Geron Corporation

University of California

University of Texas System

Other

Nanocellect Biomedical, Inc.

Geron Corporation & Board of Regents

Nam Woo Kim

Scott L Weinrich

Calvin B Harley

Michael D West

Jerry W Shay

Woodring E Wright

Michael R Kozlowski

Elizabeth H Blackburn

Homayoun Vaziri

Michael J McEachern

Karen R Prowse

Catherine M Strahl

Sharon Wong

Sy-Shi Wang

Yu-Hwa Lo

Ronald A Pruzan

James T Kealey

Sung Hwan Cho

Jose Morachis

Kendall Chuang

Will Alaynick

Fred Wu

Richard Allsopp

Richard Allsop

Devices, systems and methods facilitate analyzing, identifying and sorting particles in fluids, including cytometry devices and techniques. The described techniques can be used in a variety of applications such as in chemical or biological testing and diagnostic measurements. One exemplary flow cytometry device includes a channel that is capable of conducting a fluid containing at least one particle and also capable of allowing light be transmitted to and from the channel. The flow cytometry device also includes a lens that is positioned between the channel and a color filter. The lens directs at least a portion of light transmitted from the channel to the color filter. The color filter includes a plurality of zones, where each zone is adapted to allow transmission of only a particular spectral range of light. The flow cytometry device further includes a detector configured to receive the light that is transmitted through the color filter.

Fluidic flow cytometry devices and methods

Method and compositions are provided for the determination of telomere length and telomerase activity, as well as the ability to increase or decrease telomerase activity in the treatment of proliferative diseases. Particularly, primers are elongated under conditions which minimize interference from other genomic sequences, so as to obtain accurate determinations of telomeric length or telomerase activity. In addition, compositions are provided for intracellular inhibition of telomerase activity and means are shown for slowing or reversing the loss of telomeric repeats in aging cells.

Diagnostic methods for conditions associated with elevated cellular levels of telomerase activity

A substantially non-invasive and efficient method for collecting cells from the internal organs of a subject is provided. In one embodiment, energy from an external energy source is applied to the subject that is sufficient to loosen the cells from an internal cellular surface of an internal organ so that at least a portion of the loosened cells are detached from the internal cellular surface or the organ. The detached cells are collected from the subject and can be analyzed for a disease state. The methods described herein provide methods for detecting of disease states before macroscopic evidence of the disease state that also facilitate inexpensive mass screening.

Method for collecting cells from internal organs

Methods of screening for compounds that derepress or increase telomerase

Methods and kits are provided for diagnosis of specific cancerous conditions. The invention features a method for diagnosis of a condition in a patient associated with an elevated level of telomerase activity within a cell. The method involves determining the presence or amount of telomerase within the cells in the patient, e.g. by the use of the polymerase chain reaction. In one embodiment of the invention, the condition associated with elevated telomerase activity is chosen from prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, renal cancer, ovarian/cervical cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia. The invention allows cancer to be detected even in tissues and cells which are not positive by pathology.

Detecting cancerous conditions by assaying for telomerase activity

Telomerase activity in a sample can be measured using a two reaction protocol. The first reaction involves the formation of telomerase substrate extension products from a telomerase substrate. The second reaction involves replication of the telomerase substrate extension products and/or amplification of signal generated by a bound probe. The presence of telomerase activity in a human somatic tissue or cell sample is positively correlated with the presence of cancer and can be used to diagnose a disease or other conditions of medical interest, as well as the course of disease progression or remission in a patient.

Telomerase activity assays

Methods of detecting the RNA component of telomerase, diagnosing cancer, and determining its prognosis using polynucleotides that hybridize to the RNA component of mammalian telomerase in a sample.

Methods for detecting the RNA component of telomerase

Telomerase activity in a sample can be measured using a two reaction protocol involving telomerase substrate and primer extension steps. The presence of telomerase activity in a human somatic tissue or cell sample is positively correlated with the presence of cancer and can be used to diagnose the course of disease progression in a patient.

Methods and compositions for the measurement of telomere length have application in medical diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic procedures. The methods for measuring telomere length include primer extension-based methods and probe-based methods. The primer extension methods involve elongation of telomeric, linker, and/or subtelomeric based primers under conditions such that the telomere serves as a template for primer extension and that the resultant primer extension products can be compared to standards of known length to provide a measure of telomere length. The probe based methods allow for telomere length measurements using DNA from lysed or whole cells and involve hybridizing an excess of probe to all telomeric repeat sequences in the telomere, measuring the amount of bound probe, and correlating the amount of bound probe measured with telomere length.

Methods for measuring telomere length

Methods are provided for the determination of telomere length. These methods can be used for diagnosis of cancer and the staging of cancer, and diagnosis of senecesence in cells. Also, the instant methods can be used to determine stages of diseases such as atherosclerosis or HIV infection, and can be used to diagnose infertility.

Telomerase activity in a sample can be measured using a two reaction protocol involving telomerase substrate and primer extension steps.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Nam Woo Kim