Title: Apparatus and System Having Dry Gene-Silencing Pools
Number: 20060110829
Filed: Nov. 18, 2005
Lead Inventor: Barbara Robertson, Dharmacon
"A reverse-transfection apparatus can be used for introducing siRNA into a cell to effect gene silencing," the patent application's abstract states. "Such an apparatus can include a well plate having a well configured for transfecting cells. The well can include a substantially dry gene-silencing composition that has at least two siRNAs which silences at least a first target gene. The gene-silencing composition can be configured such that the at least two siRNAs are each capable of being solubilized or suspended in an aqueous medium in an amount sufficient for transfecting cells in the well," the abstract states. "Additionally, the siRNAs can include a hairpin structure, modification, or a conjugate. Also, the at least siRNAs can be rationally designed. The reverse-transfection apparatus can be provided as a kit or system that additionally includes cells, polynucleotide carriers, reverse-transfection reagents, and the like."
Title: Method of Determining a Cellular Response to a Biological Agent
Number: 20060110766
Filed: Nov. 18, 2005
Lead Inventor: Barbara Robertson, Dharmacon
"A method of determining a cellular response to a biological agent can be preformed in the presence of gene silencing," the patent application's abstract states. "Such a method can include the use of siRNA in order to silence various genes in the cell in order to monitor the cellular response to the biological agent when a gene has been silenced. Accordingly, the response of a cell having a silenced gene to a biological agent can be indicative of which genes may be responsible for normal or abnormal cellular responses to various synthetic and natural biological agents such as active agents or pathogens."
Title: Method and System for Biasing Cellular Development
Number: 20060110440
Filed: Oct. 24, 2005
Lead Inventor: Kiminobu Sugaya, University of Central Florida
According to the patent application's abstract, "compositions and methods comprising siRNA targeted to APP mRNA are advantageously used to transfect stem cells and bias the cells against differentiating into glial type neural cells. The siRNA of the invention causes RNAi-mediated silencing of the APP mRNA. The inventors have discovered that expression APP induces gliogenesis, i.e., promotes differentiation of potent cells into glial cells. The transfection of potent cells with the subject siRNA silences APP mRNA and thus increases probability of the cells to differentiate into non-glial neural cells."