The Alfred Mann Institute was created at USC in 1998 to accelerate the commercialization of bioengineering and medical inventions from the university. Its success over the years encouraged founder Alfred E. Mann, a successful businessman and philanthropist, to establish similar institutes at 11 other universities.

Founded with a $100 million endowment, USC's institute invests about $5 million each year to sponsor bright ideas spawned here. accelerate the commercialization of bioengineering or medical inventions from USC.

These new ideas can come from faculty members, students or staff. The institute' s help is particularly welcome for medical inventions, which are time-consuming to bring to the market.

Medical products need Food and Drug Administration clearance and often require clinical studies. The institute offers an environment in which the product ideas can be further developed before being launched by the industry.

“The Alfred Mann Institute turned my idea into a family of products which are now manufactured and sold by a company in Colorado,” said Ricardo Hahn, family physician at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. In 2005, he developed a positioner that prevents plagiocephaly (abnormal head shape) of newborns and infants.

“I learned a great deal, had a wonderful experience and will be submitting more ideas to the institute," Hahn said. “My invention would have never progressed beyond an idea without the help from the institute. The team built prototypes, expanded my patent portfolio, filed a trademark for a brand name, acquired FDA clearance and found the ideal commercial partner for the product. This was accomplished in a record 18-month period.”

Jean-Michel Maarek, senior lecturer in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s department of biomedical engineering and an inventor who approached the institute in 2001, said, “We have been working with the institute for five years on the Cardiac Output Monitor and were fortunate to be able to develop prototypes and run clinical studies. Today we have six patents filed or issued and are meeting with potential acquirers of the technology.”

The institute reviews and establishes the value of about 50 medical ideas submitted each year.

“We establish the intellectual property and market landscapes that the new concept would experience if it were to be commercialized, and with the help of the inventor, we enhance and broaden the invention for greatest market impact and maximum revenue potential,” said Nathalie Gosset, marketing and business development manager at the institute.

Approximately six ideas are being accelerated toward commercialization at the institute at any given time. The institute selects the most promising inventions and provides patent management, business and marketing expertise, engineering services, regulatory know-how and financing of clinical studies.

A project manager is assigned to each project to coordinate the activities. When needed, the institute may provide laboratory space and pay for portion of salaries for USC staff involved in the development.

Ideas can be submitted to the Alfred Mann Institute by contacting Gosset at (213) 821-1339 or gosset@usc.edu.