Commercializing Inventions
The Intramural Research Program (IRP) has contributed to the development of biomedical products in many ways. One way is through the management of inventions made by IRP scientists that are then patented and licensed to the private sector for commercial development. Examples include the first AIDS drugs (antiretrovirals), vaccines against hepatitis and HPV, treatments for cancer, and diagnostics for HIV or the rare genetic disease familial Mediterranean fever.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also has the ability to license unique biological materials to companies for use in commercial products. For example, Synagis, used for the prevention and treatment of serious lower respiratory tract disease in children, traces its beginnings to the IRP as the monoclonal antibody palivizumab.
The NIH Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) serves as a bridge that connects the inventive discoveries made in the Intramural Research Programs of the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercial partners that develop these technologies into products and services to benefit public health.
Our inventions cover the spectrum of disease areas, including cancer, infectious diseases, neurology, ophthalmology, cardiovascular, nanotechnology, etc. Many of these involve rare or neglected diseases that afflict either very small populations or those primarily found in developing countries. For more information on these opportunities, visit the OTT Web pages on rare diseases or neglected diseases.
Lowy and Schiller’s laboratory developed the technology for the first vaccine against human papillomaviruses, which cause the second leading type of cancer among women worldwide.
Whether you are interested in licensing inventions or collaborating with our scientists, learn more about our technology partnership opportunities by visiting OTT’s Web site.
Product Showcase
Products showcased on this site are utilized every day to detect, treat or prevent disease or assist researchers as they continue to explore ways to develop newer and more effective health care products and procedures.
Product Development Pipeline: Inventions in clinical development
Many inventions from the IRP have been licensed and are now in clinical development with the hope of eventually reaching the market. There are also almost 1,400 inventions from the Intramural Program that are currently available for licensing to companies for commercial development (see Licensing Opportunities).
NIH Lights Up the World: Global reach of NIH inventions
The impact of the NIH IRP is truly global. The stars on the map represent locations where a commercial entity has completed a license with the NIH Office of Technology Transfer for an NIH intramural invention.
Interactive Metrics
Commonly tracked Metrics at the NIH Office of Technology Transfer
