[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 169 (Thursday, August 31, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51835-51836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7329]


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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.

A Novel Small Protein Antibiotic

    Description of Technology: Due to the increase in drug resistance 
among bacteria, continued progress in the development of new antibiotic 
treatments is needed. Available for licensing and commercial 
development is the small protein SrgT, its analogs and related 
peptides. SrgT is a 43 amino acid protein that effectively inhibits 
bacterial growth. This protein likely exerts its antibiotic action by 
inhibiting the metabolism of glucose in these microorganisms. The 
claimed invention includes methods for SrgT synthesis and suggested 
modifications for production of SrgT analogs and related peptides, 
which may remain effective against potential SrgT resistant bacteria. 
Thus, the current technology provides a novel approach to the treatment 
and prevention of bacterial infections.
    Application: Novel therapeutics and prophylactics for bacterial 
infections.
    Development Status: Preclinical data is available at this time.
    Inventors: Carin K. Vanderpool and Susan Gottesman (NCI).
    Selected Publication: CK Vanderpool, S Gottesman. Involvement of a 
novel transcriptional activator and small RNA in post-transcriptional 
regulation of the glucose phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase 
system. Mol Microbiol. 2004 Nov; 54(4):1076-1089.
    Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/799,830 filed 11 
May 2006 (HHS Reference No. E-166-2006/0-US-01).
    Licensing Status: Available for non-exclusive and exclusive 
licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Cristina Thalhammer-Reyero, Ph.D., M.B.A.; 301/
435-4507; [email protected].

Methods and Compositions for the Production of Highly Effective 
Vaccines Against Cancers and Infections Diseases

    Description of Technology: Because cancers and infectious diseases 
remain prominent causes of death among adults and children worldwide, 
the availability of vaccines targeting these conditions is a global 
health priority. With the current vaccine development state-of-the-art, 
there are limitless combinations of enhancing molecules that can be 
used with antigen vaccines targeting these diseases. The technology 
offered for licensing and commercial development combines effective 
aspects of antigen-vaccines, including peptides and other forms of 
vaccination, with enhancing molecules, including co-stimulation of T 
cell immunity for efficient vaccine development.
    The claimed invention includes a non-viral polynucleotide vector 
encoding immune enhancing molecules, such as the T cell co-stimulatory 
molecule B7.1 (CD80), which significantly enhance cellular immune 
responses when combined with antigen stimulation. Delivery of this co-
stimulatory molecule as non-replicating DNA with any antigenic form, 
peptides in this case, overcomes the problems of combining enhancing 
molecules with the antigen in the same DNA vector, co-infecting or 
transfecting these molecules in the same antigen presenting or tumor 
cell, or manufacturing enhancing molecules in the same format as the 
antigens. Furthermore, the use of this chimeric vaccine with the 
enhancing molecule expressed as polynucleotide vector overcomes the low 
antigenicity and safety considerations of viral vectors, as well as the 
instability and conformational maintenance challenges associated with 
the use of full-length protein delivery. Furthermore, polynucleotide's 
constructs encoding enhancing molecules are inexpensive to produce and 
can potentially be used along with any form of antigen vaccine delivery 
system, including peptides, full-length proteins and naked DNA 
antigens.

[[Page 51836]]

    Applications: (1) Significant enhancement of immunological 
responses to antigen vaccines; (2) Development of safe and effective 
vaccines for cancer and various infectious diseases; (3) Cost effective 
vaccine to test the combination of immune enhancing molecules with any 
form of antigen vaccine.
    Development Status: Preclinical data is available at this time.
    Inventors: Samir Khleif and Jay Berzofsky (NCI).
    Patent Status: U.S. Patent Application No. 09/810,310 filed 14 Mar 
2001 (HHS Reference No. E-128-2000/0-US-02).
    Licensing Status: Available for non-exclusive or exclusive 
licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Cristina Thalhammer-Reyero, Ph.D., M.B.A.; 301/
435-4507; [email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Cancer Institute 
Vaccine Branch is seeking statements of capability or interest from 
parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, 
evaluate, or commercialize methods and compositions for the production 
of highly effective vaccines. Please contact Betty Tong, Ph.D., at 301-
594-4263 or [email protected] for more information.

    Dated: August 25, 2006.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 06-7329 Filed 8-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P