Federal Register Announcement, NIH, Late November 1995

Text of a Federal Register notice released by the Office of Technology Transfer, NIH, on November 24, 1995.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health

Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health

ACTION: Notice

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.

ADDRESS: Licensing information and copies of the U.S. patent
applications and issued patents listed below may be obtained by
writing to John Fahner-Vihtelic, Technology Licensing Specialist,
Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health,
6011 Executive Boulevard, Box 13, Rockville, Maryland 20852-3804
(telephone 301/496-7735 ext 285; fax 301/402-0220). A signed
Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) will be required to
receive copies of the patent applications. Requests for copies
of issued patents do not require the execution of a CDA.

Methods For Determining The Presence Of Functional p53 In
Mammalian Cells
Fornace, A.J., Kastan, M.B. (NCI)
Filed 10 Aug 94
Serial No. 08/288,872 (CON of 07/974,960)
The protein p53 is involved in tumorigenesis. Recent
observations have indicated that the gene encoding p53 is a tumor
suppressor gene; however, mutation or deletion of this gene
results in loss of this suppressor function. Mutations of the
p53 gene have been demonstrated in tumors of the colon, breast,
lung, ovary, bladder, and other organs, making the p53 gene the
most commonly mutated gene yet identified in human cancers.
While currently used assays can detect the presence of wild-type
or mutant p53 protein in mammalian cells, they cannot accurately
determine the presence of functional p53 protein in these cells,
which is necessary to determine the biological function of
functional p53 and to develop subsequent diagnostic modalities
using functional p53. This invention describes a specific gene
whose expression is dependent on the presence of functional p53
in cells and tumors, as well as methods by which the presence of
this gene may be detected. It also describes a diagnostic kit
utilizing a nucleic acid sequence capable of binding functional
p53, which is then measured to detect p53 presence. Issuance of
a patent on this invention is currently pending. [portfolio:
Cancer - Diagnostics]

Novel B-Lymphoma Cell Line And Antigen
Bock, G.H., Nelson, D.L., Kurman, C.C., Fleisher, T.A. (NCI)
Filed 9 Aug 94
Serial No. 08/287,718 (FWC of 07/934,106)
Various cell lines of B-cell lineage have been produced, but
none have been of tumor cell origin. This case provides an IL-6
dependent B-cell lymphoma cell line, designated DS-l. The
invention further provides a monoclonal antibody which reacts
with the cell line and a method for detecting the presence of
neoplastic cells by detecting the presence of an antigen on a
cell which is not normal for that cell type. [portfolio:
Cancer - Diagnostics; Cancer - Research Reagents]

Novel Human ras-Related Oncogenes Unmasked By Expression cDNA
Cloning
Aaronson, S., Chan, A., Miki, T. (NCI)
Filed 24 May 94
Serial No. 08/247,946
A family of small G-proteins encoded by H-, K-, and N-ras is
frequently activated as oncogenes in a wide variety of human
tumors. Activation is usually due to a point mutation within the
coding sequence which results in the molecule to be
constitutively in the GTP bound (active) state. In normal cells,
these proteins are coupled to growth factor signaling pathways
and appear to cause proliferation or differentiation. Over the
past several years, cloning efforts by many laboratories have
greatly expanded the number of ras-related proteins, to include
R-ras, K-rev-l/rap and TC21. The present invention relates to a
mutant TC21 protein that was cloned from an expression cDNA from
a ovarian carcinoma cell line. Based upon the finding that an
oncogenic form of TC21 exists, the present invention also relates
to the generation of point mutations in R-ras for expression
study. The present invention also relates to methods of
diagnosing cancers or monitoring disease progression by detecting
mutant forms of R-ras or TC21 at the protein or gene level.
[portfolio: Cancer - Diagnostics; Cancer - Research Reagents]

Immortalized Adult Human Prostate Epithelial Cell Lines
Rhim, J.S., Webber, M.M. (NCI)
Filed 28 Apr 94
Serial No. 08/234,843
This invention relates to cell lines which are useful in
testing compounds for anti-carcinogenic, anti-neoplastic, anti-
invasive, or anti-metastatic activity by growing the cell line in
the presence of the subject compounds. The cell lines contain
DNA of a human Papilloma virus (HPV), either alone or with an
activated viral ras oncogene, e.g., v-Ki-ras. The HPV
immortalized line is not tumorigenic; however, the V-Ki-ras
transformed HPV cell line is tumorigenic. They are useful for
determining causes, treatment, and prevention of prostate cancer,
benign prostate hyperplasic, male infertility, birth defects,
aging, and assessment of environmental toxic agents. [portfolio:
Cancer - Research Reagents]

