December 27 (EP & GB); December 21 (WO)

Abbott Labs WO 00/77206

Mycostatin gene promoter

Abbott Park, Ill.

Mycostatin gene promoter sequences; for finding gene expression modulators that can prevent muscle loss.

Abgenix WO 00/76310

Human antibody transgenics

Fremont, Calif.

Transgenic animals that produce specific isotypes of human antibodies using non-cognate switch regions.

Alabama, Univ. of WO 00/76541

Pneumococcal vaccines

Birmingham, Ala.

Immunogenic combinations of two or more pneumococcal surface proteins; for intranasal administration to treat infection.

Alabama, Univ. of WO 00/77217

Recombinant gene expression

Birmingham, Ala.

Nodavirus-based DNA vector; for driving abundant expression of foreign genes in a wide variety of cells.

Anadys Pharma WO 00/77215

Chromatin remodeling factor

Waltham, Mass.

Chromatin remodeling factor cdc68p from Candida yeast, encoding gene sequences; for identifying antifungals.

AstraZeneca WO 00/77200

Apoptosis control

London

Receptor interacting protein, encoding gene sequences; for identifying apoptosis modulators.

AstraZeneca WO 00/77201

Apoptosis inhibitor

London

Apoptosis inhibitor livin, encoding gene sequences; for finding modulators and developing therapeutics.

AstraZeneca WO 00/77251

DNA profiling

London

DNA profiling assays performed on spermatozoa and epithelial cells isolated using specific antibodies.

Auckland Uniservices WO 00/76497

Cancer immunotherapeutic

Auckland, New Zealand

Immunotherapeutic having T cell costimulatory and tumor growth-restricting agents; for cancer therapy.

Aventis Pasteur WO 00/76587

Streptococcus antibodies

Swiftwater, Penn.

Streptococcus pneumoniae PspA antibodies; for infection treatment.

Aventis Pasteur WO 00/77243

Infectious virus assay

Swiftwater, Penn.

Methods for discriminating reverse transcriptase activity from cells and infectious viruses using PCR methods.

Aventis Pharma WO 00/76450

Cancer radiotherapy

Antony, France

Recombinant adenoviral vectors having a gene encoding a sodium-iodide symporter; for metabolic radiotherapy.

Aventis Pharma WO 00/77190

Angiogenesis induction

Bridgewater, N.J.

Induction of vascular endothelial growth factor by the serine/threonine protein kinase AKT; for angiogenesis.

Barber, G.N., et al. WO 00/77205

Human nuclear factors

Miami

Human nuclear factors associated with double-stranded RNA, encoding gene sequences; for developing modulators.

Baylor Coll. Med. WO 00/76552

Modulating leptin activity

Houston

Methods and compositions for controlling bone formation via modulation of leptin activity; for bone therapeutics.

Biocrystal WO 00/76319

B cell antigen vaccines

Westerville, Ohio

Vaccines made from idiotypes of antibodies that bind to epitopes of specific shed antigens from B cells.

Biopharm WO 00/77195

EGF-like growth factor ligands

Heidelberg, Germany

EGF-like growth factor ligands, encoding gene sequences, antibodies, modulators; for therapeutics.

Boehringer Ingelheim EP 1 063 294

Parkinson's-associated genes

Ingelheim, Germany

Parkinson's disease-associated genes, encoded proteins; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Boston Biomed. Res. WO 00/77178

_-amyloid hydrolysis

Watertown, Mass.

Antibodies that catalyze _-amyloid hydrolysis at a pre-determined amide linkage; for plaque control.

Bristol-Myers Squibb WO 00/77227

Efficient transfection

Skillman, N.J.

Fibrin gel sealant; for applying to cells to trap nucleic acids and increase transfection efficiency.

Burnham Inst. WO 00/77207

Protein degradation protein

La Jolla, Calif.

Protein involved in protein degradation, encoding gene, antibodies, transgenics; for therapeutics.

California, Univ. of WO 00/77170

Kidney construction

Oakland, Calif.

Ex vivo propagation of kidney tissue; for constructing a stable bioactive mammalian embryonic kidney.

CBD Technol. WO 00/77174 & 77175

Plant expression system

Rehovot, Israel

Expressing recombinant proteins in plants or their derived tissues or cells, subsequent purification.

