| WARF: P06129US |  |
| Novel Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Protein Complex |
| INVENTORS | • | Brian Fox, Yong Chang |
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial partners interested in developing a novel target and high throughput screening assays for anti-mycobacterial drugs.
OVERVIEW
Integral membrane desaturases, which are enzymes that desaturate fatty acids, impact human health and economics because of their contribution to lipid composition and cellular homeostasis. In mammals, these enzymes are important in the development of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, immune disorders, degenerative neurological diseases and skin diseases, among others. In prokaryotes, such as the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, desaturases play a key role in cell viability. Because the desaturase DesA3 from M. tuberculosis is essential for survival, this enzyme is a potential drug target for the treatment of tuberculosis; however, little is known about its function.
THE INVENTION
UW-Madison researchers have developed M. tuberculosis proteins that are components of a desaturase complex. They discovered that DesA3 functions as part of a multiprotein complex. In addition to DesA3, the complex includes an oxidoreductase. The genes for DesA3 and the DesA3 oxidoreductase, or other desaturases and oxidoreductases, can be used in an assay to identify target ligands that bind to the desaturase complex and alter its activity. Such ligands may lead to the development of new anti-mycobacterial drugs, which could be used to treat leprosy, tuberculosis, Crohn’s disease or other mycobacterial infections.
APPLICATIONS
- Development of anti-mycobacterial drugs for the treatment of diseases such as tuberculosis
KEY BENEFITS
- Provides a novel target and high throughput screening assays for anti-mycobacterial drugs
- May lead to new treatments for tuberculosis
- Enables high throughput screening for DesA3 activity
- Provides a method of screening for ligands that specifically bind a desaturase complex
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For More Information About the Inventors
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Drug Discovery - Targets
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
or phone 608.262.4924. (Clicking this link will open a contact form in a popup window. If you have problems viewing the form, try disabling your popup blocker software.)
Since its founding in 1925 as the patenting and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF has been working with business and industry to transform university research into products that benefit society. WARF intellectual property managers and licensing staff members are leaders in the field of university-based technology transfer. They are familiar with the intricacies of patenting, have worked with researchers in relevant disciplines, understand industries and markets, and have negotiated innovative licensing strategies to meet the individual needs of business clients.
