[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 247 (Tuesday, December 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78481-78482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32349]


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

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.

Immunotherapy With In Vitro-Selected Antigen-Specific Lymphocytes After 
Nonmyeloablative Lymphodepleting Chemotherapy

Mark E. Dudley, Steven A. Rosenberg, John R. Wunderlich (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-275-2002/0-US-01 filed 06 Sep 2002
Licening Contact: Jonathan Dixon; 301/435-5559; [email protected].

    This invention discloses a novel method of treating cancer. The 
approach uses autologous T-cells, which are selected for their highly 
avid recognition of an antigen expressed by the cancer. In studies 
performed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), this method has 
proven effective in promoting the regression of cancer in patients with 
metastatic melanoma.
    The treatment of 13 patients at NCI resulted in tumor shrinkage of 
at least 50 percent in six of the 13, and several patients remain 
cancer free more than a year after treatment. All of the patients 
enrolled in this trial had been unresponsive to previous therapies 
including, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. This method represents 
a step forward in the treatment of cancer and offers a clinically 
proven approach to effectively promote the regression of tumors. Not 
only may this method apply to a variety of cancers, but it may also be 
applicable in treating other diseases such as AIDS, immunodeficiency, 
or other autoimmunity for which immune effector cells can impact the 
clinical outcome.

Humanized Anti-TAG 72 CC49 for Diagnosis and Therapy of Human 
Carcinomas

Syed V. Kashmiri (NCI), Jeffrey Schlom (NCI), Eduardo Padlan (NIDDK)
DHHS Reference No. E-013-2002/0-US-01 filed 28 Jun 2002
Licensing Contact: Jonathan Dixon; 301/435-5559; [email protected]

    Tumor associated glycoprotein (TAG-72) is expressed on the cells of 
a majority of human carcinomas, including colorectal, gastric, 
pancreatic, breast, lung, and ovarian. The murine monoclonal antibody 
(mAb) CC49 specifically recognizes TAG-72 and has a higher affinity for 
TAG-72 than its predecessor, B72.3.
    The present invention discloses new humanized variants of CC49 that 
have a higher binding affinity to TAG-72 than previous humanized 
variants. Identified as HuCC49V15 and HuCC49V14, these variants also 
retain low immunogenicity of variable regions using sera of patients 
vaccinated with murine CC49.
    These variants have potential benefits for use in the detection 
and/or treatment of a range of human carcinomas. Certain fields of use 
may not be available. Please contact OTT for information regarding the 
availability of specific fields of use.

Identification of Potential Ovarian Cancer Tumor Markers and 
Therapeutic Targets

Dr. Amir Jazaeri et al. (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-310-2001/0-US-01 filed 13 Feb 2002
Licensing Contact: Catherine Joyce; 301/435-5031; [email protected]

    Genes that are differentially expressed in cancerous ovarian tissue 
as compared to normal ovarian tissue were identified using microarray 
technology. This technique was used to characterize gene expression 
patterns in BRCA-1 associated tumors, BRCA-2 associated tumors, 
sporadic tumors and immortalized ``normal'' ovarian epithelial cells. 
As a result of this analysis, genes that are up-regulated in ovarian 
cancer were identified. Approximately two-thirds of the sequences 
identified were previously known genes, while approximately one-third 
were expressed sequence tags (ESTs), representing sequences that are 
cloned and identified but not yet characterized. Eighty-three (83) 
genes were over-expressed in 50% of all tumors and these over-expressed 
sequences may be used as markers for ovarian cancer and/or targets for 
therapy.
    The above-mentioned invention is available for licensing on an 
exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

A Metastasis Suppressor Gene on Human Chromosome 8 and Its Use in the 
Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment of Cancer

Naoki Nihei (NIEHS), J. Carl Barrett (NCI), Natalay Kouprina (NCI), 
Vladimir Larionov (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-238-2001/0-US-01 filed 21 Dec 2001
Licensing Contact: Matthew Kiser; 301/435-5236; [email protected]

