Appeal No. 2006-0735
Reexamination Control No. 90/006,036
tethering a localization signal to said therapeutic agent, wherein said
localization signal causes said therapeutic agent to be localized with said viral
target in a cellular or viral compartment of said cell.
7. According to the ‘038 specification:
Prior localization of inhibitory RNAs which may be left in or transported
to the nucleus attempt to flood a large organelle, approximately 10 µM in
diameter...with either antisense or decoy RNA inhibitors. These strategies do not
specifically localize such inhibitors with any specific mRNA and pre-mRNA
target even though approximately 105-106 different targets exist inside the
nucleus.
The present invention however, localizes an inhibitory RNA to a much
smaller compartment, e.g., the core of a retroviral particle approximately 50 nM
in diameter and 10-6 to 10-7 the volume of the nucleus, in which a single large
RNA or DNA species, the viral genomic RNA or DNA exists...This million fold
difference in localization specificity is achieved by targeting the therapeutic to a
sorting pathway which distinguishes viral genomic RNAs and DNAs from the rest
of the RNAs and DNAs in the cell.
(‘038 at 1:40-62).
8. Regarding the “targeting” of the therapeutic agent, the ‘038 specification states the
following:
Those in the art will recognize that many methods can be used for
modification of existing therapeutic agents such that they are caused to be
localized in an appropriate compartment with a viral target. Thus for example,
RNA molecules (all of which are well known in the art) such as decoy RNAs,
ribozymes, antisense RNA or DNA molecules can be synthesized in vivo from
DNA molecules (or formed in vitro) such that they are covalently bonded with a
viral targeting agent, examples of which are provided below. These agents are
termed “localization signals”.
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007