[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12689]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 25, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
 

Opportunity For A License: Whole Chromosome Painting Probes (WCP 
Probes) and Band-Region Specific Painting Probes (Micro-FISH Probes) 
Developed by Dr. Paul Meltzer and Dr. Jeffrey Trent, National Center 
for Human Genome Research

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institutes of Health seeks non-exclusive 
biological materials licensees to commercialize Whole Chromosome 
Painting Probes (WCP probes) and Region Specific Painting Probes 
(Micro-FISH probes) generated by chromosome microdissection and 
amplification of specific regions, and labelled for Fluorescent in situ 
Hybridization (FISH). The probes can be hybridized to normal metaphase 
chromosomes and used as either diagnostic reagents for identification 
of chromosomal abnormalities or as research reagents to further study 
various cancers and hereditary diseases.
    WCP probes for all human chromosomes are being generated using a 
universal primer. The probes are significantly superior to current 
probes due to greater sensitivity and selectivity. The subject 
invention allows generation of probes for the acrocentric chromosomes 
(13,14,15,21 and 22) by elimination of shared ribosomal elements 
between these chromosomes.
    While numerous whole chromosome painting probes are presently 
available, most have technical limitations. Most frequently, 
hybridization to portions of the target chromosome is incomplete 
because of gaps in the sequence. Additionally, in many cases flow-
sorted chromosomes in rodent backgrounds invariably transfer some 
sequences which make these unusable for research analysis with somatic 
cell hybrids.
    The WCP and Micro-FISH probes address these problems. The probes 
can be used to analyze complex chromosome rearrangements in a variety 
of malignancies, clearly identifying chromosome rearrangements which 
could not be detected by conventional banding analysis. The probes can 
also be generated to span translocation breakpoints and identify 
interstitial deletions, both of which would confound conventionally 
created whole chromosome painting probes.
    Beyond improvements in specificity and sensitivity, probes created 
by the micro-FISH method eliminate the microchemical steps required by 
other methods by using a DNA oligonucleotide primer to directly prime 
DNA synthesis at intervals along the microdissected DNA template. 
Accordingly, the procedure for probe preparation is dramatically 
simplified and accelerated, and since the major losses associated with 
the microchemical process are largely eliminated, the probes emit a 
stronger and more uniform signal intensity than other commonly 
available probes.
    NIH is the assignee of the rights for this technology developed by 
Drs. Trent and Meltzer of the National Center for Human Genome 
Research. The laboratory at the National Center for Human Genome 
Research will make dissected chromosomal biological material available 
for probe manufacture, through a nonexclusive biological materials 
license agreement.

ADDRESSES: Licensing information may be obtained by contacting Carol 
Lavrich, Technology Licensing Specialist, National Institutes of 
Health, Office of Technology Transfer, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 
325, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3804 (telephone 301/496-7735; fax 301/
402-0220).

    Dated: May 13, 1994.
Barbara M. McGarey,
Deputy Director, Office of Technology Transfer.
[FR Doc. 94-12689 Filed 5-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P