HCV Replicon Licensing
Description of Intellectual Property Rights Offered by Apath
The intellectual property rights included
in the Apath replicon license will include all existing and future Apath
patent applications and issued patents, both owned and in-licensed from
Washington University, which cover use of HCV replicons and infectious
clones. Apath has the right
to sublicense these rights via an exclusive license from Washington
University.
Description of Tangible Property Offered
by Apath
Apath will provide replicon cell lines for which Apath has independent validation
results, along with the replicon cDNA plasmids with which sublicensees
can produce their own cell lines.
Cell lines:
Apath will make available to sublicensees
the following cell lines:
-
Two independently derived Huh7 cell lines containing an HCV subgenomic
replicon:
-
Huh7/Ava.5 (Approximately 300-500
copies of the replicon per cell)
-
Huh7/Clone A (Approximately 2000-5000
copies per cell)
-
The parental Huh7 cells
These replicon cell lines have been shown
to grow well in standard medium. They have been passaged over 75 times
with no change in growth characteristics and no apparent reduction in
replicon levels in the presence of G418 selection. In the absence of
selection, the replicon is maintained for at least four passages. They
have been frozen and thawed multiple times with no apparent change in
phenotype and no apparent reduction in replicon levels. Apath will
provide all the necessary information for propagating the cells (media,
serum, etc.).
Apath has several dozen other replicon
cell lines which are ostensibly similar but which have been less
extensively characterized. Apath will make these cell lines available to
sublicensees if particular characteristics not found in the Ava.5 or
Clone A cells are desired. In addition, upon request by any sublicensee,
Apath may also make available cell lines isolated following transfection
of the "Blazing Blight 7" replicon.
Plasmids:
Apath will also make available the
following
plasmids:
-
The original replicon cDNA used to make the cell lines
-
"Blazing
Blight 7"
cDNA
- Upon request, other replicon cDNA
plasmids containing various adaptive mutations
Apath will provide genetic and physical
maps as well as full sequence information for these plasmids.
Future Improvements
Apath is currently working
on further improvements to the system toward the following goals:
-
Express reporter genes to simplify assays
-
Make it amenable to high-throughput screening
-
Enable replicon trans packaging strategies
-
Produce full-length constructs capable of both replication and spread
-
Extend the range of susceptible host cells
If Apath is successful in producing such
improvements, it is currently our intention to make a selected subset
available on a non-exclusive basis to our licensees for modest fees
relative to the initial sublicense fee.
