Learn more about NCITE at next Morning Edition

October 16, 2025 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (October 16, 2025)—The next Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m. in the Catalyst building’s Forge Event Hall.

In a bit of a departure from previous formats, this month’s event will feature an overview of UNO’s groundbreaking work in counterterrorism research, technology and workforce development.

The featured speaker will be Gina Ligon, PhD, founding Director of UNO’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center or NCITE. She will be joined by Joel Elson, PhD, head of Innovation and Emerging Technology Research Initiatives at NCITE.

Poster for October 30, 2025 Idea Pub: Morning EditionNCITE was featured in local media for developing a new counterterrorism chatbot that secured a U.S. patent and was licensed to a local startup company, Vigiliti.

Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held in Catalyst Omaha on the western edge of the UNMC campus, on Saddle Creek Road. Free coffee will be provided. Catalyst, a co-sponsor of the event, will also offer complimentary facility tours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Metered parking is available along 46th Street.

The event is set for 9-11 a.m. in the Forge Event Hall on the north end of the building.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the University’s stable of successful and budding startup companies and from Omaha’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee will be provided as long as supplies last.

Future planned dates and speakers are:

  • Nov. 20: XRenegades- A Firework Media Studio, LLC
  • Dec. 18: Surgical Simulation Technologies

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

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NIH Panel to discuss grant options next week

October 16, 2025 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Nebraska (October 16, 2025)—The National Institutes of Health and UNeMed will host a virtual discussion about non-dilutive funding opportunities for academic researchers and innovators next week.
Scheduled as a Teams Meeting on Friday, Oct. 24, the planned panel discussion is titled “NIH SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunities for University of Nebraska Innovators.” The event is part of UNeMed’s annual Innovation Week series of events.

Every year the NIH provides $1.4 billion towards early-stage life science companies. Current NIH program staff will share how those funds can be accessed by innovative Nebraskans through the small business (SBIR/STTR) grant programs. Attendees will hear about scientific priorities and funding opportunities at the following institutes, centers, and offices:

A moderated Q&A session with the speakers will follow presentations. To register, go here.

Attendees are also encouraged to book one-on-one meetings with NIH staff to discuss their projects after the session using this link.

Planned speakers are Adam Sorkin, Saroj Regmi, Hejiao English, Annette Gilchrist, and Stephanie Davis.

Adam Sorkin, M.E.M., M.S.E., P.E. has over a decade of experience championing small business research and development. He previously supported Small Business Programs and intramural technology transfer activities at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Prior to joining NIH, Adam led R&D, strategy, and fundraising efforts of start-ups developing novel regenerative medicine and anti-infective applications. Adam has served as the Small Business Policy Manager in the NIH Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Office since 2022.

Saroj Regmi, PhD, is a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center. In his role, he provides oversight, guidance, administers funding, as well as offers networking assistance for small businesses to accelerate the translation of cancer-related technologies. Saroj conducted his postdoctoral work at NIH using CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches to study cellular processes. He received his PhD in molecular and cellular biology from Dartmouth Medical School.

Hejiao English, PhD, is a Small Business Development Specialist in the Office of Research Training and Special Programs (ORTSP), Division of Extramural Activities (DEA), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH. In her current position, Dr. English established, coordinates, and oversees the NIAID Small Business Applicant Assistance Program (AAP) that provides proposal development assistance and guidance to NIAID SBIR/STTR applicants in need. Prior to NIAID, Dr. English was an Invention Development and Marketing Specialist at NCI Technology Transfer Center (TTC), where she conducted portfolio and market landscape analysis for multiple cancer therapeutics, diagnostics, and devices inventions developed by NCI intramural investigators. Dr. English received post-doctoral research training at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in NCI in antibody engineering and cancer immunotherapy. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA.

Annette Gilchrist, PhD joined NINDS in 2022 where she oversees a portfolio of small business innovative research (SBIR) and small business technology transfer (STTR) projects. Prior to NINDS, Dr. Gilchrist was an Associate Professor at Midwestern University, where she taught pharmacogenomics and medicinal chemistry of anticancer drugs. She co-founded MyGenomeRx, a company that uses the results of at-home genetic tests to identify potential drug-gene interactions. She also co-founded Cue Biotech and Caden Biosciences, companies based on a novel approach to identifying compounds based on their ability to alter the interface between G protein coupled receptors and G proteins. This approach resulted from her postdoctoral work at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois – Chicago and has had multiple patents issued. Dr. Gilchrist received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Central Oklahoma, her M.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Connecticut, and her PhD from the University of Connecticut Health Center in Immunology where she worked on the tyrosine phosphatase PTP1C.

