Year in Review: Highlights from 2024

December 23, 2024 Comments (0) Blog

by Charles Litton, UNeMed | December 23, 2024

It’s that time again where we look back at 2024. In keeping with tradition, here’s look at some of our more popular and important stories, events and happenings during the previous year:

1. Idea Pub: Morning Edition

The initial launch—and continued success—of our new monthly networking event, Idea Pub: Morning Edition, was UNeMed’s most popular and consistent hot spot on this site. We created Morning Edition as a way to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture and startup community. Perhaps it’s a testament to Tyler Scherr’s tireless work on the event, but its popularity remained strong. Each Morning Edition featured a short, 10- to 15-minute talk from a community partner involved in the local innovation ecosystem. Drawing the most attention were the articles that announced the new series and offered sneak-peek tours of UNMC’s new Catalyst building, which was which still under construction at the time. In fact, four of UNeMed’s top 10 news stories and eight of the top 20 were all related to Idea Pub coverage.

2. Innovation Week

The Innovation Awards, and the week of events leading up to it, remain a top driver of traffic. Coverage of both the 2023 and 2024 Innovation Awards were top stories, and few things garnered more clicks and downloads than the Innovation Awards programs.

3. Parkinson’s treatment licensed to COYA

In a year filled with success stories, announcing a new partnership was among the first. Brokering licensing agreements is among our chief goals, but joining forces with COYA Therapeutics, was more than just checking a box. The UNMC innovation involved new approach to treating several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, a perfect fit for COYA’s existing portfolio of experimental treatments. COYA recently announced that plans for their Parkinson’s treatment will soon advance to Phase I testing.

4. MIRA clears FDA

The good news continued in February 2024 with Virtual Incision’s welcome news that their surgical robotics platform, MIRA, was now approved for human use in adult patients undergoing colectomy procedures. Two decades in the making, with more than 200 patents under the bridge, one of Nebraska’s most successful collaborations was finally clear to begin realizing its potential. Laparoscopic procedures will now be more possible and more accessible for complicated procedures and more remote areas…including low-Earth orbit.

5. Boot Camp 2024

Our technology transfer boot camp remains one of UNeMed’s most popular offerings. We still plan to expand the intensive commercialization training sessions once we move into our new space in the UNMC Catalyst facility sometime next year.

6. Top 100 US Patents…again

News about the University of Nebraska’s high-success rate at securing Unites States patents is becoming and equally popular and routine. In March we announced that Nebraska landed 78th among global institutions for issued U.S. Patents, our the seventh consecutive year in the top 100. All told, inventors in the University system accrued 46 U.S. patents, which was go enough for 55th among domestic institutions, ninth among Big Ten schools.

7. Top innovator featured

We don’t often get a chance to take a deep dive with our inventors, so the feature about one of UNMC’s most prolific innovators was a welcome break from tradition: Not just for us, but for readers as well. This piece featuring the insights and motivations of Janina Baranowska-Kortylewicz, PhD, was a fascinating piece that remains a popular stop on the site, even though it originally published eight months ago.

8. MicroWash Investment

Yet a third piece of good news landed in February last year with the announcement that a startup built around a UNMC innovation had just landed a $1.6 million seed funding round. University Medical Devices announced it would use the investments to get its cornerstone device “into the hands of the clinicians.” True to their word, earlier this month, UMD announced the successful commercialization with the official launch of MicroWash.

9. Nursing innovations

It should be no secret that many of the most innovative people in our orbit have at least one thing in common: Nursing. For example, the innovator behind the aforementioned MicroWash, Thang Nguyen, PhD, is a nurse in UNMC/Nebraska Medicine emergency medicine department. He has submitted a record 80-plus inventions over the years. But this hugely popular feature about our innovative friends in the College of Nursing was not only a nod to the incredible ingenuity of nurses, but also long overdue recognition for women in STEM. As a side note, we didn’t set out to focus on nursing. That all the subjects featured in the article turned out to be from the College of Nursing was, in hindsight, a predictable coincidence. But we have several more stories to tell about innovative women in STEM from all over our Omaha campuses at UNMC and UNO, so stay tuned!

10. 2024 Annual Report

The release of our annual report has become a fitting mainstay of popularity on this annual list of highlights.

Classics:
Several posts from previous years remain popular and relevant, particularly those that focus on day-to-day operations and legal issues associated with intellectual property.

  1. The Importance of Technology Transfer
  2. Five important aspects of copyrights that you should know
  3. Veins and arteries are just pipes, right?
  4. How to determine who is an inventor on a patent: Unraveling inventorship vs. authorship
  5. Technology Transfer 101: Defining Research Commercialization

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UNeTech kicks off Morning Edition in 2025

December 18, 2024 Comments (0) News


OMAHA, Nebraska (December 18, 2024)—UNeMed’s startup networking event, “Idea Pub: Morning Edition,” will return from its holiday hiatus on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 9-11 a.m. in the DRC II common area.

Morning Edition will feature brief remarks from Lamonte Russell, the Strategy and Ventures Manager the UNeTech Institute, the University of Nebraska’s startup incubator.

