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How Virtual Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) Drive University IP Commercialization
219 Plays1 month ago
In this episode, we dive into the journey from lab research to IPO, exploring how virtual Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) are revolutionizing the commercialization of university-based innovations. We'll break down the steps in the PIPE platform, designed to help researchers and startups move seamlessly through the complex process of IP disclosure, validation, and market launch. Learn how virtual TTOs support academic R&D, connect startups with investors, and open pathways for cutting-edge technologies to reach the public. Whether you're a researcher, startup founder, or investor, this episode offers insights into the future of innovation and IP commercialization.
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Transcript
Introduction to Pipe Platform and Lab-to-IPO
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to another episode of Pipejadeo podcast. And today we're reading out the website. It's called thepipecompany.co.uk slash pipe-platform. If you want to, you know, look at any graphs that are in there, and that we're going to be talking about, ah you should, even if you don't want to look at the graphs, you should still check it out.
00:00:21
Speaker
And we are going to be talking about what is called the lab to IPO. That is the header that we have. We're only going to talk about the tabs in the header, but we'll talk generally about what it means to go from lab to IPO, as well as the website itself. It's also a website, lab to IPO, a separate website.
00:00:39
Speaker
That's ah what we are talking about. This is the PIPE platform. PIPE stands for pre-IPO or exchange.
Understanding PIPE and IPO Processes
00:00:46
Speaker
We need to, before we get into, we need to define some acronyms here. ah PIPE is the acronym for pre-IPO exchange. IPO in turn means initial public offering.
00:00:58
Speaker
not to bore you with details, but it essentially means when you do when you when you try to commercialize your project, you are going to sell shares of your company. That's essentially the that that process that you're trying to get some investment in exchange for equity. And of course, lab to IPO pathway. Lab to IPO referring to lab from university lab to IPO on the business.
University Intelligence - Nature or Nurture?
00:01:27
Speaker
you know i'm i am again i'm I've prepared a few fun facts with Sleezy today. ah did you know yeah but no Did you know that universities,
00:01:37
Speaker
universities ah there are a lot of smart people in there? What? ah Yeah, ah I was shocked. like ah it it It buggers common sense. I would to i saw it as that once and the stats said smart people in universities, they're correlated. No, Jesus.
00:01:57
Speaker
Yeah, it's almost like yeah in universities, only smart people can be there. Isn't that amazing? That's that's insane. it just doesn't It just doesn't check out. Yeah, I wonder if it's because they select smart people or select people or smart people just spawn there. Yeah, I'm not sure. Yeah, they just grow them somewhere.
00:02:21
Speaker
Yeah, what ah as they say, people don't grow on trees. the Or maybe that's what you would say when the child asks where to come from. but and Another fun fact for sleazy, that they are mostly book smart people rather than street smart people. it's not Is that also um an amazing fact?
00:02:43
Speaker
and that that I mean, I guess considering most universities are inside, you'd imagine they wouldn't be exactly street smarts considering they're learning indoors. so I don't know where I'm going with this. know Well, if they do learn indoors, I guess they don't learn like on the street. Yeah. and Except for maybe a very few like field operations.
Role of TTOs in Commercialization
00:03:05
Speaker
the the one time they actually ah go out and touch grass. And ah yeah, so in order to compensate for the not having street smarts in and in a usual university lab, they need what's called a TTO, a yeah technology transfer office.
00:03:25
Speaker
I would not say that it's a particularly good name, but it essentially means that if you want to commercialize your project, rather than just i don't have fun with it, because you found that ah this IP aka intellectual property is fun to invent, you actually need to do something useful with it.
00:03:44
Speaker
A lot of the times actually what is invented by one, let's say mathematician, is discovered like two, three hundred years later for a smartphone and they're like, oh man, holy moly, this is useful. I can use it to revolutionize a smartphone. I guess I don't have to pay any royalties to the guy because, well, he's dead since many years ago. but Yeah, that's why TTOs, technology transfer for office, aka the thing that brings your theory into practice is very important. Exactly. So that's a little bit of an introduction out of the way for our acronyms. ah We are going to read the page and explain what it is all about.
PIPE Platform's Support for TTOs
00:04:29
Speaker
A bi-platform and lab-to-IPO pathway are designed specifically for university TTOs and commercial teams.
00:04:36
Speaker
ah There are standard tools, processes, and methods. ah So we need a certain methodology to actually be able to accomplish our tasks. They support effective, consistent decision making and reporting. It's kind of more buzzwords, but essentially means more methodologies. They are easy to use, low cost, and effective.