Stephanie Davis, PhD received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2012 from Florida Southern College. She received her M.S. in Medical Sciences (2015) and her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology (2016) from the University of South Florida. Stephanie was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Neurology. In addition to her postdoctoral appointment, she also interned part-time with the UK Office of Technology Commercialization from January to July 2019. Before joining the Innovation Office, Stephanie was selected for the 2019-2020 Executive Branch AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows Program, where she served as a Program Manager in the National Institute on Aging Office of Small Business Research. She has served as the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Small Business Program Coordinator since December 2020.

Innovation Weeks events are free and open to the public, except the Awards reception, which is by invitation only. Further details about all Innovation Week events can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

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Innovation Week begins Oct. 20

September 30, 2025 Comments (0) News

Innovation Week

OMAHA, Nebraska (September 30, 2025)—UNeMed’s annual celebration of innovation and discovery at the University of Nebraska begins on Monday, October 20.

Innovation Week 2025 CalendarHosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, Innovation Week will enter its 19th year with an open house 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in the Durham Research Center atrium.

Innovation Week’s featured event is the Research Innovation Awards Banquet Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the Scott Conference Center on UNO’s Akasarben Campus.

The week will also feature additional seminars and events designed to enhance innovation and discovery efforts at UNMC and UNO.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Awards banquet is by invitation only. Further details can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

Monday’s Kick-off event will feature snacks, coffee, T-shirts and other freebies, along with a chance for attendees to meet UNeMed staff.

Inventors Grove FlyerOn Tuesday, Oct. 21, UNeMed and the Nebraska Research Initiative will host Inventors Grove, weekly meeting that operates like a support group. Open from 7-8:30 a.m., people are encouraged to drop in at any time. It’s open to anyone who might have an idea or new discovery but doesn’t know what to do about it. Experienced inventors will be there to provide guidance, fellowship, support and inspiration to anyone curious about navigating the innovation process.

The week’s main event, the annual Innovation Awards, will be held on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the Scott Conference Center, at 6450 Pine Street.

An invitation-only event, the Awards will honor all UNMC and UNO inventors who disclosed a new invention, received an issued U.S. patent, or had their technology licensed during the previous fiscal year. Special awards for Emerging Inventor, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2025 will also be presented.

Innovation Week will continue on Thursday, Oct. 23 with another installment of Idea Pub: Startup Showcase at 4-6 p.m. at the Omaha Catalyst Forge Event Hall.

Sponsored in partnership with UNeTech Institute and NUTech Ventures, the Startup Showcase will feature several short presentations featuring new companies built around Nebraska innovations in healthcare. The event is open and free to all, but guests are asked to register here.

A panel discussion hosted by the National Institutes of Health is set for Friday, Oct. 24. Five panelists from the NIH will discuss non-dilutive funding opportunities for academic researchers and innovators interested in pursuing the small business grant program. The discussion will be a virtual event, held via Teams. To register go here.

Nebraska researchers are also encouraged to pre-book one-on-one meetings with NIH panelists here.

Finally, Innovation Week concludes on Saturday with startup launch party for FamilyRoom.health, a new company built by UNMC nurse, Breanna Hetland, PhD.

The party will be at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center in Council Bluffs at 4-7 p.m. The evening will feature more information about the growing startup company, along with art, music and refreshments. To learn more about thee vent and how to register, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burden-bloom-tickets-1664576074849.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Awards reception is by invitation only. Further details can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

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Vision health startup keys Idea Pub

September 25, 2025 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (September 25, 2025)—Co-founders of a UNMC startup were the featured speakers during the September installment of Idea Pub: Morning Edition.

Ashok Puri

Ashok Puri, MBBS, (left) speaks with a guest during the Sept. 25, 2025, Idea Pub: Morning Edition where he presented brief remarks about Deep Health Health Diagnostics, a company he co-founded with UNMC colleague Ron Krueger, MD.

Ron Krueger, MD, Director of UNMC’s Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, and Ashok Puri, MBBS, a professor in the Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Department at UNMC, co-founded Deep Health Diagnostics.

Deep Health Diagnostics was established on an innovative approach to more quickly and accurately diagnose a serious eye condition called macular edema. Macular edema is the buildup of fluid in the central part of the retina, and the leading cause of blindness for diabetics and seniors.

The UNMC innovation is an AI approach that would help clinicians better evaluate medical eye scans and imagery. The current standard of care for macular edema is a little trial-by-error. A physician treats the patient with an injection, then waits several weeks to measure the results. Then the physician makes an adjustment and repeats the process until arriving at the most effective approach, which may take months or even years to develop.

In the meantime, the patient’s vision often continues to deteriorate, irreversibly.

The powerful algorithm at Deep Health Diagnostics, however, could change the standard of care to one that might prevent a lot of vision loss.

“We’ve created a way to actually measure and predict and evaluate edema severity, and the effect of treatment,” Puri said.