Poster for Jan 30, 2025 Idea Pub: Morning EditionRussell leads UNeTech’s Maverick Technology Venture Alliance program, which UNeMed crowned as the 2024 Innovation Champion during the 2024 Innovation Awards in November.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the Omaha entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional featured speakers for future Morning Editions have not yet been announced.

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

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UNMC startup launches MicroWash product

December 5, 2024 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (December 5, 2024)—University Medical Devices, a UNMC startup and UNeMed’s 2023 Startup of the Year, today announced the launch of its first specimen collection method, MicroWash. Developed by UNMC ER nurse Thang Nguyen, PhD, and Emergency Medicine Chair, Michael Wadman, MD, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MicroWash is a comfortable and highly sensitive nasal lavage specimen collection device providing a less invasive alternative to nasal swabs.

In the coming months, the device is set to be piloted within select sectors of the healthcare industry to evaluate how well it integrates with existing clinical workflows. This will help refine the device before MicroWash’s broader market release in 2025.

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for higher-sensitivity test sampling options when it comes to upper respiratory infections – and as a group of medical professionals, we knew it would be critical to evolve beyond the swab,” said UMD Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Nicholas Lorenzo, MD, MHCM, CPE, FAAPL. “That’s why we created MicroWash. This initial introduction of the device is just our first step in bringing this markedly improved sampling experience to the wider medical community.”

MicroWash is a fast, easy-to-use and comfortable nasal sample device that can be used by healthcare professionals with minimal training in diverse clinical settings. It involves washing the nasal passage with sterile saline to collect a sample from the nose. The saline effluent specimen can then be used for diagnostic testing. Both internal and independent academic research supports MicroWash’s superiority, from sample sensitivity to user experience.

“Testing aversion has long been a barrier to effective disease management – We certainly saw that with COVID-19,” Lorenzo said. “We knew there was an urgent need to design a device that delivers superior sample sensitivity while prioritizing comfort and safety for both patients and providers. Let’s face it – no one enjoys a swab jammed up their nose. With MicroWash, that discomfort is history, and we have a better shot at mitigating future global pandemics.”

In addition to increased comfort and ease of use, the MicroWash:

  • Collects a 2 mL sample, with an up to 49% increase in sensitivity compared to nasal swab samples
  • Has a long three-year shelf life
  • Leverages the same lab processes with fewer extraction errors
  • Decreases clinician infection risk and is easily and reliably administered

Discover how MicroWash is setting a new standard in sample collection and sign up for updates on market availability.

A video using an early prototype demonstrates how the technology works while improving on traditional swabs:


 

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Napkin contest returns, entries due Jan. 31

November 27, 2024 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 27, 2024)—UNeMed will again sponsor a “Back-o-the-Napkin” contest, calling for any inventive faculty, staff or student at UNMC or UNO to submit their ideas for new inventions and better ideas.

A suitable entry could be a simple solution created to solve a clinical or translational research problem, whether it’s a line of software code, a possible new molecule or a medical device.

The deadline for entries is January 31.

All novel entries will be judged by an internal committee, and evaluated for their novelty, market potential and possible intellectual property protection. Top entries with the most viable path to commercial success will win additional development and financial support.

Digital entry forms have been provided to all the clinical departments across UNMC, but entry forms may also be downloaded here. Physical versions of the entry form are available upon request. Designed to resemble actual napkins, entry forms ask that inventors draw and describe their ideas.

All submissions will then be evaluated for the novelty, commercial potential and marketability. The winners will receive additional support for further development.

Previous winners include:

  • Wearable Pinch Ligation Device— Quan Ly, MD, & Meghana Kashyap, MD, UNMC College of Medicine, Surgery Division.
  • Single Laser Measurement Device for Jump Testing—Michael Rosenthal, DSc, Elizabeth Wellsandt, DPT, PhD, and Michael Wellsandt, DPT, UNMC, College of Allied Health.
  • Beam Helmet—Elizabeth Beam, PhD, assistant professor, UNMC College of Nursing
  • Light Pipe Retinal Viewer—Pukraj Rishi, UNMC College of Medicine, Ophthalmology.
  • Energy-harvesting Exoskeleton—Sara Myers, UNO Biomechanics

Co-sponsors are the Great Plains IDeA-CTR; the James and Karen Linder Maker Studio at UNMC’s McGoogan Library; the UNO Machining and Prototyping Core in the Dept of Biomechanics; and The UNeTech Institute.

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Innovation, entrepreneurs abound at UNMC nursing

November 21, 2024 Comments (0) Blog

The Beam Helmet was named the 2024 Most Promising New Invention during UNeMed’s Innovation Awards ceremony at UNMC Catalyst on Nov. 7, 2024.

by Amanda Hawley, PhD, UNeMed | November 21, 2024

Witnessing the inventive nature of nurses is akin to watching MacGyver resolve medical obstacles. Although MacGuyver was a mulleted 1980s TV character who could engineer a bomb with a paperclip and soda can, nurses similarly devise effective, albeit improvised, solutions.

