Following up on that ‘patents’ item in the LATimes, suggesting a possible profit in future from patents on anthrax vaccines: True, Cui bono is always one avenue in investigating.

 
But . . . Ivins is not looking good for this angle, though.


Take a look:

 
Checking patent office records for the name Bruce Ivins, we find that Dr. Ivins has been named 11 times as a supplier of anthrax to other researchers for use in vaccines, most recently in two patent applications for nanoemulsion vaccines on July 31, 2008. The identical boilerplate language found in the seven patent applications and the four patents runs as follows:

 
“B. anthracis spores, Ames and Vollum 1 B strains, were kindly supplied by Dr. Bruce Ivins (USAMRIID, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.), and prepared as previously described (Ivins et al., Vaccine 13:1779 (1995)). Four other strains of anthrax were kindly provided by Dr. Martin Hugh-Jones (LSU, Baton Rouge, La.). These strains represent isolates with high allelic dissimilarity from South Africa; Mozambique; Bison, Canada; and Del Rio, Tex.”

 

Just to point out the obvious—little in this language suggests that Ivins was regarded as deranged or a danger to himself or others, by professional colleagues. In fact, nothing in this language suggests same.

 
The lead researcher named in all of the 11 patent applications and/or successful patents is James R. Baker, Jr., of Ann Arbor, Michigan, mostly in association with scientist Tarek Hamouda of Michigan and Milan; sometimes with scientist Anna Bielinska of Michigan; and less often with additional researchers.

 
For those of you who want eye-glazing detail at home, the dates and status of these entries:

  • Patent application 20080181949. July 31, 2008.
  • Patent application 20080181905. July 31, 2008.
  • Patent 7314624. January 1, 2008.
  • Patent application 20060257426. November 16, 2006.
  • Patent application 20040043041. March 4, 2004.
  • Patent 6635676. October 21, 2003.
  • Patent application 20030194412. October 16, 2003.
  • Patent 6559189. May 6, 2003.
  • Patent 6506803. January 14, 2003.
  • Patent application 20020119207. August 29, 2002.
  • Patent application 20020045667. April 18, 2002.

 

Did govt investigators locate Ivins as a suspect simply by sifting through these patent office records? Were their search terms ‘anthrax’ and ‘provided’? ‘W/in three’?

 

More on this later. I have a sore throat and am too tired to pursue it farther tonight.