Stony Brook Ranks 20th in the US in Income from Licensed Technology

STONY BROOK, NY - Stony Brook University was ranked 20th among 160 US colleges and universities for generating almost $13 million in royalties from inventions licensed to industry in 2005. The results are based on annual nationwide survey by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), in which Stony Brook has ranked in the Top 20 since 1999. Findings were published this past February in The Chronicle for Higher Education.

"We are proud to play a leadership role in the application of science and engineering technologies for important advancements in medicine and other uses," said Stony Brook President Shirley Strum Kenny. "Royalty funds are re-invested in the research engine that produced these discoveries, a critical supplement to the State resources to keep New York at the forefront."

Stony Brook's total of $12,583,095 million ranked higher than Johns Hopkins ($12.3M), the University of Georgia ($11.3M) and the California Institute of Technology ($10.2M). The university was slightly behind the University of Michigan , with $16.7 million in royalties. Stony Brook's revenue also accounted for the majority of the $13.5 million total generated by SUNY where Stony Brook was the only SUNY schools to rank in the Top 20.

Among the inventions and products developed at Stony Brook that contributed to the high ranking of the institution are ReoPro® and Periostat®, the first two drugs developed by a State University of New York institution approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Other inventions included the Yeast 2-Hybrid Sys tem, a molecular genetic tool w hich facilitates the detection of protein-to-protein interactions, critical in drug discoveries.

Developed by Barry Coller, MD, ReoPro® is a blood-clotting agent used with heart patients to treat coronary disease. The drug w has now become the most commonly used treatment for angioplasty patients. The drug accounts for over fourth-fifths of the total ro yalties obtained by Stony Brook through the end of fiscal 2005.

Periostat®, developed by Dr. Lorne Golub, is a drug used to treat periodontal disease by limiting the breakdown of gum and bone tissue. Since its approval by the FDA in 1998, the drug has been used widely in the medical community. New research shows that Periostat® may be useful in treating heart disease, and possibly other illnesses.

According to the AUTM survey, the SUNY Research Foundation reported having 372 active licenses , 35 US patents issued, and 128 new patent applications. More information about the results can be obtained by visiting the AUTM website at www.autm.net.