Morning Edition is UNeMed’s networking event for university innovators, entrepreneurs and startup community members. Catalyst Omaha co-sponsors the event and provides free tours of the spacious facility.

Morning Editions will continue to be a fixture in the Catalyst’s Forge Event Hall, located on the north end of the building. Guided tours will also continue as an added feature.

The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, Oct.. 30, 2025, in the Forge Event Hall at 9-11 a.m.

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UNMC startup building a better diagnostic tool headlines next Morning Edition

September 15, 2025 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (September 15, 2025)—The next Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m. in the Catalyst building’s Forge Event Hall.

Ron Krueger, MD, Director of UNMC’s Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute and the CEO of Deep Health Diagnostics, will be the featured speaker. He will deliver a brief description of his startup, which was founded on an innovation from Ashok Puri, MBBS, an assistant professor in UNMC’s ophthalmology and visual sciences department.

Poster for September 25, 2025 Idea Pub: Morning EditionThe core technology at Deep Health Diagnostics uses artificial intelligence to improve the ability of non-expert clinicians in rural and remote areas to more accurately diagnose serious eye conditions. Deep Health Diagnostics also plans to expand its diagnostic abilities beyond retinal exams to include certain cancers and even infectious diseases like COVID.

Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held in Catalyst Omaha on the western edge of the UNMC campus, on Saddle Creek Road. Free coffee will be provided. Catalyst, a co-sponsor of the event, will also offer complimentary facility tours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Metered parking is available along 46th Street.

The event is set for 9-11 a.m. in the Forge Event Hall on the north end of the building.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the University’s stable of successful and budding startup companies and from Omaha’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee will be provided as long as supplies last.

Future planned dates and speakers are:

  • Oct. 30: UNO NCITE
  • Nov. 20: XRenegades- A Firework Media Studio, LLC
  • Dec. 18: Surgical Simulation Technologies

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

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FamilyRoom startup presents at Morning Edition, launch party announced

September 10, 2025 Comments (0) News

UNMC nursing professor Breanna Hetland, PhD, RN, presents her innovative startup company, FamilyRoom, during UNeMed's Idea Pub: Morning Edition at Omaha Catalyst on Aug. 28, 2025. Dr. Hetland was also named UNeMed's inaugural Faculty Entrepreneur award winner at the 2024 Innovation Awards.

UNMC nursing professor Breanna Hetland, PhD, RN, presents her innovative startup company, FamilyRoom, during UNeMed’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition at Omaha Catalyst on Aug. 28, 2025. Dr. Hetland was also named UNeMed’s inaugural Faculty Entrepreneur award winner at the 2024 Innovation Awards.

OMAHA, Nebraska (August 28, 2025)—UNeMed’s first Faculty Entrepreneur awardee, Breanna Hetland, PhD, used her spotlight at the most recent Idea Pub: Morning Edition to announce the upcoming launch party of her startup, FamilyRoom.
As the featured speaker at the monthly networking event, Dr. Hetland, who is also a registered nurse, opened her brief presentation with a powerful mental image.

She asked the audience to close their eyes and quietly listen to a few seconds of an audio recording. The Forge Event Hall at Omaha Catalyst soon filled with the distinct chirps of a heart monitor; the labored but rhythmic breathing of a patient on a ventilator, and the distinctive dull hum of a hospital room caring for a critical patient.

Dr. Hetland said those were familiar sounds, but the true depth of their impact was unknown to her until her father became a patient in a critical care facility.
“As a critical care nurse, I thought I understood,” she said. “But, as a daughter, I didn’t.”

Her experience on the other side—as a family member of a critical care patient—inspired the creation of her startup company. The goal was to build a software solution that helps patients, family and clinicians better communicate during what is likely some of the worst moments in their lives. In helping family members become more than spectators, Dr. Hetland suspects her solution could help improve outcomes as well.

“Because family care is patient care,” she said.

Dr. Hetland also announced plans for the upcoming party next month that will celebrate the successful launch of her startup and present an investment opportunity for the public.

Planned for Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the Hoff Family Arts Center in Council Bluffs at 4-7 p.m., FamilyRoom will host an evening that will include live music, an art exhibit and catered refreshments. To learn more about the launch and reserve free tickets, visit the event website here. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/burden-bloom-tickets-1664576074849)

Lamonte Russell, UNeTech Institute's Strategy and Ventures Manager, chats with guests during UNeMed's Idea Pub: Morning Edition at Omaha Catalyst on Aug. 28, 2025. Russell, along with UNO's Brent Clark (not pictured), leads the Maverick Technology Alliance, a student-led business strategy program that was UNeMed's 2024 Innovation Champion.

