Strategic patent analysis in plant biotechnology: terpenoid indole alkaloid metabolic engineering as a case study.
The do-it-yourself patent search is a useful alternative to professional patent analysis particularly in the context of publicly funded projects where funds for IP activities may be limited. As a case study, we analysed patents related to the engineering of terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA) metabolism in plants. We developed a focused search strategy to remove redundancy and reduce the workload without missing important and relevant patents. This resulted in the identification of approximately 50 key patents associated with TIA metabolic engineering in plants, which could form the basis of a more detailed freedom-to-operate analysis. The structural elements of this search strategy could easily be transferred to other contexts, making it a useful generic model for publicly funded research projects.
Departament de Producció Vegetal I Ciència Forestal (PVCF), Universitat de Lleida-Agrotecnio Center, Lleida, Spain.
Bruna
B
Miralpeix
Maite
M
Sabalza
Richard M
RM
Twyman
Teresa
T
Capell
Paul
P
Christou
D001709:Biotechnology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010330:Patents as Topic; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids / Q000378:metabolism*; D064210:Secondary Metabolism
D010936:Plant Extracts; D046948:Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids
intellectual property; patent search strategy; secondary metabolites