Six technologies featured at Demo Day 2016

October 6, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

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OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 5, 2016)—Some of the university’s more intriguing technologies and startups were on display Wednesday evening during the fourth installment of UNMC Technology Demonstration Day at the Michael F. Sorrell Center.

A part of UNeMed’s 2016 Innovation Week, Demo Day featured six short presentations, and examined some UNMC technologies and partnerships as they move toward the marketplace.

The featured companies and technologies were Orion BioScience, sympathetic vasomotion, Avert, Prommune Inc., Cyborg Beast and Chrysalis Medical. Videos of all presentations will soon be made available on UNeMed’s YouTube channel.

Josh Sestak

Josh Sestak

Josh Sestak, PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Orion BioScience, began with the first of six 10-minute presentations. Orion is an Omaha startup working on a platform technology that holds the potential as a cure for autoimmune diseases.

Peter Pellegrino, an M.D./PhD candidate at UNMC, is a researcher in
Irving Zucker’s, PhD, laboratory where they’ve developed an system for accurately measuring the sympathetic nervous system. The technology—referred to as sympathetic vasomotion—could be used to non-invasively measure neural signals that regulate blood flood flow. It could be used to improve significantly current procedures related to high blood pressure, blood loss and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Preston Badeer

Preston Badeer, CEO, presented Avert’s concussion detection platform. The technology works much like a bathroom scale, detecting imperceptible shifts in a person’s balance. When a person such as a football player suffers a concussion, the small shifts in balance change patterns. The automated system might be the earliest and most accurate way to detect when a person has suffered a concussion. More importantly, it can also accurately gauge when a persona has full recovered from a concussion as well.

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Sam Al-Murrani

Prommune Inc. CEO Sam Al-Murrani, PhD, outlined his company’s approach to fighting infections. Prommune’s technology is based on a synthetic protein that boosts the natural immune response to certain infections.

Jorge Zuniga, PhD, a researcher at UNO’s Biomechanics Research Building, presented Cyborg Beast, a prosthetic hand for children that is made entirely with 3D-printed parts. The bright—and often multi-colored—hands are popular worldwide, and look like something out of the pages of science fiction. One of his designs led to actor Robert Downey Jr. presenting a version of Zuniga’s cybernetic “Iron Man” hand to a Florida boy. His goal is to provide low-cost or even free prosthetics to children around the world, and he is expected to outline some his latest developments.

Hemodialysis catheter

Hemodialysis catheter

Chrysalis Medical CEO Ron Allen closed out the presentations with a talk about a new kidney dialysis catheter that is expected to enter the market within the next six months. Built into the new catheter’s tip is a small balloon, similar to the type used in angioplasty procedures. The catheter’s balloon is used to break up and minimize the amount of tissue that often builds up on dialysis catheters. The innovative device eliminates most of the need for the current standard of care, which is often the costly and somewhat risky procedure of replacing a blocked or obstructed catheter.

Innovation Week concluded this evening at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center auditorium with the Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception. There, UNeMed will honor all UNMC faculty, students and staff who disclosed a new invention, received a U.S. patent or licensed a technology in fiscal year 2016. UNeMed will also name the 2016 Innovator of the Year and the 2016 Most Promising New Invention.

Officials will also draw for a free 3D printer, which can be won by any UNMC personnel or student who enter the drawing at any Innovation Week event. They must be present at the drawing in order to win, however.

For more information about all 2016 Innovation Week events, go to https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

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Innovation Awards are tonight

October 6, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

awards_300x300OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 6, 2016)—Innovation Week wraps up tonight with the 10th Annual Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center auditorium.

The awards honor all University of Nebraska Medical Center students, faculty and staff who disclosed a new invention, received a U.S. patent where a contributor on a licensed technology. UNeMed will also announce the 2016 Innovator of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2016.

UNeMed will also draw the winning name of the free 3D printer, but the entrant must be present to win.

Earlier this week, UNeMed hosted a Kick-Off event, a panel discussion about 3D printing in healthcare, and the UNMC Technology Demonstration Day.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

All Innovation Week events are free and open to all.

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Future of medicine, 3D printing explored during panel

October 5, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

UNeMed's annual Innovation Week continued Oct. 4 with a panel discussion about the biomedical applications in healthcare. Above, R. Gabe Linke, the 3D printing coordinator at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, shows guests a 3D-printed model of a newborn's heart. Surgeons used the model to study abnormalities, and planned an eventually successful procedure to correct the problems.

UNeMed’s annual Innovation Week continued Oct. 4 with a panel discussion about the biomedical applications in healthcare. Above, R. Gabe Linke, the 3D printing coordinator at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, shows guests a 3D-printed model of a newborn’s heart. Surgeons used the model to study abnormalities, and planned an eventually successful procedure to correct the problems.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 4, 2016)—A panel of 3D printing experts convened Wednesday afternoon to discuss the potential impact the technology could have on healthcare and biomedical research.

