Roswell Park is expanding its research focus to develop a full Technology Transfer Department at the Institute. Dr. Richard Matner joined the team to expand the possibilities. As Director of Technology Transfer and Commercial Development at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), Matner identifies discoveries that have commercial potential and markets that potential to prospective business partners. With a PhD in molecular biology, an MBA, and 21 years of experience in life science research and business development, Matner has the right combination of academic and professional experience to bridge the worlds of science and commerce. He came to RPCI from the 3M Corporation in November 2005.

"Most research at Roswell Park focuses on cancer," reflects Dr. Richard Matner, "and out of that research will come inventions that are useful to the world as a whole. Commercialization can be hugely beneficial to Roswell Park. Traditionally, an institute like ours patents its research results and then licenses the patents to someone else-a pharmaceutical company, for example-which then manufactures and sells a product that's based on the patent. The company takes the lion's share of the profits, and the institute receives a five percent royalty. But there are alternatives that are more valuable to the institute than licensing. If you can commercialize an invention yourself, you can achieve a much better financial return-about 28 percent instead of five percent - for your research results."

These proposed profits would be used to support other RPCI research.  This would solidify research efforts because it could be used to cover funding gaps or to offer seed money for development on early-stage research.

"Research funding from government grants is looking especially bleak for 2007. Budget cuts have been proposed that would take $40 million from the NCI and millions more from the cancer-related budgets of the Centers for Disease Control. That means there will be even stiffer competition for whatever funds are left for cancer research. Maximizing profits on RPCI discoveries makes us less dependent on unreliable government funding and helps to ensure that important research projects will not come to an end because of cuts in government grants" continued Dr. Matner.

To learn more about technology transfer at Roswell Park, visit this page and look for the next issue of Roswellness coming in November.