Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 130 / Thursday, July 9, 2009 / Notices 32937 

Centers for Public Health Preparedness 

(CPHP) Program. The purpose of the 

CPHP Program is to strengthen terrorism 

and emergency preparedness by linking 

academic expertise to state and local 

health agency needs. The program 

brings together colleges and universities 

with a common focus on public health 

preparedness to establish a national 

network of education and training 

resources. Of these institutions, 27 are 

accredited Schools of Public Health 

funded through a five-year Cooperative 

Agreement for years 2004–2009. This 

program addresses the public health 

goals described in ‘‘A National Strategy 

for Terrorism Preparedness and 

Response: 2003–2008 Strategic Plan,’’ 

specifically Imperative Five, a 

Competent and Sustainable Workforce. 

Critical objectives under this Imperative 

are to: (1) Increase the number and type 

of professionals that comprise a 

preparedness and response workforce; 

(2) deliver certification and 

competency-based training and 

education; (3) recruit and retain the 

highest quality workforce; and (4) 

evaluate the impact of training to ensure 

learning has occurred. 

CDC requests OMB approval for a 

period of one year to collect information 

beginning in the fall of 2009. CDC is 

undertaking a summative evaluation of 

the CPHP Program encompassing the 

period of the current Cooperative 

Agreement. In order to complete this 

evaluation, CDC is proposing three data 

collection instruments to gather 

information describing the program’s 

processes and outcomes. These are: (1) 

CPHP Interview Instrument; (2) CPHP 

Customer/Partner Survey Instrument; 

and (3) CPHP Customer/Partner FollowUp Interview Instrument. Collectively, 

these instruments are needed in order to 

gather, process, aggregate, evaluate, and 

disseminate CPHP program information. 

The information will be used by CDC to 

document progress toward meeting 

established program goals and 

objectives, to evaluate outcomes 

generated by the collective work of the 

27 Centers, to inform the development 

of a new public health preparedness 

education and training cooperative 

agreement program, and to respond to 

data inquiries made by CDC and other 

agencies of the federal government. 

The CPHP Interview Instrument will 

be used to guide a telephone interview 

process with key CPHP staff. Questions 

will gather perceptions about the CPHP 

Program from the perspective of CPHP 

staff. It is estimated that there will be a 

total of 81 respondents with an 

estimated time for data collection of 90 

minutes. The CPHP Customer/Partner 

Survey Instrument will be used to 

gather information from representatives 

of organizations that have received 

training or technical assistance from the 

CPHP Program. It will be administered 

electronically with an option for paper 

copy administration. It is estimated that 

there will be one request per respondent 

and a total of 171 respondents with an 

estimated time for data collection of 20 

minutes. The CPHP Customer/Partner 

Follow-Up Interview Instrument will be 

used to gather more in-depth 

information on the same categories of 

questions from the Survey Instrument. It 

is estimated that there will be a total of 

20 respondents with an estimated time 

for data collection of 45 minutes. The 

annualized estimated burden hours are 

193.5. 

There are no costs to respondents 

except their time. 

ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS

Type of respondent Form name Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Average burden per response 

(in hours) 

Total burden 

(in hours) 

CPHP PIs, PCs, and Evaluators .......................... CPHP Interview Instrument.81 1 1.5 121.5 

CPHP Customers and Partners ........................... CPHP Customer/Partner Survey Instrument.171 1 20/60 57 

CPHP Customers and Partners ........................... CPHP Customer/Partner Follow-Up Interview Instrument.20 1 45/60 15 

Dated: July 2, 2009. 

Marilyn I. Radke, 

Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention. 

[FR Doc. E9–16225 Filed 7–8–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4163–18–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. 

