The following patents currently provide the foundation of Apath’s intellectual property position with respect to hepatitis C virus (HCV), including HCV replicons:

U.S. 5,874,565 entitled Nucleic Acids Comprising a Highly Conserved Novel 3 Terminal Sequence Element of the Hepatitis C Virus 

U.S. 6,943,246 B2 entitled 3'Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof

EP 0856051 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  (EP equivalent to U.S. 5,874,565) 

AU 713112 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  (Australian equivalent to U.S. 5,874,565) 

MX 223839 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  (Mexican equivalent to U.S. 5,874,565)

IS 123465 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  (Israeli equivalent to U.S. 5,874,565)

JP 3911022 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  (Japanese equivalent to U.S. 5,874,565)

JP 4031511 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  

JP 4077016 entitled Novel 3’ Terminal Sequence of Hepatitis C Virus Genome and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses Thereof  

U.S. 6,297,003 entitled Methods for the Detection of a Novel Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Terminal 3’ Noncoding Region 

U.S. 6,127,116 entitled Functional DNA Clone for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Uses Thereof 

AU 742175 entitled Functional DNA Clone for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Uses Thereof   (Australian equivalent to U.S. 6,127,116)

U.S. 6,392,028 B1 entitled Functional DNA Clone for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Uses Thereof (a continuation patent to U.S. 6,127,116, with additional claims)

U.S. 6,750,009 B1 entitled Multiple Viral Replicon Culture Systems

U.S. 7,049,428 B1 entitled HCV Variants   (Part 1 and 2)

AU 2001263407 entitled HCV Variants 

AU 2006202902 entitled HCV Variants 

CA 2283464 entitled Functional DNA Clone For Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Uses Thereof

U.S. 7,235,394 entitled Methods for Identifying Adaptive Mutations  

U.S. 26,210,969 A1 US Patent Application entitled Infectious, Chimeric Hepatitis C Virus, Methods of Producing the Same and Methods of Use Thereof

Additional ex-U.S. equivalents to the above issued patents are currently pending.  The 3’NTR element of the HCV genome as covered by the ‘565 patent (and its EP counterpart) is essential for hepatitis-C viral replication, and hence HCV replicon functioning.  The specification of the ‘116 patent describes the replicon construct and its use.

All worldwide commercial rights under these patents (including the right to issue sublicenses) have been licensed exclusively to Apath by Washington University, St. Louis.

Apath currently has additional patent applications pending covering replicons and/or their use in drug screening:

In the area of RNA virus detection, Apath is the exclusive licensee (from Washington University, St. Louis) to U.S. 6,270,958 entitled Detection of Negative Stranded RNA Viruses (go to RNA Virus Detection for additional information).