[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41253-41254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19641]


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

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 contacting Matthew Kiser 
at the Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health, 
6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3804; 
telephone: 301/496-7735 ext. 224; fax: 301/402-0220; e-mail: 
[email protected]. A signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will be 
required to receive copies of the patent applications.

Anticancer Effects of Novel Vitamin D Receptor Antagonists

Julianna Barsony (NIDDK); DHHS Reference No. E-213-01/0 filed 20 Jun 
2001
    The present invention relates to cancer therapeutics. Specifically, 
this invention relates to novel selective vitamin D receptor modulators 
(SEDM), also known as vitamin D receptor antagonists. Methods of 
treatment resulting in inhibition of cell growth, inducement of cell 
differentiation, inhibition of breast cancer growth, and inhibition of 
parathyroid hormone secretion in mice are disclosed.
    Vitamin D does not have significant biological activity. Rather, it 
must be metabolized within the body to its hormonally active form, 
calcitriol. Calcitriol acts through the vitamin D receptor (VDR) to 
regulate important functions, such as calcium homeostasis, cell 
proliferation and differentiation, and immune functions. Many cancers 
contain VDR and, therefore respond to calcitriol. In such cancers, low 
concentrations of calcitriol stimulate growth and high concentrations 
inhibit growth. High doses of calcitriol and calcitriol analogues, 
however, cause hypercalcemia, limiting the use of this hormone for 
cancer treatment.
    The present invention relates to derivatives of calcitriol that 
have been synthesized in a manner similar to the principles developed 
to create estrogen receptor modulators (SERM). These vitamin D receptor 
modulators bind well to VDR, inhibit their ability to stimulate cancer 
cell growth and increase their ability to induce cell differentiation. 
In mice, SEDM inhibited human breast cancer growth without causing 
hypercalcemia. The technology disclosed herein may also be used for the 
prevention of breast cancer, treatment and/or prevention of other types 
of conditions or diseases, such as, but not limited to, prostate, 
colorectal, and lung cancers, leukemia, primary or metastatic melanoma, 
glyoma, and parathyroid diseases.

[[Page 41254]]

Method of Treating Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma by Administering a 
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor

Susan Bates, Tito A. Fojo, Richard Piekarz (NCI), DHHS Reference No. E-
123-00/0 filed 18 Aug 2000
    The subject invention provides a method of treating cutaneous T-
cell lymphoma and peripheral T cell lymphoma in a mammal. The method 
comprises administering to the mammal an effective amount of a histone 
deacetylase inhibitor. Preferably, the histone deacetylase inhibitor is 
a depsipeptide, in particular the depsipeptide known as NSC 630176. The 
method can further comprise (i) administering a steroid, a P-
glycoprotein multiple drug resistance (MDR) antagonist, an antibody to 
a T-cell receptor and/or a retinoid, or any IL2 receptor targeted 
therapy, (ii) the use of chemotherapy, and/or (iii) the use of 
photochemotherapy.

    Dated: July 30, 2001.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 01-19641 Filed 8-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P