Collaborating with industry--choices for the academic medical center.

Ties between academic medical centers and commercial entities are increasing in number and magnitude. These ties have the potential to benefit the public through the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. They can also be quite problematic, since the goals of an academic medical center and those of a commercial entity may differ in many respects. In this article, leaders of major academic medical institutions provide guidance on the successful management of several specific points of interaction.