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April 9, 1999
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Volume 6, Number 14 |
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About OCNCover
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UST signs royalty sharing and collaboration agreement for the commercialization of University technology
University of Saskatchewan Technologies Inc. (UST) has signed a Royalty Sharing and Collaboration Agreement with the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network (CGDN) for the commercialization of technology discovered at the U of S by Professor Jeremy Lee, of Biochemistry, and his post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Palok Aich. The Agreement provides for CGDN to share in UST's cost of patenting the technology and to provide commercialization assistance, in exchange for a portion of future royalties. Lee and Aich's technology encompasses the transformation of DNA into a metal-containing, conductive wire. Lee says he and his colleague discovered M-DNA by accident. "We were looking for something completely different. Palok, who joined my lab in 1997, quickly designed a clever experiment to show that M-DNA was an electrical conductor." The technology has a broad range of possible applications, including the areas of integrated circuits, nanotechnology, mutation detection without electrophoresis, DNA biochips, continuous monitoring of DNA binding drugs, etc. "Because DNA is self-assembling, it will be possible to design self-assembling nanocircuits for the computers of the future," adds Aich. Dr. Branko Peterman, president and CEO of UST, says partnering with CGDN for commercialization of this technology "provides the resources necessary to seek maximum protection of the technology and gives us direct links to industry." He says that CGDN has a history of ongoing relationships with the players in the industry and of entering into licence agreements with companies in the industry and that CGDN is optimistic about the technology and its potential applications. Canadian, United States, and Patent Co-operation Treaty patent applications have been filed by UST. The market for DNA biochips is a budding one, and has the potential to be very large. It has sparked the interest of competitors both large and small. If Lee and Aich's technology proves successful, it could mean significant returns to the University. - Rachelle Girard
For further information, visit the web site or contact webmaster@www.usask.ca
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Next issue of On Campus News: Friday, April 23
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