Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing, 9578-9580 [E8-3164]
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9578
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 35 / Thursday, February 21, 2008 / Notices
purpose of this notice is to allow an
additional 30 days for public comment.
The National Institutes of Health may
not conduct or sponsor, and the
respondent is not required to respond
to, an information collection that has
been extended, revised, or implemented
on or after October 1, 1995, unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Proposed Collection: Title: Process
evaluation of the Global Health
Research Initiative Program for New
Foreign Investigators (GRIP). Type of
Information Collection Request: NEW.
Need and Use of Information Collection:
This study will assess the outputs of the
Global Health Research Initiative
Program for New Foreign Investigators
(GRIP) to date, assess the program’s
alignment with new strategic goals of
the FIC, and identify potential
directions for program enhancement.
The primary objectives of the study are
to determine if GRIP awards (1) promote
productive re-entry of NIH-trained
foreign investigators into their home
countries, (2) increase the research
capacity of the international scientists
and institutions, and (3) stimulate
research on a wide variety of high
priority health-related issues. The
findings will provide valuable
information concerning: (1) Specific
research advances attributable to GRIP
support; (2) specific capacity and career
enhancing advances that are attributable
to GRIP; (3) policy implications for GRIP
at the program level based on survey
responses, such as successes and
challenges of the program’s
implementation, the GRIP support
mechanism, etc. Frequency of Response:
Once. Affected Public: None. Type of
Respondents: Foreign researchers. The
annual reporting burden is as follows:
Estimated Number of Respondents: 101;
Estimated Number of Responses Per
Respondent: 1; Average Burden Hours
Per Response: 0.50; and Estimated Total
Annual Burden Hours Requested: 50.5.
The annualized cost to respondents is
estimated at: $656.50. There are no
Capital Costs to report. There are no
Operating or Maintenance Costs to
report. Table 1 and Table 2 respectively
present data concerning the burden
hours and cost burdens for this data
collection.
TABLE 1.—ANNUALIZED ESTIMATE OF HOUR BURDEN
Number of respondents
Type of respondents
Frequency of
response
Average time
for response
(hr)
Total hour
burden*
GRIP Awardees ...............................................................................................
101
1
0.50
50.5
Total ..........................................................................................................
101
1
0.50
50.5
Approx. hourly
wage rate
Total respondent cost*
Total Burden = N Respondents x Response Frequency x minutes to complete/60.
TABLE 2.—ANNUALIZED COST TO RESPONDENTS
Number of respondents
Type of respondents
Frequency of
response
GRIP Awardees ...............................................................................................
101
1
$13/hr
$656.50
Total ..........................................................................................................
101
1
13/hr
656.50
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Total Respondent Cost = N Respondents x Response Frequency x minutes to complete/60 x hourly rate.
Request for Comments: Written
comments and/or suggestions from the
public and affected agencies are invited
on one or more of the following points:
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
function of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) Evaluate the
accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (4) Minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use
of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Direct Comments to OMB: Written
comments and/or suggestions regarding
the item(s) contained in this notice,
especially regarding the estimated
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16:34 Feb 20, 2008
Jkt 214001
public burden and associated response
time, should be directed to the Office of
Management and Budget at
OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov, or by
fax to 202–395–6974. To request more
information on the proposed project or
to obtain a copy of the data collection
plans and instruments, contact Dr.
Linda Kupfer, Fogarty International
Center, National Institutes of Health, 16
Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, or
call non-toll-free number 301–496–
3288, or email your request, including
your address to: kupferl@mail.nih.gov.
Comments Due Date: Comments
regarding this information collection are
best assured of having their full effect if
received within 30 days of the date of
this publication.
Dated: February 12, 2008.
Timothy Tosten,
Executive Officer, FIC, National Institutes of
Health.
[FR Doc. E8–3166 Filed 2–20–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Government-Owned Inventions;
Availability for Licensing
National Institutes of Health,
Public Health Service, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The inventions listed below
are owned by an agency 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
E:\FR\FM\21FEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 35 / Thursday, February 21, 2008 / Notices
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
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.
