[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 116 (Thursday, June 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 36337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12954]



[[Page 36337]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License: Chimeric 
Adaptor Proteins (CAPs) for Use in Cancer Immunotherapy Against Solid 
Tumors

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Cancer Institute, an institute of the National 
Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, is 
contemplating the grant of an Exclusive Patent License to practice the 
inventions embodied in the U.S. Patents and Patent Applications listed 
in the Supplementary Information section of this notice to Preverna, 
Inc. located in California, USA.

DATES: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by the National Cancer Institute's Technology Transfer 
Center on or before July 1, 2022 will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the patent application, inquiries, 
and comments relating to the contemplated an Exclusive Patent License 
should be directed to: Suna Gulay French, Technology Transfer Manager, 
Telephone: (240) 276-7424; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Intellectual Property

    1. United States Provisional Patent Application No. 62/819,386, 
filed March 15, 2019 and entitled ``Recombinant Molecules Containing 
Linker for Activation of T cells and Their Use in Immunotherapy'' [HHS 
Ref. No. E-210-2018-0-US-01];
    2. PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2020/022752, filed March 13, 
2020 and entitled ``Chimeric Adaptor and Kinase Signaling Proteins and 
Their Use in Immunotherapy'' [HHS Ref. No. E-210-2018-0-PCT-02];
    3. European Patent Application No. 20718061.3, filed March 13, 2020 
and entitled ``Chimeric Adaptor and Kinase Signaling Proteins and Their 
Use in Immunotherapy'' [HHS Ref. No. E-210-2018-0-EP-03];
    4. Chinese Patent Application No. 202080021582.5, filed March 13, 
2020 and entitled ``Chimeric Adaptor and Kinase Signaling Proteins and 
Their Use in Immunotherapy'' [HHS Ref. No. E-210-2018-0-CN-04];
    5. Hong Kong Patent Application No. 62022051308.4, filed March 13, 
2020 and entitled ``Chimeric Adaptor and Kinase Signaling Proteins and 
Their Use in Immunotherapy'' [HHS Ref. No. E-210-2018-0-HK-05]; and
    6. United States Patent Application No. 17/475,810, filed September 
15, 2021 and entitled ``Chimeric Adaptor Proteins (CAPs) for Improved 
T-Cell Immunotherapy'' [HHS Ref. No. E-210-2018-1-US-01].

(and U.S. and foreign patent applications claiming priority to the 
aforementioned applications).
    The patent rights in these inventions have been assigned and/or 
exclusively licensed to the government of the United States of America.
    The prospective exclusive license territory may be worldwide and 
the field of use may be limited to: ``Development and commercialization 
of T cell and Natural Killer cell therapy products engineered by 
lentiviral transduction and/or lipid nanoparticle encapsulated mRNA 
transfection to express the Chimeric Adaptor Proteins claimed in the 
prospective licensed patent rights, for the treatment of solid 
tumors.''
    This technology discloses Chimeric Adaptor Proteins (CAPs) for use 
in cancer immunotherapy. While similar to chimeric antigen receptors 
(CARs) in their content and mechanism of action, CAPs do not comprise a 
T cell receptor (TCR) domain and do not rely on TCR activation to 
stimulate the immune response. The inventors have instead found that 
adaptor molecules such as the linker for activation of T cells (LAT) 
are sufficient to form a distinct signaling complex and cause full 
immune cell activation. The functional features of CAPs may provide an 
advantage in immunotherapy, particularly against solid tumors.
    This notice is made in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 
part 404. The prospective exclusive license will be royalty bearing, 
and the prospective exclusive license may be granted unless within 
fifteen (15) days from the date of this published notice, the National 
Cancer Institute 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.
    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 in 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: June 10, 2022.
Richard U. Rodriguez,
Associate Director, Technology Transfer Center, National Cancer 
Institute.
[FR Doc. 2022-12954 Filed 6-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P