Nexstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

University Research Corporation

Other

Nexstar Pharmacueticals, Inc.

Craig Tuerk

Larry M Gold

Nebojsa Janjic

Jonathan Drew Smith

David Pribnow

Diane Tassett

The present invention includes methods for the identification and production of improved nucleic acid ligands based on the SELEX process. Also included are nucleic acid ligands to the HIV-RT protein identified according to the methods described therein.

Methods of producing nucleic acid ligands

This invention comprises nucleic acid ligand for use as a diagnostic reagent for detecting the presence or absence of a target molecule in a sample, and a diagnostic reagent to measure the amount of a target molecule in a sample. In a preferred embodiment the nucleic acid ligands are identified by the method of the invention referred to as the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX), wherein a candidate mixture of nucleic acids are iteratively enriched in high affinity nucleic acids and amplified by further partitioning.

Nucleic acid ligand binding site identification

Nucleic acid ligands

A method for preparing polypeptide ligands of target molecules wherein candidate mixtures comprised of ribosome complexes or mRNA&bull;polypeptide copolymers are partitioned relative to their affinity to the target and amplified to create a new candidate mixture enriched in ribosome complexes or mRNA&bull;polypeptide copolymers with an affinity to the target.

Systematic polypeptide evolution by reverse translation

This invention discloses a method of detecting the presence or absence of a target molecule in a sample and a method of measuring the amount of a target molecule in a sample using nucleic acid ligands. In a preferred embodiment the nucleic acid ligands are identified by the method of the invention referred to as the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment (SELEX), wherein a candidate mixture of nucleic acids are iteratively enriched in high affinity nucleic acids and amplified for further partitioning.

Method for detecting a target molecule in a sample using a nucleic acid

A method for preparing polypeptide ligands of target molecules wherein candidate mixtures comprised of ribosome complexes or mRNA.multidot.polypeptide copolymers are partitioned relative to their affinity to the target and amplified to create a new candidate mixture enriched in ribosome complexes or mRNA.multidot.polypeptide copolymers with an affinity to the target.

A new class of nucleic acid compounds, referred to as nucleic acid ligands, have been shown to exist that have a specific binding affinity for three dimensional molecular targets. In a preferred embodiment the ligands are identified by the method of the invention referred to as the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX), wherein a candidate mixture of nucleic acids are iteratively enriched in high affinity nucleic acids and amplified for further partitioning.

A new class of nucleic acid compounds, referred to as nucleic acid antibodies, have been shown to exist that have a specific binding affinity for three dimensional molecular targets. In a preferred embodiment the ligand components of the nucleic acid antibodies are identified by the method of the invention referred to as the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX), wherein a candidate mixture of nucleic acids are iteratively enriched in high affinity nucleic acids and amplified for further partitioning.

Methods are described for the identification of nucleic acid ligand solutions to the HIV-1 tat protein. Motifs I, II and III are nucleic acid ligands identified by the disclosed methods.

Ligands of HIV-1 TAT protein

Methods are described for the production of nucleic acid ligands to the HIV-1 tat protein. Motifs I, II and III in FIG. 3 are nucleic acid ligands identified by the disclosed methods.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Craig Tuerk