UNeBlog a Technology Transfer Blog by UNeMed

Legislature passes, governor signs Business Innovation Act extension

April 7, 2014 Comments (0) News Like

LINCOLN, Neb. (April 7, 2014)—The sunset on Nebraska’s Business Innovation Act was extended five years following a unanimous 44-0 vote on LB 1114 in the state legislature on March 27.

Gov. Dave Heineman signed the bill into law on Wednesday, April 2.

Co-sponsored by Heath Mello of Omaha and Galen Hadley of Kearney, LB 1114 extends the Business Innovation act from its original expiration date by five years to Dec. 1, 2021.

First passed in 2011, the Business Innovation Act created a mechanism for the state to provide funding and assistance to small or new Nebraska companies that need financial help with critical research or with building expensive prototypes.

The extension includes a provision for creating a fund to study best practices and research other methods to “support and increase venture capital in Nebraska.” The measure also earmarks $50,000 to create a “High Growth Business Development Cash Fund” to pay for the commissioned study.

Earlier this year, Michael Dixon, the president and CEO at UNeMed, testified in support of the bill before the Appropriations Committee on Feb. 19. Mello, LB 1114’s co-sponsor, also chairs the committee.

The legislature also passed—and the governor signed—the companion appropriations bill, LB 1114A, which funds the mandated study.

Five members were listed as absent, and did not vote on LB 1114. They were Sens. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, Al Davis of Cherry County, John Harms of Scottsbluff, Charlie Janssen of Fremont, and Scott Latenbaugh of Omaha.

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Dixon to testify before House subcommittee

April 4, 2014 Comments (0) News Like

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 4, 2014)—Michael Dixon, president and CEO of UNeMed Corporation, is scheduled to testify on behalf of the University of Nebraska before a congressional committee next week in Washington D.C.

Dixon, who oversees intellectual property commercialization efforts for research developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, was invited to provide testimony to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade by U.S. Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska, the subcommittee chairman.

The hearing, “Trolling for a Solution: Ending Abusive Patent Demand Letters,” is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, at 9 a.m. The committee is expected to discuss the practice of so-called “patent trolls,” which are often accused of targeting small businesses with patent demand letters that threaten financial or legal action.

Dixon’s testimony is expected to address the merits of university research and commercialization efforts, and the potential impact that new legislation may have.

Additional information about the hearing, including video coverage, will be available through the committee website. C-Span coverage of the hearing has not yet been determined.

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Schmidt passes patent bar, headed for USPTO and Notre Dame

March 31, 2014 Comments (0) News Like

OMAHA, Neb. (March 31, 2014)—UNeMed intern Jeff Schmidt, recently passed the patent bar exam, clearing a path toward a promising career as a patent attorney.

As an intern at UNeMed, Schmidt helped the licensing team evaluate new inventions, performed patent searches, and researched the patentability of some inventions. That experience played a crucial role in his future plans, including applying to a highly selective internship program with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Va.
Schmidt was accepted into the program and will begin there in June.

“Without UNeMed, I don’t think I would have got that opportunity,” Schmidt said. “They like to see applicants who have patentability research experience, and understand the things that factor into intellectual property in general.”

Schmidt, 28, started working as an intern at UNeMed in May 2013, shortly after completing his doctorate in cancer research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In August he completed his MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Schmidt, from Belle Plaine, Minn., also holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

After he completes the two-month program at the USPTO, Schmidt plans to attend law school at Notre Dame when the fall semester begins in August.

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Third annual Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference is April 4-5

February 26, 2014 Comments (0) News Like

OMAHA, Neb. (Feb. 26, 2014)—University of Nebraska Medical Center students will receive a special discount to attend the third annual Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference, a University of Nebraska at Omaha event aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs and young professionals. The conference is designed to inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial, drive innovation and seek opportunity through enterprise creation.

The event will feature several prominent young entrepreneurs from around the country, including planned keynote speaker Mike Schultz, co-founder and co-president of RAIN Group.

Hosted by the UNO Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization and the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising, the Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference will be April 4-5 at the Kaneko in the Old Market area of downtown Omaha.

Schultz, the author of “Rainmaking Conversations,” is expected to discuss how he successfully launched his new venture and what it takes to sell. His talk is sponsored by the Nebraska chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

Student tickets are $59. General admission is $119, or $99 if purchased on or before March 15. Friday only tickets are $30.

Register at EventBrite.com or find more information at MWEComaha.com.

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Committee hears support for Business Innovation Act extension, tags as ‘priority bill’

February 21, 2014 Comments (1) News Like

by Charlie Litton, UNeMed

LINCOLN, Neb. (Feb. 20, 2014)—After hearing roundly positive support for a bill that would extend the sunset on the Business Innovation Act Wednesday afternoon, the Nebraska Legislature Appropriations Committee returned the next morning and marked the bill, LB 1114, as “priority” legislation—increasing the chances it will see a final vote before the current legislative session closes in April.

Co-sponsored by appropriations committee chairman Heath Mello of Omaha and Galen Hadley of Kearney, LB 1114 extends the Business Innovation Act from its original expiration date by five years, to Dec. 1, 2021.

Appropriations committee member Senator Kate Bolz of Lincoln discusses LB1114 during testimony on Feb. 19. The committee later designated LB1114—an extension of the Business Innovation Act—as a “priority bill.” Photo: Charlie Litton

Passed in 2011, the Business Innovation Act created a mechanism for the state to provide funding and assistance to small or new Nebraska companies that need financial help with critical research or with building expensive prototypes.

Seven prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs—from as far as Texas and California—testified in support of the bill at the Feb. 19 committee meeting, including Michael Dixon, president and CEO of UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer office for the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“I think this program is absolutely a leg up,” Dixon told the committee, “or at least puts us on the same footing as other states with a similar program.”

