By Patrice Relerford
Cox Washington Bureau
Published on: 09/21/06

Washington —- Georgia Tech was ranked 11th among more than 100 universities internationally in a study released Wednesday that analyzed their ability to transfer biotechnology research into commercial applications.

“There was a clear dominance of U.S. universities,” said Ross DeVol, director of regional economics for the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based economic think tank and one of the authors of the study. Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked first for biotechnology transfer.

The study examined technology processes around the world, common characteristics of successful commercialization, and the role that university offices of technology transfer play in achieving commercial applications.

The Milken Institute reported that for every $1 invested in staff and operations for such offices, universities receive more than $6 in licensing income. Georgia Tech ranked fourth for actual biotechnology start-ups, and Atlanta ranked ninth among U.S. metro areas for technology transfer. San Jose, Calif., topped that list. Lee Herron, general manager of Georgia Tech’s biosciences center, said every state views biosciences as a reservoir for future economic growth, but cited the development of the center several years ago and the strength of the university’s office of technology transfer as evidence of Georgia’s commitment to the biotech field. “We want these companies to come in, get started, grow, and then get out on their own to make room for someone else,” Herron said.

Herron pointed to the university’s lab facilities as an important factor in encouraging fledgling biotech start-ups to locate to area. He said most start-ups do not have the capital to build facilities from scratch. The Advanced Technology Development Center, an incubator located on Georgia Tech’s campus, has operated a biosciences center for new biotech companies since 2002.

University officials cited CardioMEMS as one of Georgia Tech’s biotech success stories. The company was formed from Georgia Institute of Technology intellectual property and recently won approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market its first commercial product, the EndoSure sensor, an implantable device that measures blood pressure in aneurysm patients.

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