By Janette Schairer '10 English

Alexander Graham Bell wasn't the first to invent the telephone - but he was the first to patent it. Over the course of history, the race for patents has made or broken the reputations of inventors, at the same time that it has made transformational inventions available to the general public.

Two UNH professors have joined the patent race. This time, it is for a new test that will more rapidly and accurately detect Lyme Disease. One of the professors, Eva Sapi, an associate professor in the Department of Biology and Environmental Science, remembers when she visited her doctor with a sore throat. A nurse took a throat culture, receiving the results within moments. Sapi thought to herself, "Why can't we do this with Lyme Disease?'

Once she returned to her lab, she and cohorts in the UNH Lyme Disease Research Group, including Saion Sinha, an associate professor of Physics, began experimenting with available technology at the University. The group was successful in their experimentation and jumped at the opportunity to patent their work.

They applied for the patent in October, and are prepared to wait. "It is a very long process," Sinha says. The group documented their work carefully, recording each day's experiments in a lab notebook, a process that was witnessed and signed by another party to prove that there was no fabrication.

Secrecy is equally as important. "Nothing can be published, discussed or presented," Sinha said. The secrecy is necessary while the process of applying for the patent is in progress. It will take two to three years before the patent becomes official. Not only is the application process lengthy but it is also expensive - about $15,000 to $20,000, Sinha estimated. The University grants money to groups associated with UNH; the UNH Lyme Disease Research Group was lucky enough to acquire the backing for the project.

Until then, Eva Sapi and Saion Sinha will continue to wait and hope that their device - one that will help with the ongoing struggle to successfully treat all aspects of Lyme Disease - will carry their names as the successful inventors.