For two years now Emory has helped bring the Kauffman FastTrac® TechVenture™ program to Atlanta. During this 7 week program aspiring and current entrepreneurs learn about the nuts and bolts of running a business from other successful entrepreneurs. In this blog post we pick the brain of our Executive Director, Todd Sherer, on the importance of entrepreneurship, training our faculty, and why the program has been so successful. What was behind bringing this curriculum to Emory? There has been a lot of pressure during the global financial crisis for universities to do a better job of spinning out technology and creating not just companies, but jobs. We knew that in order to do this we would have to provide more formal training for faculty who are typically and traditionally trained to be research scientists, but don’t receive training to be an entrepreneur. We knew it was going to be critical to our success if we wanted to improve impact in the technology transfer space by providing more focused training around becoming a successful entrepreneur. What is your thought on the role of entrepreneurial training? I think the role of entrepreneurial training is critically important. Again, in a peer reviewed
Continue readingCategory: Education
Engineering New Solutions for Surgery: 3 Questions with Murali Padala
Question: What drew you to combine your interest with engineering and medicine? Padala: I got my mechanical engineering degree in India, and did a 1 year internship at the hypersonic propulsion lab at the Indian defense laboratories, where I got my first introduction to putting theory into practice . When I came to Georgia Tech to get my PhD, I began focusing on heart valves and fluid mechanics, plainly the study of blood flow through the heart. After finishing my PhD, I started my independent lab in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory, where our focus was on applied translational research – i.e., apply engineering concepts to viable medical solutions. The cardiothoracic surgery division here has a unique mix of clinical practice and research enterprise, and this environment provided me the opportunity to identify the right medical problems, and develop solutions that a clinician would want to use to treat their patients. Question: How do you balance the goal between research and commercialization? Padala: For me, research and commercialization are not really two different things. From its start, my lab had developed parallel paths: (a) a research path where we study a disease and develop the necessary models to
Continue readingT3 Labs: Helping Move Healthcare Forward
In 1999, a group of interventional cardiologists got together in Norcross, Georgia with the goal to translate ideas for medical devices, biologics, and drugs into cutting-edge technologies. They collaborated with sponsors to test product designs and formulations and to train physicians, health professionals, and company representatives and ultimately formed Saint Joseph’s Translational Research Institute (SJTRI). Their mission was simple – to get medical devices and therapies to patients faster and safely with the hope of changing the face of modern medicine. By 2009, SJTRI, as part of the Saint Joseph’s Health System (SJHS), had expanded to over 35 employees in a multi-million dollar facility with full-equipped operating rooms, wet labs, and office space. In 2012, SJHS entered into a partnership with Emory Healthcare in which Emory acquired majority ownership. Recently, they changed their name to T3 Labs or Translational Testing and Training Laboratories, Inc. T3 Labs manages studies in a number of fields, including cardiovascular, orthopedic, urology, and regenerative medicine. With Emory, they are working to streamline pre-clinical device development cycles and leverage the expertise of both industry and academia. By partnering with Emory, T3 Labs has the ability to function as a private institution with its industry sponsors while
Continue readingHow are Medical Device Patents Different?
