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Seeking Candidates for TTC's Fellowship Program

January 4, 2023

TTC offers three types of Technology Transfer Fellowship Opportunities: Negotiator, Innovation and Business Development & Marketing. We are currently seeking candidates for our Negotiator Fellowship based out of our Rockville, MD location. Our Fellowships offer a unique opportunity to apply a science, legal or business background toward a career in technology transfer and other biotech related professions. Applications for all of our fellowships are accepted on a rolling basis. 

Learn more including how to apply. 

We're Hiring! NCI Technology Transfer Center Fellowship Opportunities

Request the recording: Technology Opportunity Webinar: Harnessing Anti-Cytomegalovirus Immunity for Local Immunotherapy against Solid Tumors

December 15, 2022

If you missed our December 14th Technology Opportunity Webinar, you can request the recording. Attendees heard from Deputy Chief of the NCI CCR Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, John Schiller, Ph.D. about a new immunotherapy method targeting solid tumors. This invention involves the injection of cytomegalovirus- (CMV) derived T cell minimal peptide epitopes into a solid tumor, disrupting the tumor microenvironment and allowing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to kill the tumor cells and the generation of T cells to tumor-restricted antigens. The tumor antigen-agnostic nature of this approach makes it applicable across a broad range of solid tumors, regardless of origin. The results of his work show that CMV-derived peptide epitopes, delivered intratumorally into mice with chronic mouse CMV infections, act as cytotoxic and immunotherapeutic agents to promote immediate tumor control and long-term antitumor immunity. This technology can be used as a stand-alone therapy. Please reach out to Joseph.Conrad@nih.gov to request the recording, or if you have interest in learning about co-development and/or licensing opportunities for this techology.

Request a link to the recording, Tech Opportunity Webinar: "New Gene Therapy Method for Treating CRX-autosomal Dominant Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)"

November 16, 2022

If you missed our November 15 technology webinar that highlighted a new gene therapy method for treating CRX-autosomal dominant Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), but are interested in learning about this technology, please contact us. We can provide a link to the webinar recording upon request.

Attendees heard from Drs. Anand Swaroop, Ph.D. and Kamil Kruczek, Ph.D. of the National Eye Institute about a NEW gene therapy treatment for a dominant form of LCA that counteracts dominant mutations in the CRX gene. LCA is a rare genetic disease that is responsible for about 20% of all childhood blindness.  It’s caused by mutations in any of at least 25 genes that control photoreceptor development or function.  LCA has both recessive and dominant forms. Currently, there is an FDA approved gene therapy for treating only one of the recessive forms of LCA caused by mutations in the RPE65 gene. In addition to most recessive forms, the dominant form of LCA with underlying mutations in CRX remains untreatable.

LCA is a rare genetic disease that is responsible for about 20% of all childhood blindness.  It’s caused by mutations in any of at least 25 genes that control photoreceptor development or function.  LCA has both recessive and dominant forms. Currently, there is an FDA approved gene therapy for treating only one of the recessive forms of LCA caused by mutations in the RPE65 gene. In addition to most recessive forms, the dominant form of LCA with underlying mutations in CRX remains untreatable. This new technology shows promise as a viable treatment for a currently untreatable rare disease condition.

 

Recording posted for 2022 Technology Showcase, Sept. 7

October 27, 2022

UPDATE: The recording for the 2022 Technology Showcase is now available.  Those who want to learn more about the programs, collaborative opportunities, technologies and resources featured at the event can reach out to ncitechtransfer@mail.nih.gov.

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The 2022 Technology Showcase took place onSeptember 7. The sixth annual event highlighted opportunities to license technologies and partner with the NCI and Frederick National Laboratory (FNL).If you were unable to attend, you can now view the recording.

