[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 50290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24123]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, DHHS.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: 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 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 contact at the Office of Technology Transfer, National
Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville,
Maryland 20852-3804; telephone: 301/496-7057; fax: 301-402-0220. A
signed Confidential Disclosure Agreement will be required to receive
copies of the patent applications.
Novel HIV Related Peptides
Giuseppe Scala, Xueni Chen, Oren J. Cohen, Anthony S. Fauci (NIAID)
Serial No. 60/132,760 filed 6 May 1999 (with priority to 11 Jan. 1999)
Licensing Contact: Robert Benson; 301/496-7056 ext. 267; e-mail:
rb20manih.gov
This invention concerns novel peptides that selectively react with
sera from people who are HIV infected. The peptides were selected by
screening random peptide libraries displayed phages with sera from
long-term non-progressor (LTNP) subjects followed by counterscreening
with non-infected sera. The peptides are potentially useful as vaccines
against HIV, and to raise antisera for passive immunization against
HIV. In fact, the peptides behaved as antigenic mimics of linear or
conformational HIV-1 epitopes generated in vivo in subjects infected
with different HIV-1 strains and quasispecies. Moreover, the selected
epitopes fulfilled the requirements for an effective immunogen; in
fact, the inventors have shown that antisera from immunized mice
decrease HIV replication in an in vitro assay. Claimed are the
methodology, which allows the identification of pools of HIV-specific
peptides by taking advantage of the HIV-specific antibody repertoire
induced by the natural infection; peptides, alone or as part of larger
vaccine constructs; and antibodies raised against the peptides.
Method of Detecting and Treating Inflammatory Disease
Esther M. Sternberg, Ruth M. Barrientos, Samuel Listwak, Mehrnaz J.
Tehrani (NIMH)
Serial No. 60/132,921 filed 6 Apr 1999
Licensing Contact: Kai Chen; 301/496-7735 ext. 247; e-mail:
kc169a@nih.gov
A new diagnostic tool for screening for resistance, or
susceptibility to certain forms of inflammatory disease (including
Alzheimer's, Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Sarcoidosis, Scleroderma,
and Arthritis) was identified using a mutation of the Angiotensin
Converting Enzyme (ACE) gene. The mutation in the ACE cDNA was
associated with a high level of ACE activity and resistance to
exudative inflammation. Related mutations could confer or predict
susceptibility to these diseases. Drugs designed to interact with the
enzyme, or at the active site near the mutation could be used to treat
such illnesses. This could have important implications in the study of
human populations with related inflammatory diseases and may be linked
to a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. It is available
for immediate licensing, and research collaborations via Cooperative
Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) will be considered.
Nucleic Acid and Amino Acid Sequences of Hemoglobin-Response Genes
in Candida albicans and the Use of Reagents Derived From these
Sequences in the Diagnosis of Disseminated Candida albicans
Infections
David D. Roberts, Sizhuang Yan (NCI)
Serial No. 09/258,634 filed 26 Feb 1999
Licensing Contact: George Keller; 301/496-7735 ext. 246; e-mail:
gk40j@nih.gov
Candida albicans is a commensal yeast flora commonly found in the
gastrointestinal tract in about 60% of healthy individuals. However, it
is also the most common pathogen causing fungal infections in
immunocompromised individuals, including AIDS and cancer patients, and
organ transplant recipients. Infections caused by Candida albicans
range from superficial to deep-seated, and systemic candidiasis is a
common complication in immunosuppressed hosts. Invasive infections
leading to candidemia in this patient population have high morbidity
and mortality. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found
that candidemia increased tenfold within the past ten years and
constitutes the third most common cause of positive blood cultures.
Currently, there is no quick diagnostic method to identify candidemia,
except the traditional fungal culture. It has been demonstrated that,
in the presence of hemoglobin, several new genes are expressed, and
hemoglobin induces and facilitates the invasion and colonization of the
opportunistic pathogen to hose tissues. The DNA sequences of these new
genes could be useful targets to develop molecular diagnostic kits for
rapid diagnosis of disseminated candidiasis. Such kits can also be
widely used as research tools to define the molecular mechanism of
candidemia.
Dated: September 8, 1999.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 99-24123 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M
