2008 Woodie Awards
UVM Showcases University's Patented Research
Technologies available for license by companies around the world
Kevin Lumpkin
Issue date: 4/11/06 Section: Business and Economics
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Have you ever wondered if the work that goes on in all of the UVM research labs ever amounts to anything? Well, at the UVM Office of Technology Transfer, corporations around the globe license technologies developed by UVM researchers and patented by the university.
Companies choose from several licensing options, including sponsoring additional research, hiring the inventor of the technology as a company consultant, or licensing the technology in its current form. The office deals with patents on inventions in fields ranging from health services to engineering.
One technology which has been highlighted by the OTT's website is a discovery by Dr. David Kerr of the Animal Sciences department, and Laura Celia, a graduate student in the Kerr lab. The pair isolated a molecule in a phage (a bacterial virus) which acts as an effective antibiotic for certain bacteria.
This discovery is especially helpful in a time when many strains of bacteria are developing resistance to conventional antibiotic treatment. By utilizing a molecule from the bacterium's natural predator, Kerr and his colleagues hope to profit from years of natural selection for this particular molecule, a lysin, within the phage.
The isolated lysine acts specifically against a molecule in the bacterial cell wall, making it a very specific antibacterial agent, with a very high success rate. The patent for this discovery is pending, and worldwide rights are available for interested companies.
Another spotlight technology for the OTT is phosphorus removal system for wastewater, developed by Dr. Aleksandra Drizo in the Plant and Soil Sciences department. Phosphorus levels have become a large concern in wastewater management, since high concentrations of phosphorus tend to lower oxygen levels in water, and promote algal growth.
Dr. Drizo's invention uses a series of filters to trap phosphorus by using molecules to which the element is naturally attracted. In trials, the filter system has been able to remove 95% of phosphorus from water supplies phosphorus concentrations up to 50 grams per liter.
Companies choose from several licensing options, including sponsoring additional research, hiring the inventor of the technology as a company consultant, or licensing the technology in its current form. The office deals with patents on inventions in fields ranging from health services to engineering.
One technology which has been highlighted by the OTT's website is a discovery by Dr. David Kerr of the Animal Sciences department, and Laura Celia, a graduate student in the Kerr lab. The pair isolated a molecule in a phage (a bacterial virus) which acts as an effective antibiotic for certain bacteria.
This discovery is especially helpful in a time when many strains of bacteria are developing resistance to conventional antibiotic treatment. By utilizing a molecule from the bacterium's natural predator, Kerr and his colleagues hope to profit from years of natural selection for this particular molecule, a lysin, within the phage.
The isolated lysine acts specifically against a molecule in the bacterial cell wall, making it a very specific antibacterial agent, with a very high success rate. The patent for this discovery is pending, and worldwide rights are available for interested companies.
Another spotlight technology for the OTT is phosphorus removal system for wastewater, developed by Dr. Aleksandra Drizo in the Plant and Soil Sciences department. Phosphorus levels have become a large concern in wastewater management, since high concentrations of phosphorus tend to lower oxygen levels in water, and promote algal growth.
Dr. Drizo's invention uses a series of filters to trap phosphorus by using molecules to which the element is naturally attracted. In trials, the filter system has been able to remove 95% of phosphorus from water supplies phosphorus concentrations up to 50 grams per liter.