That's where the University's technology transfer office comes into play. Director Todd Sherer helps University scientists and others patent their inventions. And the expectation is that we'll make these investments, and one out of every so many will return money to the university. The money generated by the inventions brings more dollars back to the university than is spent. Although Keana holds bragging rights to the most patents at the University, his inventions are just a few of many.
Most patents involve discoveries in the sciences but others include computer patents.
A height-adjustable dorm bed is a University invention that continues to generate money annually. As for Keana, his inventions have generated relatively modest amounts of revenue. That money has come in the form of royalties from biochemical companies interested in selling radioactive versions of his drugs as pharmacological tools. Very few patents earn money, but you have to have a lot of them because you never know which ones will make it. Presently both Cerestat and Acea 1021 are on clinical hold, stuck in the complicated testing process that takes many years.