[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 232 (Monday, December 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 63853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30538]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, DHH.

ACTION: Notice.

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    The inventions listed below are owned by agencies of the U.S. 
Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance 
with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results 
of federally funded research and development. Foreign patent 
applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage 
for U.S. companies and may also be available for licensing.

ADDRESSES: Licensing information and copies of the U.S. patent 
applications listed below may be obtained by writing to the indicated 
licensing contact at the Office of Technology Transfer, National 
Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852-3804 (telephone 301/496-7057; fax 301/402-0220). A 
signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will be required to receive 
copies of the patent applications.

Image Registration Using Voxel Gradients With an Iterative Registration 
Process

J Ostuni (LDRR)
Serial No. 60/016,429 filed 29 Apr 96
Licensing Contact: John Fahner-Vihtelic, 301/496-7735 ext. 285

    To date, it has been difficult to combine or compare images which 
represent a similar scene using different and unrelated intensities, 
for example, two magnetic resonance volumes taken with different 
sequences. The current invention represents a means by which this 
difficulty may be overcome, and embodies an algorithm which allows for 
the registration or the ``matching up'' of multiple three-dimensional 
images. Specifically, the algorithm is based upon finding the 
correspondence of closest gradient voxels, where a gradient voxel is 
any voxel containing a high 3D intensity gradient. Typically, gradient 
voxels represent areas of change within the image. This algorithm can 
successfully perform registrations under conditions of unrelated voxel 
intensity, significant object motion and/or significant amounts of 
missing data. The invention, therefore, represents a powerful new tool 
for users of a variety of three-dimensional systems. (portfolio: 
Devices/Instrumentation--Other)

Compositions for the Prevention or Retardation of Cataracts

JS Zigler Jr., P Russell, S Tumminia, C Qin, CM Krishna (NEI)
Serial No. 60/010,637 filed 26 Jan 96
Licensing Contract: J. Peter Kim, 301/496-7056, ext. 264

    Oxidative stress is becoming recognized a major problem, and free 
radicals and activated oxygen species are recognized as agents of 
tissue damage associated with a number of conditions. Aging-related 
cataract is a disease of multifactorial origin involving many of the 
same processes which characterize the process of aging in other 
tissues. It appears that once cataractogenesis has begun, the process 
of cataract development may proceed via one or more common pathways or 
processes. The subject invention focuses on intervening at the level of 
these common pathways in hopes of stopping or slowing the progression 
of the disease process. The present invention provides methods and 
compositions for the prevention and treatment of cataract formation 
which comprise a nitroxide free radical compound or its hydroxylamine 
and a thiol reducing agent. (portfolio: Ophthalmology--Therapeutics, 
chemical)

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a Differentiation Antigen, 
CAK1, Present on Mesothelium, Mesotheliomas and Ovarian Cancers

I Pastan, K Chang (NCI)
Serial No. 60/010,166 filed 05 Jan 96
Licensing Contact: Larry Tiffany, 301/496-7056 ext 206

    CAK1, or ``mesothelin'', is an antigen present on the cell surface 
in mesothelium and on many mesotheliomas and ovarian cancers. While the 
role of this differentiation antigens has not yet been determined, it 
is postulated that it may be implicated in adhesion and in the 
dissemination of mesotheliomas and of ovarian cancers. CAK1, therefore, 
is a potential target for monoclonal antibodies to be used in the 
diagnosis and treatment of these cancers. The gene for CAK1 has been 
cloned and sequenced, as embodied in the current invention. The 
invention, therefore, should provide a valuable research tool for use 
in the development of diagnostics and/or therapeutic agents toward 
mesotheliomas and ovarian cancers. (portfolio: Cancer--Research 
Materials, DNA based)

Method of Mobilizing Pluripotential Hematopoietic Stem Cells With 
IL-7

RH Wiltrout, F Ruscetti, K Grzegorzewski, J Keller, KL Komschlies-
McConville (NCI)
Serial No. 08/341,399 filed 16 Nov 94
Licensing Contact: Jaconda Wagner, 301/496-7735 ext 284
    This invention provides a method of increasing numbers of 
hematopietic stem cells in a subject by administering interleukin-7 to 
the subject. Hematopoietic stem cells are distinguishable from 
hematopoietic progenitor cells in that the stem cells are pluripotent 
and not yet committed to myeloid or lymphoid lineages. After treatment, 
a population of leukocytes enriched for hematopoietic stem cells may be 
isolated from the subject's peripheral blood. Such a population of 
leukocytes enriched from hematopoietic stem cells may be transferred 
into a recipient in order to enhance the repopulation of the 
recipient's hematopoietic and immune cells. In addition, the method 
provides for improved engraftment of a bone marrow transplant in a 
recipient following transplantation or irradiation. A Notice of 
Allowance has recently been issued for this patent application. 
(portfolio: Internal Medicine--Therapeutics; Cancer--Therapeutics; 
biological response modifiers, growth factors)

    Dated: November 20, 1996.
Barbara M. McGarey,
Deputy Director, Office of Technology Transfer.
[FR Doc. 96-30538 Filed 11-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M