A medical device is defined as an instrument, application, or implant that is used in the diagnosis or treatment of a disease or other medical condition. Medical device patents differ from patents on biologics or pharmaceutical products in that there is less need to establish the efficacy of the device, actually build a prototype, or provide supporting data. In many cases, once the inventor has thought of the idea and how it would be implemented, a patent application for a medical device can be pursued. When a new medical device is disclosed to the Office of Technology Transfer, our case managers analyze the potential market for the product, what development still needs to occur for the product to be commercially viable, and perform a preliminary prior art search. Subsequently, if the market and initial patent analyses suggest that the idea is commercially feasible, the Emory Patent Group will get involved to develop a patent strategy, perform additional prior art searches, and draft a patent application. From an intellectual property (IP) standpoint, there are different options to protect a medical device when compared to a biologic or small molecule therapeutic. For any of these products, a utility patent application that covers
Continue readingSoutheastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA)
Join us throughout January as we feature medical devices; this week’s post highlights the Southeastern Medical Device Association. The Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) is a regional non-profit trade association that supports and promotes medical device and medical device data system (MDDS) companies in the Southeast. Created in 2004, SEMDA helps such companies accelerate device development and achieve commercial success, through educational resources and access to funding and networking opportunities. SEMDA members gain access to quarterly meetings, regional and national affiliate joint events, and SEMDA’s annual conference. Such opportunities allow members to obtain development skills, learn from experts in the industry, and network with others who can help companies achieve their business and medical device objectives. In addition, SEMDA seeks to provide educational content around issues that a medical device company needs from the start-up phase to the post-market launch. It brings in experts on topics such as grant-writing, presentation, and the business aspects of the medical industry. It also produces original content about the medical device industry. “We’re constantly updating our website, putting up data, and working with other device advocacy groups to make sure that our content is current, relevant and meaningful,” SEMDA President Robert Crutchfield says. According to
Continue readingSocial Media Lessons Learned & Take-Homes for TTOs – Part 2
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, oh my! So many options, so little time and it appears like everyone else is jumping on the social media train, what is my office to do? We don’t want to be left at the station! On one hand social media can be a powerful tool for building your brand and much can be gained, but on the other hand, if done poorly or without realistic expectations, it can be a great deal of effort with little reward. In this two-part blog post we will share our lessons learned as well as snippets gathered from a recent social media event we attended featuring thought leaders in the social media/marketing fields. (Read part one of the blog series here.) Part 2 Recently we had a chance to attend Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Thought Leaders Live” Event here in Atlanta covering “The Mathematics of Social Media.” This half-day event featured a panel of leaders in the fields of social media and marketing. They discussed how to use social media platforms effectively and how to measure its success, among other relevant topics. While not every point was necessarily applicable to our business as TTOs, we did come away with some
Continue readingSocial Media Lessons Learned & Take-Homes for TTOs – Part 1
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, oh my! So many options, so little time and it appears like everyone else is jumping on the social media train, what is my office to do? We don’t want to be left at the station! On one hand social media can be a powerful tool for building your brand and much can be gained, but on the other hand, if done poorly or without realistic expectations, it can be a great deal of effort with little reward. In this two-part blog post we will share our lessons learned as well as snippets gathered from a recent social media event we attended featuring thought leaders in the social media/marketing fields. Part 1 Our office jumped into the social media fray in 2010 when we recognized the increasing importance of communicating with our colleagues, customers, and community via online channels. Since that time, the number of users within our industry has grown exponentially; in fact, our friends at Fuentek™ recently conducted a survey of TTOs and found two-thirds of respondents used social media in some capacity.* While much has been written about metrics and strategies for effectively using social media to build your brand, we thought
Continue readingTI:GER: The Next Generation
The Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results, or TI:GER program, is a unique collaboration between Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech) that brings together business, law, and science. TI:GER organizes students into teams comprised of two GA Tech MBA students, two Emory Law students, and a PhD candidate in the field of science or engineering. During the TI:GER program, students are directly involved in the innovation process and work together to bring discoveries to the marketplace. Teams are challenged with the task of preparing a commercialization strategy and business plan based around the PhD candidate’s research. One of the hallmarks of the program is that the economic, regulatory, and legal issues are considered prior to the research being completed. These considerations can then be incorporated into the research plan and commercial development strategy. The two year program includes multiple components, ranging from classroom instruction and guest lectures, to internships and networking. Students also have the opportunity to directly engage with start-up companies in GA Tech’s incubator, the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC). Tyler Dutton, an Emory Law student in the program, explained that TI:GER helps students learn about and apply patent law, contract law, venture capital, angel investors,