Immunogenic Peptide from NGEP 

Protein for Developing Prostate Cancer 

Vaccines 

Description of Technology: The NGEP 

protein is only present in the prostate 

and is typically overexpressed on 

prostate cancer cells. Hence, as a novel 

prostate tumor-associated antigen (TAA) 

it is a good target for developing active 

immunotherapies to kill prostate cancer 

cells. For example, NGEP could be used 

in a vaccine to activate an individual’s 

immune system to recognize and kill 

NGEP-expressing prostate cancer cells. 

However, TAAs typically are not very 

effective in inciting an immune 

response. This can be overcome by 

identifying portions (epitopes) of the 


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32938 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 130 / Thursday, July 9, 2009 / Notices 

TAA that are more immunologically 

active. 

Investigators at the NIH have 

identified a small peptide fragment of 

the NGEP protein (NGEP CTL peptide 

epitope) that is very effective in 

activating cytotoxic lymphocytes, 

causing them to destroy prostate cancer 

cells and has great potential for 

development of a variety of active 

immunotherapy strategies, such as 

vector-based cancer vaccines, to treat 

and prevent prostate cancer. In addition, 

it could be used for developing sensitive 

immunoassays for measuring the 

immune response of a prostate cancer 

patient during immunotherapy. 

Applications: 

• Peptide cancer vaccine. 

• Vector-based cancer vaccine. 

• Liposome-based cancer vaccine. 

• Cellular cancer vaccine. 

• In vitro diagnostic for monitoring 

the immune response of prostate cancer 

patients during cancer vaccine trials. 

Advantages: 

• Small biologic therapeutic. 

• Can be chemically synthesized or 

produced recombinantly. 

• DNA encoded peptide allows 

molecular engineering. 

• Can be used as a tumor antigen with 

the clinically proven TRICOM-based 

vaccine technology. 

Development Status: Early stage. 

Market: Prostate cancer is the secondleading cause of cancer death in men. It 

is estimated that in the United States 

there will be 192,280 new cases of 

prostate cancer and 27,360 deaths due 

to prostate cancer in 2009. 

Inventors: Jeffrey Schlom et al. (NCI). 

Publications: No publications directly 

related to this technology. 

Patent Status: U.S. Provisional 

Application No. 61/170,900 filed 20 Apr 

2009 (HHS Reference No. E–042–2009/ 

0–US–01). 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Sabarni Chatterjee, 

PhD; 301–435–5587; 

chatterjeesa@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Cancer Institute, Center for 

Cancer Research, Laboratory of Tumor 

Immunology and Biology, is seeking 

statements of capability or interest from 

parties interested in collaborative 

research to further develop, evaluate, or 

commercialize this technology. Please 

contact Kevin Brand, J.D. at 301–451– 

4566 or brandk@mail.nih.gov for more 

information. 

Gene Expression Signature Predictive 

of Response to Chemotherapy 

Description of Technology: 

Combination cisplatin and fluorouracil 

(CF) is a reference chemotherapy 

regimen for metastatic gastric cancer. 

However, to date, no genome-wide 

studies have identified distinctions in 

gene expression that predict which 

subjects with metastatic disease will 

benefit from this therapy and which 

subjects will not exhibit a therapeutic 

response to chemotherapy. Given the 

toxicity of chemotherapy, however, 

defining parameters that identify those 

subjects who will likely benefit from 

chemotherapy is of paramount 

importance. Early identification of nonresponders would provide opportunities 

to explore alternate or novel therapeutic 

approaches. Thus, a need exists to 

identify methods of predicting a 

subject’s response to chemotherapy 

prior to receiving the treatment. 

Scientists at the National Institutes of 

Health have discovered a three-gene 

signature that can be used to determine 

the chemotherapy response in patients 

with cancer. By measuring the 

expression of three cancer-specific 

genes it can be determined if a patient 

with an epithelial cancer such as gastric, 

bladder, head and neck, esophageal or 

cervical cancers, will respond to CF 

treatment. The inventors have 

demonstrated that examining these 

expression levels has high fidelity in 

identifying CF treatment nonresponders. Further, the invention 

describes a mechanism that can help 

patients identified as non-responders 

become responsive to treatment. 

