IN THIS ISSUE:
CFB AWARDED $500K FOR SBIR/STTR TRAINING
CFB CLIENTS SECURE FUNDING, LICENSING DEALS
LONG ISLAND BIOMENTORING INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
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IN THIS ISSUE:CFB AWARDED $500K FOR SBIR/STTR TRAINING |
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CFB CLIENTS SECURE FUNDING, LICENSING DEALS |
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LONG ISLAND BIOMENTORING INITIATIVE LAUNCHED |
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CENTER FOR BIOTECH AWARDED $500K BY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR SBIR/STTR TRAINING |
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The Center for Biotechnology has received a three-year, $500,000 U.S. Department of Commerce i6 Challenge Investment. The award will support CFB’s efforts to bolster the regional bioscience ecosystem by supporting a formal mentorship program, as well as a critical NIH-focused SBIR/STTR training and application development program which will assist in capital formation and launching new companies. Read more here. |
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CLIENT MILESTONES |
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Celmatix has unveiled “Fertilome”, a DNA-based fertility test. The company describes Fertilome as the “first genetic screen that examines a woman’s genetic signature and how it may impact her reproductive health and ability to conceive, today and in the future.” Information derived from the test could allow women to see a broader picture of their fertility, allowing for a more proactive approach to planning their family and overcoming fertility issues. DepYmed, led CFB BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence Andreas Grill, announced the completion of a Series ‘A’ Round of funding with TopSpin Fund, L.P. for a total of $2 million in October 2016. At closing, $1 million was received by DepYmed, and another $1 million will be provided pending the achievement of specific development milestones. DepYmed is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial of its lead compound, MSI-1436C (Trodusquemine), as a therapeutic candidate for HER2-positive breast cancer. PreSight Technologies, Inc. was formed in July of 2016 to commercialize the needle guide technology developed by Dr. Christopher Page at Stony Brook University. CFB BioEntrepreuer-in-Residence Michael Bielski is Co-Founder, President and CEO with Dr. Page serving as Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer. The company executed an exclusive license agreement in October of 2016 with Stony Brook University to commercialize the needle guide technology and intellectual property. Commercialization and business development activities are currently underway. Codagenix has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Stony Brook University to commercialize a platform technology to develop a pipeline of live attenuated vaccines against viral infections in people and animals. The technology relies on software to re-design the genomes of potentially harmful viruses to make them safe and effective vaccines. The lead indication for vaccine development generated is a vaccine against Seasonal Influenza slated for Phase I human clinical trials in 2017. Additionally, in early September 2016, the company Codagenix began first tests of its potential Zika virus vaccines in a living host. The in vivo testing of its live-attenuated Zika virus vaccine commenced just 27 days after it plugged Zika into its proprietary, synthetic biology-based vaccine-design platform. Vitatex, located in the Long Island High Technology Incubator, announced that it was awarded an SBIR Phase I/II Fast Track contract in September 2015 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for its Vita-Cap™ CTC Capture and Preservation tubes. A modification to exercise the option for a two-year SBIR Phase II of the contract was executed on June 8, 2016. Vitatex Inc. provides proprietary invasive circulating tumor cell (iCTC) enrichment technology and products to develop revolutionary cancer genetic and cell tests. Osteomedix, Inc., has developed BDC-Cervical™, a medical device indicated for single patient use to collect bone dust generated during a spinal procedure. Co-Founded by CFB BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence Michael Bielski, Osteomedix’s BDC-Cervical™ is currently available to surgeons for use in cervical and lumbar spinal fusions as well as cranial procedures. |
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LIBH ANNOUNCES NEXT FUNDED PROJECTS |
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The Long Island Bioscience Hub (LIBH), announced the recipients of the third round of funded projects under the Hub’s technology development and commercialization initiative. Funding was awarded for ten projects totaling $550,000. Projects include the development of a therapeutic for the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease, an enhancement to PET scans to help detect bacterial infections, a medical device to detect congenital heart disease in newborn children, and profiling the human immune system through bioinformatics to aid diagnoses and the development of immune-based therapies. The full list of funded projects can be found on the LIBH webpage |
