[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 223 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73490-73491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25455]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Prospective Grant of Exclusive Patent License: Treatment and 
Prevention of Neuropathic Pain With P2Y14 Antagonists

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney 
Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Department of Health 
and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of an exclusive, 
sublicensable patent license to Saint Louis University, (``SLU''), a 
non-profit university located in Missouri, in its rights to the 
inventions and patents listed in the

[[Page 73491]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by the NIDDK Technology Advancement Office December 3, 
2020 will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the patent applications, inquiries, 
and comments relating to the contemplated exclusive patent license 
should be directed to: Betty B. Tong, Ph.D., Senior Licensing and 
Patenting Manager, NIDDK Technology Advancement Office, Telephone: 301-
451-7836; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following and all continuing U.S. and 
foreign patents/patent applications thereof are the intellectual 
properties to be licensed under the prospective agreement to SLU:

1. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/877,385, filed July 23, 
2019, entitled ``Treatment And Prevention Of Neuropathic Pain With 
P2Y14 Antagonists'' (HHS Ref. No. E-144-2019-0-US-01)
2. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/013,792, filed April 22, 
2020, entitled ``Treatment And Prevention Of Neuropathic Pain With 
P2Y14 Antagonists'' (HHS Ref. No. E-144-2019-1-US-01)
3. U.S. Patent Application 16/936,951, filed July 23, 2020, entitled 
``Treatment And Prevention Of Neuropathic Pain With P2Y14 Antagonists'' 
[HHS Ref. No. E-144-2019-2-US-01]

    The patent rights in these inventions have been assigned to the 
Government of the United States of America, and Saint Louis University. 
The prospective patent license will be for the purpose of consolidating 
the patent rights to SLU, co-owner of said rights, for commercial 
development and marketing. Consolidation of these co-owned rights is 
intended to expedite development of the invention, consistent with the 
goals of the Bayh-Dole Act codified as 35 U.S.C. 200-212. The 
prospective patent license will be worldwide, exclusive, and may be 
limited to those fields of use commensurate in scope with the patent 
rights. It will be sublicensable, and any sublicenses granted by SLU 
will be subject to the provisions of 37 CFR part 401 and 404.
    The invention pertains to methods for treating and preventing 
neuropathic pain by using selective antagonists for the P2Y14 receptor, 
a purinergic G protein-coupled receptor that is activated by 
extracellular UDP-glucose and related nucleotides. The technology 
provides a method of treating neuropathic pain by administering a P2Y14 
receptor antagonist comprising a naphthalene or phenyl-triazolyl 
scaffold, potentially increase efficacy of treatments for neuropathic 
pain, and minimize risk of addiction.
    This notice is made pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404. 
The prospective exclusive patent license will include terms for the 
sharing of royalty income with NIDDK from commercial sublicenses of the 
patent rights and may be granted unless within fifteen (15) days from 
the date of this published notice the NIDDK receives written evidence 
and argument that establishes that the grant of the license would not 
be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 
404.
    Complete applications for a license that are timely filed in 
response to this notice will be treated as objections to the grant of 
the contemplated exclusive patent license.
    In response to this Notice, the public may file comments or 
objections. Comments and objections, other than those in the form of a 
license application, will not be treated confidentially, and may be 
made publicly available. License applications submitted in response to 
this Notice will be presumed to contain business confidential 
information and any release of information from these license 
applications will be made only as required and upon a request under the 
Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.

    Dated: November 12, 2020.
Charles D. Niebylski,
Director, Technology Advancement Office, National Institute of Diabetes 
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2020-25455 Filed 11-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P