Lamonte Russell, UNeTech Institute’s Strategy and Ventures Manager, chats with guests during UNeMed’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition at Omaha Catalyst on Aug. 28, 2025. Russell, along with UNO’s Brent Clark (not pictured), leads the Maverick Technology Alliance, a student-led business strategy program that was UNeMed’s 2024 Innovation Champion.

Dr. Hetland has landed several awards and honors related to her innovation, including the Harriet H. Werley New Investigator Award (Midwest Nursing Research Society), the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, the Judges Award in the Digital Tools category of the Equalize Pitch Competition and a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Morning Edition is UNeMed’s networking event for university innovators, entrepreneurs and startup community members. Catalyst Omaha co-sponsors the event and provides free tours of the spacious facility.

Morning Editions will continue to be a fixture in the Catalyst’s Forge Event Hall, located on the north end of the building. Guided tours will also continue as an added feature.

The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in the Forge Event Hall at 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

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Design thinking workshop coming soon, applications open

September 5, 2025 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (September 5, 2025)—A two-day workshop aimed at innovative faculty and staff at the University of Nebraska is planned for next month with the goal of creating novel solutions to a significant problem in healthcare.

The Nebraska X Design Workshop is planned for Tuesday, Nov. 11 and Wednesday, Nov. 12, at UNMC and will use design thinking methodology to develop ideas to help prevent patient falls in hospitals and other clinical spaces. (Patient falls in American hospitals lead to an estimated 250,000 injuries and about 11,000 deaths every year.)

The Design Thinking method is a five-stage process that first asks workshop participants to empathize with and then define the problem. Participants then brainstorm ideas and, finally, build and test a prototype.

The Nebraska X Design Workshop will begin with an all-day bootcamp at Omaha Catalyst on Tuesday, Nov. 11, to train attendees in the Design Thinking process. The next day—in the Nebraska Medicine Innovation Design Unit—will feature the Design Thinking “sprint workshop” using the five-step process to build solutions to the problem.

The event will be led by Doug Dietz, an industrial engineer and former Design Team Lead at GE Healthcare.

Both days with run all day, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The workshop is specifically targeted at anyone interested in problem-solving, thinking outside the box, and collaborative projects. Any faculty interested in learning more about the Design Thinking methodology for their colleges, departments and units are especially encouraged to apply.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 30, but all applications will be reviewed and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, so anyone interested is encouraged to apply soon.

The application form and more information can be found at https://bit.ly/NExDesign.

The Nebraska X Design Workshop sponsored by the Nebraska Research Initiative, in collaboration with UNeMed, UNeTech, UNMC Design Thinking and the Nebraska Medicine Innovation Design Unit.

 

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August Morning Edition: Family Room ‘humanizing’ hospital care

August 21, 2025 Comments (0) News


OMAHA, Nebraska (August 21, 2025)—The next Idea Pub: Morning Edition will feature UNeMed’s 2024 Faculty Entrepreneur Award winner, Breanna Hetland, PhD, and her budding startup, Family Room.

The event will be held on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 9 a.m. in the Catalyst building’s Forge Event Hall.

Dr. Hetland, along with co-founder Greg Nelson, will present their innovative approach to helping patients, their loved ones and care providers better communicate during critical care hospitalizations.

Poster for August 28, 2025 Idea Pub: Morning EditionA registered nurse and an assistant professor in UNMC’s College of Nursing, Dr. Hetland has landed several awards and honors related to her innovations, including the Harriet H. Werley New Investigator Award (Midwest Nursing Research Society), the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, the Judges Award in the Digital Tools category of the Equalize Pitch Competition and a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held in Catalyst Omaha on the western edge of the UNMC campus, on Saddle Creek Road. Free coffee will be provided. Catalyst, a co-sponsor of the event, will also offer complimentary facility tours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Metered parking is available along 46th Street.

The event is set for 9-11 a.m. in the Forge Event Hall on the north end of the building.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the University’s stable of successful and budding startup companies and from Omaha’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee will be provided as long as supplies last.

Future planned dates and speakers are:

  1. Sep. 25: Deep Health Diagnostics
  2. Oct. 30: UNO NCITE
  3. Nov. 20: XRenegades- A Firework Media Studio, LLC
  4. Dec. 18: Surgical Simulation Technologies

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

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Inventors Grove will offer support, guidance

August 11, 2025 Comments (0) News

Inventors Grove FlyerOMAHA, Nebraska (August 11, 2025)—Often, the easiest part of the innovation process is coming up with the new idea or the better way.

The real difficulty is developing that innovation into an actual thing, beginning with the very first step: What to do after the initial inspiration or discovery.

A new, weekly event will soon be available for any University employee or student who might have an inventive new idea or discovery but don’t know what to do next.

