- Burnett School College of Medicine Communique
College of Medicine Researcher Dr. Otto Phanstiel is among several University of Central Florida scientists and inventors who have helped the university move into the ranks of the top 25 public universities in the nation for patents granted, according to the latest report from the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
UCF secured 63 patents in 2022, ranking it No. 52 in the world and No. 23 among public universities in the nation, as shown in the annual Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patent rankings report released this week.
Dr. Phanstiel secured a patent for a spermine pro-drug that he invented to treat Snyder-Robinson Syndrome (SRS) a genetic condition that is characterized by intellectual disability, muscle and bone abnormalities, and other problems with development. Spermine is one of the naturally occurring polyamines and plays important roles in maintaining cell health. Patients with SRS have lower levels of spermine – one of the naturally occurring polyamines that plays important roles in maintaining cell health – as they have little or no spermine synthase (SMS) enzyme activity and cannot effectively make spermine from spermidine.
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