NSF Award
9561199
9561199 Naleway This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to investigate the feasibility of developing new compounds capable of utilizing common marker gene expression in transformed cells to control the growth and character of cells in living tissue. If successful, the research will provide breakthroughs needed to advance the promising commercial uses of recombinant genes. Marker Gene Technologies will establish the feasibility of the technology by preparing new galactoside and Cephalosporin conjugates of common growth regulators, drugs and enzyme inhibitors, for administration to a variety of animal cells or bacteria that contain either the B-galactosidase (lac Z) or ampicillin resistance (B-lactamase, amp) genes as gene fusion markers. These new conjugates will provide innovative methods of detecting gene fusion's and utilizing these fusion systems in transformed cells to control selected biological properties of the cells. The new conjugates will be assayed in tissue culture and in vivo for their ability to cause specific and localized inhibition or improvement of cell growth in culture and to deliver these conjugates in a cell- or tissue-specific manner. This work will provide the foundation for the next phase of the project in which the conjugates will be tested in a variety of commercial applications. Marker Gene Technologies brings 12 years of experience in the area of marker gene research to this project. The company sells a variety of market gene-directed conjugates, molecular biology kits, and inhibitors to the worldwide scientific community. The success of this project opens up significant commercial possibilities in the fields of plant and crop production, medical intervention in genetic diseases, immunoadjuvant therapy for cancer treatment, and biotechnological production of new proteins and drugs in cell-culture systems. In addition, it contributes new information and techniques for basic cell-biology research.