The panel explored biomedical 3D printing applications that are currently possible, and examined some ground-breaking uses to come in the near-future. The panel also discussed the increased use and accessibility of 3D printing, not just for healthcare purposes but for everyone.

The best approach to get started in 3D printing is simply to dive right in. Buy an inexpensive consumer model and start experimenting, panelist Jorge Zuniga, PhD, told an estimated 68 onlookers.

Panelists R. Gabe Linke (left) of Omaha's Children's Hospital and Medical Center and Jorge Zuniga (right) of UNO during the 3D-printing discussion Tuesday in the DRC auditorium.

Panelists R. Gabe Linke (left) of Omaha’s Children’s Hospital and Medical Center and Jorge Zuniga (right) of UNO during the 3D-printing discussion Tuesday in the DRC auditorium.

“For the holidays…get one of those cheap ones, and give it to your kid,” said Dr. Zuniga, who specializes in prosthetic research in UNO’s biomechanics department. “Then you’re going to learn how to use it… Download files and just print stuff…By doing this you’re going to understand the applications in your field, and how you can solve a problem. It’s not that complicated. You can learn this.”

Dr. Zuniga took a similar approach when he jumped headlong into 3D printing about five years ago. He had heard about a project in South Africa creating prosthetics for under-privileged children there. He was frustrated in his attempts to learn more about the program, so he created his own prosthetic.

Armed with little more than some borderline obsessive curiosity and open-source files available to anyone with an internet connection, he and his team created the “Cyborg Beast.” It’s an entirely 3D-printed prosthetic hand for children that looks like something out of a science fiction comic book.

Another panelist, Karen Linder, was another late entry into 3D printing, developing an interest in the area when she learned about a new ceramic printing process. She invested in the technology and helped create a new Omaha startup company, Tethon 3D, where she serves as the CEO. Tethon 3D specializes in a proprietary ceramics printing process that can then be fired in a kiln to create true porcelain objects—and with such intricate designs they would be extremely difficult or impossible to create by any other method.

Panelist and Tethon 3D CEO Karen Linder meets with guests immediately after the event.

Panelist and Tethon 3D CEO Karen Linder meets with guests immediately after the event.

“The resources are there, and the software is getting easier and easier,” she said, urging audience members to explore 3D printing, regardless of their knowledge-base. She added later: “You can learn at any age.”

But Linder’s key point was the potential 3D printing has for personalized or customized healthcare. She talked about the ability to print pills, which could include several medications. Instead of taking multiple pills, a patient in the future might be able to get the same medications with a single pill.

Although customized medications are still a few years away, Omaha Children’s Hospital and Medical Center is bringing personalized care to patients right now. Led by 3D printing coordinator R. Gabe Linke, Children’s uses MRI and CT scans to model patient hearts for 3D-printed replicas. Surgeons then study abnormalities, develop a plan and practice procedures on the models long before the patient enters the operating room.

Children’s doesn’t charge patients for the service, which they have been offering for less than a year, but the practice is already improving outcomes, Linke said.

Panelist and UNMC researcher Bin Duan, PhD, meets with guests immediately after the event.

Panelist and UNMC researcher Bin Duan, PhD, meets with guests immediately after the event.

UNMC researcher Bin Duan, PhD, rounded out the panel group. Dr. Duan heads UNMC bioprinting unit in the Regenerative Medicine Program in the Department of Internal Medicine. He’s working on using sophisticated printers that can use several different types of materials to create tissues suitable for human implantation. More specifically, he wants to create the complicated structures necessary for bone and cartilage implants that could be used to correct birth defects in the jaw.

Researchers elsewhere are working on ways to 3D-print other cellular structures such as organs and blood vessels, he said.

Co-sponsored by UNeMed Corporation, the UNMC 3D Makers Club and the McGoogan Library of Medicine, the 3D printing panel discussion was part of Innovation Week. Innovation Week is a series of events meant to highlight and celebrate the discoveries and creations of UNMC’s faculty, students and staff.

Three events remain for Innovation Week 2016.

Later today, UNeMed will host its fourth UNMC Technology Demonstration Day at 4 p.m. in the Michael F. Sorrell Center amphitheater. Dr. Zuniga will be among the featured presentations. All six speakers will explore startups and technologies developed at the university in short presentations intended for a non-expert audience. Presentations will be followed by a short reception.

Innovation Week wraps up Thursday, Oct. 6 with the iEXCEL Expo and the Innovation Awards.

The iEXCEL Expo is a hands-on display of some of the most advanced medical training tools in the world. It will be held in room 1012 at the Sorrell Center from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The Innovation Awards begins at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center I auditorium. UNeMed will honor all UNMC researchers, students and faculty who disclosed a new invention, secured a U.S. patent or licensed a technology in fiscal year 2016. An Innovator of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2016 will also be named. UNeMed officials will also announce the winner of a free 3D printer.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

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SBIR contract will fund study to prevent parasite infections

October 5, 2016 Comments (0) News

Sam Sanderson, PhD

Sam Sanderson, PhD

OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 5, 2016)—Prommune Inc. was recently awarded a federal contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for the development of vaccines to Toxoplasma gondii infections.

