[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 156 (Wednesday, August 13, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48396-48397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20562]


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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.

ADDRESS: 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

[[Page 48397]]

be required to receive copies of the patent applications.

Full-Length cDNA Clone Representing the Consensus Sequence of the RNA 
Genome of a Human Norovirus (strain MD145-12) that Encodes Biologically 
Active Proteins

Gael M. Belliot, Kim Y. Green, Stanislav V. Sosnovtsev (NIAID)
DHHS Reference No. E-212-2003/0
Licensing Contact: Sally Hu; 301/435-5606; [email protected]

    The invention provides for a full-length cloned cDNA copy of the 
RNA genome of a predominant norovirus strain designated MD145-12 that 
was associated with human gastrointestinal illness. The noroviruses, 
which were formerly known as ``Norwalk-like'' viruses are estimated to 
cause 23 million cases of acute gastroenteritis in the USA each year. 
The virus has been designated into category B of the CDC biodefense-
related priority pathogens because it can be used as an agent of 
bioterrorism. The subject cDNA clone of the virus encodes proteins of 
the MD145-12 strain that, when expressed in vitro, exhibit properties 
that would be expected from those produced by the original infectious 
virus. This cDNA clone is presently the only source to obtain norovirus 
proteins to facilitate studies aimed at developing control strategies 
such as vaccines and therapeutic drugs.
    It is our intention not to seek patent protection for the above 
described invention. Instead, the cDNA clone for norovirus strain 
MD145-12 is available for licensing via biological material license 
(BML).

Rapamycin Resistant T Cells and Therapeutic Uses Thereof

Drs. Daniel Fowler (NCI), Unsu Jung (NCI), Jeannie Hou (NCI), Ronald 
Gress (NCI), Bruce Levine (U. of Penn.), and Carl June (U. of Penn.)
U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/478,736 filed 12 Jun 2003 
(DHHS Reference No. E-063-2003/0-US-01)
Licensing Contact: Sally Hu; 301/435-5606; [email protected]

    This invention identified T cell culture conditions that use the 
immune suppression drug rapamycin (sirolimus) to generate rapamycin-
resistant cells having Th1, Th2, Tc1 or Tc2 function (Th=T helper 
lymphocytes; Tc=cytotoxic T lymphocytes). This invention has 
demonstrated how to generate T cells enriched for Th1, Th2, Tc1 or Tc2 
functions as well as how to control these functions in vivo. Those 
methods can make T cell therapies significantly more viable and 
applicable for treatment of a variety of diseases states, including 
cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, Graft vs. Host 
Disease (GVHD) associated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell 
transplantation, and graft rejection. Thus, this invention has many 
useful purposes that could generate significant interest among groups 
pursuing immune therapies, particularly T cell-based therapeutic 
approaches. Diseases in which T cell based therapies would be of major 
impact include cancer, viral infections such as HIV disease, 
autoimmunity, transplantation and any other disease in which the T 
cells participate.

Computational Prediction Method for T Cell Epitopes Based on 
Quantitative Properties of MHC Binding Peptides

Myong-Hee Sung and Richard Simon (NCI)
U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/416,034 filed 03 Oct 2002 
(DHHS Reference No. E-110-2002/0-US-01)
Licensing Contact: Cristina Thalhammer-Reyero; 301/435-4507; 
[email protected]
    NIH announces a computational method for the prediction of peptides 
binding to major histocompatibility complex proteins (MHC), which 
facilitates the resource-consuming effort required to identify T-cell 
epitopes. The presentation of such epitopes by the MHC to T-cells can, 
in conjunction with co-factor interactions, activate the T-cells to 
initiate the necessary immune response against the epitope source. 
Consequently, peptides that are predicted to bind to multiple MHC 
molecules are potentially useful in vaccine design. The invention 
describes a new method for predicting MHC binding based on peptide 
property models constructed using biophysical parameters of the 
constituent amino acids and a training set of known binders. For 
example, the models can be applied to development of anti-tumor 
vaccines by scanning proteins over-expressed in cancer cells for 
peptides that bind to a variety of MHC molecules, as illustrated in the 
context of identifying candidate T-cell epitopes for melanomas and 
breast cancers. This computational approach provides an efficient and 
focused strategy for identifying candidate epitopes for development of 
vaccines and anti-cancer immunotherapy.

    Dated: August 4, 2003.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 03-20562 Filed 8-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P