Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) was the subject of a rudimentary form of technology transfer. The dissemination of her cells, which eventually became a widely used standard tool in cell biology, is probably an example of how not to do technology transfer. Malignant HeLa cells isolated from Ms. Lack’s cervical carcinoma survived and adapted extremely well to culture conditions in vitro. Informed consent was not obtained from the patient before the isolation and distribution of HeLa cells, but the practice of obtaining informed consent was not standard in the 1950s.
However, using tissues from a patient for experimentation today without proper technology transfer and informed consent would be scandalous and illegal. So what is this technology transfer? Bluntly stated, technology transfer is the movement of intellectual property (such as patents, copyrights, know-how, or materials) from a research phase into a commercial phase, which will serve the public and hopefully make money.
The Art & Science of Technology Transfer by Dr. Phylis Speser provides an extremely thorough summary of this process. She emphasizes the market forces behind this extremely well, pointing out that “a technology is a proven solution.” The book covers all of the facets of technology transfer in a very analytical way, but includes plenty of down-to-earth examples to illustrate the theory.
The author points out that a key factor to success is competitive advantage, and the more brilliant the idea, the more competitive it will be. Dr. Speser has the credentials to expound on the topic, having been a cofounder of Foresight Sciences and Technology, a highly successful technology transfer organization with a menu of proprietary tools for operating in this space.
She was also the lead lobbyist for the Small Business Innovation Development Act, which is the foundation of the Small Business Funding Opportunities grant program, as well as a developer of the Small Business Technology Transfer concept. Both types of grants are very useful tools for academic/industry partnerships to move technology from basic research to more applied research that would attract licensing candidates or start up funding.
The Art & Science of Technology Transfer provides the reader with some very valid ideas that one would need to consider and understand when engaging in this field. There are ample examples used throughout the book to lead the reader through a given topic, although the author’s background leads her to draw these examples more from defense and small business and less from the life sciences.
Also, many of the charts that are used are extremely difficult to follow. They may appeal to a different audience, but I do not think they will appeal to a biologist working at the lab bench. The book clearly emphasizes the marketing of technology. Doing deals is how technology is monetized, and deals provide access to technologies. This process may make a basic scientist uncomfortable.
However, the book can lead one through the transition that one needs to experience to get an idea to the market. Understanding the cultural differences between the various players will help reduce the many barriers that must be overcome to complete the process. I like to use the example of the term RO1. Two people are standing at a conference across the hall from a poster. One is a researcher and the other a businessperson. When looking at the poster from afar, the researcher reads the title of the abstract, sees RO1 and says, “Oh, that is about an NIH grant.”
