"And here, the at-risk grants put in a very good showing, with just over half of the patents citing at least one at-risk grant. Note that many grants will have citations from both categories; to get a better sense, the researchers looked for patents where at least a quarter of the papers cited arose from NIH-funded research. For any grant, that number was a bit over 35 percent; for at-risk grants, it was about 12 percent."
""We excluded a wide range of important medical advances that may also build on NIH-funded research," the researchers acknowledge. "These include vaccines, gene and cell therapies, and other biologic drugs; diagnostic technologies and medical devices; as well as innovations in medical procedures, patient care practices, and surgical techniques." Beyond the obvious implications for public health, these sorts of patents can result in lots of economic activity, including the launching of entirely new businesses."
Nearly 60 percent of patents cite NIH-funded research, and just over half cite at least one at-risk NIH grant. Many grants receive citations in both categories; patents where at least a quarter of cited papers came from NIH-funded research occur for a bit over 35 percent of grants and about 12 percent for at-risk grants. Approved drugs relying on at-risk research include cancer treatments and therapies for genetic disorders, indicating substantial public-health benefits. Funding data ending in 2007 likely understates the impact. Excluded innovations such as vaccines, gene and cell therapies, diagnostics, devices, and care practices further undercount downstream effects and economic activity.
Read at Ars Technica
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