[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 822-823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00121]


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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, HHS.

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 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: Peter Tung, 240-669-5483; 
[email protected]. Licensing information and copies of the 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unpublished patent applications.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.

Compositions and Methods for Blocking Transmission of Plasmodium

    Description of Technology: According to the World Health 
Organization, about 3.2 billion people--nearly half of the world's 
population--are at risk of infection by Plasmodium parasites, resulting 
in malaria. An estimated 214 million cases and 438,000 deaths were due 
to malaria in 2015.
    P47 protein expressed by Plasmodium species allow malaria parasites 
to evade the mosquito immune system, thereby facilitating the 
transmission of malaria parasites. NIAID inventors have discovered the 
region of P47 protein responsible for the immune evasion function of 
this protein. Specific sequences of protein fragments of P47

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have proven to be both highly antigenic and shown to be responsible in 
allowing malaria parasites to evade the mosquito immune system. Proof 
of concept in a mouse model has demonstrated that vaccination using 
specific P47 protein fragments blocks Plasmodium transmission by 
mosquitoes.
    Immunization with the P47 protein variants of this technology 
provides a candidate for a potential, effective, transmission blocking 
malaria vaccine against Plasmodium species.
    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:

 Transmission blocking malaria vaccine

    Competitive Advantages:

 Transmission blocking of Plasmodium
 Transmission blocking activity based on recruiting the 
mosquito immune system to kill Plasmodium parasites by blocking 
Plasmodium immune evasion

    Development Stage:

 Early-stage
 In vitro data available
 In vivo data available (animal)

    Inventors: Carolina Veronica Barillas-Mury, Alvaro Molina-Cruz, 
Gaspar Exequiel Canepa, all of NIAID.
    Publications:
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-294-2016/0--U.S. 
Provisional Application No. 62/463,011, filed February 24, 2017.
    Licensing Contact: Peter Tung, 240-669-5483; [email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Institute of 
Allergy and Infectious Diseases is seeking statements of capability or 
interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further 
develop, evaluate or commercialize P47 protein fragments as a 
transmission blocking vaccine. For collaboration opportunities, please 
contact Peter Tung at 240-669-5483; [email protected].

    Dated: December 13, 2017.
Suzanne Frisbie,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2018-00121 Filed 1-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P