ConfometRx Awarded Patent on GPCRs that Contain a Stabilizing IC2 Fusion Protein

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ConfometRx is pleased to announce that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently awarded ConfometRx Patent No. 8,470,561 entitled "GPCR comprising an IC2 insertion," which covers G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that have a stabilizing fusion in the second intracellular loop (IC2). Importantly, this patent broadly covers any GPCR that has a stable, folded protein insertion in its IC2 region, as well as crystals containing the same. Also claimed is a method of crystallizing a GPCR fusion protein that has a stable, folded protein insertion in the IC2 region. This patent generically covers stabilizing IC2 fusions of family A, B, and C GPCRs, which are currently of significant interest to the scientific community.

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This patent is one of seven U.S. patents that are either owned by or exclusively licensed to ConfometRx that cover stabilized GPCRs. This patent is owned by ConfometRx and was awarded to Stanford Professor and ConfometRx co-founder, Dr. Brian Kobilka, who recently won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work in this area. ConfometRx, a leader in GPCR structural characterization and analysis, owns or has exclusive rights to patented stabilization technology used to solve at least 20 novel GPCR structures. Other ConfometRx patents on GPCR stabilization are pending both in the United States and abroad.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about ConfometRx's proprietary technology or to discuss a possible partnering arrangement in the United States or abroad, please contact us at Dickstein Shapiro LLP, Attn: Deborah Fishman, 1841 Page Mill Rd., Suite 150, Palo Alto, CA 94304, phone: (650) 690-9500, fax: (650) 690-9501, e-mail:  fishmand@dicksteinshapiro.com.

SOURCE ConfometRx