Therefore these methods have the 

potential to reduce fatalities caused by 

metastatic gastric cancer by identifying 

patients early on who are nonresponsive to standard CF treatment and 

customizing a new treatment plan 

which may be better suited to their 

individual needs. 

Applications: 

• Prognostic testing of epithelial 

cancer patients. 

• Customized treatment for gastric 

cancer patients identified as CF 

treatment non-responders. 

Advantages: 

• Expression levels of cancer-specific 

genes can be used to determine if 

metastatic gastric cancer patients are 

responsive to combination cisplatin and 

fluorouracil (CF) treatment. 

• Fatalities due to metastatic gastric 

cancer may be reduced by customizing 

the treatment of non-responders. 

Market: In 2008, it is estimated that 

there will be 21,500 new cases and 

10,880 deaths from gastric cancer in the 

United States. 

Development Status: Patient tissue 

sample data available. 

Inventors: Jeffrey E. Green and Hark 

Kyun Kim (NCI). 

Patent Status: U.S. Provisional 

Application No. 61/195,123 filed 03 Oct 

2008 (HHS Reference No. E–282–2008/ 

0–US–01). 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Surekha Vathyam, 

PhD; 301–435–4076; 

vathyams@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Cancer Institute, Center for 

Cancer Research, Laboratory of Cancer 

Biology and Genetics, is seeking 

statements of capability or interest from 

parties interested in collaborative 

research to further develop, evaluate, or 

commercialize Gene Expression 

Signature Predictive of Response to 

Chemotherapy. Please contact John D. 

Hewes, PhD at 301–435–3121 or 

hewesj@mail.nih.gov for more 

information. 

Therapeutic Applications of a p53 

Isoform in Regenerative Medicine, 

Aging, and Cancer 

Description of Technology: p53 plays 

a critical role in carcinogenesis and 

aging as a key regulator of cell cycle 

progression, senescence and apoptosis. 

The inventors have discovered that a 

natural variant of p53 (D133p53) 

inhibits p53-dependent cell senescence. 

Utilizing D133p53 siRNAs, the inventors 

have data demonstrating that siRNAtreated human fibroblast undergo cell 

senescence, thereby indicating that 

D133p53 inhibition could be a novel 

approach for cell senescence-mediated 

anti-proliferative therapy, including 

anti-cancer treatments. Alternatively, 

enhanced expression with D133p53 can 

extend the replicative lifespan of normal 

human cells. This technology may 

provide a new method in the field of 

regenerative medicine for aging-related 

degenerative disease. 

Also available for licensing are 

D133p53 siRNAs and shRNA vectors, as 

well as a D133p53 overexpression 

vector, which can be used for cancer 

and age-related degenerative 

therapeutics. The shRNA can be stably 

integrated into the cellular genome for 

long-term D133p53 inhibition. 

The inventors have also discovered 

that another p53 variant (p53b) 

accelerates p53-dependent cell 

senescence, and developed a vector for 

overexpressing p53b, which could be 

used for cell senescence-mediated antiproliferative therapy. 

Applications: 

• Method to treat cancer. 

• Method to treat aging related 

disorders. 

• Method to promote tissue 

regeneration. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 130 / Thursday, July 9, 2009 / Notices 32939 

• Pharmaceutical compositions to 

inhibit cancer or promote cell 

regeneration. 

Advantages: 

• Ability to treat a wide variety of 

cancers and age-related diseases as p53 

is present in normal cells. 

• shRNA therapeutics are stably 

integrated into genome for long-term 

treatment. 

Development Status: The technology 

is currently in the pre-clinical stage of 

development. 

Market: 

• An estimated 1,479,350 new cancer 

diagnoses in the U.S. in 2009. 

• Cancer is the second leading cause 

of death in United States. 

• It is estimated that the cancer 

therapeutic market would double to $50 

billion a year in 2010 from $25 billion 

in 2006. 

