[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 191 (Thursday, October 1, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 61959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21709]


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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 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Agreement may be required to receive any unpublished information.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.

Reducing Bloodstream Neutrophils as a Treatment for Lung Infection and 
Inflammation

    During lung infection, bloodstream neutrophils (PMNs) responding to 
infection travel to the airspace lumen. Although successful arrival of 
microbicidal PMNs to the airspace is essential for host defense against 
inhaled pathogens, excessive accumulation of PMNs in the lung 
contributes to the pathogenesis of several prevalent lung disorders, 
including acute lung injury, bronchiectasis, and chronic obstructive 
pulmonary disease (COPD). Unfortunately, there is no treatment for 
controlling PMN accumulation in the lung. The subject invention 
describes epithelial membrane protein 2 (EMP2) as a lung epithelial 
protein that regulates PMN entry into the inflamed airspace. EMP2 
knockout mice have reduced PMN accumulation and exhibit increased 
survival during bacterial infection. Inhibition of EMP2 can potentially 
reduce intra airway PMN accumulation and provide a specific treatment 
for various lung disorders.

Potential Commercial Applications

    Development of EMP2 inhibitor for treatment of neutrophil-dependent 
lung disorders, such as:

 Acute lung injury
 pneumonia (bacterial, viral, fungal)
 bronchiectasis
 COPD and asthma
 radiation- or chemotherapeutic-induced pneumonitis
 idiopathic or induced interstitial lung disease
 bronchopulmonary dysplasia
 lung transplant rejection

Competitive Advantages

 EMP2 can selectively target PMN accumulation in the lung, 
rather than broadly affecting PMN trafficking through all tissues.

Development Stage

 Early stage
 In vitro and in vivo (animal) data available

    Inventors: Michael Brian Fessler (NIEHS), Carmen J. Williams 
(NIEHS), and Wan-Chi Lin (NIEHS).
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-125-2018-0; U.S 
Provisional Patent Application 62/664,805 filed April 30, 2018, 
International Patent Application PCT/US2019/29801 filed on April 30, 
2019.
    Publications: Lin WC, Gowdy KM, Madenspacher JH, et al. Epithelial 
membrane protein 2 governs transepithelial migration of neutrophils 
into the airspace. J Clin Invest. 2020;130(1):157-170.
    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: September 28, 2020.
Vidita Choudhry,
Technology Development Specialist, National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
Institute, Office of Technology Transfer and Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-21709 Filed 9-30-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P