Development of Antigenic Chimeric St.
Louis Encephalitis Virus/Dengue Virus
Type Four Recombinant Viruses (SLEV/
DEN4) as Vaccine Candidates for the
Prevention of Disease Caused by SLEV
Description of Invention: St. Louis
Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) is a
mosquito-borne flavivirus that is
endemic in the Americas and causes
sporadic outbreaks of disease in
humans. SLEV is a member of the
Japanese encephalitis virus serocomplex
and is closely related to West Nile Virus
(WNV). St. Louis encephalitis is found
throughout North, Central, and South
America, and the Caribbean, but is a
major public health problem mainly in
the United States. Prior to the outbreak
of West Nile virus in 1999, St. Louis
encephalitis was the most common
human disease caused by mosquitoes in
the United States. Since 1964, there
have been about 4,440 confirmed cases
of St. Louis encephalitis, with an
average of 130 cases per year. Up to
3,000 cases have been reported during
epidemics in some years. Many more
infections occur without symptoms and
go undiagnosed. At present, a vaccine or
FDA-approved antiviral therapy is not
available.
The inventors have previously
developed a WNV/Dengue4Delta30
antigenic chimeric virus as a live
attenuated virus vaccine candidate that
contains the WNV premembrane and
envelope (prM and E) proteins on a
dengue virus type 4 (DEN4) genetic
background with a thirty nucleotide
deletion (Delta30) in the DEN4 3’-UTR.
Using a similar strategy, the inventors
have generated an antigenic chimeric
virus, SLE/DEN4Delta30. Preclinical
testing results indicate that
chimerization of SLE with DEN4Delta30
decreased neuroinvasiveness in mice,
did not affect neurovirulence in mice,
and appeared to overattenuate the virus
for non-human primates. Modifications
of the SLE/DEN4Delta30 vaccine
candidate are underway to improve its
immunogenicity.
This application claims live
attenuated chimeric SLE/DEN4Delta30
vaccine compositions and bivalent
WNV/SLE/DEN4Delta30 vaccine
compositions. Also claimed are methods
of treating or preventing SLEV infection
in a mammalian host, methods of
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Jkt 214001
producing a subunit vaccine
composition, isolated polynucleotides
comprising a nucleotide sequence
encoding a SLEV immunogen, methods
for detecting SLEV infection in a
biological sample and infectious
chimeric SLEV.
Application: Immunization against
SLEV or SLEV and WNV.
Development Status: Live attenuated
vaccine candidates are currently being
developed and preclinical studies in
mice and monkeys are in progress.
Suitable vaccine candidates will then be
evaluated in clinical studies.
Inventors: Stephen S. Whitehead,
Joseph Blaney, Alexander Pletnev, Brian
R. Murphy (NIAID).
Patent Status: U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/934,730 filed 14 Jun
2007 (HHS Reference No. E–240–2007/
0–US–01).
Licensing Status: Available for
exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.
Collaborative Research Opportunity:
The NIAID Laboratory of Infectious
Diseases is seeking statements of
capability or interest from parties
interested in collaborative research to
further develop, evaluate, or
commercialize live attenuated virus
vaccine candidates for St. Louis
encephalitis virus. Please contact Dr.
Whitehead at 301–496–7692 for more
information.
Methods of Glycosylation and
Bioconjugation
Description of Technology: Eukaryotic
cells express several classes of
oligosaccharides attached to proteins or
lipids. Animal glycans can be N-linked
via beta-GlcNAc to Asn (N-glycans), Olinked via -GalNAc to Ser/Thr (Oglycans), or can connect the carboxyl
end of a protein to a
phosphatidylinositol unit (GPI-anchors)
via a common core glycan structure.
Beta (1,4)-galactosyltransferase I
catalyzes the transfer of galactose from
the donor, UDP-galactose, to an
acceptor, N-acetylglucosamine, to form
a galactose-beta (1,4)-Nacetylglucosamine bond, and allows
galactose to be linked to an Nacetylglucosamine that may itself be
linked to a variety of other molecules.
