E6-21667. Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity

AGENCY:

National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

This is notice, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i), that 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 U.S. Patent No. 7,081,518, issued July 25, 2006, entitled “Anti-Mesothelin Antibodies Having High-Affinity Binding” [E-139-1999/0-US-07]; European Patent Application No. 00937925.6, filed May 26, 2000, entitled “Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity” [E-139-1999/0-EP-04]; Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-500670, filed May 26, 2000, entitled “Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity” [E-139-1999/0-JP-05]; Mexican Patent Application No. PA/a/2001/01195, filed May 26, 2000, entitled “Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity” [E-139-1999/0-MX-06]; and Canadian Patent Application No. 2374398, filed May 26, 2000, entitled “Immunoconjugates Having High Binding Affinity” [E-139-1999/0-CA-03] to Cambridge Antibody Technology, Ltd., which has offices in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The patent rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United States of America.

The prospective exclusive license territory may be worldwide, and the field of use may be limited to the use of the SSIP immunoconjugate and variants thereof for the treatment of mesothelin expressing cancers.

DATES:

Only written comments and/or applications for a license which are received by the NIH Office of Technology Transfer on or before February 20, 2007 will be considered.

ADDRESSES:

Requests for copies of the patent application, inquiries, comments, and other materials relating to the contemplated exclusive license should be directed to: Jesse S. Kindra, J.D., M.S., Technology Licensing Specialist, Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, MD 20852-3804; Telephone: [phone]; Facsimile: [phone]; E-mail: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This technology relates to an improved anti-mesothelin antibody (SS1) based on affinity maturation, which involves somatic hypermutation of the variable region. The technology also includes additional antibody variants other than SS1.

The prospective exclusive license will be royalty bearing and will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The prospective exclusive license may be granted unless within sixty (60) days from the date of this published notice, the NIH 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 404.7.

Applications for a license in the field of use filed in response to this notice will be treated as objections to the grant of the contemplated exclusive license. Comments and objections submitted to this notice will not be made available for public inspection and, to the extent permitted by law, will not be released under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.

Dated: December 12, 2006.

Steven M. Ferguson,

Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.