[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 76353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21667]



[[Page 76353]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Immunoconjugates Having 
High Binding Affinity

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This is notice, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 
CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i), that the National Institutes of Health, Department 
of Health and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of an 
exclusive patent license to practice the inventions embodied in U.S. 
Patent No. 7,081,518, issued July 25, 2006, entitled ``Anti-Mesothelin 
Antibodies Having High-Affinity Binding'' [E-139-1999/0-US-07]; 
European Patent Application No. 00937925.6, filed May 26, 2000, 
entitled ``Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity'' [E-139-1999/
0-EP-04]; Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-500670, filed May 26, 
2000, entitled ``Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity'' [E-
139-1999/0-JP-05]; Mexican Patent Application No. PA/a/2001/01195, 
filed May 26, 2000, entitled ``Immunoconjugates Having High Binding 
Affinity'' [E-139-1999/0-MX-06]; and Canadian Patent Application No. 
2374398, filed May 26, 2000, entitled ``Immunoconjugates Having High 
Binding Affinity'' [E-139-1999/0-CA-03] to Cambridge Antibody 
Technology, Ltd., which has offices in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The 
patent rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United 
States of America.
    The prospective exclusive license territory may be worldwide, and 
the field of use may be limited to the use of the SSIP immunoconjugate 
and variants thereof for the treatment of mesothelin expressing 
cancers.

DATES: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by the NIH Office of Technology Transfer on or before 
February 20, 2007 will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the patent application, inquiries, 
comments, and other materials relating to the contemplated exclusive 
license should be directed to: Jesse S. Kindra, J.D., M.S., Technology 
Licensing Specialist, Office of Technology Transfer, National 
Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, 
MD 20852-3804; Telephone: (301) 435-5559; Facsimile: (301) 402-0220; E-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This technology relates to an improved anti-
mesothelin antibody (SS1) based on affinity maturation, which involves 
somatic hypermutation of the variable region. The technology also 
includes additional antibody variants other than SS1.
    The prospective exclusive license will be royalty bearing and will 
comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. 
The prospective exclusive license may be granted unless within sixty 
(60) days from the date of this published notice, the NIH receives 
written evidence and argument that establishes that the grant of the 
license would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 
and 37 CFR 404.7.
    Applications for a license in the field of use filed in response to 
this notice will be treated as objections to the grant of the 
contemplated exclusive license. Comments and objections submitted to 
this notice will not be made available for public inspection and, to 
the extent permitted by law, will not be released under the Freedom of 
Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.

    Dated: December 12, 2006.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
 [FR Doc. E6-21667 Filed 12-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P