(652a) Two Decades of Commercializing Biomaterials: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Whether in energy, sensors, biomaterials, and other chemical engineering fields, it is a dream of most University professors to commercialize their research. This talk will highlight my journey over the past 20 years of being a University professor trying to license my biomaterial inventions, start companies, and overall translating my academic research to industry to the patient. One thing that I have learned, being at three different Universities, is there are many avenues to get to the same goal and no one model works for everyone. Specifically, this talk will summarize how to conduct research that leads to patents, disclose inventions that Universities will patent, attract companies and/or entrepreneurs to be interested in your inventions, navigate the FDA, and ultimately how to improve patient health from your research. This talk will also highlight strategies for how to commercialize your technologies when it appears no one (particularly, your University) is interested. This invited talk will highlight my efforts working in the academic sector to start over a dozen companies which have received a total of 6 FDA approved products - and the journey is not over yet.