Selected biotechnology-related patents issued by the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 11.

U.S. Class: 424--85.2Patent No.: 5,087,448Assignee: U. of OklahomaClaims/Description: 4 claims for the use of interleukin 6 (IL-6)to increase the number of platelets in a mammal.

U.S. Class: 424--450Patent No.: 5,087,453Assignee: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.Claims/Description: 6 claims for the use of macrophage colonystimulating factor to treat weight loss or hypoglycemia causedby bacterial infection.

U.S. Class: 435--5Patent No.: 5,087,557Assignee: Genetic Systems Corp.Claims/Description: 18 claims for a human monoclonal antibodythat binds to HIV envelope protein gp41.

U.S. Class: 435--6Patent No.: 5,087,560Assignee: Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, TokyoClaims/Description: 4 claims for a monoclonal antibody thatbinds to a human bone marrow leukemia cell line.

U.S. Class: 435--189Patent No.: 5,087,568Assignee: UBE Industries Ltd., Yamaguchi, JapanClaims/Description: 3 claims for a method to recoverrecombinant human copper-zinc superoxide dismutase.

U.S. Class: 435--240.1Patent No.: 5,087,570Assignee: unassigned; inventors: I. L. Weissman, Stanford; G. J.Spangrude, Melbourne; C. Muller-Sieburg, San Diego; S.Helmfeld, Menlo Park, Calif.Claims/Description: 7 claims for mouse hematopoietic stem cellsand for the use of stem cell markers to isolate mouse stemcells.

U.S. Class: 435--240.2Patent No.: 5,087,571Assignee: Harvard UniversityClaims/Description: 2 claims for a method to grow a cellisolated from a transgenic non-human mammal in cell culture.

U.S. Class: 435--240.2Patent No.: 5,087,572Assignee: Genentech Inc.Claims/Description: 12 claims for a modified humanplasminogen which cannot be converted into plasmin but whichwhen bound to streptokinase can convert plasminogen toplasmin.

U.S. Class: 514--12Patent No.: 5,087,613Assignee: Transgene S.A., Courbevole, FranceClaims/Description: 6 claims for modified hirudin anti-clottingproteins.

U.S. Class: 514--21Patent No.: 5,087,616Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute, GenevaClaims/Description: 10 claims for a toxin that is targeted to atumor cell because the toxin is bound to epidermal growthfactor.

U.S. Class: 514--44Patent No.: 5,087,617Assignee: U. of TexasClaims/Description: 26 claims for the use of an antisenseoligonucleotide to treat bone marrow cells taken from a cancerpatient prior to reintroducing the cells into the patient.

-- By Carol Talkington Verser, Ph.D., of Sheridan Ross &McIntosh, Denver

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.