Inventors: Curtis C. Harris (NCI) et al. 

Relevant Publications: 

1. K Fujita et al. p53 isoforms, 

D133p53 and p53b, are endogenous 

regulators of replicative cellular 

senescence. Nat Cell Biol., in press. 

2. International Agency Research on 

Cancer Conference, Lyon, France, 

November 13, 2007. 

Patent Status: 

• U.S. Provisional Application No. 

60/987,340 filed 12 Nov 2007 (HHS 

Reference No. E–033–2008/0–US–01). 

• PCT Application No. PCT/US2008/ 

080648 filed 21 Oct 2008 (HHS 

Reference No. E–033–2008/0–PCT–02). 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Jennifer Wong; 

301–435–4633; wongje@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Cancer Institute, 

Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, is 

seeking statements of capability or 

interest from parties interested in 

collaborative research to further 

develop, evaluate, or commercialize this 

technology. Please contact 

Curtis_Harris@nih.gov for more 

information. 

Novel Compounds that Specifically Kill 

Multi-Drug Resistant Cancer Cells 

Description of Invention: One of the 

major hindrances to successful cancer 

chemotherapy is the development of 

multi-drug resistance (MDR) in cancer 

cells. MDR is frequently caused by the 

increased expression or activity of ABC 

transporter proteins in response to the 

toxic agents used in chemotherapy. 

Research has generally been directed to 

overcoming MDR by inhibiting the 

activity of ABC transporters. However, 

compounds that inhibit ABC transporter 

activity often elicit strong and 

undesirable side-effects, restricting their 

usefulness as therapeutics. 

Investigators at the NIH previously 

identified that the compound NSC73306 

had the ability to specifically kill cancer 

cells that overexpressed an ABC 

transporter responsible for MDR. 

Importantly, this ‘‘MDR-selective 

compound’’ is not an inhibitor of ABC 

transporters, reducing the likelihood of 

undesirable side-effects if used as a 

therapeutic. 

Using NSC 73306 as a model, new 

MDR-selective compounds have been 

created with improved solubility and 

selectivity. These new MDR-selective 

compounds can also selectively kill 

MDR cancer cells, with their efficacy 

correlating directly with the level of 

ABC transporter expression. Recent 

evidence also shows that these new 

MDR-selective compounds have the 

ability to decrease the expression of 

ABC transporters, potentially resensitizing the cancer cells to 

chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, MDRselective compounds represent a 

powerful strategy for treating multi-drug 

resistant cancers as a direct 

chemotherapeutic and as agents that can 

re-sensitize MDR cancer cells for 

treatment with additional 

chemotherapeutic agents. 

Applications: 

• Treatment of cancers associated 

with multi-drug resistance, either alone 

or in combination with other 

therapeutics. 

• Development of a pharmacophore 

for improved effectiveness in treating 

cancers associated with multi-drug 

resistance. 

• Re-sensitization of multi-drug 

resistant cancer cells to 

chemotherapeutic agents. 

Advantages: 

• MDR-selective compounds 

capitalize on one of the most common 

drawbacks to cancer therapies (MDR) by 

using it as an advantage for treating 

cancer. 

• The compositions do not inhibit the 

activity of ABC transporters, thereby 

reducing the chance of undesired sideeffects during treatment. 

• The effects of MDR-selective 

compounds correlate with the level of 

ABC transporter expression, allowing 

healthy cells which do not express high 

levels of ABC transporters to better 

survive treatments. 

• Increased specificity allows the new 

MDR-selective compounds to be tailored 

to treating cancers associated with the 

overexpression and hyperactivity of 

particular ABC transporters. 

• Increased solubility of the new 

MDR-selective compounds allows 

greater access to cancer cells, thereby 

increasing therapeutic effectiveness. 

Development Status: Preclinical stage 

of development. 

Patent Status: PCT Application No. 

PCT/US2009/000861 (HHS Reference 

No. E–017–2008/0–PCT–02). 

