OMAHA, Neb. (March 30, 2016)—The regional director for the Rocky Mountain Area of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Molly Kocialski, capped a three-day visit to Nebraska with a public forum at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Business.
Kocialski didn’t get beyond more than 10 minutes into her planned remarks of the two-hour session before members of an estimated crowd of 50 began peppering the former patent attorney with questions. The planned lecture quickly evolved into an impromptu conversation that took onlookers on a sometimes amusing and fascinating and other times deep and spirited dive into the finer points of the U.S patent system.
Kocialski’s planned remarks began with what promised to be a list of what she called “Molly’s Rules” for intellectual property.
The first rule: He or she who creates, owns; absent an agreement to the contrary.
The second: Your words can and will be used against you.
She did not get the chance to list a third.
Instead, the conversation in Mammel Hall’s auditorium swirled between a wide range of intellectual property areas that ranged from so-called “patent trolls” and patentable subject matter to invention ownership, international property rights and trademarks.
Kocialski repeatedly cited the USPTO website as invaluable resource for intellectual property questions, specifically pointing the site search function as a useful tool. She also noted that every state has a pro bono service for intellectual property issues.
You don’t have to be Mark Zuckerberg. Entrepreneurs are not just misunderstood geniuses that leave college early to intensely build their big ideas. They are also professionals that have solved problems for their employers and launched new products. They are employees that have accumulated valuable skills and now want to put those skills to work for themselves.
Both bills deal with promoting, supporting and growing start-up and small businesses in the state. For more details of the hearing, see the Lincoln Journal-Star’s coverage 
OMAHA, Neb. (January 20, 2016)—Submitting a new invention to UNeMed just got a little easier.
It was a big year for one of our startups, Virtual Incision, a surgical robotics company built out of a collaboration between UNMC surgeon Dmitry Oleynikov, M.D., and UNL robotics engineering professor Shane Farritor, Ph.D. Virtual Incision is focusing its work on making colon resection surgery—where a piece of damaged or diseased colon is removed—a minimally invasive procedure. In 2015 the company raised more than $11.2 million in the opening round of investing and landed a prestigious robotics 
Our most popular new blog post of the year came from UNeMed’s newest team member, Amanda Hawley, Ph.D. An intern at the time, Dr. Hawley had recently completed her doctorate in cancer biology, and offered advice to fellow scientists looking for alternate career options. Her key recommendation: Challenge yourself with new experiences outside your comfort zone. You might be surprised with what you learn about yourself. Since then Dr. Hawley has been promoted to a full-time postdoctoral position with UNeMed.
Radux, a new company built on a UNMC invention, is the most recent in a long line of startups that has benefited from the University of Nebraska’s Proof of Concept grant funding program. Radux used the cash to build its first working prototypes of devices made to protect physicians from harmful radiation and other injuries that can occur while performing fluoroscopic procedures. Radux was founded by UNMC interventional radiologist Greg Gordon, M.D.
Two more UNMC inventors earned national recognition with awards, most recently on Dec. 16 when Rodney Markin, M.D., was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. “Rod is a rare breed,” said Michael Dixon, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNeMed. “It’s uncommon to have a skilled clinician who also has such a keen understanding of business and what it takes to develop a product. Not only is he a prolific inventor with 35 patents, but he’s also helped turn those ideas into products – products that have built startup companies or have sold widely in multinational companies.”
In May, UNeMed announced that its services now also cover smartphone and tablet applications. UNeMed can help provide or find resources for further development while securing any intellectual property associated with the software. As a registered publisher at iTunes and Google Play, UNeMed can also publish an app to the most common marketplaces.
One of our most popular posts from 2015 announced the new status of 
Adam Ruben, Ph.D., from “Outrageous Acts of Science” on the Science Channel, gave a talk during UNMC’s 2015 Innovation Week titled “Public Perception of Science.” He listed examples of the public’s ill-informed response to scientific discovery like cloning animals, vaccines, and the 
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OMAHA, Neb. (November 1, 2015)—Amanda Hawley, Ph.D., has been promoted from intern to a full-time postdoctoral position as a licensing associate with UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“The idea of PortCas is pretty basic,” said Joseph Siu, Ph.D., who is working with Hanson on the PortCas. “If we can move a humongous, $100,000 simulator, move it into tiny boxes, and make it cheap enough for every medical student in the world to have one, then we’ve met our goal.”
Dr. Al-Murani said the technology is unique because it’s a naturally occurring protein, versatile, easy to manufacture and easy to store and use.
Qian Zhang, Ph.D., of UNeMed presented the Portable Laparoscope, an invention of Chandra Are, M.D.
Thoraguard is an innovative approach to the chest tubes used to drain fluids. The tubes are prone to clogging, causing Retained Blood Complex, which doubles the mortality rate, increases the length of stay in patients by about a week, and increases the costs to care for a patient by about $30,000. Larger tubes cut down on clogging but bring about a different set of problems, such as increased infections and damage to surrounding organs.
Valeriya Kettelhut, M.D., Ph.D., presented a system to track infections in hospitals and other high-risk environments, such as transport centers, cancer centers, and long-term facilities.
“Think about how we use chemical today,” said Draper. “Our overuse of chemicals and anti-microbial products are contaminating ourselves, our water, our air, our ground, and creating new contaminants in our environment.”