CDC (Ctr. Disease Control) WO 00/77177

Human retrovirus

Atlanta

Isolation of a retrovirus from a human who was exposed to non-human primates; for vaccine development.

CDC (Ctr. Disease Control) WO 00/77254

Streptococcus vaccines

Atlanta

Detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae using oligonucleotide probes, vaccination using antigenic proteins.

CDC (Ctr. Disease Control) WO 00/77486

Syphilis detection

Atlanta

Use of specific antigenic proteins from Treponema for the detection of syphilis infections at an early stage.

CNRS (Natl. Ctr. Sci. Res.) WO 00/77249

Expression analysis

Paris

Production of complex mixtures of cDNAs by reverse transcription; for expression analysis.

Central Manchester Healthcare WO 00/77241

Heparanase assay

Manchester, U.K.

Heparanase assay using substrates bound to and immobilized on solid phase materials.

Cincinnati, Univ. of WO 00/77235

Plasmid isolation

Cincinnati, Ohio

Rapid isolation of intact extrachromosomal plasmid DNA from bacteria using chaotropes.

Clingenix WO 00/77257

Differential expression arrays

Sunnyvale, Calif.

Gene-specific arrays having 3' untranslated region probes; for differential expression assays.

Columbia Univ. WO 00/76320

Xenograft therapeutics

New York

Genration of xenospecific human suppressor CD8+CD28- T cells; for autoimmunity and transplant therapeutics.

Digital Gene Technol. WO 00/77166

Gastrointestinal inflammation genes

La Jolla, Calif.

Genes whose expression is modulated during gastrointestinal inflammation, encoded proteins; for therapeutics.

Diversa WO 00/77262

Directed evolution

San Diego

Preparation of nucleic acid libraries by non-random cloning and synthetic ligation reassembly; for directed evolution.

Exelixis WO 00/76308

Lipid metabolism models

S. San Francisco

Fruit fly and nematode animal model systems having modified sterol regulation pathways; for studying lipid metabolism.

Genentech WO 00/77037

Secreted proteins

S. San Francisco

Secreted and transmembrane proteins, encoding genes, chimeras, fusions, antibodies, production methods.

Genentech WO 00/77194

Peptide library scaffolds

S. San Francisco

Combinatorial peptide libraries having disulfide-constrained cyclic peptide scaffolds; for phage display.

Genetrol Biotherapeutics WO 00/77236

Enhanced cytokine production

Oakland, Calif.

Enhancing cytokine production in cells using a cytokine regulatory factor; for immune system therapy.

Genomic Profiling Systems WO 00/77260

Genome profiling

Cambridge, Mass.

Testing complex biological samples for the presence of specific organisms using specific DNA probes.

Glaxo EP 1 063 298

Transgenic Alzheimer's model

Greenford, U.K.

Mutated human APP895 gene driven by brain-specific Thy-1 sequences; for transgenic Alzheimer's model.

Guelph, Univ. of WO 00/77247

E. coli serotype assay

Guelph, Ont.

Gene sequence markers specific for E. coli serotypes; for diagnostics.

Henogen WO 00/77198

Tick salivary gland anti-coagulants

Gosselies, Belgium

Tick salivary gland proteins, encoding gene sequences; for developing anti-coagulants.

Holthofer, H. WO 00/77044

Nephropathy therapy

Helsinki, Finland

Soluble nephrin-like proteins expressed by the pancreas and kidneys; for nephropathy diagnostics and therapeutics.

Human Genome Sciences EP 1 063 293

TGF-a11

Rockville, Md.

Transforming growth factor a11, encoding gene, recombinant production methods; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Icos WO 00/77179

hPARP2 modulators

Bothell, Wash.

Human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 2 (hPARP2), encoding gene sequences, antibodies; for modulator screens.

Immuno-Designed Molecules WO 00/76527

Phagocytic receptor complex

Paris

Complexes having a phagocytic receptor from monocyte-derived cells; for high affinity binding.

Imperial Cancer Res. Technol. WO 00/77252

Ovarian cancer diagnostic

London

Mutated forms of the Barx2 gene found in ovarian cancer; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Incyte Genomics WO 00/77040

Intracellular signaling molecules

Palo Alto, Calif.

Intracellular signaling molecules, encoding gene sequences, antibodies, modulators; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Incyte Genomics WO 00/77203

Lipocalin family protein

Palo Alto, Calif.

