University of Nebraska among the nation’s best in tech transfer

May 12, 2017 Comments (0) News

LINCOLN, Nebr. (May 12, 2017)—A new report measuring universities’ success in driving economic growth ranks the University of Nebraska among the nation’s elite.

The Milken Institute, an independent economic think tank, last month released “The Best Universities for Technology Transfer.” The report ranks Nebraska’s tech transfer efforts 35th among a field of 225 – putting NU in the top 16 percent nationally for its ability to commercialize the work of its faculty in areas like agriculture, engineering and medicine for the benefit of people in the state and around the world.

“This report is more evidence that the University of Nebraska is in great company when it comes to our research and economic development efforts,” said NU President Hank Bounds. “We’ve made it a priority across all of our campuses to create a culture of innovation where bold and entrepreneurial thinking is encouraged. Our work is paying off. This ranking is a credit to the dedication and creativity of our faculty and the technology transfer offices that support them. Nebraska’s economy and our citizens are the beneficiaries.”

The Milken Institute’s rankings are based on data from the Association of University Technology Managers, the national trade organization for university tech transfer offices. Metrics include patents issued, licenses issued, licensing income and startups formed.

Nebraska’s No. 35 ranking places it ahead of brand-name heavyweights like the Mayo Foundation (No. 36), Wisconsin (No. 40), North Carolina-Chapel Hill (No. 44), Ohio State (No. 55) and Princeton (No. 62). NU trailed Johns Hopkins by just two places.

NU’s technology transfer offices – UNeMed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and NUtech Ventures at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln – work to bring university research to the marketplace, resulting in new startup companies, better jobs and new and innovative products that improve productivity and quality of life. The university is working to deepen relationships with Nebraska companies that can license faculty inventions for commercial use, the way Omaha-based Streck has done for a new molecular diagnostic platform.

UNMC surgeon Dmitry Oleynikov (left) and UNL engineer Shane Farritor test a surgical robot prototype during a recent trial in Omaha. Their collaboration created a startup company, Virtual Incision, which hopes to make major surgery—like a bowel resection—a laparoscopic procedure.

For example, Virtual Incision Corp., a medical device company focused on developing a miniature robot for general surgery abdominal procedures, is a spinoff of research by Nebraska-Lincoln engineering professor Shane Farritor and UNMC surgeon Dmitry Oleynikov. Technology developed at Virtual Incision will transform surgeries into more affordable, less invasive procedures, improving lives and surgical outcomes for patients around the world.

Epicrop Technologies Inc., a startup founded by Nebraska-Lincoln faculty, is located at Nebraska Innovation Campus and is developing technology to improve crop yields. Epicrop’s unique technology, which the company is commercializing for use in corn, soybeans and wheat, can improve yields and stress tolerance without changing the DNA sequence of the plant.

Avert CEO Preston Badeer, during UNeMed's 2016 UNMC Technology Demonstration Day in October.

Avert CEO Preston Badeer, during UNeMed’s 2016 UNMC Technology Demonstration Day in October.

Another company, Avert, is a startup spun from innovation at the Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Avert, which was recently among a select group of startups chosen to present at a national demonstration day, is about to launch a beta version of its concussion-detection device. Avert is developing its product in partnership with UNeTecH, a joint UNO-UNMC business incubator formed by the Board of Regents that brings biomedical technology innovations to market.

“It is exciting to see medicine and technology work together to break down silos and build bridges,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “The real finish line is when academic research changes a person’s life – takes their pain away, helps them walk more easily, speeds recovery time after an operation. Partnering with businesses and corporate communities can help us take our innovations and discoveries to the people who need them most, and I’m pleased to see by this ranking that we are accomplishing our goals.”

Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green said, “Nebraska innovation is changing lives. We are leaders in invention and enterprise, driven by the high-quality, relevant research from our faculty. Our research is tied directly to real-world impacts – job creation, partnerships and business start-ups that power our state’s economy.”

According to the Milken report, university commercialization efforts pumped more than 1,000 new startup companies and $2.5 billion into the national economy. The report concludes: “Research universities are one of the strongest assets America can use to compete in the age of innovation. Research funding should be a top priority for enhancing American economic growth.” Its recommendations include:

  • Maintaining federal funding for basic science research.
  • Creating a federal fund to further support academic commercialization efforts.
  • Setting up a federal matching grant program to increase technology transfer staff and resources.
  • Creating a standard of best technology transfer practices at the state level.

The University of Utah claimed the top spot in Milken’s rankings, followed by Columbia University, the University of Florida, Brigham Young University and Stanford University.

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CRISPR and the other half

May 10, 2017 Comments (1) Blog

by Joe Runge, UNeMed | May 10, 2017

CRISPR is not the technology that will bring about bioengineered weapons of mass destruction, the cure to all diseases or a generation of superhuman children. CRISPR is not the technological endgame for genetic engineering that will save or, possibly, destroy the world.

CRISPR is half that technology.

CRISPR is an enzyme that quickly, precisely and cheaply targets and cuts DNA. Originally discovered in bacteria, CRISPR is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. It’s a DNA-eating enzyme that serves as a form of immunity for bacteria. Bacteria save a chunk of an invading virus’s DNA and stick it to a CRISPR enzyme. The DNA-loaded enzyme then cruises the bacteria, looking for that same viral DNA. When the enzyme finds the viral DNA, it cuts it up, destroying the virus.

The early applications of CRISPR solve problems caused by small mutations that make genes dysfunctional. The CRIPSR simply cuts out the mutation, which makes the gene function normally. Cutting, however, is only half of the solution. To create flying pigs or genetically modify embryos for designer babies, scientists would need to insert new DNA.

But inserting new DNA is inefficient. Cells, quite reasonably, are on the prowl for foreign DNA, and work hard to keep it out. In the lab, a scientist would need to CRISPR hundreds of cells for a reasonable chance of successfully inserting DNA into just one – and that’s just for a small insertion, a fraction of a gene. To insert or replace a functioning gene, those odds go from pretty long to functionally impossible. Only through a series of baffling experiments can a scientist hope to insert functioning genes into a living cell.

Source: XKCD.com

An international collaboration between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Tokai University may have found CRISPR’s other half.

Channabasavaiah Gurumurthy, Ph.D., an assistant professor of developmental neuroscience at UNMC, and Masato Ohtsuka, Ph.D., an associate professor of molecular life science at Tokai University in Japan, invented a new approach to efficiently insert DNA molecules as large as some genes.

Drs. Gurumurthy’s and Ohtsuka’s invention, which they call Easi-CRISPR, promises to be the improved inserter that pairs with CRISPR’s elegant cutting ability. In mice, Easi-CRISPR inserted large segments of DNA with unheard-of efficiencies of 25 percent, 30 percent or even 100 percent. Easi-CRISPR makes it possible to insert entire functioning genes into the cuts made by CRISPR.

Just as efficient cutting expanded the applications of genetic engineering, efficient insertion further transforms what scientists can do. Instead of using CRISPR to trim out the small mutations, they can overwrite entire genes. Instead of deactivating troublesome genes, they can remove or even add foreign genes to organisms. Genetic engineering applications were once the expensive work of specialty laboratories. With CRISPR and Easi-CRISPR, precision cutting and insertion can become a routine part of molecular biology.

Of course, easy cutting and inserting are not enough to fully realize designer babies and biologic super weapons. Easi-CRISPR and CRISPR make genome editing easier but it’s not enough on its own. A designer baby studio would need a library of eye color, athletic talent and academic achievement genes ready for insertion. To cure a disease, scientists will need to learn how to better use CRISPR to target, edit and replace living human cells. Easi-CRISPR is proof that very brilliant people are working tirelessly to overcome these current and future limitations of genome editing.

