[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 37 (Thursday, February 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9336-9337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4656]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The invention listed below is owned by an agency of the U.S. 
Government and is 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.

ADDRESS: Licensing information and a copy of the U.S. patent 
application referenced below may be obtained by contacting J.R. Dixon, 
Ph.D., at the Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of 
Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, Maryland 20852-
3804 (telephone 301/496-7056 ext 206; fax 301/402-0220; E-Mail: 
[email protected]). A signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement is required 
to receive a copy of any patent application.

Entitled: Recombinant Ribonuclease Proteins

    Inventors: Drs. Susan M. Rybak (NCI-FCRDC), Dianne L. Newton (NCI-
FCRDC), and Lluis Boque (EM), Serial No. 08/875,811 filed 2 February 
1997, [= PCT/US97/02588 filed 19 February 1997].
    This invention describes and relates to the expression of 
recombinant ribonucleases which are modifications of the native RNase 
derived from the oocytes of Rana pipiens. Various humanized and 
recombinant forms of these recombinant ribonucleases are described as 
well as their use as

[[Page 9337]]

cytotoxic reagents to inhibit the growth of tumor cells. This invention 
also describes that when these ribonucleases are expressed 
recombinantly they have significant increased eytotoxicity. These 
ribonucleases may be used to form chemical conjugates, as well as form 
targeted recombinant immunofusion molecules that can be used to 
decrease tumor cell growth. Importantly, these ribonucleases can be 
administered directly to patients to decrease and inhibit tumor cell 
growth without the use of a targeting agent. Humanized versions of 
these ribonucleases are described with portions of mammalian or human-
derived neurotoxin, grafted to the molecule. This invention also 
includes methods of selectively killing cancer cells using the 
recombinantly expressed ribonucleases joined to a ligand to create a 
selective cytotoxic reagent. The method comprises contacting the cells 
to be killed with a cytotoxic reagent having a ligand binding moiety 
that specifically delivers the reagent to the cells to be killed. This 
method may be used for cell separation in vitro by selectively killing 
unwanted types of cells, for example, in bone marrow prior to 
transplantation into a patient undergoing marrow ablation by radiation, 
or for killing leukemia cells or T-Cells that would cause graft-versus-
host disease.
    The above mentioned invention is available, including any available 
foreign intellectual property rights, for licensing on an exclusive or 
non-exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

    Dated: February 16, 1999.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer.
[FR Doc. 99-4656 Filed 2-24-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M