Event overview:

Thank you for attending on September 7 - 2022 Technology Showcase
  • Free, half-day hybrid event
  • Keynote presenter, NCI Acting Director, Dr. Douglas Lowy
  • Features NCI and FNL laboratory and program and research leaders who will highlight licensing and partnering opportunities.
  • Features NCI and FNL inventors who will highlight technologies for commercialization and/or collaboration. 
  • Showcases how to partner with the NCI and the FNL including the company perspective. 
  • Includes panel sessions featuring collaboration success stories, and topics relevant to commercializing biomedical technology
  • Features a Lightning Pitch and Poster Session highlighting additional NIH technologies for collaborative development and/or
    licensing presented by the NCI Technology Transfer Ambassador Program
  • Concludes with an independently sponsored networking event nearby without involving any resources
    of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Who should attend?

Great opportunity for companies, investors, entrepreneurs, technology scouts looking for technologies to commercialize and all biotech stakeholders.

Tech Opportunity Webinar: Use of TP5 Peptide for the Treatment of Cancer

October 13, 2022

Thank you for attending "Use of TP5 for the Treatment of Cancer," a TTC-hosted technology opportunity webinar held on October 12. If you were unable to attend, but would like to receive a recording of the webinar, please reach out to us at ncitechtransfer@mail.nih.gov. 

Attendees will hear from the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) Drs. Herui Wang and Zhengping Zhuang about a new small peptide inhibitor, designated as “TP5”, that blocks the activity of the abnormal CDK5-p25 complex, which is associated with the development of various cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM) and colorectal carcinoma (CRC). More specifically, increased cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) activity has recently emerged as a contributor to cancer progression. Researchers from the NCI and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have shown that TP5 which is modified the facilitate passage through the blood brain barrier (BBB), has potential therapeutic benefits in the treatment of GMB and CRC.

Technology Competitive Advantages:

  • TP5 decreases the tumor volume and proliferation rate of GBM and CRC in mouse models
  • TP5 crosses the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), overcoming a major obstacle in GBM therapeutic development
  • Treatment with TP5 in mouse models is shown to be additive and synergistic with current standards of care for GBM and CRC. 

Learn more about this tech here.

Thank you for attending, May 25th Tech Opportunity Webinar: CytoSig, a Novel Software Platform Predictor of Cytokine Signaling Activity & Targeted Discovery

May 27, 2022

Thank you for attending.

Thank you for joining us for a TTC-hosted webinar on May 25th. If you have questions, or missed the webinar and are interested in learning more, please reach out to Dr. Joseph Conrad, NCI TTC.

Attendees heard from NCI’s Dr. Peng Jiang about a new Cytokine Signaling Analyzer called “CytoSig.” This novel software-based platform provides both a database of target genes modulated by cytokines and a predictive model of cytokine signaling cascades from transcriptomic profiles. CytoSig covers 20,591 curated human cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor response experiments, and can reliably predict the activity of 43 cytokines in both tissues and single cells based on the transcriptional effect of cytokine target genes. CytoSig therefore provides a significantly more comprehensive analysis of cytokine signaling than the currently used Interferome and GSEA databases.

Technology Overview

Cytokines are a broad category of intercellular signaling proteins that are critical for intercellular communication in human health and disease. Current methods for systematic profiling of cytokine signaling activities are challenging due to: (i) cytokines’ short half-lives; (ii) pleiotropic functions; and (iii) cytokine activity redundancy within specific cellular contexts.  Additionally, existing cytokine signaling target databases only cover a small fraction of cytokines, leaving most cytokine-induced target changes unexplored. 

CytoSig solves these challenges with its significantly larger database content coverage and uses transcriptome data to model cytokine signaling activity and regulatory cascades in human inflammatory processes. CytoSig couples large-scale automatic data processing with natural language processing functions to assist expert metadata annotations with RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and MicroArray big-data analysis. CytoSig is therefore, an excellent tool for leveraging big-data resources in public domains to predict clinical outcomes of anticancer therapies that inhibit cytokine signaling. The NCI is seeking parties interested in licensing and/or co-development of this technology.

The NCI is seeking parties interested in licensing and/or co-development of this technology.

