[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 193 (Wednesday, October 6, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54336-54338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25952]


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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 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

[[Page 54337]]

for 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 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.

Adenoviral Vector Expressing a SV4OT Antigen Antisense RNA

David S. Schrump, Z. Sheng Guo, Ishrat Wahseed (NCI)
Serial No. 60/124,776 filed 17 Mar 1999
Licensing Contact: Richard U. Rodriguez; 301/496-7056 ext. 287; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    Desired nucleic acid sequences with therapeutic potential may be 
introduced into mammalian cells using appropriate vectors. Antisense 
technology is well known in the art and describes a mechanism whereby a 
nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequences, which is in a 
complementary, ``antisense'' orientation with respect to a coding or 
``sense'' sequence of an endogenous gene, is introduced into a cell, 
whereby a duplex forms between the antisense sequence and its 
complementary sense sequence. The formation of this duplex results in 
inactivation of the endogenous gene.
    The present invention describes a method of treatment of cancer by 
administering a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus comprising 
a nucleic acid that encodes an antisense rebonucleic acid to the SV40 T 
antigene. In addition, it provides methods for reducing the level of 
expression of SV40 T antigen, induction of apoptosis, effecting cell 
growth arrest, reducing the levels of proto-oncogene expression, 
unregulating pro-apoptotic proteins, maintaining normal levels of 
functional p53, and maintaining normal levels of functional Rb, p107, 
and p130. The types of cancers contemplated by this invention include 
all cancers that express SV40 T antigen.

Aspartic Protease Inhibitors, Compositions, and Associated 
Therapeutic methods

Ramnarayan S. Randad, John W. Erickson, Michael A. Eissenstat, Lucyna 
Lubkowska (NCI)
Serial No. 60/114,868 filed 06 Jan 1999
Licensing Contact: John Peter Kim; 301/496-7056 ext. 264; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of 
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Drug-resistance is a 
critical factor contributing to the gradual loss of clinical benefit to 
treatments for HIV infection. Accordingly, combination therapies have 
further evolved to address the mutating resistance of HIV. However, 
there has been great concern regarding the apparent growing resistance 
of HIV strains to current therapies.
    The subject invention provides compounds which may serve as 
therapeutic candidates for inhibition of HIV-1 PR (protease) and thus 
serve in controlling AIDS, as well as having anti-malarial properties. 
These compounds may be used in combination with other protease 
inhibitors or inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, especially in 
patients who have developed resistance to other HIV protease 
inhibitors. These inhibitors have high potency, lower molecular weight, 
and lower lipophilicity than previous compounds, as well as a better 
profile towards drug resistant mutant strains of HIV.

2,5-Diamino-3,4-Disubstituted-1,6-Diphenylhexane Isosteres 
Comprising Benzamide, Sulfonamide and Anthranilamide Subunits and 
Methods of Using

Ramnarayan S. Randad and John W. Erickson (NCI)
Serial Nos. 09/039,669 and 09/039,670 filed 16 Mar 1998; Serial No. 08/
359,612 filed 20 Dec 1994
Licensing Contact: John Peter Kim; 301/496-7056, ext. 264; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of 
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Drug-resistance is a 
critical factor contributing to the gradual loss of clinical benefit to 
treatments for HIV infection. Accordingly, combination therapies have 
further evolved to address the mutating resistance of HIV. However, 
there has been great concern regarding the apparent growing resistance 
of HIV strains to current therapies.
    The subject invention provides for treatment and prevention of HIV 
infection and/or AIDS. The invention provides for 2,5-diamino-3,4-
disubstituted-1,6-diphenylhexane (DAD) isosteres comprising benzamide, 
sulfonamide, and anthranilamide subunits; a pharmaceutical composition 
comprising such compounds; a method of using such compounds to treat 
retroviral, specifically HIV and more specifically HIV-1 and HIV-2, 
infections in mammals, particularly humans; a method of synthesizing 
asymmetric DAD isosteres comprising benzamide, sulfonamide, and 
anthranilamide subunits; and a method of using such compounds to assay 
new compounds; for antiretroviral activity.

Novel Tumor Necrosis Factor Family Member, DRL, and Related 
Compositions and Methods

MJ Lenardo, J Wang, Di Jiang (NIAID)
Serial No. 60/106,976 filed 04 Nov 1998
Licsening Contact: Susan S. Rucker; 301/496-7056 ext. 245; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The invention described and claimed in this patent application 
relates the isolation, cloning and characterization of a ligand which 
belongs to the TNF family of cytokines. This ligand, named DRL (also 
known as APRIL and TNFSF13), is a type II membrane protein of 250 amino 
acids. The gene encoding DRL is found on the short arm of chromosome 17 
at 17 p11.2-12. Soluble DRL can be obtained by preparing a DRL-IgG 
fusion protein utilizing the extracellular domain of DRL. DRL has been 
demonstrated to play a significant role in T cell activation and is 
able to induce crosslinking of the T cell receptor. It is also capable 
of inducing T cell proliferation. These results suggest that DRL may be 
a target to be exploited in the treatment of conditions related to 
inappropriate T cell activation such as autoimmune diseases, tissue 
rejection and graft vs. host disease.

Methods and Compositions of Chemokine-Tumor Antigen Fusion Proteins 
as Cancer Vaccines

Larry W. Kwak, Arya Biragyn (NCI)
U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/077,745 filed 12 Mar 1998 
(corresponding to PCT/US99/05345 filed 12 Mar 1999)
Licensing Contact: Elaine Gese; 301/496-7056 ext. 282; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The current invention embodies a broad range of fusion proteins, 
each of which consists of a chemokine and a tumor or viral antigen. 
Administration of these fusion proteins, or a nucleic acid encoding the 
fusion protein, elicits a specific and potent in vivo immune response 
directed against the antigen, thereby effectively inhibiting the growth 
of cells expressing that antigen. The fusion proteins or DNA vaccines 
therefore represent potential vaccines for use against cancer and also 
against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.


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    Dated: September 27, 1999.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division or Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 99-25952 Filed 10-5-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M