51836 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 169 / Thursday, August 31, 2006 / Notices 

Applications: (1) Significant 

enhancement of immunological 

responses to antigen vaccines; (2) 

Development of safe and effective 

vaccines for cancer and various 

infectious diseases; (3) Cost effective 

vaccine to test the combination of 

immune enhancing molecules with any 

form of antigen vaccine. 

Development Status: Preclinical data 

is available at this time. 

Inventors: Samir Khleif and Jay 

Berzofsky (NCI). 

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Application 

No. 09/810,310 filed 14 Mar 2001 (HHS 

Reference No. E–128–2000/0-US–02). 

Licensing Status: Available for nonexclusive or exclusive licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Cristina 

Thalhammer-Reyero, Ph.D., M.B.A.; 

301/435–4507; thalhamc@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Cancer Institute Vaccine 

Branch is seeking statements of 

capability or interest from parties 

interested in collaborative research to 

further develop, evaluate, or 

commercialize methods and 

compositions for the production of 

highly effective vaccines. Please contact 

Betty Tong, Ph.D., at 301–594–4263 or 

tongb@mail.nih.gov for more 

information. 

Dated: August 25, 2006. 

Steven M. Ferguson, 

Director, Division of Technology Development 

and Transfer, Office of Technology Transfer, 

National Institutes of Health. 

[FR Doc. 06–7329 Filed 8–30–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 

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 

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. 

The Mucus Slurper: A Novel Device to 

Keep the Endotracheal Tube (ETT) Free 

of all Mucus, Without Suctioning. 

Description of Technology: Available 

for licensing and commercial 

development is a mucus slurping device 

to remove all mucus, before mucus 

reaches the tip of the endotracheal tube 

(ETT); thus, no mucus ever enters the 

ETT, and the ETT remains always 

clean—without suctioning. A 

Mallinckrodt Hi-Lo CASS (continuous 

aspiration of subglottic secretions) 

endotracheal tube is modified by 

appending to the distal-most tip of a 

cut-off CASS tube a molded, hollow, 

concentric plastic ring with 3–4 (or 

more) small (less than 1 mm in 

diameter) suction ports, the latter 

positioned in the most dependent part 

of the ETT (Figure 1). The CASS line 

was extended to the very tip of the ETT, 

and suction was activated for 

approximately 0.5 s, synchronized to 

the early part of expiration; and 

repeated once a minute, or as desired. 

All mucus was collected in a small inline vial. Healthy, anesthetized and 

paralyzed sheep, were intubated with a 

modified 8 mm CASS ETT tube with 

attached ‘‘Mucus Slurper’’; with sheep 

lying prone, trachea/neck oriented 

below horizontal. Never suctioned. At 

the end of the 72 h study, sheep were 

electively euthanized, and autopsied. 

Figure 1. Normal arterial blood gases. 

No traces of mucus were found along 

the entire length of the ETT. There were 

no gross abnormalities of the tracheal 

mucosa; Bacterial cultures of the 5 lobes 

of the lungs were negative. The Mucus 

Slurper represents a new concept that 

may significantly contribute to 

improved care of patients intubated and 

mechanically ventilated; with no need 

for suctioning/cleaning, and free of 

ventilator associated pneumonia. 

Applications: (1) Prevention of 

ventilator associated pneumonia; (2) 

Intubation; (3) Mucus clearance. 

Market: All patients intubated for 

longer than 18 hours. 

Development Status: Pre-clinical data 

available from sheep. 

Inventors: Theodor Kolobow, 

Gianluigi Li Bassi, Francesco Curto 

(NHLBI). 

Publications: 


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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 169 / Thursday, August 31, 2006 / Notices 51837 

1. L Berra et al. Antibacterial-coated 

tracheal tubes cleaned with the Mucus 

Shaver: A novel method to retain longterm bactericidal activity of coated 

tracheal tubes. Intensive Care Med. 2006 

Jun;32(6):888–893. Epub 2006 Apr 19, 

doi: 10.1007/s00134–006–0125–6. 

2. T Kolobow et al. Novel system for 

complete removal of secretions within 

the endotracheal tube: the Mucus 

Shaver. Anesthesiology. 2005 

May;102(5):1063–1065. 

3. L Berra et al. Evaluation of 

continuous aspiration of subglottic 

secretion in an in vivo study. Crit Care 

Med. 2004 Oct;32(10):2071–2078. 

4. R Trawoger et al. Intratracheal 

pulmonary ventilation keeps tracheal 

tubes clean without impairing 

mucociliary transport. Scand J Clin Lab 

Invest. 2002;62(5):351–356. 

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Application 

No. 11/081,420 filed 15 Mar 2005 (HHS 

Reference No. E–074–2005/0–US–01); 

International Patent Application PCT/ 

US2006/009166 filed 14 Mar 2006 (HHS 

Reference No. E–074–2005/0–PCT–02). 

