[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4275-4276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1379]
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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.
Diagnostics and Therapeutics for Hydrocephalus
Description of Technology: Congenital hydrocephalus is a
significant public health problem, affecting approximately one in 500
live births in the United States. Congenital hydrocephalus has an
adverse effect on the developing brain and may persist as neurological
defects in children and adults. Some of these defects may manifest as
mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and visual disabilities.
Improved diagnostics are needed for assessing the risks of developing
this debilitating disease.
The inventors have shown that RFX4--v3, a splice variant of the
Regulatory Factor X4 (RFX4) transcription factor, is associated with
the development of neurological structures. The reduction or absence of
RFX4-v3 promotes the development of congenital hydrocephalus. This
invention describes RFX4--v3 polypeptides and nucleic acids, as well as
methods for detection of RFX4--v3 polymorphisms associated with
congenital hydrocephalus. Also described are treatment methods
including the RFX4-v3 polypeptide and RFX4-v3 transgenic animals and
antibodies.
Applications: Prenatal diagnostic assay for identifying children at
risk for congenital hydrocephalus; Genotyping assay for congenital
hydrocephalus.
Market: In the United States, the health care costs for congenital
hydrocephalus are estimated at $100 million per year.
Development Status: In vitro data are available.
Inventors: Perry J. Blackshear, Darryl C. Zeldin, Joan P. Graves,
and Deborah J. Stumpo (NIEHS).
Publications:
1. Perry J. Blackshear et al. Graded phenotypic response to partial
and complete deficiency of a brain-specific transcript variant of the
winged helix transcription factor RFX4. Development. 2003
Oct;130(19):4539-4552.
2. Donghui Zhang et al. Identification of potential target genes
for RFX4--v3, a transcription factor critical for brain development. J
Neurochem. 2006 Aug;98(3):860-875.
3. Donghui Zhang et al. Regulatory factor X4 variant 3 (RFX4--v3):
a transcription factor involved in brain development and disease.
Submitted for publication, Journal of Neuroscience Research.
Patent Status: PCT Application No. PCT/US03/12348 filed 18 Apr
2003, which published as WO 03/088919 on 30 Oct 2003 (HHS Reference No.
E-163-2002/2-PCT-01); U.S. Patent Application No. 10/511,362 filed 15
Oct 2004, which published as U.S. 2005/0181369 on 18 Aug 2005 (HHS
Reference No. E-163-2002/2-US-02).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or nonexclusive
licensing.
Licensing Contact: Tara Kirby, Ph.D.; 301/435-4426;
[email protected].
[[Page 4276]]
Epithelial Cell Line Expressing a Cystic Fibrosis Phenotype
Description of Technology: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic
disease that affects the entire body, producing thick, sticky mucus
that clogs the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. It is the most common
fatal genetic disease in the United States, and is caused by a mutation
in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).
Researchers at NIEHS have developed a cell line, CF/T43, which was
produced by infection of airway epithelial cells isolated from CF
patients with an SV40T retrovirus. CF/T43 cells maintain the abnormal
ion transport characteristics of CF while having proliferation
capability beyond that of a primary epithelial cell culture. Key
features of the CF/T43 cell line include the formation of functional
tight junctions, reduced apical membrane chloride conductance, and
activation of apical chloride channels by calcium ionophores but not by
cAMP-dependent agonists. This cell line may be used for elucidation of
the mechanisms of CF, testing candidate complementary genes for
correction of the observed CF abnormalities, and for developing and
testing therapeutic CF drugs.
Applications: Research tool for developing new therapies to treat
cystic fibrosis; Research tool for studying the mechanisms of cystic
fibrosis.
Inventors: Anton M. Jetten (NIEHS).
Publication: AM Jetten, JR Yankaskas, MJ Stutts, NJ Willumsen, and
RC Boucher. Persistence of abnormal chloride conductance regulation in
SV40 T transformed cystic fibrosis airway epithelia. Science 1989 Jun
23;244(4911):1472-1475.
Patent Status: U.S. Patent Application No. 07/368,725 filed 21 June
1989, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 5,420,033 on 30 May 1995 (HHS
Reference No. E-201-1989/0-US-01).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or nonexclusive
licensing.
Licensing Contact: Tara Kirby, Ph.D.; 301/435-4426;
[email protected].
Dated: January 20, 2007.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E7-1379 Filed 1-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P