[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 73781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7250]


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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 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.

Quantitative Assay of the Angiogenic and Antiangiogenic Activity of a 
Test Molecule

Steven K. Libutti (NCI).
U.S. Patent Application No. 11/014,472 filed 16 Dec 2004 (HHS Reference 
No. E-152-2002/1-US-01).
Licensing Contact: Mojdeh Bahar; 301-435-2950; [email protected].
    The invention provides a method of measuring the angiogenic or 
antiangiogenic activity of a test molecule. The method comprises 
obtaining an embryonated fowl egg, creating a window in the shell of 
the fowl egg, such that the CAM membrane is exposed, providing to a 
test region of interest on the CAM a substrate, administering to a 
vessel located in the CAM a test molecule, administering to a vessel 
located in the CAM a fluorescent-labeled particle, such that the 
fluorescent-labeled particle travels through each vessel contained in 
the test region of interest, removing the substrate and the test region 
of interest from the fowl egg, capturing a three-dimensional image of 
the test region of interest, wherein the three-dimensional image 
comprises a plurality of pixels, such that a fluorescent vascular 
density (FVD) value can be assigned to the test region of interest, and 
comparing the FVD value of the test region of interest with the FVD 
value of a control region of interest that was prepared in the same 
manner as the test region of interest but without the administration of 
a test molecule, such that the angiogenic or antiangiogenic activity of 
the test molecule is measured. A lower FVD value of the test region of 
interest as compared to the FVD value of the control region of interest 
is indicative of the test molecule being useful as an inhibitor of 
angiogenesis. Conversely, a higher FVD value of the test region of 
interest as compared to the FVD value of the control region of interest 
is indicative of the test molecule being useful as a stimulator of 
angiogenesis.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research opportunities with the 
inventors.

Autotaxin: Motility Simulating Protein Useful in Cancer Diagnosis and 
Therapy

Mary Stracke, Lance Liotta, Elliot Schiffman, Jerry Krutzch, and Jun 
Murata (NCI).
U.S. Patent Application filed 16 Feb 2005 (HHS Reference No. E-142-
1990-2-US-05).
Licensing Contact: Mojdeh Bahar; 301-435-2950; [email protected].
    Cell motility plays an important role in embryonic events, adult 
tissue remodeling, wound healing and metastasis of tumor cells. Some 
tumor cells produce proteins termed ``autocrine motility factors'' that 
stimulate motility in tumor cells. This invention describes a novel 
tumor protein called Autotaxin (``ATX'') that stimulates both random 
and directed migration of human A2058 melanoma cells. ATX is a member 
of the nucleotide phosphodiesterase and pyrophosphatase (NPP) family of 
proteins but is the only member of the family that stimulates motility. 
It is also the only member shown to possess lysophospholipase D 
activity.
    This invention can provide a functional marker that can directly 
estimate the invasive potential of a particular human cancer. One could 
also use this invention as an assay for a particular secreted marker in 
body fluids, or in tissues. Other uses include the detection, 
diagnosis, and treatment of human malignancies, and other inflammatory, 
fibrotic, infectious and healing disorders.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research opportunities with the 
inventors.

    Dated: December 1, 2005.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
 [FR Doc. E5-7250 Filed 12-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P