Nanogen Earns Two Patents for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Use of Biomarkers

Nanogen, Inc. (NASDAQ: NGEN), developer of advanced diagnostic products, announced today that it has been issued two patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for inventions related to disease biomarkers. U.S. Patent No. 7,014,854, "Method for Retarding or Precluding Alzheimer's Dementia" claims use of immune system modulation to remove proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). An unrelated patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,015,004, relates to the isolation and use of a biomarker to diagnose metabolic syndrome. The '854 patent for AD relates to a therapeutic model wherein the AD autoantibody to human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) can be targeted with antibodies for removal from serum. The GFAP autoantibody has been demonstrated to bring on the destruction of certain nerve cells called astrocytes, leading to AD. Removal of the GFAP autoantibody eliminates the initiation of astrocyte destruction. The '004 patent for the metabolic syndrome biomarker, an inter-alpha trypsin inhibitor, covers the steps required to isolate the protein from body fluids such as blood, serum, saliva or urine. The patent also allows the immunological detection of the biomarker. The biomarker may be useful in the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, a complex of symptoms including abdominal obesity and high cholesterol that is associated with the development of diabetes and cardiac disease. "These patents are the result of discoveries that were made in our proteomics research programs," said Howard C. Birndorf, Nanogen chairman and chief executive officer. "These intellectual property assets can be leveraged by Nanogen to develop advanced diagnostic products and could be licensed by potential pharma partners who are looking for novel approaches to treat Alzheimer's disease or metabolic disorders." "Source":[ http://www10.nanotechcafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=CorpNews&articleid=261622].

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