Examples of these molecules include
other sugars and proteins. The reaction
can be used to make many types of
molecules having great biological
significance. For example, galactosebeta (1,4)-N-acetylglucosamine linkages
are important for many recognition
events that control how cells interact
with each other in the body, and how
cells interact with pathogens. In
addition, numerous other linkages of
this type are also very important for
PO 00000
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9579
cellular recognition and binding events
as well as cellular interactions with
pathogens, such as viruses. Therefore,
methods to synthesize these types of
bonds have many applications in
research and medicine to develop
pharmaceutical agents and improved
vaccines that can be used to treat
disease.
The invention provides in vitro
folding method for a polypeptidylalpha-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase
(pp-GalNAc-T) that transfers GalNAc to
Ser/Thr residue on a protein. The
application claims that this in vitrofolded recombinant ppGalNAc-T
enzyme transfers modified sugar with a
chemical handle to a specific site in the
designed C-terminal polypeptide tag
fused to a protein. The invention
provides methods for engineering a
glycoprotein from a biological substrate,
and methods for glycosylating a
biological substrate for use in
glycoconjugation. Also included in the
invention are diagnostic and therapeutic
uses.
Application: Enzymes and methods
are provided that can be used to
promote the chemical linkage of
biologically important molecules that
have previously been difficult to link.
Developmental Status: Enzymes have
been synthesized and characterization
studies have been performed.
Inventors: Pradman Qasba and
Boopathy Ramakrishnan (NCI/SAIC).
Patent Status: U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/930,294 filed 14
May 2007 (HHS Reference No. E–204–
2007/0–US–01).
Licensing Status: Available for
exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.
Licensing Contact: Peter A. Soukas,
J.D.; 301–435–4646;
soukasp@mail.nih.gov.
Collaborative Research Opportunity:
The National Cancer Institute is seeking
statements of capability or interest from
parties interested in collaborative
research to further develop, evaluate, or
commercialize this technology. Please
contact John D. Hewes, Ph.D. at 301–
435–3121 or hewesj@mail.nih.gov for
more information.
Chlamydia Vaccine
Description of Invention: Chlamydia
trachomatis is an obligate intracellular
bacterial pathogen that colonizes and
infects oculogenital mucosal surfaces.
The organism exists as multiple
serovariants that infect millions of
people worldwide. Ocular infections
cause trachoma, a chronic follicular
conjunctivitis that results in scarring
and blindness. The World Health
Organization estimates that 300–500
million people are afflicted by
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21FEN1
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9580
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 35 / Thursday, February 21, 2008 / Notices
trachoma, making it the most prevalent
form of infectious preventable
blindness. Urogenital infections are the
leading cause of bacterial sexually
transmitted disease in both
industrialized and developing nations.
Moreover, sexually transmitted diseases
are risk factors for infertility, the
transmission of HIV, and human
papilloma virus-induced cervical
neoplasia. Control of C. trachomatis
infections is an important public health
goal. Unexpectedly, however, aggressive
infection control measures based on
early detection and antibiotic treatment
have resulted in an increase in infection
rates, most likely by interfering with
natural immunity, a concept suggested
by studies performed in experimental
infection models. Effective management
of chlamydial disease will likely require
the development of an efficacious
vaccine.
This technology claims vaccine
compositions that comprise an
immunologically effective amount of
PmpD protein from C. trachomatis. Also
claimed in the application are methods
of immunizing individuals against C.
trachomatis. PmpD is an antigenically
stable pan-neutralizing target that, in
theory, would provide protection
against all human strains, thus allowing
the development of a univalent vaccine
that is efficacious against both blinding
trachoma and sexually transmitted
disease.
Application: Prophylactics against C.
trachomatis.
Developmental Status: Preclinical
studies have been performed.
Inventors: Harlan Caldwell and
Deborah Crane (NIAID).
Publication: DD Crane et al.
Chlamydia trachomatis polymorphic
membrane protein D is a speciescommon pan-neutralizing antigen. Proc
Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006 Feb
7;103(6):1894–1899.