Technology Competitive Advantages

  • Integrative framework leveraging public domain big-data resources to identify therapeutic targets
  • Larger, more comprehensive cytokine coverage compared to existing databases
  • Predictions have better associations with clinical outcomes compared to other methods, and therefore can better inform decisions about anti-cytokine therapies in treating inflammatory diseases
  • Not affected by absence of cytokine-producing cells or zero-read counts for ligand or receptor genes in single-cell transcriptomics analysis

Why attend?

  • Assess co-development and/or licensing interest in this technology
  • Interact with the inventor, ask questions, and provide feedback
  • Learn how to partner with the NCI

Who Should Attend?

  • Business development professionals
  • Drug development professionals
  • Biotech/pharma/academia researchers
  • Investors and entrepreneurs

About the Presenter

Peng Jiang, Ph.D.
Stadtman Investigator
NCI Center for Cancer Research, Cancer Data Science Laboratory

Interested in learning more?

Register for the webinar

Contact us NCITechTransfer@mail.nih.gov

 

Thank you! Jan. 26th Webinar Highlighting New Covid-19 Diagnostic Technology

January 26, 2022

On January 26th, TTC hosted a webinar entitled "Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA Virus Using a Novel Improved RT-qPCR Method that Increases Detection Sensitivity and Improves Safety" to highlight a novel Covid-19 diagnostic technology from the National Eye Institute. NEI is seeking partners for collaboration and licensing to accelerate technology development and clinical impact.

If you are interested in learning more, including requesting a copy of the presentation, please reach out to Dr. Joseph Conrad, NCI TTC.

Date and Time

About the Presenter
January 26, 2022
11:00 am - Noon (EST)		 Robert B. Hufnagel, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Medical Genetics and Ophthalmic Genomics Unit
Chief, Ophthalmic Genomics Laboratory

Technology Overview

DNA or RNA-based diagnostic tests for infectious diseases are critical in modern medicine. In particular, the current gold standard for COVID-19 detection is testing SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA by quantitative reverse transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). The current clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2 involves collection of a patient’s sample with a nasopharyngeal swab or saliva, storage of the sample during transport, extraction of RNA, and detection assay (RT-qPCR). National Eye Institute (NEI) researchers developed a simple preparation method using a chelating resin, which eliminates the RNA extraction step and shortens the overall testing time. Viral detection is similar to the current method with RNA extraction using patient samples. Furthermore, the initial sample heating step inactivates SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, thus improving workflow safety and eliminating the need for a BSL-2 facility. This fast RNA preparation and detection method can be used for a variety of sample types, is safe for clinical staff, and is suitable for standard clinical collection and high-volume testing for both DNA and RNA.

View the technology abstract.

Technology Competitive Advantages

  • Eliminates the RNA extraction step from RT-qPCR
  • Improves safety and ease-of-use
  • Increases test sensitivity
  • Reduces testing time and cost

Why attend?

  • Assess co-development and/or licensing interest in this technology
  • Interact with the inventor, ask questions, and provide feedback
  • Learn how to partner with the NCI

Who Should Attend?

  • Business development professionals
  • Drug development professionals
  • Biotech/pharma/academia researchers
  • Investors and entrepreneurs

Interested in learning more?

Please contact Dr. Joseph Conrad, NCI TTC

 

NCI Tech Opportunity Webinar, November 17

November 4, 2021

Register to join us for an NCI Tech Opportunity Webinar entitled "Use of Tempol as an Antiviral Therapeutic Against COVID-19."

Date: November 17, 2021
Time: 11:00 am - Noon EST
Presenter: Tracey Rouault, M.D., Head, Section on Human Iron Metabolism, NICHD

Hear from NICHD’s Dr. Tracey Rouault about the potential to formulate the compound, Tempol, into a preventative and oral treatment for COVID-19. Tempol prevents the proper function of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in SARS-CoV-2 by disrupting iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters. These Fe-S clusters are necessary for RdRp activity, and the resulting non-functional RdRp prevents replication of the COVID-19 genome. Dr. Rouault will also explain that while Tempol targets Fe-S clusters responsible for COVID-19 replication, it does not affect other cellular processes requiring Fe-S proteins in normal cells. Tempol has the potential to be formulated into an oral antiviral therapeutic for COVID-19.   