The two-year Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract for $438,932 was awarded by NIAID (contract #HHSN272201600038C) to Prommune, an Omaha startup that spun out of research from Sam Sanderson, PhD, a research associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UNMC.

Dr. Sanderson founded Prommune around an immune stimulating peptide he and his team created. Early tests show the peptide, called EP67, has the ability to enhance a more robust natural immune response against infections.

“EP67 is a platform technology,” said Prommune CEO Sam Al-Murrani, PhD, “but with this contract we’ll begin to see the wider therapeutic potential of EP67.”

Prommune and Dr. Sanderson will partner with University of Nebraska at Omaha biology professor and T. gondii expert Paul Davis, PhD, to develop a possible vaccine against T. gondii infections.

An estimated 60 million in the U.S. are infected with T. gondii parasites, which is typically acquired from infected cats or eating undercooked meat. For most people, the infection goes unnoticed or presents only temporary flu-like symptoms. Healthy immune systems usually prevent the parasite from causing serious illness, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. But for people with weak or compromised immune systems an infection could lead to a serious condition called toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis occurs when the parasites create cysts within the body. The condition is particularly dangerous if the parasites end up in the brain where cysts can cause neurological and behavioral disorders, or even death. For pregnant women, a T. gondii infection could be transmitted directly to the fetus, creating an increased potential for birth defects. Contact with cat feces is one of the most common routes of transmission, which is why pregnant women are strongly advised against handling cat litter boxes.

Drs. Sanderson and Davis will look to prevent T. gondii infections using the EP67 peptide in the development of vaccines in the Phase I proof-of-concept round of testing. If successful, researchers will apply for Phase II, which would involve further process development leading to human clinical trials and FDA approval.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the USC 2304(b)(2) USC 253(b)(2), National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN272201600038C.

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Demo Day starts at 4 p.m. today

October 5, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

demodayposter16finOMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 5, 2016)—Innovation Week continues this afternoon when the fourth annual UNMC Technology Demonstration Day begins at 4 p.m. in the Michael F. Sorrell Center’s amphitheater.

Demo Day will feature six biomedical startups and technologies that were either invented at the University of Nebraska Medical Center or are collaborations with UNMC researchers.

The presentations are planned to be short, 10-minutes explanations of the technologies in easy-to-understand terms that the non-expert can understand. Among the technologies to be highlighted are new therapeutic strategies for T. gondii infections, autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure and neurodegenerative diseases. Other technologies include 3D printed prosthetic limbs, improved catheters, and a concussion detection platform.

More details about all presentations can be found here.

Demo Day is the final opportunity for UNMC faculty, students and staff to enter the 3D printer prize drawing. The drawing will be held during the Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 6, and entrants must be present to win.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

All Innovation Week events are free and open to all.

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Today: Panel will discuss 3D printing in healthcare

October 4, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

seminar2016OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 4, 2016)—Innovation Week continues today with a panel discussion about 3D printing in healthcare, what is possible today and what might be possible in the future.

The discussion will be held in the Durham Research Center auditorium, beginning at noon. Free pizza will be provided for the first 80 guests.

The scheduled panelists are: Tethon 3D CEO Karen Linder; UNO researcher and Cyborg Beast Founder Jorge Zuniga, PhD; UNMC’s lead 3D bioprinting researcher Bin Duan, PhD; and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center’s 3D printing coordinator R. Gabe Linke.

The panel discussion is part of Innovation Week, a series of events hosted by UNeMed Corporation as a celebration of the innovation and discovery that happens every year at UNMC.

microblackThe panel discussion is another opportunity for UNMC faculty, students and staff to enter the 3D printer prize drawing. The drawing will be held during the Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 6, and entrants must be present to win.

On Wednesday, UNeMed will host its fourth annual UNMC Technology Demonstration Day in the Sorrell Center amphitheater at 4 p.m.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

All Innovation Week events are free and open to all.

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UNeMed releases 2016 annual report

October 3, 2016 Comments (0) News

2016ar_300x376thumbOMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 5, 2016)—UNeMed released today its 2016 annual report for the fiscal calendar year.

The report marks the 25th anniversary for UNeMed Corporation, which was officially created on Sept. 11, 1991. The report also details UNeMed’s key metrics, and highlights notable successes and way points throughout its 25-year history as the technology transfer leader for the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

In an introduction letter President and CEO Michael Dixon, PhD, reflected on UNeMed’s long history, and saw signs that innovation at UNMC is on the rise. In 2012 UNMC researchers disclosed a record 106 new inventions. The record-breaking year was due to the increased national funding for biomedical research made possible by the American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009. When the stimulus funding package ended, UNMC’s federal research awards plummeted from a then-record $115.02 million in 2010 to a more pedestrian $79.7 million in 2011.

Then last year, UNMC secured a record $115.1 million in federal awards.

“This is not just an interesting data point from our history,” Dixon wrote in UNeMed’s 2016 annual report. “It illustrates what we think lies in wait for us…history tells me we’re in for more great things. Things that 10 or 15 years from now will change how we treat, diagnose and maybe even cure some of the biggest medical challenges we face today.”

In addition to the review of UNeMed’s history, the report also highlights several “featured current technologies” before diving into metrics from the previous fiscal year.

Among the more noteworthy metrics from 2016 is the number of agreements. In 2016 UNeMed set new company records for both material transfer and confidentiality agreements. Combined, UNeMed worked on 507 agreements, a 22 percent increase over 2015’s 417.

The largest single-year increase was in the opportunity category, which measures the “number of conversations UNeMed initiated with companies and investors interested in UNMC innovations.” In 2016, UNeMed claimed 153 opportunities, a 59 percent increase over the previous year.

UNeMed also saw a rise in the number new invention disclosures with 87, a 38 percent increase over the previous year.

The report can be viewed online, but printed copies are also available. Contact UNeMed to receive a free printed copy.

2016 Annual Report by UNeMed Corporation on Scribd

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Innovation Week kicks off today

October 3, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

joonthego319x452OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 3, 2016)—Innovation Week officially begins this morning when UNeMed staffers host a kick-off event in the Durham Research Center atrium from 9-11 a.m.

The Innovation Week Kick-Off will feature the first opportunity for UNMC faculty, students and staff to enter a 3D printer prize drawing. The drawing is open to all UNMC faculty, students and staff who may enter the drawing at each Innovation Week event. The drawing will be held during the Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 6, and entrants must be present to win.

The Kick-Off will also feature free pens, T-shirts and a chance to mingle with UNeMed staff. Jo-on-the-Go will also be on hand, providing complimentary espressos and smoothies to all attendees.

Innovation Week is a series of events hosted by UNeMed to celebrate and honor the innovations and discoveries at UNMC each year.

Innovation Week continues Tuesday, Oct. 4, with a panel discussion about 3D printing in healthcare. The panel discussion will begin at noon, and free pizza will be provided for the first 80 guests.

On Wednesday, UNeMed will host its fourth annual UNMC Technology Demonstration Day in the Sorrell Center amphitheater at 4 p.m.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

All Innovation Week events are free and open to all.

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UNeMed to give away free 3D printer

September 30, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

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OMAHA, Neb. (Sept. 30, 2016)—UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will give away a free M3D Micro 3D Printer Retail Edition during Innovation Week.

The M3D Micro, a small “starter” 3D printer, was rated the best 3D printer in its class by 3D Forged and Tom’s Guide.

microblackOpen to all UNMC students, faculty and staff, the drawing will be held during the Innovation
Awards Ceremony and Reception, which is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center auditorium. The entrant must be present to win.

Innovation Week is a series of events hosted and sponsored by UNeMed as an annual showcase that honors and celebrates the innovative and ground-breaking research performed at UNMC. The week culminates with the Innovations Awards, which specifically recognizes those who submitted a new invention, licensed a technology or received a U.S. patent during the previous fiscal year.

UNeMed will also present two special awards to the Most Promising New Invention of 2016 and the Innovator of the Year.

UNMC faculty, students and staff can enter the drawing by attending any Innovation Week event. Every Innovation Week event represents an opportunity for an additional entry in the drawing.

Innovation Week kicks off Monday at 9 a.m. with an open house to meet UNeMed staff and grab freeT-shirts and other goodies. Jo-On-The-Go will also provide free coffee and smoothies.

Innovation Week continues Tuesday with a panel discussion seminar that will examine 3D printing applications in healthcare, both today and in the future. It will be held in the DRC auditorium at noon-1 p.m., and the first 80 guests will receive free pizza.

Demo Day will be held Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 4p.m. in the Sorrell Center amphitheater. It will feature six leading technologies that emanated from the research laboratories at UNMC and UNO. The technologies will be presented by researchers, company CEOs or startup founders in easy-to-understand 10-minute sessions intended for scientists and non-scientists alike. Demonstrations will be followed by a short reception with complimentary food and beverages.

Innovation Week concludes Thursday with the Awards Ceremony.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

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Panelists named for 3D printing discussion

September 30, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

innovationweek2016_webhead

 

OMAHA, Neb. (Sept. 30, 2016)—Four local professional experts will participate in a public panel discussion about the current state of 3D printing and its potential for current and future healthcare applications, officials announced today.

seminar2016The panel discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Durham Research Center I auditorium. The one-hour conversation begins at noon, and lunch will be provided for the first 80 guests. University of Nebraska Medical Center personnel and students can also register to win a free 3D printer.

The scheduled panelists are Karen Linder, Jorge Zuniga, PhD, Bin Duan, PhD, and R. Gabe Linke.