Patent Status: PCT Patent Application
No. PCT/US2007/001213 filed 16 Jan
2007, which published as WO 2007/
082105 on 19 Jul 2007 (HHS Reference
No. E–031–2006/0–PCT–02).
Licensing Status: Available for
exclusive or non-exclusive licensing.
Licensing Contact: Peter A. Soukas,
J.D.; 301/435–4646;
soukasp@mail.nih.gov.
Collaborative Research Opportunity:
The NIAID Laboratory of Intracellular
Parasites is seeking statements of
capability or interest from parties
interested in collaborative research to
further develop, evaluate, or
commercialize PmpD vaccine
development. Please contact Harlan D.
Caldwell, at hcaldwell@niaid.nih.gov or
406–363–9333 for more information.
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Dated: February 11, 2008.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development
and Transfer, Office of Technology Transfer,
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E8–3164 Filed 2–20–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Dental &
Craniofacial Research; Notice of
Closed Meeting
Pursuant to section 10(d) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice
is hereby given of the following
meeting.
The meeting will be closed to the
public in accordance with the
provisions set forth in sections
552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C.,
as amended. The grant applications and
the discussions could disclose
confidential trade secrets or commercial
property such as patentable material,
and personal information concerning
individuals associated with the grant
applications, the disclosure of which
would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy.
Name of Committee: National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research Special
Emphasis Panel.
Date: March 19, 2008.
Time: 2 pm to 5 pm.
Agenda: To review and evaluate grant
applications.
Place: National Institutes of Health, One
Democracy Plaza, 6701 Democracy
Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20892 (Telephone
Conference Call).
Contact Person: Rebecca Wagenaar Miller,
PhD., Scientific Review Officer, Scientific
Review Branch, National Inst of Dental &
Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of
Health, 6701 Democracy, Rm 666, Bethesda,
MD 20892, 301–594–0652,
rwagenaa@mail.nih.gov.
(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 93.121, Oral Diseases and
Disorders Research, National Institutes of
Health, HHS)
Dated: February 13, 2008.
Jennifer Spaeth,
Director, Office of Federal Advisory
Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 08–771 Filed 2–20–08; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Dental &
Craniofacial Research; Notice of
Closed Meeting
Pursuant to section 10(d) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice
is hereby given of the following
meeting.
The meeting will be closed to the
public in accordance with the
provisions set forth in sections
552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C.,
as amended. The grant applications and
the discussions could disclose
confidential trade secrets or commercial
property such as patentable material,
and personal information concerning
individuals associated with the grant
applications, the disclosure of which
would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy.
Name of Committee: National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research Special
Emphasis Panel; Review RFA DE08–008,
Centers for Research to Reduce Disparities in
Oral Health.
Date: March 5–6, 2008.
Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Agenda: To review and evaluate grant
applications.
Place: Washington Plaza, 10 Thomas
Circle, NW., Washington, DC 20005.
Contact Person: Mario Rinaudo, MD,
Scientific Review Officer, Scientific Review
Branch, National Inst of Dental & Craniofacial
Research, National Institutes of Health, 6701
Democracy Blvd (DEM 1), RM 670 MSC4878,
Bethesda, MD 20892, 301–594–2904)
mrinaudo@nidcr.nih.gov.
This notice is being published less than 15
days prior to the meeting due to the timing
limitations imposed by the review and
funding cycle.
(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 93.121, Oral Diseases and
Disorders Research, National Institutes of
Health, HHS)
February 13, 2008.
Jennifer Spaeth,
Director, Office of Federal Advisory
Committee Policy.
[FR Doc. 08–772 Filed 2–20–08: 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–M
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, Notice of Closed
Meeting
Pursuant to section 10(d) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 35 (Thursday, February 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9578-9580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3164]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The inventions listed below are owned by an agency 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
[[Page 9579]]
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.
