[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 154 (Friday, August 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 45058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15621]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Method for Treating 
Strokes by Inducing Tolerance to E-Selectin

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 (NIH), 
Department of Health and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of 
an exclusive license worldwide to practice the inventions embodied in: 
U.S. Patent Application Numbers 60/206,693 filed May 24, 2000, 10/
296,423 filed November 22, 2002 and corresponding foreign applications 
entitled ``Method for Preventing Strokes by Inducing Tolerance to E-
Selectin'' and U.S. Patent Application Numbers 60/828,732 filed October 
9, 2006 and 60/905,741 filed March 8, 2007 entitled ``Treatment and 
Prevention of Inflammation'' to Novavax, Inc., having a place of 
business in Rockville, Maryland. The patent rights in these inventions 
have been assigned to the United States of America.
    The contemplated exclusive license may be limited to the use of E-
selectin for the prevention or treatment of stroke.

DATES: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by the NIH Office of Technology Transfer on or before 
October 9, 2007 will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for a copy of the patent application, inquiries, 
comments and other materials relating to the contemplated license 
should be directed to: Norbert J. Pontzer, J.D., PhD, Technology 
Licensing Specialist, Office of Technology Transfer, National 
Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, 
MD 20852-3804; Telephone: (301) 435-5502; Facsimile: (301) 402-0220, E-
mail: [email protected]. A signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement 
will be required to receive copies of the patent application if not yet 
published.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This invention provides methods of treating 
or preventing brain damage in stroke through administration of E-
selectin, an inducible adhesion molecule on endothelial cells. The 
expression of E-selectin is induced on human endothelium in response to 
activation by cytokines IL-1 and TNF. E-selectin mediates the adhesion 
of various leukocytes, including neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, 
natural killer cells, and a subset of T cells to activated endothelium. 
Activation of vascular endothelial cells by proinflammatory cytokines 
is believed to be involved in conversion of the luminal surface of 
endothelium from anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory to procoagulant 
and pro-inflammatory leading to thrombosis. Segmental vascular 
activation and thrombosis are involved in the development of strokes.
    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 60 days 
from the date of this published Notice, 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.
    Properly filed competing applications for a license filed in 
response to this notice will be treated as objections to the 
contemplated license. Comments and objections submitted in response 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: August 3, 2007.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E7-15621 Filed 8-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P