Nanogen, Inc., developer of advanced diagnostic products, has been issued six patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office for inventions related to diabetes and Alzheimers disease and biomarkers.
US Patent No. 7,052, 849, "Protein biopolymer markers predictive of insulin resistance," US Patent No. 7, 049,397, "Biopolymer marker indicative of disease state having a molecular weight of 1211 Daltons," and US Patent No. 7,087,435, "Biopolymer marker indicative of disease state having a molecular weight of 2735 Daltons," relate to the use of mass spectrometry and time of flight detection to identify various biomarkers such as those associated with metabolic Syndrome X and conditions linked to Syndrome X. Early stages of Syndrome X are characterized by insulin resistance, abnormal blood lipids and high blood pressure; later stages lead to overt diabetes, kidney failure and heart failure.
In addition, US Patent No. 7,026,129 "IG lambda biopolymer markers predictive of Alzheimers disease," and US Patent No. 7,074,576, "Protein biopolymer markers indicative of Alzheimers disease," relate to the utilization of mass spectrometry and time-of-flight detection measures to elucidate biopolymer markers associated with Alzheimers disease and Syndrome X.
US Patent No. 7,070,945, "Process for determining the presence of monomeric brain associated human glutamine synthetase in patients exhibiting mild cognitive impairment," claims a method for determining those patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment who have a likelihood of progressing to Alzheimers disease. The method involves directly detecting the presence of a biochemical marker, specifically human glutamine synthetase, by immunoassay of bodily fluids. In addition, a method for distinguishing between AD and non-AD dementia is disclosed.