Continue readingUSPTO After Final Consideration Pilot Program: A Success
Emory has successfully participated in the USPTO’s After Final Consideration Pilot (AFCP) 2.0 Program, which is available through December 14, 2013. The pilot is part of on-going efforts by the USPTO to further compact prosecution and increase collaboration between examiners and applicants. The pilot program provides a process for the applicant to have an after final response entered without having to file a request for continued examination (RCE). This initiative provides additional time, up to three hours for utility applications, for the examiner to consider whether the amendment places the application in condition for allowance.To be considered under the program, the response must include “an amendment to at least one independent claim that does not broaden the scope of the independent claim in any aspect” and the transmittal form (USPTO Form SB 434). In our case, our office received a Final Rejection rejecting the claims under two rejections over new references in view of our previously filed response. In the Final Rejection, the Examiner suggested that we amend the claims to incorporate a dependent claim into each of the respective independent claims to address one of the rejections if we could overcome the other rejection by filing a Declaration. After consideration,
Continue readingAn ENTICeing Proposition: Neuromodulation Innovation Center
The advent of neuromodulation, the therapeutic alteration of neural activity via an implanted device, has revolutionized the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Emory has long been at the forefront of this revolution with pioneering research on the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease and the identification of novel brain targets for ablation. At the same time, Emory has also been a leader in the development of innovative deep brain stimulation (DBS) techniques for psychiatric disorders (e.g., major depression), and the use of DBS for epilepsy and dystonia. The success of these programs has propelled the expansion of neuromodulation-related research at Emory, which now spans the Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation, Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, and Psychology as well as the Yerkes Primate Center and collaborations with our colleagues at Georgia Tech. Emory is now prepared to take the next step. By bringing together these clinicians, researchers, and engineers into a single center, Emory hopes to further develop these discoveries into practical solutions and products. This new center is called the Emory Neuromodulation and Technology Innovation Center (ENTICe). The goal of ENTICe is to advance the understanding and effectiveness of neuromodulation in order to reduce the burden of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The
Continue readingMastering Reagent Agreements – Improving Ease & Speed
In today’s challenging climate, technology transfer offices try new ways to increase the number of licenses executed and reduce the time from disclosure to license. Research tools (reagent) licenses are an area where many offices, including ours, can increase their efficiency and effectiveness in licensing. Unlike agreements for the software, medical devices, and therapeutics that make up much of our technology portfolio, research tools require little additional development, can be quickly commercialized, and generate revenue (albeit small when taken individually) in a short amount of time. One particular strategy Emory’s OTT has employed is the use of a “Master” reagent agreement with companies that license, sell, and distribute reagents such as antibodies, plasmids, and cell lines. This “Master” agreement covers all the general provisions that would be included in any license such as liability, reporting, diligence, and confidentiality, but none of the financial terms. These terms then apply to all subsequent reagents or tools transferred to the company. This practice allows the university and reagent company to negotiate these terms upfront and only once, thus removing the time and burden of revisiting these terms with each individual tool is licensed to the company. In our model, each research tool or
Continue readingMaterial Sharing Made Simpler: New Outgoing MTA
The ability of investigators to share research materials is an integral part of successful collaborations. Contractually, institutions facilitate such sharing via the completion of material transfer agreements (MTAs), which memorialize the rights and restrictions of each party and allow the signing institutions to ensure that transfers are in compliance with standing legal obligations. Unfortunately, the completion of a MTA can be hindered in instances when instructions for completing such agreements are confusing, necessary information relating to the transfer is not provided, or the terms of the agreement itself are unfamiliar, inapplicable, or aggressive, requiring review and negotiation by the parties. In an effort to alleviate some of these issues and facilitate easier sharing of research materials, Emory OTT has developed a new outgoing MTA template for use when Emory investigators wish to provide their materials to collaborators at other academic institutions. This new MTA was designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind. The substantive language of the agreement is pulled in whole from the Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) promulgated by the National Institutes of Health, which is widely accepted by academic institutions. The agreement also contains clear, organized sections for the investigators and institutions to insert needed information
Continue readingCatching Up With The Cores!
