Universities significantly contribute to the medical field through their research efforts. Staffed with medical researchers, professors, and doctors, universities supply skills, labs, and knowledge necessary to provide advanced medical products to improve our health. The government often approves grants to these universities to enhance their efforts. Universities tend to focus on three patent classes that have strong representation in the medical field.
Based on the top five universities that receive the most government-funded patents, the top three patent classes are 435: Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology; 424: Drug, Bio-Affecting and Body Treating Compositions; and 514: Drug, Bio-Affecting and Body Treating Compositions. The five universities show more than 160 patents in these classes for the first ten months of this year. Many of these patents resulted from government-funded research.
Among the top three patent classes, a large variety of subclasses exist. For the 435 class, various inventions involve gene products, artificial immune systems, biofuel, detection for poison oak oil, and identification and isolation of cancer cells, to name a few. For the 424 and 514 classes, some inventions include treatment for inflammation disorders, influenza vaccines, tissue regeneration systems, detection of predisposition to breast cancer, ischemic heart disease treatments, multiple sclerosis treatments, diabetes treatments, and skin burn and open wound treatments, among others.
As noted, universities play a critical role in our health. The United States has a large need for many of the inventions cited. For instance, heart disease, diabetes, and various types of cancers continue to affect large numbers of people annually. Therefore, the fact that universities target these health issues shows how valuable of a role they play in the medical industry.