00:04:59
Speaker
Yeah, so um for the users, those things are important at low cost for the university teams that obviously but i have little funding as a general rule. We have five steps here. They are disclosure and validate, to evaluate, to relaunch, for fan but fund, and five list.
00:05:24
Speaker
ah They are in for aspects such as technology, marketing and sales, financial financially illegal. Did you know that we actually have awesome lawyers over at pipe company?
00:05:39
Speaker
ah Excuse me, am I the one only one who is going to say the joke? Well, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Okay, we do have awesome some lawyers. We do. um Yeah, they're very cool. We get to meet them. Absolutely. So disclose and validate. Obviously, the first thing you're going to need to do is use a registration. A new user can easily join us at no cost. And then they can register as a researcher, academic associate, investor, or observer. This is the first step onto the pipe platform and the start of the lab to IPO pathway, we call it.
00:06:12
Speaker
and then I would like to just observe and get paid for it. Exactly, yes. I'm good at observing. You're good at observing. You're going to just watch it. Yes, and judge. so Watching and judging. Just thumbs down. Just know if I can gladiator. Yeah, obviously we're joking. I'm sure an observer role has more to do than to just stand there. But yeah, join her please continue. Okay, okay.
00:06:37
Speaker
um And then you'll get to the user dashboard. So once you've joined and you become a registered user, um you can disclose and validate a project, join others in validating projects to form ah disclosure teams and engage in the pipe lab to IPO pathway process.
00:06:55
Speaker
And then the final step is user reporting. So the project owners receive a report detailing the project's viability based on empirical input from experts and investors and those who wish to engage in moving the project forward, as well as IP slash conflict status and commercial rationale.
00:07:16
Speaker
And if you actually go into the link, you can find it in the description, our link tree, the pipe.com, just go to your case, dash but ah slash pipe dash platform. You can see that the reporting is pretty extensive. That's something that you would give to a lawyer and never bother with again.
Project Evaluation for Market Readiness
00:07:34
Speaker
We have lawyers. We have lawyers. Yes, we do.
00:07:39
Speaker
And the next section is evaluate, launch, and font. And that has a lot of graphs this time. The graph that you can see, if you go into the webcon.uk, and I already said it. So the first one is evaluate. Once a project has been successfully disclosed and validated, it progresses to formal evaluation. Formal evaluation. Not informal, but formal evaluation. The one with suits and ties.
00:08:05
Speaker
This evaluation stage takes the project up to TRL4 and includes the pipe lab to IPO of pathways, ah elements of solution readiness for market, aka SRM, talking to projects to SRM3, proposition readiness for investment, BRI1, and business operational readiness, BOR1. It kind of reminds me of my chemistry lessons, BORium. I think that's what it was called.
00:08:33
Speaker
I would say I'm also boring. Not on this podcast, but in the class. Just to, uh, just to make sure. Next one is launch. so bad ah Did you just yawn in regards to my boring joke? it did Most times. Yeah. Just like a long, every time you spit speak and it's like one of your jokes, I just let out a really long sigh. Just like, uh,
00:09:01
Speaker
That's the best reaction ever. like you don't expect to You don't expect your audience to laugh. You expect your audience to cringe. Then there's launch. Following the formal evaluation stage, the project can now be considered for a formal launch. A formal launch. This stage moves the project two til six s aroundm six p r i six and to this time.
00:09:27
Speaker
and formulates the proposed management team, structure, financial, technical, and operational roadmaps. The project is well-evolved with clear plans and direction of travel and an evolving management and support team. That was a mouthful, and I got one more mouthful to do. And there's funding. Yay, money. This is the final stage and moves the project to more acronyms, SRM 7, PRI 9, and BOR 9.
00:09:57
Speaker
The TRL level remains at TRL 6 as the further development of TRL cannot be achieved. TRL 6 is the maximum. It cannot be achieved further without a commercial plan and
NFTs in Intellectual Property Security
00:10:10
Speaker
investment. At this stage, a full business plan including all financials, management team and key goals are clearly understood and the level, timing and type of investment required is documented. The project is now ready to secure its investment.
00:10:23
Speaker
And so all of that process is to go from valuation to funding, from a entering to getting money. And the next one, maintain security at all times. So obviously, maintaining security at all times is very important. So let's say like an idea comes on. You wouldn't want to be insecure. Yeah, you you wouldn't want an insecure idea. That sucks.
00:10:46
Speaker
um what So, let's say obviously an idea of innovation comes through on the PIPE platform, um does not disclose the inventive step. Instead, the IP is moved to a digital vault and project ah protected within a dynamic non-fungible token, also known as an NFT. ah This allows for fast... What's that word? Fastestmile?
