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The use of decoctions prepared from stem bark to treat neurodegenerative problems is amongst the widespread applications of Ficus religiosa L., a tree of great ethno-medicinal importance in the Indian sub-continent. The stem bark of the tree has been reported to have significant acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (AChEI). Latter is one of the most effective modalities used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The development of any commercial treatment modality for AD from this tree faces serious challenges for sample consistency in terms of quality (being strongly influenced by environmental and developmental stages) and quantity. Hairy root (HR) cultures are an excellent choice for such studies. Since no study has been reported for HR culture systems for F. religiosa , the present study was targeted to develop one. Three different HR lines were induced and cultured on different media. Root extracts, obtained from HRs on different media, were subjected to an AChEI assay to select the best conditions where HRs exerted higher AChEI. The wild-type strain of A. rhizogenes was used to induce hairy roots in different explants. The method of genetic transformation was optimised by changing concentrations of bacterial suspension, acetosyringone and calcium chloride in the infection and co-cultivation medium. The assay for measuring AChEI activity was modified from the assays described by Ellman et al. (1961) and Ingkaninan et al. (2000). These methods recommend the use of IC 50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) value for comparing AChEI activities in different samples. We developed a protocol for induction and long-term maintenance of HR cultures of F. religiosa L. In vitro conditions were optimized where hairy root extracts exerted higher AChEI activity (IC 50 value of 0.16 µg/ml) compared to that in the stem segments of the mother plants (IC 50 value of 0.49 µg/ml). The present work has been granted a patent by the Indian Patent Office, Government of India (Patent No360050, Date of grant 02/03/2021) (Siwach and Gill, 2021). The present study confirms the utility of F. religiosa in AD treatment and provides a standardized protocol for large-scale production of HR cultures (75ml medium in Erlenmeyer flask of 250 ml volume) that have higher AChEI activity; these cultures offer excellent platforms for future characterization and commercial preparation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The era of knowledge economy has seen a transition in the business market, from the need to control raw materials towards the protection of ideas, either as tangible or non-tangible assets. These assets may be secured in the form of various intellectual property (IP) instruments such as patents, know-how or technologies. These IP instruments (patents) not only give the IP owners (patentees) a monopoly over the use of their ideas/inventions, but also mandate them to commercially exploit the same for the benefit of the population at large. While economically developed countries (like China, USA, South Korea, Japan, etc.) appreciate this fact, developing countries like India are yet to make their mark in this transition; thus it is imperative to evaluate the IP landscape of the country. It is well acknowledged that major contributors to fundamental research in any country are the higher educational institutions (HEIs) and national research laboratories (NRLs). Hence, this study evaluates the patent commercialization ecosystem of Indian HEIs (351) and NRLs (553) for the period January 2010 to December 2017, based on the working statements filed by the patentees/assignees in the prescribed Form-27 at the Indian Patent Office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patents are the protected form of innovations and the currency of a knowledge-based economy. This article is an outcome of the analysis of working of patents data, which were published on the Indian Patent Office (IPO) website during 2012 and 2013, and continuously updated thereafter. For an overview of working of patents in India, an aggregate of 64 companies and/or organizations were selected for this study. The results of the analysis revealed that Qualcomm topped the list with 1113 granted patents at IPO, followed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (1085), Hindustan Unilever (773), Samsung Electronics (705), and Philips (352). The objective of this study was to determine the workability of patents in India, and the results indicated that all the seven patents granted to Indofil (an Indian company, which manufacturers agricultural, specialty and performance chemicals) were in working conditions, which apparently signified that the firm had effectively transferred the innovations for production and for the end-user. IPO was preferred as an important patent filling offices (PFO) by different national and international companies for filling their innovations. The results of this study provide an opportunity for the inventors, market players, researchers and consumers to know about the innovations which are lying in the PFOs of the different countries and lapsed after completing their life, i.e. 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news brief related to patent as of November 2012. The patent of Pfizer Inc. that protects cancer drug Sutent was revoked by the patent office in India. The U.S. appeals court has overruled the assertion of the obvious combination of naproxen and sumatriptan into a one tablet migraine drug Treximet. It also cites the patent opposition database launched by the Médecins Sans Frontiè res (MSF) for an easier sharing of information and knowledge on unwarranted patents.

The article focuses on the patents which reflect the proficiency of states in terms of industrial capability and scientific strength. It is stated that for the measurement of the strength of India, patent filing data is extracted from the annual reports of the Indian Patent Office. It further presents a table which depicts the result of the patents filed output and gross domestic product for various states and union territories of India.