UNeMed opens office in Shanghai

November 14, 2014 Comments (1) News, Success Stories

UNMC-China Ribbon Cutting

Chinese and University of Nebraska Medical Center officials cut the ribbon to UNMC-China on Oct. 29, 2014. UNMC-China is a subsidiary of UNeMed, the technology transfer office for UNMC. Pictured from left are Deloitte’s Maria Liang; UNMC vice chancellor for business and finance Don Leuenberger; UNeMed’s director of international and domestic business affairs D.J. Thayer; and UNMC’s director of the Asia Pacific Rim Development Program, Jailin Zheng. (UNMC Photo: Lisa Spellman)

by Charlie Litton, UNeMed

SHANGHAI, China (November 7, 2014)—The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s relationship with China formed a stronger bond with the official opening of a satellite office in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 29 officially opened the door to deeper biomedical cooperation between UNMC and Chinese sectors in biomedical industry and healthcare education.

“Collaboration with China’s biomedical industry and higher education is really the essence of our strategy,” said D.J. Thayer, UNeMed’s Director of International and Domestic Business Affairs, who oversaw the creation of UNMC-China.

UNMC-China will focus on three core areas: Improve international collaborations, share knowledge, and commercialize UNMC innovations in a vast Chinese marketplace that lives in the world’s second largest economy.

“This is taking what we do best, and combining it with what they do best,” Thayer said. “We’re good at a lot of things, but not everything. Everyone benefits from this. Nebraskans, Americans, the Chinese. Everyone.”

D.J. Thayer

UNMC recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its relationship with China, which has been based largely on educational exchange and research collaborations.

Opening a fully-staffed operation in Shanghai expands that relationship for greater collaborations with Chinese medical schools and hospitals. The new office opens a path to a wider range of possibilities for commercializing UNMC technologies and developing partnerships with industrial partners in China.

UNMC already has a long track record of successful student and faculty exchanges, as well as several UNMC inventions licensed to Chinese companies.

But UNMC will also expand its focus abroad to consulting with Chinese officials and developers who are increasingly trying to provide more Western-styled healthcare options. Already, UNMC-China is meeting with Chinese architectural and engineering firms on a $3 billion project that would create a massive health care facility for a piece of the growing medical tourism market.

UNMC-China is a subsidiary of UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer and commercialization office for UNMC. UNMC-China is known officially as UNeMed Health Consulting Shanghai, or UHCS for short.

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Sillman, Fenster win scavenger hunt

November 6, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

by Tyler Mueller, UNeMed

Graduate students Brady Sillman and Danielle Fenster won the first scavenger hunt of UNeMed’s Innovation Awards, an annual celebration honoring UNMC researchers, faculty, students and staff for their ideas, inventions and discoveries.

To win the scavenger hunt, contestants had to follow clues to complete questions, answer trivia on UNeMed’s social media pages, and even post a few “selfies” to social media.

Brady Sillman

“I knew that I wanted to do something to help people.” Brady Sillman

Sillman and Fenster complete the scavenger hunt in a tie for first place. But winning the scavenger hunt isn’t the only thing Sillman and Fenster have in common. Both were inspired by loved ones to pursue a career in research.

Sillman, a graduate student in Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, came to UNMC for the institution’s “great reputation and world-renown program.” Sillman’s sister inspired him to join the medical research community. She has cerebral palsy, an incurable disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills.

“I knew that I wanted to do something to help people,” Sillman said. “It wasn’t until I joined a small research lab at UNO and got first-hand experience in the lab that I knew that I finally found my way of contributing.”

Danielle Fenster

“My great-grandmother had Alzheimer’s and I wanted to help others like her.” Danielle Fenster

Fenster is also a graduate student in Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience. Fenster joined UNMC after having a great experience working in Keshore Bidasee’s lab in the summer research program. Fenster was also inspired by a loved one.

“My great-grandmother had Alzheimer’s and I wanted to help others like her,” said Fenster.
When asked for advice for new students, Sillman said to get involved on campus. “Get involved in intermural sports or the Graduate Student Association. The more involved you get, the better you’ll be connected.”

Fenster said to think carefully when choosing a lab for research. “Find something you’re passionate about,” she said. “It will be a long couple of years if you dislike your lab or research.”

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Jack Mayfield, 63

November 4, 2014 Comments (2) Blog, News

Jack Mayfield

Jack Mayfield was most visible on campus during Innovation Week, usually snapping pictures.

by Charlie Litton, UNeMed

The small office where Jack Mayfield churned out agreements and licensing contracts at near prolific rates remains dark today.

Jack fell from an apparent heart attack Tuesday. By Friday the 63-year-old was gone.

