Situation: European Company obtained interesting results through sponsored research with an academic institution. However, the compounds tested were well known in the public domain and before committing to a new line of investigation the CEO wanted to understand whether the novel use would be patentable.

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Solution:  Zebra performed a literature and patent search for prior art and provided a report that highlighted direct and indirect links of the class of compounds and mechanism of action to the potential novel indication. As a result, the Company decided to continue the project and asked Zebra to draft a patent application. A provisional patent application was drafted by Zebra and filed as US provisional application through our strategic partner.  A set of experiments needed for filling in the gaps and perfecting the application at the international stage was discussed with the scientists. Twelve months later, an International patent application was filed based on the priority and including the new data.

 

Value: Based on the critical review of the field, the client committed to a new project fully aware of its value as well as limitations. Furthermore, ideas for new proof of concept experiment s as well as further compounds to be tested stemmed from the discussion around the background art.
Having full knowledge of the patentability of the new project, a patent application was drafted in a short time, and at a reduced cost.
Zebra was able to interact critically with the scientific team to direct the experimental planning and obtain data critical for successful patentability.