[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4153-4155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-909]


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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

[[Page 4154]]

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.

Active MRI Compatible and Visible iMRI Catheter

Ozgur Kocaturk (NHLBI).
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/716,503 filed 14 Sep 2005 (HHS 
Reference No. E-298-2005/0-US-01).
Licensing Contact: Chekesha Clingman; 301/435-5018; 
[email protected].

    Interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) has gained 
important popularity in many fields such as interventional cardiology 
and radiology, owing to the development of minimally invasive 
techniques and visible catheters under MRI for conducting MRI-guided 
procedures and therapies. This invention relates to a novel MRI 
compatible and active visible catheter for conducting interventional 
and intraoperative procedures under the guidance of MRI. The catheter 
features a non conductive transmission line and the use of ultrasonic 
transducers that transform RF signals to ultrasonic signals for 
transmitting RF signal to the MRI scanner. The unique design of this 
catheter overcomes the concern of patient/sample heating (due to the 
coupling between RF transmission energy and long conductors within 
catheter) associated with the design of conventional active MRI 
catheters.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research opportunities with the 
inventors.

Bioreactor Device and Method and System for Fabricating Tissue

Juan M. Taboas (NIAMS), Rocky S. Tuan (NIAMS), et al.
U.S. Patent Application No. 60/701,186 filed 20 Jul 2005 (HHS Reference 
No. E-042-2005/0-US-01).
Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].

    Available for licensing and commercial development is a 
millifluidic bioreactor system for culturing, testing, and fabricating 
natural or engineered cells and tissues. The system consists of a 
millifluidic bioreactor device and methods for sample culture. Biologic 
samples that can be utilized include cells, scaffolds, tissue explants, 
and organoids. The system is microchip controlled and can be operated 
in closed-loop, providing controlled delivery of medium and biofactors 
in a sterile temperature regulated environment under tabletop or 
incubator use. Sample perfusion can be applied periodically or 
continuously, in a bidirectional or unidirectional manner, and medium 
re-circulated.
    An advantage of the millifluidic bioreactor: The device is small in 
size, and of conventional culture plate format. A second advantage: The 
millifluidic bioreactor provides the ability to grow larger biologic 
samples than microfluidic systems, while utilizing smaller medium 
volumes than conventional bioreactors. The bioreactor culture chamber 
is adapted to contain sample volumes on a milliliter scale (10 [mu]L to 
1 mL, with a preferred size of 100 [mu]L), significantly larger than 
chamber volumes in microfluidic systems (on the order of 1 [mu]L). 
Typical microfluidic systems are designed to culture cells and not 
larger tissue samples. A third advantage: the integrated medium 
reservoirs and bioreactor chamber design provide for, (1) concentration 
of biofactors produced by the biologic sample, and (2) the use of 
smaller amounts of exogenous biofactor supplements in the culture 
medium. The local medium volume (within the vicinity of the sample) is 
less than twice the sample volume. The total medium volume utilized is 
small, preferably 2 ml, significantly smaller than conventional 
bioreactors (typically using 500-1000 mL). A fourth advantage: the 
bioreactor device provides for real-time monitoring of sample growth 
and function in response to stimuli via an optical port and embedded 
sensors. The optical port provides for microscopy and spectroscopy 
measurements using transmitted, reflected, or emitted (e.g. 
fluorescent, chemiluminescent) light. The embedded sensors provide for 
measurement of culture fluid pressure and sample pH, oxygen tension, 
and temperature. A fifth advantage: The bioreactor is capable of 
providing external stimulation to the biologic sample, including 
mechanical forces (e.g. fluid shear, hydrostatic pressure, matrix 
compression, microgravity via clinorotation), electrical fields (e.g. 
AC currents), and biofactors (e.g. growth factors, cytokines) while 
monitoring their effect in real-time via the embedded sensors, optical 
port, and medium sampling port. A sixth advantage: monitoring of 
biologic sample response to external stimulation can be performed non-
invasively and non-destructively through the embedded sensors, optical 
port, and medium sampling port. Testing of tissue mechanical and 
electrical properties (e.g. stiffness, permeability, loss modulus via 
stress or creep test, electrical impedance) can be performed over time 
without removing the sample from the bioreactor device. A seventh 
advantage: the bioreactor sample chamber can be constructed with 
multiple levels fed via separate perfusion circuits, facilitating the 
growth and production of multiphasic tissues.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research opportunities with the 
inventors.

Universally Applicable Technology for Inactivation of Enveloped Viruses 
and Other Pathogenic Microorganisms for Vaccine Development

Yossef Raviv et al. (NCI).
U.S. Provisional Application filed 22 Mar 2004 (HHS Reference No. E-
303-2003/0-US-01);
PCT Application filed 22 Mar 2005 (HHS Reference No. E-303-2003/0-PCT-
02).
Licensing Contact: Susan Ano; 301/435-5515; [email protected].

    The current technology describes the inactivation of viruses, 
parasites, and tumor cells by the hydrophobic photoactivatable 
compound, 1,5-iodoanpthylazide (INA). This non-toxic compound will 
diffuse into the lipid bilayer of biological membranes and upon 
irradiation with light will bind to proteins and lipids in this domain 
thereby inactivating fusion of enveloped viruses with their 
corresponding target cells. Furthermore, the selective binding of INA 
to protein domains in the lipid bilayer preserves the structural 
integrity and therefore immunogenicity of proteins on the exterior of 
the inactivated virus. This technology is universally applicable to 
other microorganisms that are surrounded by biological membranes like 
parasites and tumor cells. The broad utility of the subject technology 
has been demonstrated using influenza virus, HIV, SIV and Ebola virus 
as representative examples. The inactivation approach for vaccine 
development presented in this technology provides for a safe, non-
infectious formulation for vaccination against the corresponding agent. 
Vaccination studies demonstrated that mice immunized with INA 
inactivated influenza virus mounted a heterologous protective immune 
response against lethal doses of influenza virus. This technology and 
its application to HIV are further described in the Journal of

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Virology 2005, volume 29, pp 12394-12400.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
studies in application to vaccine development in animal models through 
collaborative research opportunities with the inventors. Please contact 
Dr. Yossef Raviv at [email protected].

    Dated: January 18, 2006.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E6-909 Filed 1-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4167-01-P