{"title":"Patents in space medicine: An immediate call for innovations in the field","authors":"Bader H. Shirah , Mohammed M. Ahmed","doi":"10.1016/j.reach.2021.100045","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Space presents ample opportunities for a wide range of highly innovative applications, as well as products and services that directly benefit humanity. Patents are an excellent barometer of innovation. Over the last four decades, researchers have made novel discoveries about the human body in space, and global patent filing in the space sector has consistently grown. Space medicine, as a distinct field, was still in its infancy five decades ago. Scientists studying the effects of space travel on the human body have begun to appreciate the relevance and possibility of future discoveries in the field. Major innovations in healthcare, including insulin pumps and cochlear implants, are a result of space medical research. While patents are becoming more prevalent in space medicine, they are not as ubiquitous as other manufacturing and technology sectors. In this article, we discuss several aspects pertaining to patents in the field of space medicine. The rapid advancements in human space exploration endeavors boost the demand for research and innovation in space medicine.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37501,"journal":{"name":"REACH","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"REACH","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352309321000080","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Physics and Astronomy","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Space presents ample opportunities for a wide range of highly innovative applications, as well as products and services that directly benefit humanity. Patents are an excellent barometer of innovation. Over the last four decades, researchers have made novel discoveries about the human body in space, and global patent filing in the space sector has consistently grown. Space medicine, as a distinct field, was still in its infancy five decades ago. Scientists studying the effects of space travel on the human body have begun to appreciate the relevance and possibility of future discoveries in the field. Major innovations in healthcare, including insulin pumps and cochlear implants, are a result of space medical research. While patents are becoming more prevalent in space medicine, they are not as ubiquitous as other manufacturing and technology sectors. In this article, we discuss several aspects pertaining to patents in the field of space medicine. The rapid advancements in human space exploration endeavors boost the demand for research and innovation in space medicine.
期刊介绍:
The Official Human Space Exploration Review Journal of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) REACH – Reviews in Human Space Exploration is an international review journal that covers the entire field of human space exploration, including: -Human Space Exploration Mission Scenarios -Robotic Space Exploration Missions (Preparing or Supporting Human Missions) -Commercial Human Spaceflight -Space Habitation and Environmental Health -Space Physiology, Psychology, Medicine and Environmental Health -Space Radiation and Radiation Biology -Exo- and Astrobiology -Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) -Spin-off Applications from Human Spaceflight -Benefits from Space-Based Research for Health on Earth -Earth Observation for Agriculture, Climate Monitoring, Disaster Mitigation -Terrestrial Applications of Space Life Sciences Developments -Extreme Environments REACH aims to meet the needs of readers from academia, industry, and government by publishing comprehensive overviews of the science of human and robotic space exploration, life sciences research in space, and beneficial terrestrial applications that are derived from spaceflight. Special emphasis will be put on summarizing the most important recent developments and challenges in each of the covered fields, and on making published articles legible for a non-specialist audience. Authors can also submit non-solicited review articles. Please note that original research articles are not published in REACH. The Journal plans to publish four issues per year containing six to eight review articles each.