[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 15, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48997-48998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20059]
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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, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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.
Quick2Insight: 3D Biological Tissue Image Rendering Software
Description of Technology: Available for licensing for
commercialization or internal use is software providing automatic
visualization of features inside biological image volumes in 3D. The
software provides a simple and interactive visualization for the
exploration of biological datasets through dataset-specific transfer
functions and direct volume rendering. The method employs a K-Means++
clustering algorithm to classify a two-dimensional histogram created
from the input volume. The classification process utilizes spatial and
data properties from the volume. Then using properties derived from the
classified clusters the software automatically generates color and
opacity transfer functions and presents the user with a high quality
initial rendering of the volume data. User input can be incorporated
through the simple yet intuitive interface for transfer function
manipulation included in our framework. Our new interface helps users
focus on feature space exploration instead of the usual effort
intensive, low-level widget manipulation.
Potential Commercial Applications:
Biological tissue visualization in 3D
Research uses
Competitive Advantages:
User friendly
Intuitive interface
Development Stage: Prototype
Inventors: Yanling Liu, Jack Collins, Curtis Lisle (all of FCRDC/
SAIC)
Publications:
1. Maciejewski R, et al. Structuring feature space: a non-
parametric method for volumetric transfer function generation. IEEE
Trans Vis Comput Graphics. 2009 Nov-Dec;15(6):1473-80. [PMID
19834223]
2. Zhou J, Takatsuka M. Automatic transfer function generation
using contour tree controlled residue flow model and color
harmonics. IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graphics. 2009 Nov-Dec;15(6):1481-
8. [PMID 19834224]
3. R[ouml]ttger S, et al. Spatialized Transfer Functions. In:
Brodlie K, Duke DJ, and Joy KI (eds.) EuroVis05 Joint Eurographics--
IEEE VGTC Symposium on Visualization 1-3 June 2005, Leeds, United
Kingdom, pp. 271-278. [doi: 10.2312/VisSym/EuroVis05/271-278]
Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-254-2012/0 -- Software
Research Tool. Patent protection is not being pursued for this
technology.
Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301-435-5019;
[email protected].
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
automatic 3D visualization of biological image volumes. For
collaboration opportunities, please contact John Hewes, Ph.D. at
[email protected].
Human Renal Epithelial Tubular Cells for Studies of Cystinosis
Description of Technology: Cystinosis is a rare lysosomal storage
disease, affecting about 500 people (mostly children) in the United
States and about 2000 people worldwide. It is an autosomal recessive
disorder, wherein patients have a defect in the CTNS gene, which codes
for the lysosomal cystine transporter. In this disorder, cystine (an
amino acid) is not properly transported out of the lysosome and
accumulates in the cells, forming damaging crystals. As a result,
cystinosis slowly destroys various organs in the body, including
kidneys, liver, muscles, eyes, and brain. Currently, the only treatment
for cystinosis is cysteamine, a drug that reduces intracellular cystine
levels, although this treatment requires frequent dosing.
Available from NHGRI are human renal epithelial tubular cells
isolated from cystinosis patient samples. These cells may be useful for
studying the biology of cystinosis, as well as the metabolic role of
the lysosomal cystine transporter; they may also be useful for the
development of screening assays for potential therapeutic agents for
cystinosis.
Potential Commercial Applications:
Use in studies focused on cystinosis and lysosomal
metabolism
Use in assays for high throughput screening of potential
therapeutic agents
Competitive Advantages: These cell lines were derived from
cystinosis patient samples, and studies performed using these cells are
expected to correlate well to the initiation, progression and treatment
of cystinosis in patients.
Development Stage: Early-stage
Inventor: William A. Gahl (NHGRI)
Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-204-2012/0--Research
Tool. Patent protection is not being pursued for this technology.
Licensing Contact: Tara L. Kirby, Ph.D.; 301-435-4426;
[email protected].
