[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 220 (Friday, November 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 64630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28559]


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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 an agency 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.

Intracellular Trapping of Radionuclides by Enzyme-Mediated Reduction

    Fangyu Peng, King Li, Sunil Pandit (CC).
    U.S. Provisional Application filed 30 Sep 2003 (DHHS Reference No. 
E-083-2003/0-US-01).
    Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].
    The invention provides a novel technique for intracellular trapping 
of radionuclides for use in cancer therapy and imaging. The technique 
includes enzyme-mediated intracellular trapping of a radionuclide in a 
target cell by transfecting the target cell with a transgenic vector 
encoding a microbial hydrogenase and treating the transfected target 
cell with a radionuclide. The transgenically expressed microbial 
hydrogenase catalyzes the reduction of the radionuclide. The reduced 
radionuclide is trapped intracellularly where its emissions can be 
detected in radioscintigraphy applications. Emissions from 
intracellularly trapped radionuclides can also be cytotoxic to the 
target cell and therefore useful in radiotherapy applications. The 
invention further provides a reporter mechanism wherein a microbial 
hydrogenase encoding nucleic acid is included in a vector along with a 
transgene, both under the control of the same promoter. The detection 
of emissions from intracellularly reduced and trapped radionuclides is 
used to monitor transgene expression.

Lutozmyia longipalpis Polypeptides and Methods of Use

    Jesus G. Valenzuela, Jos[eacute] M.C. Ribeiro (NIAID).
    U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/422,203 filed 29 Oct 2002 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-285-2002/0-US-01).
    Licensing Contact: Peter Soukas; 301/435-4646; 
[email protected].
    Leishmania parasites are transmitted to their vertebrate hosts by 
infected phlebotomine sand fly bites. Sand fly saliva is known to 
enhance Leishmania infection, while immunity to the saliva protects 
against infection. This invention claims a number of major salivary 
proteins from the sand fly vector of Leishmania major, Lutzomyia 
longipalpis, nucleic acids encoding the proteins, vaccines comprising 
the proteins and/or nucleic acids, and methods of producing an immune 
response to prevent Leishmaniasis.
    The inventors have shown that similar salivary proteins are able to 
protect vaccinated mice challenged with parasites plus salivary gland 
homogenates (SGH). The vaccine comprises a DNA vaccine encoding the 
salivary proteins. In one experiment with mice, the vaccine produced 
both intense humoral and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. 
The inventors are continuing to experiment preclinically with this 
vaccine.

    Dated: November 4, 2003.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 03-28559 Filed 11-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P