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Now is the time to inspire the next generation of women in STEM

May 3, 2017 Comments (0) Blog

by Catherine Murari-Kanti, UNeMed | May 3, 2017

Dr. Murari-Kanti

This past weekend I witnessed something exciting. I got a glimpse into the future. A future that has strong, young confident ladies leading the way. This was possible because I was invited to be a panelist at a STEM conference for seventh and eighth grade girls. STEM is an education initiative emphasizing fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, in collaboration with Bellevue University, put together a daylong seminar: “Expanding your horizons in math and science – a conference for young women.” There, about 150 middle school girls from the Omaha and Bellevue public school districts got together to discover different STEM careers and get advice and encouragement for women holding STEM careers.

The day began with breakfast, followed by a great talk by the keynote speaker Katie Barton, Executive Director of Software Development and Services at Gallup, Inc. Her energetic personality and humor elicited peals of laughter and giggles. She stated facts about how women were underrepresented in almost all STEM careers. She said 50 percent of girls in middle school want to participate in STEM education. But only 20 percent actually pursue a STEM education and career after high school.

The girls participated in the Clifton StrengthsFinder survey, an assessment tool that helps identify their specific talents and discover what they naturally do best. She encouraged the girls to understand their strengths and recognize their weakness’ that would make their career planning easier. As Barton provided career solutions based on each strength, the energy in the auditorium was palpable. It was the quiet recognition that girls can achieve anything they want in life and be successful, despite societal challenges and existing disparities.

Barton shared three critical areas where women give up on careers in STEM. First are the women who struggle to get their first break in a STEM job. The second is when they choose between a family and a successful career. Third is when they are passed over for promotions to their male counterparts.

The Gallup executive said it was up to the girls to stand up and make a mark for themselves; to work hard; have good work ethic; develop good relationships with their superiors; and push for what they wanted to achieve. Barton was a tough act to follow, but I was up next to share my educational background and career story.

They laughed when I told them I was in school continuously for 30 years, preschool to graduate school. I told them about my role as a Licensing Associate at UNeMed. I explained how innovation, technology transfer and intellectual property affects them. I told them how innovation usually starts with an idea or a solution to a problem. I encouraged them observe their surroundings and find solutions to problems. They asked me questions about my background, the work I do and what excites me to come to work every day.

I shared stories about entrepreneurs who came up with simple solutions to life’s difficulties and they listened to me with rapt attention. Many girls expressed a desire to pursue biology and chemistry, while there was one who was absolutely in love with math, and wanted to eventually get a doctorate in mathematics. I was excited to see the glimmer of excitement for the future in these girls’ eyes.

I was fortunate to share the room with other spectacular woman panelists successful in various fields such as database management at Mutual of Omaha, environment safety and hazardous material management from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, cytogeneticist and post-doctoral researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, clinical psychologist from Boystown Hospital, research and development project manager from Teledyne Cetac Industries, Six Sigma Black Belt, enterprise quality and outcome coordinator at Nebraska Medicine, financial advisor at UBS, nurse at Alegent Health and IT representatives from Gallup.

I am excited for the future of STEM education and careers for girls in Nebraska. As a woman in STEM, I believe I have the ability to influence, educate and empower girls to choose an education and career in scientific fields. The girls I met are smart, bright, outgoing and funny. They have a desire to make it big, and I think the responsibility lies on all of us to push them to achieve their goals.

I am thankful for the opportunity to represent UNeMed at this event, and empower the next generation of women for a brighter future.

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UNMC group takes second place in business plan competition

April 28, 2017 Comments (0) News

Tim Bielecki and Will Payne

UNMC graduate students Tim Bielecki (left) and Will Payne address judges’ questions during UNO’s business plan competition Thursday, April 27, 2017.

OMAHA, Nebraska (April 28, 2017)—A group from the University of Nebraska Medical Center finished in second place of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s seventh annual Maverick Business Plan competition last night at Mammel Hall.

The group, primarily made up of current and former graduate students at UNMC, took home the runner-up prize of $2,000.

“It will definitely help having that money,” said Will Payne, a UNMC doctoral candidate and co-founder of Orca Analytics. “We’re going to take that money and do exactly what we need.”

Most of the cash will be used for various legal fees as Orca Analytics prepares for a product launch, Payne said.

Orca Analytics is a venture that plans to use data and predictive analytics to guide collegiate advisers and their students to the most efficient career path. Founders expect their tool will enhance student satisfaction and engagement while boosting college retention rates.

“As a student,” Payne said after, “I wish this was something that was available to us.”

Orca Analytics co-founder Tyler Scherr, Ph.D., meets with guests shortly before final presentations at UNO’s business plan competition Thursday, April 27, 2017.

Orca Analytics was one of just six finalists that presented during the final round of competition, and was the first UNMC team to place.

“This is the best group of finalists we’ve had in seven years,” said Dale Eesley, the event coordinator and Director of UNO’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising, which hosted the event. “This one was really close. They were all so good, so well-thought out and so well-presented.”

The top prize of $3,000 went to a UNO-based team of entrepreneurs who founded an online clothing boutique, Mauve. Third place, and $1,000, went to a business plan that proposed a hydroelectric power facility in Nepal. The same proposal was also awarded an additional prize for the best plan that “incorporates sustainability.”

“I was actually encouraged to see this kind of quality and talent in Omaha,” said Tim Bielecki, an Orca co-founder and UNMC doctoral candidate.

Remaining members of the Orca team are Tyler Scherr, Ph.D., a recent UNMC graduate and Ben Jones, co-founder of the graphic design firm, Lab Rat Design.

The three remaining business plan finalists were ANCHA, a proposal for legally reselling pre-owned software; Equiband, a wearable device that helps users track their mental states; and Traveling Teachers, a service that connects qualified teachers to families who want to home-school their children but can’t for a lack of time or proper training.

Founders of Orca Analytics are (from left) Will Payne, Tyler Scherr, Ben Jones and Tim Bielecki.

Founders of Orca Analytics are (from left) Will Payne, Tyler Scherr, Ben Jones and Tim Bielecki.

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Murari-Kanti accepts full-time position

April 27, 2017 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Neb. (April 27, 2017)—Catherine Murari-Kanti, Ph.D., has been promoted from intern to a full-time licensing associate position with UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“Dr. Murari-Kanti is one of those rare people who had a clear trajectory right from the beginning,” UNeMed president and CEO Michael Dixon said. “She’s been on our radar basically since she first arrived on campus about five years ago. It’s great to have someone like her who can hit the ground running like she has.”

The promotion and full-time status expands her role of evaluating, marketing, and seeking partnerships for new inventions, cures, treatments and medical devices developed at UNMC.

UNeMed’s mission is to help UNMC researchers, faculty and staff move innovations and ground-breaking discoveries beyond the laboratory and into the marketplace. Dr. Murari-Kanti joins UNeMed’s talented stable of licensing experts who work every day to advance UNMC’s new discoveries into the future cures and treatments that might one-day affect millions around the world.

“I’m excited as a graduate of UNMC to have the ability to share exciting discoveries made here, with the world,” Dr. Murari-Kanti said. “I’m proud that my career started with UNeMed and look forward to learn and grow in technology transfer and better serve the UNMC and Omaha community.”

A native of Mumbai, India, Dr. Murari is the daughter of Krishnamurty and Vijayakumari Murari. She is a 2009 graduate of Creighton University in Pharmaceutical Sciences with an undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Mumbai. Dr. Murari-Kanti received her doctorate in Cancer Research from UNMC in 2015.

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UNMC group makes cut in UNO’s business plan competition

April 26, 2017 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (April 26, 2017)—A group from the University of Nebraska Medical Center is believed to be the first to advance to the final round of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s seventh annual Maverick Business Plan competition tomorrow.

Orca Analytics

A screenshot of Orca Analytics’ interface that diagrams a theoretical student’s pathways to potential career options.

