[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51170-51171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20993]


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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 in the U.S. in accordance 
with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404 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Disclosure Agreement may be required to receive any unpublished 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. Antagonists 
of Hyaluronan Signaling for Treatment of Airway Diseases, such as 
Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), constitute a 
major health burden in the development word. It is estimated that 
nearly15.0% of the adult population in the US are affected with such 
diseases, and the economic cost burden is over $23 billion annually. 
Unfortunately, the current options for treatment of such diseases are 
quite limited, consisting only of bronchodilators and inhaled steroids. 
The need for a novel and more effective class of therapeutics agents is 
imperative. The subject invention provides for a potentially more 
specific and effective treatment of airway diseases as compared with 
existing treatments. It is based on the inhibition of Hyaluronan (HA), 
a structural polysaccharide that plays a role in the signaling pathway 
that leads to the

[[Page 51171]]

onset of airway diseases. Such inhibition blocks the development of 
airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), two of the 
components associated with airway diseases, and thus may be useful in 
the treatment of such diseases. The invention discloses two antagonists 
of HA, i.e. heparosan, and Hyaluronan oligosaccharides (oHAs). Their 
administration to a human subject in need can be accomplished via the 
use of an inhaler or nebulizer.
    Potential Commercial Applications:

 Treatment of Airway Diseases

    Development Stage:

 In Vitro data available

    Inventors: Stavros Garantziotis (NIEHS), John Hollingsworth (Duke), 
Brian P. Toole (UMSC), Jian Liu (UNC)
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference E-080-2012: Issued Patents: US 
Patent No. 9,717,752 issued 08/01/2017; European Patent No. 2827877 
issued 05/08/2019 and validated in Germany, France, and the United 
Kingdom. Pending application: Canadian Patent Application No. 2872569 
filed 03/08/2013.
    Licensing Contact: Uri Reichman, Ph.D., MBA, 301-435-4616; 
[email protected].

    Dated: September 17, 2019.
Uri Reichman Sr.,
Senior Licensing and Patenting Manager, National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development.
[FR Doc. 2019-20993 Filed 9-26-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P