Begoña García Jaén, a member of the Service, attended the Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Eye Research, held in Valencia from 23 to 27 August. The meeting focused primarily on vision research and eye diseases. Researchers from the Ocular Neurobiology and Generation and Regeneration of Bilateral Circuits groups at the Institute of Neurosciences, a joint centre of Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), also took part.

Begoña García Jaén’s presentation focused on ownership and the role of researchers, as well as the importance of protecting research results before publication. This is because public disclosure of a research project may compromise the novelty requirement necessary to obtain a patent.

Another aspect she addressed was the new challenges associated with Artificial Intelligence. The information provided to AI systems must be accurate, and their outputs should not be taken at face value. Examples of research results were also discussed, including chemical compositions, eye drops, sustained-release implants and diagnostic methods, as well as the specific considerations involved in the development and protection of medicinal products.

Avizorex Pharma is one of the successful outcomes that emerged from the meeting. Its objective is to develop innovative treatments for dry eye disease. The company’s development culminated in its acquisition by companies in the eye-care sector. Building on this research result, a spin-off was created with an established market and large-scale impact.

Begoña García Jaén, together with researchers Mari Carmen Acosta, Almudena Íñigo Portugués, Laura Frutos Rincón, Víctor Meseguer, Ariadna Díaz-Tahoces, Eloísa Herrera, Juana Gallar and Elena Garrido Huarte, presented different routes to knowledge transfer, ranging from licensing research results to companies to the creation of spin-offs by researchers. The company’s development culminated in its acquisition by companies in the eye-care sector.