Lipocalin family protein, encoding gene, fragments; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

INSERM (Natl. Inst. Hlth. & Med. Res.) WO 00/77250

Oligo circularization

Paris

Circularization of oligonucleotides around double-stranded nucleic acid molecules; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Iowa, Univ. of WO 00/77204

TLR4 locus polymorphisms

Iowa City, Iowa

Polymorphisms at the human TLR4 locus; for identifying individuals at increased risk for various diseases.

Italian Natl. Res. Counc. WO 00/76542

Engraftment therapeutics

Rome

Use of antibodies against CD20 for treating graft versus host disease.

Janssen Pharma WO 00/77199

5-HT4 receptor

Beerse, Belgium

5-HT4 receptor, encoding gene sequences, transgenics; for developing therapeutics.

JMS EP 1 063 289

Liver cell clones

Hiroshima, Japan

Liver cell clones isolated and grown for artificial livers and liver assist devices.

Johns Hopkins Univ. WO 00/77214

Cell cycle-related genes

Baltimore

Yeast genes that are differentially expressed during the cell cycle; for finding modulators and antifungals.

Keller, U. WO 00/77220

Non-ribosomal protein synthesis

Berlin

Modifying peptide synthetases to N-methylate their substrate amino acids; for non-ribosomal protein synthesis.

Leiden State Univ. WO 00/77046

Transplantation antigen

Leiden, Netherlands

Male-specific transplantation antigen involved in graft rejection reactions; for developing therapeutics.

MacCallum Cancer Inst. GB 2 351 296

Keratinocyte stem cells

E. Melbourne, Australia

Use of integrins to enrich keratinocyte stem cells, isolated cell populations; for skin disease therapy.

Mass. Inst. Technol. WO 00/77213

Attenuating bacteria

Cambridge, Mass

Attenuation of bacteria by mutating bacA, identifying BacA transporter ligands; for vaccines.

Mass. General Hosp. WO 00/76456

Fibrosis modulation

Boston

Compositions and methods for modulating tissue fibrosis; for therapeutics.

Mass. General Hosp. WO 00/77233

Viral expression vectors

Boston

Complement-resistant non-mammalian DNA viruses, such as baculoviruses; for expressing exogenous genes.

Medimmune WO 00/76540

Pneumococal vaccines

Gaithersburg, Md.

Immunogenic polypeptides from Streptococcus pneumoniae, encoding genes; for vaccines for pneumococcal infections.

Merck WO 00/77047

GnRH receptor ligand screen

Rahway, N.J.

Dog gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor, encoding gene; for identifying and screening GnRH receptor ligands.

Merck WO 00/77221

Leech hyaluronidase

Darmstadt, Germany

Hyaluronidase from the tropical leech Hirudinaria manillensis, encoding gene; for thrombotic therapy.

Millennium Pharma WO 00/77226

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase

Cambridge, Mass.

Human cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, encoding gene; for modulator and therapeutic screens.

Millennium Pharma WO 00/77239

Therapeutic proteins

Cambridge, Mass.

Proteins with diagnostic and therapeutic uses, encoding gene sequences, fusion, antibodies, transgenics.

Myelos WO 00/77028, 77029 & 77033

D-amino acid cytokines

San Diego

D-amino acid-based peptides derived from IL-3, IL-6, and leukemia inhibitory factor; for increased half-life.

NIH (Natl. Inst. Hlth.) WO 00/76537

HIV therapeutics

Bethesda, Md.

Compositions of semi-allogeneic hybrid fusion immune system cells and immunogenic peptides; for HIV therapeutics.

NIH (Natl. Inst. Hlth.) WO 00/77042

PTH-1/2 receptor ligands

Bethesda, Md.

Parathyroid hormone-1 and -2 receptor ligands, encoding gene sequences; for developing therapeutics.

Neurosearch WO 00/77035

Potassium channels

Ballerup, Denmark

Potassium channels, encoding gene sequences, transgenics; for modulator screens.

New York, State Univ. of WO 00/77168

TGF_ signaling pathways

Stony Brook, N.Y.

Members of the Hect family of ubiquitin ligases that target BMP and TGF_/activin pathway-specific Smads.

New York Blood Ctr. WO 00/77024

Camello gene family

New York

Camello gene family, encoded proteins, recombinant production methods, antibodies, transgenics.

