[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11932-11933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4200]
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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.
Novel Adjuvant Therapy Using TIMP-2 Variants
Description of Technology: Angiogenesis inhibitors are drugs that
are being used in cancer therapy to block the development of new blood
vessels which could potentially cut off a tumor's supply of oxygen and
nutrients. This in turn might stop the tumor from growing and spreading
to other parts of the body.
Human protein tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) has
been shown to inhibit angiogenesis in vivo independent of
metalloproteinase inhibition. The inventors have demonstrated that
TIMP-2, as well as TIMP-2 variants lacking metalloproteinase inhibitor
activity can revert aggressive tumor cell phenotype to a more
differentiated state. In addition, TIMP-2 and the TIMP-2 variants also
sensitize tumor cells to the induction of apoptosis by cytotoxic drugs
(doxorubicin), thereby enhancing their effectiveness. Novel methods of
cancer therapy are disclosed using TIMP-2 or TIMP-2 variants that
combine the known anti-angiogenic activity of TIMP-2, with direct
tumor-differentiating and chemo-sensitizing activity of TIMP-2.
Applications:
TIMP-2 or TIMP-2 variants can be administered for the inhibition of
tumor cell growth and promotion of tumor cell differentiation.
TIMP-2 or TIMP-2 variants can be administered to enhance the
cytotoxic activity of a chemotherapeutic agent.
Adjuvant therapy has application in the treatment of wide variety
of carcinomas or melanomas.
Advantages:
A novel cancer therapy that combines the known anti-angiogenic
activity of TIMP-2, with a novel direct tumor-differentiating and
chemo-sensitizing activity of TIMP-2.
Enhances cytotoxicity of conventional chemotherapeutic agents when
combined with TIMP-2 or TIMP-2 variants.
Development Status: In vivo and in vitro experiments have been
conducted. The technology continues to be developed.
Market:
600,000 deaths from cancer related diseases estimated in 2007.
The technology platform involving novel anti-angiogenic cancer
therapy technology has a potential market of more than 2 billion U.S.
dollars.
Inventors: William G. Stetler-Stevenson et al. (NCI).
Publication: DW Seo, H Li, L Guedez, PT Wingfield, T Diaz, R
Salloum, BY Wei, WG Stetler-Stevenson. TIMP-2 mediated inhibition of
angiogenesis: an MMP-independent mechanism. Cell. 2003 Jul
25;114(2):171-180. [PubMed abs]
Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/953,352 filed 01
Aug 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-297-2007/0-US-01).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive
licensing.
Licensing Contact: Surekha Vathyam; 301-435-4076;
[email protected].
Collaborative Research Opportunity: The NCI Laboratory of
Extracellular Matrix Pathology, Cell and Cancer Biology Branch, is
seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in
collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize
novel cancer therapy methods using TIMP-2 variants. Please contact John
D. Hewes, Ph.D., at 301-435-3121 or [email protected] for more
information.
Mucin Genes as a Diagnosis Marker for Pulmonary Fibrosis
Description of Technology: Familial pulmonary fibrosis (FPF) is a
rare type of interstitial lung disease for which there is currently no
cure. FPF is part of a group of interstitial lung diseases called
idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP) that lead to hypoxic
respiratory insufficiency. The current invention has identified genes
that are associated with FPF, and a possible means of early detection
and treatment. The invention discloses an association between FPF and
mutations in the genes encoding the MUC2 and MUC5AC mucins that
predispose a subject to IIP. The occurrence of single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) in these mutant genes further enable a significant
diagnostic association between these polymorphisms and both familial
and sporadic forms of pulmonary fibrosis. This invention may also have
diagnostic value for other IIPs including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
(IPF); a disease that presents late in life and is lethal within 4-5
years of diagnosis.
This technology presents opportunities for early detection of
subjects at high risk for the development of pulmonary fibrosis, and
possibly other similar diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and obliterative bronchitis, which also
involve fibrosis of the airways. It is also conceivable that mucin, and
synthetic molecules that mimic it, may be used as therapeutic agents
for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.
