Odyssey Thera granted U.S. Patent for high-throughput screening of proteins

Odyssey Thera, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 7,855,167.  The invention describes technologies and high-throughput methods for identifying bimolecular interactions in vivo based on protein-fragment complementation assays (PCA).  The patent, the eighteenth assigned to Odyssey Thera, further protects assays utilizing fragments of inherently fluorescent proteins, and the use of these assays for high-throughput screening of defined panels of proteins.  The strategy is applicable in any cell type and using a wide range of reporters and detection methods.  The invention enables identification and validation of genes and proteins involved in any cellular process, and also provides assays to study the effects drugs and gene expression or knockout on specific pathways.

"This patent significantly extends the reach of Odyssey Thera's technology platform," said John K. Westwick, Ph.D., Odyssey Thera President and CEO.  "The assays and their use in gene vs. library and library vs. library screening provide a uniquely powerful strategy for biotherapeutic identification and optimization, diagnostic and biomarker development, the discovery of genetic modifiers of animal and plant cell traits, and bioprocess engineering."

SOURCE Odyssey Thera, Inc.