Innovation Cache™: Iowa State University
Below you will find a listing of the top technology transfer abstracts from Iowa State University.
Title: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Plant Compounds for Nutraceutical or Pharmaceutical Uses
Reference: 3460
About the technology: Iowa State University researchers have identified compounds in orangegrass that have anti-inflammatory activity. Medicinal plants, such as St. John’s Wort, have received attention as supplements to treat various conditions or to promote general health and well-being. These plants also represent a valuable resource for the identification of compounds that may have utility as new therapeutic agents. Hypericum gentianoides, or orangegrass, is a plant native to the eastern half of the United States that was used by Native Americans to treat a variety of disorders, such as fever or wounds. While investigating the properties of organgegrass, ISU researchers have identified a series of closely related compounds in its extracts that exhibit anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of prostaglandin E synthesis. These compounds are abundant in orangegrass relative to other secondary metabolites, demonstrate anti-inflammatory activity at low doses, and exhibit low cytotoxicity. Thus, these natural compounds may have utility as nutraceuticals or as the basis for the design of novel therapeutic agents.
Advantage:
• Effective (doses as low as 1 ug/ml show anti-inflammatory activity)
• Abundant (the bioactive compounds account for approximately 20% of the dry plant tissue or 2% of the fresh tissue)
• Nontoxic (cytotoxicity is not observed at doses with anti-inflammatory activity)
• Versatile (may be used without modification for nutraceutical applications or as the starting point for new drug development)
Application: Novel Anti-Inflammatory Agents for Topical Use or Drug Development Stage: Molecular structure has been identified, and anti-inflammatory activity with limited cytotoxicity has been demonstrated at concentrations as low as 2 micromolar using purified compounds in a bioassay with lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mammalian cells. ISU is seeking partners interested in commercializing this technology.
References:
Publication: “Characterizing the Metabolic Fingerprint and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Hypericum gentianoides”, Matthew L. Hillwig, Kimberly D.P. Hammer, Diane F. Birt, Eve Syrkin Wurtele, 2008, J. Agric. Food Chem., 56 (12) 4359-4366
Supporting Documents: ISURF #3460 Supporting Document
Patents: 7854946 (Issued December 21, 2010) Entitled "Anti-inflammatory & Anti-HIV Compositions...."
License Associate: Dario Valenzuela
E-mail: dariov@iastate.edu
Phone: 515-294-4470
Title: High Protein Low Starch QQS Soybeans for Enhanced Value
Reference: 3844
Summary: Iowa State University researchers have identified a gene called QQS that can lead to the development of high protein soybeans and other crops. Biochemical components such as starch, oil, and protein content can be important determinants of a crop’s value. Increasing the nutritional value of crop plants by developing high protein varieties has been a goal of plant breeders. In soybeans, protein content accounts for the majority of their compositional value. It has been argued that low protein soybeans are costing the soybean industry as a whole due to discounted pricing for U.S. soybeans, which are comparatively low-protein, on the world market. Recent poultry feeding studies (Baker et al. in Poultry Science 90: 390-395, 2011) showed that soybean meal produced from high protein or low oligosaccharide soybeans could be fed in smaller amounts to chickens since they have a greater nutritional value than soybean meal produced from conventional varieties of soybeans. As part of an ongoing research effort to understand the regulation of composition in plants, ISU researchers developed transgenic soybean lines carrying the Arabidopsis QQS gene, whose over-expression leads to significantly increased protein content and decreased starch in mature soybean seeds. Consequently, the QQS gene may have utility for creating elite soybean lines with enhanced value for end-user applications such as poultry and livestock feed. This technology may also enable the development of other high protein crops, such as rice or corn.
Advantage:
• Large single gene effect
• Enables development of high protein soybeans and other crops
• QQS gene is a native plant gene
Application: Agricultural Biotechnology
Stage: Over-expression of QQS significantly increases the protein content in mature soybean seeds compared to seeds from a wild type line. ISU is seeking partners interested in commercializing this technology.
References: 1: “Identification of the novel protein QQS as a component of the starch metabolic network in Arabidopsis leaves”, Li, Ling et al. 2009. Plant J. 58:485-498. Supporting Documents:
ISURF #3844 Supporting Document
Patents: Patent(s) Applied For
License Associate: Dario Valenzuela
E-mail: dariov@iastate.edu
Phone: 515-294-4470
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