Abstract
My technical and STS research projects are connected through the process of invention and the factors that determine patentability. My technical work focuses on designing a physiologically relevant model of Bruch’s membrane (BM) to enhance research on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with an emphasis on the experimental and design components of invention. My STS research explores the connection between scientific, legal, and institutional actors and how that influences the way inventions are protected. Together, both projects highlight that successful engineering depends not only on design, but also on broader systems and processes. My technical project focuses on the gap in current treatments for AMD. Current therapeutics focus on slowing disease progression or treating symptoms, but no cure exists. A key challenge in developing effective therapies is the lack of a physiologically relevant in vitro model. My capstone team designed a nanofibrous scaffold to better mimic BM by modeling the structural and biochemical properties of the retinal microenvironment. We created this scaffold by electrospinning polyethylene glycol with adhesion motifs, including arginylglycylaspartic acid, fibronectin 4G, and fibronectin 9*, while varying fiber density and thickness. Our goal was to determine which scaffold best supports retinal pigment epithelium adhesion and maturation by seeding ARPE-19 cells and staining for the tight junction protein ZO-1. My STS research examines invention from a patentability perspective by analyzing the CRISPR-Cas9 patent interference proceedings between the University of California, Berkeley, and the Broad Institute. I draw on actor-network theory developed by Michel Callon, Bruno Latour, and John Law. I argue that the Broad Institute was able to defend its CRISPR-Cas9 patent in eukaryotic cells because it successfully aligned scientific, legal, and institutional actors during the stage of translation, while the University of California, Berkeley did not. My analysis outlines differences during Problematization, Mobilization, and Black-boxing, and how each of these led to the United States Patent and Trademark Office granting the patent to the Broad Institute. The goal of my research is to demonstrate how aligning actor-networks is key to strengthening claims of patentability. Working on these projects simultaneously helped me develop stronger insights. My technical work showed me how important documentation and reproducible results are when developing a new system, and how that translates to success in the patent process. This provided accurate context for my research paper and led me to examine lab documentation in the CRISPR-Cas9 case. Similarly, my STS research highlighted the importance of collaboration across institutions in advancing scientific progress. This increased my interest in patent law and the frameworks used to evaluate innovation. Overall, working on both projects allowed me to better understand how design, documentation, and collaboration influence patentability.