The group, primarily made up of current and former graduate students at UNMC, will pitch their plan for “Orca Analytics.” It’s a venture that uses data and predictive analytics to help guide collegiate advisers and their students to make the most of the educational experience. The cloud-based software application illuminates the most efficient path of courses for a student, presumably leading to better career options upon graduation. The same applications would also help advisers maintain a better sense of their students’ progression.

Members of the Orca team are Tim Bielecki and Will Payne, doctoral candidates at UNMC; Tyler Scherr, Ph.D., a recent UNMC graduate; and Ben Jones, co-founder of the graphic design firm, Labrat Design.

UNO’s business plan competition is sponsored by the College of Business Administration’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising. Final presentations, five minutes each, are scheduled for Thursday, April 27, 2017, beginning at 6-7:15 p.m. at Mammel Hall. Guests can meet and greet all finalists during a meet and greet session at 5:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

A panel of judges will weigh the proposals for market opportunity, practicality and impact to determine the winners. Cash awards will be presented to the top three finishers, with $3,000 going to the first place, $2,000 to second place, and $1,000 to the third place finishers.

An additional prize will be awarded to the plan that best “incorporates sustainability,” and audience members will have a chance to win $300 in door prizes.

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My first AUTM

April 19, 2017 Comments (0) Blog

Tech transfer newbie relates her first experience at AUTM’s annual conference

by Catherine Murari-Kanti, UNeMed | April 19, 2017

My last experience at a conference involved standing in front of a scientific poster for hours, and listening to scientific talks that almost always went over the allotted time. I remember the atmosphere as closed-off and secretive. I was warned not to share data or information about the science I was working on. I vividly remember standing in the hallway thinking, “This is not where I want be.”

Not now.

Not ever.

That was so 2014.

I am now a Licensing Associate now at UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. UNeMed gave me the opportunity to attend Association of University Technology Managers’ 2017 Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Fla. I noticed a stark difference in cultures between the two conferences.

AUTM 2017 was an open environment that involved sharing each other’s expertise, and a desire to see others succeed. This was evident in the first-time attendee’s reception where I met a dozen people who willingly took the time to get to know me, ask questions about my role at UNeMed and provide tech transfer career development advice. I interacted with industry and seasoned tech transfer professionals, and I enjoyed talking to them. They shared with me their journey, and warned me of pitfalls they experienced.

Overall, the atmosphere was one of interaction, learning and growth.

Of the many sessions I attended, a few stood out:

1. I learned about the innovation life cycle, and how important it is to communicate effectively within and out of the technology transfer office. The panelists did an exceptional job during the session, “Telling and Re-telling your Office’s Story.” They shared how their offices amplified the story of each invention, and how they aligned it with the University’s mission. They shared timelines, expressed the importance of reciprocal relationships with University public relations as well as local news media. They stressed the need to generate technology content on their websites, and allow inventors to tell their stories. The panelists were Quentin Thomas, Marketing Manager at Emory University; Paul Tumarkin, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications at Tech Launch Arizona; and Sara Dagen, Technical Editor at the University of Florida’s Office of Technology Licensing.

2. The other session I really enjoyed was, “Communication skills for Licensing Professionals,” by Julie Watson, Special Counsel at Marshall Gerstein IP; Lina Axanova, Associate Director at Penn Center for Innovation; Leef Smith Barnes, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at AUTM; and John Christie, Executive Director of the Office of Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Development at Tulane University . This was important to me as a beginner in tech transfer because it taught me how to interpret scientific, legal and business languages. They shared nuggets of wisdom pertaining to listening, business email etiquette, negotiation language and conflict resolution. I learned that communication mostly involves active listening, and practicing firm but empathetic conversations.

3. Another panel—Christopher Noble, Technology Licensing Officer at MIT; Kathleen Denis, Associate VP at Rockefeller University; Duke Leahey, Founder of Nidus Investments; and Kelly Sexton, Asst. Vice Chancellor for Technology Commercialization and New Ventures at North Carolina State University—discussed different methods of collaborating with companies for industry sponsored research. They talked about deciding who should be the Chief Executive Officer of a startup: the student or the principle investigator? They shed light on the various intellectual property obstacles that tech transfer offices run into during industry sponsored research as well as when setting up a new company. The panelists spent significant time on de-risking technologies before presenting to industry, which I thought was important and significant as I start my career.

4. UNeMed President and CEO, Michael Dixon, was one of the panelists—along with Alicia Loffler, Associate Provost for Innovation and New Ventures at Northwestern University; Lesley Millar-Nicholson, Director at MIT’s Technology Licensing Office; and Neil Veloso, Executive Director of Technology Transfer at Johns Hopkins University —in the session, “Creating a Sustainable Culture for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.” Each panelist gave a short talk about their various programs to improve faculty engagement and invention reporting. They stressed the importance of developing an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset within local communities that, in turn, would produce angel investors and startups. They shared ideas and programs that provided tech transfer resources to their students, post-docs and faculty.

5. The innovation keynote speaker, Kavita Shukla, mesmerized the audience with her captivating story of innovation and entrepreneurship. She talked about her innovation, FreshPaper, and the arduous task of establishing a startup company, Fenugreen. FreshPaper is bio-degradable paper infused with organic spices and herbs that inhibit bacterial and fungal growth providing an effective solution to food spoilage. Fenugreen is a social enterprise taking on the massive global challenge of food waste with a simple innovation.

She said she avoided a serious case of traveler diarrhea when she visited India at the age of 12, because of a spice-filled drink her grandmother gave her. The drink then led her to develop FreshPaper in her garage. She talked about being a gawky 16-year-old, “walking into the patent office” to file her first patent on FreshPaper. She dreamed of providing food to nations that didn’t have refrigeration. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure will,” she said. And she shared how she pushed through every obstacle thrown at her.

She challenged individuals to dream, to design new products and to talk to everyone possible about their ideas until they can find someone that can help them move forward. She was glad for the existence of tech transfer offices because she believes they have the power to support these dreams and ideas, and make innovation happen.

Her talk encouraged me as a woman, and as a tech transfer professional, to support other women to succeed and become innovators and entrepreneurs.

 

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Concussion detection startup Avert selected for national demo day

April 12, 2017 Comments (0) News

Avert CEO Preston Badeer presents his company’s concussion technology during UNeMed’s 2016 Demo Day event in October. (File photo)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 6, 2017)—Avert, an Omaha company developing a concussion-detection device, was one of just 40 university startup companies selected for a national demo day later this month.

Based on research by Nick Stergiou, Ph.D., director of UNO’s Department of Biomechanics, the device uses a person’s balance as a way to measure brain health.

All healthy people make constant, subconscious adjustments to their balance as they stand in place. Dr. Stergiou’s innovative approach was to find a way to recognize the hidden patterns in those adjustments. After a person suffers a brain injury, such as a concussion, it changes the pattern of those subconscious adjustments.

Even when a person exhibits no outward symptoms, Avert’s technology can still detect the injury without relying on subjective questionnaires or clinical judgements.

Using the device would be similar to standing on a bathroom scale for about 30 seconds.

Hosted by the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer, the University Startups Conference and Demo Day begins the three-day event on April 18. Organizers plan to bring together more than 300 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, industry professionals, angel investors, and corporate executives, among others.

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Startup will develop blood test for unstable coronary artery disease

March 30, 2017 Comments (2) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (March 27, 2017)—A startup accelerator, Academic Technology Ventures, is building a new biomedical startup company with an invention created at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The startup, HealthCheck, is based on a biomarker discovered at UNMC that could help doctors and cardiologists more accurately diagnose different types of coronary artery disease.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha—Michael Duryee (left), Geoff Thiele (center) and Dan Anderson (right)—believe they found a way to determine who will develop potentially deadly heart disease with a simple blood test. (UNeMed file photo)

“Currently, there’s no way to differentiate the 47-year-old with stable coronary artery disease from the one who suddenly drops dead in his drive-way,” said Joe Runge, the Director of Business Development at UNeMed, the technology transfer office at UNMC.