00:11:14
Speaker
Faximal of the underlying IP to be created that can reviewed out ah be reviewed at arm's length in the same way the due diligence is carried out in M and A processes.
00:11:29
Speaker
This secures the IP for future patent and it allows the IP to evolve commercially at the same time. This means that the TTO or commercial team does not need to rush to protect IP and or patent before understanding the commercial value of preventing the researcher slash academic from publishing within a reasonable time frame.
00:11:52
Speaker
and activities can instead progress down both blue and green paths as shown here. So we've got a couple graphs. um So you've got both routes with one route going research team and then it'll go to them doing a draft paper, then a peer review. then a decision and then published the paper and they'll get ranking points for university and slash all funding or yeah research team to the TTO pathway and commercial potential positive assessment decision and then a commercial agreement. And though while I will pretend to understand how ah this whole legal thing with IPs and the technology thing works,
00:12:35
Speaker
um It is certainly a complicated process and to be able to be flexible ah in regards to how the legal and the IP in interact with the disclosure process is actually a big thing. The next section is associates supported by PAP associates who are experts in specific technical fields, business and finance.
00:13:00
Speaker
Associates is one of those things that we, well, affiliates is one of those things we talk about in our commercials, but associates. PIPE associates have domain, technical, business, and finance experience and skills relevant to the project's core requirements and provide their time and expertise through the PIPE platform to help divide define and deliver the project's overall success.
Expertise and Guidance from PIPE Associates
00:13:20
Speaker
Associates can work with more than one project, obviously, build a portfolio career, it's ah good to ah for any further a job prospects and support our early stage academic teams to deliver. PIPE associates are, and there's a list, certified, security cleared and and committed, able to join your team in senior roles, awarded by PIPE through equity, provided by PIPE through equity, ah provide empirical evidence and guidance and trusted. The last words.
00:13:57
Speaker
at the very important port. And the just to give a few examples of ah some of the projects that have come through, at least to the initial stage, and that we've published their initial names for it. The first one is Metamaterials manufacturer. By the way, this is at launchpad.thepipechital.io.
00:14:22
Speaker
And then you can find, we have four, five, six, seven, it's eight projects currently published. First one is metamaterials manufacturer, bio-manufacturing electromagnetic materials, AKA EM, and scale-up process. ah So to describe the image that I see here, it looks like you know when you see microchips being ah but a commercial where they show all the small parts in ah microchips, like layer by layer.
00:14:51
Speaker
ah That kind of looks like that. Also, it's paul maybe it's a solar panel. But to yeah, we don't know too many details about it. But the description says, bend light with DNA. You can use your DNA to bend light. Well, not really. But that's what I'm reading. At least that's the thumbnail. BioMetamaterials unlock nanotech possibilities. Nanotech.
00:15:19
Speaker
I'm imagining those nanobots that a move like a swarm for diverse fields like defense, construction, and green energy. So this thing actually looks like a solar panel to me. So green energy is obvious. ah Construction, yeah, because it's solar panel. And defense, that's I would love to read more about how it would be relevant to defense, I guess. ah The statement describes the by manufacturing of electromagnetic materials using DNA origami scaffolds.
00:15:50
Speaker
I've done a few origami in my time, back when I was like 12, as a school project. These scaffolds are combined with metals to create specific shapes that can generate electromagnetic responses. Electromagnetic responses, yes, yes, I know that word. The technology allows for the production of artificial materials with tailored physical properties, which can control manipulated transmission, reflection, and absorption of light.
00:16:14
Speaker
So yeah, I'm not going to read any further, but yeah, it has to do everything with the light. And you can use it even for defending your country. I guess that's what meant by defense. Next one is sizing. Sizing, it's a sensor device that allows the detection of seismic waves through a wide range of frequencies capable of communicating data signals in real time. So it's essentially, as described here, an Earthcake whisperer. Earthcake.
00:16:44
Speaker
earthquake whisperer sorry earthquake I'm starving it's when you it's when the people ah throw you in the mud and then start kicking you with earth did that happen to you a lot no but I'm imagining it and I think that would would have been fun so long as it's you know mutual oh yeah don't worry lads I'll just get on the floor and let you kick mud at me ah home That's the thing. So it's an earthquake whisperer. I'm D, I have natural materials in UPM. So they've collected, collaborated to create a sensor device that can de detect various types of seismic waves and transmit data signals in real time. So the device has a unique geometric feature that enables it to detect and differentiate seismic waves in all three spatial dimensions.