No one testified in opposition to the bill.

Several proponents noted that Nebraska has ranked at or near the bottom when measured against other states’ entrepreneurial and venture capital environments. But that has begun to change since implementation of the Business Innovation Act.

“Nebraska is starting to show up in top 10 lists,” said Dixon, who also sits on the Board of Directors for Invest Nebraska—a funding program in the Nebraska Department of Economic Development aimed at encouraging small businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Thanks to the Business Innovation Act, Nebraska is on the verge of an “entrepreneurial renaissance,” Dixon said.

Extending the end date on the Business Innovation Act would give it a better chance to realize its full potential, Sen. Mello said during his opening remarks.

“Venture capital is an area where more long-term planning would be critical,” Mello said.

The extension includes a provision for creating a fund to study best practices and research other methods to “support and increase venture capital in Nebraska.” The bill also earmarks $50,000 to create a “High Growth Business Development Cash Fund” to be used to pay for the commissioned study, which will be due at the end of the year on Dec. 1.

Only one committee member appeared to challenge the merits of the bill. District 2 Senator Bill Kintner of Papillion questioned why taxpayers should essentially “subsidize” small business ventures.

The benefits, according to those who commented, centered on increasing job and economic growth in the state while attracting additional investment from outside Nebraska.

“The hardest money to raise is that first money,” said Bruce Lichorowic, CEO of Trak Surgical. Lichorowic is a self-described “serial entrepreneur” based in San Jose, Calif., who has raised more than $500 million in venture capital for more than 20 startup companies in a career that spans 30 years.

His latest venture, Trak Surgical in Omaha, is a new surgical tool company based on technology developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“I wish California had a program like this. It does not,” Lichorowic said. “This early stage money is really, really important. It got me here.”

Joseph Knecht, managing director at VentureTech in Lincoln, also supported LB1114. The New York native said he would not be in Nebraska if not for the Business Innovation Act.

Kintner, the senator from Papillion, asked Knecht: “Is there a downside to this program? There’s got to be a downside.”

“The only risk is not doing it,” Knecht said.

Corrective amended, Feb. 24, 2014: Spelling of Sen. Bill Kintner was incorrect.

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Inflammation: The problem with heart disease and what we can do

February 7, 2014 Comments Off on Inflammation: The problem with heart disease and what we can do Blog Like

Originally appeared in the Feb. 2014 edition of Prairie Fire

By Daniel R. Anderson, M.D., PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center

When I talk to my patients about their heart disease, we’re really talking about inflammation.

Research has well-established in recent decades the role inflammation plays in the development of plaques in the arteries or atherosclerotic disease. Inflammation is the steady drumbeat of a slow march toward heart disease that may not present any problems or even symptoms until a life-threatening heart attack or debilitating stroke.

Dr. Anderson

Unfortunately, I don’t meet many of my patients until after one of those major events, and I’m confident every other cardiologist in the world can say the same thing.

Heart disease is called the silent killer for a good reason, and much of cardiology today is about managing symptoms and mitigating risk factors. By the time a cardiologist or physician is brought into the equation, much of the damage has already been done.

If we look at heart disease as links in a chain—with a heart attack or stroke as the final link—then inflammation is one of the first links.

Eliminate inflammation, and we end heart disease, right?

Probably not, even if that was remotely possible.

But we could definitely knock it off its perch as the world’s top killer. We might be able to help those people living with the silent killer and don’t even know it—like the 52-year-old who has all the outward appearances of health and vitality, but then suddenly drops dead without warning or symptoms.

The first links in the chain are the numerous injuries that cause inflammation, which in turn plays a critical role in the build-up of plaques in our arteries.

In fact, all three stages of plaque development—initiation, growth and rupture with stroke or heart attack as a final event—could be a result of inflammation from injured arteries. Injuries that promote atherosclerosis include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

Atherosclerosis (infohealthz.org)

These risk factors cause a number of responses that result in the production of molecules and mediators that cause inflammation in the artery walls. Meanwhile, in the course of a lifetime, the smooth muscle cells and immune cells within the artery walls take up cholesterol and other proteins in the blood.

That uptake is believed to be a key player in the buildup of the fatty streak in our arteries while we are still very young—perhaps as early as our teens or even younger.

As the insults and injuries pile up in our lifetimes, immune cells are attracted to the growing atherosclerotic plaque in our arteries. One particular bad player is the “bad” cholesterol, which is the prime suspect in the death of smooth muscle cells and the breakdown in tissue that holds arteries together.

As the plaque builds up and artery walls weaken, a rupture is nearly inevitable. The rupture exposes the plaque contents to our blood’s clotting cells, which in turn attach to the plaque resulting in a thrombus that blocks blood flow. This is the heart attack we all fear.

The ultimate result can be a fatal heart attack while you’re blowing out the candles on your 52nd birthday cake. For others, it might happen at 62 or 72 or 82.

All of this is just part of being human. It was true 10,000 years ago, is true today, and will probably continue to be true for generations to come.

That inevitability, however, doesn’t mean we should all just give in and take up smoking or join the bacon-of-the-month club.

Life is full of risks. Knowing these risks—and taking the right precautions—is part of why we live more than twice as long as Americans did just 100 years ago.

Simple blood test may determine future heart risk in artery disease

While searching for evidence that might add insight into inflammatory conditions such as alcoholic liver disease and arthritis, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Omaha VA Medical Center made a remarkable discovery.

Dr. Geoffrey Thiele, a professor of internal medicine, and Michael Duryee, a research coordinator for the Division Rheumatology and Immunology at UNMC’s College of Medicine, examined a natural molecule known as MAA or malondialdehyde–acetaldehyde. MAA builds up in a person’s blood as a result of inflammation, and as the research team discovered, it also indicates the presence of coronary artery disease.

