[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29315]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: November 29, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health; HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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The inventions listed below are owned by agencies of the U.S.
Government and are available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance
with 35 U.S.C. 207 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 U.S. companies and may also be available for licensing.
ADDRESSES: Licensing information and copies of the U.S. patent
applications listed below may be obtained by writing to the indicated
Licensing Specialist at the Office of Technology Transfer, National
Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville,
Maryland 20852-3804 (telephone 301/496-7735; fax 301/402-0220). A
signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will be required to receive
copies of the patent applications. Issued patents may be obtained from
the Commissioner of Patents, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
Washington, DC 20231.
A Method for the Treatment of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Pollard, H.B., Pollard, B.S. (NIDDK)
Filed 21 Dec 93
Serial No. 08/050,370
Licensing Contact: Steven Ferguson
This invention involves a novel apparatus for treating HIV
infection, the etiologic agent of AIDS, that offers an inexpensive,
nontoxic therapy for this disease. Presently, the only approved
treatment for HIV infection is AZT, which does not work in all AIDS
patients and eventually becomes toxic to bone marrow. An experimental
approach to the treatment of AIDS employs neutralizing antibodies to
the envelope glycoproteins (gp120 or gp160). Because HIV mutates
rapidly, the neutralizing antibody approach has not proven effective.
Since binding to CD4 receptors on immune cells and other cells is the
method by which HIV infects and destroys the immune system, another
experimental approach has been to use cell-free CD4 to bind to the
gp120 of the virus and thereby protect cells from viral attachment.
However, the problem with this approach is that it requires large
amounts of continuous doses of CD4. In addition, CD4 binds to Class II
major histocompatibility antigens on cells, further compromising the
immune system. This newly developed apparatus uses CD4 receptor (rCD4)
molecules immobilized on beads inside a porous chamber. The holes in
the chamber allow the HIV virion to enter the chamber but are small
enough to prevent the entry of cells containing the CD4 receptor. The
chamber is placed within the peritoneal cavity or on-line in the blood
stream. When all the rCD4 molecules on the beads are occupied by HIV,
the chamber is replaced. A membrane lytic agent also can be attached to
the beads, so that once the virion is bound, it is promptly destroyed.
Diagnostic Agents for Human Herpesvirus 7 and Infected Cells
Berneman, Z.N., Gallo, R.C., Lusso, P., Reitz, M.S. (NCI)
Filed 26 Jul 93
Serial No. 08/098,941 (CIP of 07/971,102)
Licensing Contact: Steven Ferguson
Development of a convenient source of human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7)
will make it significantly easier to diagnose and detect this type of
viral infection. Human herpesviruses cause a variety of diseases,
including skin lesions, mononucleosis, chicken pox, and disseminated
multisystem infections in immune-compromised individuals. Although the
recently identified HHV-7 is not yet associated with disease, it shares
sequence homology with HHV-6 and other viruses that do cause disease;
therefore, it is essential to be able to differentiate between these
viruses. Previously, it has been difficult to develop a test for HHV-7
because the virus can only infect certain kinds of cells that do not
propagate the virus well. Nucleic acid sequences derived from the
amplification of HHV-7 have been isolated and purified. This invention
includes primers and probes for detection of HHV-7 infection or for the
amplification of HHV-7. A vector is also included for transforming a
unique cell line that provides a ready source of virus particles and
viral proteins for diagnostic and potential therapeutic uses.
HIV-2 or its Viral Components as Therapeutic Agents in the Treatment
and/or Prevention of HIV-1 Infection
Rappaport, J.F., Arya, S., Klotman, P.E. (NIDR)
Filed 15 Nov 93
Serial No. 08/153,117
Licensing Contact: Steven Ferguson
The HIV-2 viral proteins may offer a new and better method for
treating and/or inhibiting HIV-1 infection. Although the most widely
used method for treating HIV-1 infection, AZT, slows the progression of
infection, it has toxic side effects, and the virus often eventually
becomes resistant to its effects. Other methods that have been
developed for preventing HIV infection have not been successful to
date. Recently, it has been shown that protein subunits of HIV-2, which
are related to HIV-1 but appear to be less pathogenic, can interfere
with HIV-1 infection and replication. This invention offers a gene
encoding one HIV-2 protein, in particular, that effectively inhibits
HIV-1 LTR response, which is essential for its replication. The HIV-1
LTR-inhibiting protein can be used to treat individuals with HIV-1
infection, or a gene encoding the protein can be inserted into T-cells
taken from an HIV-1-infected individual. The T-cells can then be put
back into the patient in order to inhibit further HIV-1 replication in
the patient.
Octopamine Receptor
Venter, J.C., Fraser, C.M., McCombie, W.R. (NINDS)
Filed 8 Feb 94
Serial No. 08/194,338 (DIV of 07/676,174)
Licensing Contact: Arthur Cohn
Receptors for octopamine--a transmitter, hormone, and
neuromodulator in invertebrates such as arthropods and mollusks--are
selectively blocked by mammalian -adrenergic antagonists and
agonists. A segment of the DNA molecule that encodes an octopamine
receptor protein was isolated. The octopamine receptor is a member of
the adrenergic/muscarinic/opsin family. Expression of the novel
octopamine receptor cDNA in mammalian cells can be used to study the
isolated receptor. The octopamine receptor may also be useful in
screening, designing, and testing pharmaceuticals and insecticides
targeted to the receptor. This invention reduces the need for animals
in early phases of related drug research and provides a cost-effective,
selective alternative to current drug-screening methods.
