The Center for Technology Transfer A source for ideas for Senior Design

What is CTT The repository of inventions made at Penn The repository of inventions made at Penn Covers all of the schools Covers all of the schools Averages over 350 new inventions per year Averages over 350 new inventions per year CTT licenses Penn technology to established and new companies CTT licenses Penn technology to established and new companies

What do we get? Penn discoveries are primarily healthcare related Penn discoveries are primarily healthcare related – New targets for treatment of disease – New markers for diagnosis – New therapeutic molecules or biologicals – New medical devices for surgical interventions or treatment SEAS disclosures are clustered in robotics and controls; security; materials. SEAS disclosures are clustered in robotics and controls; security; materials.

Who owns what? Penn owns all of the intellectual property created by faculty, staff and consultants hired by contract – provided that their invention relates to their position at Penn Penn owns all of the intellectual property created by faculty, staff and consultants hired by contract – provided that their invention relates to their position at Penn Undergraduate students own their own inventions UNLESS they are being supported by a faculty member obligated to assign their work to Penn Undergraduate students own their own inventions UNLESS they are being supported by a faculty member obligated to assign their work to Penn

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

IN GENERAL… If you are working on a Penn Owned Invention or Technology, Penn owns any IMPROVEMENTS OR IMPLEMENTATIONS to that technology that do not constitute an invention and has the right to use data in your project to commercialize the invention. If, in the process of working on a Penn Owned Technology, you make a related invention Penn owns the invention BUT you are entitled to your share of the proceeds under the patent policy.

The reality of invention

So what’s in it for me? IndustryAcademiaSole (or student) inventor Company pays for patentUniversity pays for patentInventor 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.

Penn’s Patent Policy

EXAMPLES OF TECHNOLOGIES

A portable temporary anesthesia system 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 therapy system for cancer

Nanoetching for Fabricating Atomically Smooth 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 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