Thiele and Duryee—along with cardiologist and researcher Daniel Anderson, M.D., PhD—tested blood samples from hundreds of volunteers in two separate pilot studies. Both studies found a clear correlation between MAA and coronary artery disease, which often leads to heart disease, the world’s leading killer.The team is currently developing the discovery into an inexpensive and simple blood test that could more accurately predict a person’s risk of cardiac events like heart attack or stroke.

If successful, the test could better arm physicians worldwide with years, if not decades, of advance warning against a patient’s risk of heart attack, enabling earlier and more effective preventative care.

We now understand that not only is inflammation a central aspect of plaque and coronary artery disease, but the type of inflammation plays a critical role in how heart disease progresses. Even better, the type of inflammation might tell us what type of cardiac event might occur in the future.

So, a cardiovascular event such as suffering a heart attack and dying at 52-years-old; or chest pain at age 65, which requires artery bypass surgery; or a stroke at age 75 may depend on the specific type of inflammation which likely has been present for decades.

Yes, decades.

Several sobering studies show that 70 percent of 30-year-olds already have plaques and atherosclerotic disease.

Predicting if and how this atherosclerotic disease progresses as we age is the challenge. Right now, we are not very good at predicting who will “drop dead from a heart attack” at the age of 52 or who will live with atherosclerotic disease into old age with or without problems.

There are a number of ways to measure inflammation, however.

Several blood tests determine if you have a risk for a cardiovascular event by measuring blood levels of inflammatory molecules, including the high sensitivity C-reactive protein test, or hs-CRP for short. One of the most widely available tests, hs-CRP determines if you have an elevated risk of a cardiovascular event.

But there’s nothing out there that can accurately gauge the risk for a 30- or 40-year-old long before any of the trouble arises. Recognition of the problem at the time of a heart attack is a really a failure of medicine.

If 70 percent of adults have atherosclerotic disease by the third decade, we need to be talking about how to prevent the death at age 52. We are good at predicting risk in young adults, and we’re getting better at it. However, we miss almost 20 percent of adults who have disease because every test tells us all is well. Then the event or heart attack occurs.

Why are we missing these people?

The answer is unclear, but it may be in part due to inflammation. Until we better understand inflammation, we can’t effectively predict events in some individuals, regardless of their age.

Sadly, most cardiac patients don’t even know they have a problem until they’re recovering from a heart attack or stroke. Most troubling are those who have the first event that turns out to be fatal.

Working with Geoffrey M. Thiele, PhD, and Michael J. Duryee, M.S., at UNMC, we have found a new biomarker for inflammation, and we’re optimistic about its ability to accurately predict cardiac events. But we still have years of work before that test becomes a reality.

In the meantime, we all should be wise about our risks for a cardiovascular event:

Treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol
Never smoke
Treat diabetes with weight loss and, if necessary, medications
Follow an exercise regimen
Eat a healthy diet

As always, the goal for all this is to avoid the worst-case scenario: “Dead at 52.”

We also know that inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis result in systemic inflammation, and local infections like gingivitis, prostatitis, bronchitis, urinary tract infections and gastric inflammation are associated with plaque formation and atherosclerosis. These inflammatory diseases also accelerate plaque development, atherosclerotic disease and cause cardiovascular events earlier in life.

Being aware and treating these issues will serve you well.

The risk is real. You know what to do.

Treat your known medical problems.

Don’t smoke, lose the weight, eat right and exercise.

If you do all these things, your inflammation will decrease, and your risk of a cardiovascular event will also decrease or be delayed by years.

Hopefully you don’t have an event until you are 62 or 72 or better yet, not at all. That is unquestionably a real possibility, with aggressive treatment.

———

Daniel R. Anderson is a practicing cardiologist and basic science researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Anderson received his medical degree from UNMC, and completed his doctorate in molecular and cellular immunopathology at UNMC. When he’s not treating patients, Anderson works with colleagues Geoff Thiele, PhD, and Michael Duryee on developing a better diagnostic test for cardiovascular inflammatory diseases.

UNeMed Corporation is the technology transfer office (TTO) for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. UNeMed serves researchers, faculty and staff who develop new biomedical technology and inventions, and strives to help bring those innovations to the marketplace for a healthier and better world.

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Drug discovery seminar held at UNMC

January 31, 2014 Comments Off on Drug discovery seminar held at UNMC News Like

OMAHA, Neb. (Jan. 30, 2014)—UNeMed Corporation’s educational outreach program, the Innovation Seminar Series, continued Thursday afternoon with a talk from Deven Dandekar, PhD, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Durham Research Center.

Dandekar, the director of toxicology at Xenometrics, L.L.C., delivered “Drug Development Strategies, from Discovery to the Clinic” to a standing-room only crowd of 50.

He outlined the meticulous steps needed to make the best selection possible for drug candidates. He then discussed the best practices of early-stage testing that can lead to a more efficient path to FDA approval.

Deven Dandekar, PhD, the director of toxicology at Xenometrics, addresses a gathering of 50 researchers, faculty and students during a recent seminar about drug development. (UNeMed Photo)

One point of emphasis was to think like a regulator when designing tests.

“It’s good to put your regulator hat on, and say ‘What do we need in the end,'” Dandekar said.

A copy of the presentation slideshow is available for UNMC faculty, staff and students. Contact Matt Boehm at UNeMed for details.

Late in the presentation, Matthew Frick, Xenometrics’ director of business development, reminded the assembled group of researchers, faculty and students that drug research is a “business of failure.”

He estimated that the average timeline is about eight years from discovery to product launch, and can cost between $400 million and $800 million. For every 10,000 candidates, just 250 will make it to the preclinical stage and only 10 advance to proof-of-concept testing. Only one in 10,000 will become a product, Frick said.

