[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 221 (Monday, November 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64904-64905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28658]


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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, HHS.

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.

Automated Identification of Ileocecal Valve

Ronald Summers (NIHCC), Jianhua Yao (NIHCC), Daniel C. Johnson (Mayo 
Clinic); U.S. Provisional Application filed 10 Oct 2003 (DHHS Reference 
No. E-174-2003/0-US-01); Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301-
435-5019; [email protected].

    Available for licensing is a system and software that analyzes 
digital representations of the colon and eliminates the occurrence of 
false positive colonic polyps. For example, in a scenario in which a 
list of polyp candidates is analyzed, the ileocecal valve can be 
removed from the list. Because the ileocecal valve is a normal 
structure and not a polyp (i.e., a false positive), removing the 
ileocecal valve from the list of polyp candidates increases the 
usefulness and specificity of computer aided polyp detection 
techniques. Characteristics of a digital representation of at least a 
portion of a colon can be compared with paradigmatic characteristics of 
digital representations of ileocecal valves. Based on determining that 
the digital representation has the characteristics of an ileocecal 
valve, action can be taken. The digital representation can be removed 
from a list of polyp candidates or depicted distinctively in a visual 
depiction. Characteristics can include density, volume, intensity, 
attenuation, location within the colon, and the like.

Novel Non-Nucleoside Agents for the Inhibition of HIV Reverse 
Transcriptase for the Treatment of HIV-1

Christopher A. Michejda, Marshall Morningstar, Thomas Roth (NCI); U.S. 
Patent 6,369,235 issued 09 Apr 2002 (DHHS Reference No. E-076-1997/1-
US-01); U.S. Patent Application No. 10/119,634 filed 09 Apr 2002 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-076-1997/1-US-02); Licensing Contact: Sally Hu; 301-
435-5606; [email protected].

    Despite recent developments in drug and compound design to combat 
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there remains a need for a 
potent, non-toxic compound that is effective against wild type reverse 
transcriptase (RT) as well as RTs that have undergone mutations and 
thereby become refractory to commonly used anti-HIV compounds. There 
are two major classes of RT inhibitors. The first comprises nucleoside 
analogues, which are not specific for HIV-RT and are incorporated into 
cellular DNA by host DNA polymerases. Nucleoside analogues can cause 
serious side effects and have resulted in the emergence of drug 
resistance viral strains that contain mutations in their RT. The second 
major class of RT inhibitors comprises non-nucleoside RT inhibitors 
(NNRTIs) that do not act as DNA chain terminators and are highly 
specific for HIV-RT. This technology is a novel class of NNRTIs 
(substituted benzimidazoles) effective in the inhibition of HIV-RT wild 
type as well as against variant HIV strains resistant to many non-
nucleoside inhibitors. These NNRTIs are highly specific for HIV-1 RT 
and do not inhibit normal cellular polymerases, resulting in lower 
cytotoxicity and fewer side effects that the nucleoside analogues, such 
AZT. This novel class of compounds could significantly improve

[[Page 64905]]

the treatment of HIV by increasing compliance with therapy.

    Dated: November 6, 2003.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 03-28658 Filed 11-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P