When there is a job to be done, or if resources are lacking, nurses don their gloves and invent. For innovative nurses at UNMC, that means leveraging personal experiences that create solutions to ongoing problems, addressing unmet needs, or finding better ways for people to communicate more efficiently.

Dr. Beam with her award-winning PAPR helmet.

Elizabeth Beam, PhD, a nursing professor at UNMC, created her own solution to a massive problem exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the nation struggled to properly equip healthcare workers with the personal protective gear they desperately needed, Dr. Beam developed an ergonomic, safe, and efficient helmet that filters out airborne pathogens for healthcare workers.

As healthcare workers everywhere were improvising solutions to overcome mask and other PPE shortages at the time, Dr. Beam knew her idea could help more people, if she was willing to try.

“I know I am not alone,” she said. “Everybody knows it’s a problem, but it’s having that motivation. Let’s see if we can fix it. It needs to be done.”

It was worth the effort. The innovation first won the inaugural Back-o-the-Napkin contest in 2022, and a more advanced design was named the 2024 Most Promising New Invention at UNeMed’s 2024 Innovation Awards.

“We work hard and we realize that there are things that could be more efficient,” she said, “but I don’t know that there is enough awareness about that: The fact that a problem you keep running into…you could actually fix it.”

Marcia Shade, PhD, saw a problem with how her grandmother’s care was mismanaged, and then came face-to-face with the similar issues after a serious injury.

Marcia Shade, PhD, assistant professor in UNMC’s College of Nursing, addresses the gathering at Idea Pub: Morning Edition on May 30, 2024. Dr. Shade is also the founder of a startup company, Voice-It, Inc.

Dr. Shade, an assistant nursing professor at UNMC, is developing a conversational, AI-driven app, “Voice-It,” which enables patients to receive, and provide, real-time assessment. It also monitors holistic pain and symptoms in a non-clinical setting. She built a startup company around the idea and received the 2023 Start-up Challenge and Accelerator award from the National Institute of Aging.

“I don’t want people to suffer, I don’t want families to go through this,” she said. “And if there is one little thing, one little notch or impact I can make on that, it’s worth it.”

Dr. Shade’s own experience with pain further aided in the design of the app. She suffered a major knee injury while training for a half marathon.

“It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said.

Recovery required two surgeries that included a complete knee re-construction with cadaver ligaments.

“This personal experience also helped me to think about the patient, what you would want to discuss and what you would want to let your healthcare provider know,” Dr. Shade said. She implemented other features to help track medications for optimized, around-the-clock pain management and control.

“There have been several times I have had to navigate things on my own,” she said, “which I believe is quite expected when you are doing new or novel things.”

Another assistant nursing professor, Breanna Hetland, PhD, was also inspired from personal experience.

Breanna Hetland, PhD, RN, accepts UNeMed’s first-ever Faculty Entrepreneur award for her startup, Family Room, as her team looks on during the 2024 Inovation Awards ceremony at UNMC Catalyst on Nov. 7.

Dr. Hetland, who was an intensive care nurse, began her hunt for solutions after her own struggles as a family member of an ICU patient, her father.  She created the Family Room app as a way to integrate family into the health care team and empower families throughout the caregiving process. The purpose of the platform is to improve patient outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and holistic healing.

“This isn’t just a business problem for me: It’s personal,” she said. “I’m haunted by both my clinical experiences and family encounters with a healthcare system that systematically excludes the very people who know patients best. It’s become my non-negotiable mission to fix this disconnect.”

She added, “This is the challenge that drives me forward every day.”

Dr. Hetland was also recognized during UNeMed’s 2024 Innovation Week Awards earlier this month. She received the Faculty Entrepreneur award for her tireless efforts in moving The Family Room closer to a finished product that can help others.

“If you thrive on instant gratification, proceed with caution,” she said. “This path requires patience and perseverance. But if you’re driven by purpose, energized by constant evolution, and find joy in building solutions to real-world problems, entrepreneurship offers an incredible journey.”

In your pursuits, “You’ll meet brilliant minds, develop resilience you never knew you had, and learn to see obstacles as opportunities for innovation,” she says.

Innovation doesn’t thrive in a vacuum, nor can an entrepreneur grow a company alone. Success and longevity depend on stoking the flames of collaboration, creativity, and connection.

President and CEO of UNeMed, Michael Dixon, PhD, said: “We know the entrepreneurial path is challenging, and the growth and development of startup companies requires support and access to critical resources. At UNeMed and UNeTech, we are committed to providing that foundation—offering guidance, connections, and tools to help all innovators overcome hurdles and bring their visions to life.”

He added: “We have outstanding innovators and entrepreneurs here at UNMC and UNO, and among them are remarkable women who are leading major entrepreneurial efforts. Recognizing and supporting our female innovators is not just about equity; it’s about fostering the transformative ideas that will shape our future and make the world a better place.”

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NMotion delivers in final Morning Edition of 2025

November 21, 2024 Comments (0) News

Kelly Van Ert, foudner of Showerability, addresses the gathering during the Nov. 21, 2024, edition of Idea Pub: Morning Edition held in the atrium of UNMC’s Durham Research Center.

