Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

[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]


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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, Public Health Service, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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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