[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 2123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-544]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Jointly Owned Invention Available for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of jointly owned invention available for licensing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The invention listed below is jointly owned by the U.S. 
Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce, and Biospace, 
Inc. The Department of Commerce's interest in the invention is 
available for licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37 CFR 
part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of 
federally funded research and development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical and licensing information on 
this invention may be obtained by writing to: National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, Attn: 
Teresa Bradshaw, Building 820, Room 213, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. 
Information is also available via telephone: (301) 975-2624 , fax (301) 
869-2751, or e-mail: [email protected]. Any request for 
information should include the NIST Docket number and title for the 
invention as indicated below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST may enter into a Cooperative Research 
and Development Agreement (``CRADA'') with the licensee to perform 
further research on the invention for purposes of commercialization. 
The invention available for licensing is:

NIST Docket Number: 01-015

    Title: Applying X-ray Topography and Diffractometry to Improve 
Protein Crystal Growth.
    Abstract: The present invention provides a general method and 
system for identifying conditions for growing protein crystals having 
greater order and fewer crystal defects that are suitable for use in 
determining the structure of the protein by x-ray diffractometry. 
Crystals of a protein are grown under different sets of predetermined 
conditions and x-ray topographic images of the protein crystals are 
generated. The x-ray topographic images reveal defects in the crystals 
and permit identification of the set(s) of conditions that produce 
crystals having the fewest crystal defects. In a preferred embodiment, 
the protein crystals are grown in a dynamically controlled 
crystallization system (DCCS). An important condition of crystal growth 
that can be optimized by the method is the effective gravity, g\eff\, 
experienced by the growing crystal; for example, when the crystal is 
grown under microgravity in space, or in a powerful magnetic field that 
causes the protein molecules in the growing crystal to experience 
acceleration of an effective gravitational field that is greater or 
less than the actual gravitational field at the earth's surface. With 
the present method, it is possible to identify differences between 
crystals grown on the earth with the DCCS and those grown in space 
under identical conditions. A comparison of x-ray topographs taken from 
both earth grown and space grown crystals indicates that the space 
grown crystals are of higher crystallographic perfection.

    Dated: January 5, 2005.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 05-544 Filed 1-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P