Patents:
- HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPAROSAN POLYMERS AND METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND USE THEREOF
- METHODS OF PRODUCING TESTOSTERONAN POLYMERS USING TESTOSTERONAN SYNTHASE
Inventor
Paul L. DeAngelis, PhD
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Paul DeAngelis (Harvard, BA; Univ. of California, PhD) has studied the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates utilizing biochemistry, chemistry and molecular biology for 3 decades leading to 80 publications.
His laboratory clones and harnesses the enzymes involved in the synthesis of polysaccharides like heparin, hyaluronan, and chondroitin. Our biotechnological research has yielded 45 US patents (as well as corresponding international patents) for safer non-animal production sources, biocompatible coatings, stealthy drug delivery, novel designer polymers, and cell behavior-modulating therapeutic leads for cancer and inflammation. These endeavors have been or currently being commercialized by 4 OUHSC spin-off biotech companies with assistance by Dr. DeAngelis.
Patent: COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING RETINAL DEGENERATION AND METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND USE THEREOF
Inventors:
Hongwei Ma, Ph.D.
Cell Biology
Xi-Qin Ding, Ph.D.
Cell Biology
Dr. Ma is an Assistant Professor of Research at the Department of Cell Biology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi and pursued post-doctoral training at OUHSC. Working at Dr. Xi-Qin Ding laboratory, he investigates the mechanism(s) of retinal degeneration and novel therapeutic strategies. Specifically, he focuses on the regulation of thyroid hormone signaling in retinal degeneration and phototransdution deficiency-associated retinal degeneration. Dr. Ma has published over 30 research articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Ding is Professor of Cell Biology and Joanne I. Moore Professor of Pharmacology at College of Medicine. She obtained her PhD from the University of Lund and received post-doctoral training at the Mayo Clinic and Foundation. The primary focus of Ding laboratory research is to understand the mechanism(s) of retinal degeneration in order to identify novel therapeutic strategies. Dr. Ding has published over 50 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, and her research has been supported by the National Institute of Health, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, and the BrightFocus Foundation.
Patent: HIGH ISOMEROHYDROLASE ACTIVITY MUTANTS OF HUMAN RPE65
Inventors
Jian-Xing Ma, MD, Ph.D.
Physiology
Yusuke Takahashi, Ph.D.
Physiology
Gennadiy Moiseyev, Ph.D.
Physiology
Jian-xing (Jay) Ma, completed his clinical medicine training from Jiangxi Medical College and received Ph.D. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Medical University of South Carolina. In 2003, he moved OUHSC as Laureate Professor in Department of Medicine. In 2007, he became Director of NIH-funded diabetes COBRE. He was appoint Chairman of Department of Physiology in 2010 and was awarded George Lynn Cross Professor in 2012. He has published 230 peer-reviewed papers and received approximately $50 million grants as PI. He is the founder of two biotechnology companies. He has trained many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members.
Dr. Yusuke Takahashi received his Ph.D. degree in Information Science at Tohoku University, Japan at year 2000. He joined in Professor Jian-xing Ma’s group at OUHSC at year 2004 and has greatly contributed in the first report that RPE65 is the isomerohydrolase in the retinoid visual cycle. Following this discovery, he further identified numbers of key residues enhancing catalytic activity in RPE65.
Dr. Takahashi is currently Associate Professor of Research in Department of Physiology at OUHSC, and mainly focusing on pathogenic pathways of retinal degenerative diseases including diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Gennadiy Moiseyev is the Assistant Professor of Research at the Department of Physiology of OUHSC. He received his PhD degree in Chemistry from Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology in Moscow, Russia. He carried out postdoctoral studies in Biochemistry with Professor Jian-xing Ma at Medical University of South Carolina where he worked on the mechanism of regeneration of 11-cis retinal in retina. He continued with this investigations and established the chemical nature of the substrate as retinyl ester and RPE65 as the isomerase. For the past 20 years he has been investigating the biochemistry of vision focusing on the visual cycle.
Patent: SURGICAL CLEANING TOOL, SYSTEM, AND METHOD
Inventor
Nilesh R Vasan, MD
Otorhinolaryngology
Dr. Vasan is an Otolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon in Oklahoma City at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). He was born and raised in New Zealand where he attended medical school and completed Residency. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Dr. Vasan moved to Oklahoma City in 2002 where he completed a 2 year Head and Neck Fellowship at the OUHSC. He specializes in treating benign and malignant disease within the Head and Neck as well as General ENT disorders. Dr. Vasan is the only physician in the state performing Head & Neck Robotic surgery and is active in the field of medical device innovation. Dr. Vasan is the Residency Program Director for the Department of Otolaryngology and holds the Jesus E. Medina Chair in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
Patent: VARIANTS OF ADRENOMEDULLIN AND CALCITONIN GENE-RELATED PEPTIDE AND METHODS OF USE
Inventor
Augen A Pioszak, Ph.D.
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Dr. Pioszak is a protein biochemist and structural biologist with a research program centered on elucidating the signaling mechanisms of clinically important human cell surface receptors. His work seeks to define the molecular bases of ligand binding to the receptors and signal transduction across the cell membrane and to use the resulting knowledge to guide the design of novel therapeutics to treat human disease.
Patent: INHIBITORS OF RETINALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASES AND METHODS OF USE
Inventor
Jody A. Summers-Wiechmann, Ph.D.
Cell Biology
Dr. Jody Summers received her Ph.D. from the University of North Dakota in 1989. She then carried out postdoctoral research at University of Pittsburgh and, subsequently, served as Associate Professor and Professor at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Summers joined the Department of Cell Biology faculty at OUHSC in 2003. Dr. Summers has contributed greatly to the understanding of the scleral changes associated with myopia development and the role of retinoic acid in the regulation of ocular growth. She is currently involved in the development of compounds that can specifically inhibit retinoic acid as potential anti-myopia therapeutics.
Patent: GLUTAMATE TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULARE DISORDERS
Inventor
Sunny Po, MD, Ph.D.
Internal Medicine, Heart Rhythm Institute

Patent: CARDIAC NEUROMODULATION AND METHODS OF USING SAME
Inventor
Robert D. Foreman, Ph.D.
Physiology
Robert D. Foreman PhD is George Lynn Cross Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physiology at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He published more than 230 articles in peer reviewed journals, and the National Institutes of Health supported his research program throughout his career. He received the Distinguished Service Award and the Lifetime Achievement award from the North American Neuromodulation Society. Presently, he is Acting Editor-In-Chief and Section Editor of Basic Science for Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface Journal.
Patent: PNEUMOLYSIN MUTANTS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF
Inventor
Rodney K Tweten, Ph.D.
Microbiology and Immunology
The focus of Dr. Tweten’s research effort has been to unravel the basis by which pore-forming toxins function at the molecular level. This class of toxins contribute to the pathogenesis of a wide range of bacterial pathogens that are the causative agents of streptococcal pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis, gas gangrene, listeriosis and many other diseases. His NIH-funded studies over 30 years (currently Dr. Tweten is an NIH MERIT awardee) have facilitated the development of vaccines based on these inactive toxin variants. Currently, one of these variants from Streptococcus pneumoniae is licensed and being developed as a next generation vaccine for streptococcal pneumonia, which is estimated by the WHO to cause 1.6 millions deaths per ye ar worldwide.