Jack joined UNMC in 2012, working as a contracts specialist in the technology transfer office, UNeMed. Any researcher, student, staff or faculty who ever needed a quick contract drawn up to share materials or protect confidentiality, probably worked with Jack.

LO_jack_mayfield_2014But to ask anyone who worked with him, few mention his chops as a lawyer. In fact his unequaled production rarely even rates a mention. More often we use words like “mentor” and “teacher” and “friend.” And of course we talk about his passions: Photography and cycling, pursuits he chased with vigor and vitality.

Jack was perhaps most visible as a regular fixture during UNeMed’s Innovation Week, relentlessly snapping photos of anyone and everyone who stood still long enough. Long before joining UNeMed, Jack ran a successful photography business in Tennessee, and he was always willing to lend his skills whenever asked.

I knew Jack best as photographer, because that’s a part of what I do.

In the most basic terms photography is about light. It’s about capturing and preserving the light of a moment. As simple as it sounds, understanding what needs to be done to capture light can be intensely complicated. Particularly in the days of celluloid, when Jack was firing at top speed as the “Pictureman.”

Capturing the light is in many ways easier now with the instant feedback that digital provides, but the basic principle remains the same. Whether it’s lining up silver iodide crystals or ones and zeroes: Capture the light, preserve the moment.

I would like to know how many moments in time he captured, shooting countless rolls of film at graduations, parties and who knows what else. How many of those are now cherished memories for the smiling faces he popped with a flash and shutter? How many scrapbooks, picture frames and even forgotten shoe boxes in attic spaces are populated with those time capsules he created?

He gave each of those people some small measure of immortality, and in so doing achieved it for himself. I’m grateful that he shared with me some of how he did that.But no part of Jack was larger than his enthusiasm for cycling. A member of an Omaha bike club, the Dundee Chain Gang, Jack logged somewhere on the order of 9,000 miles in 2013. For the record, if you wanted to drive from New York to L.A., you’d log about 2,700 miles. From Omaha, that 9,000 miles would get you to somewhere between India and Inner Mongolia.

After every long weekend of even longer rides—marathons, really—Jack would recount the exhausting trips with glee. And he had photos too. The new pictures of Jack and his rider-buddies—beaming under their bike helmets in all their spandex glory—would find a special place on his bulletin board. Some of the pictures are a little dog-eared and ever-so-slightly faded from the morning sun that creeps into his east-facing office.

His office is dark now, but those happy pictures are still there—taken in some far off place where the hills were steep climbs, but the glide down to the finish must have been worth every exhausting pump and kick.

Visitation is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 6-8 p.m. at Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak & Cutler, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha, Neb.. Funeral services are Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 10:30 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Louisville, Neb.

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Florescu, MacTaggart honored at Innovation Awards

October 24, 2014 Comments (2) Innovation Week, News, Success Stories

by Tyler Mueller, UNeMed

awards1OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 24, 2014)—Marius Florescu, M.D., took home the 2014 Emerging Inventor award, while Jason MacTaggart, M.D., received the Most Promising New Invention award during UNeMed’s eighth annual Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception Thursday afternoon at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Florescu_091614_cropped_LO

Dr. Florescu

An estimated 203 attended the Innovation Awards ceremony, the culmination of UNeMed’s Innovation week, where researchers such as Drs. Florescu and MacTaggart are honored and celebrated for their inventions and discoveries. UNeMed also honored all the UNMC staff, students, and faculty who received a U.S. patent, licensed an innovation or reported a new invention during the last fiscal year.

Dr. Florescu, an associate professor in the nephrology division of UNMC’s Department of Internal Medicine, received the Emerging Inventor award for two his recent inventions: A hemodialysis catheter and a device to improve the arteriovenous or AV fistula.

The new hemodialysis catheter tube is designed with a small balloon that can expand to remove the build-up that naturally grows into a mass that blocks flow. Florescu’s innovative design would significantly lower the cost of removing the blockage by eliminating the need for additional procedures.

Jason MacTaggart, M.D.

Dr. MacTaggart

The new design for the AV fistula is the first major improvement in 40 years in the area. AV fistulas are made by surgically creating a portal between a vein and artery, usually in the wrist, for patients who must undergo regular hemodialysis.

Dr. MacTaggart, an assistant professor in the vascular surgery section of UNMC’s Department of Surgery, was awarded the Most Promising New Invention for his new surgical tool, the AquaBlade. The AquaBlade is designed to cut tissue amid flowing blood using highly-pressurized water. The device can also be used to remove stents in blood vessels. The AquaBlade is less invasive, thereby lowering the risk factor associated with heart surgery and speeding up the recovery process for the patient.

