Dear Finlay and other ACB members,
Needless to say I much appreciate your comments
and entirely agree with your suggestions
As emphasized in my covering note to the summary,
posted to the ACB site on 6th June, I retain no
personal financial interest in the patents,
though following Prof. John Landon's example at
Barts who used to finance many of his colleagues
from the earnings of his farm, I hoped that part
of my supposed share of any royalty income
(determined according to UCL's rules relating to
inventions patented by members of the
staff)'would be used to support my research
group's activities.
But this was some time ago, and following the
dirty work in the US, UCL's anticipated royalty
income has largely vanished, and my research
group's activities have ceased.
So why have I continued to defend the patents?
Essentially because I believe the story should be
prominently revealed as a warning to the UK and
European scientific communities of what ruthless
US companies and apparently complicit US courts
can do if they are faced by a patent protecting
an extremely valuable foreign invention.
I shall send a note to the ACB president. After
all a microarray is at root a binding assay, and
thus falls squarely within the ACB's area of
interest.
With many thanks for your support,
Roger
>Wider ACB members and Roger Ekins
>
>Apologies for late reply to this; only just read
>it as I haven't been at my desk much lately.
>
>I'm not sure if the ACB has formally or
>informally lobbied on behalf of Roger, but isn't
>there someone on the ACB Council or Scientific
>Committee or whatever who could do so?
>There does seem a trend that everything on the
>planet is driven by American lawyers. There
>seems little incentive to go through all the red
>tape only for the little guy to lose in the end.
>
>Regards to all
>Finlay
>
>Finlay MacKenzie
>NEQAS - Deputy Director and Consultant Clinical Scientist
>
>Tel: +44 (0) 121 414 7300
>Internal: 760047300
>Email: [log in to unmask]
>Web: http://www.uhb.nhs.uk
>
>We're bringing the world's most advanced cancer treatments to Birmingham.
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>
>Healthcare Scientists - University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
>East Wing, Institute of Research and
>Development, Birmingham Research Park, Vincent
>Drive,
>Birmingham, B15 2SQ
>
>
>ð Delivering the best in care
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>Behalf Of Roger Ekins
>Sent: 06 June 2014 15:00
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Patented assay techniques
>
>This is an unusual email insofar as it concerns
>a uniquely important patented technology that
>all ACB members will ultimately use but for
>which they will have to pay.
>
>But most ACB members don't have the time or
>opportunity to conduct research, develop and
>patent new inventions in the field of clinical
>biochemistry, which is a pity.
>
>But since ceasing to provide routine hormone
>assays as one of the original Supraregional
>Assay Service centres (as instructed by the UCL
>provost, who considered that such activity was
>inappropriate in a medical school), I and my
>co-workers have fortunately been able to
>continue studies on the effects of maternal
>hormones on fetal neurological development.
>
>This has demanded the development of assay
>techniques, one or two of which have been
>relevant to clinical biochemists and which I
>have patented on behalf of UCL, primarily to
>protect the IP from foreign exploitation. Note
>that I have rejected any part of the royalties
>deriving from the patents to which I might be
>entitled according to UCL's rules, this element
>of the royalties being devoted to charity.
>
>The attached Bullet document constitutes a brief
>summary of the fate of this patent of which the
>UK and EU scientific communities should be made
>aware as a warning. Also politicians, since it
>is totally useless to train more scientists if
>the government simply allows those scientists'
>inventions to slip through its fingers and to be
>unsupported.
>
>--
>With best regards to all,
>
>Roger Ekins
>
>Prof Roger Ekins, MA(Cantab) PhD DSc FRS
>
>University College London
>
>Phone +44 20 3108 6042
>
>
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>biochemistry.
>Please note, archived messages are public and
>can be viewed via the internet. Views expressed
>are those of the individual and they are
>responsible for all message content.
>ACB Web Site
>http://www.acb.org.uk
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