[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 89 (Monday, May 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28086-28087]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10777]


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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.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The invention listed below is owned by an agency of the U.S. 
Government and is available for licensing and/or co-development in the 
U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404 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 and/or co-development.

ADDRESSES: Invention Development and Marketing Unit, Technology 
Transfer Center, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, 
Mail Stop 9702, Rockville, MD, 20850-9702.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information on licensing and co-
development research collaborations, and copies of the U.S. patent 
applications listed below may be obtained by contacting: Attn. 
Invention Development and Marketing Unit, Technology Transfer Center, 
National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Mail Stop 9702, 
Rockville, MD, 20850-9702, Tel. 240-276-5515 or email 
[email protected]. A signed Confidential Disclosure 
Agreement may be required to receive copies of the patent applications.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.
    Title of invention: Optical trap methods to determine the 
viscoelastic properties of complex materials, including biological 
materials
    Description of Technology: Optical traps (optical tweezers) have 
been used to characterize gels and other materials and recently have 
even shown the ability to characterize the viscoelastic properties of 
living cells. An optical trap includes a focused laser beam able to 
trap a small bead at its focus. However, issues of image spatial 
resolution and limited depth of interrogation have prevented 
application of an optical trap to measure microrheological (flow of 
matter) properties in complex (non-uniform) materials, such as multi-
cellular systems or living organisms.
    Inventors at NIH have developed optical trapping procedures that 
provide significant improvements in spatial resolution and tissue 
depth. These improvements are particularly important for examining 
clinically relevant tissue samples. The viscoelastic measurements 
obtained using the disclosed systems and methods have a surprisingly 
high contrast-to-noise ratio compared to prior methods of obtaining 
viscoelastic measurements for complex materials. The increased 
contrast-to-noise ratio allows for more sensitive detection of changes 
in viscoelastic properties across materials than what was possible 
using prior methods. Thus, the disclosed systems and methods can be 
used to measure the properties of a wide variety of complex materials 
(such as biological materials), from 3D tissue culture models to tissue 
in or from living zebrafish to mammals, such as mice and humans.
    Potential Commercial Applications:
     Microrheological measurements can increase knowledge of 
the cancer microenvironment.
     Diagnosis and/or treatment of a condition or disease 
associated with tissue/cell remodeling, including tumor state.
     Determine the effectiveness of a particular compound or 
treatment or regimen (e.g cosmetic products for reducing wrinkles, 
scarring, etc.).
     Evaluate wound healing.
    Value Proposition:
     Increased sensitivity in the detection of changes in 
viscoelastic properties across materials.
     Improvements in spatial resolution and tissue depth.
     Localized, precise application of force compared to 
magnetic bead microrheology.
     Greater dynamic range and can probe outside the thermal 
energy range

[[Page 28087]]

compared to passive, thermally driven techniques.
     Selection of multiple probe sites at once allows for 
increased throughput.
     Automated probe selection reduces assay time.
    Development Stage:

Basic

    Inventor(s):
    Kandice Tanner, Ph.D. (NCI); Benjamin Blehm, Ph.D. (NCI); and 
Alexus Devine, B.S. (NCI)
    Intellectual Property:
    HHS Reference No. E-251-2015/0-US-01 US Provisional Application 62/
198,554 (HHS Reference No. E-251-2015/0-US-01) filed July 29, 2015 
entitled ``Optical Trap for Rheological Characterization of Complex 
Materials''.
    Publications:
    Blehm BH, et al. In vivo tissue has non-linear rheological behavior 
distinct from 3D biomimetic hydrogels, as determined by AMOTIV 
microscopy. Biomaterials. 2016 Mar;83:66-78.
    Licensing and Collaboration Opportunity: Researchers at the NCI 
seek licensing and/or co-development research collaborations for 
development of the technology to predict drug treatment based on the 
mechanical signature and another opportunity for cosmetic applications.
    Contact Information:
    Requests for copies of the patent application or inquiries about 
licensing, research collaborations, and co-development opportunities 
should be sent to John D. Hewes, Ph.D., email: [email protected].

    Dated: May 3, 2016.
John D. Hewes,
Technology Transfer Specialist, Technology Transfer Center, National 
Cancer Institute.
[FR Doc. 2016-10777 Filed 5-6-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P