[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 57 (Friday, March 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 16270]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7227]



[[Page 16270]]

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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, HHS.

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 
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.

Pyrimidine Phosphorylase as a Target for Imaging and Therapy

RW Klecker and JM Collins (FDA)
DHHS Reference No. E-156-99/0 filed 19 Jan 2001
Licensing Contact: Richard Rodriguez; 301/496-7056 ext. 287; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The present invention describes methods to diagnose and monitor the 
treatment of tumors with high expression of thymidine phosphorylase 
(TP) . Overexpression of TP has been shown to correlate with 
angiogenesis, and this fact can be used, via TP's enzyme function, to 
preferentially label angiogenic cells through the introduction of 
relevant precursors. These precursors consist of labeled thymine 
analogues which are converted by TP into retained cell-components. This 
can allow for the non-invasive imaging of tumors with high angiogenic 
activity. The technique can also be used to kill tumor cells by 
providing the analogues in higher concentrations or with therapeutic 
isotopes so as to be toxic to cells with high TP levels.

3-D Video Image-Based Microscopic Robotic Targeting

Jeffrey C. Smith (NINDS), James W. Nash (EM)
DHHS Reference No. E-162-00/0 filed 22 Dec 2000
Licensing Contact: Dale Berkley; 301/496-7735 ext. 223; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The invention is a robotic software and hardware system that allows 
a microscopic object such as a living biological cell to be targeted in 
3-D optical space for micromanipulation or probing. The software 
permits the selection of an object for targeting by a point and click 
operation with a computer mouse, and performs the transforms between 
video pixel space, optical space and micro-manipulator mechanical 
coordinate space to translate the point and click operation into the 
precision targeting movements of the micro-positioner. The object is 
viewed in real time through a microscope system via a video output 
camera and displayed on a computer terminal. Applications include 
precision positioning of microelectrodes for electrophysiological 
recording from living cells, micro-injection and micro-manipulation of 
cells and micro-delivery of pharmacological agents to cells for drug 
testing and diagnostics. The invention may also find application in 
microelectronics fabrication.

    Dated: March 14, 2001.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 01-7227 Filed 3-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P