Dandekar also illustrated the most common reasons for failure in clinical trials, including adverse effects to the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Those failures could often be traced back to insufficient screening in early testing. A more thorough screening process in early stages can help diminish those risks of failure, he said.

It also helps to have a more open partnership with potential resources, such as external contract laboratories.

“Think of your contract lab as a collaborator,” Dandekar said. “If you think of them as a service provider and withhold information, it won’t work out.”

Xenometrics, L.L.C., is a contract research organization providing study services to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, companion animal health, and industrial- and agro-chemical industries. Xenometrics’ study services include PK/ADME, general toxicology, safety pharmacology, and development and reproductive toxicology studies.

UNeMed is the technology transfer office for UNMC, serving researchers, faculty and staff who develop new biomedical technology and inventions. UNeMed strives to help bring those innovations to the marketplace for a healthier and better world.

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UNMC research finds encouraging news for ovarian cancer sufferers

January 22, 2014 Comments (0) News Like

Combination treatment strategy shows promise in phase I clinical study

by Tom O’Connor, UNMC

OMAHA, Neb. (Jan. 22, 2014) — A new study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Roswell Park Cancer Institute shows that a combination treatment strategy may provide a new option for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

The study, published in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, found clinical benefit for women who were treated with the drug decitabine prior to administration of chemotherapy and a cancer vaccine.

Adam Karpf, PhD

“We are encouraged by the results from the phase I clinical study and look forward to extending this concept to the phase II setting, where treatment efficacy is the principal end point,” said Adam Karpf, PhD, associate professor, Eppley Institute, and member, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, at UNMC.

Dr. Karpf was co-principal investigator on the study along with Kunle Odunsi, M.D., PhD, professor and chair of the department of gynecologic oncology and director of the Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, N.Y.

The deadliest of gynecologic cancers, ovarian cancer is the 10th most common cancer among women and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women.

A prerequisite for an individual’s immune system to recognize and attack a tumor is the presence of high levels of a protein not normally found in the patient’s healthy cells. Proteins with this profile are called tumor antigens and can be good targets for anticancer vaccines.

“Preclinical studies by our group have shown that a specific class of tumor antigens is regulated by DNA methylation,” Dr. Karpf said. “Based on this knowledge, we developed the new clinical regimen.”

The investigators conducted a phase I dose-escalation trial of the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor decitabine, to which they recruited 12 women with epithelial ovarian cancer that had not responded to multiple lines of chemotherapy, with an estimated progression-free survival time of three months.

All patients received decitabine on day one, the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin on day eight, and the cancer vaccine on day 15.

In preclinical analysis reported as part of this study, the investigators established the best sequence of drug administration: decitabine was effective only when administered before chemotherapy, and it was ineffective if given after chemotherapy; vaccine administration was the last step.

Of the 10 patients evaluated for clinical response, five had stable disease for up to 7.8 months, and one had a partial response with disease remission that lasted 5.8 months.

The dose escalation data suggested that lower doses of decitabine are associated with improved clinical response using this regimen. The treatment was well tolerated, and adverse events included hematologic side effects that were clinically manageable.

“One of the most remarkable results in terms of immune responses was that we were able to evoke what is called ‘antigen spreading,’” Dr. Karpf said. “Although we immunized against a single target, we analyzed and found that we were able to induce immune responses against three other antigens, against which we did not immunize.”

Dr. Odunsi said, “Although clinical results were not a focus of this phase I trial, we saw evidence of clinical benefit in up to 60 percent of the patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors. The combination of decitabine, chemotherapy and the cancer vaccine may have enabled this remarkable effect.”

Based on the encouraging findings of the Phase I trial, the investigators are planning a Phase II trial at UNMC and Roswell Park to specifically evaluate the clinical efficacy of this novel chemo-immunotherapy approach in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

For the original study, see Cancer Immunology Research 2014; 2:37-49. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, a Cancer Vaccine Collaborative Grant, the Anna Maria Kellen Clinical Investigator Award, and Eisai Pharmaceuticals. Drs. Karpf and Odunsi have declared no conflicts of interest.

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Seminar on drug delivery research strategies planned

January 15, 2014 Comments (0) News Like

OMAHA, Neb. (Jan. 15, 2014)—Toxicologist Deven Dandekar, PhD, will deliver an hour-long presentation about drug development in an upcoming seminar hosted by UNeMed Corporation.

Dr. Dandekar, the director of toxicology at Xenometrics, LLC, in Stilwell, Kan., will present, “Drug Development Strategies, from Discovery to the Clinic” on Thursday, Jan. 30, in room 1005 at the Durham Research Center on the western edge of the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus.

Dr. Dandekar

The talk will begin at noon, and a complimentary lunch will be provided. Space is limited, so lunch and seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

View the seminar on UNMC’s event calendar here.

Dr. Dandekar has more than 15 years of experience in academic, agrochemical and pharmaceutical research and development. He earned his zoology doctorate from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India.

On Jan. 30, Dr. Dandekar is expected to discuss several key points of drug research and development, including:

What are INDs and NDAs?
Small molecule drugs vs. large molecule or biologic drugs
Six-step plan for lead candidate selection
Types of IND-enabling nonclinical studies
Routes of administration
Primary causes of drug candidate failure in clinical trials
De-risking strategy: Cardiovascular and CNS screening, et.
Duration of toxicity studies required to support Phase I and II clinical trials
IND-enabling nonclinical study timelines, cost and planning

Xenometrics, L.L.C., is a contract research organization providing study services to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, companion animal health, and industrial- and agro-chemical industries. Xenometrics’ study services include PK/ADME, general toxicology, safety pharmacology, and development and reproductive toxicology studies.

