Patents and translational research

BDNF antisense RNA

U.S. Patent 10,214,745 names Mohammad Ali Faghihi and Carlos Coito as inventors for work titled “Treatment of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) related diseases by inhibition of natural antisense transcript to BDNF.” The patent describes antisense oligonucleotide approaches intended to modulate BDNF expression by targeting a natural antisense transcript.

BDNF is a signaling protein important to neuronal survival, growth, and plasticity. The invention reflects a translational idea central to Dr. Faghihi’s research: endogenous antisense RNA can be more than a biological observation—it can suggest a route for controlling gene expression.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia

A later U.S. patent application, publication 20220177527, names Stephan L. Zuchner and Mohammad A. Faghihi as inventors. It addresses methods of detecting and potentially treating hereditary spastic paraplegia and other neurological diseases associated with UBAP1.

The application is connected to a broader collaborative research record identifying truncating UBAP1 variants as a cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia. The work illustrates a path from gene discovery toward diagnosis and potential treatment concepts.

Innovation grounded in research

Patent documents should be read as technical and legal records, not proof that a treatment is approved or clinically available. They nevertheless provide an independent record of inventorship and show how Dr. Faghihi’s research moved from molecular mechanisms toward practical applications.