OTT promotes and facilitates the transfer of technology between McGill researchers and outside sponsors, including industry and government. This includes research contracts from industry and government and the commercialization of inventions made by McGill researchers. Typically the latter comprises the patenting and subsequent licensing of these inventions. More importantly, for the short term, inventions increasingly lead to collaborative agreements to fund further research. For more information, contact OTT (tel. 398-4200, fax 398-8479).
As was announced earlier in this column, OTT's intention to fill a technology transfer officer position for the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector has now been realized. Jean-Marc Juteau, PhD, joined OTT in late January from the biomedical device industry. He received his BSc and MSc from l'Université de Montréal, his doctorate in molecular microbiology from Laval and was a postdoctoral fellow at l'Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal and INRS-Santé. He is now working together with Robin Brassinga in this sector for a familiarization period, after which the respective responsibilities within this sector will be defined.
A recent example of OTT's increasing activities in licensing is our interaction with Amarillo Cell Culture Company, Inc. in Texas. This company was interested in and a good fit for a novel therapy for HCV chronic hepatitis which has potentially a higher efficacy than the current therapy and which has come out of research Dr. E. Alpert is currently doing at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
This novel technology was judged to be patentable. In McGill's license agreement with the company, the filing of a patent application, in McGill University's name, was paid for by the company. In addition, customary royalty payments are to be made. Finally, Amarillo Cell Culture Company, Inc. is intending to fund a clinical trial at McGill University to confirm the promising results and for the further development of the technology.
| March 1, 1996 | Alzheimer's Association (U.S.) Banting Research Foundation - Research Crohn's and Colitis Foundation - Research Dairy Farmers of Canada - Research Funding Program Fight for Sight - Grant-in-Aid International Cystic Fibrosis (Mucoviscidosis) Ass'n. - Research |
| March 11, 1996 | NSERC/Canadian Forest Service - Research Partnerships Program |
| March 31, 1996 | March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation (U.S.) - Letter of Intent |
| April 1, 1996 | Canada Council/Arts Award - Art Grants A & B Canadian Breast Cancer - Research Grants Hospital for Sick Children Foundation - External Grants Program |
| April 3, 1996 | Parkinson Foundation of Canada - Research Grant |
| April 30, 1996 | Roeher Institute/Scottish Rite - Research Grants on Intellectual Disabilities/Major Research Grants |