Our partners include:

• Pharma and biotech companies interested in solving a specific technical issue, tapping into world-class resources, or expanding their business through licensing technology from NIH 
• Investors (angels, venture capital, private equity, etc.) starting a new company or adding to the pipeline of portfolio companies 
• Academics interested in finding a collaborator or research materials 
• Nonprofits interested in finding treatment options for patients or developing NIH technologies 

Featured Opportunities

Antibodies for Therapeutic to Prevent Hearing Loss Available for Licensing

The transmembrane channel-like gene 1 (TMC1) protein is required for the transduction of sound into electrical impulses in inner ear sensory cells. Mutations to TMC1 is one of the common causes hereditary hearing loss. Inventors at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) developed antibodies that specifically bind to the TMC1 protein as a treatment for hearing loss.

NIDCD used synthetic peptides corresponding to the TMC1 protein to immunize rabbits and found that the resulting antisera were shown to bind to the TMC1 protein expressed in heterologous expression systems. While there are currently other commercially available antibodies to TMC1, they do not appear to be as sensitive or specific or as carefully characterized as the antibodies generated in this invention.

NIDCD is seeking a licensee for this technology. Further information can be found on the Antibodies to TMC1 Protein for Hearing Loss abstract. 

Co-Development or Licensing Opportunity for a Wearable Device for Monitoring Pregnancy Health

Inventors at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have created a wearable, wireless device and protocol for continuously monitoring pregnancy health. The device can monitor placental oxygenation levels, multiple physiological signals and movement activities of a fetus and mother. The daily measurement results can be viewed from the cloud by the patient’s healthcare provider to allow for remote assessment and suggestions.

Monitoring these health signals can help identify adverse pregnancy outcomes and allow for earlier interventions. This would be a first-to-market device for continuous monitoring. Current non-invasive techniques are expensive, bulky, and do not offer continuous monitoring of fetal physiologic signals and placental oxygenation.

Potential commercial applications of this device include:

• Low cost and flexible method of continuously monitoring pregnancy health.
• Early identification of adverse outcomes such as reduced uteroplacental perfusion and stillbirth.
• Potential for device to be applied in general health monitoring or sleep monitoring.
• Daily measurement results may be collected by a cellphone and uploaded to the cloud for patient’s healthcare provider to remotely review and provide health suggestions. 

This device has multiple competitive advantages, including:

• Wearable and non-invasive placenta and fetal monitoring device.
• Capable of 24/7 monitoring of mother and fetal well-being.
• Lower power consumption.
• Monitors multiple physiological signals and movement activities for both mother and fetus. 

NICHD is seeking research co-development partners and/or licensees for clinical validation and to further develop this technology. Further information on this opportunity can be viewed on the abstract, A Wearable Device for Monitoring Pregnancy Health. 

Licensing Opportunity: Nanomice for Use Against Infectious Diseases

A mouse cell line engineered to produce camelid nanobodies for use against infectious diseases or for basic applications is available for licensing.

Nanobodies:

• have equivalent binding specificity to antigens as antibodies but are more heat- and detergent-stable. 
• can target epitopes that are not normally accessible to conventional antibodies. 
• can also be readily humanized and appear to be safe and have low immunogenicity in clinical trials.

The creation of nanobody-producing mice, termed nanomice, has the potential to accelerate the development of nanobodies against infectious diseases and other diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

A paper published on these nanobodies, Nanobodies from camelid mice and llamas neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants, details how these nanobodies may be particularly useful in developing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines as they overcome SARS-CoV-2 mutations due to their enhanced avidity for the ACE2-binding domain and recognition of conserved epitopes that are largely inaccessible to human antibodies. These nanobodies rival the most potent antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that have been produced to date.

Further information on this mouse cell line can be found on the abstract, A Mouse Cell Line Engineered to Produce Camelid Nanobodies for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Use.

