The Center for Technology The Center for Technology TransferTransfer

A source for ideas for Senior DesignA source for ideas for Senior Design

What is CTTWhat is CTT

• The repository of inventions made at PennThe repository of inventions made at Penn

• Covers all of the schoolsCovers all of the schools

• Averages over 350 new inventions per yearAverages over 350 new inventions per year

• CTT licenses Penn technology to established CTT licenses Penn technology to established and new companiesand new companies

What do we get?What do we get?

• Penn discoveries are primarily healthcare Penn discoveries are primarily healthcare relatedrelated– New targets for treatment of diseaseNew targets for treatment of disease– New markers for diagnosisNew markers for diagnosis– New therapeutic molecules or biologicalsNew therapeutic molecules or biologicals– New medical devices for surgical interventions or New medical devices for surgical interventions or

treatmenttreatment• SEAS disclosures are clustered in robotics and SEAS disclosures are clustered in robotics and

controls; security; materials.controls; security; materials.

Who owns what?Who owns what?

• Penn owns all of the intellectual property Penn owns all of the intellectual property created by faculty, staff and consultants hired created by faculty, staff and consultants hired by contract – provided that their invention by contract – provided that their invention relates to their position at Pennrelates to their position at Penn

• Undergraduate students own their own Undergraduate students own their own inventions inventions UNLESSUNLESS they are being supported they are being supported by a faculty member obligated to assign their by a faculty member obligated to assign their work to Pennwork to Penn

Some examplesSome examples

• Students come up with an idea for a “terminator” like Students come up with an idea for a “terminator” like robot. They develop the idea as part of their Senior robot. They develop the idea as part of their Senior Design project. Faculty provide guidance and input to Design project. Faculty provide guidance and input to the project. The students own it.the project. The students own it.

• Students come up with an idea for a “Terminator” like Students come up with an idea for a “Terminator” like robot. They develop the idea as part of their Senior robot. They develop the idea as part of their Senior Design project. Faculty provide guidance and input to Design project. Faculty provide guidance and input to the project. Faculty also provide hardware and the project. Faculty also provide hardware and software they developed with funding from the software they developed with funding from the military, and perhaps even some money for parts. military, and perhaps even some money for parts. Penn owns it.Penn owns it.

IN GENERAL…IN GENERAL…

If you are working on a Penn Owned Invention or If you are working on a Penn Owned Invention or Technology, Penn owns any IMPROVEMENTS OR Technology, Penn owns any IMPROVEMENTS OR IMPLEMENTATIONS to that technology that do IMPLEMENTATIONS to that technology that do not constitute an invention and has the right to not constitute an invention and has the right to use data in your project to commercialize the use data in your project to commercialize the invention.invention.

If, in the process of working on a Penn Owned If, in the process of working on a Penn Owned Technology, you make a related invention Penn Technology, you make a related invention Penn owns the invention owns the invention BUTBUT you are entitled to your you are entitled to your share of the proceeds under the patent policy.share of the proceeds under the patent policy.

The reality of inventionThe reality of invention

So what’s in it for me?So what’s in it for me?Industry Academia Sole (or student) inventor

Company pays for patent University pays for patent Inventor pays for patent

Company commercializes patent

University finds partner to commercialize patent

Inventor commercializes patent

Inventors get a thank you and career enhancement

Inventor gets a thank you and 30% of the revenues

Inventor gets from 0% to 100% of revenues

Students can request that they assign their inventions to the University. In that case, the University is under NO OBLIGATION to accept the invention, and the student agrees to abide by the general rules of the patent policy.http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes/v51/n22/pdf_n22/patent_policy.pdf

Penn’s Patent PolicyPenn’s Patent Policy

EXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGIESEXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGIES

A portable temporary anesthesia A portable temporary anesthesia systemsystem

• A disposable system for the temporary anesthetic delivery of Sevoflourane, a potent greenhouse gas, to patients undergoing short medical procedures.

• Requires mechanical design and development and computation of adsorbent volumes and CO2 scavenging.

A combination ultrasound imaging and A combination ultrasound imaging and therapy system for cancertherapy system for cancer

Nanoetching for Fabricating Atomically Nanoetching for Fabricating Atomically Smooth Graphene NanoribbonsSmooth Graphene Nanoribbons

• To draw on graphene’s electronic potential, a method to control the width and specific crystallographic orientation of the graphene sheet that confines the flow of electrons in specific crystallographic directions.

• Requires process development to scale the method to obtain the necessary confinement effects in graphene ribbons due to the formation of rough, non-crystallographic, edges during processing.

Johnson et al. Nano Lett. 2008, 8, 1912

Gadolinium based MR contrast agentGadolinium based MR contrast agent• A nanoparticulate system comprising of porous polymer

vesicles which have shown to enhance the signal generated by the encapsulated Gd ions

• The bench scale process requires a complex synthesis requiring many washings, sonications and filtrations which makes it difficult to reproduce at large scale.

• Requires process development (batch/continuous) to reproducibly generate 150 nm porous polymersomes with encapsulated Gd ions

Tsourkas et al. Langmuir 2008, 24, 8169

New endo-therapy system• Endoscopy is an

image based system• New procedures have

increased the need for more “tool” space

• A complete rethinking of endoluminal device design.

• First demonstration – bladder cancer