The University of Queensland's technology transfer company, UniQuest Limited, this month signed a licensing agreement covering intellectual property for a gene controlling formation of bone and cartilage.
The agreement - for an undisclosed amount - has been made with one of the world's leading independent technology management organisations, Research Corporation Technologies (RCT) of the U.S.
RCT has been in business since 1928. In 1996, the firm had project revenues of $76.1 million, distributing $45.3 million to institutions and inventors. During 1996 RCT appraised 575 invention disclosures from 157 research institutions internationally.
Its portfolio of products includes the hormone cortisone, cattle pregnancy tests, Vitamins K, A, B1 and B12 extraction, rabies vaccine, hybrid seed corn, peroxides, cationic radiopharmaceuticals and the world's largest revenue-producing family of chemotherapy anti-cancer agents.
RCT Associate, Institutional Relations, Dr Bernd Weinberg said the agreement was the first of what he hoped would be several to be signed with the UniQuest and the University of Queensland, which, he said, had a 'rich portfolio of bankable technologies and ventures.'
The agreement covers Sox-9, a pivotal gene in skeletal development in vertebrates. The gene was discovered in 1995 by a team led by Dr Peter Koopman, principal research fellow with the University's Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
The University, through UniQuest, subsequently patented the potential uses of the gene. Dr Koopman believes that further research could eventually result in the gene's practical application in medicine, for example in cartilage reconstruction.
Through an elaborate testing procedure in mice, Dr Koopman's team discovered that the Sox-9 gene was active in all embryonic skeletal regions including the ribs, long bones, vertebrae and skull and was one of the genes in the developmental pathway leading to the formation of the skeleton.
Dr Koopman said the findings were supported by research projects in the United Kingdom and Germany studying a bone malformation disease known as campomelic dysplasia.
'This is a fairly rare disease affecting babies in fewer than one in every 10,000 live births. Sadly, babies die shortly after birth because of cartilage and bone defects,' he said.
'Researchers have established that the Sox-9 gene is defective in these babies and this supports our finding that Sox-9 is a pivotal gene in bone development.'
The results of his National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-funded study on Sox-9 were published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics.
Dr Koopman's recent research funded by the NHMRC has shown that Sox-9 directly controls genes that are responsible for making Type 2 collagen, the major component of cartilage.
Dr Weinberg said RCT would market Sox-9, introducing potential businesses to the technology.
'We will market to major corporations in the life sciences, world-wide, to take up licences to the patents, underwriting the program's future development,' he said.
'This is a world-class product which will have multiple different uses.
'It has potential for gene therapy and ultimately will be an element in technologies for induction of bone and cartilage formation. This gene could be an important element with other patented technologies in treating human disease.'
Mr Weinberg said RCT identified, appraised, protected and commercialised inventions developed at research organisations, and worked with industrial firms to bring the inventions to market. In addition to licensing, the company invested in invention development, formed new companies and participated in joint ventures.
'We are developing a long-term relationship with UniQuest and technology transfer companies at other Australian eastern seaboard institutions,' he said.
'The relationship will advantage the University of Queensland because we have a proven track record since 1928 and world-wide contacts which provide us with entrees not easily available to Australian universities.
'Industries know from past experience of dealing with us that we have reviewed a wide range of university inventions and we select those items with potential for commercial success.'
General manager of UniQuest's life sciences division Janet Caffin said the agreement with RCT was 'the ideal way to bring this important University of Queensland technology to the world-wide marketplace in the shortest time period.'
UniQuest Limited managing director Dr David Evans attributed the company's success in implementing commercialisation strategies of the type exemplified by the RCT agreement to the high professional standard of the company's technology commercialisation staff and UniQuest's seed funding capability.
'UniQuest's technology commercialisation capability is now recognised as the best amongst Australian universities,'Dr Evans said.
'It has been possible to achieve this position because of the University's enlightened decision to make an equity investment in UniQuest two years ago.'
Dr Evans said that the equity investment in UniQuest had a long-term perspective, aiming to make a return to the whole University community over a five-10 year horizon, based on the commercialisation of technology produced from its excellent research and scholarship.
'The RCT agreement is tangible evidence that this decision is already starting to pay off,' he said.
For more information, contact UniQuest managing director Dr David Evans, telephone 07 33654037 or Dr Koopman on (07) 3365 4491 (work).