NHGRI Seeking Partner for Phase II Trial for Kidney and Diabetes Therapeutic

Inventors at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) discovered that N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) can be used for therapeutic purposes. ManNAc therapy given orally shows long-term safety and biochemical efficacy.

ManNAc is a small uncharged physiological molecule that crosses membranes readily. It is an intracellular precursor of sialic acid synthesis. NHGRI discovered that it can be used to treat certain kidney diseases (such as those involving proteinuria and hematuria) that are a result of a lack of sialic acid.

This therapeutic could be used to treat kidney disorders due to sialic acid deficiency, including but not limited to minimal change disease glomerulopathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and membranous nephropathy in humans. ManNAc therapy might also be used to treat diabetic nephropathy or diabetes.

NHGRI is seeking a partner for a Phase II clinical trial of ManNAc therapy. Previous clinical research and the Phase I clinical trial found that:

• ManNAc is easy to administer to patients.
  Long-term administration has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in humans.

Other advantages of this technology include that there are many issued patents in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, and Israel for this indication. There are also extensive published and unpublished preclinical data for the kidney indication available.

NHGRI is looking for both a licensee and a clinical Cooperative Research and Developments Agreement (CRADA) collaborator for this therapeutic. The Phase II study is currently being developed and will be held at NIH. NHGRI will provide their expertise, recruit patients for the study, and is open to transferring their Investigational New Drug (IND) filing.

If you are interested in partnering with NHGRI for a Phase II Clinical Trial of ManNAc therapy, please see this abstract for further information and the licensing contact: Treating Kidney Disorders and Diabetic Nephropathy with N-acetyl mannosamine (ManNAc).

New Vitamin B12 Injectables Available for Licensing or Collaboration

Cobalamin C deficiency (cblC), caused by mutations in the MMACHC gene, is the most common inborn error of intracellular vitamin B12 metabolism. Inventors at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) have developed a novel combination of hydroxo- and methylcobalamin, which has shown superior performance compared to traditional hydroxocobalamin only treatment. This technology enables the use of new doses and formulations of cobalamin (vitamin B12) for diseases with limited treatment options. NHGRI has generated MMACHC knockout mouse models. The clbC mice have enabled proof of concept testing with traditional hydroxocobalamin formulations and doses.

NHGRI is searching for a licensee or collaboration partner to use these results and models to formulate and test new cobalamin preparations (injectables) for the treatment of a large group of inborn errors of metabolism, neurological, ocular, and vascular disorders. This technology could also be used to treat primary or secondary vitamin B12 deficiency, nutritional conditions, hyperhomocysteinemia, thrombotic microangiopathies, and possibly behavioral conditions.

Further information and a licensing contact can be found on the abstract: High Concentration Methylcobalamin or Combination of Methyl- and Hydroxocobalamin for the Treatment of Cobalamin C Deficiency and Related Disorders.

Personalized Body Weight Management System Using Monitoring Devices and Mathematical Models of Metabolism Available for Licensing or Collaboration

Attempts to manage body weight are often unsuccessful or only temporary. This is, in part, due to antiquated dieting methods that attempt to address calorie consumption while ignoring metabolic and physical changes. Personalized and more comprehensive methods to track and manage body weight may be more effective. To that end, scientists at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) developed and launched the Body Weight Planner (http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/body-weight-planner) that uses validated mathematical models of human metabolism to set weight management goals and predict individual body weight outcomes in the context of changing metabolic needs and calorie consumption.

More recently, developers at NIDDK have created a prototype personalized body weight management system that builds on the science behind Body Weight Planner with the addition of patented tracking and feedback technology. This new system is targeted for use by professionals and is designed to be integrated into a comprehensive healthcare or wellness program. Improvements enable users to more accurately plan, track, and update personalized weight management interventions by accounting for changes in human appetite, metabolism, and calorie expenditure over time. There are opportunities for the prototype to be combined with other devices to provide data input through wearables and at-home measurements. This system provides meaningful feedback through enhanced functionality and features to meet weight management goals.

Licensing/Collaboration contact can be found on the abstract. 

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