IN THIS ISSUE:
CFB DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS
CFB CLIENTS SECURE FUNDING, CONTRACTS & EXPAND OPERATIONS
LONG ISLAND BIOSCIENCE HUB EXPANDS PIPELINE
| SUMMER 2017 |
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IN THIS ISSUE:CFB DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS |
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CFB CLIENTS SECURE FUNDING, CONTRACTS & EXPAND OPERATIONS |
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LONG ISLAND BIOSCIENCE HUB EXPANDS PIPELINE |
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Call for Nominations: |
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CENTER FOR BIOTECH DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS |
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On Thursday May 4, 2017 Center for Biotechnology Director Dr. Clinton Rubin was fortunate to testify at a joint congressional hearing on “Improving the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs”. Dr. Rubin was present to discuss the NIH-REACH Program - which is the program that supported the creation of the Long Island Bioscience Hub. Dr. Rubin spoke about the importance of initiatives like REACH which promote the development of “Phase 0” proof-of concept centers embedded within university communities. The activities of these centers are critical in promoting under-realized innovations out of academic labs and into the hands of patients as Universities often face significant challenges when it comes to commercializing translational research. He talked about the fact that in a very short amount of time, the three hubs created by the REACH program have already seen major impacts at their institutions, fostering new intellectual property, increasing credibility with the investor community, promoting a shift in the academic culture, attracting new licensing opportunities, and most importantly, catalyzing the formation of new companies – some of which have successfully secured SBIR funding. Programs like REACH fuel the growth of the small business community around university centers, and drives science towards successful new treatments for disease. The committee hearing is available to view at this link. Dr. Rubin’s comments begin at 2:53:06 |
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CLIENT MILESTONES |
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TheraSource LLC, along with the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, have received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to evaluate the effectiveness of a new drug for the treatment of sepsis. If proven correct, this therapy has the potential to reduce tissue damage and organ deterioration associated with sepsis all to help prevent loss of life. Envisagenics, a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory spinout announced in April that the company has earned a coveted investment from Breakout Labs. Breakout Labs is the Thiel Foundation’s seed-stage fund for deep technology companies. In addition to funding Envisagenics in this round, the foundation also backed three other biotechnology companies. The foundation also provides access to follow-on funders, corporate partners and resources to drive commercialization. Applied DNA Sciences announced in June that it has been awarded a two-year, approximately $1.5 million competitive-bid development contract. The award is funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense on behalf of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Applied DNA is already contracted by DLA to supply the company’s SigNature® DNA to protect the supply chains of high-risk FSC 5962 microcircuits that are frequently counterfeited leading to enhanced risk of cyberattacks. Additionally, in May, the company shared the debut of its textile molecular tag technology, SigNature® T, in Bed Bath & Beyond’s Wamsutta line, and in February announced the expansion of their U.S. and Global patent portfolio to 44 issued patents, with 84 applications pending. BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (Lynbrook, NY) announced in April that it has initiated an open-label, dose escalation Phase 1 clinical trial of XIAFLEX for the treatment of uterine fibroids. Biospecifics originated and continues to develop collagenase based-therapies with a first in class collagenase-based product marketed as XIAFLEX® in the U.S. and Xiapex® in Europe. Celmatix has been named by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies of 2017. Earlier this year the company announced the release of Fertilome, its DNA-based fertility test, described 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.” Congratulation to all Innovate Long Island Innovator of the Year awardees including our clients: Andreas Grill, DepYMed; J. Robert Coleman & Steffan Mueller, Codagenix; James Egan, TargaGenix; Joseph Scaduto, Lorne Golub & Francis Johnson, Traverse Biosciences and John Sperzel III, Chembio Diagnostics Systems. |
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LONG ISLAND BIOSCIENCE HUB UPDATES |
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LIBH Expands Pipeline: The fourth round of funded projects under the Hub’s technology development and commercialization initiative has been announced. Funding for five projects totaling $400,000 has been awarded to applicants from the Hub’s partner institutions. License Agreement Executed with Merck: Merck has licensed Stony Brook University software, BRICKARD, for the discovery, research, and development of chemical and biological therapeutics developed by LIBH Researcher Dr. Evangelos Coutsias, a Stony Brook University Professor of Applied Mathematics and Statistics. LIBH Research Published in Nature Communications: Dr. Sasha Levy, Marsha Laufer Endowed Assistant Professor of Physical and Quantitative Biology for the Laufer Center and the Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology at Stony Brook University, recently had an article published in Nature Communications related to his research supported by the Long Island Bioscience Hub. In the article, Dr. Levy’s group has described a next-generation high-throughput system for studying protein-protein interactions in yeast, without the limitations of previous techniques, by monitoring relative barcode frequencies across time periods. This allows large scale study of protein interaction changes across dynamic environments, and can be used for rapid drug screening assays. Access the article here. |