Linder is the president and CEO of Tethon 3D, an Omaha startup that specializes in a proprietary method for 3D printing ceramics.

Dr. Zuniga is a researcher at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s world-class Biomechanics research facility. His primary focus is creating affordable and more widely accessible prosthetic limbs for children, largely through 3D printing. He is also the founder of Cyborg Beast, an open-source organization that provides free access to 3D printing files of prosthetic arms for children.

Dr. Duan leads UNMC’s new biomedical 3D printing team in the regenerative medicine program. He and his team are working on ways to 3D print bone and cartilage as a way to repair certain birth defects.

Linke is the 3D printing coordinator at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha. He often works with surgeons and physicians to 3D print a model of a specific child’s heart so a surgeon can practice a complicated surgical procedure long before the first incision.

The panel discussion is part of Innovation Week, a series of events hosted by UNeMed Corporation as a celebration of the innovation and discovery that happens every year at UNMC. UNeMed is the technology transfer and commercialization office at UNMC.

Innovation Week begins Monday at 9 a.m. during the Kick-Off, an open house where guests can grab a free T-shirt, coffee and other goodies.

demodayposter16finOn Wednesday, Oct. 5, UNeMed will host its fourth UNMC Technology Demonstration Day, beginning at 4 p.m. There, some of UNMC’s most promising early-stage companies and technologies will be highlighted in a series of short, easy-to-follow presentations.

There will also be an opportunity to tour UNO’s biomechanics facility on Wednesday, from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. And UNMC will show off some of the world’s most advanced medical training tools when the iEXCEL Expo gets underway at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6.

Innovation Week concludes with the Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception Thursday evening at 4 p.m. The awards are to honor all the UNMC faculty, students and staff who disclosed a new invention, received a U.S. patent or were inventors on a licensed technology during the previous fiscal year. UNeMed will announce the 2016 Innovator of the Year, and name the Most Promising New Invention of 2016.

microblackUNeMed will also draw the winner of a free 3D printer. Any UNMC student or staff member is eligible to enter the printer drawing by attending any Innovation Week event. Attending multiple Innovation Week events is the only way to enter the drawing multiple times, but they must be present at the drawing to win.

Learn more about all Innovation Week events at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

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UNMC innovation to be on display at Demo Day, Oct. 5

September 29, 2016 Comments (1) Innovation Week, News

UNMC Demo Day 2016 is Oct. 5

OMAHA, Neb. (Sept. 29, 2016)—Six biomedical startups and technologies will be on display at the UNMC Technology Demo Day in the Michael F. Sorrell Center amphitheater (MSC 3001) on Wednesday, Oct. 5, beginning at 4 p.m.

A part of UNeMed’s 2016 Innovation Week, Demo Day will feature six short presentations, and will examine some UNMC technologies and partnerships that are moving toward the marketplace.

The featured companies and technologies will be Orion BioScience, sympathetic vasomotion, Avert, Prommune Inc., Cyborg Beast and Chrysalis Medical.

All presentations will be tailored to the non-expert and will run approximately 10 minutes each. A short question and answer session will follow each presentation. After, there will be a short reception with complimentary food and drinks. There, guests will also have the opportunity to meet with the inventors, company executives, and members of Nebraska’s startup, venture capital and angel investor communities.

All Innovation Week events are free and open to all, but people may RSVP their intention to attend Demo Day here.

Josh Sestak, of Orion BioScience, is seen here during a presentation earlier this month in Washington D.C.

Josh Sestak. PhD

The evening will begin with Josh Sestak, PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer for Orion BioScience. A Nebraska startup based on an innovation originally developed at the University of Kansas, Orion is an Omaha company working on a platform technology to treat autoimmune diseases.

Peter Pellegrino, a UNMC researcher, follows with his presentation of a promising early-stage sympathetic vasomotion technology that’s already attracting interest from industrial groups. The technology non-invasively measures the neural signals that regulate blood flow has applications related to high blood pressure, blood loss and neurodegenerative disease.

Also featured will be Avert’s ground-breaking concussion detection platform. The device works much like a bathroom scale, measuring the nearly imperceptible shifts a person makes while standing still. Those shifts create a pattern, and the pattern changes when a person suffers brain injury.

Calidum Chairman Sam Al-Murrani, PhD, addresses a standing room only crowd during the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer's national demo day in Washington D.C. on Sept. 20, 2016. Calidum is developing a radiopharmaceutical invented at the University of Nebraska Medical Centert that could dramatically change how some cancers are diagnosed, monitored and treated.

Sam Al-Murrani, PhD

CEO Sam Al-Murani will outline Prommune’s approach to boosting innate immune systems to fight disease and infection. Prommune’s platform technology delivers drugs to their intended target more efficiently and more effectively.

