Case study: Patents helping a range of Irish innovators

ON THE TRAIL OF AN ANTI-CANCER THERAPYKnocking out malignant cells with a magic bullet while sparing healthy cells is the holy grail of anti-cancer therapy. And Prof Afshin Samali at NUI Galway believes he is on to something.

As part of an international collaboration, he has looked at the structures of molecules called Trail that the body makes naturally. Particular versions of Trail can kick-start "death receptors" on the outside of cancer cells and specifically kill them off.

Using computer software, Samali and his colleagues worked out the best versions of Trail to kill cancer cells, and then engineered their molecular structures in the lab.

Once they knew the approach was working, they went for patents on both the computer programme and the molecules themselves, says Prof Samali, a researcher at NUIG.

"Once we identified a biological role for these molecules," explains Prof Samali, "we decided it was time to protect it and advance the programme."

The technology is now being licensed out to start-up company Triskel Therapeutics, and Prof Samali believes that patents have helped protect their ideas in a highly competitive market.

"For individuals that work in academia, trying to work together to develop drugs in a small niche where big giants of the biopharmaceutical industry are roaming is difficult," he says.

"But at the moment we have identified the Trail area, where we can put our mark in."

PROVIDING MARINE FEED ON A PLATTER

They may not be on many menus in Ireland, but sea urchin roe is a much-sought-after delicacy in other parts of the globe. That's why Dr Gerry Mouzakitis developed the world's first land-based tank for farming sea urchin, the UrchinPlatter system, which is now patented in 17 countries around the world.

And it was while developing his invention at University College Cork that he came up with another good idea to help feed the creatures.

"There was no feed for the sea urchins, so we got together with some people from food chemistry in UCC and hit upon some novel binders that have only recently come online approved by the FDA and the EU," says Dr Mouzakitis.

Using the chemical binders, they developed a simple and cost-effective process of making feed for any marine animal.

Ultimately, the entire marine feed market is worth billions of euro per year, but Dr Mouzakitis and his team are focusing on sea urchins and abalone for now, and are working with Enterprise Ireland to being the new feed-making process to patent.

"The most important thing early on is not the patent, it's confidentiality," he says.

"You don't want to publish anything, and there's a bit of a balancing act between confidentiality and actually telling people, but at the same time, you need to talk to some people.

"You might think this is the most amazing thing in the world, but do other people agree with you? Because it is your baby, you see it in a very different light to how other people see it."