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Center for Biotechnology Continues to Expand B-EIR Program

The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University has announced the appointment of Mohan Chellani, PhD, and Michael Bielski, MS, JD to the position of BioEntrepreneurs-In-Residence (B-EIR). Both Dr. Chellani and Mr. Bielski have extensive bioscience industry experience at the senior management level, and have successfully commercialized multiple academic innovations. Their roles as BEIRs is to identify technologies that have the potential to support company formation in the region. Each brings unique skills and perspectives to technology assessment and bioscience-startups.

Dr. Chellani has over twenty years of experience in the diagnostics industry prior to his

appointment as B-EIR, having served as VP, Scientific Affairs at Enzo Biochem, and as a

Director and Advisor to Quest Diagnostics. He has also served as founder and CEO of two startup companies, Progen Life Sciences and Discitis Diagnostics. Dr. Chellani holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UMD-New Jersey and an MBA from Fordham University.

Mr. Bielski has founded multiple technology companies, including co-founding NewLeaf Symbiotics, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology company that has raised over $25M in venture capital. He also served as the Assistant Director for Science and Technology Commercialization at the Center for Biotechnology for six years prior to pursuing his entrepreneurial ventures. Mr. Bielski holds a JD and an MS in Neuroscience from Syracuse University.

Both Dr. Chellani and Mr. Bielski will conduct due diligence to identify a technology or

technologies around which they may build a company. If successful, they will also be provided with access to a technology development budget that will help them position the technology for commercialization. B-EIRs also have access to the Center’s business and technology development support staff to help develop appropriate business strategies. Ultimately, the goal is to help the company prepare for SBIR/STTR grant opportunities, and Angel and VC investment.

Read the full press release.

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                    [post_content] => 

The Redesignation brings $10 million in funding to drive innovation, company formation, and economic growth.

The Center for Biotechnology (CFB) has announced its re-designated as a Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) by Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), a recognition that comes with $1 million in annual funding over the next ten years. The $10 million commitment underscores the CFB’s leadership in accelerating life science innovation, supporting early-stage technology development, and fueling economic growth through start-up formation and industry partnerships.

“The Center for Biotechnology has served as a critical bridge between academic research and commercial success,” said Dr. Clinton Rubin, Director of the Center for Biotechnology. “This re-designation ensures we can continue to expand our impact, helping innovators bring breakthrough technology to market and strengthening New York’s position as a leader in the bioscience industry.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “NYSTAR’s Centers for Advanced Technology are vital to our strategic efforts to grow New York’s economy and the state’s greater innovation ecosystem. By investing in the industries of tomorrow, New Yorkers benefit today through dynamic partnerships that help to create new jobs, generate more revenues, and encourage more companies to establish a footprint in communities all throughout the state.”

The Center for Biotechnology is located on the campus of Stony Brook University (SBU), the flagship research institution within the prestigious State University of New York (SUNY) system. Stony Brook University is recognized as a national and global leader in life sciences research, biomedical innovation, and clinical care. Situated on Long Island, New York, Stony Brook has built a formidable reputation as a hub for cutting-edge scientific discovery and translational medicine. The Center for Biotechnology builds upon these strengths by providing cutting-edge programming and competitive financial support to advance biomedical innovation and emerging company growth.

“We are excited to build upon the successful foundation of strong entrepreneurial networks, infrastructure, and programming that we have built over the last four decades” said Dr. Diane Fabel, Chief Operating Officer at the Center for Biotechnology. “The impacts we have had during our last designation period include over $1B in total economic impact with more than 1000 jobs created, and driving more than $315M in follow-on funding. We are excited to see those numbers continue to grow when we celebrate fifty years of hard work at the end of this redesignation period”.

As part of the New York State CAT program, the CFB will continue to work with emerging and established companies across the state to de-risk early-stage technologies, advance both technology and company value, foster public-private collaboration, and provide critical infrastructure for the region’s growing life science ecosystem. Additionally, the CFB team will continue its efforts to develop a life sciences workforce to support the region's bio-innovation economy with a specific emphasis on sectors deemed important to the NYS economy.

Dowload the full press release here.