Inventors: Matthew D. Hall et al. 

(NCI). 

For more information, see: 

• MD Hall et al. Synthesis, activity, 

and pharmacophore development for 

isatin-beta-thiosemicarbazones with 

selective activity toward multidrugresistant cells. J Med Chem. 2009 May 

28;52(10):3191–3204. 

• US Patent Application Publication 

20080214606 A1 (US Patent Application 

11/629,233). 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: David A. 

Lambertson, PhD; 301–435–4632; 

lambertsond@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Cancer Institute, 

Laboratory of Cell Biology, is seeking 

statements of capability or interest from 

parties interested in collaborative 

research to further develop, evaluate, or 

commercialize the agents described 

here. Please contact John D. Hewes, PhD 

at 301–435–3121 or 

hewesj@mail.nih.gov for more 

information. 

Methods for Treating Cancer in 

Humans Using IL–21 

Description of Invention: The present 

invention discloses the use of IL–21 for 

cancer therapy, cancer prevention, and 

method to induce apoptosis. When 

compared to similar cytokines, IL–21 

has shown substantial anticancer 

activity and reduced toxicity in murine 

models. 

IL–21 belongs to the class I family of 

cytokines and is closely related to IL–2 

and IL–15. Some cancer patients have 

shown significant response to 

administration of IL–2. However, IL–2 

has also been associated with severe 

toxicity leading to a variety of 

undesirable side effects. This invention 

attempts to resolve the toxicity concerns 

and presents a new therapy for cancer 

prevention and treatment. 

Applications: Method to treat and 

prevent cancer. 

Advantages: Targeted therapy to 

minimize negative side effects of IL–2 

cancer therapeutics. 

Development Status: Pre-clinical. 

Inventors: Patrick Hwu (formerly 

NCI), Gang Wang (formerly NCI), 

Warren J. Leonard (NHLBI), Rosanne 

Spolski (NHLBI), et al. 

Related Publications: 

1. R Spolsi and WJ Leonard. 

Interleukin-21: Basic biology and 

implications for cancer and 


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32940 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 130 / Thursday, July 9, 2009 / Notices 

autoimmunity. Annu Rev Immunol. 

2008;26:57–79. 

2. WJ Leonard and R Spolski. 

Interleukin-21: A modulator of 

lymphoid proliferation, apoptosis and 

differentiation. Nat Rev Immunol. 2005 

Sep;5(9):688–698. 

3. G Wang et al. In vivo antitumor 

activity of interleukin 21 mediated by 

natural killer cells. Cancer Res. 2003 

Dec15;63(24):9016–9022. 

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Application 

No. 10/508,978 filed 19 Nov 2004 (HHS 

Reference No. E–137–2002/0–US–03). 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Jennifer Wong; 

301–435–4633; wongje@mail.nih.gov. 

Dated: July 1, 2009. 

Richard U. Rodriguez, 

Director, Division of Technology Development 

and Transfer, Office of Technology Transfer, 

National Institutes of Health. 

[FR Doc. E9–16300 Filed 7–8–09; 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. 

qPCR Assay for Detection of JC Virus 

Description of Invention: JC Virus 

causes a fatal disease in the brain called 

progressive multifocal 

leukoencephalopathy (PML) that occurs 

in many patients with 

immunocompromised conditions. For 

example, more than five percent (5%) of 

AIDS patients develop PML. 

Additionally, these conditions include, 

but are not limited to, cancers such as 

leukemias and lymphomas, organ 

transplants such as kidney, heart and 

autoimmune conditions with treatment 

that modulates the immune system such 

as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid 

arthritis, psoriasis, and systemic lupus 

erythematosus. The finding of JCV DNA 

in the patients with neurological 

symptoms of PML is a diagnostic 

criterion and is needed to confirm the 

diagnosis of PML to rule out other 

neurological conditions. 

