煙草在線據美國商業(yè)電訊報道編譯　　22世紀公司(OTCBB: XXII)7月11日宣布，該公司的NBB基因獲得了中華人民共和國國家知識產權局頒發(fā)的許可通知書和澳大利亞知識產權局頒發(fā)的專利，該基因能調控煙草植物中的尼古丁合成，該公司已開發(fā)出煙草減害的突破性技術和一些戒煙產品。

　　中國和澳大利亞的全國性專利來源于國際專利申請PCT/IB2006/001741，該申請包含生產低含量尼古丁煙草植物的方法以及采用此類植物生產煙草產品的方法。NBB不僅調控尼古丁水平，也調控其他煙堿的合成，例如新煙草堿和假木賊堿。

　　NBB基因為一種稱為"尼古丁合成酶"的蛋白質編碼，該蛋白質參與尼古丁生物合成的最后一步，數十年來一直困擾著科學家們。該蛋白質既能下調，也能上調，從而衍生出尼古丁水平迥異的不同煙草變種。奈良先端科學技術大學院大學(NAIST)的橋本隆博士是世界著名的植物分子生物學家，也是NBB技術的發(fā)明者。22世紀公司在2005-2009年間資助了NAIST的研發(fā)，而NAIST在2010年回報以各類相關的專利配套，包括NBB技術。國際專利申請PCT/IB2006/004043包含采用NBB生產煙草植物和高含量尼古丁產品的方法。

　　公司研發(fā)副總裁Michael Moynihan博士表示：“NBB基因技術是22nd Century的知識產權基石之一，代表著我們的第二代基因技術，顯著優(yōu)于我們早先的技術?！碧貏e要指出，NBB的唯一功能是合成尼古丁和其他煙堿。

　　22世紀公司希望，NBB基因技術能在減少吸煙危害中發(fā)揮重要作用。該公司在2012年4月10日宣布將向美國食品藥品管理局(FDA)遞交兩種風險改良卷煙的上市申請，這兩種卷煙符合FDA的風險改良煙草產品申請指導意見草案。9月9-12日在北卡羅萊納州Concord召開的第66屆煙草科學研究會議上，22世紀公司將做題為吸焦油與尼古丁之比低的卷煙對煙霧暴露的效應的呈報。該呈報將總結22世紀公司規(guī)劃中的兩種候選的風險改良卷煙之一的暴露研究。

　　22世紀公司是78個國家中102項已頒發(fā)專利的權屬人或獨家被授權人，另外還有37項專利在申請中--這些專利主要涉及尼古丁生物合成的所有關鍵基因、以及有望從這些基因衍生的風險改良煙草產品。22世紀公司是中國6項專利的權屬人或獨家被授權人，另外還有2項專利在申請中，在澳大利亞也擁有5項專利。該公司將在兩國遞交其他專利申請。中國是世界最大的煙草市場，每年消費超過2萬億支卷煙。

Chinese and Australian Patents Allowed for 22nd Century's NBB Nicotine Biosynthesis Gene

　　International Patent Application PCT/IB2006/001741, from which the Chinese and Australian national-phase patents were derived to 22nd Century Group, Inc., covers methods for producing tobacco plants with reduced nicotine levels and tobacco products produced therefrom. Besides nicotine, NBB is also responsible for the production of other nicotinic alkaloids, such as anatabine and anabasine. The NBB gene is a gene responsible for nicotine production in the tobacco plant.

　　The NBB gene encodes a protein involved in the final step of nicotine biosynthesis, "nicotine synthase," which has eluded scientists for decades. This protein can either be down-regulated or up-regulated to produce tobacco varieties with a wide range of nicotine levels. Dr. Takashi Hashimoto of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), a world-renowned plant molecular biologist, is an inventor of the NBB technology. 22nd Century funded research and development at NAIST from 2005 to 2009 and NAIST assigned various related patent families to 22nd Century in 2010, including the NBB technology. International Patent Application PCT/IB2006/004043 covers methods utilizing NBB for producing tobacco plants and products with increased nicotine levels.

　　The company's vice president of research and development, Dr. Michael Moynihan stated, "The NBB gene technology is one of the keystones of 22nd Century's intellectual property and represents our second-generation gene technology that has significant advantages over our earlier technology." Specifically, the sole function of NBB is to produce nicotine and other nicotinic alkaloids.

　　22nd Century expects the NBB gene technology to play an important role in reducing the harm caused by smoking. The company announced on April 10, 2012 that it will file applications with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for two types of modified risk cigarettes in accordance with the FDA's Modified Risk Tobacco Product Applications Draft Guidance. A presentation titled, Effect of Smoking Low Tar-to-Nicotine Ratio Cigarettes on Smoke Exposure, will be given by 22nd Century Group at the 66th Tobacco Science Research Conference being held in Concord, North Carolina on September 9-12. The presentation will summarize 22nd Century's planned exposure study on one of its two modified-risk cigarette candidates.

　　22nd Century owns or is the exclusive licensee of 102 issued patents in 78 countries plus an additional 37 pending patent applications - mainly related to all of the key nicotine biosynthesis genes and the potential modified risk tobacco products produced therefrom. 22nd Century owns or is the exclusive licensee of 6 patents in China plus 2 pending patent applications and 5 patents in Australia. Additional patent applications will be filed by the company in both countries. China is the largest tobacco market in the world that consumes more than 2 trillion cigarettes per year.