Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080242627 | NOVEL RNA INTERFERENCE METHODS USING DNA-RNA DUPLEX CONSTRUCTS - The present invention provides novel compositions and methods for suppressing the function or activity of a targeted gene through a novel intracellular piRNA-mediated RNAi mechanism, using RNA-DNA duplex constructs. The invention further provides novel methods and compositions for generating or producing RNA-DNA duplex agents, whose quantity is high enough to be used for the invention's gene silencing transfection and possibly in therapeutics applications. This improved RNA-polymerase chain reaction (RNA-PCR) method utilizes thermocycling steps of promoter-linked DNA or RNA template synthesis, in vitro transcription and then reverse transcription to bring up the amount of RNA-DNA duplexes up to two thousand folds within one round of the above procedure for using in D-RNAi-directed gene silencing. | 10-02-2008 |
20090170204 | Novel cosmetic designs and products using intronic RNA - The present invention relates to a method and composition for generating a non-naturally occurring intron and its components capable of being processed into small hairpin RNA (shRNA) and/or microRNA (miRNA) molecules by skin cells and thus inducing specific gene silencing effects on skin pigment-related genes and/or aging-causing genes in the cells. The gene silencing effects so obtained are not only useful for lightening and whitening skin colors but also useful for suppressing unwanted aging gene activities in skins. | 07-02-2009 |
20090203141 | Generation of tumor-free embryonic stem-like pluripotent cells using inducible recombinant RNA agents - The present invention generally relates to a method for developing, generating and selecting tumor-free embryonic stem (ES)-like pluripotent cells using electroporation delivery of an inducible tumor suppressor mir-302 agent into mammalian cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and composition for generating a Tet-On/Off recombinant transgene capable of expressing a manually re-designed mir-302 microRNA (miRNA)/shRNA agent under the control of doxycyclin (Dox) in human somatic/cancer cells and thus inducing certain specific gene silencing effects on the differentiation-associated genes and oncogenes of the cells, resulting in reprogramming the cells into an ES-like pluripotent state. | 08-13-2009 |
20100240126 | DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSAL CANCER DRUGS AND VACCINES - This invention generally relates to a design and method for developing novel anti-tumor/cancer drugs, vaccines and therapies, using microRNA (miRNA) and its shRNA homologues/derivatives. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of a nucleic acid composition capable of expressing mir-302-like gene silencing effectors upon delivery into human cells and then silencing mir-302-targeted cell cycle regulators and oncogenes, resulting in an inhibitory effect on tumor/cancer cell growth and metastasis. Mir-302 is the most predominant miRNA found in human embryonic stem (hES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, yet its function is unclear. The present invention establishes that in humans mir-302 concurrently suppressed both cyclin-E-CDK2 and cyclin-D-CDK4/6 pathways and eventually blocked over 70% of the G1-S transition. Simultaneously, mir-302 also silences BMI-1, a cancer stem cell marker, and subsequently promotes the tumor suppressor functions of p16Ink4a and p14/p19Arf in inhibiting CDK4/6-mediated cell proliferation. Therefore, the present invention for the first time reveals the tumor suppressor function of mir-302 in humans. This novel finding advances the design and method for developing new cancer drugs, vaccines and therapies directed against multiple kinds of human tumors and cancers, in particular including, but not limited, malignant skin, prostate, breast and liver cancers as well as various tumors. | 09-23-2010 |
