[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 51968]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22317]


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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 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Licensing information may be obtained 
by emailing the indicated licensing contact at the National Heart, 
Lung, and Blood, Office of Technology Transfer and Development Office 
of Technology Transfer, 31 Center Drive Room 4A29, MSC2479, Bethesda, 
MD 20892-2479; telephone: 301-402-5579. A signed Confidential 
Disclosure Agreement may be required to receive any unpublished 
information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.
    TSLP for treatment of pulmonary methicillin-resistant S. aureus 
(MRSA) infection. Available for licensing and commercial development is 
a patent estate covering methods of promoting the host defense of a 
patient suffering from or at risk of a bacterial infection 
(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in 
particular) by administering a thymic stromal lymphopoeitin (TSLP) 
protein or polypeptide. TSLP induces neutrophil mediated killing of 
MRSA bacteria mediated by reactive oxygen species and complement. 
Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus infections often present as 
serious skin infections in otherwise healthy individuals and have 
become a worldwide epidemic fueled by the emergence of strains with 
antibiotic resistance. The cytokine TSLP is highly expressed in the 
skin and in other barrier surfaces and plays a deleterious role by 
promoting T helper cell type 2 (TH2) responses during allergic 
diseases. The present methodology is based on a finding of non-TH2's 
role for TSLP in enhancing neutrophil killing of MRSA during an in vivo 
skin infection. TSLP also enhances killing of Streptococcus pyogenes, 
another clinically important cause of human skin infections. 
Unexpectedly, TSLP mechanistically mediates antibacterial effects by 
directly engaging the complement C5 system to modulate production of 
reactive oxygen species by neutrophils.
    Potential Commercial Applications:
     MRSA infection.
    Inventors: Warren Leonard, Erin West, Rosanne Spolski (all of 
NHLBI) and Christopher Garcia (Stanford).
    Relevant Publications:
     J Immunol May 1, 2016, 196 (1 Supplement) 60.5;
     Sci Immunol. 2016 Nov 18;1(5).
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-034-2016,
    Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich, Esq, CLP; 301-435-5019; 
[email protected].

    Dated: September 25, 2018.
Michael A. Shmilovich,
Senior Licensing and Patenting Manager, National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development.
[FR Doc. 2018-22317 Filed 10-12-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P