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 21, 2024)—UNeMed’s final 2024 installment of “Idea Pub: Morning Edition,” wrapped up last week, featuring Nate Clark, the managing director of NMotion, a Lincoln-based accelerator program focused on supporting Nebraska startup companies.

Nate Clark, Managing Director of NMotion, chats with a guest during the Nov. 21, 2024, edition of Idea Pub: Morning Edition held in the atrium of UNMC’s Durham Research Center.

Clark outlined the basic structure of NMotion’s 12-week accelerator program for burgeoning startups. The mentoring and coaching program includes about nine weeks of preparations for conversations and pitches to potential investors. That is followed by a 3-week flurry of actual meetings and sessions with investors and capital investment groups. He also introduced a participant of NMotion’s most recent cohort: Kelly Van Er, who founded Showerability, a startup specializing providing specialized equipment that helps seniors and others with physical impairments that prevent or restrict their ability to shower or bathe.

“I was a full-time occupational therapist with an idea, testing things in the garage,” she told the group. “NMotion was life changing. It helped me step away from my job and build this business.”

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, sponsored the event, which will continue as a regular monthly series after the New Year. The series will continue to feature guest speakers from the entrepreneurial ecosystem; and will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

Morning Edition will go on hiatus in December, but return on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 9-11 a.m. in the DRC II commons. The featured speaker will be announced soon.

Morning Edition will continue in 2025 on the last Thursday of every month, featuring a new speaker each time. Each Morning Edition will also feature “Office Hours,” with UNeMed and MOVE, a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

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NMotion will headline Morning Edition on Nov. 21

November 14, 2024 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 14, 2024)—The next installment of “Idea Pub: Morning Edition” is set for Thursday, Nov. 21, at 9-11 a.m. in the DRC II common area.

The networking event will feature brief remarks from Nate Clark, the Managing Director of NMotion, a Lincoln-based accelerator program focused on supporting Nebraska startup companies.

Poster for Oct. 31, 2024 Idea Pub: Morning EditionUNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the Omaha entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Next month’s event will be held on Dec. 19 and will feature Lamonte Russell, of the UNeTech Institute. He is expected to discuss UNeTech’s entrepreneurial support program, the Maverick Technology Venture Alliance.

Morning Edition will continue in 2025, but those dates have not yet been announced.

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

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Catalyst building shines for 2024 Innovation Awards

November 11, 2024 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

UNMC researcher Jingwei Xie, PhD—UNeMed’s Innovator of the Year—chats with guests during the 2024 Innovation Awards at UNMC Catalyst on Nov. 7.

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 8, 2024)—UNeMed concluded its 2024 Innovation Week last night with its annual Innovation Awards ceremony at the new UNMC Catalyst building.

An estimated 225 turned out to network with colleagues, university leadership and UNeMed staff who honored all UNMC and UNO inventors that submitted new inventions, licensed a technology or were issued a U.S. patent during the previous fiscal year. In addition, special awards were presented for the Startup of the Year, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Most Promising New Invention, and the Innovator of the Year.

It was the first-ever event held in the new Catalyst building, which is scheduled to officially open in January. Big Grove Brewery, an anchor tenant for the new building, partially sponsored the event, providing all beverages for attendees.

The Beam Helmet was named the 2024 Most Promising New Invention during UNeMed’s Innovation Awards Ceremony UNMC Catalyst on Nov. 7, 2024.

Although it was still not 100 percent completed, the event space provided a preview of how the massive, 170,000 square-foot facility will look in a few months. An estimated 60 guests were ushered through guided “hard hat tours” of the entire building.

The highlight of the evening was the Awards presentation. Patent awardees were presented commemorative plaques, licensees were presented glass trophies, and, for the first time, new invention submitters were rewarded with unique T-shirts and pennants. The T-shirts and pennants are only presented to inventors who submit new inventions. Inventors were also given lapel pins that can be affixed to their pennants to denote the number of inventions they have disclosed.

Carecubes, Inc., CEO Alex Laskey accepts the 2024 Startup of the Year Award during UNeMed’s Innovation Awards at UNMC Catalyst on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.

Top honors went to Jingwei Xie, PhD, Professor in the Department of Surgery, who UNeMed announced as the 2024 Innovator of the Year. Other special award winners were Breanna Hetland, PhD, RN, as the Faculty Entrepreneur; the Maverick Technology Venture Alliance as the Innovation Champion; Carecubes, Inc., as the Startup of the Year; and the Ruggedized Beam Helmet as the Most Promising New Invention.

Dr. Xie, the 2024 Innovator of the Year, has developed an extensive portfolio of nanofiber-related technologies that have commercial potential as bandages that can better stop bleeding, promote wound-healing, help regenerate bone, deliver drug and even collect samples.

In the last decade, Dr. Xie had submitted more than 36 new inventions, resulting in eight U.S. patents, six licensing agreements and a pair of sponsored research projects. He was previously awarded the 2017 Most Promising New Invention, a 2015 UNMC New Investigator awardee, a 2020 UNMC Distinguished Scientist and the recipient of UNMC’s Scientific Achievement Award in 2019.