00:17:36
Speaker
which is very cool. Covering larger frequency intervals than existing devices, it can measure physical properties of seismic waves, including velocity, acceleration, strength, displacement, and frequency, allowing for a comprehensive characterization.
00:17:52
Speaker
The device is made from a variety of materials in suit, different applications such as high heat and flame resistance for volcanoes, high pressure and corrosion resistance for underwater environments and high humanitarian environments. Additionally, the device functions as a short-range wireless transmitter for real-time data communication. It's very cool.
00:18:15
Speaker
Yeah, there are there have been a lot of those things in my geography classes. ah There's a trying to detect flooding, trying to detect the weather, and we know how well they are at detecting the weather. Might as well flip a coin. yeah You know, maybe at this time that would actually be useful.
00:18:33
Speaker
Yeah, well, I think especially now, obviously, because um there's all sorts of weather. Well, look, specifically a huge hurricane in America. There's going to be a hurricane in the UK where I am soon. and yeah Fun fact, if you detect the seismic waves, you can also also predict like tsunamis and even hurricanes because they all because the earthquake doesn't only happen on land. it That also happens in the ocean. And that's what actually triggers a all lot of those disasters.
00:19:03
Speaker
Yeah, the next one is a microfluidic device to investigate the effect of compressive stresses on non adherent cells.
Innovations in Stem Cell and Energy Solutions
00:19:13
Speaker
Okay, there's a better description for it tiny gym for blood stem cells.
00:19:19
Speaker
and I'm just imagining like ah I once saw an animal where your whole body became like this world where the stem cells are the characters, but blood cells are the characters rather. and not Not only blood cells, but cells in general. And I'm just imagining a them input might have like a gym inside the body. Although I guess the gym is ah it's externally funded this time.
00:19:44
Speaker
This device tests the strength and function, aiding better therapies and research. Physical therapies, I would assume. Although ah I guess there are other the therapies too related to cells and stuff. Invention is a microfluidic device. Microfluidic. I would never think of a fluid as microfluid.
00:20:07
Speaker
I guess it's like ah it's ah like a micro drop, like there's there are drops of fluid and there are micro drops of fluid or something that can measure compressive stresses on blood stem and progenitor cells and assess their functional capacity. The device can be used to improve protocols for expanding blood stem cells outside of the body. Expanding blood stem cells outside of the body, that's quite the thing to do. This is also adaptable for use with other non-adherent cells.
00:20:35
Speaker
If only I knew what non-adherent cells actually mean. The device captures and immobilizes a heterogeneous cell population, applies mechanical stress through sheer rate, and the controlled compression, and allows for downstream biological assays, and yeah so on.
00:20:53
Speaker
and Let's i move on to the next one before I completely make a fool of myself. um This one I know actually a little bit about because I remember um talking about this when it was coming on. So it's basically ah for electric cars, boosting system enhancers, driving range up to by 70%,
00:21:13
Speaker
ah so the e-thermal bank it's a innovative energy solution that utilizes electricity um for high-density theo-mechanical system generating heat and cooling through reversible carrie chemist for shit i got yeah noco i'd say that um It offers versatile storage options and can be conveniently charged using ah existing EV battery infrastructure. so Basically, it's just a much better battery for electric cars. It's much more efficient. It can boost driving range up by 70%, which is already a lot.
00:21:49
Speaker
um it's just Yeah, it could completely it could improve electric cars and their life dramatically. Yeah, for the fact, it's not only like electric vehicles. it's ah also It can also be applied to buildings to make better installation. Like in Spain, ah like and one of the common ways to insulate ah a building is to have double ah window.
00:22:20
Speaker
like layer. So there's a vacuum in between the two layers of glass. That's ah one of the ways to actually make it better. I don't use it in Spain, but like in colder countries, I don't know if in UK, but like in colder countries, it's very common. Like you can't we really live without it. Otherwise you lose too much heat. The next is the tooth fairy stem cells and they're growing your child's teeth. And it's not only the teeth.
00:22:44
Speaker
The statement outlines the significant potential of dental stem cells in regenerative medicine within the next 10-15 years. So ah you take your milk tooth, and and or maybe more than one, and you make ah you store it and use it for later. The stem cell banking market is projected to grow substantially with the The sedish, sedition seditious teeth, milk teeth being a promising source of stem cells due to ease of collection and low risk of rejection.
00:23:16
Speaker
yeah low risk of rejection because it's technically it came from your body. Tooth for Life ah plans to derive revenue through subscription payments and ah from customers for processing, storage, and the treatment to release fees. Additionally, the company aims to generate income from selling surplus stem cells to the research and pharmacite pharmaceutical sectors.
