Using Stress Proteins to Help the Body Accept Organ Transplants
A method for preventing organ transplant rejection by using stress proteins to teach the immune system to tolerate donor tissue.
Original patent title: “Method of suppressing graft rejection by means of stress proteins”
A method for preventing organ transplant rejection by using stress proteins to teach the immune system to tolerate donor tissue. Granted to Individual in 1999 with 19 claims and 15 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a way to stop the body from attacking a transplanted organ by using stress proteins. These proteins are naturally occurring molecules that act like a delivery system; when bound to specific antigens from the donor organ, they can be introduced to the recipient's immune system. By presenting these donor-specific markers to immune cells, the treatment aims to modulate the immune response, essentially training the body to accept the graft instead of rejecting it. The process can involve treating cells outside the body or administering the protein-antigen complex directly to the patient.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover general protection against cell death or mortality.
- Does not cover non-specific immune suppression methods like traditional steroids.
- Does not cover the use of stress proteins without an attached donor-specific antigen.
- Does not cover surgical techniques for performing the actual transplant.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The innovation lies in using the stress protein's natural ability to bind and carry peptides to act as a chaperone, delivering the donor's specific identity markers to the immune system in a way that induces tolerance rather than an attack.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Experimental immunotherapy for organ transplantation
Research into antigen-specific tolerance induction
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Organ rejection remains a primary hurdle in transplantation, requiring patients to take lifelong immunosuppressants that leave them vulnerable to infection. This patent proposed a more targeted, biological approach to create immune tolerance, which is the holy grail of transplant medicine. It represents an early attempt to harness the body's own protein machinery to solve the rejection problem.
Filed
December 27, 1996
Granted
April 6, 1999
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
The field of transplant immunology has moved toward more sophisticated biological agents and gene therapies. Companies like Novartis and various academic research centers continue to explore antigen-specific tolerance, building on the foundational understanding of how immune cells recognize donor proteins.
Market impact
This patent contributed to the body of knowledge regarding immune modulation, though it did not lead to a single dominant commercial product. It reflects the industry shift from broad, systemic immunosuppression toward more precise, targeted therapies that aim to avoid the side effects of traditional anti-rejection drugs.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a way to stop the body from attacking a transplanted organ by using stress proteins. These proteins are naturally occurring molecules that act like a delivery system; when bound to specific antigens from the donor organ, they can be introduced to the recipient's immune system. By presenting these donor-specific markers to immune cells, the treatment aims to modulate the immune response, essentially training the body to accept the graft instead of rejecting it. The process can involve treating cells outside the body or administering the protein-antigen complex directly to the patient.
The clever bit
The innovation lies in using the stress protein's natural ability to bind and carry peptides to act as a chaperone, delivering the donor's specific identity markers to the immune system in a way that induces tolerance rather than an attack.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover general protection against cell death or mortality.
- Does not cover non-specific immune suppression methods like traditional steroids.
- Does not cover the use of stress proteins without an attached donor-specific antigen.
- Does not cover surgical techniques for performing the actual transplant.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
24/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
13/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$23K – $75K
Midpoint $47K · expired or expiring · industry ×3.0
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
19 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Attfield, D. C. (1999). Using Stress Proteins to Help the Body Accept Organ Transplants (U.S. Patent No. 5,891,653). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5891653/hiv-viral-load-test-bdna
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Using Stress Proteins to Help the Body Accept Organ Transplants cover?
A method for preventing organ transplant rejection by using stress proteins to teach the immune system to tolerate donor tissue.
Who owns patent US 5891653?
Individual owns this patent, granted in 1999.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 5891653 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 15 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Organ rejection remains a primary hurdle in transplantation, requiring patients to take lifelong immunosuppressants that leave them vulnerable to infection. This patent proposed a more targeted, biological approach to create immune tolerance, which is the holy grail of transplant medicine. It represents an early attempt to harness the body's own protein machinery to solve the rejection problem.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover general protection against cell death or mortality.
Same assignee
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