine neoplasia type 2 (A and B) and medullary thyroid
carcinoma. Loss-of-function mutations in RET are a strong
susceptibility factor for Hirschsprung disease, which is characterized
by lack of ganglion cells in gastrointestinal tract. All the
GFLs promote neuronal survival and GDNF is one of the most
potent neurotrophic factors for dopaminergic neurons. Therefore,
the neuroprotective capacity of RET activation to override
the apoptotic program in neurodegenerative diseases, like
in dying midbrain dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s
disease, is of great interest. This article reviews the recent
international patents on modulation of RET kinase activity
by small-molecule and peptide-based agonists and antagonists.
[Back to top]
The Application of Nanoparticles in Biochips
Ye-Qin Zhang, Ye-Fu Wang and Xiao-Di Jiang
A nanoparticle is a microscopic particle with at least
one dimension less than 100 nm,which plays an important role
in the area of intense scientific research. In recent years,
the application of gold nanoparticles instead of fluorescence
dyes and enzyme-conjugation in biochips is very common. For
example, Au nanoparticles labeling method was applied in many
DNA-detection methods, and a novel readout scheme for gold
nanoparticle-based DNA microarrays was studied relying on
“Laser-Induced Scattering around a nanoAbsorber”
and nanogold electrode, and the colorimetric detection using
gold label plus silver stain was also developed. The technology
is a good combination of gene technology and nanotechnology.
At the same time, a number of scientists from different countries
have paid more attention to the application of nanoparticles
in biochips and gotten some new patents for it.
[Back to top]
IPR and Technological Issues Regarding a Biopharmaceutical
Formulation -Hemoglobin
Chandrashekhar Honrao, Uttam C. Banerjee and Parikshit
Bansal
Hemoglobin, the protein responsible for the red color
of blood plays a very important part in 'life'- it transports
oxygen, without which humans cannot survive. The idea of using
purified Hemoglobin as a possible universal substitute for
red blood cells has been around for almost a century. Hemoglobin
formulations have important therapeutic applications, especially
in case of trauma and war when requirements for blood may
be very large. Manufacture of hemoglobin for use as a biopharmaceutical
poses practical challenges, owing to dependence on human expired
blood and fragility of the protein molecule. Biotechnology
can play a critical role in breaking these barriers, by not
only ensuring recombinant production of hemoglobin, but also
enhancing stability of the molecule. The present article,
based on a review of patents and available literature gives
an insight into the IPR and technological issues involved
in the commercial production of this 'life-saving' protein.
There are more than 250 patents worldwide related to hemoglobin
formulation, cross-linking and determination.
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