Government Owned Invention Available for License: Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor Peptides and Their Use for Treating Retinal Degeneration

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Eye Institute (NEI) seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for the development of an AAV2-based delivery system or an eyedrop formulation to deliver a Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor (PEDF) peptide as a gene-agnostic approach to treating inherited retinal diseases. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Inquiries related to this license opportunity should be directed to: Ricquita Pollard, Ph.D., Unit Supervisor, NCI, Technology Transfer Center, Email: ricquita.pollard@nih.gov or Phone: 240-276-5490. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is one of the most common inherited retinal diseases (IRDs)—estimated to affect 1 in 4,000 people worldwide. Over 100,000 people in the US and 1.5 million people worldwide suffer from RP. This disease leads to progressive photoreceptor cell degeneration and, ultimately, vision loss. More than 90 genes are implicated in molecular pathways towards photoreceptor cell death. Due to this high heterogeneity, therapeutic approaches targeting specific genes generally benefit few patients. For most forms of RP, few or no medical options are available. Thus, there remains a need to identify new and more effective treatments for RP and other inherited retinal degenerations. Mutation-independent strategies to protect photoreceptors against continued damage and degradation …