Applications: Diagnosis of diseases involving pulmonary fibrosis.
Inventors: David A. Schwartz (NIEHS), Lauranell H. Burch (NIEHS),
et al.
Publication: MP Steele, MC Speer, JE Loyd, KK Brown, A Herron, SH
Slifer, LH Burch, MM Wahidi, JA Phillips III, TA Sporn, HP McAdams, MI
Schwarz, DA Schwartz. Clinical and Pathologic Features of Familial
Interstitial Pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005 Nov 1;172(9):
1146-1152.
Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/992,079 filed 03
Dec 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-016-2007/0-US-01).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive
licensing.
[[Page 11933]]
Licensing Contact: Jasbir (Jesse) S. Kindra, J.D., M.S.; 301-435-
5170; [email protected].
P53 and VGEF Regulate Tumor Growth of NO2 Expressing Cancer
Cells
Description of Technology: The increased expression of nitric oxide
synthase 2 (NOS2), an inducible enzyme that produces nitric oxide (NO),
has been found in a variety of human cancers. It also has been shown
that NOS2-specific inhibitors can reduce the growth of experimental
tumors in mice. These findings suggest a pathophysiological role for NO
in the development and progression of cancer. However, the function of
NO and NOS2 in carcinogenesis is uncertain. NO had been found to either
inhibit or stimulate tumor growth, and high concentrations of NO also
are known to induce cell death in many cell types including tumor
cells. On the other hand, low NO concentrations found in human tissue
can have an opposite effect and protect against programmed cell death,
or apoptosis, from various stimuli. The role of NO and NOS2 in tumor
progression, particularly with respect to p53, therefore need to be
further defined.
This invention comprises methods of screening for modulators of
NOS2 expression in p53 mutant cells, both in vivo and in vitro, as well
as methods for predicting the chemotherapeutic benefit of administering
NOS2-inhibitors to cancer patients. It has been demonstrated that NOS2-
expressing cancer cells with wild-type p53 have reduced tumor growth in
athymic nude mice whereas NOS2-expressing cancer cells with mutated p53
have accelerated tumor growth. Therefore, this invention has potential
application for a number of cancers that overexpress NOS2 and have a
high frequency of p53 mutations, including breast, brain, head, neck,
lung and colon cancers.
Applications:
Method to treat cancer with NOS2 inhibitors.
Method to screen for NOS2 modulators.
Method to predict therapeutic benefits of NOS2 inhibitors in
patients.
Market:
An estimated 1,444,920 new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. in 2007.
600,000 deaths caused by cancer in the U.S. in 2006.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in United States.
It is estimated that market for cancer drugs would double to $50
billion a year in 2010 from $25 billion in 2006.
Development Status: The technology is currently in the pre-clinical
stage of development.
Inventors: Stefan Ambs and Curt Harris (NCI).
Publications:
1. JE Goodman et al. Nitric oxide and p53 in cancer-prone chronic
inflammation and oxyradical overload diseases. Environ Mol Mutagen.
2004;44(1):3-9.
2. LJ Hofseth et al. Nitric oxide in cancer and chemoprevention.
Free Radic Biol Med. 2003Apr 15;34(8):955-968.
Patent Status:
U.S. Patent Application No. 11/195,006 filed 01 Aug 2005 (HHS
Reference No. E-223-1998/0-US-04).
U.S. Patent Application No. 09/830,977 filed 02 May 2001 (HHS
Reference No. E-223-1998/0-US-03).
PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US1999/27410 filed 17 Nov 1998 (HHS
Reference No. E-223-1998/0-PCT-02).
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/109,563 filed 23 Nov
1998 (HHS Reference No. E-223-1998/0-US-01).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive
licensing.
Licensing Contact: Jennifer Wong; 301/435-4633;
[email protected].
Dated: February 26, 2008.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E8-4200 Filed 3-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P