Diagnostic assays for non-cancerous conditions
Three patents are categorized in this group. Briefly, US 5,695,932 claims a method for detecting the presence of a eukaryotic pathogen by detection of the telomerase activity of the pathogen. Examples of pathogens include Plasmodium, Sporothrix, Coccidioides, Histoplasma, Blastomyces, Paracoccidioides, Cryptococcus, Aspergillus, Mucor, Rizopus, Candida, Kluyveromyces, and Saccharomyces.
The claims of US 6,391,554 are silent with respect to the condition and broadly claim a method for diagnosis of a condition associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity within mammalian cells. The assay for detection is also an assay for telomerase activity. The claims of US 6,551,774 are directed also to diagnosis of a condition that is associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity, except that the determining step does not specify the type of assay; a dependent claim recites measuring the rate of elongation of a primer having two or more telomeric repeat sequences.
| Patent Data | Title and relevant claims | Family Data |
| US 5,695,932
Assignee: University of Texas University of California Earliest priority: 13 May 1992 Filed: 13 May 1993 Granted: 09 Dec 1997 Expiry date: 09 Dec 2014 |
Telomerase activity assays for diagnosing pathogenic infections
Claim 1: A nucleic acid method for detecting the presence of a eukaryotic pathogen in a patient wherein presence of said eukaryotic pathogen is detected by their telomerase activity within a somatic cell population or tissue, comprising the steps of: obtaining a sample of somatic tissue or cells from said patient; determining whether telomerase activity is present within said sample in said patient; and correlating presence of telomerase activity with presence of said eukaryotic pathogen. |
See Appendix 2 for complete list of family members |
| US 6,391,554
Assignee: Geron Corp. and Board of Regents University of Texas Earliest priority: 13 May 1992 Filed: 23 Nov 1999 Granted: 21 May 2002 Expiry date: 13 May 2012 * |
Detecting cancerous conditions by assaying for telomerase activity
Claim 1: A method for diagnosis of a condition associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity within mammalian cells comprising: determining the presence or amount of telomerase activity within said cells; and correlating the presence or amount of telomerase activity with a condition associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity. |
See Appendix 2 for complete list of family members.
Patents: AU 735840 B2 CA 2245461 C EP 0728207 B1 |
| US 6,551,774
Assignee: University of Texas University of California Earliest priority: 13 May 1992 Filed: 20 Aug 1999 Granted: 22 Apr 2003 Expiry date: 13 May 2012 * |
Diagnostic methods for conditions associated with elevated cellular levels of telomerase activity
Claim 1: Method for diagnosis of a condition in a patient associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity within a mammalian cell comprising the steps of: determining the presence or amount of telomerase within a sample obtained from said patient, and correlating the presence or amount of telomerase with a condition associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity. |
See Appendix 2 for complete list of family members. |