The Nanotechnology Patent ‘Gold Rush’

426-433During the past decade, a swarm of patent applications pertaining to nanotechnology has been arriving at all the major patent offices of the world, including the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As companies develop products and processes and begin to seek commercial applications for their inventions, securing valid and defensible patent protection will be vital to their long-term survival. In the decades to come, with nanotechnology further maturing and the promised breakthroughs accruing, patents will generate licensing revenue, provide leverage in deals and mergers, and reduce the like-lihood of infringement. Because development of nanotech-related products is extremely research intensive, without the mar-ket exclusivity offered by a US patent, development of these products and their commercial viability in the marketplace will be significantly hampered. In this paper, effects of ‘nanopatent gold rush’ that is underway by ‘patent prospectors’ as start-ups are highlighted whereby corporations compete to lock up broad patents in these critical early days. In fact, the entire US patent system is under greater scrutiny and strain, with the USPTO continuing to struggle with evaluating nanotech-related patent applications. It is unclear whether the nanotech industry will thrive like the information technology (IT) industry or get bogged down like the radio patent deadlock

Rational design of a JAK1-selective siRNA inhibitor for the modulation of autoimmunity in the skin

Abstract Inhibition of Janus kinase (JAK) family enzymes is a popular strategy for treating inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases. In the clinic, small molecule JAK inhibitors show distinct efficacy and safety profiles, likely reflecting variable selectivity for JAK subtypes. Absolute JAK subtype selectivity has not yet been achieved. Here, we rationally design small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that offer sequence-specific gene silencing of JAK1, narrowing the spectrum of action on JAK-dependent cytokine signaling to maintain efficacy and improve safety. Our fully chemically modified siRNA supports efficient silencing of JAK1 expression in human skin explant and modulation of JAK1-dependent inflammatory signaling. A single injection into mouse skin enables five weeks of duration of effect. In a mouse model of vitiligo, local administration of the JAK1 siRNA significantly reduces skin infiltration of autoreactive CD8+ T cells and prevents epidermal depigmentation. This work establishes a path toward siRNA treatments as a new class of therapeutic modality for inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases