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Chirality

Chirality is an important property in pharmaceuticals and is receiving increasing attention in cosmetics. What is it, and what is its significance in these two areas?

Cosmetic Textiles–A New Functionality of Clothes

Cyclodextrins form complexes with a large number of different organic compounds such as cosmetic and pharmaceutical substances. Textile materials with permanently fixed cyclodextrins may act as delivery systems for these compounds. Skin compounds complexed within these cyclodextrins can be released and reloaded, but some problems still have to be solved.

Focus on Technology Transfer—Creativity

We have described technology transfer as the bridge between invention and innovation. Innovation is the process of taking ideas, inventions or concepts to a successful commercial conclusion. The importance of innovation in the U.S. economy was the subject of a recent Thomas Friedman article in the New York Times.1 In Bangalore, India, Friedman asked a Ph.D. economist from a U.S. university how she felt about the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to India. She replied with a story about a man in America who lost his job this way but made a good business of selling T-shirts that complained about losing a job to India, and not getting anything but “this [lousy] T-shirt.” Her comment was “only in America would someone figure out how to profit from his own unemployment.”

Trademarks

Technology licensing is a large and important business activity for those companies and institutions that generate technology. In this column, we always feature technologies available for license, mainly from universities, but many companies, large and small, utilize technology licensing to generate significant income. What is surprising is that technology licensing is not the major segment of the licensing business. According to an article by Weston Anso1 in a Trademark World article, “the corporate trademark/brand licensing segment is now the largest segment of the licensing industry and has had the greatest and most consistent growth over the last decade.” We are all familiar with trademarks as we see them everywhere we are exposed to advertising or branded products. This article will try to provide an understanding of what constitutes a trademark, how you get them and how to value and use them.

Searching for the Cosmeceutical Connection

Cosmeceuticals have numerous mechanisms of action, affecting cellular communication, receptors, barrier function, exfoliation, inflammation, oxidation, pigmentation and photoprotection. Working together, the dermatologist and the cosmetic chemist can find the pathways and the actives to reduce skin aging.

Technology Transfer: Trade Secrets

Trade secrets and patents are very different intellectual properties. You can’t have both on the same invention. A patent gives the owner the right to bar anyone from making, using or selling the subject of the claims in the region where the patents are registered. The patent becomes a public document and, therefore, cannot be a trade secret.

Challenges, Opportunities in Clinical Evaluations of Oral Beauty Supplements

This article discusses oral skin beauty supplements that are being researched and formulated for skin health. The authors present consumer demands and expectations, scientific considerations, clinical challenges, and clinical opportunities for these skin care products.

Open Innovation

Open Innovation. The Internet has become the tool to make this happen. There are at least three companies that are active in trying to find technology solutions from outside the company. Although these 3 have different business models, they all try to link technology needs to technology providers through the Internet. All rely on their ability to contact large numbers of potential solution providers. Will open innovation solve all your growth and technology problems? Not likely, but it is surely a route that is worth trying.

Emerging Technologies and the Future of Cosmetic Science

In this article, the authors look forward to what cosmetic science might be like in the future with what emerging technologies, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and nanotechnology, may offer to the cosmetics industry.

Parting Remarks

This column, “Focus on Technology Transfer,” began in the January 2001 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine. I have had the privilege of writing this quarterly column for five years. In that first issue, I said that the purpose of the column “is to keep the readers of C&T magazine aware of some new and interesting developments that are taking place at research centers around the world.” I hope that you found some leads and were able to develop innovative and interesting products and relationships from the technologies presented in the articles.

Engineering Super Ingredients

Although some debate exists regarding the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMO), there is no doubt that genetic modification has allowed a number of industries to design crops and other resources with new features or added benefits.

Nutricosmetics: Feeding the Skin

This Bench & Beyond column will look at a few of the nutritional ingredients being added to cosmetics to promote the concept of beauty through a healthy body. Both the claims and the claims support (if any) will be discussed. The column will end with a suggestion about where to find the science behind nutricosmetics.

Fruit Fly Gene Mutation Shown to Slow Aging

Researchers at Brown University have found that a mutation in the genetic code of fruit flies dramatically increases their life span; this may be beneficial in humans to delay the aging process.

Researchers Find Hydrocyanine Sensors Allow ROS Imaging In vivo

Research conducted in Georgia reports that a family of sensors based on a hydrocyanine scaffold allows imaging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vivo.

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Scalable Algae Created to Substitute for Petroleum Products

OriginOil Inc. has automated its Helix Bioreactor System, a technology that optimizes algae growth, making large-scale commercial algae production scalable.

Modified Nano-gold Cross-linked to Collagen: New Potential?

Researchers at California State University, Long Beach, investigated collagen gels formed using modified gold nanoparticles, which show some potential for delivery, photo-thermal, imaging and cell targeting applications.

Researchers Switch Stem Cell Production "On"

Scientists at the Imperial College in London have found a way to turn "on" the production of specific adult stem cells in bone marrow, a technique that could boost the body's ability to repair itself.

Fishing for Answers to Alopecia

Men seeking treatment for pattern baldness, a form of androgenic alopecia, often are confronted with both topical preparations and oral supplements. Murphy believes his company’s oral food supplement addresses hair loss both naturally and effectively-via fish.