Notice: Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Antibody Therapeutics for 
the Treatment of Cancer in Humans

Federal Register: May 6, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 88)              
                  Page 25021

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This is notice, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 
CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i), that the National Institutes of Health, Department 
of Health and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of an 
exclusive patent license to practice the invention embodied in U.S. 
Patent Application Number 11/895,326, filed August 24, 2007, entitled 
``Tumor Markers in Ovarian Cancer'' [E-138-2000/0-US-05]; to Morphotek, 
Incorporated, having a place of business at Exton, PA. The patent 
rights in these inventions have been assigned to the United States of 
America.
    The prospective exclusive license territory may be worldwide, and 
the field of use may be limited to antibodies developed by Licensee's 
proprietary Human MORPHODOMA[supreg] antibody technology or via 
humanization for anti-claudin-3 antibody therapeutics for ovarian 
cancer.

DATES: Only written comments and/or applications for a license which 
are received by the NIH Office of Technology Transfer on or before July 
7, 2008 will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the patent application, inquiries, 
comments, and other materials relating to the contemplated exclusive 
license should be directed to: Jennifer Wong, Technology Licensing 
Specialist, Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of 
Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, Rockville, MD 20852-3804; 
Telephone: (301) 435-4633; Facsimile: (301) 402-0220; E-mail: 
wongje@mail.nih.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The technology relates to claudin-3 as an 
ovarian cancer biomarker. Claudin-3 was identified as a biomarker 
utilizing SAGE analysis comparing ovarian epithelial tumor cells and 
normal ovarian epithelial cells. Claudin-3 is a member of a family of 
transmembrane proteins associated with tight junctions and its function 
has been associated with invasive ovarian cancer. Inhibition of 
claudin-3 is a potential therapeutic for the treatment of metastatic 
ovarian cancer.
    The prospective exclusive license will be royalty bearing and will 
comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. 
The prospective exclusive license may be granted unless within sixty 
(60) days from the date of this published notice, the NIH receives 
written evidence and argument that establishes that the grant of the 
license would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 
and 37 CFR 404.7.
    Applications for a license in the field of use filed in response to 
this notice will be treated as objections to the grant of the 
contemplated exclusive license. Comments and objections submitted to 
this notice will not be made available for public inspection and, to 
the extent permitted by law, will not be released under the Freedom of 
Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.

    Dated: April 29, 2008.
David Sadowski,
Deputy Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, 
Office of Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E8-9873 Filed 5-5-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140-01-P