[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 165 (Tuesday, August 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51279-51280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21695]


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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 invention listed below is owned by agencies of the U.S. 
Government and is 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 
application 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 application.

Container for Drying Biological Samples, Method of Making Such 
Container, and Method of Using Same

Geoffrey L. Kidd (NEI).
U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/238,147 filed 09 Sep 2002 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-304-2003/0-US-01).

    Licensing Contact: Marlene Astor, 301/435-4426, or David Sadowski, 
301/435-5525.
    Problem Addressed by This Invention: Many materials, such as drugs, 
growth factors, etc., must be kept sterile and must be aliquotted for 
storage. Usually, these aliquots are best stored lyophilized. When 
compared to freezing in solution, lyophilization offers more than 
twenty-fold longer shelf-lives for these labile compunds. Yet, 
researchers have never had a way to keep aliquots sterile through the 
lyophilization process. Consequently, each aliquot has had to be 
filter-sterilized when reconstituted for use. This process has the 
disadvantages of consuming: excessive filters, syringes, sterile 
receptacles, and time; and may result in serious loss of precious 
sample due to absorption by the filters--especially with small samples. 
Alternatively, researchers have had to forego lyophilization and store 
their sterile solutions in the less-stable frozen form.
    Solution Offered by This Invention: The multi-well plates of this 
invention provide venting through a filter element thereby permitting a 
sterile solution to remain sterile throughout lyophilization, even 
after the vacuum is released and air reenters the multi-well plate. 
Thus, a starting solution is simply filter-sterilized while in a 
relatively large volume, using a single filter and therefore suffering 
minimal loss and consuming little time. It is then aliquotted into a 
multi-well plate and lyophilized. The plate may then be transferred 
directly to the freezer, if

[[Page 51280]]

desired. The compound is reconstituted when needed, and may then be 
used immediately without further filtration.
    Potential Applications of This Invention: All researchers worldwide 
who utilize sterile, labile compounds will have an interest in this 
product, including governmental, university, institutional, and drug 
company laboratories. Most notably in need are investigators involved 
in drug-testing, which is normally done either in cell cultures, 
laboratory animals, or humans, and which requires sterility of many 
aliquots of many drugs. Additionally, this product will have a large 
market relating to basic research utilizing microbial, plant, or animal 
cell or organ cultures, to which sterile compounds such as growth 
factors are commonly added. Research in drugs, growth factors, etc., is 
expanding ever more rapidly, and generally requires a cell culture 
system in which to study such compounds. Most of these compounds are 
quite expensive. Loss of potency during storage and loss of material 
during filtration are widespread problems which may be overcome with 
this invention. Therefore, there exists a tremendous need and immense 
market for these multi-well plates.

    Dated: August 14, 2003.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 03-21695 Filed 8-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P