Licensing & Royalties >> Licensing Opportunities >> New Technologies   The following licensing opportunities have been added to the OTT portfolio since August, 2008: Conjugates of Ligand, Linker, and Cytotoxic Agent and Related Compositions and Methods of Use Systemic toxicity of drugs is one of the most serious problems in cancer chemotherapy and frequently is dose limiting. Specific delivery of cytotoxic drugs to cancer cells remains among the most intractable problems of cancer therapy. Targeted delivery of anti-proliferation drugs through the cell surface receptors that are over expressed on cancer cells can reduce systemic toxicity and increase effectiveness of a treatment. The pres...  More... Immunotoxins Made with Modified Cholix Toxin and Uses Thereof Immunotoxins are chimeric molecules comprising an antibody targeting moiety and a toxin domain capable of killing a cell. Immunotoxins represent an important therapeutic tool for the treatment of cancer because they are able to specifically target cancer cells while ignoring healthy cells. The major drawback to immunotoxins is the development of neutralizing antibodies against the toxin portion of the immunotoxin. Many patients treated with More... 2-Amino-O4-Substituted Pteridines: Improved Chemotherapy Adjuvants O6-Benzylguanine derivatives, some O6-benzylpyrimidines, and related compounds are known to be inactivators of the human DNA repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (alkyltransferase). This repair protein is the primary source of resistance many tumor cells develop when exposed to chemotherapeutic agents that modify the O6-position of DNA guanine residues. There...  More... SH2 Domain Binding Inhibitors (E-262-2000) Signal transduction processes underlie the transfer of extracellular information to the interior of the cell and ultimately to the nucleus. A variety of signal transduction processes are critical for normal cellular homeostasis, with protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) playing central roles in many of these pathways. Examples of such PTKs include the PDGF receptor, the FGF receptor, the HGF receptor, members of the EGF receptor family, such as the ...  More... Monoclonal Antibodies to HIV-1 Vpr Available for licensing are monoclonal antibodies against HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) and the respective hybridoma cell lines expressing the same. The antibodies provide a means for detecting HIV-1 Vpr. Currently, the mechanism of HIV pathogenesis believed to involve viral replication inside immune cells and other cells. At present, there are no clinical assays for detecting HIV-1 Vpr. Vpr circulates at detectable levels in the blood and is l...  More... Methods of Treating and Preventing Renal Cancer using a Dimethane Sulfonate Compound Currently only a few small molecule inhibitors are effective in patients with renal cell carcinoma. Approximately 30,000 patients per year are diagnosed with this disease but many of them are untreatable because of intrinsic drug resistance, and efficient drug transport and detoxification mechanisms. This invention described and claimed in the patent application describes a series of dimethane sulfonate compounds based on NSC 281612 that are su...  More... New Tumor Endothelial Markers: Genes that Distinguish Physiological and Pathological Angiogenesis Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is associated with normal physiological processes such as wound healing, ovulation or menstruation as well as with many diseases. Presently, it is thought to be required for the progressive growth of solid tumors and age-related macular degeneration. Lack of disease-specific endothelial markers has hindered the development of cancer therapies targeted against angiogenesis. This inven...  More... NUP98-HOXD13 Transgenic Mice Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is collection of closely related blood diseases that arise in the bone marrow characterized by anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia resulting from hematopoietic stem cell disorders. A variety of genetic aberrations have been associated with MDS, including chromosomal translocations of the NUP98 gene. The only current curative therapy for MDS is allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Without bone marrow transpla...  More... Cross-Reactive Neutralizing Human Domain Antibody Against HIV-1 The invention describes the first identified anti-HIV human domain antibody (m36), which can potentially be used alone or synergistically with other anti-HIV antibodies and antiretroviral drugs as a therapeutic and/or preventative for HIV infection. It targets an epitope whose exposure is enhanced by binding of the HIV receptor CD4 to the HIV envelope glycoprotein (Env). M36 was identified by sequential panning of a newly developed large human ...  More... Bifunctional Compounds that Bind to Hormone Receptors The development and progression of prostate cancer is dependent on the androgen receptor (AR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor. In the inactive form AR resides in the cytosolic region of the cell and when activated, AR is imported into the nucleus. Initial hormonal therapy for prostate cancer involves lowering serum levels of testosterone to shut down AR activity. Despite initial patient responses to testosterone-depleting therapies, p...  