UNeMed President and CEO Michael Dixon, PhD, (left) presents UNMC innovator and nursing professor, Breanna Hetland, PhD, RN, with the first-ever Faculty Entrepreneur award during the 2024 Innovation Awards ceremony at UNMC Catalyst on Nov. 7.

Dr. Hetland, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing, was named the first-ever Faculty Entrepreneur award winner for her tireless efforts in building a new startup, Family Room. Her startup is built around a software solution she created to help families and care providers at intensive care units to better communicate and provide for their patients. She has won several grants and pitch competitions and is planning clinical trials this winter.

The Most Promising New Invention—The Ruggedized Beam Helmet—was developed by a cross-campus team led by Elizabeth Beam, PhD, RN, an associate professor in the College of Nursing.

The Ruggedized Beam Helmet, which was originally disclosed to UNeMed as a submission in its inaugural “Back-o-the-Napkin” contest in 2021, is improvement to powered air purifying respirators that gave health care workers so much trouble during the pandemic.

Members of that development team include Sarah Dunsmore, PhD, project coordinator; Brianna Parr; Bethany Lowndes, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences; and Brian Knarr, PhD, and Andrew Walski at UNO’s Machine and Prototyping Core facility. Dr. Knarr is also an associate professor in UNO’s Biomechanics Department and was among the inventors on the 2021 Most Promising New Invention, a self-pacing treadmill.

University of Nebraska innovators who submit a new invention notification to UNeMed will receive an exclusive T-shirt, pennant and lapel pin at the annual Innovation Awards.

The Startup of the Year award was presented to Alex Laskey, the CEO at Carecubes, Inc. The cornerstone technology of the startup is the Carecube, an elegant revision of personal protective equipment for health care workers. UNMC ‘s world-renown team of infectious disease experts—including James Lawlor, MD, PhD; Mara Jana Broadhurst, MD, PhD; David Brett-Major, MD; Chris Kratochvil, MD—developed a system that essentially wraps the patient in the protective equipment allowing healthcare workers to provide the highest standard of care while also minimizing the potential for exposure to airborne pathogens.

The Innovation Champion award, presented to the Maverick Technology Venture Alliance, rounded out the list of top award winners. Brent Clark, PhD, the associate director for the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Franchising at UNO, and Lamonte Russell, the Strategy and Ventures Manager at the UNeTech Institute, accepted the award.

Pictured from left are Brent Clark, Jennifer Pool, Joe Runge, Lamonte Russell and Yansi Liao. Clark and Russell accepted the Innovation Champion award during the 2024 Innovation Awards at UNMC Catalyst on Nov. 7 for their work leading the Maverick Technology Venture Alliance, a program supported by the UNeTech Institute.

The Maverick Technology Venture Alliance is a student-led program provided by the UNeTech Institute, the University of Nebraska’s startup incubator. The Maverick Technology Venture Alliance helps university innovators build their own startup companies with detailed strategy reports that can serve a fledgling entrepreneur as an early blueprint for success. In the last three years, they have produced 56 reports, helped build nine startups and completed numerous customer discovery projects.

The Innovation Awards was the culmination of Innovation Week, a series of events and activities meant to engage and celebrate the innovations and discoveries created at UNMC and UNO.

The week began on Monday, Nov. 4, with a Kickoff event that featured giveaways and an open house to meet and mingle with UNeMed staff. UNeMed also offered a virtual seminar that discussed the ins and outs of developing an idea in to a product; a hands-on seminar that demonstrated the value and process of using a “design thinking” approach to solving healthcare problems in UNMC’s McGoogan Library; a panel discussion about alternate career options for scientists; a 3D-printing workshop in the library’s maker studio; and a lunch and learn where attendees could meet with staff and learn more about the services available from the UNeTech Institute.

 

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Awards, workshop highlight final day of I-Week

November 7, 2024 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 7, 2024)—Innovation Week concludes today with a flurry of activity that culminates with the Innovation Awards tonight at 5-8 p.m. in the new UNMC Catalyst building.

First, at 10:30 a.m.-noon in the McGoogan Library, UNeMed will host a hands-on workshop to help people get started on projects using 3D design and printing. Attendees can expect to learn their way around a 3D printer and how to make the most of the free maker software and equipment available inside the Jim and Karen Linder Maker Studio.

Innovation Week 2024 CalendarAt noon, staff from the UNeTech Institute will host a lunch-and-learn seminar “UNeTech Services Showcase” as a virtual and in-person event. A free boxed lunch will be provided while supplies last to guest who attend in person, in Room 1004 in DRCI. To attend via Zoom, follow this link: bit.ly/2024UNeTechShowcase.

Innovation Week concludes with the Innovation Awards in the Catalyst building’s event space, located at the northern end of the building, near the intersection of Farnam Street and Saddle Creek Road.

The Awards will honor all UNMC and UNO inventors who disclosed a new invention, received an issued U.S. patent, or had their technology licensed during the previous fiscal year. Special awards for Innovator of the Year, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2024 will also be presented.