[post_title] => Center for Biotechnology Announces Redesignation as New York State Center for Advanced Technology [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => redesignation2025 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-07-21 14:51:44 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-07-21 18:51:44 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=4906 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2510 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2016-11-30 19:37:58 [post_date_gmt] => 2016-11-30 19:37:58 [post_content] => Codagenix, Inc. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Stony Brook University, through the Research Foundation for the State of New York, 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 technology stems from research in the laboratory of Eckard Wimmer, PhD, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology. The lead indication for vaccine development generated is a vaccine against Seasonal Influenza slated for Phase I human clinical trials in 2017. Dr. Wimmer, along with Steffen Mueller, PhD, Codagenix President and Chief Science Officer, and J. Robert Coleman, PhD, Codagenix Chief Operating officer, worked as colleagues for years in Dr. Wimmer’s laboratory examining and experimenting with the genes of viruses. By collaborating with Stony Brook scientists Bruce Futcher, PhD, in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, and Steven Skienna, PhD, in the Department of Computer Science, they discovered a way using gene manipulation and computer algorithms to “re-code” the genes of viruses. This re-coding process makes viruses extremely weak and thus ideal candidates as ultra-low dose attenuated vaccines. The licensing agreement enables Codgenix to develop and potentially market next generation vaccines using software-based gene design and whole viral synthesis to create low-dose, attenuated virus vaccines. The company expects to use this design to first test its vaccine against influenza; however, there are plans for human testing of their Zika and other vaccine candidates. Codagenix is also in partnership with a large agricultural company to make vaccines using the technology for companion and agricultural animals. The technology has been shown to be effective against numerous viruses including ZIka, Dengue, and RSV all of which are in preclinical testing. The development of this pipeline of vaccines can be seen in numerous scientific papers since 2008, including a paper in Science, PNAS, National Biotechnology and most recently in 2015 in MBIo. Read Stony Brook University's full press release here.  [post_title] => Codagenix Inks Exclusive License Agreement [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => codagenix-inks-exclusive-license-agreement [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-03-15 13:49:05 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-03-15 13:49:05 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=2510 [menu_order] => 157 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 2683 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2017-05-05 19:56:20 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-05-05 19:56:20 [post_content] => 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 talk 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 our institution, 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 [caption id="attachment_2684" align="alignleft" width="300"] CFB Director Clint Rubin and Director of Operations Diane Fabel at a joint congressional hearing on May 4, 2017.[/caption] [post_title] => CFB Director Testifies Before Joint Congressional Hearing [post_excerpt] => Dr. Rubin Dr. Clinton Rubin discussed the NIH-REACH Program and the Long island Bioscience Hub at a recent joint congressional hearing on "Improving the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs”. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => cfb-director-testifies-before-joint-congressional-hearing [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-05-19 18:29:37 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-05-19 18:29:37 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=2683 [menu_order] => 148 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1568 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2015-04-22 20:28:25 [post_date_gmt] => 2015-04-22 20:28:25 [post_content] => A new mathematical model that uses drug-target kinetics to predict how drugs work in vivo may provide a foundation to improve drug discovery, which is frequently hampered by the inability to predict effective doses of drugs. The discovery by Peter Tonge, a Professor of Chemistry and Radiology, and Director of Infectious Disease Research at the Institute for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (ICB & DD) at Stony Brook University, is co-authored by the Center for Biotechnology's Dr. Eleanor Allen, along with collaborators at Stony Brook University and AstraZeneca. Read the full study published advanced online in Nature Chemical Biology. Read more about the team from the Stony Brook Newsroom. [post_title] => New Mathematical Model May Improve Drug Discovery - Study Co-Authored by CFB's Dr. Eleanor Allen [post_excerpt] => A new mathematical model that uses drug-target kinetics to predict how drugs work in vivo may provide a foundation to improve drug discovery. 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The Redesignation brings $10 million in funding to drive innovation, company formation, and economic growth.

The Center for Biotechnology (CFB) has announced its re-designated as a Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) by Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), a recognition that comes with $1 million in annual funding over the next ten years. The $10 million commitment underscores the CFB’s leadership in accelerating life science innovation, supporting early-stage technology development, and fueling economic growth through start-up formation and industry partnerships.

“The Center for Biotechnology has served as a critical bridge between academic research and commercial success,” said Dr. Clinton Rubin, Director of the Center for Biotechnology. “This re-designation ensures we can continue to expand our impact, helping innovators bring breakthrough technology to market and strengthening New York’s position as a leader in the bioscience industry.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “NYSTAR’s Centers for Advanced Technology are vital to our strategic efforts to grow New York’s economy and the state’s greater innovation ecosystem. By investing in the industries of tomorrow, New Yorkers benefit today through dynamic partnerships that help to create new jobs, generate more revenues, and encourage more companies to establish a footprint in communities all throughout the state.”

The Center for Biotechnology is located on the campus of Stony Brook University (SBU), the flagship research institution within the prestigious State University of New York (SUNY) system. Stony Brook University is recognized as a national and global leader in life sciences research, biomedical innovation, and clinical care. Situated on Long Island, New York, Stony Brook has built a formidable reputation as a hub for cutting-edge scientific discovery and translational medicine. The Center for Biotechnology builds upon these strengths by providing cutting-edge programming and competitive financial support to advance biomedical innovation and emerging company growth.

“We are excited to build upon the successful foundation of strong entrepreneurial networks, infrastructure, and programming that we have built over the last four decades” said Dr. Diane Fabel, Chief Operating Officer at the Center for Biotechnology. “The impacts we have had during our last designation period include over $1B in total economic impact with more than 1000 jobs created, and driving more than $315M in follow-on funding. We are excited to see those numbers continue to grow when we celebrate fifty years of hard work at the end of this redesignation period”.

As part of the New York State CAT program, the CFB will continue to work with emerging and established companies across the state to de-risk early-stage technologies, advance both technology and company value, foster public-private collaboration, and provide critical infrastructure for the region’s growing life science ecosystem. Additionally, the CFB team will continue its efforts to develop a life sciences workforce to support the region's bio-innovation economy with a specific emphasis on sectors deemed important to the NYS economy.

Dowload the full press release here.

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Center for Biotechnology Announces Redesignation as New York State Center for Advanced Technology

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