Divya Bhagirath was the 2014 winner of a free iPad.

Divya Bhagirath was the 2014 winner of a free iPad.

“Considering all of the other outstanding work and creativity demonstrated by many of my colleagues here at UNMC, this award is a great honor for me and my collaborators,” Dr. MacTaggart said via email. “We can’t thank our friends at UNeMed and people like my chairman of surgery, Dr. [David] Mercer, enough  for helping facilitate the work that led to this award, as it is their unwavering support of our research that allow us to conceive and refine inventions like the AquaBlade.”

UNeMed also awarded prizes to the winners of the first ever scavenger Hunt, which went to Brady Sillman and Danielle Fenster who tied for first place.
Divya Bhagirath was the lucky winner of the free iPad.

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Six new technologies featured at Demo Day 14

October 22, 2014 Comments (1) Innovation Week, News

by Tyler Mueller, UNeMed

OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 21, 2014)—Attendees got a look at some of the innovative technologies developed in the labs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center during UNeMed’s Technology Demonstration Day Tuesday afternoon.

Demo Day, part of UNeMed’s Innovation Week, featured six technologies presented to an estimated audience of 70. The new technologies are either the foundation of a new startup company, are licensed to an existing company, or are under negotiations for a licensing deal. (Videos of the presentations can be viewed here.)

Technologies featured were a new blood test for diagnosing of heart disease; a new laparoscopic simulator; an improved hemodialysis catheter; data management software; a COPD detection platform; and a next-generation surgical mesh.

Dan Anderson, M.D., PhD

Dan Anderson, M.D., PhD

Dan Anderson, M.D., PhD, kicked-off the event by presenting a new biomarker that could be used to create a new blood test. Under development at UNMC, the blood test could help flag people who are candidates for serious heart trouble even when other tests say otherwise.

Seventy percent of people at the age of 40 have coronary artery disease. But it doesn’t always develop into a fatal condition. A blood test using the biomarker—malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde adduct, or MAA for short—could help care providers tell the difference, Anderson said.

“It’s a failure of medicine to die from a heart attack at 40,” Dr. Anderson said.

With a simple blood test, doctors can analyze a patient’s blood and look for a ratio of MAA antibodies. Similar ratios could also be link with other inflammatory diseases, Anderson said.

Ron Allen

Ron Allen

Ron Allen, CEO of Chrysalis, presented a new catheter designed to reduce risk for patients who undergo the process that filters a patient’s blood, hemodialysis.

Two million people are on hemodialysis, a necessary treatment for patients with failing kidneys that takes three hours, three times a week. For most patients, they either take the treatment or die.

“There are no positive alternatives,” Allen said, adding the only other option is no treatment at all.

Blood flow in the catheter can become blocked, requiring surgery and radiological imaging to verify the repair. When a catheter does need to be replaced, the entire procedure can cost up to $18,000. The new catheter, an elegantly simple design by UNMC’s Marius Florescu, M.D., reduces the number of times a catheter needs to be replaced. Dr. Florescu incorporated a small balloon into the tip of the catheter that can be inflated to disrupt the blockage and eliminate the need for additional procedures and costs.

Jenna Yentes, PhD

Jenna Yentes, PhD

Jenna Yentes, PhD, presented a new method developed by UNO’s Nick Stergiou that can detects the deadly episode that come from narrowed or or destroyed tissue in the lungs—a condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The third leading cause of death in the United States, COPD is an unpredictable condition that creates sometimes deadly flare-ups or exacerbations that are impossible to diagnose.

Using a device attached to the chest and feet, the device takes measurements of walking and breathing and how the two biorhythms interact with one another.

This ratio of walking and breathing can alert the patient to early signs of exacerbation, the flare-up of symptoms that speeds the destruction of the lung.

John Glock

John Glock

John Glock, president and founder of Labpoint, shared his solution for sharing information between medical institutions. Labpoint improves the communication between labs, clinics and hospitals sharing critical information despite using different hardware and software.

The system, called ELIRT, works by monitoring and transmitting data from one entity to another. The server is installed on the user’s computer and integrates with the user’s software. Once identified through filters, data can be shared externally.

Joe Runge

Joe Runge

Joe Runge introduced a new laparoscopic simulator developed at UNMC, which cuts down costs and space requirements. Laparoscopic simulators are used to train and maintain skills for laparoscopic surgeons but require dedicated space and several thousand dollars.

The new portable system renders usable nearly any open space for the simulator at a fraction of the cost, enabling surgeons or students to practice more often. The system can also rate or grade the user and show what areas they need to work on.

