[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 56111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-27751]


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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 
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.

Recombinant Proteins of the Swine Hepatitis E Virus and Their Uses 
as a Vaccine and Diagnostic Reagents for Medical and Veterinary 
Applications

Xiang-Jin Meng, Robert H. Purcell, Suzanne U. Emerson (NIAID)
DHHS Reference No. E-304-98/0 filed May 7, 2001
Licensing Contact: Carol Salata; 301/496-7735 ext. 232; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    This invention is based on the discovery of the swine hepatitis E 
virus (swine HEV), the first animal strain of HEV identified and 
characterized, and its ability to infect across species. The inventors 
have found that the swine HEV is widespread in the general pig 
population in the United States and other countries and that swine HEV 
can infect non-human primates. The inventors have amplified and 
sequenced the complete genome of swine HEV. The capsid gene (ORF2) of 
swine HEV has been cloned and expressed in a baculovirus expression 
system.
    The possibility that swine HEV may infect humans raises a potential 
public health concern for zoonosis or xenozoonosis in the United States 
and perhaps other countries. Therefore, it is likely that a vaccine 
based on the recombinant capsid protein of swine HEV will protect 
humans against zoonotic, as well as other, HEV infections and pigs 
against infection with the swine HEV. Also, diagnostic reagents based 
on these recombinant proteins of swine HEV will be very useful in 
screening donor pigs used in xenotransplantation and in detecting swine 
HEV or similar virus infection in humans. The diagnostic reagents may 
also be useful for veterinary studies and monitoring pig herds in 
general.

Polymorphic Human GABAA Receptor-6 Subunit

David Goldman, Nakao Iwata, Mark Shuckit (NIAAA)
DHHS Reference No. E-061-98/0 filed February 19, 1999 and DHHS 
Reference No. E-061-98/1 filed February 18, 2000
Licensing Contact: Pradeep Ghosh; 301/496-7736 ext. 211; e-mail: 
[email protected]
    Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a key inhibitory neurotransmitter 
in the mammalian central nervous system. Evidence indicates that GABA 
receptors are associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. 
Currently, there are no reliable and sensitive markers on the market 
for the molecular diagnosis of alcoholism or anxiety disorders, 
although both groups of disorders are thought to involve GABA function. 
Alcohol modulates GABA function and shows cross-tolerance with 
benzodiazepines. Anxiety disorders are treated with benzodiazepines. 
Also, there are no molecular predictors of interindividual variation in 
response to the commonly used benzodiazepine drugs [such as valium) 
which act through GABAA receptors. The -6 subunit 
of GABAA receptors is sensitive to alcohol and in a rat 
genetic model a genetic variant of the -6 subunit had been 
directly related to sensitivity to alcohol and benzodiazepine drugs. 
This invention pertains to a particular polymorphism in the human 
-6 subunit gene. This relatively common human sequence variant 
predicts sensitivity to both benzodiazepine drugs and ethanol. In 
children of alcoholics this substitution also correlates with 
susceptibility to alcoholism. Thus, this invention presents commercial 
opportunities both as a diagnostic screening tool in alcoholism, 
anxiety disorders and other neuropsychiatric diseases, and as a 
predictive tool for therapeutic and pathological responses to commonly 
administered benzodiazepine drugs.

    Dated: October 29, 2001.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology, Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 01-27751 Filed 11-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P