Many US academic researchers patent discoveries even before they publish them, contributing to $1.26 billion (US) in new product licenses in 2001. Now some European institutions want to catch up, but century-old traditions slow their pace. "A lot of the research at universities and institutions is focused on publication and the scientists are not focused on patents and commercializing their research results," says Mattheas Konrad, biotechnology manager of Bayern-Innovativ, a technology transfer

The fiscal year 2003 budget request for the National Cancer Institute is a record $4.72 billion, a $510 million, or 12%, increase over the present appropriation. But this "president's budget," submitted to Congress in February, falls $970 million short of NCI's own "bypass budget" request, which seeks $5.69 billion, a breath-taking increase of $1.48 billion, 35%, over the present appropriation, and a whopping $1.51 billion more than President George W. Bush requested for it last year. The bypas

For the US government's fiscal year 2003, which begins Oct. 1 this year, President George W. Bush has requested a budget of $27.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a 15.7% increase of $3.7 billion, the largest single-year boost in history. With a supportive Congress, this will complete the goal of doubling the NIH budget over the five-year period beginning in 1998. About $1.5 billion, or 40%, of next year's increase is focused on bioterrorism-related research and infrastructure, bri

The American Red Cross, the first organization to receive a human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research grant in from the US government, surprised the scientific community by rejecting the money, fanning the international policy debate over the use of these cells. Citing a change in research policy, the organization, which manages most of the US blood supply, turned down a $50,000 (US) grant to expand its research of mouse umbilical cells into the controversial HESCs. Nevertheless, the National I

Like a marriage descending into divorce, the relationship between researcher and institution can turn to enmity when patent and licensing disagreements become intractable. Fortunately, truly serious battles are relatively infrequent. More commonly, the reaction is anger and dissatisfaction over how a university or research hospital handles the commercialization of a scientist's discovery. But in serious battles against well-funded employers, the odds are clearly against the individual. When push

See also, "Cloning Emergency in Britain?" The politically and ethically contentious issue of cloning, relegated to a back burner following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, re-emerged Thanksgiving weekend following publication of research results at Advanced Cell Technology Inc. ACT scientists claimed that they had for the first time successfully created human embryos through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and parthenogenesis.1 The U.S. Senate is gearing up for a showdown vote within the n

Michigan can call to mind images of the Great Lakes or of canoe trips through freshwater marshes. The city of Detroit may evoke the clanging of a car-part conveyor belt or the odor from smokestacks. But now Michigan officials and entrepreneurs also want investors around the world to envision hubs of high-tech collaborations that will transform the state into a biotechnology hotspot within the decade. Surprising to many, Michigan already has built a vigorous life science community. The state boas

The National Institutes of Health is now accepting applications for grants in embryonic stem cell research after unveiling its Web-based Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry (http://escr.nih.gov/). About a handful of applications have been received so far; the first awards should be announced in early 2002. This registry lists names and contact information for 11 worldwide organizations offering 72 cell lines that meet the federal funding requirements outlined by President George W. Bush in August

In the wake of terrorist attacks, funding is increasing for life science companies engaged in virtually any area of biosecurity. Organizations that produce vaccines and antibiotics, as well as those developing therapeutics, detection systems, and diagnostics, are receiving much-needed attention from government and private sectors. Individual companies and labs, from big pharma to small start-ups, are likely to benefit from this focus on bioterrorism countermeasures, at least into the foreseeable

Editor's Note: This is the fourth and final installment this year of a series that focuses on regional hot spots in the United States John Hamer, a tenured professor of microbiology at Purdue University, decided he had reached the top of the academic career ladder three years ago and wanted more involvement in technology development. With the genomics and bioinformatics revolution under way, Hamer had his pick of companies and cities. But rather than relocating to an urban biotech center in Cal

Celera Genomics Group and Myriad Genetics Inc., two of the largest US genomics companies, are dedicating their DNA sequencing and typing expertise to the massive effort of identifying victims in last month's World Trade Center attack. The companies are creating DNA databases from victims, their personal effects, and from relatives. Myriad, a Salt Lake City, Utah, biopharmaceutical company, is using short tandem repeats (STR) to quantify the number of DNA repetitions on each of 13 nonfunctional g

Scientists with experience cultivating stem cell lines may profit from an expansion of private and public investment sparked by President George W. Bush's decision to provide limited federal funding for human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. Tommy Thompson, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) last month suggested that a "ballpark" of $100 million in federal funding for human ESC research would be available for research starting in early 2002. This money will top the $250 million in f