Phosphonoalkyl Phenylalanine Compounds Suitably Protected For Use
In Peptide Synthesis
Burke, T.R, Smyth, M.S., Lim, B.B. (NCI)
Filed 8 Jun 93
Serial No. 08/073,088
A novel class of phosphononodifluoromethyl phenylalanine
("F2Pmp") derivatives have been developed which are suitable for
the synthesis of peptides containing the phosphotyrosyl (pTyr)
mimetic, F2Pmp. These analogues bear Boc or Fmoc protection at
the Nā-position for either solution or solid-phase peptide
synthesis using standard techniques. A number of studies have
shown that peptides containing the F2Pmp residue show utility as
inhibitors of src homology 2 (SH2) domain binding interactions
and of phosphotyrosyl phosphatases. Unlike pTyr residues, the
F2Pmp moiety is stable to both chemical and phosphatase-mediated
hydrolysis, making it an attractive replacement for pTyr in
signal transduction peptides. [portfolio: Cancer - Research
Reagents]

Monoclonal Antibodies To Prostate Cells
Pastan, I. (NCI)
Filed 8 Oct 92
Serial No. 07/958,140
Monoclonal antibodies which bind to an antigen associated
with prostate cells, including prostate cancer, can be used
either individually or conjugated to drugs, labels,
radioisotopes, or cytotoxins to target delivery of the conjugated
to prostate cells. The antibodies are thus useful in a variety
of diagnostic and therapeutic applications involving prostate
cancer. A hybridoma cell line secreting monoclonal antibody PR1
is also provided, as well as methods for screening for the
presence of metastatic prostate cancer. [portfolio: Cancer -
Therapeutics]

Antibodies To Human LINE-1 p40 Protein
Fanning, T.G. (NCI)
Serial No. 07/750,044
Patent Issued 18 Jan 94
U.S. Patent No. 5,280,108
Antibodies to the human LINE-1 retrotransposon offer a
powerful new tool for studying tumors. In most cell lines and
tissues, human LINE-1 sequences (LIHs) are not expressed;
however, LIH-specific RNA and proteins have been detected in cell
lines and tissues derived from human germ cell tumors
(teratocarcinomas) and breast tumors. These LIH antibodies,
which are specific for the p40 protein portion of the
retrotransposon, can be used for determining LIH expression in
tumor cells and determining the role this retrotransposon plays
in these cells. [portfolio: Cancer - Research Reagents]

Cartilage-Derived Morphogenetic Proteins
Luyten, F.P., Moos, M. Chang, S. (NIDR)
PCT Application PCT/US94/12814 filed 7 Nov 94
DHHS Reference No.: E-138-94/0
The present invention provides a cartilage-derived extract
which initiates and promotes ectopic cartilage and bone
development in vivo and recombinant cartilage-derived
morphogenetic proteins which promote development of
musculoskeletal tissues in vivo. These products will be useful
in the therapeutic induction, repair, and maintenance of skeletal
tissues. These compounds show promise for the healing of joint
surface lesions and repair or reconstruction of cartilaginous
tissues. They are also useful as growth factors for cells of the
chondrocyte lineage which, expanded ex vivo, can be implanted
into an individual where cartilage growth is desired. In
addition, cloned polynucleotides encoding these proteins will be
effective diagnostic reagents for detecting genetic abnormalities
associated with poor skeletal development. [portfolio: Cancer -
Therapeutics, biological response modifiers, growth factors]

Pulsed Low Frequency EPR Spectrometer And Imager
Bourg, J., Cherukuri, M., Mitchell, J., Mirotznik, M., Roth, B.,
Subramanian, S. (NCI)
Serial No. 08/097,811
Patent Issued 7 Feb 95
U.S. Patent No. 5,387,867
This application describes an Electron Paramagnetic
Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy imaging system. This system
generates broadband pulses having a RF carrier frequency that is
not highly absorbed by biological materials. The pulse
generating system includes up and down chirp converters for
frequency modulating of a carrier frequency and compression of
the frequency modulated pulse to form a broadband excitation
pulse of high energy. This technology's function has been proven
and could form the basis of a clinical imaging device capable of
high sensitivity to free radical species in human patients.
[portfolio: Devices/Instrumentation - Diagnostics, electron
paramagnetic resonance]

Federal Register Announcement, NIH, Late November 1995

Text of a Federal Register notice released by the Office of Technology Transfer, NIH, on November 24, 1995.