The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Lupus (15 page)

years from the date when the patent application was filed. If the inventor

wishes to receive economic benefits, it is likely that the invention will

become commercially available to patients with lupus nephritis within 20

years of the initial filing. It is important to understand, therefore, that an inventor’s patent does not indicate that a product or service is or will be

commercially available to patients with lupus nephritis. The patent implies

only that the inventor has “the right to exclude others from making, using,

offering for sale, or selling” the invention in the United States. While this

relates to U.S. patents, similar rules govern foreign patents.

In this chapter, we show you how to locate information on patents and their

inventors. If you find a patent that is particularly interesting to you, contact the inventor or the assignee for further information.

25Adapted from The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office:

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/whatis.htm
.

74 Lupus Nephritis

Patents on Lupus Nephritis

By performing a patent search focusing on lupus nephritis, you can obtain

information such as the title of the invention, the names of the inventor(s),

the assignee(s) or the company that owns or controls the patent, a short

abstract that summarizes the patent, and a few excerpts from the description

of the patent. The abstract of a patent tends to be more technical in nature,

while the description is often written for the public. Full patent descriptions contain much more information than is presented here (e.g. claims,

references, figures, diagrams, etc.). We will tell you how to obtain this

information later in the chapter. The following is an example of the type of

information that you can expect to obtain from a patent search on lupus

nephritis:

·
Method for Treatment of Lupus Nephritis

Inventor(s): Clark; William F. (1132 Richmond Street, London, Ontario,

CA), Parbtani; Anwar (418 Rippleton Rd., London, Ontario, CA)

Assignee(s): none reported

Patent Number: 5,837,256

Date filed: December 19, 1996

Abstract: It has been found that by administering secoisolariciresinol ›2,3-

bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)butane-1,4-diol! from flaxseed in

substantially pure form to a human or non-human animal, lupus

nephritis can be controlled. The secoisolariciresinol (Seco) may be used

per se or in the form of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG). Both

compounds may be extracted from flaxseed and the SDG converts to Seco

in the gut of a human or animal.

Excerpt(s): This invention relates to a method for the treatment of lupus

nephritis. ... Lupus nephritis is considered in medical circles to be the

"classical" auto-immune disease in which the patient's immune system attacks his/her own organs. It has been estimated that 45-75% of lupus

patient's eventually suffer from some form or other of kidney damage.

Lupus varies greatly in severity from mild cases requiring minimal

intervention to those in which significant damage occurs to vital organs

such as lungs, kidneys, heart and brain, and which ultimately can be

fatal. Lupus is predominantly a female disease, an approximate female to

male ratio being 9:1. In North America, it is estimated to affect 1 in 500

female mainly between the age of 20 to 40 years. Treatment is directed at

controlling the symptoms with the hope of putting the disease into

remission. There are several chemotherapeutic agents in commercial use

and available for remedial purposes. Most of these agents are not without

Patents 75

side effects, some of which are severe and debilitating to the patient.

Some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents may cause stomach upsets

and changes in kidney function which can mimic some lupus symptoms

themselves. Some anti-malarial drugs, when required at high dosage

levels over prolonged time frame, may accumulate in the retina and

cause loss of vision. Certain steroidal preparations are used for their anti-

inflammatory activity. These can exhibit side effects such as pronounced

swelling of the face and abdomen, weight gain, excessive growth of body

hair, cataracts, osteoporosis and heart attacks. Use of

immunosuppressants can have serious side effects such as changes in

bone marrow, increased risk of infection to which the body normally

shows resistance and a slight increase in the risk of developing certain

types of cancer. There is no known cure for lupus. ... Several reports have

appeared in the scientific and medical literature concerning the ability of

ground flaxseed to act as a mediator in the partial control of Lupus

nephritis. At a level of intake of up to 30 grams per day, ground flaxseed

has been shown to reduce the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels

by 12% and improve renal function in patients with lupus nephritis

›(Clark, Parbtani et al., (1995) Flaxseed: A potential treatment for lupus

nephritis, Kidney International 48: 475-480!. Beyond this intake level, side

effects are evident such as Taxation probably due to increased

fibre/mucilage intake.

Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05837256__

Patent Applications on Lupus Nephritis

As of December 2000, U.S. patent applications are open to public viewing.
26

Applications are patent requests which have yet to be granted (the process to

achieve a patent can take several years).

Keeping Current

In order to stay informed about patents and patent applications dealing with

lupus nephritis, you can access the U.S. Patent Office archive via the Internet at no cost to you. This archive is available at the following Web address:
http://www.uspto.gov/main/patents.htm
. Under “Services,” click on “Search Patents.” You will see two broad options: (1) Patent Grants, and (2) Patent

Applications. To see a list of granted patents, perform the following steps:

Under “Patent Grants,” click “Quick Search.” Then, type “lupus nephritis”

26 This has been a common practice outside the United States prior to December 2000.

76 Lupus Nephritis

(or synonyms) into the “Term 1” box. After clicking on the search button,

scroll down to see the various patents which have been granted to date on

lupus nephritis. You can also use this procedure to view pending patent

applications concerning lupus nephritis. Simply go back to the following

Web address:
http://www.uspto.gov/main/patents.htm
. Under “Services,”

click on “Search Patents.” Select “Quick Search” under “Patent

Applications.” Then proceed with the steps listed above.

Vocabulary Builder

Abdomen:
That portion of the body that lies between the thorax and the pelvis. [NIH]

Cataract:
An opacity, partial or complete, of one or both eyes, on or in the lens or capsule, especially an opacity impairing vision or causing blindness.

