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[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63875-63876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-27358]

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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.

A Plasmid for Expression of a Soluble Form of HIV-1 Integrase 
Protein

Robert Craigie et al. (NIDDK), NIH Reference No. E-108-00/0; Licensing 
Contact: J.P. Kim; 301/496-7056 ext. 264; e-mail: [email protected].
    Integrase is an essential HIV enzyme and a promising target for 
antiviral therapy. Integrase protein is required to assay for 
inhibitors of this enzyme and for mechanistic studies on HIV DNA 
integration. Further, drugs targeted to integrase would provide a new 
therapeutic approach to the treatment of AIDS and could be used in 
combination therapy with drugs that target RT and protease. The subject 
plasmid can be used to produce large quantities of a soluble form of 
HIV-1 integrase protein for such work.

TTP as a Regulator of GM-CSF mRNA Deadenylation and Stability

Ester Carballo-Jane, Wi S. Lai, Perry J. Blackshear (NIEHS), NIH 
Reference No. E-204-99/0 filed 13 Aug 1999; Licensing Contact: Vasant 
Gandhi; 301/496-7056 ext. 244; e-mail: [email protected].
    The disclosed invention provides materials and methods to treat 
granulocytopenia (low white cell count in the blood) which is 
characterized by a reduced number of granulocytes (relative) or an 
absence of granulocytes (absolute). This condition is commonly 
associated with cancer chemotherapy, but is seen less frequently in a 
number of conditions including the use of propylthiouracil, 
radiotherapy for marrow ablation for bone marrow transplantation, 
aplastic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, AIDS and a variety of 
other situations. The invention proposes a method to increase GM-CSF 
levels in a treated subject, and this increase is achieved by 
inhibiting the degradation of GM-CSF messenger RNA (mRNA). 
Tristetraprolin (TTP) is one member of a family of cys-cys-cys-his 
(CCCH) zinc finger proteins, and it is a factor that binds to and 
causes the instability of GM-CSF mRNA. Methods are provided for the 
development of screening assays for molecules that inhibit the binding 
of TTP and its related proteins to GM-CSF mRNA, or otherwise inhibit 
the effect of TTP to promote breakdown of the mRNA, leading in turn to 
increased mRNA stability and enhanced production of GM-CSF. Compounds 
identified by such screens, and their derivatives, could be useful in 
treating granulocytopenia from whatever cause.

Novel Post-Transcriptional Regulatory Elements and Uses Thereof

George N. Pavlakis and Filomena Nappi (NCI), NIH Reference Nos. E-143-
98/0 filed 22 May 1998 and E-143-98/1 filed 22 May 1999; Licensing 
Contact: Carol Salata; 301/496-7735 ext. 232; e-mail: 
[email protected].
    This invention concerns a novel post-transcriptional regulatory 
element that can function as an RNA nucleo-cytoplasmic transport 
element (NCTE) and its use to make recombinant attenuated HIV strains 
useful as vaccines. HIV regulates its expression by controlling the 
nuclear transport of unspliced mRNA encoding structural proteins. HIV 
utilizes the Rev/RRE system. RRE (Rev responsible element) is an HIV 
encoded NCTE, which is part of every HIV RNA encoding the

[[Page 63876]]

structural genes (Gag/Pol and Env). Rev is an HIV encoded protein which 
binds to RRE. This interaction is essential for nucleo-cytoplasmic 
transport of the RRE containing viral mRNAs and the expression of Gag/
Pol and Env proteins. The inventors have produced an attenuated HIV by 
disabling Rev/RRE, by point mutations, and inserting in its place the 
novel murine NCTE of the invention. The resultant HIV is attenuated 
between 50 and 200 fold compared to wild type HIV. Claimed at the novel 
NCTE, recombinant retroviruses comprising the NCTE and vaccines.

    Dated: October 6, 2000.
Jack Spiegel,
Director, Division of Technology, Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 00-27358 Filed 10-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P
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