title: Recent patents involving virus nucleotide sequences; host defense, RNA silencing and expression vector strategies.
abstract: Improved knowledge of the molecular biology of viruses, including recent gains in virus sequence data analysis, has greatly contributed to recent innovations in medical diagnostics, therapeutics, drug development and other related areas. Virus sequences have been used for the development of vaccines and antiviral agents to block the spread of viral infections, as well as to target and battle chronic diseases such as cancer. Virus sequences are now routinely employed in a wide array of RNA silencing technologies. Viruses can also be engineered into expression vectors which in turn can be used as protein production platforms as well as delivery vehicles for gene therapies. This review article outlines a number of patents that have been recently issued with respect to virus sequence data and describes some of their biotechnological applications.
authors.affiliation: Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5G 3B2.
authors.forename: Tauqeer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Mounir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: AbouHaidar
authors.forename: Kathleen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hefferon
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D010330:Patents as Topic; D034622:RNA Interference; D014612:Vaccines; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014612:Vaccines