Context Aware Mobile Device Software for Substance Abuse Interventions
and Behavioral Modification
Description of Technology: Available for licensing for commercial
development is software that provides personalized feedback for
treating drug dependence and associated risky behaviors. The tool is
designed for both healthcare providers at the point-of-care and for
self-help. Many people who could benefit from treatment do not receive
it because of its low availability and high cost. The available
software
[[Page 48998]]
``mPAL'' (Mobile Personalized Assessment and Learning), combines
mHealth-based educational functions with the Ecological Momentary
Assessment (EMA) functions of TED (transactional electronic diary)
software. mPAL allows interchange of data obtained from EMA and
learning system in order to deliver context-aware intervention in real
time, customized to the individual needs of participants. mPAL enables
participants to interact with educational materials at the time and
place of their choosing and receive personalized feedback when and
where it is most needed. The software integrates into HuRlS where
comprehensive patient data can be leveraged alongside the mPAL data to
provide better understanding of the underlying factors under
investigation.
Potential Commercial Applications:
Substance abuse
Drug abuse
Alcoholism
Behavioral modification
Smoking cessation
Pain management
Competitive Advantages:
Low-cost mobile treatment mechanism
Provides personalized feedback to patients at the time and
place they choose
Proven usability in prior clinical studies
Development Stage: Clinical
Inventors: Massoud R. Vahabzadeh, Mustapha Mezghanni, and Jia-Ling
Lin (all of NIDA)
Publications:
1. Vahabzadeh M, et al. PGIS: Electronic diary data integration
with GPS data initial application in substance-abuse patients. In,
Proc. 23rd IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical
Systems, pp 474-9, 2010. [DOI: 10.1109/CBMS.2010.6042691]
2. Lin JL, et al. A high-level specification for adaptive
ecological momentary assessment: real-time assessment of drug
craving, use and abstinence. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2005:455-9. [PMID
16779081]
3. Vahabzadeh M, et al. An electronic diary software for
ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in clinical trials. In, Proc.
17th IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems,
pp 167-72, 2004. [DOI: 10.1109/CBMS.2004.1311709]
Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-195-2012/0--Software.
Patent protection is not being pursued for this technology.
Licensing Contact: Michael Shmilovich; 301-435-5019;
[email protected].
Collaborative Research Opportunity: The NIDA, IRP, Biomedical
Informatics Section, is seeking statements of capability or interest
from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop,
evaluate or commercialize Mobile Personalized Assessment & Learning for
Addiction Treatment and Behavioral Modification. For collaboration
opportunities, please contact Vio Conley at [email protected].
Plasmid Useful in Transplantation Therapy for Age-Related Eye Disease
Description of Technology: Researchers have developed a green
fluorescent protein (GFP) based plasmid that can be used to detect
differentiated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. RPE is a layer
of cells located behind the eye that becomes damaged in age-related
macular degeneration (AMD). Current cell based therapies for treating
AMD focus on generating RPE cells from stem cells. This GPF-based
plasmid can be inserted into growing stem cells, and the fluorescence
marker can be used to detect and purify stem cells differentiating into
RPE cells. This advancement allows generation of a purified population
of RPE cells for in vitro and transplantation purposes.
Additionally, cells comprising the GFP-based construct may be
useful in high-throughput drug screening as a means to: (1) identify
potential therapeutic targets of RPE degenerative diseases such as AMD,
and (2) evaluate initial toxicity of candidate drugs in RPE cells.
Potential Commercial Applications:
Fluorescence based marker for detecting and purifying
differentiated RPE cells
Potential use in high throughput drug screening
Competitive Advantages: GFP based marker allows for fast and simple
detection of differentiated RPE cells from stem cells.
Development Stage:
Prototype
In vitro data available
Inventors: Kapil Bharti (NINDS), Heinz Arnheiter (NINDS), Sheldon
Millier (NEI)
Publication: Bharti K, et al. The new paradigm: retinal pigment
epithelium cells generated from embryonic or induced pluripotent stem
cells. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2011 Feb;24(1):21-34. [PMID 20846177]
Intellectual Property: HHS Reference No. E-054-2012/0--Research
Tool. Patent protection is not being pursued for this technology.
Licensing Contact: Lauren Nguyen-Antczak, Ph.D., J.D.; 301-435-
4074; [email protected].
Dated: August 10, 2012.
Richard U. Rodriguez,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2012-20059 Filed 8-14-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P