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My First Year: What everyone should know about tech transfer offices

January 14, 2014 Comments Off on My First Year: What everyone should know about tech transfer offices Blog Like

By Charlie Litton, UNeMed | Jan. 14, 2014

As I reflect on my first year with UNeMed and the technology transfer industry, I’m reminded of the most recent Halloween.

It was around that time that my then 2-year-old daughter discovered the most amazing thing in her tiny life. As we walked through a grocery store—likely on our way to the find the eggs or milk or something equally mundane—she skidded to a halt.

Her relentless entreaty for a box of Lucky Charms abruptly ended.

Her jaw slacked. Her little mouth opened to speak, but no words could form.

Until she discovered the candy aisle at the supermarket, Madeleine Litton, 3, had no idea such a bounty of sweet happiness could exist.

As far as her eyes could see, there was her Nirvana. A seemingly endless row of glistening packages and cheery colored boxes. It was a row of happiness.

The candy aisle.

It towered over her petite, 38-inch frame. It surrounded her. So unattainable, yet all within a finger’s reach.

“Daddy,” she said in a whisper of deferential awe. “Look at the nummy-nummies.”

I had just witnessed a well and truly blown mind.

And I can’t help but wonder if my new colleagues witnessed a similar scene when I joined UNeMed 12 short months ago.

I’ve always been a sucker for a good “gee-whiz” story, and there’s plenty to go around in these parts. The University of Nebraska Medical Center has been building world-class research facilities at a Ramses-like clip, and the innovations have been spinning out at an equally prolific rate.

Honestly, I expected all that. I could take the cheap and easy route here, and just run down a quick list of 10 cool new gadgets and gizmos. Something like that might be worth a glance while your barista swirls a Bob Ross mountain-scape into the foam of your morning latte.

Photo by Mark

But what I didn’t expect, what totally knocked me off my feet, was the discovery of the hidden world that is technology transfer.

I knew about it in the abstract, sure, but the tangible reality of it was the honest surprise.

Specifically, I’ve noticed a general misconception that licensing university research is believed to be a license to print your own money.

I wonder if people who believe that think about a smoke filled room lit by a lone 60-watt bulb glaring from under a dusty and dented metal shade. It’s long shadows stretching into the dark, unlit corners. Under the yellow light, men with sinewy forearms wear green-tinted visors to hide their soulless eyes. They clench smoldering cigars with bared teeth while counting stacks of cash amid a mass pile of silver and gold.

The room reeks of sweat and children’s tears.

When it comes to the possible financial windfall that universities might enjoy from tech transfer offices, I honestly don’t know what I thought before I started here—or even if I thought about it at all.

But somewhere up there, I suppose I suspected that the industry would be a lucrative one. That UNeMed and UNMC—and, by extension, every other TTO in the land—were reaping a tidy little profit from royalties and licensing fees and the like.

I must have, because I know that I was entirely surprised to learn that assumption was and is false.

First, any profits are rolled right back into the research machine, and second I haven’t seen a whole lot of preoccupation with the bottom line in the first place.

But none of that really matters, because for the false premise to hold, it presumes that TTOs are money-grubbing beasts. That they are slaves to the almighty dollar, and pursue only what can make a buck.

In reality, TTOs are slaves to science. They want good science. Better science. The best, really.

And that’s where my jaw went a little slack.

I’m surrounded by PhD’s who all know their way around a cryostat. They tell gene sequencing and pipette jokes for crying out loud. If I had a slightly larger brain, I might even get one or two of them. Who knows. They might even be funny, right?

Science Humor (xkcd)

I suppose if the university were honestly and truly interested in a revenue-generating machine, they wouldn’t stack the office with scientists. There might be a worse business plan, but I can’t imagine what that might be. Instead, if the administration was only interested in the Almighty Dollar, they might be better served to load us up with MBAs and save the coffee for closers.

So it’s not profit that drives this ship, it’s technology.

There’s a genuine excitement about a new discovery, and from that flows an earnest paternalism in trying to protect that discovery so it can reach its fullest potential.

It makes me happy and proud and excited to honestly say I get to work at place that is sincerely interested in helping make the world a healthier and better place.

If that weren’t true, I would have saved myself some time and just cranked out another list of technologies.

———

Charlie Litton is the communications associate for UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer office (TTO) for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. UNeMed serves researchers, faculty and staff who develop new biomedical technology and inventions, and strives to help bring those innovations to the marketplace for a healthier and better world.

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The year in review: Highlights from 2013

December 30, 2013 Comments (0) Blog, Innovation Week, News, Success Stories Like

By Charlie Litton, UNeMed | Dec. 30, 2013

Before moving forward it’s often useful to pause for a moment and reflect on the year that was. Here’s a look at some key developments and our most popular posts from 2013.

1. UNMC team finds early heart disease warning with simple blood test

Geoff Thiele, PhD, and Michael Duryee — researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — had been studying for years a biomarker related to inflammation. Earlier this year they brought in practicing cardiologist Dan Anderson who saw how the biomarker connects to coronary artery disease. The trio is now working on a way to use the biomarker to build a simple blood test that could help clinicians and their patients manage heart disease long before — perhaps decades before — harmful symptoms present themselves. If successful, the test could become a new routine for everyone during regular doctor visits.

2. UNMC nanotechnology protects skin from cancer and early wrinkles

Gary Madsen, UNeMed’s entrepreneur in residence, built a new startup company based on an invention developed by former UNMC nanotechnology researcher Vinod Labhasetwar, PhD The company, ProTransit Nanotherapy, is working on a drug delivery platform that will initially bring powerful antioxidants to the deepest layers of skin, making sunscreen and cosmetics far more effective in the battles against skin cancer and aging. There are also plans for implementing several other applications of the technology that promise to treat a variety of other diseases and ailments.

