Three College of Pharmacy members were issued patents for their work in 2018.
Mary Ray, assistant dean for academic affairs for the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, was issued a U.S. patent for a software product called NewView. NewView is a course syllabus and curriculum mapping tool. The online software is designed to produce standardized syllabi with integrated curriculum mapping at the time of creation, and re-mapping with syllabus modification. This tool provides a standardized PDF syllabus, templated text for required elements, and linkage of course objectives to learning outcomes and assessment methods. These elements also facilitate customizable course and curriculum mapping reports.
Dave Roman, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, was issued a patent titled “Treating Alcohol-Mediated Disorders by Inhibition of RGS6”. This patent is the result of collaborative work between the lab of Rory Fisher in the Department of Pharmacology at the Carver College of Medicine, and Roman’s lab in the College of Pharmacy. The focus is on novel chemical structures discovered through the UI High Throughput Screening Center (UIHTS) that inhibit the protein called “Regulator of G protein Signaling (RGS) 6”. This protein has been shown to be important in the mediation of alcohol-seeking behavior and pathological responses to alcohol. These molecules may provide the basis for future therapeutics in the area of alcoholism.
Zhendong Jin, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, was also issued a patent (Japan), for therapeutic compounds.
This year, the UI was ranked for the first time on a list of the top 100 producers of utility patents among higher education institutions worldwide.