Matthew MacEwan, president of Acera Surgical, ended Demo Day with a presentation on a new design for surgical meshes for use in brain surgery.

Matthew MacEwan

Matthew MacEwan

The surgical mesh, CeraFix™ Dural Substitute, is the flagship product of Acera Surgical, and is paving the way for next generation surgical materials.

Surgical meshes are used to treat damaged tissue, but with a fail rate of 10-40 percent, it’s not the most economical treatment for patients or hospitals.

The CeraFix™ Dural Substitute is designed to promote more rapid cellularization of neuro tissue. It has a cloth-like feel and design, but is strong enough to treat damaged tissue before being resorbed. This cuts down on the costs to replace the surgical mesh in previous designs if it breaks or if the tissue doesn’t fully heal itself.

Innovation Week concludes Thursday, Oct. 23, with the Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception in the DRC I Auditorium at 4 p.m.

 

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Innovation Week seminar discusses building better partnerships

October 22, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

Toru Seo, PhDOMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 21, 2014)—Academic researchers and pharmaceutical companies seem perfectly suited for one another.

Where pharma appears to show weakness, academia shows strength. And where academia is weak, pharma is strong. The differences in overall mission between both are stark, but they are a near perfect counterbalance.

It would seem the university “yin” and the industrial pharmaceutical “yang” should yield fruitful research collaborations.

Yet, it’s no secret that there’s often dysfunction between the two.

Pharmaceutical executive Toru Seo, PhD, set out Tuesday afternoon to explain why that is, and offered a few simple measures for building better partnerships. The talk was part of UNeMed’s annual celebration of UNMC research, Innovation Week, which culminates with the Innovation Awards on Thursday, Oct. 23.

“Being a scientist,” Dr. Seo said, “I want to help people in academia because I know how hard it can be.”

Seo, who earned a doctorate in molecular and cellular pathobiology from Wake Forest University, was assistant professor at Columbia University and is now deputy general manager for licensing and business development at Taisho Pharmaceutical in Tokyo, Japan.

Drug discovery and development is increasingly more reliant on often cash-strapped academic researchers, while pharmaceutical R&D departments scale back budgets or narrow their scope. The changing dynamic means productive collaborations between industrial and academic partners is more important than ever.

“We have to have steady pipeline, and in order to have a steady pipeline we have to do better R&D,” Seo said.

When academic-industrial collaborations fail, it “almost always” lies at the feet of disagreements and misunderstandings center on intellectual property, goals, metrics or deliverables, he said.

The obvious fix is better communication, but Seo said the communications must first focus on the science. Identifying common goals, setting clear, detailed expectations for outcomes and providing timely feedback all build an engaged and transparent relationship—two critical elements that can’t exist without clear and consistent communication.

Seo closed his discussion with a quote former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. In a 2004 speech in Chicago, Greenspan said:

“I have found no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest dealing and strict adherence to the view that, for you to gain, those you deal with should gain as well.”

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Dixon interviewed during Nebraska halftime

October 21, 2014 Comments (0) News

UNeMed President Michael Dixon (left) looks over his notes during his halftime interview with Greg Sharpe (right), which was broadcast Saturday night during Nebraska's 38-17 win over Northwestern.

UNeMed President Michael Dixon (left) looks over his notes during his halftime interview with Greg Sharpe (right), which was broadcast Saturday night during Nebraska’s 38-17 win over Northwestern.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Oct. 18, 2014)—UNeMed president and CEO Michael Dixon and the interim president of the University of Nebraska, Jim Linder, were featured guests during the halftime intermission of Nebraska’s 38-17 victory over Northwestern University.

Linder, a regular feature of all Nebraska football game broadcasts, brought in Dixon to discuss the value of tech transfer and commercialization efforts at the University, and how they impact the local economy.

“In the past three years, we’ve helped create eight startup companies that have raised more than $10 million to help support technology development,” Dixon told Greg Sharpe during the pre-recorded interview. “Our activity, along with startup support groups like NMotion, Straight Shot, PIPELINE, and Silicon Prairie News has organizations like CNN Money declaring Omaha as one of the top startup hubs in the nation.”

The interview was broadcast by the Husker Sports Network, carried locally by KFAB (1110 AM) in Omaha. Linder’s series of halftime interviews continues this week, when he brings in Sam Meisels, the executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute. Nebraska will host Big Ten newcomer Rutgers. Kickoff is listed at 11 a.m.

 

 

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First ever scavenger hunt to begin Monday

October 17, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

Scavenger HuntOMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 17, 2014)—Kicking off at 9 a.m. on Monday, October 20, participants must complete challenges and hunt down answers to questions on the entry form. These challenges will be completed for points and a chance to win a price. The scavenger hunt will conclude at 4:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22.

