[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 139 (Thursday, July 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37456-37458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17780]
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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 Mr. Arthur J.
Cohn, J.D., Technology Licensing Specialist, Office of Technology
Transfer, National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard,
Suite 325, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3804 (telephone 301/496-7735 ext
284; fax 301/402-0220). A signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will
be required to receive copies of the patent applications.
Ultraselective Opioidmimetic Peptides and Pharmacological and
Therapeutic Uses Thereof
Lazarus, L.H., Salvadori, S., Temussi, P.A. (NIEHS)
Filed 30 Nov 94
Serial No. 08/347,531
Opioids and opioid receptors mediate a variety of effects in
mammalian physiology including the production of analgesia,
modification of the secretion of circulating peptide hormones,
alteration of body temperature, depression of respiration,
gastrointestinal function, and immune system activities. Opioids also
have a wide range of therapeutic utilities, such as treatment of opiate
and alcohol abuse, neurological diseases, neuropeptide or
neurotransmitter imbalances, neurological and immune system
dysfunctions, graft refections, pain control, shock and brain injuries.
Various subclasses of opioid receptors are implicated in any particular
physiological function or disease process. Accordingly, it would be
desirable to have opioid drugs that exhibit specificity for one
subclass of the receptor so as to avoid undesirable side effects during
a therapeutic regimen. This invention provides novel opioidmimetic
dipeptides, tripeptides and cyclic peptides which exhibit
ultraselective specificity and potency for the opiate
receptor. Additionally, methods of inducing analgesia and treating drug
and alcohol addiction are provided. [portfolio: Central Nervous
System--Therapeutics]
A Method Of Identifying CFTR-Binding Compounds Useful For Activating
Chloride Conductance In Animal Cells
Pollard, H.B., Jacobson, K.B. (NIDDK)
Filed 22 Nov 94
Serial No. 08/343,714 (CIP of 07/952,965 issued as U.S. Patent
5,366,977)
Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease of
Caucasians in the world today. The life expectancy of those affected
with the disease is approximately 28 years. Cystic fibrosis affects
some 30,000 children and young adults in the United States and
approximately 24,000 children and young adults in Europe. Cystic
fibrosis is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane
regulator (CFTR) gene. Chloride (Cl-) and sodium transport across
epithelial membranes of an individual afflicted with cystic fibrosis is
abnormal. Many of the present efforts to combat the disease have
focused on drugs that are capable of either activating the mutant CFTR
gene product or otherwise causing additional secretion of Cl- from
affected cells. Antagonism of the A1 adenosine receptor has been
shown to result in stimulating Cl- efflux from cystic fibrosis
cells. Many of the drugs currently in use or under development function
by antagonizing the A1 adenosine receptor but lack specificity for
the receptor and, thus, produce undesirable side effects. Likewise,
antagonism of A1 adenosine receptors probably will have an
additional impact on an animal that is unrelated to the cystic fibrosis
affliction. The present invention provides compositions and methods of
identifying compositions that overcome these disadvantages, as well as
methods of treating cystic fibrosis. The compounds provided activate
impaired Cl- conductance channels and exhibit high potency, low
toxicity, and little or no specificity for adenosine receptors.
[portfolio: Internal Medicine--Therapeutics, pulmonary]
Inhibiting Cell Proliferation By Inhibiting Mitogenic Activity Of
Macrophage Migration Inhibitor Factor
Wistow, G.J., Paralkar, V. (NEI)
Filed 16 Nov 94
Serial No. 08/340,826
The control of cell growth is of interest in the understanding of
normal physiological activity and pathological conditions such as
cancer. Certain mechanisms of cell proliferation in cancer appear to
mimic the growth-factor-induced mitogenic pathway. Peptide growth
factors act by binding to receptors on the cell surface and inducing
gene expression. This invention demonstrates that one of the genes
induced by growth factors, macrophage migration inhibitory factor
(MIF), is involved in cell proliferation and that inhibiting MIF
expression in turn inhibits both peptide-growth-factor-induced and
transformed cell proliferation. The invention provides methods for
inhibiting cell growth by inhibiting the mitogenic activity of MIF in
the cell. Such inhibition can be performed through providing the cell
with a nucleic acid that inhibits MIF expression or through inhibiting
MIF activity by hindering the binding of MIF to retinoblastoma protein.