This technology describes a qPCR 

assay that utilizes viral DNA standards 

and testing samples to detect the 

presence of the JC viral genome in 

patients’ cerebrospinal fluid and blood, 

blood products, and tissue samples from 

biopsy or autopsy. 

Application: Development of JC Virus 

(JCV) diagnostics, calibration of existing 

JCV assays. 

Advantages: Assay is sensitive, 

reproducible and highly specific 

because the amount of JCV DNA in 

cerebrospinal fluid or blood or blood 

product samples may be very small. 

Development Status: Materials and 

assay have been developed and tested. 

Inventors: Eugene O. Major and 

Caroline Ryschkewitsch (NINDS). 

Publications 

1. ML Landry et al. False negative 

PCR despite high levels of JC virus DNA 

in spinal fluid: Implications for 

diagnostic testing. J Clin Virol. 2008 

Oct;43(2):247–249. 

2. C Ryschkewitsch et al. Comparison 

of PCR-southern hybridization and 

quantitative real-time PCR for the 

detection of JC and BK viral nucleotide 

sequences in urine and cerebrospinal 

fluid. J Virol Methods. 2004 

Nov;121(2):217–221. 

3. T Yousry et al. Evaluation of 

patients treated with natalizumab for 

progressive multifocal 

leukoencephalopathy. N Engl J Med. 

2006 Mar 2;354(9):924–933. 

Patent Status: HHS Reference No. E– 

152–2009/0—Research Material. Patent 

protection is not being pursued for this 

technology. 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Peter A. Soukas, 

J.D.; 301–435–4646; 

soukasp@mail.nih.gov. 

A Locking Device for Permanently 

Securing Surgical Suture Loops 

Description of Invention: This 

technology relates to a device that can 

be used to non-invasively secure 

surgical suture loops when combined 

with a percutaneous delivery system. It 

has been shown to be effective in 

correcting mitral valve regurgitation 

(MVR) in an animal model. During the 

procedure, a guidewire is 

percutaneously conveyed to the atrium 

of the heart and is used to secure the 

‘‘cerclage’’ suture encircling the mitral 

valve annulus, which is delivered using 

a delivery catheter. The locking device 

is advanced over the suture by the 

delivery catheter and it permanently 

secures the suture and maintains the 

tension on the annulus once the 

delivery system is removed. This 

locking device, in combination with the 

percutaneous procedure, allows for 

more complete coaptation of the valve 

leaflets and correction of MVR without 

the need for open heart surgery and its 

associated risks. The locking device is 

also adjustable, allowing the user to 

vary the tension on the suture if further 

tightening or loosening is required. It is 

also MRI compatible and all follow-up 

studies can be performed under MRI. 

This invention has demonstrated its 

ability to correct MVR in animals where 

the locking device was observed to 

maintain the correct position and 

tension after implantation. This device 

has the potential to replace the 

traditional loop and knot method used 

for surgical correction of MVR, and may 

also be useful for other conditions that 

require permanently secured suture 

loops. 

Applications: Non-invasive and 

effective correction of MVR and other 

conditions; Tensioning device for 

securing suture loops. 

Advantages: Technology amenable to 

a non-invasive technique; Control of 

tension on surgical sutures. 

Development Status: Early stage. 

Inventor: Ozgur Kocaturk (NHLBI). 

Patent Status: U.S. Provisional 

Application No. 61/157,267 filed 04 Mar 

2009 (HHS Reference No. E–048–2009/ 

0–US–01). 

Licensing Status: Available for 

licensing. 

Licensing Contact: Jeffrey A. James, 

Ph.D.; 301–435–5474; 

jeffreyja@mail.nih.gov. 

Collaborative Research Opportunity: 

The National Heart, Lung and Blood 

Institute Cardiac Catheterization Lab is 

seeking statements of capability or 

interest from parties interested in 

collaborative research to further 

develop, evaluate, or commercialize the 


rmajette on DSK29S0YB1 with NOTICES