[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19437-19438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8268]


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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 an agency 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.

ADDRESSES: 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 be required to receive 
copies of the patent applications.

Query Tool for Accurate Protein Identification

Rodney L. Levine (NHLBI)
U.S. Patent Application No. 10/446,865 filed 29 May 2003 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-306-2002/0-US-01)

    Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].
    PHS seeks a commercial developer for the following software 
database query tool: A data-mining tool (software based query 
generator) that provides a script that identifies an isolated protein 
by using physical properties of the protein and submitting the query 
into a protein database (e.g., SWISS-PROT). The inventors identified 
that by combining an accurate determination of the ratio of at least 
one amino acid per molecule and at least one physical parameter of the 
protein; an accurate and unique match can be made by the query results. 
Parameters include the ratios of amino acids to others (e.g., C/F, W/C, 
C/Y etc.), the molecular weight, the ratio of positively to negatively 
charged moieties, and/or the isoelectric point.

Bromotyrosine-Derived Inhibitors of Mycothiol-S-Conjugate Amidase

Carole A. Bewley et al. (NIDDK)
    U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/395,219 filed 10 Jul 2002 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-196-2002/0-US-01); PCT Application No. PCT/US03/21456 
filed 09 Jul 2003, which published as WO 04/004659 on 15 Jan 2004 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-196-2002/0-PCT-02)

    Licensing Contact: Michael Ambrose; 301/594-6565; 
[email protected].
    Mycobacterium tuberculosis has reemerged as a leading cause of 
death by an infectious agent, especially among populations that are 
immunocompromised. With this increase in the rate of infection there 
has also been an increase in the number of drug resistant strains, 
making treatment of such infections more difficult. As such, the 
development of new antituberculars with novel modes

[[Page 19438]]

of action is paramount in the fight against such infections.
    The current invention uses the finding of two mycothiol-related 
amidases that are unique to actinomycetes and thus share no homology to 
eukaryotic enzymes thus reducing potential side effects for new 
therapeutics. These amidases are novel targets for new therapeutics and 
classes of antimycobacterials. This invention describes a series of 
synthetic bromotyrosine-containing analogs that exhibit amidase 
inhibition and thus have potential for therapeutic development.
    This research has been described, in part, in: GM Nicholas et al., 
Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. (2002) 12:2487-2490; B Fetterolf and CA 
Bewley, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. (Submitted, March 26, 2004).

Radio Frequency Cauterization Biopsy

Bradford J. Wood and Christan Pavlovich (CC)
    U.S. Patent Application No. 10/274,074 filed 17 Oct 2002 (DHHS 
Reference No. E-207-2001/1-US-02)

    Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].
    The invention is a method and apparatus for using radio frequency 
(RF) energy to cauterize the needle track after percutaneous image-
guided needle biopsy. The invention is designed to limit the risks of 
bleeding and needle track seeding that are inherent risks of any needle 
biopsy. The device uses a coaxial biopsy arrangement with the outer 
needle coated with a non-conducting polymer that insulates the needle 
shaft and the tissue immediately in contact with the shaft. As the 
needle is pulled back from the organ or tumor target, RF energy is 
applied to an exposed end portion of the probe, causing cauterization 
and coagulation of the tissue immediately adjacent to the needle track. 
Modular insertions could plug the needle into any cauterization or 
radiofrequency generator. A variation on the device could be used to 
limit bleeding after catheter placement into organs, such as for 
nephrostomy, biliary drainage, or transhepatic islet cell 
transplantation.

Endoluminal Radiofrequency Cauterization System

Bradford J. Wood (CC)
    U.S. Patent 6,676,657 issued 13 Jan 2004 (DHHS Reference No.E-244-
2000/1-US-01)

    Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].
    The invention is a device for occluding the lumen of a hollow 
organ, vessel or aneurysm by delivering radio frequency energy to its 
inner wall. The apparatus uses specialized electrodes that contact the 
walls of the organ to substantially conform to the inner surface. RF 
energy is then applied to the electrode at any of a broad range of 
desired frequencies for selected times at power levels of from 20 to 
200 watts. Delivery of RF energy may be regulated by monitoring 
temperature, tissue impedance or other parameters at or near the site 
of the electrode. A temperature sensor located near the electrode 
allows microprocessor-based control of the power delivered to the 
electrode site as a function of tissue temperature. The device has 
applications in therapeutic thrombosis of an aneurysm, stopping blood 
flow to a tumor or bleeding vessel, or reducing stricture or stenosis 
in, for example, a bronchus, esophagus, intestine segment or a blood 
vessel. The invention also may be useful in reducing stenosis in a 
coronary artery or to reduce a restenotic lesion from intimal 
hyperplasia that may occur after angioplasty.

    Dated: April 4, 2004.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 04-8268 Filed 4-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P