HealthCheck’s blood test could give healthcare providers the insight to predict which patients are likely to develop the more dangerous, unstable form of coronary artery disease.

“It solves a huge problem,” said Corey Park, chairman and founder of Academic Technology Ventures. “That would be key for a doctor to be able to say, ‘Hey, change your lifestyle now.'”

Coronary artery disease is the accumulation of plaques inside the arteries. Recent research has shown that virtually everyone, regardless of age, has some form of the disease. Some people have a stable, non-life-threatening form of the disease. Others have the more dangerous, unstable version.

In the unstable, and usually lethal, form of the disease, large deposits of plaque can break open, creating one of two life-threatening problems.

A piece of dislodged plaque might be swept away in the blood stream. The debris could then wedge itself further downstream, acting as a dam that cuts off blood flow to the heart. Or, back at the rupture site, clotting factor and blood platelets rush to the injury. In the process they create a similar bottleneck that reduces or cuts off blood flow.

The result of either scenario is a sudden heart attack or a stroke.

Telling the difference between stable and unstable coronary artery disease has been a stubborn riddle of medicine until a trio of UNMC scientists developed the new blood test. The inventors are Geoff Thiele, Ph.D., a professor of internal medicine; Michael Duryee, a research coordinator in the College of Medicine; and Dan Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and practicing cardiologist at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.

They found that patients with unstable coronary artery disease also had in their blood large amounts of certain molecule known as MAA, which is short for malondialdehyde–acetaldehyde.

A blood test that looks specifically for the MAA molecule would give healthcare providers a better picture of a patient’s health. Rather than using a simple blood pressure reading or cholesterol count, a high MAA count could help a physician prescribe a more effective course.

“I’ve lost family members to heart disease,” said Jason Pottinger, the director of business strategy at Academic Technology Ventures. “I have family members right now with heart disease. I think they would have benefitted greatly from some real, hard evidence that would be like a slap in the face. A slap in the face to say, ‘Listen, this is science, and this is where you’re heading. Don’t be a statistic.'”

HealthCheck will initially set up in New Jersey, where the company is expected to raise additional capital to support further testing. The additional tests will be used to secure FDA clearance, and hopefully enter the market within the next two or three years, Park said.

“Best-case scenario is this becomes a standardized test with yearly screenings,” Park said. “I think it’s got enough legitimacy to become—not necessarily mandated—but part of that regular regimen.”

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UNMC scientists achieve research milestone with Parkinson’s disease

March 24, 2017 Comments (0) News

Drug that transforms immune system may predict motor improvement

by Tom O’Connor, UNMC

From left are Howard Gendelman, M.D., Pamela Santamaria, M.D., and R. Lee Mosley, Ph.D. (Photo: UNMC)

From left are Howard Gendelman, M.D., Pamela Santamaria, M.D., and R. Lee Mosley, Ph.D. (Photo: UNMC)

In an early phase human clinical trial, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center tested a drug that transforms the immune system for diagnostic and therapeutic gain in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The medicine was proven safe and generally well tolerated. Side effects were minimal, but included skin irritation, bone pain and an allergic reaction. Preliminary evidence of improvement in motor skills was observed and recorded in several of the treated patients, but validation will require larger patient enrollments.

PD ravages nearly one million Americans and generates direct and indirect costs of nearly $25 billion per year in the U.S. alone.

The findings – which appear today in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease – mark a milestone for PD research. At the heart of the discovery was the immune transformation of disease-inciting circulating white blood cells (called effector T-cells or Teff) to cells that protect and defend against brain injury (called regulatory T cells or Treg). The drug changed neurodestructive Teff into functional neuroprotective Tregs.

The research team was headed by two UNMC scientists, Howard Gendelman, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, and R. Lee Mosley, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience and head of the Movement Disorders Research Laboratory. The discovery results from more than two decades of laboratory and animal investigation.

The idea was conceived in cell studies then validated in animals. During each step, immune transformation was realized with the drug granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (also known as Sargramostim® Sanofi-Genzyme Pharmaceuticals).

Importantly, such drug-induced transformation has not only been successful for PD but also holds promise for a range of neurodegenerative disorders that include Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

To conduct the Phase I clinical study, scientists partnered with 14 academic and community-based physicians and neuroscientists with extensive expertise in neurophysiology, bioimaging, clinical trials execution and movement disorders. The research was conducted in basic science laboratories at UNMC and Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. The study subjects were seen at UNMC’s clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine.

Clinical support was overseen at UNMC by Pamela Santamaria, M.D., a Nebraska Medicine neurologist and founder of Neurology Consultants of Nebraska; Danish Bhatti, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences; and by David Standaert, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of Neurology and director of the Division of Movement Disorders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Using a blinded clinical study approach for investigation, the patients, their caregivers and their physicians could not tell whether the drug or a placebo was being administered.

The drug was found to produce significant and encouraging changes in the production of Treg cells in the blood of patients. These same changes did not take place in patients who received the placebo. Initial clinical observations proved encouraging and varied in intensity between patients, Dr. Gendelman said.

During the trial, physiological brain improvements were seen in specific motor areas of the brain for those patients receiving Sargramostim. This was recorded through the use of magnetoencephalography by a research team headed by Tony Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor and vice chair, basic/translational research for UNMC and director of the Magnetoencephalography Laboratory in the Department of Neurological Sciences.

Blood metabolites known to increase the number of neuroprotective Treg cells were observed in parallel studies on the same blood samples used to record the immune biomarkers. These biochemical studies were performed at the Scripps Research Institute by Gary Siuzdak, Ph.D., professor and director, Scripps Center for Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry.

Doses of L-DOPA and other dopamine-sparing drugs used to treat PD were continued to all study subjects throughout the study.

“To our knowledge, this study represents the first time immune transformation was performed on any patient with neurodegenerative disease,” Dr. Mosley said.

Dr. Gendelman said the next step will be a broader study that will include larger patient numbers. This is being planned in the next one to two years, he said, after the manufacture of an oral medicine.

For more information on the study, call 402-559-6941.

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Complete technology portfolio is now available

March 23, 2017 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (March 23, 2017)—All technologies available for partnering and licensing opportunities through UNeMed are now easier to access.

UNeMed’s complete technology portfolio is available in a single document that can be downloaded, printed or mailed. Digital versions of the portfolio are free and can be viewed and downloaded here or below.

Printed copies of the 84-page booklet are also available, and free copies can be found at UNeMed’s office. Booklets are printed as-needed, so immediate supplies are limited. Printed copies can also be mailed, but will require a $3 fee to offset shipping and handling costs. Mail orders can be placed here.

The UNeMed portfolio describes all the top technologies from UNMC’s and UNO’s talented researchers. Also included are details about UNeMed’s most promising startup companies.

Digital versions of the portfolio will be regularly updated to include the most recent innovation disclosures, and to remove recently licensed technologies that are no longer available.

Any questions about UNeMed’s Technology Portfolio can be directed to Charlie Litton at charles.litton@unmc.edu or 402-559-2468.

UNeMed Technology Portfolio by UNeMed Corporation on Scribd

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ProTransit lands $1.7 million DOD grant for treating spinal injuries

March 8, 2017 Comments (0) News

ProTransit Nanotherapy president and CEO Gary Madsen, Ph.D., (center) shows off a vial of prototypes that could one day be incorporated into skin care products such as sunscreen and cosmetics. The nanoparticles, formulated by scientists Steve Curran and Bala Vamsi Karuturi, Ph.D.,(left) and Steve Curran (right), are vehicles that can deliver powerful antioxidants to the deepest layers of skin where they can help prevent skin cancer, wrinkles and blemishes.

