The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 07, 1995
Michael R Lerner, Hamden, CT (US);
Ethan A Lerner, Brookline, MA (US);
Bunsen Rush Laboratories, Inc., Newton, MA (US);
Abstract
A method for identifying a chemical that acts as an agonist for a G-protein coupled cell surface (GPC) receptor. The method comprises introducing to test cells of a pigment cell line capable of dispersing or aggregating their pigment in response to a specific stimulus and expressing an exogenous clone coding for the GPC receptor, a stimulant that sets an initial state of pigment disposition wherein the pigment is aggregated within the test cells if activation of the exogenous GPC receptor induces pigment dispersion, or introducing a stimulant that sets an initial state of pigment disposition wherein the pigment is dispersed within the test cells if activation of the exogenous GPC receptor induces pigment aggregation; contacting the test cells set in an initial state of pigment disposition with the test chemical; and determining whether the pigment disposition in the test cells treated with the chemical is changed from the initial state of pigment disposition, wherein a change in pigment disposition observed in the test cells expressing the exogenous GPC receptor indicates that the chemical is an agonist for the exogenous GPC receptor.