Tamperless Tensor Elastography Imaging

Summary:

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for the development of tamper-less tensor elastography imaging in assessing disease (e.g., cancer), normal and abnormal developmental processes, degeneration and trauma in the brain and other soft tissues, and other applications.

MC38 B2m KO Cell Line

Summary:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) seeks licensees for a CRISPR/Cas9-engineered MC38 B2m knockout murine colon cancer cell line that models tumor resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockade caused by loss of MHC-I antigen presentation. This research tool provides an opportunity to study checkpoint-refractory tumors and evaluate alternative or combination immunotherapy strategies for cancers that evade conventional T-cell–mediated recognition.

Codon-optimization of HIV-1 Viral Infectivity Factor (VIF) Gene

Expression of the HIV-1 Vif protein in the absence of other viral factors such a Tat and Rev is extremely inefficient due to the presence of inhibitory sequences on its mRNA. This invention uses codon optimization to remove such inhibitory sequences without altering the amino acid sequence of the protein. The modified vif gene in the resulting pcDNA -hVIF vector is expressed under the control of the CMV promoter. In this, the protein functions as wild type and is more amendable to high-level expression in mammalian cells.

Novel Chemoattractant-Based Toxins To Improve Vaccine Immune Responses for Cancer and Infectious Diseases

Description of Technology:

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in United States and it is estimated that there will be more than half a million deaths caused by cancer in 2009.  A major drawback of the current chemotherapy-based therapeutics is the cytotoxic side-effects associated with them.  Thus there is a dire need to develop new therapeutic strategies with fewer side-effects.  Immunotherapy has taken a lead among the new therapeutic approaches.  Enhancing the innate immune response of an individual has been a key approach for the treatment against