ProTransit Nanotherapy president and CEO Gary Madsen, Ph.D., (center) shows off a vial of prototypes that could one day be incorporated into skin care products such as sunscreen and cosmetics. The nanoparticles, formulated by scientists Steve Curran and Bala Vamsi Karuturi, Ph.D.,(left) and Steve Curran (right), are vehicles that can deliver powerful antioxidants to the deepest layers of skin where they can help prevent skin cancer, wrinkles and blemishes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 7, 2017)—A $1.7 million grant from the Department of Defense is expected to push Omaha startup ProTransit Nanotherapy closer to FDA approval on a new treatment for acute spinal injuries, according to a press release issued today.

A portion of the award will help ProTransit use UNMC’s Nebraska Nanomedicine Production Plant to optimize the production of a proprietary nanoparticle. The nanoparticle was invented by former UNMC researcher Vinod Labhasetwar, Ph.D.

Now a professor of biomedical engineering at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Labhasetwar’s innovative nanoparticle has shown dramatic potential when injected immediately after a spinal injury. Called Pro-NP™, the technology has shown the ability to prevent further damage to the spinal cord. It may also encourage the body’s natural repair mechanism to heal the injury, the release said.

Further tests will be a deeper study of the overall treatment effects. If successful, results from those studies will then drive an investigational new drug application with the FDA—a critical first step toward a clinical trial in human patients. Spine surgeon and Canada Research Chair in Spinal Injury, Brian Kwon, M.D., Ph.D., will lead the additional studies out of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

According to the press release, the grant attracted interest from the DOD for its potential to be used in battlefield conditions, either “on site or en route to a trauma center.” The technology also has clear civilian applications as a treatment that paramedics could inject in emergencies.

In addition to the new spinal treatment, ProTransit is also developing a topical skin application that could prevent skin cancer while eliminating or reducing wrinkles and other blemishes.

ProTransit Nanotherapy was co-founded by Dr. Labhasetwar and CEO Gary Madsen, Ph.D. Dr. Madsen is the former Entrepreneur in Residence at UNeMed, the technology transfer office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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‘Valley of Death’ funding program lifts UNMC innovations

February 23, 2017 Comments (0) News, Success Stories

Greg Gordon, M.D., aligns a prototype of his patented Lock-Block radiation shield during a round of early tests. Dr. Gordon built his own startup company, Radux Devices, around inventions designed to better protect physicians from radiation.

OMAHA, Nebraska (Feb. 21, 2017)—Officials at the University of Nebraska Medical Center reviewed their use of the Nebraska Research Initiative’s Proof-of-Concept or POC grant funding program. The review found that despite its relatively modest use, the program has consistently delivered powerful results.

POC grants focus on research innovations and discoveries in danger of slipping into an academic research limbo known as the “Valley of Death.” Innovations that slide into this no-man’s land are usually too advanced to warrant additional funding from various federal agencies, but still too early in development to attract commercial or industrial funding.

The POC grant program at the University of Nebraska was created to fill those gaps for research projects. The program is most often used at UNMC for new biomedical discoveries that have high potential to “improve healthcare for Nebraska and beyond,” said Michael Dixon, the CEO at UNeMed, which performed the review.

“This is one of the few sources of gap funding we have,” Dixon said. UNeMed is the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC. UNeMed also works with inventors at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Without POCs,” Dixon added, “we’d have more than a dozen technologies just dying on the vine. That’s a dozen potential treatments, cures and better outcomes that industry just isn’t ready to invest in. But they’re all moving forward now thanks to this program, and several are now receiving financial support from industry. That’s a huge credit to our leaders in the legislature and at the University. They made it happen.”

Over the five-year history of the program, 17 grants totaling $2.78 million have been approved for UNMC and UNO biomedical innovations.

More specifically, the grants led directly to the creation of four startups companies; four new partnerships with biomedical companies; at least $525,000 in additional federal research funding; and another $1.3 million from industrial partners to support of University research. And one UNMC startup company, armed with data produced from a POC-funded study, was able raise an additional $300,000 from outside investors.

POC grants at UNMC and UNO have also led to advanced prototypes of medical devices and drug treatments that move the technologies closer toward their first clinical trials and product launches.

Approval for a POC grant typically requires significant feedback from a potential industrial or commercial partner who is interested in developing the technology.

For example, a company might be interested in a UNMC innovation, if only the researcher could show the result of a particular test. That test result alone could determine whether a new cancer drug or medical device advances closer to market. But with no additional research funds, the innovation will often lie in wait, rarely seen or heard from again.

The POC grants often pay for those additional tests, delivering the results needed to move a technology closer to market.

“The companies interested in these technologies, they just aren’t always in a position to handle the risk of paying for these additional studies,” said UNeMed’s Director of Business Development, Joe Runge. “These tests aren’t just things we pull out of our ears. This is in line with the things that industry needs to see before investing significant time and treasure.”

A new simulator invented at the University of Nebraska Medical Center uses video game technology to teach laparoscopic surgery to residents pressed by work hour restrictions.

Reducing the amount of risk involved for companies is a large part of what makes the program successful, said David Jackson, the University of Nebraska’s Vice Provost who administers the Nebraska Research Initiative and its POC program.

“This is high risk for us too,” Jackson said, “but if someone doesn’t take the risk, then these technologies stay dormant. Just to leave a technology on the table is a lost opportunity.”

He added: “We take that risk because of the potential for moving technologies out the door in a way that’s going to benefit all Nebraskans.”

The NRI was originally created in 1988 as a state-funded program to build research capacity and expertise throughout the University system. Later, in 2011, a small portion of that funding was directed to POC grants, or what Dixon at UNeMed calls “Valley of Death funding.”

About 6 percent of the NRI budget goes to POC funding at all campuses in the University of Nebraska system, Jackson said.

“Looking back, the state deserves a ton of credit for their foresight in setting up the NRI to begin with,” Dixon said. “It helped grow this research engine to the beast it is today. I can’t imagine what this POC program might lead to in another 20 years; what the biomedical sector in Nebraska might look like; all the jobs it might produce. It could be transformative for our local economy, not to mention all the medical benefits we might see.”

At UNMC, all of UNeMed’s approved POC grants resulted in eliminating unknowns and uncertainties for potential industry partners.

“We try to be judicious, and have partners in mind,” Jackson said. “I don’t count it a failure if something like a prototype doesn’t work. That tells you to stop the work, and move in a new direction. What’s a failure in my mind is if something gets funded that doesn’t answer a question industry needs.”

The first POC grant at UNMC, awarded in late 2011, funded a study that created the data necessary to support FDA clearance for a clinical trial. The technology is a unique drug that could allow doctors to diagnose, treat and track tumors in patients who suffer some of the most deadly forms of cancer.

The clear path to a clinical trial helped attract a serial entrepreneur from Kansas City who used the technology to create a startup company, Calidum, Inc. Calidum is now raising funds to perform the trial.

Another POC paid for a small clinical trial related to Parkinson’s disease. The trial yielded such encouraging results that a major pharmaceutical company is interested in repeating the study in a larger group of patients.

Two grants were awarded for UNO innovations created at the Biomechanics Research Building. One innovation led to an advanced prototype of a special insole that fits in a hospital slipper. Sensors within the insole then help predict the risk of falls for at-risk patients.

A look at the earliest version of a prototype developed by biomechanics researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha for detecting an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A POC grant from the Nebraska Research Initiative help create a wearable, advanced prototype that is expected to enter second clinical trial later this year.

A look at the earliest version of a prototype developed by biomechanics researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha for detecting an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A POC grant from the Nebraska Research Initiative help create a wearable, advanced prototype that is expected to enter second clinical trial later this year.

The other UNO-related grant paid for a study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. The study produced so much information that researchers had to create a new invention just to interpret the data stream. That simple solution could be applied to several other inventions at UNOs biomechanics facility.