Cyborg Beast founder Jorge Zuniga, PhD, achieved some recent notoriety with the colorful prosthetic limbs he develops for children. One of his designs led to actor Robert Downey Jr. presenting a version of Zuniga’s cybernetic “Iron Man” hand to a Florida boy. His goal is to provide low-cost or even free prosthetics to children around the world, and he is expected to outline some his latest developments.

Finally, Chrysalis Medical, a California company using technology invented at UNMC, will discuss what it believes is a disruptive device for hemodialysis patients. Often, dialysis patients have catheters that become blocked with a fibrous build-up that forces clinicians to replace the catheter, at no small risk to the patient. This new device could eliminate that need to replace the catheter.

Innovation Week will continue Thursday at the iEXCEL Expo where some of the most advanced medical training tools in the world will be on display for hands-on interaction. The Expo begins at 11:30 a.m. in room 1012 of the Sorrell Center.

Innovation Week concludes Thursday evening at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center auditorium with the Innovation Awards. There, UNeMed will name the 2016 Innovator of the Year and the 2016 Most Promising New Invention. Officials will also draw for a free 3D printer, which can be won by any UNMC personnel or student who enter the drawing at any Innovation Week event. They must be present at the drawing in order to win, however.

Other Innovation Week events include an open house and a 3D printing panel discussion. The open house is 9-11 a.m. Monday in the DRC atrium, where there will be free T-shirts, snacks and other goodies. The panel discussion is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the DRC auditorium, beginning at noon. The panel will discuss the potential impact and uses of 3D printing in healthcare.

For more information about all 2016 Innovation Week events, go to https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

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Innovation Week at UNMC is Oct. 3-7

September 19, 2016 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

innovationweek2016_webheadOMAHA, Neb. (Sept. 19, 2016)—The tenth annual Innovation Week kicks off Monday, Oct. 3, to celebrate and recognize world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Hosted by UNMC’s technology transfer office, UNeMed Corporation, Innovation Week begins with an open house 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3, in the Durham Research Center atrium, and culminates with the UNMC Research Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception Thursday, Oct. 6, which will include a drawing for a free Micro 3D Printer.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Micro 3D Printer drawing is for UNMC faculty, students and staff only. They may register for the drawing by attending any UNeMed-sponsored event. Further details can be found on the Innovation Week page.

Following Monday’s Kick-off event, Innovation Week continues the following day with an expert panel discussion about the biomedical applications and implications of 3D printing. Panelists are expected to discuss what has been successfully printed in the medical field and the potential that 3D printing holds for healthcare in the future. Presented by the UNMC 3D Makers Club and co-sponsored by the McGoogan Library of Medicine and UNeMed, “Transforming healthcare through 3D printing” will be held in the Durham Research Center auditorium, beginning at noon. Lunch will be provided for the first 80 people.

Innovation Week continues Wednesday, Oct. 5, when BioNebraska hosts tours of the Biomechanics Research Facility at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Also on Wednesday, UNMC Technology Demonstration Day will enter its fourth year, featuring new technologies invented at UNMC and startups that are either based on UNMC innovations, or are working to help further UNMC research. The event will feature six short presentation geared toward a general audience, followed by a short reception. That event will be held in the amphitheater at the Michael F. Sorrell Center at 4-6 p.m.

Building on last year’s success, the iEXCEL Expo will once again feature an open house with some of the most sophisticated medical training tools. The advanced technologies will be part of UNMC’s new Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning, or iEXCEL, a new initiative that is expected to create more than 300 new jobs when its moves into a $102 million facility in 2018.

The iEXCEL Expo is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6 at the Sorrell Center.

Innovation Week culminates on Thursday, Oct. 6, with the UNMC Research Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception. The ceremony will recognize all those who were issued a new patent, licensed a technology, or developed a new invention over the previous year. UNeMed will also present special awards for the “Most Promising New Invention” of 2016 and the “Innovator of the Year.”

More details about individual events will be available soon, and announced through UNeMed’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

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Designs approved for UNMC’s simulation training facility

September 19, 2016 Comments (1) News

$102 million facility expected to produce up to 325 jobs, $137 million annually in economic impact

by Tom O’Connor, UNMC

Plans for the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s new medical simulation training facility have taken another step forward.

gcail-idr-southwestOn Friday, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents received the intermediate design review report and then approved the design for the Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning, which will house the activities of UNMC’s iEXCEL℠ (Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning).

The $102 million facility is the centerpiece of an initiative that will create up to 325 well-paying jobs and is estimated to generate as much as $137.7 million annually in economic impact for the city and state economies.

“This new facility will transform the way all health professionals learn new skills and acquire new knowledge,” said UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “UNMC is a leader in the transformation of health sciences education. Our programs in ‘real-life virtual reality scenarios’ and 3-D content creation truly define our global leadership. We will see the benefits of this state-of-the-art center as it continues to improve the performance of health care professionals, both in Omaha, throughout Nebraska and far beyond. This will translate into more effective and more efficient health care.”

