Better to post them -
About Antibody Expression in Bacteria
Bacterial antibody expression is an enabling technology used to develop and manufacture, as well as discover and screen, recombinant antibody-based products. XOMA scientists were the first to demonstrate the secretion of antibody domains directly from bacterial cells as fully functional, properly folded molecules. The company has received nine U.S. patents to date relating to aspects of its bacterial cell expression system, including six patents that broadly cover the secretion of functional immunoglobulins from bacteria, including antibody fragments such as Fab and single-chain antibodies. Corresponding foreign patents have also been granted.
Bacterial antibody expression is also a key technology used in multiple systems for high-throughput screening of antibody domains. Expression of antibodies by phage display technology, for example, depends upon the expression and secretion of antibody domains from bacteria as properly folded functional proteins. Therefore, access to XOMA’s patent estate is necessary for the practice of antibody phage display and other antibody screening applications.
XOMA’s bacterial cell production system has been licensed to approximately 25 biopharmaceutical developers. They are applying the system to select and produce recombinant proteins, including therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies, vaccines, toxins, and enzymes, as well as recombinant expression vectors for research use....
More on the IP front -
MELBOURN, England, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambridge Antibody Technology (Nasdaq: CATG; LSE: CAT) today announced the issue of four US patents covering antibody expression libraries -- the 'Huse/Lerner/Winter' patents. The patents are co-owned by the Medical Research Council, The Scripps Research Institute and Stratagene. Following the settlement of interference proceedings in June 1999, CAT is the sole exploiter of the intellectual property rights arising under the patents, subject to certain rights reserved by the co-owners and their pre-existing licensees.
The Huse/Lerner/Winter patents are entitled: ``Method for Producing Polymers Having a Preselected Activity'' (US 6,291,158 and US 6,291,159) and ``Method for Tapping the Immunological Repertoire'' (US 6,291,160 and US 6,291,161). The patents are generally directed to nucleic acid libraries for expression of functional immunoglobulin variable domains (or portions thereof) and methods of making such libraries.
CAT also announced the filing of an infringement suit alleging that MorphoSys AG and MorphoSys USA, Inc. infringe two of the Huse/Lerner/Winter patents (the '158 and '161 patents). The suit was filed in the United States District Court of Washington DC...
...Medical Research Council (MRC)
* The MRC is the Medical Research Council of Great Britain. The MRC owns
some of the patent rights within CAT's patent portfolio either wholly or
jointly with CAT, which they have licensed to CAT under an agreement
dated 7 January 1997.
CAT's patent portfolio
* CAT now controls US patents covering three key areas: antibody
expression libraries (Winter II and Huse/Lerner/Winter), phage display
(McCafferty) and the isolation of human antibodies to human proteins by
phage display (Griffiths).
The Winter II and Huse/Lerner/Winter patents
* The granted patents are entitled to a term expiring on 18 September
2018.
* In 1999 CAT, Scripps and Stratagene settled US interference proceedings
between patent applications in the Winter II and Huse/Lerner
(Scripps/Stratagene) patent families from which CAT gained worldwide
commercial rights to the Huse/Lerner patents. The US PTO Interference
Board added Greg Winter as an inventor on three of the four Huse/Lerner
patents, so the issued patents are therefore referred to here as the
Huse/Lerner/Winter patents.
* The patent that was granted in the US on 19 June 2001 (US 6,248,516)
forms part of the Winter II family of patents, being a divisional of the
application that entered interference proceedings.
* In Europe CAT's Winter II patent was granted on 9 April 1994 and was
upheld after opposition with an amendment to one of the 32 claims. The
opposition division decision has been appealed by CAT and MorphoSys (the
only opponent). CAT has initiated infringement proceedings against
MorphoSys in Germany which have been suspended pending the outcome of
this appeal and a possible appeal on a decision by the Opposition
Division to uphold the McCafferty patent.
* In the US the Winter II infringement action will proceed against
MorphoSys in Washington, DC, where the other patent infringement
lawsuits by CAT against MorphoSys are currently pending.
* Other patents from the Winter II family have already been granted in
Europe, Australia, Japan and South Korea. |
