IP SPOTLIGHT MAY 18

Join us IP in FOCUS Webinar Series

There are several ways that we can address this virus and the infections; we can try and develop a vaccine, we can try and develop antivirals, or we can try and develop treatments that suppress inflammation, that really causes the disease. And so what we’re focusing on is developing new treatments for the inflammation. Now, we have some real advantages where we are. This is a highly infectious virus. And in order to work with it, we need a high containment laboratory. And we have one of those that our institute, that enables us to work with the virus and infect cells and mice with it. And if we can do that, then we can start to learn more about how the virus causes the disease and inflammation. And most importantly, we can try and test treatments in those cells and mice, and we can do that quite rapidly and under highly controlled conditions. Then we can do direct comparisons between different treatments to find out which ones we think are the best. I don’t know, but undoubtedly it will be. And this is what happens all the time with these viruses. This is a brand new pandemic. This is a big thing. The biggest thing since Spanish flu. What we tend to forget, is that there’s an outbreak with pandemic potential once every 18 months. It happens all the time. People have forgotten about the MERS, which was Middle Eastern respiratory symptoms. The first SARS virus because they weren’t capable of human-to-human transmission, they killed 400 to 500 people and then it died out because the virus mutates so that it becomes less and less pathogenic, and less and less disease causing. And this is usually what happens. That when these things emerge, they’re often highly pathogenic, but it’s not in the virus’ best interests to kill the person that is growing in. If it kills the person that it’s growing in then it’s dead itself. Do you think the virus is mutating?

Why is it that young healthy people, particularly children, seem to only be experiencing milder symptoms? Are you able to speculate on the mechanism behind that? Yes and no. So yes, because a lot of it is to do with the receptor, and being able to control the infection. The more of the receptor you have, then the more the virus combined, and the more susceptible you become. In normal healthy people, and particularly young people who don’t have much of this receptor, you’ve got a very strong immune response, and so you’re able to clear the virus, so it’s not a problem. Recently we are seeing more and more kids being infected, it’s still quite rare, and they get a different infection, it’s more gastrointestinal infections and it causes more gastrointestinal disturbances than a respiratory tract infection. And that’s very new, so we’re still not sure what’s happening there.

We know that during this time many people are proactively enhancing their knowledge in diverse areas of interest. Join the Wrays’ webinar series, where our intellectual property experts will share their knowledge and give you insight into the practical considerations to manage your IP and commercial arrangements with confidence.

To listen to the full interview click here.

DONNA MEREDITH Associate

Join the Wrays’ webinar series, where our intellectual property experts will share their knowledge and give you insight into the practical considerations to manage your IP and commercial arrangements with confidence.

Short, sharp learning with direct connection to the speakers to ask your questions – done virtually.

PROF. PHIL HANSBRO Centenary Institute

Pick as many or few sessions as you’d like. Just clear your diary for 30 mins and bring along a tea or coffee.

Register here.

COMMERCIAL AGREEMENTS

IP STRATEGY & MANAGEMENT

TRADE MARKS & BRANDING

PATENTS

Who are you? Trade Marks and why they matter. Let’s explore what makes a strong brand and how to protect it.

An exploration of the five most common clauses & what you need to know to secure your position.

Understanding & managing your valuable IP assets and the importance of an IP strategy.

We’ll debunk the myths surrounding the patent process and provide tips to help secure your patent protection.

Thursday 28 May 2020 12pm (AEST)

Wednesday 27 May 2020 12pm (AEST)

Thursday 28 May 2020 11am (AEST)

Wednesday 27 May 2020 11am (AEST)

WHO TO CONTACT

HELEN EVANS Marketing and Communications Coordinator +61 2 8415 6525 helen.evans@wrays.com.au

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