While based at UNMC’s Omaha campus, the center will benefit the entire state, including UNMC campuses in Lincoln, Kearney, Scottsbluff and Norfolk, as well as UNMC’s primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, and its regional health partners. It also will serve as a resource to Nebraska’s state colleges and the military, while bolstering continuing education and statewide education and training for all of Nebraska’s health care practitioners.

Groundbreaking is expected early next year with completion in summer 2018. The 183,742-gross-square foot facility will be built on the southeast corner of 42nd and Emile Street. It will be connected to adjacent facilities – the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education to the north and the Lauritzen Outpatient Center to the east – via skywalks.

Dr. Pam Boyers

Dr. Boyers

“This center will position UNMC, our local communities and the state of Nebraska as the site for cutting-edge health care education,” said Pam Boyers, PhD, UNMC associate vice chancellor for interprofessional education and experiential learning.

In September, the Omaha City Council approved a request for $5.2 million in redevelopment bond proceeds and $5.5 million in capital improvement program funds.

In 2015, the Nebraska Legislature and Gov. Pete Ricketts approved $25 million toward design and construction of the iEXCEL Global Center project. They subsequently approved additional funds annually for operations and maintenance of the new facility. Additional capital funding support for iEXCEL will come from other private and public sources.

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Dixon among featured speakers at BRD symposium

September 12, 2016 Comments (0) News

Michael Dixon

Michael Dixon

OMAHA, Neb. (Sept. 13, 2016)—UNeMed president and CEO Michael Dixon will be among the featured speakers this week when the University of Nebraska Medical Center hosts its third annual Biopharmaceutical Research & Development Symposium.

The symposium will be held at UNMC’s Lozier Center for Pharmacy and Education, located at 4040 Emile Street. The event kicks off with a full day of presentations on Wednesday, Sept. 14, beginning at 8:45 a.m. The event concludes the following day at about 12:45 p.m.

Dr. Dixon is expected to address attendees just before lunch on the first day, taking on the “Role of Intellectual Property in Drug Discovery and Development” at 11:15 a.m.

An effort to promote and improve collaborations between academic researchers and industrial organizations, the Biopharmaceutical Research & Development Symposium will feature more than a dozen drug development researchers and industry insiders. Among the featured speakers are guests from Pfizer, Harvard University and the Food and Drug Administration, to name a few.

According to its website, the stated goal of the symposium is to “highlight state-of-the-art practices in the pharmaceutical industry’s discovery and development of new drugs” and help produce a “guide to successful industry-academia collaboration with the opportunity to explore scale-up challenges and collaborate on how academia can more closely model industry level pharmaceutical processes.”

Topics to be covered are:

  • Chemistry of Therapeutic Oligonucleotides
  • Small Molecules as Tools to modulate miRNAs and other Noncoding RNAs
  • Nucleic Acid-Based Drug Modalities: Developing New Classes of Drugs
  • NIH Funding on Nanomedicines and Gene Therapy Research
  • Gene Therapy for Tissue Regeneration
  • Challenges and Opportunities in the Clinical Translation of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics
  • Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics of macromolecules (eg ADC)
  • miRNAs as Therapeutic targets in Breast Cancer
  • Development of MRG-106, an Oligonucleotide Inhibitor of miR-155, for Hematological Malignancies
  • Role of Biopharmaceutics in Drug Development and Regulation
  • Role of Intellectual Property in Drug Discovery and Development
  • Targeting PLP-Enzymes for Mechanism-Based Inhibition-from Fundamental Studies to Lead Compounds for Therapeutics

Learn more about the symposium at: https://www.unmc.edu/pharmacy/programs/symposium/program.html

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Calidum among two Nebraska startups selected for national Demo Day

August 31, 2016 Comments (0) News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 29, 2016)—Two Nebraska startup companies based on university research were selected from a field of 200 applicants to join a national Demo Day next month and present their technologies before 400 potential investors and members of Congress.

“This is fantastic news,” said Michael Dixon, PhD, president and CEO of UNeMed. “The competition is pretty fierce in the world of startup companies. This speaks volumes for the quality of these two companies and the cutting-edge therapies that they are delivering.”

Only 35 startup companies made the final cut for the first-ever University Startups Demo Day on Sept. 20, held by the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer, an association of university startup officers. Among the 35 were two Nebraska biotech startups, Calidum Inc. and Orion BioScience Inc.

Sam Al-Murrani

Dr. Al-Murrani

Calidum is built around a technology created by University of Nebraska Medical Center researcher Janina Baranowska-Kortlyewicz, PhD She developed a compound that can be used for more effective cancer treatments and diagnostics. Calidum is finalizing plans for its first Phase I clinical trial on prostate cancer patients.

“I think the technology has strong potential,” Calidum chairman Sam Al-Murrani, PhD, said. “This will be an excellent opportunity to talk to the right people.”