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MENTORING INITIATIVE LAUNCHED- |
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Led by the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University and Accelerate Long Island, the Long Island BioMentoring Initiative (LIBMI) has been established on behalf of the Long Island Bioscience Hub. The LIBMI is based on the successful mentoring model developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Venture Mentoring Service (VMS). Through MIT VMS’s team mentoring approach, the LIBMI aims to provide objective and unbiased advice that will help entrepreneurs navigate the challenging landscape that growing bioscience ventures face. The members of the founding mentor team include Linda Amper, PhD, Chief People Officer of Clever Devices; Gian Luca Araldi, PhD, Founder and Principal of US Pharma Services; Kara Cannon, Global Head of Sales & Marketing of Enzo Life Sciences; Anil Dhundale, PhD, former Executive Director of the Long Island High Technology Incubator; Wayne Koff, PhD, President and CEO of Human Vaccines Project; Ric Overton, President of Overton Operations Advisors; Jeff Peacock, VP Global Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs at Henry Schein; Saied Tousi, PhD, Managing Director for NW Advisors; and Edward Travaglianti, President - Long Island, TD Bank. Read more about the initiative here. |
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CHEMBIO LANDS ZIKA CONTRACT, EXPANDS GLOBAL OPERATIONS |
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Since August, Medford-based Chembio Diagnostics has been awarded multiple grants to further develop their POC diagnostic tests, most notably a $13.2 million award to further develop its rapid test for the Zika virus. Almost $6 million from the Department of Health and Human Services will go toward its Zika test and a companion field monitor and another $7.3 million to be used for development of a combination test for Zika, chikungunya and dengue. In October the company also announced leadership appointments that will support the expansion of the company's global commercial operations. |
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“COMMERCIALIZATION GRANT BACKS BRAIN-SCAN STUDY" |
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Long Island Bioscience Hub Innovator and Stony Brook University Department of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Dr. Lilianne Mujica-Parodi and Farmingdale-based ALA Scientific Instruments have been jointly awarded a $225,000 Small Business Technology Transfer grant by the NSF. The Phase I grant will facilitate research and development of an fMRI-centered “Dynamic Phantom,” which has the potential to impact the way brain diseases such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and even autism are diagnosed and treated. Read More. |
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LIFE SCIENCES SUMMIT 2017 DATES ANNOUNCED |
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Save the Date! The Life Sciences Summit 2017 will be held on November 1-2, 2017 in New York City at 10 on the Park at the Time Warner Center. The annual event will once again bring together emerging biotech companies and academic innovators with investors and strategic partners in an effort to move new discoveries through clinical development. At the 2016 event recently held on November 2nd and 3rd, more than 50 companies presented their technologies in the Emerging Company Showcase and over 75 experts shared their insights on investor panels, business workshop, therapeutic focused sessions and thought provoking plenary sessions. |
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EMERGING COMPANY PIPELINE |
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The Emerging Company Pipeline highlights innovative companies the Center for Biotechnology has recently been working with in various capacities that are poised to have significant impacts. Alpha-1 Biologics, Stony Brook, NY - Developing efficient, cost-effective tests and therapies that help regulate t-cells and which will impact the treatment of HIV, cancer patients and cardiovascular disease. iCell Gene Therapeutics, Stony Brook, NY - Developing Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) engineered cells that target multiple types of cancer with very poor prognoses and clear unmet medical need. Marvel Genomics, Cold Spring Harbor, NY - Using high throughput, cost-effective method of identifying de novo and inherited copy number variants in Autism Spectrum Disorder and other diseases. QB Sonic, Stony Brook, NY - Commercializing ultrasound technology for the non-invasive treatment of Osteoarthritis. SynchroPET - Stony Brook, NY - Developing next generation of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanners, which have superior imaging capabilities to what is currently available in the non-clinical and clinical markets today. Zhangen Technologies - Cold Spring Harbor, NY - Developing small-molecule therapeutic treatment for Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). |
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