[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15226-15227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06486]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Prospective Grant of Start-up Exclusive Evaluation Option License 
Agreement: Pre-Clinical Evaluation and Commercial Development of Anti-
Tyrosine Kinase-Like Orphan Receptor 1 Antibody-Drug Conjugates for the 
Treatment of Human Cancers

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This is notice, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 
part 404, that the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health 
and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of a start-up exclusive 
evaluation option license agreement to practice the inventions embodied 
in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/172,099 entitled ``Anti-human ROR1 
Antibodies'' filed April 23, 2009 [HHS Ref. E-097-2009/0-US-01], PCT 
Application No. PCT/US2010/032208 entitled ``Anti-human ROR1 
Antibodies'' filed April 23, 2010 [HHS Ref. E-097-2009/0-PCT-02], 
European Patent Application No. 10715077.3 entitled, ``Anti-human ROR1 
Antibodies'' filed October 24, 2011 [HHS Ref. No. E-097-2009/0-EP-03], 
U.S. Patent Application No. 13/265,582 entitled, ``Anti-human ROR1 
Antibodies'' filed October 21, 2011 [HHS Ref. No. E-097-2009/0-US-04], 
Australian Patent Application No. 2010238723 entitled, ``Anti-human 
ROR1 Antibodies'' filed October 21, 2011 [HHS Ref. No. E-097-2009/0-AU-
04], Canadian Patent Application No. 2,759,733 entitled, ``Anti-human 
ROR1 Antibodies'' filed October 21, 2011 [HHS Ref. No. E-097-2009/0-CA-
05], US Provisional Application No. 61/418,550 entitled, ``Chimeric 
rabbit/human ROR1 antibodies'' filed December 1, 2010 [HHS Ref. E-039-
2011/0-US-01], PCT Application No. PCT/US2011/062670 entitled, 
``Chimeric rabbit/human ROR1 antibodies'' filed November 30, 2011 [HHS 
Ref. E-039-2011/0-PCT-02]; Australian Patent Application No. 2011336650 
entitled, ``Chimeric rabbit/human ROR1 antibodies'' filed November 30, 
2011 [HHS Ref. E-039-2011/0-AU-03], Canadian Patent Application No. 
2818992 entitled, ``Chimeric rabbit/human ROR1 antibodies'' filed 
November 30, 2011 [HHS Ref. E-039-2011/0-CA-04], European Patent 
Application No. 11791733.6 entitled, ``Chimeric rabbit/human ROR1 
antibodies'' filed November 30, 2011 [HHS Ref. E-039-2011/0-EP-05] and 
U.S. Patent Application No. 13/990,977 entitled, ``Chimeric rabbit/
human ROR1 antibodies'' filed May 31, 2013 [HHS Ref. E-039-2011/0-US-
06] and all related continuing and foreign patents/patent applications 
for the technology family to NBE Therapeutics, Ltd. The patent rights 
in these inventions have been assigned to the Government of the United 
States of America.
    The prospective start-up exclusive evaluation option license 
territory may be worldwide and the field of use may be limited to pre-
clinical evaluation and commercial development of an antibody-drug 
conjugate comprising an anti-tyrosine protein kinase transmembrane 
receptor (ROR1) antibody for the treatment of human ROR1 expressing 
cancers utilizing enzymatic conjugation methods linking a small 
molecule to a full-length antibody, wherein the full-length antibody 
moiety comprises the anti-ROR1 antibodies or CDR3s within the scope of 
the Licensed Patent Rights. For avoidance of doubt, this Agreement 
explicitly excludes the following: (a) Antibody-drug conjugates 
utilizing non-enzymatic conjugation linking small molecules to said 
antibodies, (b) immunotoxins comprising anti-ROR1 antibodies and 
Pseudomonas exotoxins, and (c) non-full-length bispecific antibodies. 
Upon expiration or termination of the start-up exclusive evaluation 
option license, NBE Therapeutics, Ltd. will have the right to execute a 
start-up exclusive patent commercialization license which will 
supersede and replace the start-up exclusive evaluation option license 
with no broader territory than granted in the start-up exclusive 
evaluation option license and the field of use will be commensurate 
with the commercial development plan at the time of conversion.

DATED: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by the NIH Office of Technology Transfer on or before 
April 6, 2015 will be considered.

[[Page 15227]]


ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the patent applications, inquiries, 
comments, and other materials relating to the contemplated exclusive 
evaluation option license should be directed to: Jennifer Wong, M.S., 
Senior Licensing and Patenting Manager, Office of Technology Transfer, 
National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, 
Rockville, MD 20852-3804; Telephone: (301) 435-4633; Facsimile: (301) 
402-0220; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 
(ROR1) is a signature cell surface antigen for B-cell malignancies, 
most notably, B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and mantle 
cell lymphoma (MCL) cells, two incurable diseases. The investigators 
have developed a portfolio of chimeric anti-ROR1 monoclonal antibodies 
that selectively target ROR1 malignant B-cells but not normal B-cells. 
These antibodies may be linked to chemical drugs or biological toxins 
thus providing targeted cytotoxic delivery to malignant B-cells while 
sparing normal cells. Moreover, as these antibodies selectively target 
ROR1, they can also be used to diagnose B-cell malignancies.
    The prospective start-up exclusive evaluation option license is 
being considered under the small business initiative launched on 
October 1, 2011 and will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 
U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404. The prospective start-up exclusive 
evaluation option license, and a subsequent start-up exclusive patent 
commercialization license, may be granted unless within fifteen (15) 
days from the date of this published notice, the 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 part 404.
    Any additional, properly filed, and complete applications for a 
license in the field of use filed in response to this notice will be 
treated as objections to the grant of the contemplated start-up 
exclusive evaluation option license. Comments and objections submitted 
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 16, 2015.
Richard U. Rodriguez,
Acting Director, Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of 
Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-06486 Filed 3-20-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P