Answers to the scavenger hunt must be submitted in the allotted timeslot to the unemed@unmc.edu inbox. For each correct answer, participants will receive one point. Some of the questions will require a selfie while a simple written answer will suffice for others. Creativity is highly encouraged and even rewarded.

Bonus points are offered to participants who follow UNeMed on Facebook and Twitter and answer the trivia questions posted each day. Answers should be submitted by replying to @unemed and tagging the post with #IWeek14.

Selfies for Scavenger HuntThe first participant with the highest amount of points will receive prizes. The scavenger hunt is open to all UNMC staff, faculty, and students.

Monday, October 20 marks the start of Innovation Week, which begins with an Open House in the DRC Atrium from 9-11 a.m. The Bioscience Week Kick-Off Reception at Baird Holm, will be from 4-6 p.m. On

Tuesday, October 21 there will two events; a seminar presented by Taisho Pharmaceutical Co.’s Deputy General Manager for Licensing and Business Development from 10-11 a.m. and “Demo Day” featuring six UNMC and UNO leading technologies from 3-5 p.m.

On Wednesday, BioNebraska will present “Experiencing Biotechnology,” a panel discussion hosted by UNL’s Department of Biochemistry at the Beadle Center in Lincoln.

Innovation Week will come to a close on Thursday, October 23 with the Awards Ceremony in the DRC Auditorium at 4 p.m.

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Demo Day will feature coronary artery disease discovery

October 17, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 17, 2014)—Promising research could lead to a significant and dramatic improvement in correctly diagnosing unstable coronary artery disease years, perhaps even decades, before traditional methods.

A scientific research journal, PLOS One, published in its September issue an article by a team of scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who found a biomarker that could “allow for the assessment of a future cardiovascular event.”

The article—”Unique Antibody Responses to Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde (MAA)-Protein Adducts Predict Coronary Artery Disease“—significantly concludes that a biomarker could tell the difference between patients who harbor stable or unstable coronary artery disease. The difference between the two groups is the difference between living well into old age or suffering a sudden fatal heart attack at 40-years-old. Stable coronary artery disease is a manageable condition, but the unstable version is unpredictable and nearly impossible to diagnose.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha—Michael Duryee (left), Geoff Thiele (center) and Dan Anderson (right)—believe they found a way to determine who will develop potentially deadly heart disease with a simple blood test.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha—Michael Duryee (left), Geoff Thiele (center) and Dan Anderson (right)—believe they found a way to determine who will develop potentially deadly heart disease with a simple blood test.

Lead author and project collaborator, Dan Anderson, M.D., PhD, will discuss the research and its possible implications during UNMC Technology Demonstration Day on Oct. 21. Anderson, who is also a practicing cardiologist, will be among six others presenting some of the most recent and advanced innovations developed at UNMC and UNO laboratories.

Anderson and UNMC colleagues Geoffrey Thiele, PhD, and Michael Duryee are working on developing a simple blood test for the biomarker, which could give patients potentially years of advance warning if they carry the unstable version of the disease.

Such an early diagnosis could dramatically change how cardiologists treat patients, advancing cardiac care to an improved, more targeted and personalized approach.

Hosted by UNeMed, the technology transfer office at UNMC, Demo Day is a part of Innovation Week, a celebration of the research, discovery and innovation at UNMC. Demo Day is aimed at a general audience and is free and open for anyone to attend. Registrations are requested.

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Qian Zhang promoted, will lead international efforts

October 16, 2014 Comments (0) News

LO_qian_zhang_2014OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 16, 2014)—UNeMed announced today that postdoctoral licensing associate Qian Zhang, PhD, has been promoted to a new and permanent full-time position with UNeMed as the International Technology Development Specialist.

With the new job, Dr. Zhang will focus more on international tele-medicine and forming international relationships.

“I’m very excited for the new job. It has a broader scope in terms of responsibilities,” Dr. Zhang said.

Born in Linyi, China, Dr. Zhang attended graduate school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center where she briefly considered an academic research career. After earning her doctorate in cancer biology in 2011, Dr. Zhang joined UNeMed as an intern. UNeMed soon offered her a one-year appointment as a postdoctoral licensing associate, where she helped evaluate and bring UNMC innovations to the market.

“We are incredibly pleased to have Dr. Zhang fill this position,” said Michael Dixon, president and CEO of UNeMed. “Dr. Zhang’s experience and knowledge of global markets, specifically China and Japan, allow us access to a multitude of international companies that are interested in partnering and investing in our new technology.”