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GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT BIOENTREPRENERUSHIP IN NEW YORK |
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“…the prospect of “jumping ship” into a new bioscience venture is not just risky, it is downright scary, if not financially impossible, exacerbated further by the frightening lack of alternative job opportunities in the high-probability event of failure. In my opinion, this seemingly insurmountable and geographic “barrier to entry,” defined by the comparatively excessive risk of bioentrepreneurship, is a primary reason why New York continues to struggle to develop, cultivate and grow a vibrant, dynamic and self-sustaining bioscience industry cluster.” Center for Biotechnology BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence and Founder and CEO of Traverse Biosciences, Joseph Scaduto, recently penned a powerful article discussing the importance of human capital to the growth and sustainability of New York’s bioscience ecosystem. Read the full article on LinkedIn. |
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NIH PROGRAM STRIVES TO TURN MORE LAB DISCOVERIES INTO REAL-WORLD TREATMENTS |
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The Center for Biotechnology's Clint Rubin and Diane Fabel recently co-authored a STAT article on the NIH-REACH proof-of-concept program. In 2015, The Center for Biotechnology received one of three national NIH-REACH designations, through which the Long Island Bioscience Hub was established. The article, co-authored by all of the REACH center directors, discusses the importance of REACH-type programs and the impact REACH has been able to have in a relatively short amount of time. In just over two years, the three REACH institutions have evaluated over 400 promising product development projects, funding more than 60 experimental treatments and tests that target a wide range of health issues. |
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CFB’S DIANE FABEL INDUCTED INTO |
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CFB Director of Operations, Diane Fabel, has been inducted into the Stony Brook University Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI-SBU) as an honorary member. At the chapter’s Annual Meeting on May 1, 2017, 16 new members and 2 honorary members were inducted into the Academy. Ms. Fabel and her fellow inductees join 30 stony brook faculty members, including CFB Director Clinton Rubin, who were inducted as inaugural members to the NAI-SBU in 2016. Read more on the chapter and this year’s inductees here. |
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SUNY RANKS AMONG TOP 100 WORLDWIDE FOR PATENTS IN 2016 |
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The State University of New York ranked 38th in the "Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents for 2016," according to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), which publishes the ranking annually based on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data. SUNY campuses were awarded 57 U.S. utility patents for advances in biotechnology, cancer research, manufacturing, renewable energy, and much more. Included on the list of innovations highlighted was a redesigned catheter, developed by a Stony Brook University multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Annie Rohan. The catheter incorporates LED lights to reduce the likelihood of infection after the device is inserted into a patient’s body. Read more here. |
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LONG ISLAND INNOVATION BOOT CAMP CELEBRATES 10 YEARS |
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This past March, Stony Brook University played host to the tenth annual Long Island Innovation Boot Camp. The annual event is a “commercialization crash course” for innovators looking to put a business framework to their technologies. Of the eight teams, three were bioscience focused and included a novel computational tool, MELD, for drug discovery; a drug for improving clinical management of gastrointestinal cancer outcome by using miRNA based precision and personalized medicine and a multimodality brain monitoring device. |
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LIFE SCIENCES SUMMIT 2017 |
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The Life Sciences Summit 2017 will take place on November 1-2 at 10 on the Park in New York City. Don't miss this arly-stage investor and business development conference for emerging companies and academic innovators. Now accepting nominations for the Emerging Company Showcase - Emerging companies are professionally managed and can range in development from pre-clinical through Phase IIA. Emerging companies have raised less than $15 million, and are seeking additional investment or collaborations with strategic partners. To nominate a company, please contact Emily Kao. |
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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. ALA Scientific Instruments, Farmingdale, NY – a medical device company that provides customized instruments for biophysics and cellular electrophysiology. NangioTx, New York, NY - developing blood-vessel regenerative therapies for a range of indications, initially focusing on diabetes-associated vascular insufficiency (e.g., diabetic foot ulcer) and claudication consequence of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). TargaGenix, Inc, Stony Brook, NY - developing novel compounds that are effective on both drug-resistant tumors and cancer stem cells. In numerous preclinical models of cancer, including colon, pancreatic, prostate, breast and lung cancers the company’s lead product SBT-1214 has shown to completely eliminate the tumor. Theragnostic Technologies, Stony Brook, NY – developing high performance multifunctional nanotechnology-enabled materials and devices. |
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