The many kinds of cataract are classified by their morphology (size, shape,

location) or etiology (cause and time of occurrence). [EU]

Cholesterol:
The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils. [NIH]

Immunosuppressant:
An agent capable of suppressing immune responses.

[EU]

Mediator:
An object or substance by which something is mediated, such as (1) a structure of the nervous system that transmits impulses eliciting a

specific response; (2) a chemical substance (transmitter substance) that

induces activity in an excitable tissue, such as nerve or muscle; or (3) a

substance released from cells as the result of the interaction of antigen with antibody or by the action of antigen with a sensitized lymphocyte. [EU]

Osteoporosis:
Reduction in the amount of bone mass, leading to fractures after minimal trauma. [EU]

Retina:
The ten-layered nervous tissue membrane of the eye. It is

continuous with the optic nerve and receives images of external objects and

transmits visual impulses to the brain. Its outer surface is in contact with the choroid and the inner surface with the vitreous body. The outer-most layer is

pigmented, whereas the inner nine layers are transparent. [NIH]

Stomach:
An organ of digestion situated in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen between the termination of the esophagus and the beginning of the

duodenum. [NIH]

Books 77

CHAPTER 6. BOOKS ON LUPUS NEPHRITIS

Overview

This chapter provides bibliographic book references relating to lupus

nephritis. You have many options to locate books on lupus nephritis. The

simplest method is to go to your local bookseller and inquire about titles that they have in stock or can special order for you. Some patients, however, feel

uncomfortable approaching their local booksellers and prefer online sources

(e.g.
www.amazon.com
and
www.bn.com
). In addition to online

booksellers, excellent sources for book titles on lupus nephritis include the

Combined Health Information Database and the National Library of

Medicine. Once you have found a title that interests you, visit your local

public or medical library to see if it is available for loan.

The Combined Health Information Database collects various book abstracts

from a variety of healthcare institutions and federal agencies. To access these summaries, go to
http://chid.nih.gov/detail/detail.html
.
You
will need to use the “Detailed Search” option. To find book summaries, use the drop boxes at

the bottom of the search page where “You may refine your search by.” Select

the dates and language you prefer. For the format option, select

“Monograph/Book.” Now type “lupus nephritis” (or synonyms) into the

“For these words:” box. You will only receive results on books. You should

check back periodically with this database which is updated every 3 months.

The following is a typical result when searching for books on lupus

nephritis:

78 Lupus Nephritis

·
Clinical Nephrology

Source: River Edge, NJ: World Scientific Publishing Co., Inc. 1998. 340 p.

Contact: Available from World Scientific Publishing Co., Inc. 1060 Main

Street, River Edge, NJ 07661. (800) 227-7562 or (201) 487-9655. Fax (888)

977-2665 or (201) 487-9656. E-mail: [email protected]. Website:

www.wspc.com. Price: $15.00 plus shipping and handling. ISBN:

9810234848.

Summary: This book provides a broad review of kidney diseases, with

regard to symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment; the book is designed to

help medical students prepare for their examinations and also to be

useful to practicing physicians who need an overview of kidney disease.

Twenty-seven chapters are included: the structure and function of the

kidneys; symptoms and signs in renal (kidney) medicine; renal

investigations (diagnostic tests); glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the

kidney glomeruli, bundles of filtering units called nephrons); the

nephrotic syndrome (a condition with symptoms of fluid accumulation,

protein in the urine, and susceptibility to infections); the pathogenesis

(development) and treatment of IgA nephritis (kidney inflammation due

to a specific immune system disorder); lupus nephritis (kidney

inflammation due to lupus erythematosus, a systemic inflammatory

disorder); urinary tract infection; sex and the kidney; hypertension (high

blood pressure) and the kidney; diuretics (drugs used to promote the

formation of urine); kidney stones (calculi, nephrolithiasis); diabetes

mellitus and the kidney; fluid and electrolytes; acid base balance; clinical

problems in fluids, electrolytes, and acid base balance; renal tubular

acidosis; renal tubular disorders; systemic disease and the kidney;

pregnancy and the kidney; cancer and the kidney; inherited kidney

diseases; drugs and the kidney; acute renal failure (ARF); chronic renal

failure (CRF); dialysis; and renal transplantation. Each chapter includes

illustrations, tables, answers to common questions, and a list of references

for additional study; a subject index concludes the book.

·
Renal Disease: Classification and Atlas of Glomerular Diseases. 2nd ed

Source: New York, NY: Igaku-Shoin Medical Publishers, Inc. 1995. 541 p.

Contact: Available from Igaku-Shoin. One Madison Avenue, New York,

NY 10010. (800) 765-0800 or (212) 779-0123. Fax (212) 779-0322. Price:

$159.95 (as of 1996). ISBN: 0896402576.

Summary: This atlas of renal diseases has two sections. The first provides

a listing of glomerular lesions and gives their definitions. It also presents

the main clinical and morphological features of glomerular processes in a

tabular format. The second section describes and illustrates the various

Books 79

glomerular processes. Topics include: primary glomerular disease,

including glomerulonephritis; lupus nephritis; IgA nephropathy;

glomerular lesions in systemic bacterial infections; parasitic

glomerulopathies; systemic vasculitis; thrombotic microangiopathy,

including the hemolytic-uremic syndrome and thrombotic

thrombocytopenic purpura; benign nephrosclerosis; diabetic