[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 51 (Friday, March 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16505-16506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05990]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Chimeric West Nile/Dengue 
Viruses

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This is a notice in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(e) and 37 
CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i) that the Technology Transfer Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS), is thinking about giving an exclusive license, in the 
field of use of in vitro diagnostics for dengue virus infection, to 
practice the inventions listed in the patent applications referred to 
below to CTK Biotech Inc., having a place of business in San Diego, 
California. The patent rights in these inventions have been assigned to 
the government of the United States of America. The patent 
applications(s) to be licensed are:

    U.S. Provisional Application 61/049,342, filed 4/30/2008, 
entitled ``Engineered, Chimeric West Nile/Dengue Viruses;'' PCT 
Application PCT/US2009/041824, filed 4/27/2009, entitled 
``Engineered, Chimeric WN/Flavivirus as Reagents to Enhance 
Flavivirus Diagnostics and Vaccine Development;'' U.S. National 
Stage Application 12/990,322, filed 10/29/2010, entitled ``Chimeric 
West Nile/Dengue Viruses;'' and all related continuing and foreign 
patents/patent applications for the technology family. CDC 
Technology ID No. I-020-08.

    Status: Pending.
    Priority Date(s): 4/30/2008.
    The planned exclusive license will bring in royalties and will 
comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7.

Technology

    HHS/CDC has developed chimeric West Nile/Dengue viruses which 
express the immunogenic pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) surface 
proteins of dengue virus (DEN) in the genetic background of a West Nile 
(WN) virus. The genetic background in the chimeric virus contains the 
nonstructural genes of the WN virus. Due to the robust replication 
ability of WN virus, whose nonstructural proteins control replication 
in the chimeric virus, the WN/DEN virus exhibits much more robust viral 
replication in cell cultures, compared to the slow growing DEN viruses. 
The chimeric WN/DEN virus can be used as a substitute for wild-type 
dengue virus in multiple applications, including diagnostics, vaccine 
development, vaccine testing, and biological research. These 
applications are highly important to public health by offering 
improvements in DEN diagnostics and prevention of DEN viral disease.

DATES: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by HHS/CDC on or before April 15, 2013 will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for a copy of these patent applications, inquiries, 
comments, and other materials relating to the planned license should be 
directed to Donald Prather, J.D., Ph.D., Technology Licensing and 
Marketing

[[Page 16506]]

Specialist, Technology Transfer Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, Mailstop K-79, Atlanta, GA 
30341, Telephone: (770) 488-8612; Facsimile: (770) 488-8615; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Applications for a license filed in response 
to this notice will be treated as objections to the giving of the 
planned 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: March 8, 2013.
Tanja Popovic,
Deputy Associate Director for Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-05990 Filed 3-14-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P