{
  "patent_number": "US 5176995",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Using PCR to Detect Viruses in Blood and Tissue Samples",
  "original_title": "Detection of viruses by amplification and hybridization",
  "summary": "A 1989 patent by Nobel laureate Kary Mullis and his team on using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to replicate and detect tiny amounts of viral DNA or RNA, such as HIV and Hepatitis B, directly from human clinical samples.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a method to detect viruses in human samples like blood or semen by copying their genetic material millions of times using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The process starts by mixing the sample with two short DNA starters called primers, free genetic building blocks (nucleoside triphosphates), and a copying enzyme (polymerase). First, the primers bind to the viral DNA if it is present. Next, the enzyme builds a copy of the target viral sequence. The mixture is then heated to separate the newly made strands, and the cooling and copying cycle is repeated multiple times to amplify the target sequence to detectable levels. Finally, a labeled probe binds to the amplified DNA to confirm the virus is present. For example, this method can detect HIV or Hepatitis B in a patient's blood sample without needing to grow the virus in a laboratory first.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover detecting viruses using antibody-based tests (like ELISA) that do not amplify nucleic acids.",
    "Does not cover amplification techniques that do not use thermal denaturation to separate DNA strands (such as isothermal amplification).",
    "Does not cover genetic amplification of non-viral DNA, such as human genomic DNA or bacterial DNA.",
    "Does not cover methods that detect viral proteins rather than viral nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)."
  ],
  "filed": "1989-08-15",
  "granted": "1993-01-05",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Hoffmann La Roche Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/hoffmann-la-roche-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Kary B. Mullis",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/kary-b-mullis"
    },
    {
      "name": "John J. Sninsky",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/john-j-sninsky"
    },
    {
      "name": "Henry A. Ehrlich",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/henry-a-ehrlich"
    },
    {
      "name": "David H. Mack",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/david-h-mack"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shirley Y. Kwok",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/shirley-y-kwok"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 122,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": "The presence or absence of a nucleic acid sequence associated with one or more related viruses in a sample containing one or more nucleic acids and suspected of containing such sequence can be detected by amplifying the sequence using primers to form extension products as templates and detecting the amplified product if it is present. This may be accomplished by adding a labeled hybridization probe to the amplified product either free in solution or after immobilization on a solid support. Preferably the virus constitutes AIDs viruses and hepadnaviruses.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5176995/hiv-pcr-detection",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5176995/hiv-pcr-detection/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US5176995",
  "relatedPatents": []
}