Title: Methods and Compositions for the Specific Inhibition of Gene Expression by Double-Stranded RNA
Number: 20050277610
Filed: March 15, 2005
Lead Inventor: John Rossi, City of Hope (Integrated DNA Technologies)
"The invention provides compositions and methods for selectively reducing the expression of a gene product from a desired target gene, as well as treating diseases caused by expression of the gene," the patent application's abstract states. "The method involves introducing into the environment of a cell an amount of a double-stranded RNA such that a sufficient portion of the dsRNA can enter the cytoplasm of the cell to cause a reduction in the expression of the target gene. The dsRNA has a first oligonucleotide sequence that is between 26 and about 30 nucleotides in length and a second oligonucleotide sequence that anneals to the first sequence under biological conditions," it adds. "In addition, a region of one of the sequences of the dsRNA having a sequence length of from about 19 to about 23 nucleotides is complementary to a nucleotide sequence of the RNA produced from the target gene."
Title: RNA Interference-Mediated Inhibition of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Expression Using Short Interfering Nucleic Acid
Number: 20050277608
Filed: July 23, 2004
Lead Inventor: Roberto Guerciolini, Sirna Therapeutics
"This invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating vitamin D receptor gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid molecules," the patent application's abstract states. "This invention also relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating the expression and activity of other genes involved in pathways of vitamin D receptor gene expression and/or activity by RNA interference using small nucleic acid molecules. In particular, the … invention features small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid, short interfering RNA, double-stranded RNA, microRNA, and short hairpin RNA molecules and methods used to modulate the expression of vitamin D receptor."
Title: Methods and Apparatus for the Detection and Validation of microRNAs
Number: 20050277139
Filed: April 26, 2005
Lead Inventor: Itzhak Bentwich, Rosetta Genomics
According to the patent application's abstract, the invention "provides methods and apparatus for detecting, sequencing, cloning and otherwise validating nucleic acids, including microRNAs. The methods make use of a plurality of sequence-specific recognition reagents which can also be used for classification of biological samples, and to characterize the expression of certain microRNAs."
Title: RNA Interference-Mediated Inhibition of Polyglutamine Repeat Expansion Diseases Using Short Interfering Nucleic Acid
Number: 20050277133
Filed: Feb. 22, 2005
Inventor: James McSwiggen, Sirna Therapeutics
The invention, the patent application's abstract states, "concerns compounds, compositions, and methods for the study, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions associated with polyglutamine repeat (polyQ) allelic variants that respond to the modulation of gene expression and/or activity. The … invention also concerns compounds, compositions, and methods relating to diseases and conditions associated with polyglutamine repeat (polyQ) allelic variants that respond to the modulation of expression and/or activity of genes involved in polyQ repeat gene expression pathways or other cellular processes that mediate the maintenance or development of polyQ repeat diseases and conditions such as [Huntington's] disease and related conditions such as progressive chorea, rigidity, dementia, and seizures, spinocerebellar ataxia, spinal and bulbar muscular dystrophy, dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy, and any other diseases or conditions that are related to or will respond to the levels of a repeat expansion protein in a cell or tissue, alone or in combination with other therapies."
The abstract notes that "the invention relates to small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid, short interfering RNA, double-stranded RNA, microRNA, and short hairpin RNA molecules capable of mediating RNA interference against the expression disease related genes or alleles having polyQ repeat sequences."