As an important staff member, Dr. Zhang has been assisting UNeMed in international markets. Fluent in Chinese, Dr. Zhang has helped UNeMed create connections with businesses in foreign markets.

Dr. Zhang was also a recipient of the 2014 Howard Bremer Scholarship from the Association of University Technology Managers.

Dr. Zhang is currently working on her MBA at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and expects to receive her diploma in December 2014.

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Husker halftime show to feature Dixon

October 16, 2014 Comments (0) News

LO_michael_dixon_2014_croppedLINCOLN, Neb. (Oct. 16, 2014)—UNeMed president and CEO Michael Dixon will be interviewed by Greg Sharpe, the “Voice of the Huskers,” which will broadcast during halftime of Nebraska’s football match-up with Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 18.

The interview is a part of a regular series of halftime interviews that will include University of Nebraska interim president Jim Linder. In the series, Linder and Sharpe meet with various University officials to discuss the University’s economic impact on Nebraska. This week, Sharpe and Dixon will discuss UNMC research and the University’s technology transfer efforts.

Kick-off for the Cornhuskers’ road game at Northwestern University is listed at 6:30 p.m. The Husker Sports Network will carry the game, and a list of broadcast affiliates can be found here. In Omaha, KFAB (1110 AM) will carry the game and halftime interview. It can also be heard through the iHeartRadio Network’s smartphone application and SiriusXM.

Dixon and Sharpe are also expected to discuss some of the cutting edge research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and the value those innovations bring not just to the local economy but to the general well-being of everyone on the planet.

Dixon is also expected to talk about Omaha’s growing startup and entrepreneur community, and how the University should fit into that part of the ecosystem.

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UNeMed to give away free iPad…again

October 16, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

Free iPadOMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 16, 2014)—UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will once again give away a free iPad during Innovation Week.

Open to all UNMC students, faculty and staff, the drawing will be held during the Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception, which is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. in the Durham Research Center auditorium. The entrant must be present to win.

Innovation Week is a series of events hosted and sponsored by UNeMed as an annual showcase that honors and celebrates the innovative and ground-breaking research performed at UNMC. The week culminates with the Innovation Awards, which specifically recognizes those who submitted a new invention, licensed a technology or received a U.S. patent during the previous fiscal year.

2014 UNeMed T-shirtsUNeMed will also present two special awards to the Most Promising New Invention of 2014 and the 2014 Emerging Inventor.

To enter the iPad drawing, UNMC personnel can register by attending any Innovation Week event. Every Innovation Week event represents an opportunity for an additional entry in the drawing pool.

Innovation Week kicks off Monday at 9-11 a.m. with an open house to meet and mingle with UNeMed staff who will be handing out an assortment of goodies, including UNeMed T-shirts. Jo-On-The-Go will also provide free coffee and smoothies.

jonthegol_LOMonday also marks the opening day of the first-ever UNeMed scavenger hunt.

The final event on Monday is the “Bioscience Week Kick-off Reception,” at Baird Holm (1700 Farnam St., Omaha) at 4-6 p.m. The Kick-Off is part of a state-wide focus on bioscience innovation and collaboration and is co-sponsored by BioNebraska, UNeMed and NUtech Ventures, the tech transfer office for UNL.

Innovation Week continues Tuesday with two events, an educational seminar aimed at stoking better university-industrial collaborations, and the second annual UNMC Technology Demonstration Day.

Toru Seo, PhDThe seminar will be presented by Taisho Pharmaceutical Co.’s Deputy General Manager for Licensing and Business Development, Toru Seo, who will discuss how and why government, academic and industrial researchers can and should build stronger partnerships. It will be held in room 1004 in DRCI, and a complimentary snack will be provided.

Demo Day will be held at 3-5 p.m. in the DRC auditorium and will feature six leading technologies that emanated from the research laboratories at UNMC and UNO. The technologies will be presented by researchers, company CEOs or startup founders in easy-to-understand 10-minute sessions intended for scientists and non-scientists alike. Demonstrations will be followed by a short reception with complimentary food and wine.

COPD Detection Platform HardwareOn Wednesday, BioNebraska will present “Experiencing Biotechnology,” a panel discussion at the Beadle Center in Lincoln. Hosted by UNL’s Department of Biochemistry, the discussion is expected to address the challenges facing the future of drug development, animal health, agriculture and devices.

Wednesday also marks the close of the Scavenger Hunt with the entry deadline set for 4:59 p.m.

Innovation Week in Omaha concludes Thursday with the Awards Ceremony.

