Geron Corporation

Other

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Arca Biopharma, Inc.

Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Limited

Nuvelo, Inc.

Walter D Funk

Bryant Villeponteau

Junli Feng

William H Andrews

Y Tom Tang

Michael D West

Bryan J Boyle

Peter C R Emtage

Jingsong Zhao

Maria Antonia Marhuenda

Carol Greider

Ariel Athena Avilion

Maarten H Linskens

Gregg B Morin

Karen B Chapman

Melissa K Carpenter

Kazuma Tomizuka

Joseph D Gold

Chunhui Xu

Margaret Inokuma

Mieczyslaw A Piatyszek

Makoto Kakitani

Anne B Mason

Robert C Woodworth

Tom Y Tang

Takeshi Oshima

Ross Ta MacGillivray

Eun Ju Park

Kenneth S Hirsch

Mikio Yagi

Takeshi Pharmaceutical Research Lab Oshima

Kazuma Tmizuka

The generation of clinical-grade cell-based therapies from human embryonic stein cells or cells reprogrammed to pluripotency from somatic cells, requires stringent quality controls to insure that the cells have long enough telomeres and resulting cellular lifespan to be clinically useful, and normal gene expression and genomic integrity so as to insure cells with a desired and reproducible phenotype and to reduce the risk of the malignant transformation of cells. Assays useful in identifying human embryonic stem cell lines and pluripotent cells resulting from the transcriptional reprogramming of somatic cells that have embryonic telomere length are described as well as quality control assays for screening genomic integrity in cells expanded and banked for therapeutic use, as well as assays to identify cells capable of abnormal immortalization.

Methods for telomere length and genomic DNA quality control analysis in pluripotent stem cells

The invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising gastrointestinal proliferative factor (GIPF) polynucleotides and polypeptides. The invention further relates to the therapeutic use of GIPF to prevent or treat conditions or disorders associated with the degeneration of the epithelial mucosa.

Method of stimulating epithelial cell proliferation by administration of gastrointestinal proliferative factor

Nucleic acids comprising the RNA component of a mammalian telomerase are useful as pharmaceutical, therapeutic, and diagnostic reagents.

Mammalian telomerase

The invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising gastrointestinal proliferative factor SCFA2, SCFA4 or SCFA4v polynucleotides and polypeptides. The invention further relates to the therapeutic use of SCFA2, SCFA4 or SCFA4v to prevent or treat conditions or disorders associated with the degeneration of the epithelial mucosa.

Stem cell factor-like proteins and uses thereof

The invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising gastrointestinal proliferative factor SCFA2, SCFA4 or SCFA4polynucleotides and polypeptides. The invention further relates to the therapeutic use of SCFA2, SCFA4 or SCFA4to prevent or treat conditions or disorders associated with the degeneration of the epithelial mucosa.

Recombinant transferrin, non-glycosylated recombinant transferrin, transferrin half-molecules and mutant transferrins having altered metal-binding or other properties are described. The recombinant transferrin molecules are expressed in functional form by stable eukaryotic cell lines such as baby hamster kidney cells transformed with an expression vector encoding the recombinant molecule. The recombinant transferrins can be used in metal chelation therapy to bind and clear excess toxic metals in patients suffering from metal overloads or as tissue culture medium supplements or replacements.

Recombinant transferrins, transferrin half-molecules and mutants thereof

This disclosure provides a system for obtaining expression libraries from primate pluripotent stem (pPS) cells. pPS cells can be maintained in vitro without requiring a layer of feeder cells to inhibit differentiation. The role of the feeder cells is replaced by several other culture conditions provided in a suitable combination. Conditions that promote pPS cell growth without differentiation include supporting the culture on an extracellular matrix, and culturing the cells in a medium conditioned by another cell type. The cDNA libraries from such cultures are devoid of transcripts of feeder cell origin, relatively uncontaminated by transcripts from differentiated cells, and can have a high proportion of full-length transcripts. Subtraction libraries can also be produced that are enriched for transcripts modulated during differentiation.

cDNA libraries reflecting gene expression during growth and differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

A new protein named Tankyrase II is described in this disclosure. Sequences for the human Tankyrase II cDNA and the protein translation product are provided. Also provided are species homologs, muteins, related nucleic acids, peptides, and drug screening assays. Tankyrase II interacts with telomere-associated proteins, thereby affecting telomerase activity and potentially telomere length. The materials and techniques provided in this disclosure allow Tankyrase II activity to be studied in vitro and manipulated inside cells&mdash;to the potential benefit of clinical conditions associated with a defect in telomerase activity, or the replicative capacity of affected cells.

Second mammalian tankyrase

This invention is directed to compositions enriched for telomerase and methods of preparing the same.

Mammalian telomerase RNA gene promoter

Human gene GC6 is expressed more abundantly in senescent cells than young cells. Isolated, purified, and recombinant nucleic acids and proteins corresponding to the human GC6 gene and its mRNA and protein products, as well as peptides and antibodies corresponding to the GC6 protein can be used to identify senescent cells, distinguish between senescent and young cells, identify agents that alter senescent gene expression generally and GC6 expression specifically; such agents as well as GC6 gene and gene products and products corresponding thereto can be used to prevent and treat diseases and conditions relating to cell senescence.

Nucleic acid sequence of senescence asssociated gene

RNA component of telomerase

Growing community of inventors

Hayward, CA, United States of America

Walter D Funk