Sigma-Aldrich and Oxford Biomedica pursue protection of RNAi-related intellectual property file suit against Open Biosystems
Sigma-Aldrich and Oxford BioMedica have filed a lawsuit against Open Biosystems for infringement of key patents that cover key lentiviral-based systems for delivery of foreign DNA to a broad array of mammalian cells.
The complaint, which was filed in US District Court Eastern District of Missouri, alleges that Open Biosystems is infringing US patent nos 6924123 and 7056699.
Rights to the patents, both entitled Lentiviral LTR Deleted Vector, were exclusively licensed for research use to Sigma-Aldrich by Oxford BioMedica in October 2005.
The suit states that, among other products, Open Biosystems's Lentiviral shRNAmir Library is marketed and sold to researchers and research institutions for incorporation into viral particles that infringe one or more claims of the patents.
Sigma-Aldrich has invested in its RNAi programme through significant intellectual property and licensing activities.
The lawsuit filed against Open Biosystems is a result of Sigma-Aldrich's desire to actively protect its intellectual property in this field.
Oxford BioMedica's LentiVector system has broad applications in gene delivery and can be used to deliver shRNA-encoding DNA to cells to enable RNA Interference (RNAi) experiments.
RNAi is a natural cellular process that is involved in the regulation of gene expression.
In recent years scientists have developed methods that allow RNAi to be exploited as a research tool to decipher the function of particular genes.
Over the course of the last 12 months Sigma-Aldrich has made several investments in technology and intellectual property in the rapidly evolving area of RNAi through its membership in the RNAi Consortium (TRC), the acquisition of Proligo to solidify its capabilities in RNA synthesis and by obtaining exclusive and non-exclusive licenses to a broad portfolio of RNAi related patents for the research field.
"Sigma-Aldrich has made significant investments in creating the most comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property to allow our customers freedom to operate in the cutting-edge arena of RNA interference," said Shaf Yousaf, president of Sigma-Aldrich's research biotechnology business unit.
"Our actions will be to defend our investments and the valuable intellectual property."
