[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89462-89463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28474]


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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: Brian Bailey at 301-201-9217, 240-669-
5128, or [email protected]. Licensing information may be obtained by 
communicating with 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unpublished information related to the invention.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: Immortalized 
Rhesus macaque Bcl-6/Bcl-xL Stable B Cell Lines as Tools for HIV 
Antibody Discovery.

Description of Technology

    Scientists at NIAID have developed two immortalized stable B cell 
lines from rhesus macaques that can have value as research tools for 
the discovery of neutralizing antibodies of simian origin against HIV 
and that may have value in the development of an HIV vaccine. These B 
cell lines encode human Bcl-6 and Bcl-xL proteins, which are major 
regulators of apoptosis. These B cell lines are derived from the lymph 
node of a rhesus macaque (RM) that was infected with SHIV.CH505. It was 
discovered that, unlike in humans, rhesus macaque B cells from lymph 
nodes are more effectively immortalized than B cells from Peripheral 
Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs).
    After sample collection and cryopreservation, pro B cells were 
isolated, sorted by flow cytometry for populations of interest, then 
activated with CD40 ligand and RM IL-2 followed by transduction with a 
retroviral vector encoding Bcl-6, Bcl-xL, and green fluorescent protein 
(GFL), thereby creating immortalized clonal lines. Two clones were down 
selected for their in vitro neutralizing ability against HIV 
pseudovirus CH505.
    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

     Bcl-6 and Bc-xL immortalization is a valuable and flexible 
tool for HIV antibody discovery in rhesus macaques.
     Contributes to pre-clinical therapeutic and vaccine 
development.

Competitive Advantages

     The cell lines have been characterized and are readily 
expandable for bulk applications as well as for making high-throughput 
clonal cultures with or without antigen probes in 384-well plates.

Development Stage

     Research Materials
    Inventors: Jakob Samsel, Ph.D.; Richard Koup, MD; Kristin Boswell, 
Ph.D.; all of NIAID.
    Publications: Samsel, Jakob, et al. ``Rhesus macaque bcl-6/bcl-XL B 
cell immortalization: Discovery of HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies from 
lymph node.'' Journal of Immunological Methods, vol. 516, May 2023, p. 
113445, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jim.2023.113445.
    Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-196-2023-0-EIR-00.
    Licensing Contact: To license this technology, please contact Brian 
Bailey at 301-201-9217, 240-669-5128, or [email protected]., and 
reference E-196-2023.


[[Page 89463]]


    Dated: December 20, 2023.
Surekha Vathyam,
Deputy Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office, 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
[FR Doc. 2023-28474 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P