Search Technologies

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) seeks licensing and/or co-development of an adoptive cellular therapeutic modality that targets CCR4, which is overexpressed in certain lymphoid malignancies as well as solid tumors.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed cell free methods for efficiently producing high titer, papillomavirus virus-based gene transfer vectors. These vectors can potentially be used for vaccines and/or cancer therapeutic applications. NCI seeks licensing and/or co-development research collaborations for further development of these vectors.

Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) are engineered proteins that can be used in a therapeutic capacity when expressed by an immune cell (e.g., a T cell). Specifically, CARs comprise a targeting domain (such as an antibody or binding fragment thereof) as well as domains that activate immune cells. By selecting a targeting domain that binds to a protein that is selectively expressed on a cancer cell, it is possible to target immune cells to the cancer cells. Upon binding to the target cell, the immune cells are activated, leading to the destruction of the cancer cell. This therapeutic approach holds great promise, as evidenced by the recent FDA-approval of CAR-T cell therapies, KYMRIAH and YESCARTA, both of which target CD19.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies that specifically target Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecule F7 (SLAMF7) are strong therapeutic candidates for patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM). SLAMF7 is highly expressed on the malignant plasma cells that constitute MM. The expression of SLAMF7 by MM cells and lack of expression on nonhematologic cells makes SLAMF7 an attractive therapeutic target for MM. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have invented anti- SLAMF7 CAR constructs that allow genetically-modified T cells to express both the anti-SLAMF7 antibody and a suicide gene that allows T cells to specifically recognize and kill SLAMF7-expressing cells as well as allow for on-demand and reliable elimination of anti-SLAMF7 CAR T cells. NCI seeks licensing and/or co-development partners for this invention.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a combination of immunoadjuvants and immune checkpoint inhibitors to stimulate an immune response against cancer. The combination therapy has been tested in xenograft models and shown successful for both treatment of an existing tumor and resistance to re-challenge. Researchers at the NCI seek licensing and/or co-development research collaborations for this invention.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a method to improve the function of therapeutic engineered T cells used for Adoptive T Cell Therapy (ACT) for various cancers and diseases through the co-expression of Interleukin-15 (IL-15) and IL-21 by a flexible linker to the cell membrane. Researchers at the NCI seek licensing for this invention.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed an invention describing the binding domain (G2BD) for the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ube2G2 in the gp78 ubiqutin ligase protein. The invention involves modulating the interaction between the gp78 protein and the conjugating enzyme Ube2G2. Interruption of this interaction will block degradation from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), resulting in ER stress, unfolded protein response, and, ultimately, apoptosis in some cancer cells. The NCI seeks licensing and/or co-development partners for this invention.

To date, there is no FDA-approved therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered agonist epitopes for the development of an HPV therapeutic vaccine. NCI is seeking parties interested in licensing and/or co-developing HPV agonist epitopes that enhance the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and lysis of human tumor cells.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered that primary bile acids and antibiotics are a novel therapeutic for the treatment of liver cancer and liver metastases. NCI is seeking parties interested in licensing and/or co-developing primary bile acids and antibiotics that have been demonstrated in vivo to attract natural killer T (NKT) cells to the liver and inhibit tumor development.