Innovation Week began Monday with an open house in the Durham Research Center atrium, followed by a virtual seminar about what it takes to move an idea beyond a simple concept. On Tuesday, UNeMed hosted a seminar about the Design Hub in the McGoogan Health Sciences Library. Then, on Wednesday, UNeMed hosted a panel discussion covering options for those interested in scientific careers away from the research bench.

Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, the 18th annual Innovation Week celebrates and recognizes the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

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Innovation Week 2024: Alternate career panel headlines today

November 6, 2024 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 6, 2024)—Innovation Week will continue today at noon when UNeMed hosts a panel discussion covering options for those interested in a scientific career away from the research bench.

The discussion will be held in room 1005 in the Durham Research Center I, and a boxed lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The panel will include four experts who found careers in science away from the researcher bench: Agnes Lenagh, PhD, Associate Director of Business Development at Streck; Jason Glanzer, PhD, patent attorney at Suiter Swantz IP; Nathan Hatch, PhD, licensing associate at UNeMed; and Patty George, a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Innovation Week 2024 CalendarThe week concludes with a busy day tomorrow.

First, at 10:30 a.m.-noon in the McGoogan Library, UNeMed will host a hands-on workshop to help people get started on projects using 3D design and printing. Attendees can expect to learn their way around a 3D printer and how to make the most of the free maker software and equipment available inside the Jim and Karen Linder Maker Studio.

At noon, staff from the UNeTech Institute will host a lunch-and-learn seminar “UNeTech Services Showcase” as a virtual and in-person event. A free boxed lunch will be provided while supplies last to guest who attend in person, in Room 1004 in DRCI. To attend via Zoom, follow this link: bit.ly/2024UNeTechShowcase.

Innovation Week concludes on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 7, with the Innovation Awards in the Catalyst building’s event space, located at the northern end of the building, near the intersection of Farnam Street and Saddle Creek Road.

The Awards will honor all UNMC and UNO inventors who disclosed a new invention, received an issued U.S. patent, or had their technology licensed during the previous fiscal year. Special awards for Innovator of the Year, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2024 will also be presented.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Awards reception is by invitation only. Further details can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

Innovation Week began Monday with an open house in the Durham Research Center atrium, followed by a virtual seminar about what it takes to move an idea beyond a simple concept. On Tuesday, UNeMed hosted a seminar about the Design Hub in the McGoogan Health Sciences Library.

Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, the 18th annual Innovation Week celebrates and recognizes the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

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Innovation Week 2024 continues with design thinking seminar

November 5, 2024 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 5, 2024)—Innovation Week continues today with a seminar hosted at the Leon S. McGoogan Library’s Design Hub.

“The Design Thinking Experience” will be at noon-1 p.m., walking attendees through the process of approaching a healthcare challenge using Design Thinking methodology.

Innovation Week in 2024 began yesterday with an open house in the Durham Research Center atrium, followed by a virtual seminar about what it takes to move an idea beyond a simple concept.

Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, the 18th annual Innovation Week celebrates and recognizes the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Innovation Week 2024 CalendarInnovation Week will continue on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at noon, UNeMed will host a panel discussion covering options for those interested in a scientific career away from the research bench. That discussion will be held in room 1005 in the Durham Research Center I, and a boxed lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The week concludes with a busy day of events on Thursday, Nov. 4.

First, at 10:30 a.m.-noon in the McGoogan Library, UNeMed will host a hands-on workshop to help people get started on projects using 3D design and printing. Attendees can expect to learn their way around a 3D printer and how to make the most of the free maker software and equipment available inside the Jim and Karen Linder Maker Studio.

At noon, staff from the UNeTech Institute will host a lunch-and-learn seminar “UNeTech Services Showcase” as a virtual and in-person event. A free boxed lunch will be provided while supplies last to guest who attend in person, in Room 1004 in DRCI. To attend via Zoom, follow this link: bit.ly/2024UNeTechShowcase.

Innovation Week concludes on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 7, with the Innovation Awards in the Catalyst building’s event space, located at the northern end of the building, near the intersection of Farnam Street and Saddle Creek Road.

The Awards will honor all UNMC and UNO inventors who disclosed a new invention, received an issued U.S. patent, or had their technology licensed during the previous fiscal year. Special awards for Innovator of the Year, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2024 will also be presented.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Awards reception is by invitation only. Further details can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

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UNeMed releases 2024 Annual Report

November 4, 2024 Comments (0) News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 4, 2024)— UNeMed released today its 2024 annual report, detailing key metrics, highlights and notable achievements during the fiscal year ending in 2024.

The report focuses on successes that highlight a few of UNeMed’s more recent commercial achievements. Specifically, the report holds up two UNeMed startup companies that cleared FDA in early 2024: Virtual Incision and Carecubes.

Virtual Incision is a surgical robotics company built on a collaboration between a former University of Nebraska Medical Center surgeon and a University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineer.

Carecubes is built around the development of a rapidly deployable biocontainment unit created by UNMC’s world-renown infectious diseases team of clinicians and researchers. The Carecube was initially conceived during an Ebola outbreak in Africa, but later perfected in direct response to the COVD-19 pandemic.