The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions having an agent
that inhibits the mitogenic activity of MIF in a cell and a
pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. This invention would provide a
means to inhibit growth factors in cancer cells in vivo and thereby
prevent
[[Page 37457]]
their proliferation. The inhibition of MIF activity in vitro is useful
to investigate the sequence of events comprising the cell cycle.
Issuance of a patent on this invention is currently pending.
[portfolio: Gene-Based Therapies--Therapeutics, oligonucleotide-based
therapies, antisense, sequences]
Cell Tests For Alzheimer's Disease
Alkon, D., Etcheberrigaray, R., Kim, C., Han, Y., Nelson, T. (NINDS)
Filed 26 Sep 94
Serial No. 08/312,202 (CIP of 08/056,456)
Alzheimer's disease represents the fourth leading cause of death in
the United States, killing over 100,000 annually, and afflicting some 4
million Americans. Various reports indicate that the incidence of
Alzheimer's disease increases with age and estimate that the prevalence
of Alzheimer's disease in people over 80 years of age is between 20 and
50%. Under currently available technology Alzheimer's disease can only
be presumptively diagnosed by pathological examination of brain tissue
during autopsy in conjunction with a clinical history of dementia. The
present invention utilizes newly discovered differences between cells
from healthy donors and those with Alzheimer's disease. In particular,
differences in the levels of a memory associated GTP-binding protein
between cells from health donors and Alzheimer's patients are assessed
by immunoassay. Thus, the invention provides a quick and reliable test
for assessing whether a patient is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
[portfolio: Central Nervous System--Diagnostics, in vitro, other]
Allelic Variation Of The Serotonin 5HT2C Receptor
Lappalainen, J., Linnoila, M., Goldman, D. (NIAAA)
Filed 21 Sep 94
Serial No. 08/310,271
An allelic variation of the serotonin 5HT2C receptor that is
functionally different from the predominant wild-type receptor. One
embodiment of this discovery relates to isolated DNA encoding that
serotonin 5HT2C receptor wherein the DNA encodes a serine at amino acid
position 23 of the receptor. The isolated DNA may, for example, be
provided in a recombinant vector. Preferably the isolated DNA has the
nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.
This invention may make it possible to find biochemical and genetic
variables that predict vulnerability to psychiatric disorders,
including antisocial personality, and therefore predict these behaviors
and also facilitate implementation of preventative and therapeutic
measures. The patent application is pending, and the technology is
available through a non-exclusive license. [portfolio: Central Nervous
System-Research Tools and Reagents, receptors and cell lines]
Sulfo Derivatives Of Adenosine
Jacobson, K., Maillard, M.C. (NIDDK)
Filed 21 Jul 94
Serial No. 08/278,704 (FWC of 07/914,428)
A newly-developed, novel class of adenosine compounds are valuable
for the prevention or treatment of injuries related to oxygen
deprivation, or ischemia. Adenosine has numerous physiologic roles in
the body including increasing tissue oxygen supply. Certain compounds
that bind to adenosine receptors in the body have been found to protect
against ischemia-induced tissue injury. Previously, however, adenosine
agonists that have been tested for treating or preventing such injuries
have caused serious behavioral effects, making them too risky for use
in humans. This new class of adenosine agonist are sulfo derivatives of
adenosine and do not effectively cross the blood-brain barrier. Thus,
they can be used effectively as adenosine agonists--especially in
preventing ischemia-induced tissue damage--without the toxic side
effects.
