[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 162 (Monday, August 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51823-51824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20862]


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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

[[Page 51824]]

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.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Blade-1 Region Peptides: Use as Cell 
Migration Modulators

    Description of Technology: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is an 
enzyme integrally involved in many normal physiological processes that 
require degradation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix, such as 
cell migration and invasion, wound repair, bone remodeling, 
angiogenesis, and embryonic growth. MMP-9 is shown to be involved in 
the progression of several diseases including many cancers, 
cardiovascular diseases, CNS diseases, respiratory diseases, and 
arthritis. In cancer, MMP-9 is thought to promote growth, migration, 
and spread of cancer cells by catalyzing the degradation of 
extracellular matrix proteins, releasing bound growth factors, and 
allowing cancer cells to escape from the primary tumor.
    NIH Inventors have discovered that specific polypeptides 
corresponding to Blade-1 region of MMP-9 hemopexin domain can stimulate 
migration of cells, specifically the migration of cells expressing 
[beta]1 integrin. The present technology can be used to develop novel 
therapeutic candidates for the prevention and treatment of human 
disease conditions mediated by MMP-9 promoted cell migration, e.g., 
cancer, inflammation, fibrotic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, CNS 
diseases, respiratory diseases, angiogenesis and arthritis.
    Applications: Development of therapeutics for treating or 
preventing human diseases (cancer) using MMP-9 Blade-1 domain 
polypeptides or peptide analogs.
    Development Status: Early-stage.
    Inventors: SK Akiyama et al. (NIEHS)
    Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/360,328 filed 30 
Jun 2010 (HHS Reference No. E-146-2010/0-US-01)
    Licensing Status: Available for licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Suryanarayana Vepa, PhD, J.D.; 301-435-5020; 
[email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, 
Cell Adhesion Group, is seeking statements of capability or interest 
from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, 
evaluate, or commercialize this technology. Please contact Elizabeth M. 
Denholm, PhD at 919-541-0981 or [email protected] for more 
information.

Melanocyte Pigmentation or Proliferation With Neuregulin: Compositions 
and Methods to Treat Skin Disorders, Including Skin Cancer

    Description of Invention: Human skin pigmentation is regulated by 
complex and intricate interactions among melanocytes and keratinocytes 
in the epidermis and fibroblasts in the dermis. A number of factors 
secreted from keratinocytes and/or from fibroblasts have been shown to 
be involved in regulating skin pigmentation after UV exposure. NIH 
investigators have previously demonstrated that the less pigmented and 
thicker skin on the palms and soles is regulated by underlying 
fibroblasts in those areas, specifically via a secreted factor (DKK1) 
that modulates Wnt signaling. Now, using microarray analysis to compare 
gene expression patterns in 15 different primary dermal fibroblast 
populations derived from the dorsal trunk skin of three different skin 
phototypes (I, III and VI), these investigators have identified a 
number of genes that differ dramatically in expression. One among them, 
neuregulin 1 (NRG-1), secreted by fibroblasts derived from dark skin, 
effectively increases the pigmentation of melanocytes in tissue culture 
and in an artificial skin model and regulates their growth, suggesting 
it is one of the major factors determining human skin color. NRG-l was 
observed to be highly expressed by fibroblasts derived from darker 
skin. NIH investigators believe that NRG-1 increases the proliferation 
of human melanocytes via the phosphorylation of Akt. These results 
suggest a potential role for NRG-1 in regulating constitutive human 
skin color and perhaps its dysfunction in pigmentary skin diseases. 
Based on these observations, NIH investigators are currently developing 
compositions and methods of modulating pigmentation and proliferation 
of a melanocyte to prevent or treat skin disorders, including skin 
cancer.
    Applications:
     Therapeutics for skin disorders.
     Therapeutics for skin cancer.
    Development Status: Early stage and studies on reconstructed skin 
model and in melanocytes.
    Inventors: Vincent J. Hearing and Wonseon Choi (NCI)
    Related Publications:
    1. Choi W, Wolber R, Gerwat W, Mann T, Hearing VJ. Characterization 
of the influence of fibroblasts on melanocyte function and 
pigmentation. In: Proc. XXth Intl. Pigment Cell Conf., edited by K. 
Jimbow, Bologna, Italy: Medimond, 2008, p. 79-82.
    2. Choi W, Wolber R, Gerwat W, Mann T, Batzer J, Smuda C, Liu H, 
Kolbe L, Hearing VJ. A novel fibroblast-derived melanogenic paracrine 
factor neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) that modulates the constitutive color and 
melanocyte function in human skin. J. Cell Sci. in press, 2010.
    Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/357,846 filed 23 
Jun 2010 (HHS Reference No. E-100-2010/0-US-01).
    Licensing Status: Available for licensing.
    Licensing Contact: Suryanarayana Vepa, PhD, J.D.; 301-435-5020; 
[email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The Center for Cancer Research, 
Laboratory of Cell Biology, is seeking statements of capability or 
interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further 
develop, evaluate, or commercialize the use of NRG-1 (or modifiers of 
its function) to regulate skin pigmentation. Please contact John Hewes, 
PhD at 301-435-3121 or [email protected] for more information.

    Dated: August 17, 2010.
Richard U. Rodriguez,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2010-20862 Filed 8-20-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P