Inventors Grove will meet every Tuesday morning, beginning on August 26, and function a lot like a support group, offering guidance, fellowship and inspiration. Successful inventors will be on hand to help newcomers navigate the innovation process.

The new program was developed by Tyler Scherr, PhD, Licensing Specialist and Business Development Manager at UNeMed and Bethany Lowndes, PhD, Scientific Director of Nebraska Medicine’s Innovation Design Unit and an associate professor in UNMC’s Department of Neurological Sciences.

“We understand how confusing, intimidating and overwhelming it can be for a first-time inventor,” Dr. Scherr said. “We wanted to create a more informal, supportive environment where there are no dumb questions and where every idea is worth saying out loud.”

Inventors Grove will meet every Tuesday, 7-8:30 a.m. in UNMC’s Innovation Design Unit Bridge, located on the sixth floor of University Tower.

“We’re not too concerned if there’s five or 50 people that join us at these meetings,” Dr. Scherr said. “Great ideas come from all corners, and we don’t want to leave any of them out.”

Inventors Grove will offer complimentary coffee and is sponsored by the Nebraska Research Initiative, in collaboration with UNeMed, UNeTech, UNMC Design Thinking and the Nebraska Medicine Innovation Design Unit.

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UNO innovation, services headline Morning Edition

August 7, 2025 Comments (0) News

UNO grad student and inventor, Cody Anderson, chats with a guest shortly after his presentation at the July 31, 2025, Idea Pub: Morning Edition.

OMAHA, Nebraska (July 31, 2025)—Innovative research and services out of the University of Nebraska at Omaha led the most recent Idea Pub: Morning Edition today in the event space of the Omaha Catalyst building.

Cody Anderson, a doctoral candidate at UNO’s School of Health and Kinesiology, was the featured speaker, delivering a presentation on a wearable device he’s developing with mentor Song-young Park, PhD Additional speakers delivered brief presentations about UNO’s Movement Analysis Core Facility and the Machining and Prototyping Core Facility.

Dr. Park and Anderson are working on an innovative approach to measuring blood pressure, accurately and consistently, using existent smartwatch technology. Their technology was named UNeMed’s Most Promising New Innovation in 2022 and has been further refined into a more robust algorithm.

Incorporating a reliable blood pressure measurement into wearable devices like smartwatches has been a challenge too difficult to solve. The only way to capture a reliably accurate blood pressure reading is with the traditional cuff that fits over the patient’s arm or wrist.

But the proprietary algorithm out of UNO appears to have solved that riddle, making “cuffless blood pressure actually feasible for clinical use,” Anderson said.

After Anderson’s presentation, the Director of UNO’s Movement Analysis Core Facility, David Kingston, PhD, outlined the range services he and his team provide. He was followed by a similar presentation from Brian Knarr, PhD., the Director of UNO’s Machining and Prototyping Core Facility.

Morning Edition is UNeMed’s networking event for university innovators, entrepreneurs and startup community members. Catalyst Omaha co-sponsors the event and provides free tours of the spacious facility.

Morning Editions will continue to be a fixture in the Catalyst’s Forge Event Hall, located on the north end of the building. Guided tours will also continue as an added feature.

The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in the Forge Event Hall at 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

 

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Summer Chill 2025

August 7, 2025 Comments (0) News

  • Summer Chill—July 29, 2025
  • Summer Chill—July 29, 2025
  • Summer Chill—July 29, 2025
  • Summer Chill—July 29, 2025
  • Summer Chill—July 29, 2025

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Summer Chill returns on July 29

July 14, 2025 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (July 14, 2025)—UNeMed’s Summer Chill event will return on Tuesday, July 29, at 2-4 p.m., in the green space outside the Durham Research Center towers.

Co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the event will feature games, fun and refreshments to help UNMC researchers, faculty, staff and students meet and connect with colleagues and UNeMed staff.

Complimentary flavored shaved ice will be provided by Kona Ice for as long as supplies last.

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Innovative wearable tech headlines next Idea Pub

July 7, 2025 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (July 7, 2025)—The next Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held on Thursday, July 31, at 9 a.m. in the Catalyst building’s Forge Event Hall.

The event will feature award-winning UNO scientists working on ground-breaking innovations related to wearable technologies.

Poster for July 31, 2025 Idea Pub: Morning EditionSong-young Park, PhD, and Cody Anderson will discuss their improved algorithms for wearable blood pressure monitoring devices, which was named UNeMed’s Most Promising New Invention at the 2022 Innovation Awards. Anderson is a doctoral research assistant in Dr. Park’s Vascular and Metabolic Phenotyping Research Lab in UNO’s School of Health & Kinesiology.

David Kingtston, PhD, Director of UNO’s Movement Analysis Core and Brian Knarr, PhD, Director of UNO’s Machining and Prototyping Core will also deliver breif remarks about their services and offerings.

