Ryogen licenses gene patent to OriGene Technologies

Ryogen and OriGene Technologies have announced today that they have entered into a nonexclusive license agreement whereby OriGene has licensed from Ryogen the patent directed to the clinically important Aminopeptidase P gene.

The US Patent No. 6,399,349 titled "Human Aminopeptidase P Gene," which is the subject of the License Agreement, covers the XPNPEP2 gene that codes for the clinically important protein, membrane-bound aminopeptidase P (AmP) discovered by Dr. James Ryan in the sixties. Dr. Ryan, the Chief Scientist of Ryogen, subsequently sequenced the XPNPEP2 gene that codes for the AmP. This gene is a significant marker for hypertension, angioedema, rejection of kidney transplants, certain tumors and other diseases. This valuable patent covers the cDNA and gDNA sequences encoding AmP, a method of producing recombinant AmP, diagnostics for detecting AmP abnormalities, and prevention and treatment of medical conditions, associated with the mutation of the AmP gene.

"We are happy to extend a license under the AmP Patent to OriGene Technologies," said Valeria Poltorak, Ryogen's Vice President. "We look forward to working with OriGene to make this important discovery available for research applications," she concluded.