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Dr. Louis A. Peña appointed Director, Program in Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship & Associate Professor of Practice

The Center for Biotechnology has announced the appointment of Dr. Louis A. Peña as Director of the new Program in Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Additionally, Dr. Peña has been appointed as Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Business at Stony Brook University.

The Professor of Practice will steward the University’s Advanced Graduate Certificate in Life Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which was established under Empire State Development’s Life Science Entrepreneur Development award, and further develop educational and experiential learning initiatives. The Director of the Program in Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship will build upon the Center’s efforts to synergize technology and business accelerator activities with opportunities for students to gain real-world technology commercialization experience.

Prior to joining the Center for Biotechnology and Stony Brook University, Dr. Peña held leadership positions in both industry and academia. He is experienced with startup and early stage companies. Commercializing scientific discoveries he made at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Dr. Peña co-developed a biotech startup that took a biomaterial from idea to clinical trials and acquisition. He later served as Chief Scientific Officer of a biopharma Contract Research Organization. Dr. Peña has also consulted for technology startups in bioagriculture, medical devices, medical imaging, and energy, supporting technology assessment, market assessment, and business strategy.

“We are excited to have Louis join the Center for Biotechnology and Stony Brook University to further our efforts of expanding entrepreneurial education in the life sciences” Diane Fabel, Director of Operations at the Center for Biotechnology said. She continued “His industry involvement, coupled with his academic experiences allow him to bring a unique perspective to the role and for students in our programs to benefit from his real-world experience.”

“I am very happy to join the team at the Center for Biotechnology and my colleagues at Stony Brook University. The Center has a great, established foundation of commercialization and education in this sector and I’m eager to further develop these unique and critical programs” Dr. Peña said. “Our goal is to bolster the life science commercialization knowledge of students graduating from New York universities. At one level, this will help entrepreneurs gain the mix of skills and expertise needed to successfully guide innovative life science startups along the path to commercial viability. At a broader level, this will help with the biotech workforce development of our region and state for those who may not want to start companies but want to understand the sector in great depth so they can secure well-paying and/or leadership positions in this sector.”

Download a PDF of the announcement 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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Long Island New York I-Corps Hub - Innovation Bootcamp Spring 2023 Program

This Innovation Bootcamp Program will teach scientists, inventors and first-time entrepreneurs the Lean Launchpad Methodology – Customer Discovery through 20 interviews, Agile Development roadmapping, and the Business Model Canvas – specifically Value Propositions and Customer Segments

Kickoff Session: Tuesday, February 14, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Online)
Mid Session: Friday, February 14, 9:15 AM - 4:00 PM (Online) and
Finale Session: Friday, March 3, 9:15 AM - 3:00 PM (Room 109, R&D Park Research and Support Services)

Applications are being reviewed NOW on a rolling basis until 11:59 PM Friday, Feb 3, 2023. Limited space is available - apply early! https://forms.gle/RM8WRrN3VuGVCMgP8

Teams of 1+ faculty, staff, etc. from any university, national lab, or community teams with an Innovation or Research Idea should be STEAM focused are encouraged to apply. Must be able to attend all 3 scheduled workshops and dedicate time outside of the sessions to do customer discovery interviews
For full details and eligibility requirements, please visit https://tinyurl.com/SBUBootcampSpring23

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Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight an infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. It’s dangerous and often deadly. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 250,000 people die from sepsis each year, and it is a leading cause of hospitalization in the U.S. What if a simple test could identify the onset of sepsis as soon as it occurs? Better yet, what if wearable technology was available to alert doctors about sepsis in a patient before they ever show symptoms? This may be possible in the future thanks to Stony Brook University’s participation in the federal government’s new BARDA-DRIVe initiative. [caption id="attachment_3007" align="alignleft" width="300"] Stony Brook, NY; Stony Brook University: Center for Biotechnology's (CFB) Director of Operations Diane Fabel talks with Alyssa Tuthill, Instructional Support Associate/Biomedical Engineering Labs Manager while Graduate Research Assistant Vaughn Greene works with samples.[/caption] The initiative, launched by the Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe), will be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). BARDA has selected Stony Brook’s Center for Biotechnology as one of eight national accelerators across the country to assist in scouting faculty innovators and businesses that are developing health security technology that meets the program’s goals. The initiative plans to focus first on sepsis and the early detection and diagnosis of infections that threaten national health. More goals will be identified over time.  “National health security is essential for optimum public health, enabling our society to thrive,” said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. President Stanley is a biomedical researcher who specializes in emerging infectious diseases. He also chairs the Innovation Committee for the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. “With a proven record of research, discovery, innovation and product-development in the biomedical sciences, Stony Brook’s Center for Biotechnology is poised to become an important contributor to the BARDA-DRIVe initiative,” he said. “I am certain that the Center will advance and accelerate research discovery, and strategically collaborate with biotech companies to find solutions to better manage sepsis and emerging national health issues.” [post_title] => Center for Biotechnology Tapped for New Healthcare Security Innovation Program [post_excerpt] => “With a proven record of research, discovery, innovation and product-development in the biomedical sciences, Stony Brook’s Center for Biotechnology is poised to become an important contributor to the BARDA-DRIVe initiative” [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => center-for-biotechnology-tapped-for-new-healthcare-security-innovation-program [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2018-08-20 14:50:32 [post_modified_gmt] => 2018-08-20 14:50:32 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3006 [menu_order] => 118 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1215 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2014-07-31 13:35:56 [post_date_gmt] => 2014-07-31 13:35:56 [post_content] => The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University has appointed Andreas Grill as the Center?s third BioEntrepreneur-In-Residence (B-EIR). Mr. Grill brings over twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to his appointment of B-EIR, having most recently served as the Executive Director of Forest Research Institute for Forest Laboratories, Inc. Mr. Grill will conduct due diligence to identify a technology or technologies around which he may build a company. As part of the B-EIR program, Mr. Grill will have access to the Center?s business and technology development support staff. Mr. Grill?s diverse and extensive experience in both business and research and development provide him with a unique perspective and advantage when it comes to launching a therapeutic-focused start-up. Read the full press release here. [post_title] => CFB Selects Third BioEntrepreneur-In-Residence [post_excerpt] => The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University has appointed Andreas Grill as the Center?s third BioEntrepreneur-In-Residence (B-EIR). Mr. Grill brings over twenty years of experience... 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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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IAMBIC Receives $1 Million NSF SBIR Phase II Grant

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