The “Asset”: how to translate, protect and mold it into a commercial venture

Therapeutics and Biomarkers have specificities that drive the translation of an Idea that has been fully vetted to a protected Asset that can be wrapped up into a company. Market analysis around this carried out in a specific way and must take into consideration a particular regulatory environment, medical route to the patients and competitive therapies. How one builds an asset for this within the context of Oxford presents a series of challenges to researchers within the Oxford University environment. To assist with issues of how to position this and a discussion of strategies that researchers need to be aware of and keep in mind in navigating the IP and non-IP ecosphere that the University’s policies present we will have a series of experts in different fields who have assisted entrepreneurs in such endeavors or have themselves been involved in doing so.

* Entrepreneurs who have started companies in Oxford will be on hand to relay their experience and convey the questions to ask and the pitfalls to avoid. These include Professor Len Seymour (PsiOxus), Mike Stein (OxStem). * On the legal side, Fiona Stevens (Gill Jennings) and Bradley Theobald (Theobald Associates and Fieldfisher). * On the market analysis side, the head of UBS Healthcare research and the founder of Akesios have agreed to outline what it takes to understand the markets into which a product will be delivered including the regulatory barriers that need to be taken into consideration.