Pharma giantNew Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) Fooya! founder and inventor of'digital vaccine' technology Bhargav Sri Prakash has run intoa trademark war with USD 5-billion pharma giant ModernaTherapeutics.
Moderna has filed for the 'digital vaccines' trademarkand the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is opening upthe case for public comment tomorrow.
Talking to PTI, Silicon Valley-based Sri Prakash claimedthat he submitted an abstract proposal in November 2016 andmade a presentation at the Stanford University School ofMedicines' Stanford Medicine X Conference on April 22 thisyear.
Moderna filed for exclusive access to 'digital vaccines'trademark a month after Sri Prakash submitted the abstract.
The Boston-based firm's first bid to patent 'digitalvaccines' was rejected by the trademark attorney who citedpublications on the subject by Sri Prakash's FriendsLearn,among other information.
Moderna then filed an appeal and USPTO has now agreed topublish the firm's bid on December 26 in a gazette for publicopinion.
'Digital vaccine' expands the definition of a standardinjected vaccine. It works by inducing targeted neuralactivity that activates the brain to induce behaviours toreduce risk.
"We use the same evidence backed rigour of science thatan injected vaccine is subject to - to prove efficacy," SriPrakash said.
Sri Prakash, 41, says he will challenge the Boston-basedbiotechnology startup Moderna Therapeutics for the patent.
Supporting the challenge is Stanford MedX, the world'smost-discussed academic medical conference - the genesis ofthe current flashpoint.
"The concept of digital vaccines developed through ascientifically rigorous and evidence backed life science-basedapproach by the author (Sri Prakash) and his team on April 22,2017, was very well received by the reviewers.
"The possibility of the exclusive ownership of thetrademark rights to Digital Vaccines may undermine thescientific progress and research focused development of thisemerging field," Stanford University has said in a letterreviewed by PTI.
Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon have sent lettersto USPTO batting for Sri Prakash.
"Our position is in favour of keeping 'digital vaccines'as an emerging field of science or a subcategory of vaccines,"says Sri Prakash.
On his part, Sri Prakash walked away from a string ofventures, including a hedge fund to launch FriendsLearn, andhe fears that big pharma's assertion of exclusive rights overthe young field of 'digital vaccines' will crowd out upcomingstartups like his.
His company, FriendsLearn, is a self-funded Indianstartup behind the medical app, Fooya!. The app,scientifically validated by global medical institutions, helpschildren make better food choices via immersive gaming. PTIANZBAL.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.