Class: Differentiation (190)
Production of gabaergic cells
Patent Number: 6602680This patent teaches that transfection of neuronal stem cells with dlx induces their differentiation into neurons that express GABA. This is useful for generation of cell therapies of neurodegenerative diseases.
Method of generating cartilage
Patent Number: 6719970This patent discloses chondrocytes and suitable biocompatible polymers that may be administered in vivo for the regeneration, or de novo generation of cartilage tissue.
Methods of culturing embryonic stem cells and controlled differentiation
Patent Number: 7,112,437This patent covers ways of generating human neural stem cells, or committed stem cells, from embryonic stem cells. The patent has 2 independent claims. The first teaches culturing of the embryonic stem cells with an agent that inhibits a bone morphogenic protein "default pathway" so that the differentiated cell that is produced loses at least one marker of the embryonic stem cell. This...
Transdifferentiation of glial cells
Patent Number: 6897061This patent teaches how to make astrocytes into neurons and/or oligodendrocytes. The ability to perform this in large scale would allow for cell replacement therapy for a variety of neural degenerative conditions. The independent claims are: An in vitro method to produce a population that includes neurons and/or oligodendrocytes, the method comprising: (a) obtaining and/or isolating a...
Screening small molecule drugs using neural cells differentiated from human embryonic stem cells
Patent Number: 7,250,294When people wonder why Geron's valuation is so high (half a billion) even though they are far from the clinic...well the answer is strong IP such as the current patent. This patent blocks anyone from differentiating neurons from embryonic stem cells and using them to screen compounds for: 1. toxicity 2. viability in culture 3. induction of alterations in neurotransmitter...
Synthetic oligonucleotides as inducers of erythroid differentiation
Patent Number: 7,262,175This patent covers synthetic oligonucleotides (composition of matter) derived from promoter of gamma globulin, which stimulate erthrocytic differentiation. The patent is useful for treatment of patients post chemotherapy increase hemoglobin counts, and also for development of in vitro erythrocyte culture systems. The mechanism by which these oligonucleotides work appears unclear.
Nurr-1 induction of a dopaminergic neuronal fate in a neural stem cell or neural progenitor cell in vitro
Patent Number: 7,465,582Various organs have regenerative capabilities, which are believed to occur as a result of endogenous stem cells or progenitor cells. This has been described in the liver, pancreas, heart, and even brain. Although there is controversy as to whether the tissue...
Process for making hepatocytes from pluripotent stem cells
Patent Number: 7,256,042This patent covers methods of differentiating embryonic stem cells into hepatocytes. Hepatocytes are very attractive since they can be used as a single cell therapy for restoring cirrhotic livers. The patent covers the use of the differentiation agents:sodium butyrate, n-butyric acid, trichosratin A, propionic acid, isobutyric acid, and isovaleric acid for generating hepatocytes. The...
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Protocols for making hepatocytes from embryonic stem cells
Patent Number: 7,473,555This patent covers the generation of mature hepatocytes from pluripotent stem cells (pluripotent I presume they mean to include iPS). The inventors cover a three step process by which they induce pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into endoderm cells, then induce endoderm to differentiate into hepatic progenitors, and lastly induces the hepatic progenitors to differentiate into mature...
Hepatocytes for therapy and drug screening made from embryonic stem cells
Patent Number: 7,282,366Medical advances of embryonic stem cells may indeed come initially from their use as research reagents before actually being developed as therapeutics. For example, few member of the public realize that practically all molecular biology was made possible by the mouse embryonic stem cell, which allowed for development of knockout and transgenic mice. In the current patent Geron covers...
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