[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 2 (Friday, January 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 327-328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28358]


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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.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Licensing information may be obtained 
by communicating with Vidita Choudhry, Ph.D., National Heart, Lung, and 
Blood, Office of Technology Transfer and Development, 31 Center Drive, 
Room 4A29, MSC2479, Bethesda, MD 20892-2479; telephone: 301-594-4095; 
email: [email protected]. A signed Confidential Disclosure 
Agreement may be required to receive any unpublished information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.

Therapeutic and Diagnostic Targets for Severe RSV Infection

    Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infects nearly all children by 
their second birthday. RSV usually causes mild respiratory illness, 
however, a subset of patients experience severe infection that require 
hospitalization. Successful host defense against viral pathogens 
requires rapid recognition of the virus and activation of both innate 
and adaptive immunity. Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) are responsible for 
mounting an innate immune response and genetic variations within TLRs 
modulate severity of infection. Researchers at NIEHS have identified a 
single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TLR8 that is associated with 
RSV disease severity. The SNP is p53-responsive allele, indicating that 
p53, a master cell cycle regulator, can strongly influence TLR8 
mediated immune responses. Identification of this SNP can inform 
diagnosis and prognosis of RSV disease and serve as a therapeutic 
target for severe RSV infection.

    Potential Commercial Applications:


[[Page 328]]


 Development of therapeutics against severe RSV infection
 Diagnostic biomarker

    Competitive Advantages:

 Enhance the innate immune response to respiratory infection
 Improve clinical trial outcome in patients with TLR8 mediated 
RSV infection

    Development Stage:

 Early stage
 In vitro data available

    Inventors: Michael Resnick (NIEHS), Daniel Menendez (NIEHS), Steven 
Kleeberger (NIEHS), and Fernando Polack (Infant Foundation).
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-072-2019-0; US 
Application No. 62/881,656.
    Licensing Contact: Vidita Choudhry, Ph.D.; 301-594-4095; 
[email protected]. This notice is made in accordance with 35 
U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404.

    Dated: December 26, 2019.
Vidita Choudhry,
Technology Development Specialist, National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development.
[FR Doc. 2019-28358 Filed 1-2-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P