New York Univ. WO 00/77238

Opioid G-protein coupled receptors

New York

Heterodimeric opioid G-protein coupled receptors; for high-throughput assays to identify modulators.

Okamoto, H., et al. WO 00/77192

_ cell growth

Ibaraki, Japan

Reg protein ligand expressed from a cDNA isolated from Langerhans cells; for regulating pancreatic _ cell growth.

Otsuka Pharma WO 00/77219

HIV subtyping

Tokyo

Determination of HIV subtype by amplifying sample nucleic acids and using an HIV-1 probe.

Pharmacia & Upjohn WO 00/77184

Caspase-8 crystals

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Crystallized caspase-8, identification of substrate binding pocket; for designing modulators.

Qxyz WO 00/77181

Synthetic enzyme genes

Glasgow, U.K.

Assembling DNA units having the same restriction sites; for producing genes to make synthetic enzymes.

Rockefeller Univ. WO 00/77261

Alcohol dependence assay

New York

High-throughput assays for expression of genes associated with alcohol dependence and addiction.

Rockefeller Univ. WO 00/77712

Finding protein homologs

New York

Iterative methods for assessing the significance of similarities in protein sequences; for finding homologs.

Sloan-Kettering Inst. WO 00/77258

Prostate cancer diagnosis

New York

Use of p27 protein from prostate cancers to diagnose tumor aggressiveness.

SmithKline Beecham WO 00/77180

Reductase

Philadelphia

Reductase, encoding gene sequences, recombinant production methods; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

SmithKline Beecham WO 00/77191

TNF-related receptor TR6

Philadelphia

Tumor necrosis factor-related receptor TR6, encoding gene, recombinant production methods; for inflammatory disease.

SmithKline Beecham WO 00/77202

NOT1a protein

Brentford, U.K.

NOT1a protein, encoding gene, recombinant production methods; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Spear, M.A., et al. WO 00/77167

Cancer gene therapy

San Diego

Herpes simplex virus amplicon vector that are genetically modified to target cancer cells; for gene therapy.

Synaptic Pharma EP 1 063 291 & 1 063 292

a1 adrenergic receptors

Paramus, N.J.

Gene sequences encoding a1 adrenergic receptors, encoded receptors, antibodies, probes; for finding modulators.

Taisho Pharma EP 1 063 296

RNA-cleaving enzyme

Tokyo

Nucleic acid enzyme having allosteric RNA-cleaving activity for a target RNA; for therapeutics.

Takeda Chemical WO 00/77045

GABA transporter modulators

Osaka, Japan

GABA transporter-associated protein, encoding gene, transgenics; for screening modulators and developing drugs.

Temple Univ. WO 00/77245

COX-2 assay

Philadelphia

Screening assay for cyclooxygenase-2 activity that uses cells whose COX-2 expression can be manipulated.

Texas, Univ. of WO 00/77038

p202 tumor suppressor

Austin, Texas

Use of p202 preparations to prevent transformation and proliferation of cancer cells.

Texas A&M Univ. WO 00/77041

Lyme disease vaccines

College Stn., Texas

Essential peptides from Borrelia burgdorferi decorin binding protein; for Lyme disease vaccines.

U.S. Navy WO 00/76539

Improved protective immunity

Washington, D.C.

Immunization with a gene vaccine and a cytokine followed by recombinant pox virus; for improved protection.

Univ. Health Network WO 00/77031

MUC1 ligands

Toronto, Ont.

MUC1 ligands isolated using phage display techniques; for making antibodies and treating cancer.

Vlaams Inst. Biotech WO 00/76309

Endothelial activation transgenics

Zwijnaarde, Netherlands

Transgenics deficient in Gas6 in their endothelial cells that are resistant to activation by endotoxin and TNF-a.

Whitehead Inst. Biomed. Res. WO 00/77225

Insulin signaling molecule

Cambridge, Mass.

Insulin signaling molecule SPANK, encoding gene sequences; for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Yale Univ. WO 00/77208

Taste receptors

New Haven, Conn.

Drosophila taste receptors, encoding gene sequences; for identifying ligands.

ZymoGenetics WO 00/77209

Helical cytokine

Seattle

Helical cytokine, encoding gene sequences, fusions; for diagnostics and therapeutics.