Yet another UNMC innovation led to a million-dollar research collaboration with a major pharmaceutical firm on a long-acting HIV treatment.

Various contractual and confidentiality agreements prevent UNeMed from disclosing company names and some technology details.

Other POC projects include:

  • A validation study for Radux Devices, a UNMC startup, proved the effectiveness of two devices that protect physicians from radiation exposure during procedures that require continuous x-ray imaging. Radux plans its first product launch later this year.
  • A project that identified an entirely new molecule to target treatment-resistant pancreatic cancer.
  • A study for a blood test to predict coronary artery disease.
  • A small grant that paid to train UNMC personnel how to operate a new portable simulator for minimally invasive procedures. The training tool is expected to go through its first round of public testing later this year at Creighton University.
Click here to see all POCs at UNMC and UNO
Complete list of POC grants secured by UNeMed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Tumor-targeted drugs for prostate cancer imaging and molecular radiotherapy
Approved: Oct. 10, 2011
Amount: $172,839
Principal Investigator: Janina Baranowska-Kortylewicz, Ph.D.
Summary: Novel radiopharmaceutical compound targeting specific cancer cells for the better treatment, diagnosis and tracking of tumors in the prostate, breast and ovaries. Such a targeted approach is expected to dramatically reduce harmful side-effects while improving treatment effectiveness.
Outcome: Funds used to complete all pre-clinical studies, and allowed the successful submission of an Investigative New Drug application to the FDA, which would allow a phase one clinical trial in prostate cancer patients. The clear path to a clinical trial attracted an entrepreneur from Kansas City who created a startup company, Calidum Inc., with an exclusive license for the technology. Calidum is currently raising funds to support the clinical trial.

Dentotropic mouthwash formulation for the prevention and treatment of dental caries and periodontal diseases
Approved: Feb. 2, 2012
Amount: $243,000
Principal Investigator: Dong Wang, Ph.D.
Summary: A new nanoparticle formulation for the treatment of oral diseases allows for extended and localized delivery that improves the effectiveness of existing drugs while reducing unwanted side-effects.
Outcome: Funds supported tests that showed apparent effectiveness of the compound. Further studies—including toxicity and stability—are required for further commercial development. Discussions with potential commercial partners are ongoing.

Immunoprotection for Parkinson’s disease
Approved: Nov. 1, 2013
Amount: $150,000
Principal Investigator: Howard Gendelman, M.D.
Summary: A vaccine strategy capable of slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease
Outcome: Funds were used to support a clinical trial that explored one key component  of the vaccine called an adjuvant. Tests showed the adjuvant alone was enough to transform the immune profile of Parkinson’s patients. More than $100,000 additional funds were provided by a major pharmaceutical company to further support the clinical trial, and discussions are underway to expand the tests in a larger groups of patients.

Resorbable stent to assist in arteriovenous fistula maturation
Approved: May 15, 2012
Amount: $85,000
Principal Investigator: Marius Florescu, M.D.
Summary: A new device that improves success rates for AV fistulas, a procedure that joins an artery and a vein for the purpose of creating a portal to be used in dialysis for patients with failing kidneys.
Outcome: Funds paid for first successful fistula creation in animals and led to an advanced prototype with several potential clinical partners expressing an interest in the final design. The research in now planning a new study with the improved prototype.

Use of gait analysis to assess the likelihood of falls in at-risk populations
Approved: Sept. 4, 2012
Amount: $82,500
Principal Investigator: Nick Stergiou, Ph.D.
Summary: A system of sensors worn by a patient that can detect and record neuromuscular information. The information can then be analyzed to detect conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, peripheral artery disease, and the susceptibility of elderly patients to falls.
Outcome: Funds paid for a study of the device, and based on the positive results of the tests, a medical device company signed an agreement for exclusive rights to the underlying patents. They are currently working on applying for additional funding to support a clinical trial with a more advanced version of the prototype.

NanoART for preclinical safety assessment
Approved: March 1, 2013
Amount: $225,000
Principal Investigator: Howard Gendelman, M.D.
Summary: Funds helped test and develop novel long-acting nanoformulations for anti-HIV medications.
Outcome: Nanoformulations developed by this grant helped produced a partnership with a major pharmaceutical firm that has contributed more than $1.18 million in additional research funding. If previous studies are verified by an independent third party as expected, the collaboration would also expand to a much wider and deeper examination of the technology and its capabilities.

Novel antibodies for MUC4: applications in structure-functional analysis, and diagnosis and therapy of human cancers
Approved: May 1, 2013
Amount: $100,000
Principal Investigator: Surinder Batra, Ph.D.
Summary: Measuring a protein called MUC4 could help improve and refine the diagnosis and treatment strategies of some type of cancers, including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian and cervical.
Outcome: Results from the studies led to the creation of a startup company, Sanguine Diagnostics. The studies paid for by the POC grant led to additional work support through NIH grants. Sanguine also built on the findings of the POC studies to secure two Small Business Technology Transfer grants from the federal government, totaling $525,000. Sanguine is planning additional studies as they work toward developing better tissue diagnostic tools.

ARRESS and Lock-Block
Approved: June 27, 2014
Amount: $250,000
Principal Investigator: Greg Gordon, M.D.
Summary: Devices are designed to protect healthcare providers from repeated radiation exposure while reducing strain and stress on a provider’s joints and muscles through improved ergonomics.
Outcome: Funds supported a study that provided documented proof of assumed advantages of new devices. Complaints of musco-skeletal injury, fatigue and injury were reduced for physicians using the system. Radiation exposure levels were also significantly reduced, while workflow in the operating room also improved. Radux, the startup company built on the innovations, used the data to attract investors, putting Radux on the fast-track to an expected product launch this spring.

Drug candidates for Paf1/PD2: A novel target to restrict its comprehensive role in drug resistance of pancreatic and ovarian cancer stem cells
Approved: March 1, 2014
Amount: $250,000
Principal Investigator: Surinder Batra, Ph.D.
Summary: A protein associated with pancreatic cancer, pancreatic differentiation factor 2 or PD2, was identified as a key player in the development and recurrence of pancreatic and ovarian cancers.
Outcome: Funds supported a multi-campus collaboration that leveraged the super-computer at UNO’s Holland computing center to simulate potential drug candidates targeting PD2. After creating an accurate computer model of PD2, researchers successfully identified potential candidates. Based on those results, one pharmaceutical company has expressed a substantial interest in proposed follow-on studies, although additional funds are necessary to move forward.

MAA-adduct isolation and identification of the adducted macromolecule (analyte)
Approved: July 1, 2014
Amount: $100,000
Principal Investigator: Geoffrey Thiele, Ph.D.
Summary: A protein known as MAA, short for malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde, appears to differentiate between a relatively benign form of artery disease from a more lethal form that can result in a sudden and unexpected heart attack. Studies show a simple blood might be used to more accurately predict risk of the more dangerous variety of coronary artery disease.
Outcome: Funds paid for a study to develop a more accurate blood test. Five additional leads were developed in the study, which helped establish collaborative agreements with two commercial partners, including the creation of a new startup company, HealthCheck Diagnostics.

Improve Potency and oral bioavailability of the lead compound 13-197
Approved: Feb. 16, 2015
Amount: $250,000
Principal Investigator: Amarnath Natarajan, Ph.D.
Summary: NF-kB signaling plays an important role in the development and progression of numerous diseases. A novel inhibitor of NF-kB, 13-197, had demonstrated potent anti-proliferative activity.
Outcome: Based on feedback from industry representatives, POC funds were used to develop more potent and drugable analogs of 13-197. All tests are not yet complete, but one pharmaceutical company has already expressed a strong interest in pursuing any new leads generated from the POC study.

