When to file for a patent? The scientist's perspective

Changes in academic systems with respect to intellectual property (IP) as well as the increasing demand for external funding for high-tech research have led to a more and more prominent desire in the scientific environment to pursue both publishing and patenting. This article looks at the current state of the disclosure requirements in the context of patenting of life sciences inventions. This is done with the aim of providing some practical guidelines for researchers as to when an invention has been made and at what point in time it may be worth/reasonable to start filing a patent application, i.e. when there is sufficient data and information to allow a reasonable expectation of success.