[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 10026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-3604]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 
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 
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.

Potentiation of Antineoplastic Agents Using Sigma 2 Ligands

Keith W. Crawford, Wayne D. Bowen (NIDDK)
DHHS Reference No. E-165-99/0 filed 11 May 2000

    Licensing Contact: Catherine Joyce; 301/496-7735 ext. 244; e-mail: 
[email protected].
    The inventors have developed a therapeutic method of treating 
cancer through the administration of a sigma-2 receptor ligand, such as 
CB-184, in combination with the anti-neoplastic drugs, doxorubicin or 
actinomycin D. The novel combination produces marked tumor cell death 
at concentrations that produce little or no cytotoxicity when cells are 
exposed to the drugs alone. The protocol may be effective in treating 
tumors that are resistant to antineoplastics alone as a result of 
mutations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene.

Tumor Markers in Ovarian Cancer

Patrice J. Morin, Colleen D. Hough, Cheryl A. Sherman-Baust, Ellen S. 
Pizer (NIA)
DHHS Reference No. E-138-00/0 filed 03 Apr 2000

    Licensing Contact: Catherine Joyce; 301/496-7735 ext. 244; e-mail: 
[email protected].
    This invention relates generally to the identification of ovarian 
tumor markers and diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic methods for 
their use. The invention is based on the identification of a series of 
ovarian tumor marker genes that are highly expressed in ovarian 
epithelial tumor cells and are minimally expressed in normal ovarian 
epithelial cells.

Imidazoacridones With Anti-Tumor Activity

Cholody et al. (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-289-99/0 filed 07 March 2000

    Licensing Contact: Girish Barua; 301/496-7735 ext. 263; e-mail: 
[email protected].
    The present invention relates to novel bifunctional molecules with 
anti-tumor activity. These agents are composed of an imidazoacridone 
moiety linked by a nitrogen containing aliphatic chain of various 
length and rigidity to another aromatic ring system capable of 
intercalation to DNA.
    Previous studies on related symmetrical bis-imidazoacridones 
revealed that only one planar imidazoacridone moiety intercalates into 
DNA. The second aromatic moiety which is crucial for biological 
activity resides in DNA groove, and is believed to interact with DNA-
binding proteins (most likely, transcription factors). It was 
hypothesized that action of bis-imidazoacridone constitute a new 
paradigm of how small molecules can interfere with gene transcription.
    To enhance the biological activity, the inventors have developed 
unsymmetrical compounds in which one imidazoacridone system with 
relatively poor DNA-intercalating properties was replaced with much 
stronger intercalators, such as 3-chloro-7-methoxyacridine or 
naphthalimide moieties. These new compounds, especially those 
containing naphthalimide moiety are extremely cytotoxic against variety 
of tumor cells in vitro ( IC50 at low nanomolar range) and kill tumor 
cells by inducing apoptosis. In vivo, in nude mice xenografted with 
human tumors, the compounds significantly inhibited growth of such 
tumors as colon tumor HCT116 and Colo205 as well pancreatic tumors 
(lines 6.03 and 10.05 freshly established from a patient).

    Dated: February 6, 2001.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 01-3604 Filed 2-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P