[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 106 (Monday, June 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 25806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11492]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The inventions listed below are owned by an agency of the U.S. 
Government and are available for licensing 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Kornak, J.D., 240-627-3705, 
[email protected]. Licensing information and copies of the U.S. 
patent applications listed below may be obtained by communicating with 
the indicated licensing contact at the Technology Transfer and 
Intellectual Property Office, National Institute of Allergy and 
Infectious Diseases, 5601 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20852; tel. 301-
496-2644. A signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will be required 
to receive copies of unpublished patent applications.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.

Methods for Treating Cerebral Edema and Restoring Blood-Brain Barrier 
Integrity

    Description of Technology: There are nearly 600 million clinical 
cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria annually. For most individuals 
living in endemic areas, malaria is uncomplicated and resolves with 
time. However, malaria can become severe and life threatening in young 
children, which resulted in 429,000 deaths in 2015. One of the most 
deadly complications of P. falciparum infection is cerebral malaria 
(HCM) characterized by the onset of severe neurological signs such as 
altered consciousness, seizures, and coma. Thus, there is an urgent 
need for the development of effective adjunctive therapies that can be 
used in conjunction with anti-malarials to treat children with HCM.
    The inventors, listed below, have discovered that glutamine 
antagonists can be used to treat mice with experimental cerebral 
malaria (ECM) in conjunction with anti-malarials. It was found that 
glutamine antagonist, 6-diazo-5-L-norleucine (DON) successfully 
restored blood-brain barrier integrity and decreased brain swelling in 
ECM mice. This finding suggests that glutamine antagonists may be 
effective in treating neurological damage in HCM patients.
    This technology is available for licensing for commercial 
development in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404, as 
well as for further development and evaluation under a research 
collaboration.
    Potential Commercial Applications:
     Therapeutic for cerebral malaria
    Competitive Advantages:
     Effective adjunctive therapeutics for cerebral malaria are 
not available.
    Development Stage: Pre-Clinical.
    Inventors: Susan K. Pierce, NIAID, NIH, Johnathan Powell, Johns 
Hopkins University.
    Publications: Gordon, Emile B., et al. (2015) Targeting glutamine 
metabolism rescues mice from late-stage cerebral malaria. PNAS 112(42): 
13075-13080.
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-202-2015/0--US 
Provisional Patent Application No. 62/175,000 filed June 12, 2015; PCT 
Patent Application No. PCT/US2016/036996 filed June 10, 2016.
    Licensing Contact: Chris Kornak, J.D., 240-627-3705, 
[email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: For collaboration 
opportunities, please contact Chris Kornak, J.D. 240-627-3705, 
[email protected].

    Dated: May 24, 2017.
Suzanne Frisbie,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2017-11492 Filed 6-2-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P