3. Gene therapy treatment could lower blood sugar while repairing damage caused by diabetes

A remarkable discovery by Keshore Bidasee, PhD, could create a powerful new weapon against the disastrous effects of diabetes. The UNMC researcher found the suspected cause of various organ failures and dysfunctions associated with diabetes, and devised a way to not only stop the damage but also repair some of it —with one treatment. All while lowering blood sugar levels.

4. Intuitool

The Intuitool is a masterwork of engineering and surgical precision that could appeal to surgeons, the medical device industry, or even entrepreneurs looking for a solid path into the biomedical industry. So UNeMed tried a novel approach to showing off what the Intuitool is all about — it built an interactive web application that includes a feature video, photography and a 360-degree viewer interface. The response was overwhelming, and was UNeMed.com’s most popular feature in December.

5. UNMC, Invest Nebraska fuel new startup

Trak Surgical reached another milestone in its march toward transforming joint replacement surgeries. Trak Surgical, which is developing a freehand computer guided electrical bone saw, attracted state investment and continues to fine tune it’s working prototype. Trak Surgical, a startup company based in Omaha, is expected to eliminate entirely the need for expensive jigs while improving the success rates for joint replacement surgeries.

6. Bridging the ‘Valley of Death’

Gary Madsen, of ProTransit Nanotherapy fame (see above), outlines in this blog post his experience working with a technology transfer office while creating his new company. He offers new insight into the value of commercialization efforts at the university level, which dramatically contradicts some well-publicized assertions that technology transfer offices actually stifle innovation.

7. Antibiotic pipeline needs new ideas

Another popular blog post from UNeMed discusses problems associated with antibiotics that run deeper than resistant strains of bacteria. As data provided here shows, the pipeline is drying up.

8. Gendelman, Bidasee honored at 2013 Innovation Awards

UNeMed’s annual Innovation Week is typically a popular event on campus, honoring the innovative spirit of students, faculty, and staff at UNMC. The week culminates with an awards ceremony where the top inventors and inventions are highlighted and celebrated.

9. New startup grows from Innovation Week connection

One of UNeMed’s favorite stories is about the creation of a new company, Elegant Instruments, which was formed when a student met a prolific and high-profile inventor at the 2012 Innovation Week awards ceremony. One year later — nearly to the day — the product of that encounter, Elegant Instruments, launched its product line of research tools.

10. UNeMed lands tech deal with Chinese startup

UNeMed flexed its international muscle in 2013, forming a new partnership overseas with this deal in China. The technology is a platform molecule that binds to bone where it can deliver a wide range of drugs and therapeutics. The operation in China is expected to create products that provide all-day fresh breath through better oral hygiene products.

Honorable Mention

UNMC, Japanese firm strike research deal

UNMC provides one possible solution to the antibiotic pipeline problem (see above) with the work of Gus Wang, PhD, and his celebrated peptide database. The announced research agreement here with Taisho Pharmaceuticals is expected to help validate hopes that peptides can be used as a new approach to antimicrobial treatments.

Classics

Several posts from 2012 remained popular and relevant more than a year after their original publication date — particularly those that focus on day-to-day operations and legal issues associated with intellectual property.
1. The Importance of Technology Transfer
2. Safeguarded in the Vault: How Trade Secrets Work
3. Technology Transfer 101: Defining Research Commercialization

Charlie Litton is the communications associate for UNeMed Corporation, the technology transfer office (TTO) for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. UNeMed serves researchers, faculty and staff who develop new biomedical technology and inventions, and strives to help bring those innovations to the marketplace for a healthier and better world.

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New UNMC researcher looks at early stage leukemia

December 23, 2013 Comments (0) News Like

OMAHA, Neb. (Dec. 23, 2013) — R. Kate Hyde, PhD, joins the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s research staff, specializing in leukemia research.

Hyde was featured in the Dec. 23, 2013 issue of UNMC Today, excerpted below:

Now, she works with mouse models with a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia. The difference is that now they can study the disease from its first mutation.

Kate Hyde, PhD (Photo: UNMC)

“When you see a patient in clinic, it’s only after full blown leukemia,” Dr. Hyde said. “You don’t know what the initial stages are. But with the mouse model, we can control when they start expressing the protein that we know is the first step. We look at the consequences of this one protein by itself without the complications of the other mutations found in patient samples.”

Understanding how this first happens is integral to drug design and drug testing, Dr. Hyde said. This is what she works on.

Read the entire article here.

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Current Treatments and Innovative Advances in Diabetes Research

November 27, 2013 Comments (1) Blog Like

Most diabetes therapies in existence are focused on lowering blood sugar

by Caronda Moore, UNeMed | Nov. 27, 2013

While talking to an older woman during a networking lunch the other day we came across the subject of diabetes. She told me her doctor recently diagnosed her with diabetes, but she doesn’t understand why it’s such a big deal. “I’m fine,” she said. She figured she could deal with the disease without the use of her primary care physician. I told her that because of her age and weight that I’m pretty sure her doctor diagnosed her with type 2 diabetes, and she should take advantage of her doctor’s knowledge and expertise.

“Many [diabetes patients] have misconceptions about diabetes, its seriousness, the ways it’s treated, and the new ways researchers are working to improve the syndrome.” – Moore

We discussed the importance of diabetes and how it’s a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar because the body can’t produce enough insulin or is insensitive to it. It’s a serious condition with several complications such as vascular dysfunction, heart failure, neuronal damage, kidney failure, and blindness.

She became fascinated as our conversation progressed into how doctors currently treat diabetes and the new therapies that are being developed.

I’m sure she is not alone in her thinking. Many have misconceptions about diabetes, its seriousness, the ways it’s treated, and the new ways researchers are working to improve the syndrome. As we approach the end of November — Diabetes Awareness Month — let’s take a look at current diabetes treatments and some recent innovative advancements to treat the disease as well as areas for exploration.

