Commercializing nanomedicine : industrial applications, patents, and ethics

Description

The nanotechnology industry is a fast-growing sector with a huge potential for novel applications and astonishing profits, but it is facing a difficult moment because of the current turmoil and the doubts raised by those calling for a moratorium in research activities as long as the potentially adverse effects of this discipline are not fully ascertained. The book starts with a thorough introduction to nanotechnology and nanomedicine and their funding sources. Once the contours of the subject matter are identified, a scrutiny of the legislation currently applicable to nanotechnology and nanomedicine is carried out together with the examination of the intellectual property rights that can be envisaged to protect and valorize the said innovations. The use of patents and other viable routes are considered, together with the current valuation methods, which show how a quantitative valuation in this field is not conceivable. The study duly considers the monetization of innovations through ordinary and nonconventional solutions like ad hoc initiatives, auctions, and brokerage.