From left, Provost Chaden Djalali and Dr. Michael Held. Photo by Haldan Kirsch.
From Ohio University News
Four Chemistry & Biochemistry professors were among Ohio University honored faculty, staff and student inventors honored during a Feb. 26 awards ceremony.
The Inventors Dinner recognized individuals who engaged with the university’s Technology Transfer Office over the past year to commercialize their research findings, by protecting their intellectual property through the patent process.
Ohio University has a successful track record in commercializing technologies. The institution has a portfolio of 102 active issued U.S. patents and 158 active issued non-U.S. patents. Ohio University received more than $110 million in royalty income from research licenses between fiscal year 2004 and 2020 to date.
Among the Ohio University professors receiving U.S. patents for inventions in 2019:
- Dr. Michael Held, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Digestibility of Plant Biomass”
The inventor, along with co-inventors at Michigan State University, developed a method to genetically modify plants for increased biomass and improved digestibility. The biomass from these modified plants may be used to more efficiently produce renewable energy sources, such as biofuels.
From left, Provost Chaden Djalal and Dr. Howard Dewald
- Dr. Howard D. Dewald, Profess or Chemistry & Biochemistry and Associate Provost for Faculty & Academic Planning, “Online Monitoring of Fuel Cell Reactions by Desorption Electrospray Mass Spectrometry”
This patent describes a mass spectrometry-based method for detecting fuel cell reaction products in near real-time. This ability for constant monitoring allows operators to keep the fuel cell operating at peak efficiency.
From left, Dr. Stephen Bergmeier, Provost Chaden Djalali and Dr. Xiaozhuo Chen
- Dr. Stephen Bergmeier, Professor and Chair of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Xiaozhuo Chen of the Edison Biotechnology Institute/Biomedical Sciences, “Compositions and Methods for Glucose Transport Inhibition”
This composition of matter patent covers novel anticancer compounds that inhibit basal glucose transport, resulting in tumor suppression and new methods for the study of glucose deprivation in cancer research.
From left, Dr. Stephen Bergmeier, Provost Chaden Djalali, and Dr. Doug Goetz
- Stephen Bergmeier and Mark C. McMills, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Douglas Goetz, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, “Imidazole and Thiazole Compositions for Modifying Biological Signaling”
This patent covers new compounds that may be used in pharmaceutical compositions that modify various biological signaling processes or as reagents for biological assays. Among other things, these compounds may be therapeutically useful for the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and to modify GSK-3 activity in the body.
See more OHIO faculty honored for patents.
In addition, Ohio University honored faculty, students and staff who disclosed inventions and for whom the university filed patents. Invention disclosure is the first step in the technology commercialization process. Technology Transfer Office staff review these disclosures to determine if the intellectual property can be patented and licensed for commercial use. If so, the office files for domestic and foreign patent protection as appropriate, and works with inventors to identify licensing opportunities that can develop the technologies into useful products for the marketplace.
In addition, the Technology Transfer Office works closely with the university’s high-tech business incubator, the Innovation Center, and its state-sponsored Entrepreneurial Services Provider program, TechGROWTH Ohio, to connect inventors to business coaches and sources of seed funding that can help them launch startup companies if appropriate.
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