Dr. Knarr is a two-time Most Promising Invention recipient and was part of the department-wide Innovator of the Year Award presented to UNO Biomechanics in 2018. He was among three co-inventors on the “Improved Self-Pacing Treadmill” for the Most Promising New Invention of 2022, and was part of a six-member team on 2024’s Most Promising New Invention, the “Ruggedized Beam Helmet.”

Idea Pub: Morning Edition will be held in Catalyst Omaha on the western edge of the UNMC campus, on Saddle Creek Road. Free coffee and doughnuts will be provided. Catalyst, a co-sponsor of the event, will also offer complimentary facility tours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Metered parking is available along 46th Street.

The event is set for 9-11 a.m. in the Forge Event Hall on the north end of the building.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the University’s stable of successful and budding startup companies and from Omaha’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided as long as supplies last.

Future planned dates and speakers are:

  • Aug. 28: PinkSteady
  • Sep. 25: Deep Health Diagnostics
  • Oct. 30: UNO NCITE
  • Nov. 20: XRenegades- A Firework Media Studio, LLC
  • Dec. 18: Surgical Simulation Technologies

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

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Morning Edition: New medical training platform shortens the learning curve

June 27, 2025 Comments (0) News

UNMC's Edward O'Leary, MD

UNMC’s Edward O’Leary, MD, talks with other attendees shorty before presenting his startup, Aprendo Cardiovascular Solutions, to the gathering at the networking event, Idea Pub: Morning Edition, held on June 26, 2025.

OMAHA, Nebraska (June 26, 2025)—UNMC’s Edward O’Leary, MD, an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine, was the featured speaker at yesterday’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition.

Dr. O’Leary, co-founder of Aprendo Cardiovascular Solutions, described his more efficient and effective training methods for a highly specialized procedure, coronary angiography. Coronary angiography involves a medical professional injecting a patient’s blood system with a dye that allows healthcare professionals to use X-ray imagery to clearly see the veins and arteries around the heart.

Using real-time X-ray imaging, angiography shows physicians the best path to guide a wire or thin tube through a patient’s blood vessels. The procedure can be used to diagnose something like coronary artery disease or to install a stent that opens a narrowed or blocked blood vessel.

But learning to navigate the three-dimensional twists and turns of normal human anatomy from a flat, two-dimensional video screen can take a year or more to master. Aprendo’s medical training platform promises to shorten that learning curve while also making access to the training more widely available.

Too often training is limited to physicians when other professionals are also in the room during a procedure, usually an X-ray technician and a nurse.

“Everyone in the room needs to be able to interpret coronary angiography,” Dr. O’Leary said.  Enabling everyone with the skill to interpret coronary angiographies would lead to better patient care and outcomes, he said.

Appsky CEO Tyler Reher chats with a guest shortly after his presentation at the June 26, 2025, Idea Pub: Morning Edition.

Aprendo’s solution is a software-based platform built in collaboration with Omaha app developer Appksy. Tyler Reher, Appsky’s CEO, worked on the Aprendo project, and helped build the application so that it could potentially expand to other areas such peripheral arteries or the brain.

Morning Edition is UNeMed’s networking event for university innovators, entrepreneurs and startup community members. Catalyst Omaha co-sponsors the event and provides free tours of the spacious facility.

Morning Editions will continue to be a fixture in the Catalyst’s Forge Event Hall, located on the north end of the building. Guided tours will also continue as an added feature.

The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the Event Hall at 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

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Nebraska ranks No. 82 in world for U.S. patents

June 19, 2025 Comments (0) News

NAI Top 100OMAHA, Nebraska (June 19, 2025)—For the eighth consecutive year, the University of Nebraska system is listed among the global list of top 100 universities that have secured the most United States patents.

Nebraska ranks No. 82 with 47 listed patents for the 2024 calendar year. Among exclusively domestic institutions, Nebraska ranked No. 49.

“At the University of Nebraska, innovation is part of our DNA,” said NU President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD. “Our ability to move ideas from the lab to the marketplace is a clear measure of our impact, and this recognition reflects our sustained dedication to advancing science and ultimately improving lives. I’m grateful to our faculty, students and staff whose creativity and collaboration continue to drive discovery, economic growth and progress for our state and the world.”

The list is part of a report produced annually by the National Academy of inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association.

H. Dele Davies, MD, interim chancellor of UNMC, said innovation was a critical factor in the university’s mission to improve the lives and health of people in Nebraska and beyond.

“This ranking demonstrates UNMC and the University of Nebraska’s commitment to fostering new ideas and seeking creative solutions that enhance the lives of our fellow Nebraskans and the people we serve,” he said. “We are especially gratefully to our faculty innovators whose dedication is translating ideas into real-world impact.”

