Search Technologies

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed a number of analogs of the natural product englerin A, an inhibitor of renal cancer cell growth. Englerin A is thought to exert its anticancer effects by activating protein kinase C (PKC) theta, and exert cytotoxic effects through activation of transient receptor potential cation (TRPC) channels. The invention englerin analogues provide promising treatment strategies for various cancers, diabetes, and HIV, and other diseases associated with the PKC theta and/or TRPC ion channel proteins. Researchers at the NCI seek licensing and/or co-development research collaborations for englerin A analogue compounds.

The National Eye Institute (NEI) seek research co-development or licensees for advancing AAV8/9-based therapies for X-linked forms of retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) caused by mutations in RPGR (retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator) or RP2 (retinitis pigmentosa 2) gene.

Researchers at the NCI seek licensing for novel anti-HIV peptide therapeutics. The researchers developed novel proteins for HIV inhibition. Scytovirin is a potent anti-HIV protein with two domains having strong symmetry. NCI researchers produced a much smaller, functional, scytovirin domain polypeptide – SD1 – for use as a HIV therapeutic.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) seek licensing and/or co-development research collaborations for peptide-based virus-like nanoparticles that are fully synthetic and capable of delivering cytotoxic, radioactive, and imaging agents. The researchers are interested in commercial partners to conduct pre-clinical and pre-IND studies.

Chk2 is a protein kinase activated in response to DNA double strand breaks. In normal tissues, Chk2 phosphorylates and thereby activates substrates that induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis, via interactions with p53, E2F1, PML proteins. In cancer tissues, where apoptosis is suppressed, Chk2 phosphorylates and inactivates cell cycle checkpoints (via interactions with Cdc25, phosphatases and Brca1 proteins), which allows cancer cells to repair and tolerate DNA damage. Hence, Chk2 inhibitors would be expected to protect normal tissues by reducing apoptosis, and to sensitize cancer cells to DNA-targeted agents. The National Cancer Institute seeks licensees for small molecule inhibitors of Chk2 for the treatment of cancer.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have developed single domain human CD4 proteins to inhibit HIV-1 entry and improved human domain antibodies against HIV-1. Fusion proteins comprising the single domain CD4 and HIV-1 antibody can be used to effectively neutralize HIV-1 in vitro. Researchers seek licensing for development of these antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of HIV-1.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), developed a tetrahedral-shaped RNA nanoparticle for the delivery of siRNA to activate RNAi. The tetrahedral RNA nanoparticles can contain twelve Dicer substrate RNA duplexes for gene silencing. The NCI seeks parties interested in co-development or licensing of these tetrahedral RNA nanoparticles.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute discovered small-molecule compounds containing 1-hydroxy-2-oxo-1,8-naphthyridine moieties whose activity against HIV-1 integrase mutants confer resistance to currently approved INSTIs. Preliminary rodent efficacy, metabolic, and pharmacokinetic 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.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is seeking parties interested in co-development or licensing a substrate reduction therapy for Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS) and other diseases which have a secondary Niemann-Pick type C disease like cellular phenotype.