One often unheralded piece of the commercialization puzzle is the numerous research tools (cell lines, antibodies, plasmids, research software, etc.) that are created by university researchers and shared within both academia and industry. At Emory, these research tools typically generate several hundred thousand dollars in revenue annually. Core facilities represent an important operational and strategic role in our institution’s research mission. These facilities provide faculty not just valuable resources and equipment but valuable expertise as well. These core facilities and research centers offer research services not only to the Emory research community but also to other academic institutions and industry. Looking to build on our existing success, one of OTT’s goals for 2013 is to ensure an inclusive licensing portfolio of non-patented technologies such as research tools. As part of that effort, OTT has been on a mission to reach out to the University’s many core facilities, recognizing that in many cases, these facilities are tasked with generating and/or storing many of these tools. By improving the communication and relationship with the cores, the office will be more aware of new tools being developed and better able to assist Emory investigators in the commercialization of these types of technologies. The
Continue readingUnlocking the Power of Google Searching – Part 2
Last week we brought you a set of tips to power up your Google searches. This week we bring you Part II, other hints & tips from research librarian Ann Cullen. These tricks are more focused on strategies to keep in mind when you are having difficulty finding the information you want or when the results you are getting are questionable in quality. Here are a few of her search strategies: Consider language, what additional terms could be used to describe it? What’s included and what’s missing (phrases, exclude words, synonyms)? Where does this information potentially live (insite, inurl)? What other source might help me get closer to what I’m looking for (trade associations, conferences)? What type of content might it be (filetype, image, diagram)? What’s the credibility of content (source, date range)? If you are really stuck Ann’s recommendation is to combine several options to create a much more powerful search. Consider the following examples that combine last week’s Google tips with this week’s helpful hints. Looking for information on trends in vision correction~vision ~treatment opthamolog* ~trends filetype:pdf 2012..2013Looking for reports on graphene from top consulting firms~graphene inurl:mckinsey | “boston consulting” | bain | booz | deloitte | pricewaterhousecoopers
Continue readingUnlocking the Power of Google Searching – Part 1
In technology transfer, as in many professions, we are constantly on the search for information, be it market data, technical info, or prior art. Our office recently invited research librarian Ann Cullen, from Emory’s Goizueta Business Library, to visit and share her tips on how to use Google to search more effectively and efficiently. It was an enlightening session with lots of helpful hints & tricks for harnessing the search engines powers. Below is a short list highlighting our favorites: Search for a term and its synonyms, preface it with ~ (e.g., ~energy returns energy, oil, gas) Search within a range of numbers by using an elipse – Number range X..X (e.g., 2007…012) Search titles: intitle:”x” (e.g., intitle:altzheimers or intitle:”cancer treatment”) Search in text: intext:”x” or (e.g., intext:patent or intext:”patent reform”) Search a site: site:”x” (e.g., census site:gov) Search a url: inurl:”x” (e.g., “technology transfer” inurl:*.edu or sequestration inurl:blogs) Find all pages that link a specific page: link:”page url” (e.g., link:emory.edu) Search for a file type: filetype:”x” (e.g., ~cancer ~cost filetype:pdf) Search for similar webpages: related:”page url” (e.g., related:”http://www.heart.org”) Search for definitions: define:”word” (.e.g., define:”global warming”) Ann’s best takeaway however was a simple, but often forgotten, message – take a
Continue readingUntangling the Codes
In technology transfer, as in other fields, there are quite a few acronyms that are thrown around and may seem confusing at first. In this glossary, we break down the different types of agreements that’ll help you untangle those codes. MTA MTA stands for Material Transfer Agreement. Because research and technology development are often collaborative efforts, colleagues may share research tools. MTAs are formal contracts that define the proper use and limits of these shared tools, which could include reagents, cells, antibodies, computer software, etc. It’s important to execute an MTA before any research material is sent or received. The execution of an MTA ensures clear intellectual property ownership and supports necessary patent documentation. IIA IIA stands for Inter-institutional Agreement. IIAs come into play when multiple individuals at different institutions jointly invent a new technology. In the case of joint ownership, OTT will negotiate an IIA to define the rights and responsibilities of the institutions. These agreements encompass intellectual property protection, commercialization, cost and revenue sharing, as well other issues related to protecting and licensing the jointly-owned technology. RA RA stands for Research Agreement. Research agreements detail the obligations, commitments, and expectations of the parties involved over the course of
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