Development of Antigenic Chimeric St. Louis Encephalitis Virus/Dengue
Virus Type Four Recombinant Viruses (SLEV/DEN4) as Vaccine Candidates
for the Prevention of Disease Caused by SLEV
Description of Invention: St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) is a
mosquito-borne flavivirus that is endemic in the Americas and causes
sporadic outbreaks of disease in humans. SLEV is a member of the
Japanese encephalitis virus serocomplex and is closely related to West
Nile Virus (WNV). St. Louis encephalitis is found throughout North,
Central, and South America, and the Caribbean, but is a major public
health problem mainly in the United States. Prior to the outbreak of
West Nile virus in 1999, St. Louis encephalitis was the most common
human disease caused by mosquitoes in the United States. Since 1964,
there have been about 4,440 confirmed cases of St. Louis encephalitis,
with an average of 130 cases per year. Up to 3,000 cases have been
reported during epidemics in some years. Many more infections occur
without symptoms and go undiagnosed. At present, a vaccine or FDA-
approved antiviral therapy is not available.
The inventors have previously developed a WNV/Dengue4Delta30
antigenic chimeric virus as a live attenuated virus vaccine candidate
that contains the WNV premembrane and envelope (prM and E) proteins on
a dengue virus type 4 (DEN4) genetic background with a thirty
nucleotide deletion (Delta30) in the DEN4 3'-UTR. Using a similar
strategy, the inventors have generated an antigenic chimeric virus,
SLE/DEN4Delta30. Preclinical testing results indicate that
chimerization of SLE with DEN4Delta30 decreased neuroinvasiveness in
mice, did not affect neurovirulence in mice, and appeared to
overattenuate the virus for non-human primates. Modifications of the
SLE/DEN4Delta30 vaccine candidate are underway to improve its
immunogenicity.
This application claims live attenuated chimeric SLE/DEN4Delta30
vaccine compositions and bivalent WNV/SLE/DEN4Delta30 vaccine
compositions. Also claimed are methods of treating or preventing SLEV
infection in a mammalian host, methods of producing a subunit vaccine
composition, isolated polynucleotides comprising a nucleotide sequence
encoding a SLEV immunogen, methods for detecting SLEV infection in a
biological sample and infectious chimeric SLEV.
Application: Immunization against SLEV or SLEV and WNV.
Development Status: Live attenuated vaccine candidates are
currently being developed and preclinical studies in mice and monkeys
are in progress. Suitable vaccine candidates will then be evaluated in
clinical studies.
Inventors: Stephen S. Whitehead, Joseph Blaney, Alexander Pletnev,
Brian R. Murphy (NIAID).
Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/934,730 filed 14
Jun 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-240-2007/0-US-01).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive
licensing.
Collaborative Research Opportunity: The NIAID Laboratory of
Infectious Diseases is seeking statements of capability or interest
from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop,
evaluate, or commercialize live attenuated virus vaccine candidates for
St. Louis encephalitis virus. Please contact Dr. Whitehead at 301-496-
7692 for more information.
Methods of Glycosylation and Bioconjugation
Description of Technology: Eukaryotic cells express several classes
of oligosaccharides attached to proteins or lipids. Animal glycans can
be N-linked via beta-GlcNAc to Asn (N-glycans), O-linked via -GalNAc to
Ser/Thr (O-glycans), or can connect the carboxyl end of a protein to a
phosphatidylinositol unit (GPI-anchors) via a common core glycan
structure. Beta (1,4)-galactosyltransferase I catalyzes the transfer of
galactose from the donor, UDP-galactose, to an acceptor, N-
acetylglucosamine, to form a galactose-beta (1,4)-N-acetylglucosamine
bond, and allows galactose to be linked to an N-acetylglucosamine that
may itself be linked to a variety of other molecules. Examples of these
molecules include other sugars and proteins. The reaction can be used
to make many types of molecules having great biological significance.
For example, galactose-beta (1,4)-N-acetylglucosamine linkages are
important for many recognition events that control how cells interact
with each other in the body, and how cells interact with pathogens. In
addition, numerous other linkages of this type are also very important
for cellular recognition and binding events as well as cellular
interactions with pathogens, such as viruses. Therefore, methods to
synthesize these types of bonds have many applications in research and
medicine to develop pharmaceutical agents and improved vaccines that
can be used to treat disease.