Diabetes is a vascular disease and life expectancy depends on managing the ABCs of diabetes: hemoglobin A1C, blood pressure, cholesterol and clotting. “In spite of controlling these with near perfect control we still have issues,” said Dr. Cyrus DeSouza, the chief of Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism at UNMC’s Department of Internal Medicine.

DeSouza, who earned his medical degree in India in 1994, has been working in clinic and laboratory diabetes research since 2000. He is currently working with two large NIH-funded clinical trials:

1) Using vitamin D to prevent prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes
2) Determining the best medication to treat type 2 diabetic patients after metformin.

In diabetes everyone gets the same treatment, and most therapies are focused on lowering blood sugar. Type 1 diabetics get insulin and type 2 diabetics get metformin followed by sulfonylurea, followed by insulin.

Dr. Cyrus DeSouza

“New diabetes drugs are abundant, but they bring a false enthusiasm,” DeSouza said. Adding that there have been numerous medications discovered, but only a handful of classes have FDA approval.

Diabetes is a vascular disease that leads to many end organ complications, and it’s the most common cause for dialysis and legal blindness among driving adults. One way to treat diabetes and these symptoms is with organ transplantation. The entire cornea can be replaced, and new surgical techniques focus on just replacing the damaged portion.

In addition to kidney transplantation, type 1 diabetic patients could also receive a kidney-pancreas transplant at the same time. This can remove the need for insulin administration.

Other recent advances include promising new gadgets like glucose-monitoring devices, insulin pumps and the artificial pancreas which are all still in development.

The glucose monitoring device and the insulin pump are not connected, but one tracks blood sugar and alarms if levels are too high or too low. The insulin pump allows patients to tell the pump how much insulin to inject after they determine their blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, measuring the blood sugar still requires a blood sample, and there’s little hope of that changing anytime soon.

“Patients want a non-invasive method, but none of them have ever been FDA approved,” DeSouza said.

But the Medtronic artificial pancreas has just received FDA approval, however all the devices still require patient input.

“Artificial pancreas has some significant progress to it,” DeSouza said, “but it is about 20 minutes behind the current glucose reading, and you don’t know what the current reading is.”

DeSouza said, “Thus far, we have no proven therapies that lower blood sugar and prevent vascular problems.”

“Statins are the best therapy we have at the moment,” he said.

In addition to lifestyle therapy, statins are prescribed for diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease to manage a dangerous form of cholesterol known as LDL or low density lipoprotein, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Researchers at UNMC have discovered a new therapy that targets chemical compounds generated by the breakdown of sugar and fats to slow the progression of diabetic end organ complications. This new therapy also reduces blood sugar and is currently available for licensing through UNeMed.

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Gene therapy treatment could lower blood sugar while repairing damage caused by diabetes

November 14, 2013 Comments (3) News Like

UNMC research on diabetes complications finds new fix for organ failures

by Charlie Litton, UNeMed

OMAHA, Neb. (Nov. 14, 2013)—A pantheon of chronic system failures await nearly everyone with diabetes. Kidney dialysis, cataracts, high blood pressure, heart failure and lower limb amputation are just a few.

Any combination of diabetic complication is a virtual certainty.

Far less certain, however, is how so many different systems could be affected by diabetes, which partly explains why most modern treatments only help manage the disease.

Keshore Bidasee, PhD, a researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, may have found a new way to treat diabetes that could improve the function of damaged organs like the kidneys, heart and eyes while also lowering blood sugar levels.

Understanding the common thread between these wide-ranging diabetic complications lies at the foundation of potentially groundbreaking research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. That research could do far more than just help 21 million Americans simply manage their diabetes. It could prevent those complications in the first place, and may even help repair damaged organs.

UNMC’s Keshore Bidasee, who holds a doctorate in analytical chemistry, believes he has the culprit, and may have found a way to keep it from wreaking its usual havoc.

In its essence, diabetes is a disease of the blood vessels. So, any organ that relies on blood supply—which is to say all of them—will suffer from the long and continuous assault that diabetes wages.

There are three major types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes begins in the pancreas with the loss of beta cells, which normally release a blood-sugar regulating hormone called insulin. But most people suffer from the most common form: Type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas still has the ability to produce insulin, but the body develops resistance to the hormone. A third, although rare, form of the disease may occur in about 5 percent of expecting mothers. Known as gestational diabetes, this form is often temporary, and the mother recovers soon after childbirth.

In all types, the amount of sugar in the blood stream increases, and that somehow damages the blood vessels. It was previously unknown what exactly causes that damage or if the cause was specific to each organ.

Bidasee and his team think they found the answer in a small molecule called methylglyoxal, a naturally occurring byproduct of high blood-sugar that can cause a cell to “misbehave.” The misbehaving cells can then set off a chain reaction that destroys the endothelium, the single layer of cells that line the inner walls of blood vessels that control blood flow and pressure.

Dr. Bidasee

“What this means is high levels of methylglyoxal is a troublemaker,” said Bidasee, an associate professor in UNMC’s Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Science in the College of Medicine.

Completely eliminating the “troublemaker” would create additional problems. Methylglyoxal serves an important function beyond its destructive role in diabetes. It helps regulate sleep, and rids the body of other dysfunctional cells.

“Remove them, and you’re going to be in trouble,” Bidasee said.

With the help of the National Institutes of Health and the Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Bidasee’s team created a harmless virus that “infects” methylglyoxal-producing cells with an enzyme called Glyoxalase-1. The enzyme eliminates the “troublemaker” where it causes problems, while leaving it free to perform its beneficial functions.

