Claims for Patent: 6,183,969

Summary for Patent: 6,183,969

Title:	Intron-based assay for detecting and characterizing chromosomal rearrangement
Abstract:	An assay is provided for detecting and characterizing chromosomal rearrangements in eukaryotic cells by genetically engineering a eukaryotic cell to contain a selectable/counter-selectable marker gene with a site for generating a double strand break within an intron of the eukaryotic cell; generating the double strand break; detecting cells which repair the double strand break by chromosomal rearrangements; isolating DNA from the detected cells; and characterizing the chromosomal rearrangement as a nonhomologous translocation, inversion, deletion or insertion.
Inventor(s):	Gabriel; Abram (Princeton, NJ)
Assignee:	Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (New Brunswick, NJ)
Application Number:	09/293,569
Patent Claims:	1. An assay for detecting and characterizing chromosomal rearrangements in eukaryotic cells comprising: (a) genetically engineering a eukaryotic cell to contain a selectable/counter-selectable marker gene with a site for generating a double strand break within an intron of the eukaryotic cell; (b) generating the double strand break; (c) detecting cells which repair the double strand break by chromosomal rearrangements; (d) isolating DNA from the detected cells; and (e) characterizing the chromosomal rearrangement as a nonhomologous translocation, inversion, deletion or insertion. 2. The assay of claim 1 further comprising exposing the genetically engineered eukaryotic cells to an environmental factor prior to or concurrent with generating the double strand break so that effects of the environmental factor on chromosomal rearrangement can be determined. 3. The assay of claim 2 wherein the environmental factor is a drug, test drug or chemical agent. 4. The assay of claim 1 wherein a selected gene of the eukaryotic cells is mutated or overexpressed so that effects of mutating or overexpressing the selected gene on chromosomal rearrangement can be determined. 5. The assay of claim 1 wherein the genetically engineered eukaryotic cells comprise yeast cells containing a URA3 gene with an HO endonuclease recognition site within an actin intron of the yeast cells and the double strand break is generated by inducing expression of HO endonuclease in the yeast cell. 6. The assay of claim 5 further comprising exposing the yeast cells to an environmental factor prior to or concurrent with generating the double strand break so that effects of the environmental factor on chromosomal rearrangement can be determined. 7. The assay of claim 6 wherein the environmental factor is a drug, test drug or chemical agent. 8. The assay of claim 5 wherein a selected gene of the yeast cell is mutated or overexpressed so that effects of mutating or overexpressing the selected gene on chromosomal rearrangement can be determined.

Details for Patent 6,183,969

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.	INTRON A	interferon alfa-2b	For Injection	103132	06/04/1986		2039-02-26
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.	INTRON A	interferon alfa-2b	For Injection	103132			2039-02-26
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.	INTRON A	interferon alfa-2b	Injection	103132			2039-02-26