[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 73 (Wednesday, April 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18659-18660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9287]


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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.

Mutant A. nidulans Strains Requiring Anticancer or Antifungal Compounds 
for Growth

Katherine Jung et al. (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-312-2002/0 (Biological Materials)
Licensing Contact: Susan Ano; 301/435-5515; [email protected].
    This technology describes four genetically modified strains of 
Aspergillus nidulans that bear mutations in the gene encoding [gamma]-
tubulin, a protein required for initiation of microtubule formation and 
mitosis. As a result of the mutations, these strains require the 
presence of an antimicrotubule agent as either an absolute or 
conditional requirement for growth, making the strains useful for

[[Page 18660]]

drug discovery screens. Related proteins [alpha]- and [beta]-tubulin, 
which form the actual microtubules, are used in drug discovery efforts 
for anticancer drugs and are the targets of chemotherapeutics 
paclitaxel and vincristine. Significantly, identifying compounds that 
affect [gamma]-tubulin function, which is fundamentally different than 
that of [alpha]- and [beta]-tubulin, could lead to new types or classes 
of anticancer or antifungal compounds that act in a different manner. 
Furthermore, use of these strains in drug discovery offers the 
advantage of detecting growth against a background of no growth, 
compared to more typical methods of detecting decreased growth. 
Additionally, since microtubules are involved in a myriad of cell 
processes such as cell division, cell motility, and intracellular 
transport; these mutant strains could be useful in the study of these 
processes. These cell lines are available for licensing through 
Biological Materials Licenses. Related research has been published in 
Jung et al., Mol. Biol. Cell 12: 2119-2136, 2001.

Mutant S. pombe Strains Carrying a Human [gamma]-tubulin Gene or a 
Multicopy S. pombe [gamma]-tubulin Plasmid

Katherine Jung et al. (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-313-2002/0 (Biological Materials)
Licensing Contact: Susan Ano; 301/435-5515; [email protected].
    This technology describes two strains of Schizosaccharomyces pombe 
that have been genetically modified to affect the expression of 
[gamma]-tubulin, a protein required for initiation of microtubule 
formation and mitosis. One strain carries a null mutation for 
expression of its [gamma]-tubulin gene but has been transformed with 
DNA encoding human [gamma]-tubulin. The second strain carries the S. 
pombe [gamma]-tubulin gene on a multicopy plasmid and thus 
overexpresses S. pombe [gamma]-tubulin. Since microtubules are involved 
in a myriad of cell processes such as cell division, cell motility, and 
intracellular transport, these mutant strains could be useful in the 
study of these and other processes, in particular by screening to 
discover compounds of medical and agricultural use. Specifically, the 
S. pombe strain carrying the human [gamma]-tubulin gene could be used 
to identify potential antineoplastic agents, since compounds that 
specifically inhibit the growth of this strain will target human 
[gamma]-tubulin. Compounds that inhibited growth of the strain 
overexpressing fungal [gamma]-tubulin but not human [gamma]-tubulin 
would be potential antifungal agents. These cell lines are available 
for licensing through Biological Materials Licenses. Related research 
has been published in Horio & Oakley, J. Cell Biol. 126: 1465-1473, 
1994.

Polyclonal Antibodies Specific to Phosphorylation and Acetylation Sites 
of Human p53

Dr. Ettore Appella (NCI)
DHHS Reference No. E-262-2002/0
Licensing Contact: Sally Hu; 301/435-5606; [email protected].
    This invention describes the antibodies that are specific to 
phosphorylated and acetylated sites of p53 and might be used as a 
powerful tool to study the function of the modifications and the 
mechanisms that regulate activation of p53. Those polyclonal antibodies 
have been raised by inoculating an animal with synthetic peptide 
mimicking the modified residue and its surrounding under conditions 
which elicit immune response. Those antibodies also can be used in 
medical diagnostics. They can be applied to monitor activity of 
corresponding enzymes, which catalyze the particular modification in 
the state of phosphorylation and acetylation of p53. The polyclonal 
antibodies from this invention are available for licensing via 
biological material licenses (BML).

Method for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Disease

Toren Finkel et al. (NHLBI)
DHHS Reference Nos. E-037-2003 filed 15 Nov 2002 and E-125-2003 filed 
05 Feb 2003
Licensing Contact: Fatima Sayyid, 301/435-4521; [email protected].
    Cardiovascular disease is a major health risk throughout the 
industrialized world. Atherosclerosis, the most prevalent of 
cardiovascular diseases, is the principal cause of heart attack, 
stroke, and gangrene of the extremities. It is also the principal cause 
of death in the United States.
    This invention portrays a method for diagnosing decreased vascular 
function, detecting increased cardiovascular risk and diagnosing 
atherosclerosis. An embodiment includes assaying the number of 
endothelial progenitor cells and treating a subject with decreased 
vascular function by administering a therapeutically effective amount 
of endothelial progenitor cells.
    Related research has been published in Hill et al., New England 
Journal of Medicine 348: 593-600 Feb 13 2003.

Cyr61 as a Marker for Acute Renal Failure

Drs. Robert A. Star and Yasunari Muramatsu (NIDDK)
Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/367,411 filed 25 Mar 2002
Licensing Contact: Pradeep Ghosh; 301/435-5282; [email protected].
    This invention relates to a method of diagnosing Acute Renal 
Failure (ARF) at an early stage by determining urinary cysteine-rich 
protein, Cyr61 levels and a method for treating early ARF by 
administering Cyr61. Acute renal failure is a disease of high morbidity 
and mortality and therapeutic interventions are still lacking. The 
invention is based on the fact that acute renal ischemia is associated 
with increased Cyr61 mRNA and protein levels. Cyr61 is a member of 
connective tissue growth factor family and plays an important role in 
the wound repair and neovascularization process. Increased expression 
of Cyr61 mRNA in ARF results in enhanced synthesis of Cyr61 protein and 
because Cyr61 is a secreted protein, the urine level of Cyr61 increases 
in ARF patients. Increased levels of urinary Cyr61 may thus have a 
potential as a diagnostic marker for ARF. In addition, because of its 
neovascularization properties, administration of Cyr61 may stimulate 
the renal repair process and/or prevent renal injury. Therefore, Cyr61 
is a biomarker that also has potential therapeutic use for the 
treatment of ARF in patients with ischemia, sepsis, or following renal 
transplantation.

    Dated: April 8, 2003.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Acting Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, 
Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 03-9287 Filed 4-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P