PortCas
Approved: Nov. 1, 2015
Amount: $9,000
Principal Investigator: Joseph Siu, Ph.D.
Summary: An ultralight laparoscopic simulator for the training of surgical residents that is a less expensive and portable.
Outcome: Funds supported the creation of a training program for laboratory personnel as the technology continues moving toward its first round of “alpha” testing later this year.

Novel pyrrolomycins as anti-anthrax and anti-MRSA agents
Approved: March 7, 2016
Amount: $250,000
Principal Investigator: Rongshi Li, Ph.D.
Summary: A new compound showed great potential as a highly potent antibacterial agent against anthrax and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA.
Outcome: Grant funded studies are still ongoing.

Reliability of portable device to measure respiration and step rates
Approved: March 7, 2016
Amount: $76,410
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Yentes, Ph.D.
Summary: A new platform that measures the relationship between breathing and walking shows the potential to predict when chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, suddenly flares up into a potentially deadly episode known as an exacerbation.
Outcome: Funds supported a clinical test that produced an unexpected amount of data, which lead to an improved algorithm to interpret and process all the information. The POC results led to an improved version of the wearable device and second clinical study that will held at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of Michigan.

Development and applications of quantifiable sympathetic vasomotion
Approved: Aug. 1, 2016
Amount: $200,052
Principal Investigator: Irving Zucker, Ph.D.
Summary: A system for assessing the accuracy and effectiveness of renal denervation as an alternative treatment for high blood pressure.
Outcome: Studies are on-going. Based on earlier tests, a major medical device company is interested in the platform, and plans to visit campus later this year to review the results of the current study.

Pupillary examination using a simulated training model of the eye
Approved: Jan. 5, 2017
Amount: $80,636
Principal Investigator: Deepta Ghate, Ph.D.
Summary: A virtual and augmented reality simulator for examining pupils and pupillary disorders. The simulator is designed to teach medical students, residents, and other health care professionals how give a proper pupil examination and properly diagnose various diseases.
Outcome: Grant allowed the creation of a collaborative licensing agreement with a major medical simulator company, which will develop the simulator and incorporate into their existing line of products.

Development of the Aquablade catheter for treatment of aortic dissection
Approved: Jan. 23, 2017
Amount: $210,000
Principal Investigator: Jason MacTaggart, M.D.
Summary: The Aquablade is a device that uses high-pressure water to cut tissue inside an artery or vein. It is initially being developed for the treatment of aortic dissections.
Outcome: Grant will focus on the development of a functional prototype through a collaboration with a medical device manufacturing group. Once the prototype is developed additional tests will be conducted in UNMC labs.

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UNMC research team discovers novel pharmaceutic action for HIV/AIDS

February 2, 2017 Comments (0) News

Could allow patients to take multiple medications just once a month

by Tom O’Connor, UNMC

A research team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has used a process they call LASER ART (long-acting slow effective release antiretroviral therapy) to discover an unexpected pathway to open cell storage areas for antiviral drugs. The discovery could revolutionize current treatments for HIV/AIDS by extending the actions of disease-combating medicines.

The LASER ART research breakthrough is significant, as the invention could be broadly applied. The discovery allows conventional drugs, taken once or twice/day, to be transformed into once a month dosing.

Such changes would ease the burden on patients and their caregivers.  The injectable drug bypasses oral absorption and brings the drug to body sites where the virus continues to hide in tissue sanctuaries.

The work is detailed in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, one of the world’s leading scientific journals reporting novel, high-impact translational research.

The 14-member research team was spearheaded by three members of the UNMC Department of Pharmacology/Experimental Neuroscience in the College of Medicine – Divya Prakash Gnanadhas, Ph.D., post-doctoral research associate, Santhi Gorantla, Ph.D., associate professor, and Howard Gendelman, M.D., professor and chair.  The team also included researchers from the UNMC College of Pharmacy.

Harris Gelbard, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center, discovered the pharmaceutical agent called URMC-099.

“This will likely have a strong global impact on HIV/AIDS health care,” said Dr. Gendelman, whose laboratory has pursued research for more than a decade on LASER ART. “Getting people to take medication every day is difficult. To be able to take medication once a month or even longer will make it much easier for patients to be compliant while at the same time help bring the drug to tissues of the body that are not easily reached by conventional medicines.”

The LASER ART developed by the UNMC scientists is a formulation of injectable drugs, he said. The long-lasting medication was developed by making pharmacological changes in the chemical structure of the drug, while at the same time protecting its abilities to contain infection.

The new drug formulation is not an anti-HIV medicine, Dr. Gorantla said, but rather one that opens storage areas inside cells where drugs can be maintained for a long period of time. This extends the intervals for dosing and allows physicians to administer the drug over an extended period of time.

Prior to this discovery, Dr. Gorantla said only two drugs had been modified in this fashion. Their use was limited, she said, because each injection would require several ounces of drug with larger volumes in each succeeding injection. This amount of drug given can potentially be cut in half with this new medication.

Dr. Gendelman said LASER ART enables drug crystals to reach destinations in tissues and blood and stay there. These drug crystals are protected against destruction (metabolism) in the liver and excretion in the kidney and urine.

To accomplish this, the scientists merged LASER ART with URMC-099, which alone has no antiviral effect. Co-administration with antiretroviral medicines provides enhanced viral suppression, Dr. Gorantla said.

The scientists discovered that several innovative strategies – slow drug dissolution, poor water-solubility and improved bioavailability – could bring the medication to the sites of active viral growth and accelerate clearance of the virus.

“We showed that one drug can deliver the other drug to sites inside the cells where the virus grows and at the same time sequester the drug crystals at sites protecting it from degradation,” she said. “The drug inside the cell slowly dissolves from the crystal and is released into the blood.

“This is a new way to extend the actions of drugs,” Dr. Gnanadhas said. “It is a means to improve drug effectiveness and to allow patients to take drugs without interruption.”

The drugs were formulated through UNMC’s good laboratory practice (GLP) manufacturing facility. Financial support for the project was provided by Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Deb Thomas.

Dr. Gendelman said the next step is to formulate URMC-099 with drug cocktails and investigate whether such a chemical marriage can extend the half lives of many other antiretroviral and a spectrum of other drugs. Ultimately, they hope to combine URMC-099 with drugs that have been limited for human use due to the frequency and bioavailability of their required dosing to be effective.

The research was supported in part by four institutes of the National Institutes of Health – the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute on Aging.

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The year in review: Highlights from 2016

January 25, 2017 Comments (0) Blog

by Charles Litton, UNeMed | Jan. 25, 2017

As we close the books on another year of tech transfer—our 25th, to be precise—we wanted to take a moment to look back on the year that was. Here’s a review of some of the most important stories, developments, most popular posts and other highlights from UNeMed in 2016:

UNeMed hosted the Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. The awards recognize all UNMC faculty, students and staff who disclosed a new invention, secured a U.S. patent or licensed a technology during the previous fiscal year.

1. Innovation Week
Innovation Week has always been a consistent driver of traffic to the website. But each year seems to be bigger than the last, and 2016 was no exception. Our annual celebration of UNMC’s innovative research is anchored by the Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception, which highlighted the impressive work coming from Irving Zucker’s labs (see below). But the 2016 festivities were special in another way: The series of events also highlighted the year as UNeMed’s 25th anniversary.

2. Industry Partnering Day
For something we downplayed as a low-key event, it sure hit a nerve. Our first Industry Partnering Day was a small, but focused group of researchers, investors and industry executives. The obvious goal was building stronger relationships between those groups, but we also hoped the event might help lift a few UNMC innovations to further development. The invitation-only event was a clear success, and that’s why we plan to do it again this year. This time around, however, we will focus on medical devices. If you think you should be invited, drop us a line.

