More and more cities are considering citywide wireless networks, in order to provide data to city workers, emergency personnel, residents and businesses, anywhere within city limits. For now, however, most people have to depend on their own internet providers or public access to wireless technology offered by various institutions and businesses.

Anyone who knows anything about technology would think that areas of Silicon Valley or other parts of California would be out front in terms of having access to the internet and wireless technology. Afterall, didn't they invent it? But in February 2008, Forbes.com came out with a list of America's most wired cities and the top city wasn't New York or Los Angeles. When a combination of factors was considered, including number of residents with high-speed internet, range of service providers and the availability of public wireless spots, it was the southern city of Atlanta that came out on top.

Where did the top biotech hubs in America rank in this survey? Of the top 20, Seattle was 3rd overall, and San Francisco scored a 4th place finish, although it was the leader in having wireless hotspots. Raleigh, NC was 5th overall and second in terms of the number of companies providing high speed access. Boston was 13th overall but ranked 1st in the percentage of home users with high speed.

Whether you’re a new company seeking startup funding, or an established business negotiating a license agreement, it’s important to know the potential risks and benefits pertaining to the transaction and your IP. A due diligence analysis looks at your patent portfolio from a number of different angles in order to reduce your risks associated IP and eliminate factors that might depreciate its value, in order that full value is assigned in the case of a sale or license agreement.

The first priority of a due diligence analysis is to ensure that individual inventors and the company have established, with the proper paperwork, who owns rights to the technology, underlying development of the technology and within what field of use, geographic territory or other parameters. Secondly, an assessment of the inventor's freedom to operate is performed, determining how the IP can be used without infringing on other third-party patents and applications. An analysis of the strength of your IP will determine whether maximal value is being generated by aligning your business strategy with IP goals…that is, expanding patent protection beyond the invention itself to include methods of creating it and business methods specific to your industry.

Due diligence will also means ensuring you have sufficient evidence, should you wind up in court, to demonstrate that the invention was first discovered by the patent-holders. This means proper maintenance of the laboratory notebook, data banks, publications, etc., that demonstrate the discovery process and development of the invention into a marketable product.

_Source:

Restaino, L. 2006. Understanding Your Patent Portfolio: Reducing risk through due diligence. BioProcess International, 4(9):12-16.

"Biotechnology" is a broad term applied to the use of living organisms for production of foods, biochemicals and medicines, and many households use biotech products in everyday life. However, at present, most funding for biotechnology is spent on biomedicine, and less money is allocated for other areas of industrial biotech. This is obvious to anyone looking for a job in the biotech industry as there are far more jobs at pharmaceutical companies than in bioproducts or biofuels.

I suspect, however, that this is slowly changing over time. Many countries have set some ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gase emissions, and funding for biofuels falls under that agenda.

Biofuels are considered advantagous since they contribute to a closed carbon cycle as opposed to fossil fuels which release new, previously trapped carbon from underground, into the atmosphere. When plants are grown for biofuels, they sequester carbon dioxide from the air, are harvested to make fuel that releases carbon dioxide upon combustion, which is then re-sequestered by new plants, thus balancing the cycle.

While at the BIO conference last week, I made a connection between the drivers for a bio-based society and drivers of food prices. For those who believe that biofuels are the sole drivers of increased food prices I argue that, from what I've seen, we certainly don’t use enough biofuels yet to have made such an impact.

It is probable that recent jumps in food prices are due to a combination of several factors, not the least of which is the gigantic rise in fuel prices we’ve seen this year. This has been impacted also by increasing demand in China, India and Russia for fuels, a driver for developing additional non-petroleum based fuel sources.

Also notable is that increased demand in eastern countries for meat is partly to blame for elevations in corn prices as it generates a high demand and competition for corn-based feeds.

As for the rice shortage and elevated costs, there are other environmental or economic factors involved, since rice isn't used to produce biofuels at the present time.

Four main drivers are leading believers in biofuels to push for more funding and research in this area of biotechnology. These drivers are:

1. Rising crude oil prices.
2. Growth in China, India and Russia increasing demand for fuels.
3. Increasing environmental awareness and concerns among the public, driving the desire for a sustainable lifestyle.
4. Technology developments (such as methods for enzyme optimization) that allow for discovery, innovation and growth of the biofuels industry.

There is a lot of controversy over the development of biofuels and their so-called impact on global food prices. At the BIO World Congress last week I listened to a number of presentations on biofuels and am happy to see the considerable progress being made in phase 2, or second generation biofuels. Second generation fuels are the products of cellulosic processes that utilize grasses and other non-food starting materials.

