The University of Maryland has been awarded US Patent 7,348,135, “Assay for detecting changes in mitochondrial membrane permeability and method of using same.”
The inventors listed on the patent are Tibor Kristian and Gary Fiskum.
The patent describes an assay for assessing the permeability of mitochondrial membranes, according to its abstract. The assay is based on enzymatic reactions that produce a detectable signal in the presence of intra-mitochondrial compounds. In some cases, the intra-mitochondrial compounds may be reduced and/or oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides (ie., NADH and NAD+, respectively). The assay may optionally be provided in the form of a kit, and could also be useful in the discovery and interrogation of compounds that may inhibit a pathologic increase in mitochondrial membrane permeability.