[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48194-48195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18511]


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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.

Methods for Treating Cancer in Humans Using IL-21

Patrick Hwu, M.D. and Gang Wang, Ph.D. (NCI)
U.S. Patent Application No. 60/368,438 filed on March 27, 2002
Licensing Contact: Jonathan Dixon; 301/496-7056 ext. 270; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    The present invention discloses the use of IL-21 for cancer therapy 
and/or cancer prevention. When compared to similar cytokines, IL-21 has 
shown substantial anticancer activity and reduced toxicity in murine 
models.
    IL-21 belongs to the class I family of cytokines and is closely 
related to IL-2 and IL-15. Some cancer patients have shown significant 
response to administration of IL-2. However, IL-2 has also been 
associated with severe toxicity leading to a variety of undesirable 
side effects. This invention attempts to resolve the toxicity concerns 
and presents a new therapy for cancer prevention and treatment.

Amine Modified Random Primers for Microarray Detection

Charles Xiang and Michael J. Brownstein (NIMH)
DHHS Reference No. E-098-01/1 filed 11 Apr 2002

[[Page 48195]]

Licensing Contact: Cristina Thalhammer-Reyero; 301/496-7056 ext. 263; 
e-mail: [email protected]

    The present invention relates to a new method for preparing 
fluorescence-labeled cDNA probes for DNA microarray studies, which only 
uses about 1/20th as much input RNA as the conventional methods 
require. The method allows making high quality probes from as little as 
1 ug of total RNA without RNA or signal amplification. It is based on 
priming cDNA synthesis with random hexamers to the 5' ends of which 
amino allyl modified bases have been added. Coupling of the fluorescent 
dye to the amine residues is performed after the cDNA is reverse 
transcribed. The method can be used in tandem with RNA amplification 
(and/or signal amplification) to label probes from 10 or fewer cells.
    Furthermore, the invention also relates to a novel method to 
amplify RNA derived from single cells using T3-random 9mers and a new 
lysing method, which allow probe-labeling capabilities that are 
approaching the single cell level.
    DNA Microarray technology has become one of the most important 
tools for high throughput studies in medical research with applications 
in the areas of gene discovery, gene expression and mapping. The 
suitability of DNA Microarray for profiling diseases and for 
identifying disease-related genes has also been also well documented. 
Companies like Affimatrix, Incyte and others have commercialized DNA 
microarrays, printed for a variety of applications. Most studies using 
DNA arrays involve preparation of fluorescent-labeled cDNA from the 
mRNA of the studied organism. The cDNA probes are then allowed to 
hybridize to the DNA fragments printed on the array, and the array is 
scanned and the data analyzed. Good results depend on a number of 
factors including high quality arrays and well-labeled probes. In order 
to achieve adequate sensitivity and reproducibility, probes have had to 
be prepared from rather large amounts of RNA using other methods.

Use of Lipoxygenase Inhibitors and PPAR Ligands as Anti-Cancer 
Therapeutic and Intervention Agents

James L. Mulshine (NCI) and Marti Jett
DHHS Reference No. E-069-01/0 filed 29 Jun 2001
Licensing Contact: Catherine Joyce; 301/496-7056 ext. 258; e-mail: 
[email protected]

    This technology pertains to the use of inhibitors of the 5-
lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway for treating cancer. The use of 5-LO 
inhibitors for cancer growth inhibition has been previously described. 
The advancements in the technology that lead to the instant invention 
are the further characterization of the role of the 5-LO pathway in 
breast cancer growth as follows:
    1. Growth stimulation of breast cancer cells with 5-HETE, a 
metabolite from the 5-LO pathway;
    2. The upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, 
alpha and gamma (PPAR[alpha] and PPAR[gamma]), in response to 5-LO 
inhibitors, and growth reduction of breast cancer cells with each of 
four PPAR ligands.
    Therefore, the instant invention relates to a method of treating an 
epithelial derived cancer by administering an inhibitor to an enzyme 
that metabolizes arachidonic acid and a PPAR ligand, or derivative 
thereof.
    The above-mentioned invention is available for licensing on an 
exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

    Dated: July 11, 2002.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 02-18511 Filed 7-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P