Stannylated 3-Quinuclidinyl Benzilates And Methods For Preparing *AQNB
Lee, K.S., He, X-S, Weinberger, D.R. (NIMH)
Filed 19 Apr 94
Serial No. 08/229,837
A unique method for synthesizing tomographic imaging agents has
been developed that offers to significantly improve the use of
tomographic imaging in studying the brain and other parts of the
nervous system. Muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChrs) play a vital
role in a number of psychological and behavioral responses including
sleep, avoidance behavior, learning, and memory. Single-photon
emission-computed tomography (SPECT) has emerged as a leading
diagnostic tool for diagnosing and researching mAChr activity. At
present, the potential of SPECT imaging of muscarinic receptors as a
diagnostic and analytical tool has not been fully attained, primarily
due to the high cost and difficulty of preparing the tomographic
imaging agent *IQNB. This invention overcomes such limitations by
halogenating, particularly iodinating, stannylated 3-quinuclidinyl
benzilate compounds, which converts them to *AQNB (wherein *A is a
halogen). The halogenation of stannylated 3-quinuclidinyl benzilates
proceeds in as little as five minutes compared to up to an hour with
previous methods. In addition, radiolabeling with this method produces
yields of *AQNB as high as 80 percent. [portfolio: Central Nervous
System--Research Tools and Reagents; Central Nervous System--
Diagnostics]
Method Of Adenovirus-Mediated Cell Transfection
Seth, P., Crystal, R.G., Rosenfeld, M., Yoshimura, K., Jessee, J.A.
(NHLBI)
Filed 4 Feb 94
Serial No. 08/191,669
Development of an efficient and less toxic method for adenovirus-
mediated cell transfection offers to significantly improve efforts at
correcting genetic disorders and other diseases through gene
augmentation therapy. Adenoviruses are useful as a vector for gene
therapy, since they do not require the host cell proliferation that is
necessary to employ retroviral vectors. In addition, adenoviral vectors
have low recombination event frequencies. Adenovirus exhibits tropism
for the respiratory epithelium, and can infect almost every human
tissue including lung, gastrointestinal, liver, brain, salivary glands,
kidney, and other tissues. Therefore, adenoviruses are a useful tool in
somatic gene therapy of many inheritable and metabolic diseases,
particularly those of the lung and gastrointestinal tract. Present
approaches for using adenovirus for transfer of nucleic acids are
limited in that the specific receptor to the ligand employed (e.g.,
transferrin) must be present on the cell surface for transfection to be
accomplished. Additionally, it was recently discovered that better
transfection results are obtained when the DNA is not physically
attached to any molecule upon introduction into the cell. This
invention overcomes such limitations by incubating the DNA to be
transfected with a cationic agent or polycationic liposome and
contacting the target cell with the nucleic acids in the presence of
adenovirus. Because the nucleic acid(s) is not bound to any molecule
capable of effecting its entry into the cell, the transfection is more
efficient. Furthermore, no specific ligand need be present for
transfection to occur. Issuance of a patent on this invention is
currently pending. [portfolio: Gene-Based Therapies--Therapeutics;
Gene-Based Therapies--Research Tools and Reagents]
[[Page 37458]]
Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease And Schizophrenia
Merril, C., Johnson, G., Ghanbari, H. (NIMH)
Filed 17 Jun 92
Serial No. 07/904,045
Alzheimer's disease represents the fourth leading cause of death in
the United States, killing over 100,000 annually, and afflicting some 4
million Americans. Various reports indicate that the incidence of
Alzheimer's disease increases with age and estimate that the prevalence
of Alzheimer's disease in people over 80 years of age is between 20 and
50%. Schizophrenia occurs in approximately 1.5% of adults. Over 2.5
million people in the U.S. and nearly 47 million people worldwide
suffer from schizophrenia. Under currently available technology
Alzheimer's disease can only be presumptively diagnosed by pathological
examination of brain tissue during autopsy in conjunction with a
clinical history of dementia. In the diagnosis of schizophrenia, the
clinician is limited to aberrations of behavior. Although there has
previously been no generally accepted laboratory markers for either of
these two diseases of the central nervous system it has been discovered
that production of certain proteins is increased in acute phase
reactions associated with these disorders. The present invention
provides methods of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia by
detecting elevated levels of such proteins in a biological sample from
a patient either by immunoassay or 2D-gel electrophoresis. [portfolio:
Central Nervous System--Diagnostics]
Dated: July 6, 1995.
Barbara M. McGarey,
Deputy Director, Office of Technology Transfer.
[FR Doc. 95-17780 Filed 7-19-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P
