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Symbiotic Health Wins Best in Show at 1st Pitch Competition

Symbiotic Health, Inc, a New York City based company and Center for Biotechnology client, was named “Best in Show” at the first of MABA’s 1st Pitch Life Science events in 2015, Symbiotic Health has developed a capsule to help kill Clostridium difficile (Cdiff) infection which causes severe, debilitating diarrhea, is the most frequent hospital-acquired infection in the US and an immediate public health threat that requires urgent and immediate action (CDC). The company’s pipeline includes a capsule microbiome therapeutic designed to cure Cdiff by restoring a community of protective bacteria.

Dr. Gerard Honig, CEO of Symbiotic Health, presented on behalf of the company. Stephen M. Goodman, Co-founder of Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and a partner at Pryor Cashman LLP in New York City, also a panelist at the event said Dr. Honig’s pitch and responses to questions demonstrated both mastery of the competitive space and a willingness to address challenges to his analysis calmly and directly. His style, as well as his substance, exemplified the maxim that it’s not just the business plan but the management that ultimately brings a company success. Read more about the company and the competition here.

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

[post_title] => BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => bioreach-translational-research-funding-opportunity [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-09-04 11:55:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-09-04 15:55:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=5065 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3340 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2019-08-26 18:49:56 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-08-26 18:49:56 [post_content] => The Center for Biotechnology, on behalf of Long Island Bioscience Hub (LIBH), is pleased to announce the opening of the 8th round of the LIBH Technology Development RFP. Two specific funding programs have been designed to help faculty, physicians, surgeons, medical fellows, and post-docs develop their academic innovations toward commercial goals. The RFP is and forms for the funding programs can be found on the Center for Biotechnology website here. Those interested in applying are strongly encouraged to discuss the proposal with: Anton Xavier (anton.xavier@stonybrook.edu) William Hanes (william.hanes@stonybrook.edu) Heather Bielski Lawler (heather.bielski@stonybrook.edu) Johnna St Clair (johnna.stclair@stonybrook.edu) They are happy to introduce this Technology Development program and provide support to address unfamiliar questions in the application. Deadline for submission is Sep 13th, 2019. All proposal should be submitted through the online portal HERE. Please note an approval from your Sponsored Programs Office is NOT required prior to the submission but will be required if the project is selected for NIH secondary review. Eligible applicants will be notified if their application is selected to move forward. The Center for Biotechnology, in collaboration with Stony Brook University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, formed the LIBH. A principal goal of the LIBH is to foster the development of therapeutics, diagnostics, devices and research tools emerging from within the four partner institutions that address diseases within the mission of NIH. The LIBH is supported by the National Institutes of Health REACH initiative (Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub), our four partner institutions, The Research Foundation for SUNY, and Empire State Development.   [post_title] => Funding Opportunity: Long Island Bioscience Hub REACH [post_excerpt] => The Center for Biotechnology, on behalf of Long Island Bioscience Hub (LIBH), is pleased to announce the opening of the 8th round of the LIBH Technology Development RFP. Two specific funding programs have been designed to help faculty, physicians, surgeons, medical fellows, and post-docs develop their academic innovations toward commercial goals. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => funding-opportunity-long-island-bioscience-hub-reach [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-08-26 18:49:56 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-08-26 18:49:56 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3340 [menu_order] => 87 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4380 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2024-02-19 10:25:12 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-02-19 15:25:12 [post_content] =>

Kathera Bioscience Inc., a privately-held biotech startup was awarded a SBIR Fast Track grant with a value of up to $3,298,530 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for its dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) program. Kathera Bioscience was founded by CFB Advisor and Long Island BIoMentor Initiative Mentor Dr. Stephen Parent.

Kathera is developing novel therapeutics to treat fungal infections, a major cause of human disease with an estimated 11.5 million annual life-threatening infections globally, resulting in more than 1.5 million deaths. The award will fund selection of a lead series in the Phase 1 award and lead optimization in Phase 2. Read more about Kathera and the award here.

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CFB Client, IAMBIC has been awarded approximately $1M in grant funding from the National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research program. IAMBIC is an innovative shoe company disrupting the centuries-old footwear industry with their sizeless, precision-fit footwear driven by proprietary AI algorithms. This substantial funding from NSF enables IAMBIC to scale its cutting-edge precision-fit shoe design and manufacturing.

The Center for Biotechnology and its accelerator programs have been instrumental in assisting IAMBIC with their SBIR pursuits and commercialization development.

Read more about IAMBIC and their recent funding here.

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

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BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity

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Funding Opportunity: Long Island Bioscience Hub REACH

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Kathera Bioscience Receives SBIR Phase I Fast Track Award To Advance Novel Drugs To Treat Life Threatening Fungal Infections

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CFB Client IAMBIC Receives $1 Million NSF SBIR Phase II Grant

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