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The significance of the immunoassay as an analytical tool was recognized in the 1960s through the application by Yalow and Berson in 1959 of antibodies to the measurement of insulin in plasma. Up until the beginning of the 1970s most of the fundamental techniques were developed and implemented by biomedical researchers. From the mid-1970s the business of reagent supply, kit supply, and ultimately systems supply started to grow, creating what is now referred to as the diagnostics industry. The total turnover in the diagnostics industry was approximately $450 million U.S. in 1970 and in 1998 approached $20 billion U.S.
The way diagnostics are developed and used has changed profoundly during this period of tremendous growth of the industry. Early formats provided platforms for innovation, whereas the highly developed and specific systems of today need a more focused research effort to generate improvement.
This paper discusses how new research results generated in small ventures and academic research groups may find their way to the market. Two business ventures are used to illustrate the path of the transfer of innovative technology from research to the industry.
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