The invention provides in vitro folding method for a polypeptidyl-
alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (pp-GalNAc-T) that transfers
GalNAc to Ser/Thr residue on a protein. The application claims that
this in vitro-folded recombinant ppGalNAc-T enzyme transfers modified
sugar with a chemical handle to a specific site in the designed C-
terminal polypeptide tag fused to a protein. The invention provides
methods for engineering a glycoprotein from a biological substrate, and
methods for glycosylating a biological substrate for use in
glycoconjugation. Also included in the invention are diagnostic and
therapeutic uses.
Application: Enzymes and methods are provided that can be used to
promote the chemical linkage of biologically important molecules that
have previously been difficult to link.
Developmental Status: Enzymes have been synthesized and
characterization studies have been performed.
Inventors: Pradman Qasba and Boopathy Ramakrishnan (NCI/SAIC).
Patent Status: U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/930,294 filed 14
May 2007 (HHS Reference No. E-204-2007/0-US-01).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive
licensing.
Licensing Contact: Peter A. Soukas, J.D.; 301-435-4646;
soukasp@mail.nih.gov.
Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Cancer Institute
is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested
in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or
commercialize this technology. Please contact John D. Hewes, Ph.D. at
301-435-3121 or hewesj@mail.nih.gov for more information.
Chlamydia Vaccine
Description of Invention: Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate
intracellular bacterial pathogen that colonizes and infects
oculogenital mucosal surfaces. The organism exists as multiple
serovariants that infect millions of people worldwide. Ocular
infections cause trachoma, a chronic follicular conjunctivitis that
results in scarring and blindness. The World Health Organization
estimates that 300-500 million people are afflicted by
[[Page 9580]]
trachoma, making it the most prevalent form of infectious preventable
blindness. Urogenital infections are the leading cause of bacterial
sexually transmitted disease in both industrialized and developing
nations. Moreover, sexually transmitted diseases are risk factors for
infertility, the transmission of HIV, and human papilloma virus-induced
cervical neoplasia. Control of C. trachomatis infections is an
important public health goal. Unexpectedly, however, aggressive
infection control measures based on early detection and antibiotic
treatment have resulted in an increase in infection rates, most likely
by interfering with natural immunity, a concept suggested by studies
performed in experimental infection models. Effective management of
chlamydial disease will likely require the development of an
efficacious vaccine.
This technology claims vaccine compositions that comprise an
immunologically effective amount of PmpD protein from C. trachomatis.
Also claimed in the application are methods of immunizing individuals
against C. trachomatis. PmpD is an antigenically stable pan-
neutralizing target that, in theory, would provide protection against
all human strains, thus allowing the development of a univalent vaccine
that is efficacious against both blinding trachoma and sexually
transmitted disease.
Application: Prophylactics against C. trachomatis.
Developmental Status: Preclinical studies have been performed.
Inventors: Harlan Caldwell and Deborah Crane (NIAID).
Publication: DD Crane et al. Chlamydia trachomatis polymorphic
membrane protein D is a species-common pan-neutralizing antigen. Proc
Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006 Feb 7;103(6):1894-1899.
Patent Status: PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2007/001213 filed
16 Jan 2007, which published as WO 2007/082105 on 19 Jul 2007 (HHS
Reference No. E-031-2006/0-PCT-02).
Licensing Status: Available for exclusive or non-exclusive
licensing.
Licensing Contact: Peter A. Soukas, J.D.; 301/435-4646;
soukasp@mail.nih.gov.
Collaborative Research Opportunity: The NIAID Laboratory of
Intracellular Parasites is seeking statements of capability or interest
from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop,
evaluate, or commercialize PmpD vaccine development. Please contact
Harlan D. Caldwell, at hcaldwell@niaid.nih.gov or 406-363-9333 for more
information.
Dated: February 11, 2008.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E8-3164 Filed 2-20-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P
