The Heart Institute of Spokane and the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute have reached an agreement entitling SIRTI to promote the Heart Institutes research.


The agreement allows the Heart Institute to transform intellectual property into functional products through SIRTIs services, says Bill Isgrigg, the Heart Institutes administrator for research.


This expands our capability to not just discover something, but get it to a point that its actually useable to the public, he says.


The Heart Institute has obtained two provisional patents for research that SIRTI is evaluating for market potential, says Patrick Tam, SIRTIs executive director. One patent covers research that indicates circulating amino acids and high glucose levels over an extended time damage blood vessels and cause diabetic and kidney complications. The other patent covers methods of identifying and preventing that damage.


If SIRTI determines the Heart Institutes research has commercial potential, it will begin conducting market research and drafting business plans to take advantage of that potential, Tam says. SIRTI also will advise the Heart Institute how much to charge third parties for licensing the technology.


At least one company already has shown interest in the research, Tam says.


The marketing of innovations such as the Hearts Institutes research could bolster the Inland Northwest economy, Tam says.


Its important for the region to commercialize inventions being completed in research institutions here that can result in more economic activity, he says.


SIRTI will receive a small percentage of any proceeds resulting from the sale of the Heart Institutes intellectual property after patent expenses have been recovered, Isgrigg says.


Under the nonexclusive agreement, the Heart Institute board must approve SIRTIs business and marketing plans for specific inventions or research before commercialization efforts proceed. Heart Institute and SIRTI representatives would negotiate jointly with potential investors.


SIRTI can reject any proposal and recommend further research or changes, but the Heart Institute will be free to seek commercialization services elsewhere if its researchers still think intellectual property has commercial potential.


Collaborating with SIRTI will help the Heart Institute develop more products that people might need, he asserts.


If we didnt have this agreement, we could go along discovering things and having success, but wouldnt really be successful because the information would stay in the lab books and not help anyone, Isgrigg says.


Tam says he expects the agreement to serve as a model of how SIRTI can commercialize research institutions innovations. SIRTI is working to reach a similar agreement with Washington State University, he says.


Isgrigg says the agreement will continue as long as the Heart Institute and SIRTI remain well-staffed and capable of fulfilling the contract.