US Patent Issued to Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research on June 17 for "Protein modification of living cells using sortase" (American, German Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 19 -- United States Patent no. 12,331,311, issued on June 17, was assigned to Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (Cambridge, Mass.).

"Protein modification of living cells using sortase" was invented by Lee Kim Swee (Heidelberg, Germany) and Hidde L. Ploegh (Jamaica Plain, Mass.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Non-genetically engineered mammalian cells modified by sortase-mediated conjugation of an agent thereto are provided. Methods of conjugating agents to non-genetically engineered mammalian cells using sortase are provided. Methods of using the cells, e.g., for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes, are provided."

The patent was filed on Feb. 15, 2019, under...