Dear Terence -
This is the last comment from me on this post. I am sure we could go on for ages on this.
Just one comment on patenting: Yes, it is customary to patent before the full evidence is available. The whole medical/pharmaceutical industry does patents prior to clinical trials for a simple reason: when you trial, you are prior art for yourself and/or expose the invention into public for someone to copy.
I keep you informed on the next science releases, you can expect them in the near-future.
BR, Timo from http://valkee.com