Licensing Status: Available for nonexclusive or exclusive licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Michael A. 

Shmilovich, Esq.; 301/435–5019; 

shmilovm@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The NHLBI Pulmonary Critical Care 

Medicine Branch is seeking statements 

of capability or interest from parties 

interested in collaborative research to 

further develop, evaluate, or 

commercialize the endotracheal tube 

mucus cleaning device and related 

laboratory interests. Please contact 

Marianne Lynch at 301–594–4094 or 

lynchm@nhlbi.nih.gov for more 

information. 

Mucus Shaving Apparatus for 

Endotracheal Tubes 

Description of Technology: HHS seeks 

parties interested in manufacturing and 

commercializing an endotracheal tube 

cleaning apparatus for insertion into the 

inside of the endotracheal tube of a 

patient to shave away mucus deposits. 

This cleaning apparatus comprises a 

flexible central tube with an inflatable 

balloon at its distal end. Affixed to the 

inflatable balloon are one or more 

silicone rubber shaving rings, each 

having a squared leading edge to shave 

away mucus accumulations implicated 

in bacterial accumulation. In operation, 

the un-inflated cleaning apparatus is 

inserted into the endotracheal tube until 

its distal end is properly aligned with 

the distal end of the endotracheal tube. 

After proper alignment, the balloon is 

inflated by a suitable inflation device 

(e.g., a syringe) until the balloon’s 

shaving rings are pressed against the 

inside surface of the endotracheal tube. 

The cleaning apparatus is then pulled 

out of the endotracheal tube and in the 

process the balloon’s shaving rings 

shave off the mucus deposits from the 

inside of the endotracheal tube. 

Inventors: Theodor Kolobow and 

Lorenzo Berra (NHLBI). 

Publication: T Kolobow et al. Novel 

system for complete removal of 

secretions within the endotracheal tube: 

the Mucus Shaver. Anesthesiology. 2005 

May;102(5):1063–1065. 

Patent Status: U.S. Patent No. 

7,051,737 issued 05 Feb 2004 (HHS 

Reference No. E–061–2004/0–US–01). 

Related Technology: PCT Application 

No. PCT//US2005/003395 filed 04 Feb 

2005, which published as WO 2005/ 

076895 on 25 Aug 2005 (HHS Reference 

No. E–061–2004/1–PCT–01). 

Licensing Status: Available for nonexclusive or exclusive licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Michael 

Shmilovich, Esq.; 301/435–5019; 

shmilovm@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The NHLBI Pulmonary Critical Care 

Medicine Branch is seeking statements 

of capability or interest from parties 

interested in collaborative research to 

further develop, evaluate, or 

commercialize the endotracheal tube 

apparatus and related laboratory 

interests. Please contact Marianne 

Lynch at 301–594–4094 or 

lynchm@nhlbi.nih.gov for more 

information. 

Dated: August 25, 2006. 

Steven M. Ferguson, 

Director, Division of Technology Development 

and Transfer, Office of Technology Transfer, 

National Institutes of Health. 

[FR Doc. 06–7330 Filed 8–30–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P 

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 

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. 

Molecules for Studying Cellular 

Immune Responses to Vaccines and 

Therapeutics 

Description of Technology: HLA 

molecules are indispensable and 

invaluable tools for efficient vaccine 

research and development. Infectious 

diseases are the second leading cause of 

death among adults and the most 

prominent cause of death in infants and 

children worldwide. Thus, rapid 

availability of prophylactic vaccines for 

cancers and infectious diseases such as 

HIV, HPV, influenza and diarrheal and 

respiratory diseases is a world-wide 

health concern. 

Available for licensing is a large 

variety of cell lines, each expressing a 

particular HLA molecule and the 

plasmids encoding them, including 

soluble HLAs. This technology has 

broad application for development of 

vaccines and immunotherapeutics. HLA 

molecules can be used to characterize 

HLA-peptide binding and elucidate the 

process of both antigen and tumor cell 

peptide-processing and presentation. In 

addition to wild-type HLA molecules, 

available for licensing are HLAs 

containing point-mutations in the 

peptide binding regions. The mutated 

HLAs can be used to evaluate key 

peptide interactions. Additionally, 

soluble HLA molecules are useful for 

elucidating the structural details of 

HLAs and HLA-peptide complexes 

through crystallographic studies, which 

can be used to aid in vaccine design. 

Thus, the present technology has the 

potential to lend insight into immune 

recognition and identification of 

immunogenic epitopes for the 

systematic design of peptide and protein 

subunit vaccines for cancers and 

infectious diseases. Furthermore, this 

technology has application in the 

development of therapies for 

autoimmune and related immunological 

diseases, including those associated 

with organ transplantation. 

Applications: (1) Identification/ 

Quantification of T cell responses to 

specific antigens including vaccine 

antigens; (2) Identification of T cell 


erjones on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES