Prior to the invention of the Palmaz Stent, blockage recurred in approximately 40 percent of patients who underwent the angioplasty procedure. The university is very active in regional economic development. Mr. Ruben Lopez, manager of technology development and marketing, has been working closely with Technology Advocates of San Antonio to create the 'Heart of Innovation' poster showcasing bioscience and high-tech companies in the area. The eight patents issued to Health Science Center inventors during the reporting period included a new system for evaluating articular cartilage, the material that cushions bones in joints, and a bone prosthesis that includes a system to enhance bone growth into the prosthesis after surgery. Another patent protected findings associated with Trichomonas Vaginalis , a protozoan parasite that causes the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis.
Technology transfer begins with research hypotheses, experiments and findings.
In time, an inventor may be ready to apply for a patent on a new technology, treatment or application. The Health Science Center assists inventors with patenting their ideas and with licensing the new advances to companies for product development. All licensing agreements go through the university's Office of Intellectual Property Administration, which serves the medical, dental, graduate, nursing and allied health schools. The bulk of the Health Science Center's licensing income comes from the Palmaz Stent, an invention patented by Dr. Julio C. Palmaz of the Department of Radiology. The Palmaz Stent was patented in 1988.