Biologically Active ATP Derivatives
Jacobson, K., Fischer, B., Maillard, M.C. (NIDDK)
Filed 8 Mar 94
Serial No. 08/207,870
Licensing Contact: Arthur Cohn
This is a novel class of biologically active ATP analogs that may
be useful in the treatment of a variety of conditions, including septic
shock. ATP functions, among other things, as a neurotransmitter, and
its effects are mediated by a certain class of receptors called
P2. The P2 receptor is widely distributed throughout the body
and the central nervous system. These novel ATP derivatives have been
shown to have more activity on certain subsets of P2 receptors
than does ATP. Thus, they may be valuable as selective stimulators or
inhibitors of tissues enriched in these P2 receptor subsets. In
particular, these ATP derivatives may be effective in the treatment of
septic shock and brain seizures as well as in the enhancement of
learning and memory.
In Vivo Assays for Inhibitors of IgE-Mediated Allergic Responses
Kinet, J.P., Koller, B. (NIAID)
Filed 1 Dec 93
Serial No. 08/160,502
Licensing Contact: Laurence Hyman
An in vivo biological assay developed for inhibitors of
immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic responses offers an important
new tool for studying allergic responses as well as for developing
treatments for allergies. Many lines of evidence have led to the
concept that the interaction between IgE and mast cells and basophils
is the primary effector pathway in allergic responses. Thus, inhibitors
of this interaction offer the prospect of effectively reducing the
severity of many allergic reactions; however, the search for inhibitors
of allergic responses has been hampered by the lack of accurate,
inexpensive, and rapid assays. This application provides mice
``humanized'' to express portions of the human high affinity IgE
receptor, and in which the corresponding portions of the mouse receptor
are non-functional. Such mice can be used to quickly and economically
screen for agents that can inhibit the release of histamine in the
presence of an allergic stimulus.
Simian T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphotropic Virus Type Pan-P
Franchini, G., Gallo, R.C., Markham, P., Giri, A. (NCI)
Filed 22 Apr 94
Serial No. 08/231,526
Licensing Contact: Steven Ferguson
A new type of T-cell lymphotropic virus, designated STLVpan-p
or STLV-II, has been isolated and cultured. The virus, which was
isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a colony of
captive pygmy chimpanzees, was able to immortalize several co-cultures
of human cord blood mononuclear cells. These immortalized co-cultures
became T-cell lines expressing CD4+, CD8+, and DR+ phenotypes of mature
activated T-cells. Synthetic nucleic acid sequences from this virus
that are capable of directing the production of recombinant proteins
have also been developed, which may be used as probes to detect the
presence of T-cell lymphotropic viruses in biological samples
(including human samples) or may be used in vaccine development.
Retinoids Can Increase the Potency of Anti-Cancer Immunotoxins
Wu, Y.N., Youle, R.J. (NINDS)
Filed 6 May 94
Serial No. 08/238,997
Licensing Contact: Laurence Hyman
A unique method of potentiating the effect of anti-cancer
immunotoxins has been developed, thus offering to significantly improve
the treatment of a number of cancers as well as autoimmune diseases.
Prolonged treatment of human cancers with classical methods such as
radiation and chemotherapy, or a combination of both, may cause greater
damage than the underlying disease because healthy tissue is often
damaged along with diseased tissue. More recently, immunotherapy has
emerged as a new and promising therapy for treating cancer because it
employs monoclonal antibodies specific for tumor cells coupled to
protein toxins. Thus, cancer cells are selectively targeted for
destruction. These immunotoxins are being examined in numerous clinical
trials for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. However,
often the protein toxin coupled to the monoclonal antibody does not
pass as readily into the cytosol of the target cell as does the native
protein toxin. This invention improves the effectiveness of such
immunotoxins by employing retinoic acid, which disrupts the Golgi
apparatus of the target cell and increases the cytosolic routing of
specific protein toxins. Also included in this invention is an in vitro
method for assessing the ability of a retinoid to potentiate the
activity of immunotoxins.
Pteridine Nucleotide Analogs as Fluorescent DNA Probes
Hawkins, M.E., Pfleiderer, W., Davis, M.D., Balis, F. (NCI)
Filed 18 May 94
Serial No. 08/245,923
Licensing Contact: Robert Benson
The invention concerns a series of pteridine deoxyribosides which
are highly fluorescent and resemble purine nucleotides in structure and
properties. The pteridine nucleotide analogs can be site-specifically
incorporated into oligonucleotides using conventional DNA synthesis
techniques. The fluorescence quantum yields of the pteridine nucleotide
analogs are highly dependent on their physicochemical environment, thus
lending themselves to homogeneous assays. They have been used in a real
time assay of the HIV integrase enzyme. Other uses foreseen are as
labels for DNA probes and PCR primers and for investigating protein-DNA
interactions. The claims include derivatives of the pteridine
nucleotide analogs useful as starting materials for oligonucleotide
synthesis and oligonucleotides comprising the pteridine nucleotide
analogs.
Dated: November 16, 1994.
Barbara M. McGarey,
Deputy Director, Office of Technology Transfer.
[FR Doc. 94-29315 Filed 11-28-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P
