[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 168 (Friday, August 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 52041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22100]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing and 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Technology 
Transfer Office, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The invention named in this notice is owned by agencies of the 
United States Government and is available for licensing in the United 
States (U.S.) in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207, and is available for 
cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) in accordance 
with 15 U.S.C. 3710, to achieve expeditious commercialization of 
results of federally funded research and development. U.S. and foreign 
patent applications are expected to be filed in the near future to 
extend market coverage for U.S. companies and may also be available for 
licensing.

ADDRESSES: Licensing and CRADA information, and information related to 
the technology listed below, may be obtained by writing to Suzanne 
Seavello Shope, J.D., Technology Licensing and Marketing Scientist, 
Technology Transfer Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), Mailstop K-79, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341, telephone 
(770) 488-8613; facsimile (770) 488-8615; or e-mail [email protected]. A 
signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement (available under Forms at 
http://www.cdc.gov/tto) will be required to receive copies of 
unpublished patent applications and other information.

Occupational Safety

Air Sampler for Collecting Airborne Pollutants in a Micro Centrifuge 
Tube for Molecular Analysis

    Occupational exposure to small particles, such as fungal spores, 
bacteria, dust, etc., is of concern in a number of places that exhibit 
air quality problems, for example, school buildings and agricultural 
settings. The conventional approach for assessing human exposure to 
bioaerosols has been to take samples using filters, impingers, or 
impactors and then perform laboratory analyses, which could be directly 
counting the organisms or indirectly counting their colony-forming 
units. While these methods provide reasonably adequate assessment in 
bioaerosol concentration, they are time-consuming and sometimes take 
days or even weeks to conduct the analysis. In addition, although the 
health consequence is evident, there has been difficulty in 
establishing exposure-response relationship because of the poor 
correlation between measured biomass and recorded health effect. Recent 
attention paid to indoor air quality, biological warfare and terrorist 
attacks has revealed a need for highly specific and sensitive 
techniques, such as immunoassays and polymerase chain reactions (PCR), 
for detecting a variety of air pollutants. However, there is a lack of 
sampling devices that could provide adequate sampling of airborne 
pollutants and match these advanced analytical techniques.
    Researchers at NIOSH have evaluated sampling techniques matched to 
the analytical procedures used in PCR, immunoassays, and other 
procedures, and developed a personal sampler for collecting airborne 
pollutants. Preliminary data have demonstrated an excellent aspiration 
and collection efficiency for the sampler. It is the intent that use of 
this sampler would solve the technical compatibility problem between 
sampling and analyzing as well as allow sample analysis without the 
need for sample extraction which is required by most current air 
sampling methods. In turn, the whole scheme of sampling and analysis 
would help enhance the assessment of exposure to airborne pollutants.
    Inventors: The-hsun ``Bean'' Chen et al.
    U.S. Patent Application SN: Not yet filed.
    (CDC Ref. #: I-020-03).

    Dated: August 25, 2003.
Joseph R. Carter,
Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 03-22100 Filed 8-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P