An intellectual property operation platform for smart healthcare was recently established at the Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park, to promote cross-border IP trading services between local companies and overseas high-end technology transfer agencies, research institutions and businesses.

The iHealthIP.com platform, jointly launched by Shanghai Cobio Smarter Healthcare Technology and the Shanghai Pudong Biomedicine Industry Association, is the first service platform to combine patents, trademarks and copyrights in a specialized field in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

"IHealthIP.com will focus on IP operation, management, trading and comprehensive service in the field of smart healthcare," said Zhu Renming, president of Cobio. "It also creates a new model that integrates a series of online and offline innovative services, such as IP trading, assessment, membership services, big data and IP financing.

"This will help create more new technologies and business value during IP trading, and also encourage domestic smart medical businesses to transform and upgrade," said Zhu.

The platform has already established strategic cooperation agreements with technology transfer bodies in the United States, France, Belgium and Israel.

In one such instance, a biotechnology lab in France has developed a bio-enzyme chip that can help evaluate the effectiveness of hemodialysis through real-time monitoring of the blood being pumped and filtered. The new technology will benefit a large number of patients with kidney failure who need regular hemodialysis.

Zhongxing Biomedicine Industry has signed an agreement with the French laboratory to jointly develop the technology, in the first Sino-French IP cooperation project launched via the platform.

Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly apply for patents in China, carry out secondary development and clinical trials, and also jointly share the IP right of such technology globally, according to Wu Yemin, an executive with Zhongxing Biomedicine.

"Based on such technology, we could further develop more things, such as remote healthcare, personalized precision healthcare and the integration of big data on dialysis and application development for kidney diseases," Wu said.

Wu said carrying out technology secondary development and cross-border science cooperation is very meaningful for domestic businesses.

"Previously, domestic enterprises had a problem that there was no such industry transfer platform," Wu said. "But now, the platform allows them to introduce overseas technology and carry out further development.

"Meanwhile, our good results can be sent to overseas countries," Wu said.

Industry insiders said the platform would provide the motivation for the city to build itself into a science and technology center with global influence.

Haggai Ravid, CEO of Cukierman & Co Investment House, which is headquartered in Israel, said the secret to Israel's biomedicine innovation resides in a number of factors, such as venture capital, intellectual property protection and cross-border transactions.

Statistics shows that Israel ranks first in the world in terms of per capita patent ownership in the area of healthcare, according to Shanghai newspaper Wenhui Daily.

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/30/2015 page17)