3. Vein and arteries are more than mere pipes
There’s a lot more to veins and arteries than you might think. This popular blog post took a closer look at just how complex they are, and debunked the idea that they resemble the plumbing in your house. The post helped explain why things like atherosclerosis and kidney dialysis have an added layer of complexity due to the dynamic nature of veins and arteries.

4. 2016 Demo Day
UNeMed’s Technology Demonstration Day entered its fourth year in October 2016, highlighting a handful of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s top innovations. The event also featured two Nebraska biotech startups that were selected from a field of more than 200 applicants for a national demo day in Washington D.C.: Calidum and Orion BioScience.

Iriving Zucker, Ph.D., accepts the 2016 Innovator of the Year Award.

5. Zucker is Innovator of the Year
Irving Zucker, Ph.D., took home UNeMed’s top prize from the annual Innovation Awards Ceremony. His work with treating chronic heart failure and high blood pressure—via reducing excessive sympathetic nerve activity—landed the Innovator of the Year Award. The work also secured the interest of an industrial partner who is collaborating with Zucker’s lab to push the innovation toward FDA-approved treatments.

6. Anyone can be an inventor
That only scientists in lab coats can be an inventor is a common misconception. That perception, however does not match reality, and we sought to dispel that myth with this popular blog post back in May. The truth is, anyone can be an inventor. All you need is an idea, and some way to convey it.

7. If you want to be an entrepreneur…get a job!
A portion of our efforts are dedicated to helping build startups, and working with biotech entrepreneurs. Over the years, 55 startup companies have emerged from UNMC innovations, and we’ve learned a thing or two from all those successes (and failures too). Our Business Development Manager, Joe Runge, explores the value of “on-the-job learning” for budding entrepreneurs.

8. Motometrix (Avert) joins StraightShot
Motometrix, since re-branded as Avert, landed a coveted spot in Omaha’s technology accelerator program, StraightShot. Avert’s novel concussion detection platform is based on technology developed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s world-class Biomechanics Research Building. The device resembles a bathroom scale turbo-charged with powerful software and highly sensitive pressure sensors that can determine when a person has suffered a concussion during sporting events. Avert is currently working on refining its prototype in preparation for a wider product roll-out.

Calidum Chairman Sam Al-Murrani, Ph.D., addresses an audience during UNeMed's Demo Day event in October 2016.

Calidum Chairman Sam Al-Murrani, Ph.D., addresses an audience during UNeMed’s Demo Day event in October 2016.

9. Calidum will treat, diagnose cancers
In April, UNeMed announced a licensing deal that helped create a new startup based on a UNMC technology that could be used to both diagnose and treat various cancers. Calidum’s “theranostic” compound is tagged with a harmless, radioactive isotope, and has a remarkable ability to target some treatment-resistant cancers, including prostate, ovarian and triple-negative breast cancer. The FDA has approved a clinical trial for prostate cancer.

10. New approach needed for Alzheimer’s
Despite its late arrival—and competition with the holiday season and a rather disruptive hack that laid the website low for several weeks—our most recent blog still managed to capture a lot of attention. Written by our newest addition to the staff, licensing intern Tyler Scherr, Ph.D., the blog examines current and future treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease. The overall outlook is grim for the present, but new approaches in the future could change that.

Honorable Mention:
The annual website review often rates a fair amount of traffic, including last year’s look at 2015, which revisited important stories about developing UNMC innovations. Among the top stories was a note about Virtual Incision, a Nebraska startup creating novel surgical robots. While much of the news in 2015 focused on Virtual Incision’s fund-raising success, the news in 2016 shifted to the company’s first-in-human tests and its addition to the University of Nebraska’s Innovation Campus.

Classics
Several posts from previous years remain popular and relevant, particularly those that focus on day-to-day operations and legal issues associated with intellectual property.
1. The importance of technology transfer
2. How to determine who is an inventor on a patent: Unraveling inventorship vs. authorship
3. What you need to know about royalty distribution
4. Technology transfer 101: Defining research commercialization

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UNMC, UNO form new institute to help start-ups succeed

December 23, 2016 Comments (0) News

UNeTech facility at 3929 Harney St. will provide affordable space in 3-level, 5,000-sq.-ft. building

by Vicky Cerino, UNMC

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha are partnering on a new institute designed to identify promising start-up companies and help them become successful.

The institute – called UNeTech – will be located at 3929 Harney St. in a building formerly occupied by the American Red Cross.

Rodney Markin - Pathology

Dr. Markin

A longtime top administrator at UNMC, Rod Markin, M.D., Ph.D., will serve as executive director of UNeTech. Dr. Markin has been on the faculty for 30 years, serving most recently as chief technology officer and associate vice chancellor for business development.

In 2010-11, Dr. Markin served as interim dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. Prior to this, he was named the David T. Purtilo Distinguished Professor of Pathology in 2005 and senior associate dean for clinical affairs in the College of Medicine in 1997. He also served as president of UNMC Physicians, the physician practice group for UNMC, from 1997 to 2010.

Dr. Markin, who holds 35 patents, is one of the most prolific inventors at UNMC. In 2009, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from UNeMed Corporation, UNMC’s technology transfer company, for his innovative work in transforming the clinical laboratory through technology.

Joe Runge will serve as associate director of UNeTech. Runge has been with UNeMed for the past 11 years, serving as business development manager and senior licensing specialist. UNeMed has been in operation for 25 years.

Scott Snyder, Ph.D., chief research officer, will serve as the lead administrator for UNO. He will be assisted by Nick Stergiou, Ph.D., Distinguished Community Research Chair in Biomechanics and director of UNO’s Biomechanics Research Building.

In addition to his role as chief research officer, Dr. Snyder is president of the Nebraska Applied Research Institute (NARI) on the UNO campus. Dr. Stergiou also oversees the National Center for Research in Human Movement Variability housed in the UNO Biomechanics Research Building.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for UNO to partner with UNMC, as we bring meaningful technologies from the research lab into the lives and care of people,” Dr. Snyder said.

“Biomechanics is committed to work with UNeTech in translating our innovations into effective start-up companies,” Dr. Stergiou added.

Ultimately, UNeTech will report to the UNMC chancellor, Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and the UNO chancellor, John Christensen, Ph.D. An Oversight Committee made up of three leading business people who are all graduates of the UNMC College of Medicine– James Linder, M.D., F. Joseph Daugherty, M.D., and Tyler Martin, M.D. – will serve in an advisory capacity.

Dr. Markin said UNeTech’s mission will be to bridge the gap after UNeMed identifies promising technology and intellectual property and provide the support to allow these fledgling companies to become successful.

“It’s called the ‘Valley of Death,’” Dr. Markin said. “It’s the most difficult hurdle for new businesses to clear – 50 percent of start-up companies fail in the first three years.”

UNeTech hopes to make it easier for start-up companies to succeed by providing affordable space in its three-level, 5,000-sq.-ft. building. The top two levels will provide conventional office space, while the unfinished basement will serve as a laboratory/workshop area.

Dr. Markin said UNeTech hopes to have three start-up companies in the building by next month. These companies will share space on the first level of the building. Over time, he said the building could accommodate as many as 10-12 start-up companies.

UNeTech was approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in 2015, and the Nebraska Legislature will allocate $1 million each year to cover UNeTech’s operating expenses.

Dr. Markin said UNeTech’s goals over the next five years include:

  • Evaluating at least 25 UNeMed-derived and 25 university-related technology opportunities;
  • Transitioning 10 of these opportunities into pass/fail status as start-up companies;
  • Incubating 20 early-stage technology/start-up opportunities;
  • Launching five start-up businesses capable of obtaining early-stage funding; and
  • Creating at least 50 new jobs.

To accomplish these goals, Dr. Markin said UNeTech will seek to raise between $7 million to $10 million in funding from individuals and outside agencies to invest in the potential technology and start-up companies.

“This will allow us to create a revolving fund with enough capital to maintain a strong growth environment into perpetuity,” he said.

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