NOVEL CELL LINE FOR STUDYING DRUG TRANSPORT AND DELIVERY WITH REGULATED GENE EXPRESSION

Polarized eplithelial cells in culture are very useful for studying drug transport and delivery. The cells often used for such studies are CaCo2 (human colon carcinoma) cells, however these are difficult to work with. MDCK (Madin-Darby canine kidney) cells are easier to work with. However MDCK cells do not allow reliable regulated gene expression of exogenous proteins, especially those that are toxic. Researchers at UCSF have recently developed a system to express in MDCK cells those proteins which have been previously impossible to express. The system allows for more reliable expression of exogenous proteins in an inducible manner in MDCK cells and is an advance over previous methods which have required limiting research to expressible proteins or using recombinant adenovirus infections. This method should also work in other cell types and in high throughput studies.

If you would like to receive further information about this technology and potential licensing opportunities, please contact:

Joel B. Kirschbaum, Ph.D.
Director & Senior Technology Portfolio Manager
(415) 353-4462 phone
(415) 348-1579 fax
Joel Kirschbaum, Ph.D.

Reference: OTM Case #SF99-063