Researchers at institutions within The University of Texas System, including a faculty member at the Health Science Center, have earned UT a spot among the world’s top universities that receive U.S. patents for breakthroughs in medicine and technology.
The UT System was ranked 4th among the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patent Ranking for 2015. The ranking — published by the National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association — uses data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to highlight the important role patents play in advancing university research and innovation. It lists public and private research universities as well as university systems.
Researcher Marc Feldman, M.D., director of research and innovation at UT Health Science Center San Antonio, and other UT colleagues patented a technology to help pacemakers better measure cardiac performance. Their invention is being developed by Admittance Technologies to warn patients and doctors of heart problems and prevent pacemakers from activating prematurely. Early warnings will enable cardiologists to adjust a patient’s medications to avoid hospitalizations and ultimately reduce mortality rates from heart failure.
In 2015, UT researchers from eight academic and six health institutions were granted 191 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. UT patents have been on the rise in recent years, nearly doubling the amount of patents granted last year compared to 2009.
“UT’s high caliber of research benefits our state, nation and the world with technologies that advance humanity and drive economies,” said Julie Goonewardene, UT System’s associate vice chancellor for innovation and strategic investment. “The UT System is committed to helping our researchers succeed by providing them with the key resources to take their patents from the lab to the marketplace.”