I'm going to try to put hard copy out for important stuff, those links go away too quickly:
Aurora Biosciences Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent For GenomeScreen Living Cell Gene Tagging System
SAN DIEGO, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSC - news) announced today the issuance of patent, U.S. Patent Number 5,928,888 entitled ''Methods and Compositions for Sensitive and Rapid, Functional Identification of Genomic Polynucleotides and Secondary Screening Capabilities.'' The technology in this patent relates to methods for using Aurora's beta-lactamase reporter gene (GeneBlazer(TM)), in promoterless vectors, for genome-wide tagging of genes in human or other cells.
Aurora's GenomeScreen(TM) technology enables gene discovery, target identification, and signal pathway elucidation; in parallel one can produce large numbers of cell-based screening assays for therapeutically focused lead discovery. Because of its sensitive fluorescence readout, enzymatic amplification and compatibility with miniaturized screening with living cells, beta-lactamase has significant advantages over other reporter genes. Highly efficient fluorescence-activated cell sorting allows the rapid analysis and selection of useful clones from tagged cell lines. The resulting cell clones represent cell-based assays that sensitively report up- or down-regulation of gene expression in response to a wide range of biologic, chemical or pathologic stimulation.
Aurora's initial GenomeScreen technology has been described in a paper in Nature Biotechnology in December 1998, volume 16 pages, 1329-1333. The technology is the subject of two commercial collaborations, one with Warner-Lambert for a compound profiling project and another with Becton Dickinson for discovery of novel gene targets in a human cell line. Also, the Company has been awarded three research grants from the National Institutes of Health for applications of this technology. Two SBIR grants fund the search for novel immunomodulators, and the identification of novel gene targets and compounds relevant to breast cancer. A recently announced collaboration with the National Cancer Institute focuses on the capture of rare, low-abundance genes in major human cancer cell lines to support an aspect of ''genome closure'' in the Institute's Cancer Gene Anatomy Project.
''We believe the issuance of this patent further enhances our proprietary position in functional genomics. Our patent portfolio in genomics includes GFP (green fluorescent protein) technology, the beta-lactamase platform and certain applications of the beta-galactosidase reporter gene. We believe that these technologies are relevant to several emerging approaches to target identification and validation,'' said John Mendlein, J.D., Ph.D., Aurora's senior vice president, intellectual property, and chief knowledge officer. ''We protect our novel biology, chemistry, genomics, engineering and software products with a broad patent portfolio. The company has ten issued patents, fourteen allowed patents and over 120 applications pending in the U.S. and abroad. We believe we can offer our customers a unique freedom to operate in some key assay technology arenas with our current patents and licenses. Aurora also has invented and developed a range of automated screening technologies, giving the company a unique proprietary position with its microfluidics and miniaturization hardware, its software, and the entire UHTSS(TM) Platform.''
Aurora combines innovative biotechnology with its novel, high technology automation and software to provide solutions to challenges in drug discovery for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The Company's core technologies include a broad portfolio of proprietary fluorescence assay technologies; and its ultra-high throughput screening system (UHTSS(TM) Platform) and subsystems to miniaturize and automate assays derived from those technologies within a computer-controlled integrated system, capable of searching through expansive libraries of compounds to identify those that might lead to new medicines. Aurora seeks to become a leader in providing services, technology and information that enhance and accelerate its customers' ability to discover new therapeutics through three main strategies: (1) providing customized drug discovery services, allowing the customer to outsource some part or all of its discovery needs, (2) developing and selling systems, instruments and technologies to augment the customer's own discovery efforts, and (3) licensing the Company's growing intellectual property portfolio. Current customers include Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Warner-Lambert, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc., F.Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd., Becton Dickinson, Cytovia, Inc. and Clontech Laboratories, Inc.
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