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Pipeline alum signs research deal with UNeMed, will speak at Innovation Week

October 15, 2014 Comments (1) Innovation Week, News

OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 15, 2014)—A new sponsored research agreement between a University of Nebraska Medical Center scientist and an industrial partner will look to produce the next generation of safer, more effective surgical meshes.

Matthew MacEwan

Matthew MacEwan

Matthew MacEwan, an alum of Pipeline’s 2012 fellowship class and the President at Acera Surgical Inc., signed the research partnership, which will explore clinical applications for a new invention developed in UNMC’s College of Pharmacy. MacEwan will also discuss the new technology as one of the featured presenters during the second annual UNMC Technology Demonstration Day on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Demo Day is a forum highlighting some of the most advanced and promising new technologies emerging from UNMC research laboratories. It is among several events during Innovation Week, which is hosted every year by UNeMed, the technology transfer office for UNMC.

The new partnership was partly a result of UNeMed’s relationship with Pipeline, a regional entrepreneurial program that recently expanded its reach to include all of St. Louis. Until recently, Pipeline’s reach into St. Louis was limited to those associated with Washington University, such as MacEwan who entered the program while pursuing an M.D./PhD

Acera Surgical Inc. is a surgical device startup company based in St. Louis, specializing in the next generation of surgical materials. Its cornerstone product, CeraFix™ Dural Substitute, is an implantable biosynthetic material, or scaffold, for use in brain surgery. CeraFix™ is under review by the FDA and is not yet available for clinical use or sale.

Acera will perform additional testing on existing materials using a new method developed by Jingwei Xie, PhD, an assistant professor in UNMC’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Dr. Xie recently developed a new process for producing three-dimensional nanofabricated materials and matrices.

“Our goal is to give surgeons a new option when it comes to implantable materials,” MacEwan said. “We are very excited by the work that Dr. Xie is doing, and we believe the process he’s developing will lead to a new generation of medical devices that may improve clinical care for a large number of patients.”

In healthcare, synthetic nanofabricated materials are commonly used as bandages, to deliver drugs, or even engineer and repair tissue. Nanofiber matrices are also used in engineering as filters and membranes; in solar cells and fuel cells; and as chemical and biological protection sensors in defense and security applications.

When existing nanofiber materials are treated with the new process, the materials show a significant increase in porosity, which makes them more effective as tissue and cellular scaffolds. The materials may also be more absorptive and provide a unique substrate for cell cultures, according to early studies.

Acera will also explore creating entirely new products based on Dr. Xie’s work.

The first round of testing is expected to occur over the next six months, and, if successful, could lead to a deeper partnership between Acera and UNMC. Acera may explore additional opportunities in the Omaha area if early experiments lead to a new product, MacEwan said.

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Tyler Martin joins UNeMed board of directors

October 14, 2014 Comments (0) News

Tyler Martin, M.D.OMAHA, Neb. (Aug. 5, 2014)—UNeMed Corporation announced at its annual shareholder meeting that Tyler Martin, M.D., has been added to the board of directors.

Martin, a product of Hebron, Neb., joins UNeMed after a long stretch of success in Silicon Valley where he helped build new startups and managed established biotech companies. His experience in ushering several new therapeutics through an arcane and complicated regulatory process could be particularly valuable to UNeMed, which is the technology transfer office for the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

“We’re thrilled to have someone with his expertise back in Nebraska, helping build the biotech industry in the state,” UNeMed president and CEO Michael Dixon said. “He’s been building biotech companies and bringing new drugs to market for two decades, so he brings in a wealth of industrial and clinical knowledge.”

A pediatrics and infectious disease expert, Martin received his M.D. from UNMC in 1986. More recently, he managed Dynavax Technologies Corporation as the biopharmaceutical company’s president and Chief Medical Officer.

Martin returned to Nebraska in 2013, founding a biotechnology consulting firm, Great Plains Biotechnology, in the Lincoln area. He is also the CEO of Adjuvance Technologies Inc., a private pharmaceutical company specializing in vaccine design and production.

“My wife and I are from Nebraska, and we always thought about coming home,” Martin said. “There’s an underappreciated amount of biological talent here, and so we jumped at opportunity to help create a life science nexus in Nebraska.”

Other members of the UNeMed board are Dixon, Chairman Don Leuenberger, Director Terry Opgennorth, PhD, and Richard Spellman.

