[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 201 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58288-58289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22918]


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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: Peter Tung at 240-669-5483 or 
[email protected]. Licensing information and copies of the patent 
applications listed below 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unpublished patent applications related to this invention.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Technology description follows.

Novel VAR2CSA Immunogens and Methods of Use Thereof

Description of Technology

    The invention provides immunogen polypeptides comprising fragments 
of VAR2CSA protein expressed by P. falciparum as potential second-
generation placental malaria vaccine candidates. VAR2CSA is the leading 
antigen target for a placental malaria vaccine, where associated 
antibody titers are correlated with protection. Aspects of the 
inventive immunogen polypeptides comprise all or portions of the 
chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) binding regions of VAR2CSA, as identified 
by a structural study of VAR2CSA conducted by the inventors, that 
possess great sequence conservation among P. falciparum strains when 
compared to competing clinical vaccine candidates PRIMVAC and PAMVAC. 
Also provided are methods of using the immunogen polypeptides for 
vaccination and treatment of disease.

[[Page 58289]]

Oncology Application

    The VAR2CSA immunogens bind to oncofetal CSA, a putative 
therapeutic target for multiple cancers, including NSCLC, breast, 
bladder and 40-50% of all pediatric solid tumors. Oncofetal CSA is only 
expressed solely in the placenta, except in several cancerous tissues, 
making it an ideal target for targeted therapeutics such as immunogens 
that are cross linked to cytotoxic agents.
    This technology is available for licensing for commercial 
development in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404, as 
well as for further development and evaluation under a research 
collaboration.
    Potential Commercial Applications:

 Placental malaria vaccine
 CSA-binding proteins for cancer therapeutics

    Competitive Advantages:

 Strain-transcending immunogens for vaccination
 Improved immunogen production through expression of key 
protein regions

    Development Stage:

     Immunogens successfully tested in a small animal model

    Inventors: Dr. Niraj Tolia and Dr. Rui Ma, both of NIAID.
    Publications: Ma, R. et al., ``Structural basis for placental 
malaria mediated by Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA'', Nat Microbiol 6, 
380-391, 2021.
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-021-2021-0-US-01--U.S. 
Provisional Application No. 63/115,729, filed November 19, 2020.
    Licensing Contact: To license this technology, please contact Peter 
Tung at 240-669-5483 or [email protected].
    Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Institute of 
Allergy and Infectious Diseases is seeking statements of capability or 
interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further 
develop, evaluate or commercialize the invention. For collaboration 
opportunities, please contact Peter Tung at 240-669-5483; 
[email protected].

    Dated: October 15, 2021.
Surekha Vathyam,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2021-22918 Filed 10-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P