Early testing shows the treatment not only stops damage in the kidneys, eyes and heart, but also shows promise in halting cognitive decline—a major concern in elderly diabetics.
The gene transfer strategy even significantly reduces blood sugar levels.

“That was completely unexpected,” Bidasee said. “Sometimes you get lucky, right?”

———

UNeMed Corporation is the technology transfer office (TTO) for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, serving researchers, faculty and staff who develop new biomedical technology and inventions. UNeMed strives to help bring those innovations to the marketplace for a healthier and better world.

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UNMC researchers work to improve clinical outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients

November 6, 2013 Comments (0) News Like

by Lisa Spellman, UNMC

OMAHA, Neb. (Nov. 6, 2013)—Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have discovered that patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma don’t respond well to the standard drug therapy used to treat this type of cancer if they have high levels of a gene called STAT3.

The findings are published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the medical journal of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

“These results are significant in that it gives oncologists a better understanding of the best way to personalize medical treatment for these patients and offer them hope for more positive outcomes,” said Kai Fu, M.D., PhD, associate professor at the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center

STAT3, or signal transducer and activator of the transcription 3 gene, is part of a family known as the STAT genes that provide instructions for making proteins that are part of essential signaling pathways related to cell proliferation and survival within cells.

When these genes are activated they move into the nucleus of the cell and bind to specific areas of DNA in regulatory regions near genes. The STAT proteins then regulate whether these genes are turned on or off.

Patients with this type of lymphoma are treated with a combination of immunotherapy using rituximab with a chemotherapy regimen that includes cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, commonly referred to as R-CHOP.

“Using this combination of drug therapy usually has very good results but not in those patients with this specific type of lymphoma,” Dr. Fu said. “We wanted to find out why so we could figure out a way to change those outcomes.”

Dr. Fu and his team, along with UNMC investigators Julie Vose, M.D., James Armitage, M.D., John Chan, M.D., Dennis Weisenburger, M.D., and Timothy Greiner, M.D., initiated the study in 2005 with collaborators from 11 institutions around the world.

The work was supported in part by a Strategic Partnering to Evaluate Cancer Signatures grant from the National Institutes of Health, a career development award from the Lymphoma Research Foundation and a translational research grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

They began looking at the STAT3 gene and found that patients with high levels of the gene responded poorly to the standard chemotherapy compared to those with lower levels.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, accounting for 31 percent of all cases, Dr. Fu said.

The next step in the research is to use a specific STAT3 inhibitor to see if it helps the R-CHOP chemotherapy regimen work more efficiently and improve patient survival rates by identifying those patients who are at higher risk, he said.

“We are very fortunate to be given the opportunity to be involved with many early phase clinical trials for the treatment of lymphoma including a new STAT3 inhibitor, which is based on this research,” Dr. Vose said.

Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu and follow us on social media.

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UNMC partners with Chinese university, hospital for glaucoma study

November 5, 2013 Comments (1) News Like

by Tom O’Connor, UNMC

OMAHA, Neb. (Nov. 5, 2013)—A University of Nebraska Medical Center ophthalmology research team is partnering with a Chinese university and hospital in a study aimed at improving understanding of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States and worldwide.

The UNMC work is being led by Carol Toris, PhD, professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences, and Shan Fan, M.D., assistant professor. They are partnering with Tao Guo, M.D., a researcher with Tongji University and Tenth People’s Hospital in Shanghai.

The study is looking at aqueous humor dynamics and the role it plays in glaucoma. More than 60 million people in the world are living with glaucoma. It’s estimated that more than 80 million people will develop glaucoma by 2020.

Shan Fan, M.D., and Carol Toris, PhD, of UNMC, with Tao Guo, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology, Tenth People’s Hospital, Shanghai.

Glaucoma can occur when the optic nerve is damaged, and frequently this is associated with high intraocular pressure. That’s where aqueous humor dynamics come into play. To maintain intraocular pressure at a steady level requires a fine balance between the production, circulation and drainage of ocular aqueous humor.

Considered one of the leading experts in the world on aqueous humor dynamics, Dr. Toris and her UNMC research team has already studied healthy Caucasian adults, an ethnic group that is prone to a certain type of glaucoma.

Now in collaboration with Tenth People’s Hospital, they are measuring fluid flow in the eyes of healthy Chinese adults, an ethnic group that is prone to a different kind of glaucoma.

The team will compare data to identify differences that may help explain why people may get a particular kind of glaucoma. It is hoped that these findings could help determine the best treatments for the particular type of glaucoma.

“With a population of 1.35 billion, China is a fertile environment for finding research subjects,” said Quan Dong Nguyen, M.D., chairman of ophthalmology and visual sciences and director of the Truhlsen Eye Institute at UNMC. “It’s a great collaboration. To have all these patients studied on Chinese soil is indicative of how well the project is going.”

In the next two years, Dr. Nguyen said the Truhlsen Eye Institute hopes to combine forces on several other projects with Tongji University and Tenth People’s Hospital.

These projects include several areas of significant concern for visual loss such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis and ocular inflammation.

Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu and follow us on social media.

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Combination treatment strategy shows promise in phase I clinical study

1. UNMC team finds early heart disease warning with simple blood test

2. UNMC nanotechnology protects skin from cancer and early wrinkles

3. Gene therapy treatment could lower blood sugar while repairing damage caused by diabetes

4. Intuitool

5. UNMC, Invest Nebraska fuel new startup

6. Bridging the ‘Valley of Death’

7. Antibiotic pipeline needs new ideas

8. Gendelman, Bidasee honored at 2013 Innovation Awards

9. New startup grows from Innovation Week connection

10. UNeMed lands tech deal with Chinese startup

Honorable Mention

Classics

Most diabetes therapies in existence are focused on lowering blood sugar

UNMC research on diabetes complications finds new fix for organ failures

Technologies

Photos on flickr