External Resources

There are numerous resources available to faculty who are interested in intellectual property management, patents and/or start-up companies. A few of these links are provided below.

US PTO Database; WIPO Database

The United States Patent and Trademark Office provides access to issued patents and published patent applications and is an excellent tool to determine whether or not your invention is novel. The World Intellectual Property Database provides access to PCT applications, which are published 18 months after their initial filing. Although the USPTO started publishing most US patent applications (specifically those that are going to be filed internationally) since March 15, 2001, WIPO is the place to find patents that are still at the application stage. The WIPO Database is a little trickier to find and search than the US PTO. Go to the “Search IPDL” and then hit “Guest Access” next to “PCT Electronic Gazette”.

Recombinant Capital

Recombinant Capital – This is a great website for researching the biotechnology industry. Unfortunately, it went to a subscription basis in January 2002. The Office of Technology Transfer subscribes to this database and will be happy to carry out searches for you. Their affiliated on-line magazine, Signals, is still available free and has excellent articles about the biotechnology industry

Massachusetts Secretary of State

The Massachusetts Secretary of State, under its Corporations Division, can provide you with extensive information regarding the establishment and maintenance of a business in Massachusetts.

Martindale-Hubbell

Martindale-Hubbell provides information on the law and access to a large database of lawyers.

SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission is the U.S. government agency designed to protect investors. The SEC requires public companies to disclose meaningful financial and other information to the public, providing a common pool of knowledge for all investors to use to judge for themselves if a company’s securities are a good investment

NASDAQ

The NASDAQ is an electronic stock market that particularly focuses on early stage, high technology companies. It provides a wealth of information on small companies.

Evelexa and Entrepreneur’s Guide to a Biotech Start-Up

Evelexa was founded by Peter Kolchinsky early in 2001 with the goal of streamlining the biotech venture creation process. He has a full-time position with RA Capital Associates, a biotechnology-focused firm investing in public companies.

Dr. Kolchinsky researched and wrote the Entrepreneur’s Guide to a Biotech Startup as an aid to scientists launching biotechnology companies under the auspices of the GSAS Harvard Biotech Club, of which he was a co-founder. This remains a valuable networking resource in the Boston area – interesting meetings and usually free pizza!