20100298416 | PREVENTING HYALURONAN-MEDIATED TUMORIGENETIC MECHANISMS USING INTRONIC RNAS - Patterns of microRNA (miRNA) expression are correlated to the degrees of tumor cell differentiation in human prostate cancer. MiRNAs can complementarily bind to either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, resulting in targeted gene silencing and thus changes of cellular tumorigenecity. Using miRNA microarray analysis, 8 down-regulated and 3 up-regulated known miRNAs in androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell lines, such as LNCaP C4-2B and PC3, compared to those androgen-dependent cell lines, such as LNCaP and PC3-AR9 were consistently detected. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization assays in human prostate cancer tissue arrays containing sixty patients at different stages also showed the same miRNA expression patterns in hormone-refractory prostate carcinomas (HRPC) compared to androgen-sensitive non-cancerous prostate epithelium. In-vitro tumorigenecity assays using one of the identified miRNAs, mir-146a, were performed to provide validation of its function in prostate cancer. Gain-of-function transfection of mir-146a markedly suppressed its targeted ROCK1 gene expression in androgen-independent PC3 cells, consequently resulting in reduced cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis to human bone marrow endothelial cell monolayers. Since ROCK1 is the key kinase for activating hyaluronan-mediated HRPC transformation in vivo and in PC3 cells, mir-146a should function as a tumor-suppressor gene in modulating the ROCK1-associated tumorigenecity. | 11-25-2010 |
20110098461 | Novel RNA Interference Methods Using DNA-RNA Duplex Constructs - The present invention provides novel compositions and methods for suppressing the function or activity of a targeted gene through a novel intracellular piRNA-mediated RNAi mechanism, using RNA-DNA duplex constructs. The invention further provides novel methods and compositions for generating or producing RNA-DNA duplex agents, whose quantity is high enough to be used for the invention's gene silencing transfection and possibly in therapeutics applications. This improved RNA-polymerase chain reaction (RNA-PCR) method utilizes thermocycling steps of promoter-linked DNA or RNA template synthesis, in vitro transcription and then reverse transcription to bring up the amount of RNA-DNA duplexes up to two thousand folds within one round of the above procedure for using in D-RNAi-directed gene silencing. | 04-28-2011 |
20130210120 | Inducible Gene Expression Composition for Using Eukaryotic Pol-2 Promoter-Driven Transcription in Prokaryotes and the Applications Thereof - Eukaryotic protein-coding messenger RNAs and non-coding microRNAs are naturally transcribed by type II RNA polymerases (pol-2) but not prokaryotic RNA polymerases. As a result, current eukaryotic RNA and protein production is performed either using eukaryotic pol-2 promoters in hybridomas or mammalian cells or using prokaryotic promoters in bacterial cells. However, because prokaryotic RNA transcription tends to be error-prone, frequent mutation is a big problem. Also, growing hybridomas or mammalian cells is relatively laborious and costly. To overcome these problems, the present invention provides a novel inducible composition and method for producing eukaryotic RNAs and/or their related peptides/proteins directly using eukaryotic pol-2 promoter-driven gene expression in fast growing bacteria, without the need of changing to prokaryotic promoters or growing hybridomas/mammalian cells. The RNAs and peptides/proteins so obtained can be used to develop drugs, cure diseases, treat tumors/cancers, produce pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, enhance wound healing, and make foods. | 08-15-2013 |
20130252339 | MICRORNA-INDUCED ES-LIKE CELLS AND USES THEREOF - The invention relates to isolated nucleic acids comprising mir-302 genes. Also disclosed are expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic animals containing the nucleic acids, and use of the nucleic acids to generate ES-like cells. | 09-26-2013 |
