Patents

Landmark and notable patents connected to topics on this site. Each number, title, assignee, date and status was checked on its Google Patents page on 2026-10-19. Status can change; follow the link for the current record. A patent is a legal claim of invention, not evidence that something works. Every topic page also has a "Patents" box with a ready-made Google Patents search.

Oil-eating bacteria

US4259444A: Microorganisms having multiple compatible degradative energy-generating plasmids and preparation thereof
General Electric Co (inventor Ananda M. Chakrabarty). Filed 1972 · granted 1981 · Status: Expired
The oil-eating Pseudomonas patent at the centre of the 1980 US Supreme Court case Diamond v. Chakrabarty.

CRISPR and gene drives

US8697359B1: CRISPR-Cas systems and methods for altering expression of gene products
Broad Institute; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (inventor Feng Zhang). Filed 2013 · granted 2014 · Status: Granted (active)
First US CRISPR-Cas9 patent issued, covering use in eukaryotic cells.
US20140068797A1: Methods and compositions for RNA-directed target DNA modification and for RNA-directed modulation of transcription
As listed on Google Patents: University of California; University of Vienna (inventors Jennifer A. Doudna, Martin Jinek, Emmanuelle Charpentier and others). Filed 2013 · granted 2019 · Status: Application published 2014; granted 2019 as US10266850B2 (active)
The CRISPR-Cas9 application from Doudna, Charpentier and colleagues.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP)

US5491084A: Uses of green-fluorescent protein
Columbia University; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (inventors Martin Chalfie, Douglas Prasher). Filed 1993 · granted 1996 · Status: Expired
Use of GFP as a marker for gene expression in cells.

Thermus aquaticus and Taq polymerase

US4683202A: Process for amplifying nucleic acid sequences
Cetus Corp; now Roche Molecular Systems (inventor Kary B. Mullis). Filed 1985 · granted 1987 · Status: Expired
The original PCR process patent.
US4889818A: Purified thermostable enzyme
Cetus Corp; now Roche Molecular Systems (inventors David H. Gelfand, Susanne Stoffel and others). Filed 1987 · granted 1989 · Status: Expired
Taq polymerase from Thermus aquaticus.

Medicines from animal venoms

US4046889A: Azetidine-2-carboxylic acid derivatives
E. R. Squibb & Sons (inventors Miguel Angel Ondetti, David W. Cushman). Filed 1976 · granted 1977 · Status: Expired
Proline derivatives as ACE inhibitors, the family that includes captopril.
US5424286A: Exendin-3 and exendin-4 polypeptides, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising same
John Eng (as listed). Filed 1993 · granted 1995 · Status: Expired
Exendin-4 from Gila monster venom, the basis of exenatide.
US5051403A: Method of treating ischemia-related neuronal damage
Neurex Corp (inventors George P. Miljanich, Robert S. Bitner and others). Filed 1989 · granted 1991 · Status: Expired
An early Neurex patent on omega-conotoxin peptides from cone snails.

Plastic-eating bacteria & enzymes

US11851689B2: Esterases and uses thereof
Carbios (inventors Sophie Duquesne, Vincent Tournier and others). Filed 2019 · granted 2023 · Status: Granted (active)
Engineered esterases for breaking down PET plastic.
EP3458508B1: A process for degrading plastic products
Carbios. Filed 2017 · granted 2025 · Status: Granted (active)
Carbios process for enzymatic degradation of plastic products.