[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 247 (Tuesday, December 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78482-78483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32350]


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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.

Tryptophan as a Functional Replacement for ADP-ribose-arginine in 
Recombinant Proteins

    Dr. Joel Moss et al. (NHLBI), DHHS Reference No. E-160-2002/0-US-01 
filed 28 Jun 2002 Licensing Contact: Marlene Shinn; 301/435-4426; 
[email protected].
    Bacterial toxins such as cholera toxin and diphtheria toxin 
catalyze the ADP-ribosylation of important cellular target proteins in 
their human hosts, thereby, as in the case of cholera toxin, 
irreversibly activating adenylate cyclase. In this reaction, the toxin 
transfers the ADP-ribose moiety of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide 
(NAD) to an acceptor amino acid in a protein or peptide. ADP-
ribosylation leads to a peptide/protein with altered biochemical or 
pharmacological properties. Mammalians proteins catalyze reactions 
similar to the bacterial toxins. The ADP-ribosylated proteins represent 
useful pharmacological agents, however, their use is limited by the 
inherent instability of the ADP-ribose-protein linkage.
    The NIH announces a new technology wherein recombinant proteins are 
created that substitute phenylalanine or tryptophan for an arginine, 
thereby making the protein more stable, and better suited as agents for 
therapeutic purposes. The modification creates an effect similar to 
ADP-ribosylation of the arginine. An example of a protein that can be 
modified is the defensin molecule, which is a broad-spectrum 
antimicrobial that acts against infectious agents and plays an 
important role in the innate immune defense in vertebrates.

Identification of Anti-HIV Compounds Inhibiting Virus Assembly and 
Binding of Nucleocapsid Protein to Nucleic Acid

    Drs. Robert Shoemaker and Michael Currens (STB, DTP, DCTD, NCI), 
Drs. Alan Rein and Ya-Xiong Feng (DRP, CCR, NCI), Drs. Robert Fisher, 
Andrew Stephen, Shizuko Sei, Bruce Crise, and Louis Henderson, and Ms. 
Karen Worthy (SAIC-Frederick), DHHS Reference No. E-121-2002/0 filed 08 
Oct 2002, Licensing Contact: Sally Hu; 301/435-5606; [email protected]
    This invention identified potent inhibitors of HIV particle 
assembly and nucleocapsid/nucleic acid binding. Two series of active 
antiviral compounds are described in this invention. One series

[[Page 78483]]

comprises aromatic, antimony-containing compounds while the other an 
aromatic tricarboxylic acid. Both series have been shown to exhibit 
anti-HIV viral activity by inhibiting viral particle assembly and by 
inhibiting the binding of the nucleocapsid protein to nucleic acid and 
protecting susceptible human cells from the cytopathic effect of HIV. 
Compounds in both classes show potent activity in mechanistic assays 
and cell-based antiviral assays and are quite non-toxic in vitro. Thus, 
these compounds, or derivatives, may be useful in treatment of AIDS 
patients.

Apparatus and Method for In Vitro Recording and Stimulation of Cells

    David Ide (NIMH), George Mentis (NINDS), DHHS Reference No. E-068-
2002 filed 05 Jul 2002, Licensing Contact: Dale Berkley; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].
    The invention is an apparatus that allows in vitro recording and 
stimulation of neuronal tissue using extracellular and intracellular 
techniques. This system enables the experimenter to combine 
commercially available motorized micromanipulators (used to position 
electrodes for intracellular recordings) with newly designed miniature 
micromanipulators to perform simultaneously extracellular recordings 
and/or stimulations. The apparatus consists of a circular plexiglas in 
vitro chamber, an aluminum base that allows adjustment to securely 
positioned preparations at various rotated positions during the course 
of the experiment (without having to re-position the preparation), and 
a set of several (maximum ten) miniaturized micromanipulators, allowing 
four-dimensional control. The positioning of the electrodes for 
extracellular recordings/stimulation is done manually without any motor 
control. The miniature micromanipulators can also be used to position 
multi-barrel electrodes for local application of pharmacological agents 
as well as for different purposes (mini temperature probe, pH probe, 
outlet or inlet tubing etc). This is a unique system that permits a 
practical, versatile electrophysiological setup for simultaneous 
extracellular and intracellular recordings. The apparatus is fully 
documented and ready for transfer from the laboratory to the commercial 
environment.

    Dated: December 13, 2002.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 02-32350 Filed 12-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P