The 2024 annual report also notes three new additions to its board of directors before looking ahead to two promising early-stage startups, Exavir and University Medical Devices.

Exavir is developing a novel therapeutic formulation for HIV medication. If all goes according to plan, Exavir could make it possible for HIV patients to receive one or two annual treatments, rather than the strictly regimented daily dosing that is currently required to successfully manage the disease.

University Medical Devices has several innovations in its pipeline, but the cornerstone device is a nasal sample collection device that renders obsolete the painful swabs that gained notoriety during the pandemic.

Finally, the 2024 annual report presents core metrics for all of UNeMed’s activities, recaps the 2023 Innovation Awards and lists all U.S. patents that UNeMed secured on behalf of University of Nebraska inventors.

The complete annual report can be viewed online (see below), and printed copies are also available. Contact UNeMed to receive a free printed copy.

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Innovation Week 2024 kicks off today

November 4, 2024 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 4, 2024)—Innovation Week in 2024 begins this morning with an open house at 9 a.m. in the Durham Research Center atrium, followed by a virtual seminar during the lunch hour.

Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, the 18th annual Innovation Week celebrates and recognizes the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Innovation Week 2024 CalendarToday’s Kick-off event will feature doughnuts, coffee, T-shirts and other freebies, along with a chance for attendees to meet UNeMed staff.

Later today, UNeMed will host a virtual seminar, “The Ins and Outs of Ideation,” at noon. The hour-long seminar will be hosted via Zoom at bit.ly/Ideation2024.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, at noon, UNeMed will host another hour-long seminar, “The Design Thinking Experience.” This in-person seminar will be held in the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library’s Design Hub. Presenters will walk attendees through the process of approaching a healthcare challenge using Design Thinking methodology.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, at noon, UNeMed will host a panel discussion covering options for those interested in a scientific career away from the research bench. That discussion will be held in room 1005 in the Durham Research Center I, and a boxed lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The week concludes with a busy day of events on Thursday, Nov. 4.

First, at 10:30 a.m.-noon in the McGoogan Library, UNeMed will host a hands-on workshop to help people get started on projects using 3D design and printing. Attendees can expect to learn their way around a 3D printer and how to make the most of the free maker software and equipment available inside the Jim and Karen Linder Maker Studio.

At noon, staff from the UNeTech Institute will host a lunch-and-learn seminar “UNeTech Services Showcase” as a virtual and in-person event. A free boxed lunch will be provided while supplies last to guest who attend in person, in Room 1004 in DRCI. To attend via Zoom, follow this link: bit.ly/2024UNeTechShowcase.

Innovation Week concludes on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 7, with the Innovation Awards in the Catalyst building’s event space, located at the northern end of the building, near the intersection of Farnam Street and Saddle Creek Road.

The Awards will honor all UNMC and UNO inventors who disclosed a new invention, received an issued U.S. patent, or had their technology licensed during the previous fiscal year. Special awards for Innovator of the Year, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2024 will also be presented.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Awards reception is by invitation only. Further details can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

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Innosphere leads Morning Edition discussion

November 1, 2024 Comments (0) News

Ben Walker, Executive Director at Innosphere Ventures Regional Life Sciences Incubator, (left) passes the microphone to Jason Johanning, MD, inventor/founder of Automated Assessments, during the Oct. 31, 2024, Idea Pub: Morning Edition.

Ben Walker, Executive Director at Innosphere Ventures Regional Life Sciences Incubator, (left) passes the microphone to Jason Johanning, MD, inventor/founder of Automated Assessments, during the Oct. 31, 2024, Idea Pub: Morning Edition.

OMAHA, Nebraska (October 31, 2024)—UNeMed’s seventh edition of “Idea Pub: Morning Edition” featured Ben Walker and Timothy Jones of the Colorado-based startup incubator, Innosphere Ventures Regional Life Sciences Incubator.

Innosphere is a consortium of state bioscience trade organizations and academics institutions from six states: Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Texas and South Carolina. Nebraska’s contingent includes UNeMed, NUtech Ventures and BIO Nebraska. NUtech is UNeMed’s sister office managing technology transfer operation for Nebraska’s Lincoln and Kearney campuses.

Walker is the Executive Director and Jones is the Chief Operating Officer.

The pair outlined how Innosphere ushers an early-stage company—and its founder-inventor—through the development process, which often includes mentoring on creating proposals that attract investors and business-savvy executives while providing sales and marketing insights.

“We’re looking for people with good ideas, but you don’t have to have every single detail figured out yet,” Walker said. “Just be coachable and willing to work and spend the time.”

Morning Edition also featured a trio of startup founders, including Jason Johanning, MD, who founded his startup, Automated Assessments, with an invention he created. His invention helps surgeons determine the frailty of a patient before surgery, a previously subjective exercise that Dr. Johanning hopes to quantity with more certainty.

Dr. Johanning and Automated Assessments was among one of Innosphere’s recent cohorts, and he championed the experience as an invaluable step forward for his company.

UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, sponsored the event, which will continue as a regular monthly series. The series will continue to feature guest speakers from the entrepreneurial ecosystem; and will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, Nov. 21, at 9-11 a.m. in the DRC II commons. The featured speaker will be Scott Henderson, general partner at NMotion, a startup accelerator out of Lincoln.

Morning Edition will continue on the last Thursday of every month, featuring a new speaker each time. Each Morning Edition will also feature “Office Hours,” with UNeMed and MOVE, a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

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Morning Edition returns on Oct. 31

October 18, 2024 Comments (0) News


OMAHA, Nebraska (October 18, 2024)—The next installment of “Idea Pub: Morning Edition” is set for Thursday, Oct. 31, at 9-11 a.m. in the DRC II common area.

The networking event will feature brief remarks from Timothy Jones and Ben Walker of Innosphere Ventures, a Colorado-based startup incubator program that has partnered with the University of Nebraska to nurture home-grown innovations into successful businesses.

Jones is the Chief Operating Officer and Walker is the Executive Director.

Poster for Oct. 31, 2024 Idea Pub: Morning Edition UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, created Morning Edition to help University innovators and entrepreneurs connect and collaborate with colleagues and experts from the venture capital and startup communities.

Morning Edition will also regularly feature “Office Hours” with UNeMed staff and Charlie Cuddy, who co-founded the Nebraska Startup Academy and MOVE Venture Capital. Office Hours creates the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to have one-on-one time with MOVE or UNeMed professionals to discuss new technologies or startup potential.

MOVE is a pre-seed and seed venture capital firm focused on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies. The Nebraska Startup Academy is a mentoring program for startup founders, investors and the local entrepreneurial community with the aim of building Nebraska into “an innovation hub in the Midwest.”

Morning Edition will be held on the final Thursday of every month and will continue to feature guest speakers from the Omaha entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event will provide UNMC and UNO innovators an opportunity to build new partnerships and allies that can help develop their innovative ideas and discoveries into products that help people.

The event is free and open to all, and complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Future planned dates and speakers are:

  • Nov. 21: Scott Henderson, gener8tor Great Plains Fund, “When should you apply to the NMotion accelerator?”
  • Dec. 19: Lamonte Russell, UNeTech, “What is the Maverick Technology Venture Alliance?”

Morning Edition will continue in 2025, but those dates have not yet been announced.

Morning Edition is part of UNeMed’s “Idea Pub,” a suite of entrepreneurial networking events that includes “Innovations & Libations” and “Startup Showcase.”

 

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Innovation Week begins Nov. 4

October 17, 2024 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Nebraska (October 17, 2024)—Innovation Week in 2024 begins Monday, November 4, celebrating and recognizing the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC and UNO, Innovation Week enters its 18th year starting with an open house at 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, in the Durham Research Center atrium. The week culminates with the UNMC Innovation Awards reception Thursday, Nov. 7, at the new UNMC Catalyst building.

Innovation Week 2024 CalendarThe week will also feature several seminars and workshops designed to enhance innovation and discovery efforts at UNMC and UNO.

All events are free and open to the public, but the Awards reception is by invitation only. Further details can be found on UNeMed’s Innovation Week page.

Monday’s Kick-off event will feature doughnuts, coffee, T-shirts and other freebies, along with a chance for attendees to meet UNeMed staff.

Later that day, UNeMed will host a virtual seminar, “The Ins and Outs of Ideation,” at noon. The hour-long seminar will be hosted via Zoom at bit.ly/Ideation2024.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, at noon, UNeMed will host another hour-long seminar, “The Design Thinking Experience.” This in-person seminar will be held in the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library’s Design Hub. Presenters will walk attendees through the process of approaching a healthcare challenge using Design Thinking methodology.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, at noon, UNeMed will host a panel discussion covering options for those interested in a scientific career away from the research bench. That discussion will be held in room 1005 in the Durham Research Center I, and a boxed lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The week concludes with a busy day of events on Thursday, Nov. 4.

First, at 10:30 a.m.-noon in the McGoogan Library, UNeMed will host a hands-on workshop to help people get started on projects using 3D design and printing. Attendees can expect to learn their way around a 3D printer and how to make the most of the free maker software and equipment available inside the Jim and Karen Linder Maker Studio.

At noon, staff from the UNeTech Institute will host a lunch-and-learn seminar “UNeTech Services Showcase” as a virtual and in-person event. A free boxed lunch will be provided while supplies last to guest who attend in person, in Room 1004 in DRCI. To attend via Zoom, follow this link: bit.ly/2024UNeTechShowcase.

Innovation Week concludes on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 7, with the Innovation Awards in the Catalyst building’s event space, located at the northern end of the building, near the intersection of Farnam Street and Saddle Creek Road.

An invitation-only event, the Awards will honor all UNMC and UNO inventors who disclosed a new invention, received an issued U.S. patent, or had their technology licensed during the previous fiscal year. Special awards for Innovator of the Year, Faculty Entrepreneur, Innovation Champion, Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2024 will also be presented.

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