20130324590 | PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF A NOVEL ANTI-CANCER DRUG IN THERAPY - This invention generally relates to a design and method for developing novel anti-tumor and/or anti-cancer drugs, vaccines and therapies, using microRNA and/or its shRNA homologues/mimics/derivatives. More specifically, the present invention relates to an use of a prokaryote-produced miRNA precursor (pro-miRNA) composition capable of being delivered into human cells and processed by the cells into mature miRNA effectors to elicit specific silencing effects on mir-302-targeted genes, subsequently leading to a beneficial result of tumor suppression and cancer therapy. The prokaryotic cells do not naturally express or process eukaryotic miRNA precursors (pre-miRNA); meanwhile, the present invention also teaches an inducible method for expressing pre-miRNAs, particularly mir-302 precursors by using the prokaryotic transcription system. Since mir-302 is a known tumor suppressor in human, this novel finding advances the design and method for developing new anti-cancer drugs, vaccines and/or therapies directed against multiple kinds of human tumors and cancers. | 12-05-2013 |
20140141470 | PRODUCTION AND EXTRACTION OF MicroRNA PRECURSOR AS DRUG FOR CANCER THERAPY - This invention generally relates to a composition for developing novel anti-cancer drugs and/or vaccines and producing microRNA precursor (pre-miRNA) and/or its shRNA homologues/mimics/derivatives, and a method thereof. The present invention also relates to a use of a composition in producing novel prokaryote-produced microRNA precursor (pro-miRNA) capable of being delivered into human cells and processed by the cells into microRNA-like effectors to elicit specific silencing effects on certain targeted oncogenes, subsequently leading to a therapeutic result of tumor suppression and cancer therapy. Specifically, the method of the present invention includes inducing an expression of the pre-miRNA/pro-miRNAs, particularly human pre-miR-302, in prokaryotes through pol-2 or pol-2-like RNA promoter. Most importantly, the composition of the present invention is further a novel pre-miRNA-based drug that is capable of reprogramming the malignant properties of high-grade human liver cancers into a low-grade benign or even relatively normal stage—a mechanism called “Cancer Reversion”. | 05-22-2014 |
20140350085 | NOVEL SUGAR ALCOHOL-BASED COMPOSITIONS FOR DELIVERING NUCLEIC ACID-BASED DRUGS IN VIVO AND IN VITRO - This invention relates to a composition and its use for formulating nucleic acid-based drugs/vaccines with sugar alcohol compositions into complexes for both in-vitro and in-vivo delivery. Particularly, the present invention includes the ingredients and processes necessary for formulating therapeutic and pharmaceutical nucleic acid compositions, such as miRNA, microRNA precursors, shRNAs, siRNAs, ribozymes, antisense RNAs/DNAs, RNA-DNA hybrids and DNA vectors/vaccines, with glycylated sugar alcohols/sugars into delivery complexes, which can then be absorbed by cells in vivo and in vitro via active endocytosis. Also, the present invention discloses that chemical compounds containing sugar alcohol- and/or sugar-like structures can protect nucleic acids, in particular miRNAs, shRNAs, siRNAs and ribozymes, from degradation in vivo as well as in vitro. Therefore, the present invention is also a formula and method for preserving the structural integrity and functional efficacy of these nucleic acid-based drugs and/or vaccines in vivo and in vitro. | 11-27-2014 |
20150064771 | INDUCIBLE GENE EXPRESSION COMPOSITION FOR USING EUKARYOTIC POL-2 PROMOTER-DRIVEN TRANSCRIPTION IN PROKARYOTES AND THE APPLICATIONS THEREOF - Eukaryotic protein-coding messenger RNAs and non-coding microRNAs are naturally transcribed by type II RNA polymerases (pol-2) but not prokaryotic RNA polymerases. As a result, current eukaryotic RNA and protein production is performed either using eukaryotic pol-2 promoters in hybridomas or mammalian cells or using prokaryotic promoters in bacterial cells. However, because prokaryotic RNA transcription tends to be error-prone, frequent mutation is a big problem. Also, growing hybridomas or mammalian cells is relatively laborious and costly. To overcome these problems, the present invention provides a novel inducible composition and method for producing eukaryotic RNAs and/or their related peptides/proteins directly using eukaryotic pol-2 promoter-driven gene expression in fast growing bacteria, without the need of changing to prokaryotic promoters or growing hybridomas/mammalian cells. The RNAs and peptides/proteins so obtained can be used to develop drugs, cure diseases, treat tumors/cancers, produce pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, enhance wound healing, and make foods. | 03-05-2015 |