Technological Trends on Candida glabrata Diagnosis through Patent and Literature Analysis

Norma Garcia-Calderon and Daniel Barron-PastorInstituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Mexico

STUDY CASECandida glabrata is a fungal disease prevalent in highlydeveloped countries. The risk of infection increases as thepatient is diabetic, immunosuppressed or is at an ICU. Thus, it isidentified as an intra-hospital disease that causes 50% deathwhen sepsis, implying high socio-economical costs. The averagedetection time actually is of about 155 hours, and the fungusresists the most common antifungal agents. Therefore, morecost effective, specific and rapid detection is required by NIH.This work is focused on the study of technological trends onCandida glabrata detection. Patent and literature databaseswere developed using different Boolean keyword searchapproaches, for selecting those patent and scientific articlesspecifically related to detection and diagnosis methods onCandida glabrata. Said documents were filtered and classifiedaccording to the type of detection strategy(immunologic, molecular, etc.) and upon time.Afterwards, specific kinds of methodologies (culturemedia, ELISA, PCR, RT-PCR, etc.) were pointed out, includingspecific protein or nucleotide sequences related to eachdocument. Our analysis allowed us to detect whichmethods, proteins or genes are the most protected and studiedand the different actors upon time, involved in this researchfield.By analyzing both patent and scientific literaturedocuments, the technological trend over diagnosis anddetection of Candida glabrata is provided. This work helped onthe final development of an effective molecular detectionmethod for C. glabrata. Patent applications were filed in severalcountries and still available for partnering or licensing processesfor its commercialization.

IP Operative Procedure

TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS Reduces diagnostic time to 4±2 hours (vs 154±44 reported)

Detects 5 different chromosomic regions of C. glabrata

Sensibility in picograms of DNA

No cross-reaction against other patogens

100% accuracy in 250 clinical tests

TECHNOLOGICAL TRENDAccording to patent analysis, the following genes have been used forC. glabrata and C. albicans diagnosis:

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Hsps

cpn60

ITS

rDNA

PNAsUTRs

IRS

CHS1

beta-tubulin

Genes used for C. glabrata diagnosis

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

microarrays

GGPTase

CaSRFI

Tyr-tRNA

Ileu-tRNAAAR

Trp-tRNA

RBR1-3

TSA1

Genes/techniques used for C. albicans diagnosis

TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONUse of sub-telomeric regions in several chromosomes of C. glabrata

Technology Management Model

PATENT PROTECTIONEPO & Mexican Patent Applications pending.

Available for licencing

CONTACTnorma.garcia AT ipicyt.edu.mx daniel.barron AT ipicyt.edu.mx

Tech trends for R&D-IP efficiencyNovel Tech trends approach method is proposed forincreasing efficiency for increasing patent oriented R&Dand Technology transference from Research centers.Tech trends plus market needs detection and a simple IPoperative procedure could allow to developinventions, potentially transferable in a more efficientway.

Arising from an adapted Tech management model whichrequires to receive projects at different stages ofdevelopment, Tech surveillance evaluate topics ofinterest and could define strategies for increase thespeed and decrease the amount of resources involved ina R&D process, increase possibility of patent grantingand possibilities of technology transference.

R&D efficiency increases when decision makers have themost complete information about the tech, legal andmarket trends and could evaluate potential scenariosand choose the best R&D route.

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