[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68588-68590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23514]


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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.

New Epitopes Recognized by Antibodies Against Human and Avian Influenza 
for Vaccines and Diagnostic Assays

    Description of Technology: Available for licensing and commercial 
development are intellectual properties drawn to peptides and 
polypeptides that elicit immunogenic responses in a mammal; especially 
neutralizing antibodies, against human and avian influenza strains 
H1N1, H3N2, H5N1 and H7N7. Materials in the form of immunogenic 
compositions including these peptides and polypeptides can also be in-
licensed along with the patent rights. Pharmaceutical compositions 
including these peptides and polypeptides with or without adjuvants are 
within the scope of the invention. Nucleic acids and expression 
cassettes encoding these peptides and polypeptides are also within the 
scope of the invention. Methods of inhibiting infection by influenza, 
with or without cell entry, are also within the scope of the invention 
using the aforementioned peptides and polypeptides.
    Applications: Vaccines; Therapeutics; Diagnostics; Influenza.
    Inventors: Hana Golding and Surender Khurana (FDA).
    Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/929,119 filed 13 
June 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-236-2007/0-US-01).
    Licensing Status: Available for licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Michael A. Shmilovich, Esq.; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The FDA/CBER Laboratory of 
Retrovirus Research is seeking statements of capability or interest 
from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, 
evaluate, or commercialize this technology. Please contact Beatrice A. 
Droke at 301/827-7008 or [email protected] for more information.

Trifunctional Imaging Agent for Monoclonal Antibody Tumor-Targeted 
Imaging

    Description of Technology: Available for licensing and commercial 
development is a novel lysine-based trifunctional chelate which bears 
both a chelating moiety (CHX-A'') for sequestering radiometals (\86\Y 
or \111\In) and a near-infrared dye, e.g., Cy5.5, for dual modality PET 
(or SPECT) and fluorescence imaging. Successful conjugation of 
monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) or cetuximab (Erbitux) has 
also been achieved by efficient thiol-maleimide chemistry,

[[Page 68589]]

thereby yielding an immunoconjugate (Signaling agent (Cy5.5-Lys(SMCC)-
CHX-A'') conjugated to trastuzumab) or (Signaling agent (Cy7-Lys(SMCC)-
CHX-A'') conjugated to cetuximab). Both specifically target antigen 
expressing cells and internalization of the agent has been imaged over 
time. Trastuzumab can be radiolabeled with isothiocyanate derivatives 
of the bifunctional chelating agents 1B4M (2-(4-aminobenzyl)-6-
methyldiethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid); and CHX-A'' (N-[(R)-2-amino-
3-(p-aminophenyl)propyl]-trans-(S,S)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine-
N,N,N',N'',N''-pentaacetic acid).
    Applications: Imaging; Diagnostics.
    Inventors: Martin W. Brechbiel, Heng Xu, Kwamena E. Baidoo (NCI).
    Publication: H Xu et al. Design, synthesis, and characterization of 
a dual modality positron emission tomography and fluorescence imaging 
agent for monoclonal antibody tumor-targeted imaging. J Med Chem. 2007 
Sep 20;50(19):4759-4765.
    Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/929,913 filed 17 
Jul 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-194-2007/0-US-01).
    Licensing Status: Available for licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Michael A. Shmilovich, Esq.; 301/435-5019; 
[email protected]. 
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Cancer Institute 
Radiation Oncology Branch is seeking statements of capability or 
interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further 
develop, Trifunctional Imaging Agent for Monoclonal Antibody Tumor-
Targeted Imaging. Please contact John D. Hewes, PhD at 301-435-3121 or 
[email protected] for more information.

Nanoparticles for Imaging: Targeted Nanoparticles That Can Be Imaged 
Through Magnetic Resonance, Optical, and Radioisotope Imaging

    Description of Technology: Available for licensing and commercial 
development are patent rights covering tri-imageable nanoparticles 
which have great potential for application in the laboratory and clinic 
for labeling at the cellular level, diagnostics, and drug delivery. The 
particle includes a silica encased ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron 
oxide (SPIONs) that can be detected using MRI. A fluorescent probe 
(e.g., Cy5.5) for optical imaging is embedded in the silica. The 
resulting particles are about 20-25nm in diameter. Target specific 
antibodies are attached to the surface of the particles. Chelated to 
the antibodies is a radioisotope (e.g., Indium-111) useful for particle 
quantification and can be imaged through techniques such as single 
photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission 
tomography (PET). A graphical representation of an exemplary 
nanoparticle according to the invention is shown in the accompanying 
illustration.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05DE07.013

    Applications: Imaging; Cancer; Multiple Sclerosis.
    Inventors: Martin W. Brechbiel (NCI), Peter L. Choyke (NCI), et al.
    Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/907,085 filed 19 
Mar 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-157-2007/0-US-01 and HHS Reference No. E-
157-2007/1-US-01).
    Licensing Status: Available for licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Michael A. Shmilovich, Esq.; 301-435-5019; 
[email protected]. 
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Cancer Institute 
Radiation Oncology Branch is seeking statements

[[Page 68590]]

of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative 
research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize these tri-
imageable nanoparticles. Please contact John Hewes, PhD, at 301-435-
3121 or [email protected] for more information.

    Dated: November 27, 2007.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
 [FR Doc. E7-23514 Filed 12-4-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P