Federal Drug Administration inventors Marjorie Shapiro, Ph.D., and Sean Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., announced as available for licensing a murine monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to Fragment C of tetanus toxin. Tetanus toxin is one of the most potent neurotoxins known.
It is a complex molecule, composed of a linked heavy chain and light chain, each having different domains serving different functions.
One domain of the heavy chain, known as "Fragment C," is known to bind the toxin to neurons. Fragment C is the focus of much research, including: analysis of the subtle differences between neuronal uptake of tetanus toxin and the related botulinum toxin, the design of compounds that block the uptake of tetanus toxin, and the design of drugs that target the same cellular mechanism to enhance uptake.
Applications: Cell-based imaging agents; new drug development, including antitoxins
Licensing Status: Available for nonexclusive biological materials licensing
Licensing Contact: Bruce Goldstein, J.D., M.S.; 301-435-5470; goldsteb@mail.nih.gov
