Discoveries
In 2001, Sierra Sciences discovered a repressor binding site (dubbed "Site C") that blocks the expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase ("TERT"). For this discovery, Sierra Sciences was issued U.S. patent #6,686,159 in 2004. Sierra Sciences discovered another repressor bind site, "GC-Box 5," in 2004, for which it was issued patent #7,279,328 in 2007.
Sierra Sciences discovered methods of assaying TERT promoter modulatory agents, allowing the company to efficiently check a variety of compounds to see if they inhibit repression of hTERT, in 2005. For this discovery, it was issued U.S. patent #7,226,744 in 2007.
In 2007, Sierra Sciences discovered a small-molecule, drug-like compound that turns on the expression of telomerase in human cells. The compound is internally known as "C0057684."
In 2008, using C0057684 as a positive control, Sierra Sciences developed a real-time PCR based high-throughput screening assay to more efficiently screen for compounds that transiently induce the expression of endogenous telomerase in human cells. Sierra Sciences has already identified more than fifty such drugs and is characterizing their mechanism of action.
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