Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ROSG), a leading developer of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,592,441 to Rosetta Genomics. The patent relates to human microRNA miR-193b, as well as to complementary probes and vectors. This is the third patent issued to Rosetta Genomics by the USPTO. Recently it was shown that downregulation of miR-193b is associated with progression and invasion of human breast cancer (Li et al., Oncogene 2009).
“We are very pleased to add this patent to our growing intellectual property portfolio,” said Ken Berlin, President and CEO. “This recent patent issuance strengthens and validates our strategy of establishing a broad and integrated IP portfolio upon which the company is building its microRNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic discovery engines.”
In addition to the three issued patents, Rosetta Genomics has received eight Notices of Allowance from the USPTO for patent applications related to human Sanger microRNAs 18b, 20b, 92b, 494, 135b, 527, 196b and 491.
Rosetta Genomics has filed more than 20 patent applications worldwide to protect each aspect of its commercial diagnostic products. Many of these applications protect the specific microRNAs used in the company’s products. In addition, the company is pursuing more than 50 patent applications to protect methods of detecting microRNAs and methods of diagnosing and treating diseases with microRNAs.