Five minutes with…John Sninsky
What key developments do you see emerging in life sciences and medical AI in the coming years?
There are many key developments emerging in the life sciences and medical AI. For example, precision medicine involves the classification of subsets of patients that merit different healthcare management strategies, which improves patients’ clinical outcomes.
Ultimately, precision medicine is giving the right medicines at the right dose at the right time to the right patients – and while nearly 70% of clinical decisions are based on diagnostic information, it accounts for less than 5% of healthcare expenditures.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) consisting of machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, natural language processing and computer imaging is revolutionising the life sciences. Algorithm development that differentially weighs and integrates parameters from different technology modes, as well as collected clinical data, promises to improve the quality and increase the cost-effectiveness of care.
Even though these algorithms have been seen as “black boxes” in the past, increasingly we now understand that since these algorithms are informing critical medical decisions – in some cases, life and death decisions – they must be transparent and interpretable. Separate from their novel application to medical unmet needs, there is likely to be innovation in how these parallel computational processes can be made transparent and predictable. These are truly exciting times to be in science and medicine, entrepreneurial business ventures and IP portfolio development!
And what cases in recent years are likely to have a long-term impact?
I expect the long shadow of Bilski v Kappos (2010), Mayo v Prometheus, (2012), Alice v CLS Bank International (2014), and Association for Molecular Pathology v Myriad Genetics (2013), will be with us for a long time. The resolution of the Illumina v Ariosa Diagnostics (2020) earlier this year rested with “method of preparation claims” and promises to identify another path for future consideration upon which patenting and trade secrets decisions are made.
What are you looking forward to discussing in your upcoming LSPN Connect session on October 8?
I look forward to discussing the increased value of trade secrets in the life sciences, and how trade secrets can be integrated in an IP asset portfolio and key information for deciding on trade secret versus patenting strategies. In addition, I am keen to hear from Mike Fuller, John Stone and Shashank Upadhye, given their breadth and depth of experience. [See the session here].
What are the biggest challenges facing the IP sector?
I see four significant challenges facing the IP sector. First, making the complex decision to patent, publish or keep secret specific IP. Second, identifying deeply experienced and knowledgeable domain-specific IP specialists. Third, building an effective and efficient team of scientists, business managers and entrepreneurs, and IP experts to advance innovation to improve and extend patients’ lives with associated commercial value. Fourth, drafting patent applications for medical diagnostics that includes AI technology. The patenting of medical diagnostics and AI are challenging separately and doubly challenging when combined.
What are the biggest challenges facing the AI IP sector?
Challenges that I expect the AI IP sector to face include: retention of the privacy and security of the health information of patients in data sets; access to large training and validation data sets representative of eventual use of the diagnostic service or in vitro diagnostic tests; the inherent bias, chance and discrimination of collected data; and domain expert harmonisation and curation of data and transparency and interpretability of AI algorithms.
While trade secrets have always been considered as an alternative in the life sciences, events over the last decade have made patents more challenging (particularly in the US) and strengthened trade secrets. The sea change in the patent and trade secret landscape that some people may not be familiar with requires a new decision process. We now understand that the decision to patent, publish or protect trade secrets, while made at each juncture of innovation, is best thought of as a tapestry of IP assets woven into an integrated portfolio. Those who are successful in building and maintaining strong asset portfolios will need to keep up-to-date with patent and trade secret trends because this is an area that will continue to be dynamic.
What challenges have you had to address in your career?
I have been fortunate to be at the right place at the right time with incredible teams of scientists and colleagues. Translational science and medicine, now vital in accelerating innovation to patient care, only really developed over the last two decades and I have had the opportunity to participate in establishing this area.
The challenges represented by the convergence of genetic and genomic disciplines along with bioinformatics, biostatistics and artificial intelligence is complex, requiring a basic understanding of each while building teams of collaborative experts in each area. While these areas were challenging, they also represented substantial opportunities to learn, meet new people and advance medical diagnostics.
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow a similar career path?
Each career path is contingent on opportunities that are presented and decisions that are made for a host of different reasons. I would encourage them to identify new positions that promise to permit them to continue to learn and apply their collective knowledge and experience to new important problems. I would encourage them to search out or remain with strong teams that are making important contributions. And finally, life is too short not to be challenged by and have fun in your chosen career. A question they should ask is: “Will the world be different and better because of my contribution?”
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is the opportunity to continue to learn new things, apply new information to outstanding healthcare problems and work with intelligent, interesting and personable colleagues to improve the lives of others.
Trade Secrets: An Alternative for Life Sciences IP? will be live on LSPN Connect on Thursday, October 8. Watch the session live or on-demand after that date here.
LSPN Connect is the membership programme for the Life Sciences— for more information on joining, visit www.lspnconnect.com
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