[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6704-6705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2365]


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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.

A3 Adenosine Receptor Agonists

Kenneth A. Jacobson et al. (NIDDK).
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/608,823 filed 09 Sep 2004 
(DHHS Reference No. E-248-2004/0-US-01).
Licensing Contact: Marlene Shinn-Astor; (301) 435-4426; 
[email protected].

    Researchers have been pursuing compounds that activate or inhibit 
adenosine A3 receptors because these cell membrane proteins have a wide 
range of physiological and disease-related effects and are thus 
considered to be promising drug targets. The adenosine A3 receptors are 
G-protein-coupled receptors and are found mostly in brain, lung, liver, 
heart, kidney, and testis. When this receptor is activated moderately, 
a cytoprotective effect is observed, such as reducing damage to heart 
cells from lack of oxygen. However, at high levels of stimulation they 
can cause cell death. Both agonists and antagonists are being tested 
for therapeutic potential, for example, treatment of cancer, heart 
conditions, neurological conditions, pain, asthma, inflammation and 
other immune implications.
    Adenosine receptors have provided fertile leads for pharmaceutical 
development, and there are currently a variety of adenosinergic 
compounds advancing toward clinical trials. Therapeutics which target 
the adenosine A3 receptors is now an emerging focus that the major 
pharmaceutical companies are developing. Smaller companies are also 
developing drugs that stem from proprietary technology targeting 
adenosine A3 receptors. These companies have products in clinical 
trials for colorectal cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
    This invention pertains to highly potent A3 adenosine receptor 
agonists, pharmaceutical compositions comprising such nucleosides, and 
a method of use of these nucleosides.
    This research has been published, in part, in S. Tchilibon, B.V. 
Joshi, S.-K. Kim, H.T. Duong, Z.-G. Gao, and K.A. Jacobson, ``N-methano 
adenosine derivatives as A3 receptor agonists,'' J. Med. Chem., ASAP 
web release date 23 Sep 2004, doi: 10.1021/jm049580r.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research with the inventors via a 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

Apparatus for Multifocal Deposition and Analysis

Bradford Wood, Alexander Gorbach, Ziv Neeman, Julia Hvisda (all of 
NIHCC), et al. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/403,875 filed 
16 Aug 2002 (DHHS Reference No. E-248-2001/0-US-01); International 
Application Number PCT/US03/25575 filed 14 Aug 2003, which

[[Page 6705]]

published as WO 2004/016155 A3 on 26 Feb 2004 (DHHS Reference No. E-
248-2001/0-PCT-02).
Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; (301) 435-5019; 
[email protected].

    Available for licensing and commercial development is a multifocal 
apparatus for delivering an agent or for gathering information about a 
biological tissue, such as optical spectroscopy for tissue 
characterization (nuclear chromatic density). The apparatus includes a 
needle or catheter having a lumen extending longitudinally at least 
partially through it and a deployment port within the distal portion of 
the catheter. A plurality of extendable-retractable needles are housed 
within the catheter lumen, when deployed, extend through the deployment 
port. The needles may be solid or hollow and may deliver an agent to 
the tissue, include a mechanism for gathering information about the 
tissue, or both. Optical spectroscopy in a needle-based system provides 
in vivo tissue characterization without removal of tissue for 
microscopic analysis, which may be helpful during surgery or image 
guided therapies to localize cancerous tissue.
    Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the apparatus 
in use. The distal end of the apparatus is shown within a neoplasm and 
the needles are in a deployed state.
    Figure 2 is an enlarged, longitudinal section through the distal 
end of an embodiment of the apparatus, showing several extendable-
retractable needles in a non-deployed, or retracted, state.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08FE05.002

    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research with the inventors via a 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

    Dated: February 1, 2005.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 05-2365 Filed 2-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P