[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46258-46259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17687]


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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: Elizabeth Pitts, Ph.D., 240-669-5299; 
[email protected]. Licensing information 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will be required to receive copies of unpublished information related 
to the invention.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.

Tumor Associated Calcium Signal Transducer 2 (TACSTD2)-Overexpressing 
Huh7.5 Cells That Are More Permissive to HCV Cell Entry and Replication 
Compared to the Model Huh7.5 Cell Line

Description of Technology

    Worldwide, 130-150 million individuals are chronically infected 
with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major cause of liver-associated 
morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite recent advances in antiviral 
drugs that can cure some individuals, a rapid decline of the

[[Page 46259]]

global disease burden is hampered by remarkably high treatment costs 
and a high number of undiagnosed infections. Moreover, a significant 
number of patients develop resistance and additional treatment 
modalities may be needed to dramatically reduce the worldwide incidence 
of HCV infection. The subject cell line may be a useful tool for 
studying the mechanism of HCV cellular entry and replication and could 
be incorporated into an in vitro assay to measure the effectiveness of 
novel HCV targeted therapies or as a system for improved propagation of 
HCV in culture.
    By overexpressing TACSTD2 in Huh7.5 cells, scientists at the 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) 
discovered that they could restore the cellular localization of two 
host cell HCV-entry factors that become dysregulated in hepatocellular 
carcinoma (HCC) cells. Overexpression of TACSTD2 makes Huh7.5 cells 
more broadly permissive to infection and replication by multiple HCV 
genotypes in comparison to the canonical Huh7.5 cell model. HCV does 
not replicate in malignant HCC cells, possibly caused in part by 
downregulation of TACSTD2 expression.
    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

     Cell line to study hepatitis C virus infection and 
replication or propagate HCV in culture.
     Cell line to study cancer.

Development Stage

     Material.
    Inventors: Patrizia Farci and Vandana Sekhar (NIAID).
    Publication: Sekhar V, Pollicino T, Diaz G, Engle RE, Alayli F, 
Melis M, Kabat J, Tice A, Pomerenke A, Altan-Bonnet N, Zamboni F, Lusso 
P, Emerson SU, and Farci P. (2018) Infection with hepatitis C virus 
depends on TACSTD2, a regulator of claudin-1 and occludin highly 
downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma. PLoS Pathog 14: e1006916. 
doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006916.
    Licensing Contact: To license this technology, please contact 
Elizabeth Pitts, Ph.D., 240-669-5299; [email protected], and 
reference E-040-2020.

    Dated: August 12, 2021.
Surekha Vathyam,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2021-17687 Filed 8-17-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P