[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8862-8863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2363]


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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.

Human Sweet and Umami Taste Receptor Variants

Dennis Drayna and Un-Kyung Kim (NIDCD)
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/671,173 filed 13 Apr 2005 (HHS 
Reference No. E-099-2005/0-US-01)
Licensing Contact: Susan Carson; 301/435-5020; [email protected]

    The complexity of taste discrimination (salty, sour, sweet, umami 
and bitter) varies between human individuals and populations. Sweet and 
umami (the taste of glutamate) tastes play a major role in the 
perception of calorically-rich and essential nutrients and there are 
well-documented differences in individual perception of sweet and umami 
flavorings, many of which appear to be genetic in origin. Studies of 
individuals within and between populations that vary in any of the 
taste receptors should be of direct interest to the multi-billion 
dollar food and flavoring industry as the characterization of such 
variants could be used to aid in the development of a variety of taste 
improvements in foods and orally administered medications. NIH 
researchers previously characterized bitter taste receptor variants in 
world wide populations [Human Mutation 26, 199-204; HHS Ref. No. E-222-
2003/0] and have now extended their studies to the sweet and umami 
receptors in global populations.
    The group of Dr. Dennis Drayna at NIDCD have now discovered novel 
coding sequence polymorphisms in the human TAS1R genes. These genes 
encode dimeric receptors that sense sweet taste (as TAS1R2+TAS1R3) and 
the taste of umami (as TAS1R1+TAS1R3). To achieve maximum genetic 
diversity, TAS1R receptors from a panel of 30 Europeans, 20 East Asian, 
10 Native Americans, 8 South Asians and 20 sub-Saharan Africans were 
sequenced. Approximately 60% of the identified SNPs caused an amino 
acid substitution in the encoded receptor protein. This variation may 
account for individual preferences in sweet and umami tastes in foods 
and could be of use in the understanding and control of dietary 
preferences that lead to obesity and diabetes.
    These novel variants and methods of use are available for licensing 
and should be of particular use to those using sensorial analysis in 
the food and flavoring industry where the use of taster panels in the 
development of flavors and flavor enhancers for different foods is key 
to the development of new food products and taste masking compounds. 
The ability, for example, to genetically match taster individuals 
employed by industry with the target consumer populations can both 
guide improved formulations and marketing decisions as well as reducing 
the total sample size in the testing of new products in this highly 
competitive industry.
    The Human Taste Receptor Haplotype patent portfolio is also 
available for licensing and includes: HHS Ref No. E-169-2001/0-PCT-02, 
Phenylthiocarbamide Taste Receptor, International Publication No. WO 
2003/008627, PCT filed 19 July 2002 and global IP and HHS Ref. No 222-
2003/1: Variants of Human Taste Receptor Genes, International 
Publication No. WO 2005/007891, PCT filed 18 June 2004 and global IP.
    In addition to licensing, the technology is available for further 
development through collaborative research opportunities with the 
inventors.

Genes for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease

Eugene D. Carstea (NINDS) et al.
U.S. Patent No. 6,426,198 issued 30 Jul 2002 (HHS Reference No. E-122-
1997/0-US-03)

[[Page 8863]]

U.S. Patent Application No. 10/208,731 filed 29 Jul 2002, allowed (HHS 
Reference No. E-122-1997/0-US-04)
Licensing Contact: Marlene Astor; 301/435-4426; [email protected]

    Niemann-Pick disease is a class of inherited lipid storage 
diseases. Niemann-Pick Type C disease is an autosomal recessive 
neurovisceral lipid storage disorder which leads to systemic and 
neurological abnormalities including ataxia, seizures, and loss of 
speech. Patients with the disease typically die as children. The 
biochemical hallmark of Niemann-Pick Type C cells is the abnormal 
accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in lysosomes, which results in 
the delayed homeostatic regulation of both uptake and esterification of 
low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Niemann-Pick Type C is 
characterized by phenotypic variability. The disease appears at random 
in families that have no history of the disorder, making diagnosis 
problematic. This invention provides the human gene for Niemann-Pick 
Type C disease and the nucleic acid sequences corresponding to the 
human gene for Niemann-Pick Type C disease. Also provided is the mouse 
homolog of the human gene. The invention could lead to improved 
diagnosis and the design of therapies for the disease and improved 
means of detection of carriers of the gene. In addition, this invention 
may contribute to the understanding and development of treatments for 
atherosclerosis, a more common disorder associated with cholesterol 
buildup that involves the accumulation of fatty tissue inside arteries 
that blocks blood flow, leading to heart disease and stroke. The 
invention may also lead to additional discoveries concerning how 
cholesterol is processed in the body.
    This invention is described, in part, in: S.K. Loftus et al., 
``Murine model of Niemann-Pick C disease: Mutation in a cholesterol 
homeostasis gene,'' Science 277(5323):232-235, 1997; S.K. Loftus et 
al., ``Rescue of neurodegeneration in Niemann Pick-C mice by a prion-
promoter driven Npc1 cDNA transgene,'' Human Molec. Genet. 11(24):3107-
14, 2002.
    The NHGRI Genetic Disease Research Branch is seeking statements of 
capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative 
research to further develop, evaluate or commercialize Niemann-Pick 
Type C disease diagnostics and therapies as well as potential 
applications of the Niemann-Pick Type C gene related to atherosclerosis 
and cholesterol processing. Please contact Claire T. Driscoll for more 
information (telephone: 301/594-2235; e-mail: [email protected]).

    Dated: February 10, 2006.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E6-2363 Filed 2-17-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P