Multicellular organisms derived from normal/nondiseased and diseased mammalian tissues
AssigneeDenovo Biologic LLC
InventorDouglas Robinson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to pleomorphic cells (“morphotes”), which exhibit morphologic and genetic characteristics of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, including resemblance to prokaryotic cells at the unicellular level, and resemblance to eukaryotic cells at the multicellular level due to their ability to self-organize in vitro into multicellular, mammalian tissue-like patterns consisting of tissue-like sheets, capillary-like networks, and trabecular (spongy) bone-like structures. Morphotes have a number of applications in the diagnostic medical, therapeutic medical, biological, biomaterials, bionanotechnological, and industrial fields.
Claims38
A culture of morphotes derived from mammalian tissues.
A therapeutic vaccine to treat mammalian disease, produced from a culture of morphotes derived from mammalian tissues, wherein said morphotes exhibit multicellular self-organization when cultured in vitro.
A method for screening therapeutic modalities for efficacy against mammalian disease states that are associated with infection with morphotes, comprising
- a) exposing a culture of morphotes derived from diseased mammalian tissues to a candidate therapy, and
- b) culturing the morphotes, while exposed to the therapy, for a time sufficient to determine whether the morphotes are inhibited or killed by the candidate therapy, inhibition or killing being an indicator of therapeutic efficacy of the therapy.
A method for manufacturing an implantable biomaterial scaffold comprising
- (a) culturing morphotes to form a matrix in the form of a sheet, fibrous network or sponge,
- (b) rendering the morphotes non-vital after the matrix is formed, to provide an implantable biomaterial scaffold,
- (c) optionally removing the non-vital morphotes from the implantable biomaterial scaffold.
A process for producing a microarray or biochip to aid in the diagnosis of mammalian diseases associated with morphote infections, comprising
- (a) isolating genomic DNA from a candidate morphote or morphotes,
- (b) deriving target DNA, cDNA, or oligonucleotides from this morphote genomic DNA,
- (c) immobilizing said target DNA, cDNA, or oligonucleotides in an orderly array on suitably rigid, non-chemically reactive support.
A method for treating waste comprising
- (a) obtaining morphotes which produce one or more enzymes capable of breaking down a waste material to be treated,
- (b) applying the multicellular culture of morphotes to the waste to be treated,
- (c) allowing the multicellular culture of morphotes to remain in contact with the waste for a time sufficient to at least partly break down the waste.
A method for detecting impending disease in a patient prior to clinical manifestation of the disease, comprising detecting the presence in the patient's tissues of morphotes associated with the presence or progression of the disease.
A method for expressing a gene of interest in a morphote mesh or tissue-like pattern of distribution, comprising
- (a) inserting a gene of interest into a morphote to provide a recombinant morphote expressing the gene of interest,
- (b) culturing the recombinant morphote in a mesh or tissue-like structure, wherein the gene of interest is expressed by the morphote in the mesh or tissue-like structure.
A method to promote healing of a wound or other tissue damage comprising
- (a) culturing morphotes to form a matrix in the form of a sheet, fibrous network or sponge,
- (b) applying the matrix to a wound or damaged tissue,
- (c) maintaining contact between the matrix and the wound or damaged tissue for a time sufficient to promote the healing of the wound or damaged tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.