Invention and Business Performance in the Tissue-Engineering Industry

Abstract

Tissue engineering is a young and interdisciplinary scientific discipline but it offers exciting opportunities to improve the quality of health care for hundreds of thousands of patients. Lured by its potential, several start-up companies, pharmaceutical corporations, and medical device enterprises alike are investing heavily in this sector. Invention is a key driver of competition in this sector. In this study, we aim to explain the variation in inventive output across the different firms in the sector. Our major premise is that firms that forge alliances will be able to tap into the expertise of their partners and thus improve their chances of inventive output. We further argue that alliances that enable technology acquisition or learning will enhance the inventive output of firms more than other kinds of alliances. We measure the inventive output of a company by the number of patents filed. On the basis of a preliminary analysis of seven companies, we find support for the hypotheses. We also argue that, to achieve commercial success, firms need to manage time to market (through alliances or otherwise), have a global outlook, nurture their financial resources, and attain critical mass through mergers.

Bioreactor-based roadmap for the translation of tissue engineering strategies into clinical products

“…Last but not least, success of bioreactor-based tissue engineering products will also depend on the acceptance of the proposed paradigms by the involved stakeholders (e.g., surgeons, industry alliance partners [24], investors, health insurance companies), as well as by the general public (i.e., the potential patient population) [25]. In fact, while the availability of therapeutic products has the potential to develop the market, it should not be underestimated that key for their ultimate success will closely depend on the generation of a receptive society, which needs to be educated by appropriate dissemination activities.…”

Industry Perceptions of Barriers to Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine Products in the Uk

“…However, it is important to recognize that companies need to have a global outlook and distribution plan if they are to be successful [24], as the UK market is too small in terms of potential sales volume. Indeed, all of the companies in our study had a global vision.…”

Bottlenecks to clinical translation of direct brain-computer interfaces

“…Scientists seeking to bring a promising neurotechnology from bench to bedside would do well to understand why certain efforts flounder and why others succeed (de Ana et al, 2013 ; Pisano, 2006 ; Galloway, 2007 ; Fletcher and Bourne, 2012 ). Neurotechnology ventures need to involve business experts early (Leuthardt, 2013 ) to ensure they can navigate issues of patents, pricing, reimbursement, and multi-year alliances (Pangarkar and Hutmacher, 2003 ; Bergsland et al, 2014 ). Inventors must recognize the importance of skilled management (Burns et al, 2009 ), and have realistic expectations of how commercialization unfolds (Galloway, 2007 ; Fletcher and Bourne, 2012 ).…”