U.S. patents issued for UNMC & UNO innovations in 2024

• U.S. Patent No. 11,857,443: “Automated Retrievable Hemorrhage Control System” (Issued: 1/2/2024) Inventors: Jason MacTaggart, Alexey Kamenskiy.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,857,265: “Method and Apparatus for Computer Aided Surgery” (Issued: 1/2/2024) Inventors: Hani Haider, O. Andres Barrera.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,883,065: “Methods, Systems, and Devices for Surgical Access and Insertion” (Issued: 1/30/2024) Inventors: Shane Farritor, Eric Markvicka, Tom Frederick, Dmitry Oleynikov, Jack Mondry, Jacob Greenburg.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,896,423: “Time-Varying Quantification of Capacitive and Resistive Arterial Blood Flow” (Issued: 2/13/2024) Inventors: Irving Zucker, Ioannis Chatzizisis, Hanjun Wang, Alicia Schiller, Peter Pellegrino.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,909,576: “Robotic Surgical Devices, Systems and Related Methods” (Issued: 2/20/2024) Inventors: Shane Farritor, Tyler Wortman, Ryan Mccormick, Dmitry Oleynikov, Kyle Strabala, Amy Lehman, Eric Markvicka.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,911,464: “Anti-Parasitic Immunological Compositions” (Issued: 2/27/2024) Inventors: Sam Al-Murrani, Paul Davis.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,911,117: “On-Board Tool Tracking System and Methods of Computer Assisted Surgery” (Issued: 2/27/2024) Inventors: Ibrahim Al-Shawi, Hani Haider, O. Andres Barrera.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,934,039: “Surgical Loupes Head Strap” (Issued: 3/19/2024) Inventors: Donny Suh, James Hermsen.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,946,164: “Methods for Producing a Nanofiber or Microfiber Structure” (Issued: 4/2/2024) Inventor: Jingwei Xie.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,951,227: “Nanofiber Structures and Methods of Use Thereof” (Issued: 4/9/2024) Inventors: Jingwei Xie, Shixuan Chen, Mark Carlson.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,950,867: “Single-Arm Robotic Device with Compact Joint Design and Related Systems and Methods” (Issued: 4/9/2024) Inventors: Shane Farritor, Joseph Palmowski.

• U.S. Patent No. 11,963,945: “Ozonides for Treating or Preventing Virus Infections” (Issued: 4/23/2024) Inventors: Jonathan Vennerstrom, Ravit Boger.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,011,450: “Polyethylene Glycol-Conjugated Glucocorticoid Prodrugs and Compositions and Methods Thereof” (Issued: 6/18/2024) Inventors: Dong Wang, Fang Yuan, Zhenshan Jia, Xiaobei Wang.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,023,078: “Distal Radius Plating System” (Issued: 7/2/2024) Inventor: Daniel Firestone.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,069,010: “Chatbot for Reporting and Investigating Threats” (Issued: 8/20/2024) Inventors: Joel Elson, Doug Derrick, Erin Kearns, Jack Rygg, Bradley Corwin, Sam Schneider, Aiden Barger.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,070,282: “Methods, Systems and Devices Relating to Force Control Surgical Systems” (Issued: 8/27/2024) Inventors: Shane Farritor, Tom Frederick, Joe Bartels, Jacob Greenburg, Kearney Lackas.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,083,137: “Triazole Bisphosphonate Geranylgeranyl Diphosphate Synthase Inhibitors” (Issued: 9/10/2024) Inventors: Sarah Holstein, David Wiemer.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,096,999: “Robotic Device with Compact Joint Design and Related Systems and Methods” (Issued: 9/24/2024) Inventors: Tom Frederick, Shane Farritor, Eric Markvicka, Dmitry Oleynikov.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,096,986: “Computational Simulation Platform for Planning of Interventional Procedures” (Issued: 9/24/2024) Inventors: Ioannis Chatzizisis.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,102,879: “User-Paced Exercise Equipment” (Issued: 10/1/2024) Inventors: Casey Wiens, William Denton, Molly Schieber.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,102,617: “Antimicrobial Compositions Containing a Synergistic Combination of Activated Creatinine and an Imidazole Antifungal Agent” (Issued: 10/1/2024) Inventors: Thomas McDonald, Steven Tracy.