    The subject technology is directed to a gene on human chromosome 8 
that suppresses metastasis of prostate cancer. The gene has been shown 
to suppress the metastatic ability of rat prostate cancer and is down-
regulated in human prostate cancers from metastatic foci. Embodiments 
of the technology include gene therapy to prevent the metastasis of 
human cancer, in particular prostate cancer, use of the gene as a 
clinical marker in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer, in particular 
prostate cancer, and the development of small molecules that mimic the 
effect of the gene product.
    The present invention provides an isolated or purified nucleic acid 
molecule consisting essentially of a nucleotide sequence encoding the 
metastasis suppressor gene located at p21-p12 on human chromosome 8, 
which has been named Tey 1, or a fragment thereof comprising at least 
455 contiguous nucleotides.

Detection and Quantification of Cripto-1 in Human Milk Using ELISA

Caterina Bianco, David S. Salomon (NCI)
DHHS Reference Nos. E-290-2000/0-US-01 filed 26 Jan 2001 and E-290-
2000/0-PCT-02 filed 23 Jan 2002 (PCT/US02/02225)
Licensing Contact: Brenda Hefti; 301/435-4632; [email protected]


[[Page 78482]]


    Cripto-1 (CR1) is a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-
related families of peptides and is involved in the development and 
progression of various human carcinomas. In particular, CR1 
overexpression has been detected in 50-90% of carcinomas of the colon, 
pancreas, stomach, gallbladder, breast, lung, endometrium and cervix. 
Current methodologies of cancer detection, e.g. immunohistochemistry, 
can be time consuming, inconvenient and oftentimes, inaccurate, and 
therefore, a need exists for more efficient, reliable and less time 
consuming methods of detection. The invention relates to such a method 
of detection. The inventors disclose methods for the detection and 
quantification of CR1 in human milk, using an ELISA-based protocol. 
Thus, this test could be used to more effectively detect and perhaps 
stage cancers. Additionally, should particular tumor cells, e.g. breast 
tumor cells, express a sufficiently high level of CR1, it may be 
possible to use the disclosed assay to detect and measure CR1 in human 
serum and/or plasma. Claims to these routes of detection are also 
present in the patent application. As such, a novel, efficient and 
useful in vitro diagnostic and prognostic test is now available to 
suitable commercial partners.

Improving Chemotherapy by Increased Killing of Tumor Cells and 
Protection of Normal Cells Through p38 Kinase Inhibition

Dmitry Bulavin and Albert J. Fornace, Jr. (NCI)
DHHS Reference Nos. E-235-2000/0-US-01 filed 07 Nov 2000 and E-235-
2000/0-PCT-02 filed 06 Nov 2001 (PCT/US01/47669)
Licensing Contact: Catherine Joyce; 301/435-5031; [email protected]

    Responses to genotoxic stress include the initiation of cell-cycle 
arrest and the maintenance of cell-cycle arrest during DNA repair. 
Although maintenance of G2/M checkpoints is known to involve Chk1, 
Chk2/Rad53 and upstream components, the mechanisms involved in 
initiation of the G2/M checkpoint are less well defined. The inventors 
have discovered that p38 kinase has a critical role in the initiation 
of a G2/M delay after genotoxic stress such as ultraviolet radiation. 
The inventors contemplate that p38 MAPK inhibition will enhance the 
efficacy of chemotherapy by inhibiting the initiation of G2/M arrest in 
stressed cells and promoting the progression of such cells into M 
phase.
    The above-mentioned invention is available for licensing on an 
exclusive or non-exclusive basis.

Pyrimidine Phosphorylase as a Target for Imaging and Therapy

RW Klecker and JM Collins (FDA)
DHHS Reference Nos. E-156-1999/0-US-01 filed 19 Jan 2001 and E-156-
1999/0-PCT-02 filed 18 Jan 2002 (PCT/US02/01216)
Licensing Contact: Brenda Hefti; 301/435-4632; [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.

    Dated: December 13, 2002.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 02-32349 Filed 12-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P