More... Small Molecule Inhibitors of c-Met Aberrant c Met signaling is documented in a wide variety of malignancies and occurs via several mechanisms including amplification of c-Met (increased gene copy number), point mutations in the gene encoding c-Met, receptor over expression, and ligand dependent autocrine/paracrine receptor activation. This application describes novel small molecule inhibitors of c-Met signaling. The small molecules selectively bind to c-Met and have an IC50 in th...  More... Large Semi-Synthetic Human Antibody Domain Fragment Library Human monoclonal antibodies are important for the development of inhibitors, vaccines, diagnostic and research tools. Previously a large non-immune human antibody library (15 billion (15 x 109) clones) was constructed from the lymph nodes, spleen and peripheral blood lymphocytes of 50 donors. One antibody, isolated from this library, includes a stop codon in the light chain but was still expressed and included a functional heavy chain....  More... Extracellular Matrix Gene Chips to Detect Metastatic Tumors Cancer mortality is primarily associated with metastatic disease and not the primary tumor. Recent evidence suggests that metastatic disease can be an early event and in the majority of patients metastasis starts by the time the disease is diagnosed. Currently however, approximately one third of patients without evidence of tumor dissemination at the time of surgical resection of the primary tumor subsequently develop distant metastases after the...  More... Species-Independent A3 Adenosine Receptor Agonists The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) subtype has been linked with helping protect the heart from ischemia, controlling inflammation, and regulating cell proliferation. Agonists of the human A3AR subtype have been described; however, they lack selectivity for the corresponding receptor of the mouse. This poses a problem for clinical development because animal model testing is important for pre-clinical validation of drug function. Consequently, a nove...  More... Polyamine Compounds That Bind Tar RNA of HIV and Methods of Treating Viral Disorders Current HIV treatment involves applying cocktail of drugs targeting either virus entry or one of three viral enzymes. Because patients eventually develop resistance to the cocktail, a new class of drugs is urgently needed. Current invention describes a new class of polyamine compounds that specifically bind to HIV RNA at micromolar range to prevent binding of viral RNA to viral proteins and therefore blocking viral replication. This differs with ...  More... Enhanced T-cell Activation by Costimulation: A Potentially Novel Approach for the Prevention and/or Therapy of Cancer (Excluding Prostate Diseases and Melanoma) and for Infectious Diseases Cancer immunotherapy is a recent approach where tumor associated antigens (TAAs), which are primarily expressed in human tumor cells and not expressed or minimally expressed in normal tissues, are employed to generate a tumor specific immune response. Specifically, these antigens serve as targets for the host immune system and elicit responses that results in tumor destruction. The initiation of an effective T-cell immune response to antigens r...  More... Identification and Characterization of Folliculin-Interacting Protein 2, FNIP2 The invention describes the identification and characterization of a FNIP1 homolog, folliculin-interacting protein 2 (FNIP2), that interacts with folliculin, the protein encoded by the FLCN gene, which is responsible for the Birt-Hogg-Dube’ (BHD) syndrome. BHD is a dermatologic disorder associated with an increased risk for developing renal cancer, spontaneous pneumothorax and lung cysts. FNIP2 binds to the C-terminus of folliculin and to AMPK....  More... HIV Immunogen and Method of Making and Using Same The invention describes composition and methods of preventing HIV infection using a truncated version of the HIV gp41 subunit of Env fused to human Fc through a flexible linker as a vaccine immunogen. This immunogen binds several broadly cross-reactive HIV-1 neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies recently identified and developed by the inventor’s laboratory, including m44. m44 does not react with self-antigen suggesting that this immu...  More... Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods and Systems for Estimating Cone of Uncertainty In diffusion tensor MRI imaging it is desirable to determine and display the fiber tract dispersion, e.g., the eigenvectors and the associated uncertainties. For example, the unit eigenvector may be displayed with a cone of uncertainty around its tip. This conveys the notion that the direction of fiber is not known precisely. However, the known methods are directed to computation and visualization of a circular cone of uncertainty. These methods ...  More... Over-expression and Mutation of a Tyrosine Kinase Receptor FGFR4 in Tumors Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common type of pediatric soft tissue sarcoma. Most children (>70%) with the disease die at higher stage (metastatic disease). Researchers at NIH have identified mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) that are associated with RMS tumors. It is proposed that individuals with FGFR4 mutations may have an increased risk for tumor metastasis. The identified FGFR4 variants can be used to i...  More... Scalable Purification of AAV2, AAV4 or AAV5 Using Ion-Exchange Chromatography Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) constitute, as a group, the vehicle of choice for gene therapy because of several attractive features. Among others, AAVs are less pathogenic than other viruses, and they can be used for the long-term expression of therapeutic genes. This invention describes a simple ion-exchange (HPLC) methodology to purify different AAV serotypes. The protocol, which can be readily scaled up, details the efficient c...  