00:23:40
Speaker
So ah I think everyone is aware that whenever you swap your cheek to for the Ancestry test, they actually keep it. and don't know what they do with it. But I think it's a common knowledge that whatever you donate, yeah they they actually can keep it. So do keep it in mind with donors receiving royalties. So in this case, the donors actually do receive part of the income. ah The use of stem cells in personalized medicine could lead to long term cost savings for health care systems by optimizing treatments and improving outcomes for chronic diseases.
00:24:11
Speaker
ah It does apply to something like a spine because it's also a bone. So ah that is one of the most common chronic diseases. The availability of surplus high-quality stem cells from Tooth for Life offers researchers the opportunity to develop better drugs and treatments. So this is an application of Metabolix to complex congenital heart disease. It's revolutionizing pediatric and rural heart disease care through micro-sampling and Metabolix.
00:24:39
Speaker
So basically what they do, ah it's a research project focused on using refining metabolic methodologies for complex congenital heart disease, specifically a perioperative investigation of fun time disease. I'm not too sure if I'm saying that right.
00:24:56
Speaker
ah The team is collaborating with clinicians and incentivists to plan sample collections and is exploring the use of commercially available blood micro-sampling devices to reduce patient burden. The goal is to unlock metabolic pathway information to facilitate earlier medical intervention.
00:25:14
Speaker
The work stands out due to multidisciplinary, blising multidisciplinary ah yeah, team of analysts, chemists, chemotricians, and clinicians, as well as the focus of improving patient experience, enhancing accessibility to healthcare, care enabling earlier detection and invention, and improving monitoring and managing heart conditions.
00:25:43
Speaker
Yeah, you sound like someone who knows what he is doing. Exactly. yeah And I believe the key word here is a what's what's it ah rural heart disease care, because in many of those cases, they are quite far away with to the near hospital nearest hospital. like They would have to like go to town or somewhere. So ah yeah, that's ah actually very important, because they the they don't they don't have like the ambulance five minutes away from them in case something happens. Next one is cyber security threat detection in application activity.
Detecting Threats and Seizure Prevention with Technology
00:26:22
Speaker
The statement discusses the development of unsupervised multi-model called nets-packer-sentinel for identifying threats hidden within benign applications activity. So just a little bit of an introduction. I know a little bit of cyber security, not too much.
00:26:37
Speaker
ah The most common hacks happen in in either two methods. One is human factor. So you are trying to convince someone to hand over his password. Or two, you're not trying to crack the the code or the security layer. What you're trying to do instead is ah do a DDoS, which is like when you spam the network and stop ah the server from working from too much spam.
00:27:03
Speaker
And you accomplish that with what's called a botnet. So ah you have a lot of many different computers who start spamming all at once. And that's ah what what it refers to identifying threats within benign applications activities. Benign application activities, as in when you download an application, it doesn't harm you, but it recruits your PC in order to attack someone else.
00:27:29
Speaker
utilizing continuous time, hidden Markov model, and time series decomposition to uncover hidden patterns in the system network logs, and then scan effectively. And ah I think you get the idea. There are a lot of words here that ah that mean some protocols and logs and types of attacks. And yeah. And we have a last one.
00:27:50
Speaker
Yes, is so and we have a dose on demand, which is an automated seizure prediction and prevention. um It's essentially a device that's being developed that utilizes nano sensor technology to detect heart rate variability, ah or ah also known as HRV, as a biomarker for epileptic seizures. This device consists of two components, one to detect HRV and send a signal, and the other to release an anti-peleptic drug um to prevent seizure seizures before they occur. The device includes a HRV-sensitive
00:28:31
Speaker
hydrogel micro needle patch with a loading dose of the drug for immediate release and electro-responsive nanoparticles for controlled release. The aim is to improve seizure control and enhance the quality of life for individuals ah with epilepsy by providing proactive and automated intervention.
00:28:54
Speaker
This project integrates various disciplines such as health science, engineering, artificial intelligence, and material sciences to optimize patient care. Yes, so just to ah yes reiterate, it's automated seizure prediction and prevention device. I don't know how it would prevent it.
00:29:15
Speaker
But I guess we can find out. ah You can, by the way, ah watch ah come and check out all of those projects over at launchpad.the5.io and tweet for yourself. If you dig around a little bit more and go to lab2ipo.com, you can even maybe potentially find out more about those by signing in NDA and potentially maybe even get involved with some of them. And that will be it for this episode. Yay.
00:29:42
Speaker
We already have power. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time, everyone. Enjoy.