Although some opponents of biofuels argue that, although the crops are not something that could be designated for consumption, valuable, fertile land is being diverted to grow them, keep in mind that switchgrass and other grasses can be grown on land that is less rich and not suitable for other crops, in addition to being a suitable intermediate crop for field rotation.

During this morning's session on White Biotechnology (From Building Blocks to Bioterials) at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing, Marcel Wubbolts of DSM summarized the following hurdles that present a challenge to companies seeking global acceptance in the marketing of bioproducts.

1. The transition from petroleum to bio-based fuels and other products is complex. For example vehicle and machinery adaptations may be required, and convincing the public to make the change may limit initial market gains.
2. Although 2nd generation biofuels have considerably greater potential for solving our energy problems than 1st generation (i.e. corn-based) products, 2nd generation biorefineries are, as yet, an unknown. There is definitely still less efficient use of feedstock and additional factors in how the refineries will be designed, built and operated remain to be determined, but we are making progress in 2nd generation biofuels development every day.
3. Land and water are needed for providing feedstock. Land use limitations might need to be overcome in order to provide adequate supplies of desirable crops.
4. The food versus fuel debate. Bad publicity spawns public resistance and those who are convinced that rising food prices are due to diversion of crops and land to bioproducts will choose to reject biofuels and other bioproducts.

In the words of Oliver Peoples of Metabolix, also presenting at that session, "Environmental responsibility IS, in fact, a trend of major brands". We can only hope that the as bioproducts companies remain focused on sustainability, that message becomes clears and gains the support of our global society.

George Washington Carver was a pioneer of industrial biotechnology. He lived in an era before we had any information on gene cloning, or had even conceived of the idea to sequence the human genome. Despite this, he was well ahead of his time in his vision of sustainable agriculture and the use of bioproducts for everyday consumer products.

This distinguished scientist was raised in poverty but obtained a graduate degree in botany and taught sustainable farming. He was described by his superiors as a brilliant scientist. He developed over 300 industrial uses for various crops including dyes, cosmetics, plastics, glue, soaps and medicines.

It is most appropriate that BIO now has an award in the name of this fascinating man, for innovators and leaders in industrial biotechnology.

You can see a short video on Carver on You Tube. Read more about George Washington Carver on About.com.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is holding its 5th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing this week in Chicago, Illinois and I am pleased to say I'm attending. So far I've made it through the first exciting day, completely overwhelmed with information from the excellent presentations and exhibits.

The meeting is focused on industrial biotechnology as opposed to biomedical/pharmaceutical technology and it's interesting to see the vast variety of work being done in these other areas (agricultural and environmental biology, bioproducts and biofuels). Many of the plenary sessions deal with political, ethical and economics issues pertaining to the biotech industry, with presentations by venture investors, and CEOs of successful companies, who have "been there - done that" in terms of funding startups and making successful business plans. Huge emphasis is being placed on sustainability and global health. The first George Washington Carver award was presented Monday to Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, Inc. who said that while the popular press would lead the public to believe there is no hope, the mission of the biotech industry IS to make the world a better place and that's why he loves his industry. I agree.

That's why I love biotech also, and I'm glad to be here to renew my enthusiasm for this field of science. There's so much for me to learn about and cover on the About.com site so keep checking back regularly over the next few weeks as I process it all and publish my interviews, reviews and update you on groundbreaking news!

My previous entry on quality control resources at Westgard QC mentions accreditation given for participation in courses, for PACE and ACCENT. This is important for people who must document their continuing education activities and provide evidence to various organizations in order to maintain licenses or professional certifications.

PACE (Professional Acknowledgement for Continuing Education) credits are acknowledged by the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). Courses that are accredited by ASCLS for PACE credits are also widely recognized by organizations such as American Medical Technologists (AMT), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and National Credentialing Agency for Clinical Laboratory Personnel (NCA).

The ACCENT accreditation program (Advances in Clinical Chemistry Education and New Technology) by the AACC (American Association for Clinical Chemistry) is a means of documenting continuing education by taking accredited courses or reading accredited material, including articles by the AACC that are available online. Documentation can be used to comply with the requirements of various organizations including the American Association of Bioanalysts, American Society of Microbiology, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, American Medical Technologists, Association of Clinical Scientists, International Federation of Clinical Chemistry, National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel, National Registry in Clinical Chemistry, and the States of California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.