• U.S. Patent No. D1,046,125: “Apparatus for Wrist and Catheter Stabilization” (Issued:10/8/2024) Inventors: Carlos Alvarez, Daniel Surdell, Andrew Gard, William Thorell, Landon Ehlers.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,109,079: “Gross Positioning Device and Related Systems and Methods” (Issued: 10/8/2024) Inventors: Shane Farritor, Mark Reichenbach.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,138,186: “Automatically Deployable Intravascular Device System” (Issued: 11/12/2024) Inventors: Jason MacTaggart, Alexey Kamenskiy, Blake Marmie.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,138,274: “Compositions and Methods for the Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease and Cardiopulmonary Diseases” (Issued: 11/12/2024) Inventors: Hanjun Wang, Dong Wang, Michael Lankhorst, Steven Lisco, Irving Zucker, Thomas Nicholas IV, Lie Gao, Juan Hong.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,154,455: “Camera Aided Simulator For Minimally Invasive Surgical Training” (Issued: 11/26/2024) Inventors: Ka-Chun Siu, Carl Nelson, Mohsen Zahiri, Dmitry Oleynikov.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,156,912: “Methods and Compositions for Inhibiting Diseases of the Central Nervous System” (Issued: 12/3/2024) Inventors: Howard Gendelman, R. Lee Mosley.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,168,013: “Antiviral Prodrugs and Nanoformulations Thereof” (Issued: 12/17/2024) Inventors: Howard Gendelman, Benson Edagwa.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,173,088: “Anti-Microbial Peptides” (Issued: 12/24/2024) Inventors: Guangshun Wang, Biswajit Mishra, Jayaram Lakshmaiah Narayana.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,171,512: “Single Site Robotic Device and Related Systems and Methods” (Issued: 12/24/2024) Inventors: Tom Frederick, Eric Markvicka, Shane Farritor, Jack Mondry.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,178,623: “Lock-Block Shield Device” (Issued: 12/31/2024) Inventor: Gregory Gordon.

• U.S. Patent No. 12,178,465: “Surgical Devices and Methods” (Issued: 12/31/2024) Inventors: Jason MacTaggart, Alexey Kamenskiy, Paul Deegan.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO—and their UNL counterpart in Lincoln, NUTech Ventures—helped secure the patents on behalf of University inventors and their collaborators.

“Being named among the Top 100 universities for securing U.S. patents is an incredible honor,” UNeMed CEO and President Michael Dixon, PhD, said. “But what truly sets us apart is impact. Seventy-two percent of our patents have been licensed for further development, showing our innovations are moving off the shelf and into the world to improve lives and drive economic growth.”

Patents help attract the interest and support of corporate partners to fund additional development and commercialization. That might include large, legacy brand names or brand-new startup companies that create area jobs, products and tax revenue for the local economy.

Among the patents UNeMed helped secure are seven related to the work of Virtual Incision, a Lincoln-based startup that grew from a cross-campus collaboration between UNMC and UNL.  Virtual Incision recently gained FDA approval for its surgical robotics platform and is currently available in use on the open market.

Another UNMC patent relates to the work of Howard Gendelman, MD, and Benson Edagawa, PhD, co-founders of Exavir Therapeutics. Their patented technology relates to long-acting formulations for the treatment of HIV.

Three patents related to UNO innovations, including new anti-parasitic compounds; an NCITE-created chatbot for reporting possible terrorism threats; and a self-pacing treadmill that is the cornerstone technology behind Impower, an Omaha startup.

“At UNO, we believe in innovating with purpose for the benefit of Nebraskans,” said UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, PhD. “When we empower our brightest minds to tackle local challenges that touch lives right here at home, we can deliver solutions that resonate around the world. Each patent represents the power of pragmatic, metropolitan research.”

Additional patents UNeMed secured will protect University of Nebraska innovations related to shielding clinicians during fluoroscopic procedures; a tracking system for surgical saws used during implant procedures; and several other medical devices and discoveries.

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SPN: MicroWash launches product nationwide

June 16, 2025 Comments (0) News, Success Stories

UNMC innovation born from the COVID pandemic now available to health care workers nationwideOMAHA, Nebraska (June 11, 2025)—MicroWash, a nasal sample collection device invented at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is now available nationwide, according to a news article published today at Silicon Prairie News.

MicroWash is a self-contained irrigation device that allows clinicians to easily and painlessly collect samples from a patient’s nasal cavity. The innovation was born from the frustrations and marked discomfort of the traditional nasal swabs that gained notoriety during the COVD-19 pandemic.

Invented by UNMC ER nurse Thanh Nguyen, PhD, and Emergency Medicine Chair, Michael Wadman, MD, the MicroWash device eliminates the need for a clinician to insert a swab in the deepest recesses of a patient’s skull. More importantly, it also standardizes and simplifies the sample collection process.

MicroWash was the cornerstone technology that built the startup, University Medical Devices, which closed a $1.6 million seed round last year, according to the Silicon Prairie News.

Read the full article about University Medical Devices and its MicroWash device on the Silicon Prairie News site: https://siliconprairienews.com/2025/06/unmc-innovation-born-from-the-covid-pandemic-now-available-to-healthcare-workers-nationwide/.

 

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