From mind to matter

Dr. Marcus Horwitz has spent 20 years working on and refining a
new tuberculosis vaccine.

After two years of work, chemistry Professor Richard Kaner
patented technology that could potentially be used to make hybrid
cars more efficient.

Stefano Soatto, a professor of computer science, began work on a
system for designing and selecting eyeglass frames 10 years
ago.

And Yang Yang, a professor of material sciences and engineering,
has found a way to make computer memory more reliable.

These people are four of 34 UCLA professors and researchers who
received patents for their inventions in 2005.

UCLA scientists have patented methods, tools and technologies
that apply to topics as diverse as breast and prostate cancers,
robots and research into DNA and RNA.

The University of California received 390 patents in 2005, the
most of any university for the 12th consecutive year, according to
rankings released last week.

From the time a researcher develops an idea for a technology or
method, it can take years before it becomes patented.

Once a concept is developed, a scientist must prove that it is
novel and has real-world applications, among other guidelines
specified by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The application for a patent is filed through a patent attorney,
and it can take up to three years between the time an application
is filed and a patent is awarded.

For Horwitz, the process took more than two decades.

Horwitz said he wanted to study tuberculosis because it
“is one of the most important infectious diseases
worldwide” and affects over 8 million people per year.

Unlike old vaccines that use samples of dead disease-causing
bacteria, Horwitz’s vaccine uses live engineered bacteria to
produce the same proteins that are made by tuberculosis
bacteria.

He said this makes the proteins easier to target and the vaccine
far more effective, and could help prevent up to 2 million deaths
per year.

The vaccine is also effective against leprosy, he added.

Horwitz identified Brazil and India as countries where his
vaccine could be especially useful, as tuberculosis and leprosy are
still major health concerns.

For Kaner, the process of developing and patenting his invention
was much quicker.

Kaner created a type of carbon nanoscroll, a component used in
batteries, that would make the battery much more efficient.

This technology can eventually be used to make hybrid cars burn
fuel more cleanly and run more efficiently.

Yang has also worked with improving the efficiency of technology
and was able to apply for a patent after two years of research.

With his plastic and metal polymer, Yang is working to use
nanoparticles to create memory devices, which would make digital
memory more reliable.

This new type of memory cell, unlike hard disks in most
computers, would be stationary and more dependable.

Traditional computer hard disks spin, causing computer users to
wait after a reboot and potentially risk a crashed hard disk.

“Ideally this would mean a hard disk would be less likely
to crash,” he said.

The new memory cells could also be used to make personal
electronics, such as MP3 players and digital cameras, less
expensive, since stationary memory devices require fewer parts and
are less likely to break.

Soatto said his system for designing and selecting eyeglass
frames was born from personal frustration.

Ten years ago, he went to buy a pair of glasses and found that
store workers were unable to help him pick frames that suited his
face and tastes.

“Sixty percent of people wear glasses,” he said.
“(Given) shape, size, style, material and color, glasses are
a highly personal choice. … If the person (helping you) is
incompetent, its incredibly frustrating.”

Soatto designed a system that, using a picture of a
person’s face, can help someone pick frames that would best
suit his face and provide the desired look.

He said his goal is to make a product that is customized to the
individual on a mass scale while keeping it affordable.

But even once a patent is received, scientists are not always
guaranteed a commercially successful product.

“You hope that someone sees the value of our processes.
… Often, discoveries at university are one or two steps away from
application,” Kaner said.

But not patenting an invention is almost a sure way to guarantee
that it will never reach the market.

“If you don’t patent something, it won’t be
used,” Kaner said.

And some UCLA scientists said patents are an essential part of
the way research universities operate.

“Patents are a show of how applicable research (is). They
are a measure of productivity and relevance,” Soatto
said.

To see a full list of UCLA’s patents, click here

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