[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 88 (Monday, May 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20084-20085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09660]


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

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 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 Soukas, J.D., 301-594-8730; 
[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unpublished patent applications.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.

Mononegavirales Vectors Expressing Chimeric Antigens

Description of Technology

    Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to be the leading 
viral cause of severe acute lower respiratory tract disease in infants 
and children

[[Page 20085]]

worldwide. A licensed vaccine or antiviral drug suitable for routine 
use remains unavailable. This invention relates to the use of murine 
pneumonia virus (MPV), a virus to which humans normally are not exposed 
to and that is not cross-protected with RSV, as a vector to express the 
RSV fusion (F) glycoprotein as an RSV vaccine candidate. The RSV F ORF 
was codon optimized. The RSV F ORF was placed under the control of MPV 
transcription signals and inserted at the first (rMPV-F1), third 
(rMPV29 F3), or fourth (rMPV-F4) gene position of a version of the MPV 
genome that contained a codon pair optimized L polymerase gene. The 
recovered viruses replicated in vitro as efficiently as the empty 
vector, with stable expression of RSV F protein. Replication and 
immunogenicity of rMPV-F1 and rMPV-F3 were evaluated in rhesus macaques 
following administration by the combined intranasal and intratracheal 
routes. Both viruses replicated at low levels in the upper and lower 
respiratory tract, maintained stable RSV F expression, and induced 
similar high levels of RSV-neutralizing serum antibodies that reached 
peak titers by fourteen (14) days post-vaccination. rMPV provides a 
highly attenuated yet immunogenic vector for the expression of RSV F 
protein, with potential application in RSV-na[iuml]ve and RSV 
experienced populations.
    The invention relates to live, chimeric non-human Mononegavirales 
vectors that allow a cell to express at least one protein from at least 
one human pathogen as well as compositions comprising the vectors, 
methods and kits for eliciting an immune response in a host, and 
methods of making the vectors.
    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

 Viral diagnostics
 Vaccine research

Competitive Advantages

 Ease of manufacture
 Multivalent live attenuated vaccines
 B cell and T cell activation
 Low-cost vaccines

Development Stage

 In vivo data assessment (animal)
    Inventors: Shirin Munir (NIAID), Linda Brock (NIAID), Ursula 
Buchholz (NIAID), Peter Collins (NIAID).
    Publications: None.
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-018-2018/0--U.S. 
Provisional Application No. 62/661,320, filed April 23, 2018 (pending).
    Licensing Contact: Peter Soukas, J.D., 301-594-8730; 
[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 for development of a vaccine for 
respiratory or other infections. For collaboration opportunities, 
please contact Peter Soukas, J.D., 301-594-8730; [email protected].

    Dated: April 26, 2018.
Suzanne M. Frisbie,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2018-09660 Filed 5-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P