Leuenberger is UNMC’s Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance; Dr. Opgenorth is the vice president at CSU Ventures, Colorado State University’s technology transfer office; and Spellman is associate general counsel for healthcare at UNMC

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Innovation Week at UNMC begins Oct. 20

October 13, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

iweekbadge2014OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 13, 2014)—The eighth annual Innovation Week kicks off Monday, Oct. 20, and will celebrate and recognize the world-class research and discovery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Hosted by UNMC’s technology transfer office, UNeMed Corporation, Innovation Week begins with an open house 9 a.m. Monday, and culminates with the UNMC Research Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception Thursday evening, which will include a drawing for a free iPad.

Reserve your seat today. Click here.Innovation Week will also feature a seminar about industry-academia collaboration from Taisho Pharmaceutical’s deputy general manager, Toru Seo, PhD Innovation week will also see the return of UNMC Technology Demo, and UNeMed will host for the first time a scavenger hunt.

All events are free and open to the public, but the iPad drawing is for UNMC faculty, students and staff only. They may register for the drawing by attending any Innovation Week event.

Demonstration Day will feature six technologies that were invented and developed at UNMC. The innovations are either the basis for a new startup company or are partnered with industrial collaborators for further development. Representatives will present 10-minute demonstrations intended for a general public. Short Q&A sessions will follow each presentation.

Demonstration Day is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 21, beginning at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of UNMC’s Durham Research Center, and will conclude with a short reception with food and drinks. Seats may be reserved at https://unmcdemoday14.eventbrite.com.

Reserve your spot at Demo Day here.Also on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Toru Seo will present a seminar about building better collaborations between academia and industrial partners. That talk will be held in room 1004 of DRC I, beginning at 10 a.m. A light snack will be provided.

awardsleft_LOInnovation Week concludes on Thursday, Oct. 23, with the UNMC Research Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception. The ceremony will recognize all the UNMC scientists over the previous year who were issued a new patent, licensed a technology, or developed a new invention. UNeMed will also present special awards for the “Most Promising New Invention of 2014” and the “2014 Emerging Inventor.”

Seats for the Innovation Awards may be reserved at https://iw2014.eventbrite.com.

Monday’s open house is a chance to meet UNeMed staffers, learn about the innovation process, and pick up free T-shirts, pens, notepads, and beverages provided by Jo-On-The-Go.

More details about the scavenger hunt will be available soon, and announced through UNeMed’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

All events will be held at the Durham Research Center on the west end of the UNMC campus, about one block north of Emilie and South 45th Streets.

More information about Innovation Week will available on UNeMed’s website at https://www.unemed.com/innovation-week.

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Pharmaceutical executive to speak at Innovation Week event

October 13, 2014 Comments (0) Innovation Week, News

Innovation Week 2014OMAHA, Neb. (Oct. 14, 2014)—Bridging the gap and building better relationships between university researchers, potential industrial partners and governmental agencies will be the topic of UNeMed’s Innovation Week seminar Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Toru Seo, PhD, will deliver a presentation entitled “Omnia Mutantur Nos Mutamur In Illis: What we can learn from Charles Darwin.” Translation: “All things change, and we change with them.”

“This famous Latin phrase,” Dr. Seo said via email, “nicely illustrates how we should be thinking.”

Toru Seo, PhDDr. Seo is the deputy general manager for licensing and business development at Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., LTD, which is based in Tokyo. The seminar will be held in Room 1004 in the Durham Research Center I at 10-11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21. A complimentary light snack will be provided.

“While an alliance of government, academia and industry has been in development for decades, the outcomes of this ‘consortium’ are not necessarily maximized to their full potential,” Dr. Seo said. “The aim of the lecture is not to evaluate the alliance in entirety, but to focus on how we can better leverage each party and to share some perspectives to better achieve an efficient and productive alliance based on my experience.”

Sponsored by UNeMed Corporation, the seminar is a part of Innovation Week, a series of events celebrating the innovation and research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Innovation Week begins Monday, Oct. 20 at 9 a.m. in the DRC-I atrium with an open house where visitors can register for a chance at a free iPad, and pick up a free UNeMed T-shirt and other goodies. UNeMed will also offer free beverages from Jo-On-The-Go.

Also on Tuesday, beginning at 3 p.m., UNeMed will host the UNMC Technology Demonstration Day in the DRC-I auditorium. Demo Day is a free and open event featuring 10-minute presentations about innovations developed by UNMC researchers. To attend, register at https://unmcdemoday14.eventbrite.com.

Innovation Week culminates on Thursday, Oct. 23 with the UNMC Research Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception beginning at 4 p.m. The awards ceremony will recognize the new inventions, patents and licensed technologies at UNMC over the previous year, and UNeMed will also present two special awards honoring an “Emerging Inventor” and the “Most Promising New Invention.”

The free iPad winner will also be announced during the ceremony, but the entrant must be present to win. To attend, register at https://iw2014.eventbrite.com.

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