More... Radiotracers for Imaging Cannabinoid Sub-Type1 (CB1) Receptor The present invention relates to novel radiolabeled compounds for imaging cannabinoid sub-type 1 (CB1) receptors in brains of mammals, particularly humans, using positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). These radioligands can be used in clinical research, diagnostics, or drug discovery and development, in that, they permit understanding of the role of CB1 receptors in neuropsy...  More... A Rapid Ultrasensitive Assay for Detecting Prions Based on the Seeded Polymerization of Recombinant Normal Prion Protein (rPrP-sen) Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases of great public concern because humans may be infected from hoofed animals used as food, food products such as milk, or blood products. Currently available tests for disease-causing prions are either incapable of detecting low concentrations of prions and must be used post-mortem or are incapable of detecting low concentrations of prions economically or accurately. This technology enables rapid and ...  More... Broadly Neutralizing Anti-HIV Monoclonal Antibody That Targets a New Epitope on gp41 Blocking entry of HIV into cells and vaccine development against HIV are the prime targets of HIV therapy and prevention, respectively. Current invention describes a monoclonal Fab anti-HIV antibody isolated through panning against the chimeric construct NCCG-gp41 by Antibodies-by-Design (Morphosys). One of the antibodies has broadly neutralization ability against several HIV subtypes in an envelope-pseudotyped-virus neutralization assay. This an...  More... Methods of Preventing Tissue Ischemia Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role as a major intrinsic vasodilator, and increases blood flow to tissues and organs. Disruption of this process leads to peripheral vascular disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and many more significant diseases. Researchers at the NIH have discovered that the matrix protein thrombospondin-1 blocks the beneficial effects of NO, and prevents it from dilating blood vessels and incre...  More... Total Synthesis of Northebaine, Normorphine, Noroxymorphone Enantiomers and Derivatives via N-Nor Intermediates A new synthetic process has been found in which nordihydrocodeinone, an early intermediate in the total synthesis of codeine and related compounds, is easily formed into a number of N-nor compounds. These N-nor compounds can be used as precursors in the formation of narcotics, narcotic antagonists, or narcotic agonist-antagonists. The manufacture of drugs of this type, such as northebaine or normorphine, can now be done without the us...  More... Monodisperse and Modified Yersinia pestis Capsular F1-V Antigen Fusion Proteins for Vaccination Against Bubonic and Pneumonic Plague An effective plague vaccine against Yersinia pestis is currently unavailable in the US. The F1-V (fusion of two Y. pestis proteins, the Fraction 1 capsular antigen and a second immunogen called the V-antigen) vaccine of this invention is a monodispersed, mutated form of F1-V fusion protein. This is a promising candidate for commercialization. Features and benefits include: The vaccine is substantially monome...  More... Botulinum Toxoid Vaccination is the only approach that can be used to prevent botulism. A pentavalent botulinum toxoid comprised of formalin-detoxified botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) BoNT/A, B, C, D and E hemagglutinin (Hmg) complexes has been used to immunize laboratory and military personnel since 1961, but this has never been licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Vaccination immediately after toxin exposure has no protective benefit b...  More... Fluorescent Cell Lines for Detection of DNA Damage The Enhanced Level of Genomic instability 1 (ELG1) protein suppresses genomic instability caused by DNA damage. Cell lines for studying human ELG1 (hELG1) have been established that stably express a fusion protein combining hELG1 and either Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) or Cyan Fluorescent Protein (CFP). It has been shown that the fluorescent hELG1 is an excellent reporter for DNA damage within the cell, with increased hELG1 localization to t...  More... Anti-Pax 2 Antibody Available for licensing and commercialization are anti-Pax 2 polyclonal antibodies that can be used for the detection of Pax-2 protein expression in a variety of kidney and neuronal tissues. Pax-2 protein, a transcription factor active during early kidney development, is expressed at high levels in almost all renal proliferative diseases such as renal cancer, polycystic kidney disease and acute renal failure. The Pax-2 protein has als...  More... Quantitative Immunoassays for Measurement of Topoisomerase I as a Pharmacodynamic Marker for the Effect of Anti-Cancer Drugs Topoisomerase I (TopoI) is an enzyme that catalyses DNA unwinding which is necessary for many cellular functions. Recent data from the Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, CPT-11: Use and Sequencing (FOCUS) trial demonstrates that nuclear staining of TopoI correlates with chemotherapy efficacy [J Clin Oncol (2008) 26, 2690-8]. This enzyme covalently binds with the DNA substrate and introduces a single strand break. Some anti-cancer drugs, including those i...  More...