Orion is based on a University of Kansas innovation, but the company established its base of operations in Omaha so it could be closer to its clinical partner, UNMC. Orion specializes in therapies that relieve short- and long-term eye diseases associated with autoimmune disorders.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office at UNMC, helped establish the Calidum startup. UNeMed also helped build the collaboration between Orion and UNMC.

The primary goals of the University Startups Demo Day were to give early-stage companies added exposure to potential investors, while demonstrating to Congress the value of university research to the national economy.

“The University Startups Demo Day is the university community’s opportunity to show the nation how far it’s come in its bold, new vision for the future of the university, and how that vision is central to national competitiveness and economic growth, peace and prosperity,” the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer said in a recent press release. “University Startups presenting at the Demo Day have individual stories to tell about the good work they are doing to create jobs, serve humanity and leave the world a better place for the next generation.”

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UNMC, Purdue Pharma enter partnership to advance new drug development

August 31, 2016 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Neb. and STAMFORD, Conn. (Aug. 31, 2016)—The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Purdue Pharma L.P., have entered into a partnership to advance graduate education and scientific research that could lead to new drug therapies for patients.

The partnership will kick off on August 31 with UNMC and Purdue Pharma leaders attending a scientific symposium at UNMC from 8 a.m. to noon in the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education on campus. UNMC researchers studying neurosciences will talk about their research. As part of this long-term partnership, these symposia will be repeated several times annually, each one with a different scientific theme, and each time creating opportunities for scientific exchanges and personal interactions between the organizations.

The alliance will promote, develop and expand research and educational exchange in the neurosciences related to pain, the central nervous system, and other chronic diseases. One of the goals is to close the gap between academic research and drug development by shortening the lengthy path of drug development from idea to potential commercialization through workforce development and education, as well as research.

“Collaborations between industry and academia are important to drive innovation for patients suffering from pain and other chronic diseases,” said Alan W. Dunton, M.D., Senior Vice President and head of Research & Development, Purdue Pharma. “Our R&D team is continually working to understand the pathophysiology of these diseases so that we can identify new ways to develop and investigate potential therapies. Working with an institution with the research experience and capabilities of UNMC will enhance our ability to accomplish this important goal.”

UNMC and Purdue Pharma will have opportunities to work together on research that may lead to new product development.

“We are pleased to partner with Purdue Pharma. The alliance will aid in advancement of UNMC’s mission to conduct basic and clinical research toward the goal of improving the lives of patients,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., UNMC chancellor. “Pharmaceutical companies are looking more toward academic medical centers like ours for the talented graduate students and researchers who will develop the next generation of potential therapies and products.”

Jennifer Larsen, M.D., UNMC vice chancellor for research, said the partnership signifies a commitment to identify strategies for understanding pain and developing new approaches or therapies for pain that avoid substance abuse as well as other types of neuroscience research.

“More of our investigators are interested in taking their discoveries all the way to commercialization,” said Dr. Larsen, Louise and Morton Degen Professor of Internal Medicine. “Having a partnership with investigators in the industry is another way of increasing UNMC’s capacity and to accelerate intellectual property to commercialization.”

“UNMC has deep expertise and broad areas of research, internationally recognized faculty, and significant overlap with our strategic interests in the treatment of pain, central nervous system diseases, drug delivery and formulations,” said Don Kyle, PhD, Vice President of discovery research, Purdue Pharma. “We are building a new model for industry-academic relationships with this partnership that will enable open and frequent dialog across disciplines and between the two organizations. This model will not only drive innovations in R&D, but will also facilitate learning and create professional growth opportunities.”

The partnership also includes a new Purdue Pharma Scholar program with funding for graduate students conducting research in neuroscience, particularly pain research. Three first- or second-year graduate students per year will receive a one-year graduate tuition scholarship. During the year Purdue research leaders will visit with students and students will have the opportunity to visit Purdue where they will have access to research facilities. Students will present their research at an annual Purdue Pharma Neuroscience Research Conference at UNMC.

Dele Davies, M.D., UNMC vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for graduate studies said UNMC is encouraged by the opportunities the partnership offers for graduate students and faculty.

“Purdue Pharma’s support of UNMC graduate students through scholarships in particular will spur new research interests in pharmaceutical and neurosciences related to pain management and control,” Dr. Davies said. “The partnership blends UNMC’s extensive and growing expertise and training programs in many health disciplines with Purdue Pharma’s strong track record of drug discovery, formulation and development.”

About Purdue Pharma L.P.
Purdue Pharma is a privately-held pharmaceutical company and is part of a global network of independent associated companies that is known for pioneering research in chronic pain and opioids with abuse deterrent properties. The company’s leadership and employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers quality products and educational resources to support their proper use. Purdue Pharma is engaged in the research, development, production and distribution of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines and hospital products. With Purdue Pharma’s expertise in drug development, commercialization, and life-cycle management, the company is diversifying in high-need areas to expand through strategic acquisitions and creative partnerships. For more information please visit www.purduepharma.com or follow the company on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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