Another Biomedical patent filed by Gold Patents , the Synthetic Adhesives, Sealantis, here is the Israeli inventor’s story:
Havazelet Bianco-Peled has been a professor of chemical engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology since 1999. Her patent and patent applications relate to biomedical adhesives that can act under wet conditions. Her research was initially done in response to a call from a European consortium to investigate the adhesion of algae, which are known to adhere to surfaces underwater by secreting a mixture of ingredients that react to form a ‘glue’.
Back then, there were no thoughts regarding the commercial implications of her research, as it was focused on the mechanism of adhesion. Bianco-Peled examined samples that were periodically sent to her from the consortium members, who extracted the ingredients from the algae. The results were then processed in order to try to improve the adhesion. However, the ingredient samples were minute and difficult to extract. Bianco-Peled started to think about biomimetic alternatives, ie, synthetic materials that mimic the properties of the naturally derived materials, merely to end the dependency of her research progress on such small samples.
Even after obtaining very successful adhesion results with the invented synthetic biomimetic adhesives, Bianco-Peled remained reluctant to register the invention as a patent application. After consulting with Gold Patents who filed her patent application she published her results in a distinguished academic magazine.
While Prof. Bianco-Peled was searching for an appropriate framework, the Mann Foundation for biomedical engineering established the Alfred Mann Institute at the Technion (AMIT) as a university-based institute designed to enable commercialisation of innovative biomedical technologies that improve human health. Bianco-Peled co-founded SeaLantis, one of the three first companies under AMIT.
Bianco-Peled and her group now have a portfolio of inventions in this field and are presenting the products to various health institutions and hospitals. Although the commercial aspect of the inventions is adequately addressed by SeaLantis, the strain between publishing and patenting inventions emerging from the academic community remains a thorny issue.
(Pictures with permission of Sealantis)
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