Technology Highlights:

  • Small molecule COVID-19 therapeutic
  • Oral delivery
  • Prevents viral replication
  • In vitro and in vivo proof-of-concept
  • Promising safety profile
  • Available for licensing or co-development

Read the technology abstract to learn more

Why attend? 

  • Assess co-development and/or licensing interest in this technology 
  • Interact with the inventor, ask questions, and provide feedback 
  • Learn how to partner with the NCI

Who Should Attend?

  • Business development professionals 
  • Drug development professionals 
  • Biotech/pharma/academia researchers 
  • Investors and entrepreneurs

Email for more information 

NCI Tech Opportunity Webinar:Single Domain Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV-2 for treating COVID-19

October 1, 2021

TTC technology opportunity webinar on Tuesday, September 28 from 11:00 am - noon, EST. 

Thank you for attending the webinar. Attendees heard from the NCI’s Dr. Mitchell Ho about a potential therapeutic treatment for COVID-19, "Single Domain Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV2 for Treating Covid-19." There are few therapeutics available for COVID-19 patients that directly target the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which infects hosts via its spike (S) protein. The S protein contains a receptor binding domain (RBD) that binds to an angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on human cells to facilitate viral entry and infection. Dr. Ho’s lab isolated three lead nanobodies, 7A3, 1B5, and 2F7, which were found to be highly effective at blocking RBD-ACE2 binding interactions. This nanobody panel has the potential to block the binding of the S-protein to the ACE2 receptor, thereby preventing SARS-CoV-2 virus from binding to and entering a host cells to cause COVID-19 infection.  

Why attend?

  • Assess co-developing and/or licensing this technology
  • Interact with the inventor, ask questions and provide feedback
  • Learn the advantages of partnering with the NCI

Who should attend?

  • Business development professionals
  • Drug development professionals
  • Biotech/pharma/academic researchers
  • Investors and entrepreneurs

About the featured technology

This technology is pre-clinical with identified lead compounds. It is patent pending and available for licensing or co-development. 

Interested in learning more?

Please contact us NCITechTransfer@mail.nih.gov

 

 

Virtual 2021 Technology Showcase - Thank you for attending

September 2, 2021

 Thank you for attending the virtual Technology Showcase on September 1. 

September 1, 2021 - Save the date

Wednesday, September 1, 2021
11:45 am - 5:15 pm  

See the full agenda here. Follow up with us here.

SPOTLIGHTED TECHNOLOGIES:

  • COVID19 mucosal vaccine studies in rhesus macaques
  • Single Domain Antibodies Targeting SARS-CoV-2 for treating COVID-19
  • Combination Therapy for Prostate and Breast Cancer
  • Antisense Oligonucleotides against Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion 
  • Efficacious Fluorinated Cytidine Analog Cancer Therapeutic with Low Toxicity in Animal Studies
  • The ARE-Del mouse: A novel model for autoimmunity
  • Polymeric Delivery Platform for Therapeutics
  • And more!

ADDITIONAL PANELS:

  • How to tap into the Frederick National Laboratory’s resources
  • Foundations and philanthropies as strategic partners
  • How to work with the National Cancer Institute and the Frederick National Laboratory
  • Government and for-profit funding and resources for startups

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

  • Life-science / healthcare companies of all sizes
  • Investors, entrepreneurs
  • Technology scouts looking for technologies to commercialize
  • Economic development entities
  • Foundations
  • Interested stakeholders

EVENT OVERVIEW:

  • The 2021 Technology Showcase on September 1 will showcase technologies being developed at the NCI and the FNL to encourage startup company formation, technology licensing and collaborations 
  • Free, half-day virtual event
  • Hear from NCI and FNL inventors about technologies primed for collaboration and/or commercialization
  • Panel sessions focused on technology commercialization
  • Lightning Pitch and Poster session highlighting additional NCI technologies for collaborative development and/or /licensing presented by the NCI Technology Transfer Ambassadors Program

 

     

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