[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53489-53490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23066]


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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: Dr. Vince Contreras, 240-669-2823; 
[email protected]. Licensing information and copies of the U.S. 
patent application 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to receive copies of unpublished patent applications.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.

Fusion Glycoprotein Vaccine for Human Metapneumovirus

    Description of Technology: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a 
negative, single-stranded RNA virus, accounts for approximately 5-15% 
of infant respiratory tract infections and poses a severe risk of 
disease and hospitalization in both the elderly and the 
immunocompromised. Investigators at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) 
of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) 
have generated an hMPV fusion glycoprotein (``F protein'') stabilized 
in a prefusion conformation.
    Stabilizing this prefusion conformation of the F protein reveals an 
immunodominant site which makes it an ideal vaccine immunogen. The

[[Page 53490]]

prefusion stabilized F protein immunogen can be delivered as either an 
isolated homotrimer or trimers displayed on a nanoparticle. These 
immunogens elicit broad and potent hMPV-neutralizing antibodies.
    This technology is available for licensing for commercial 
development in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404.
    Potential Commercial Applications:

 Vaccine for prevention of human metapneumovirus infection

    Competitive Advantages:

 No human metapneumovirus vaccine is currently available

    Development Stage:

 In vitro data available
 In vivo animal data available

    Inventors: Peter D. Kwong, (NIAID), Michael Gordon Joyce (NIAID), 
Peter L. Collins (NIAID), Ursula J. Buchholz (NIAID), Guillaume 
Stewart-Jones (NIAID), Baoshan Zhang (NIAID), Yongping Yang (NIAID), 
Davide Corti (Institute for Research in Biomedicine), Antonio 
Lanzavecchia (Institute for Research in Biomedicine).
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference Number E-260-2014 includes 
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/096,744, filed December 24, 
2014; PCT Application No. PCT/IB2015/059991, filed December 24, 2015; 
U.S. Patent Application No 15/539,640 filed June 23, 2017; EPO Patent 
Application No. 15831073.0, filed 21 July 2017.
    Licensing Contact: Dr. Vince Contreras, 240-669-2823; 
[email protected].

    Dated: October 10, 2018.
Suzanne M. Frisbie,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2018-23066 Filed 10-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P