Search Technologies

NCI seeks partners to commercialize Griffithsin and Griffithsin tandemers as therapeutics for HIV infections that are resistant to native GRFT, specifically, additional studies on stability, toxicity, immunogenicity, and large-scale production.

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute's Molecular Targets Laboratory have modified the Cnidarin-derived griffithsin compound to have greater storage time and stability. Griffithsin compounds are a class of highly potent proteins capable of blocking the HIV virus from penetrating T cells. The National Cancer Institute seeks parties interested in collaborative research to license or co-develop large-scale recombinant production of the compound.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Vaccine Branch, seeks research co-development or licenses for a novel method of improving HIV vaccine efficacy by activating Ras signaling. Upregulating the Ras pathway can improve an HIV patient’s immune response to anti-retroviral vaccines.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute discovered small-molecule compounds whose activity against HIV-1 integrase mutants confer greater resistance than currently approved INSTIs. Preliminary DMPK and ADME studies have been completed by the NCI researchers. The National Cancer Institute seeks partners to commercialize this class of compounds through licensing or co-development.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and NCI seek licensing for a new family of far-red to near-infrared emission coumarin-based luciferins (CouLuc) with complementary mutant enzymes.

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed a novel stealth lipid-based nanoparticle formulation comprising phospholipid, DC8,9PC and a polyethylene glycol-ated (PEGylated) lipid – such as DSPE-PEG2000 – that efficiently package a high amounts of hydrophobic photodynamic drug (PDT) – such as HPPH – in stable vesicles. This HPPH-loaded liposome system demonstrates higher serum stability and ambient temperature stability upon storage. It exhibits increased tumor accumulation and improved animal survival in mice tumor models compared to the formulation in current clinical trials. The NCI seeks co-development partners and/or corporate licensees for the application of the technology as an anti-cancer therapeutic.

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered a bacterial exonuclease VII (ExoVII) inhibitor that increases the potency of widely used quinolone antibiotics targeting prokaryotic type IIA topoisomerases. NCI seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for the development of ExoVII inhibitors as new antibiotic adjuvants to boost the efficacy of quinolone antibiotics and/or restore the susceptibility of resistant bacteria.

Pluripotent stem cells are a promising source of T cells for a variety of clinical applications. However, current in vitro methods of T cell differentiation result in the generation of cells with aberrant phenotypes. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have now developed methodology for generating induced pluripotent stem cell thymic emigrants (iTE). Antigen-specific CD8αβ+ iTEs exhibited functional properties in vitro that were almost indistinguishable from natural naïve CD8αβ+ T cells, including vigorous expansion and robust anti-tumor activity. iTEs recapitulated many of the transcriptional programs of naïve T cells in vivo and revealed a striking capacity for engraftment, memory formation, and efficient tumor destruction. The NCI seeks licensing and/or co-development research collaborations for this invention.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that typically affects the lungs. Current therapies include a panel of antibiotics given over a range of 6-9 months. As a result of the expense of treatment, the extended timeframe needed for effective treatment, and the scarcity of medicines in some developing countries, patient compliance with TB treatment is very low and results in multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB). There remains a need for a faster, more effective treatment for TB. NCI researchers seek licensing and/or co-development of peptide inhibitors of STAT3 and IL-10 developed to treat bacterial infections such as tuberculosis. See aslo: NIH inventions E-164-2007 and E-167-2010