UPC, the Spanish university with the most patents

A recently released European Patent Office (EPO) report highlights that academic institutions continue to make a significant contribution to European patent applications: four of the top ten applicants are scientific or research organizations.

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) is the first ranked university in Spain, having applied for 15 patents in 2020, and is in sixth place in the ranking, after Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), with 72 applications; Amadeus (60), Esteve (17), Tecnalia (17) and Telefónica (17).

One of the recently registered University patents is PlasmaMed Lab's patent on a new biomaterial for the treatment of bone cancer, developed by Dr. Cristina Canal and her team. It is a composite material containing generated reactive species by means of low temperature plasma at atmospheric pressure. This technology allows cancer cells to be removed selectively and the material is reabsorbed by the body, allowing bone regeneration.

Low-temperature plasmas interact with eukaryotic cells through complex biochemical procedures without harming the surrounding tissues.

Cristina Canal has developed the research that has resulted in the patent through the project APACHE, a Starting Grant from the European Research Council.