Category: Intellectual property
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Court Backs “Clear and Convincing Evidence” Patent Standard
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 8-0 vote, upheld a lower court ruling that Microsoft Corporation infringed on the patent of a small Canadian software developer, and affirmed the current high bar challengers must clear before overturning a patent. The unanimous decision — Chief Justice John Roberts did not vote because he owns Microsoft stock…
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Court Rules for Companies in University Collaborations
Bloomberg News reports that the Supreme Court ruled today in favor of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, against a suit filed by Stanford University in Palo Alto, California that contended Roche violated the university’s patent rights under the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act. The 7-2 vote affirmed a lower court decision that Roche became co-owner of the…
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Lilly Spins Off Biotech to Develop Sepsis Drug
Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana has signed agreements with private investors Care Capital and NovaQuest Capital to establish BioCritica Inc., a new biotechnology company. BioCritica will initially focus on the continued U.S. development and commercialization of Xigris — drotrecogin alfa (activated) — Lilly’s medicine for severe sepsis. Under the agreement, BioCritica will acquire…
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Ethanol By-Product Reprocessing Expands to Pilot Stage
A process developed by engineers at Iowa State University in Ames to turn by-products of corn ethanol into into animal feed has moved from the lab to a pilot plant. The process, called MycoMeal, developed by engineering professor Hans van Leeuwen and his team, has two patents pending and won several industry and academic awards.…
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Sanofi, Glenmark Sign Autoimmune Antibody License Deal
The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in Mumbai, India have signed an agreement for development and commercialization of GBR500, a monoclonal antibody to treat chronic autoimmune disorders. The deal is expected to close next month following required regulatory steps. GBR500, developed by Glenmark, targets receptors that affect the adhesion of lymphocytes (white…
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Cause of Headphone, Hearing Aid Fatigue Diagnosed
Engineers at Asius Technologies in Longmont, Colorado have found what they believe is the cause of listener fatigue brought on by on-ear headphones and hearing aids. Their findings, along with suggested fixes, were presented this past weekend at a meeting of the Audio Engineering Society in London, U.K. The problem concerns the discomfort and pain…
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University Patents Chemical Measurement Device and Process
Baylor University in Waco, Texas has received a U.S. patent for a new type of polarimeter, an instrument to measure and interpret transverse waves, such as light waves. The new polarimeter was developed by Baylor chemistry professor Kenneth Busch and lab coordinator Dennis Rabbe. United States Patent 7911608 covers not only the device hardware, but…
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New Class of Insect Repellant Developed, Patent Filed
Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee have developed a new type of insect repellant that they say is more effective than current products on the market. Their results appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid subscription required). The new type of repellant, from the lab of biology and pharmacology…
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Start Up to Develop Nanotech Therapy for Artery Disease
Vascular Magnetics Inc. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has licensed technology from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to develop treatments for peripheral artery disease (PAD). The company is the hospital’s first commercial spin-off and co-founded by Robert Levy, who conducted the basic research behind the technology. Peripheral arterial disease occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries that…
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New Technology Promises Faster Drug Candidate Testing
Scientists at the Universities of Toronto, Stanford, and Columbia have developed a technology called mass cytometry that measures the action and function of candidate prescription drugs faster and on a larger scale. The team’s findings appear this week in the journal Science (paid subscription required). Mass cytometry enables the measurement of up to 100 biomarkers…