Ryogen Gets Patent on Soluble Aminopeptidase P Gene

Business Wire, Oct 29, 2007

SUFFERN, N.Y. -- Ryogen LLC announced today that it has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the soluble aminopeptidase P gene. US Patent No. 7,273,718, entitled "Isolated Genomic Polynucleotide Fragments from Chromosome 10q25.3 that Encode Human Soluble Aminopeptidase P", was issued on September 25, 2007 (the "Patent").

The Patent covers an isolated genomic polynucleotide fragment that encodes human soluble (cytosolic) aminopeptidase P, vectors and hosts containing the fragment and fragments hybridizing to noncoding regions, as well as antisense oligonucleotides to these fragments, and methods of using these fragments to obtain human soluble aminopeptidase P to diagnose, treat, prevent and/or ameliorate a pathological disorder.

"I am very gratified that the US Patent Office awarded us this patent", said Dr. James W. Ryan, the inventor and Chief Scientist of Ryogen. "Soluble aminopeptidase P, a near-ubiquitous enzyme, is over-expressed in a wide range of solid tissue cancers. It is postulated to play roles in the metabolism of bradykinin, substance P and proline-rich collagen-derived peptides. This patent provides means of defining in detail operations of the gene that encodes the enzyme and the coding and noncoding variants that affect gene transcription and then translation. Clearly, there is now a sound basis for defining roles of the gene and the enzyme in cancer progression."

The Patent is an important addition to the Ryogen patent portfolio, which includes the previously issued U.S. Patent No. 6,399,349, entitled "Human Aminopeptidase P Gene" and patent applications in various stages of consideration by the US Patent Office.

"Ryogen has successfully licensed the Human Aminopeptidase P Gene patent to several companies, supplying the research communities with reagents," said Valeria Poltorak, Ryogen's Executive Vice President. "We are planning to license the newly issued Patent, and make this gene widely available for research so as to promote the development of genetic testing and treatment," she concluded.

About Ryogen LLC

Ryogen LLC, headquartered in Suffern, NY, is a genomic start-up and a portfolio company of IP Holdings LLC, an idea incubator also located in Suffern, NY. In addition to U.S. Patents Nos. 6,399,349 and 7,273,718, Ryogen owns an important IP portfolio pertaining to the human genome. Those inventions are directed to genes of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, Snare YKT6, glucokinase, adipocyte enhancer binding protein, POLD2 polymerase, SMS3, Phemx (TSSC6), TSSC4, HASH2, ribosomal protein L26, MDM2, carboxypeptidase D, carboxypeptidase M, RhoC, retinol binding protein, resistin, syntaxin and the CD81 antigen.

For further information on Ryogen contact Valeria Poltorak, Ryogen LLC, Montebello Park, 75 Montebello Road, Suffern, NY 10901; telephone: (845) 368-4000 x111; or e-mail: valeria@ryogen.com.

About IP Holdings LLC

IP Holdings LLC is an idea incubator with a focus on patent commercialization. For further information on IP Holdings contact IP Holdings LLC, Montebello Park, 75 Montebello Road, Suffern, NY 10901; telephone: (845) 368-4000; e-mail: info@ip-holdings.com or visit www.ip-holdings.com.