Biolocity

Emory and Georgia Tech

Funding

by

Biolocity Awards 6 Innovative Technologies with Commercialization Support

The Biolocity program has selected six promising technologies with the ability to impact patient health for its 2022-2023 cohort of Biolocity Launch. This year-long collaboration helps awardees commercialize their innovations by advancing through critical milestones.

The program includes mentoring from business advisors, project management support, and funding to accelerate technology development and reach commercial milestones. Housed in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biolocity funding is open to all faculty at Emory University and Georgia Tech.

“There is a rich pipeline of promising patient-impacting technologies being developed at Emory University and Georgia Tech,” says Courtney Law, Ph.D., managing director of Biolocity. “This year’s applicant pool was very competitive, and the projects selected to be a part of this cohort have a strong potential for commercialization. We are excited to work with these passionate innovators to advance their technologies toward the market and ultimately patient impact.”

Biolocity selects projects through an annual, multi-stage application process that allows university innovators to receive pitch coaching, market assessments, and competitive analysis to cultivate commercial success. Faculty members work with entrepreneur advisors to de-risk their technology through each application stage. The final cohort is determined by an oversight committee of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, clinicians, biomedical engineers, and university technology transfer experts.

This year’s cohort includes:

  • Athena: Athena is an early-stage cell therapy company developing a mesothelin-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product, for the treatment of mesothelioma and other mesothelin expressing solid tumors. Principal Investigator: Crystal Paulos, Ph.D. (Emory University).
  • Bystro by revXon: A search engine for your life-sciences data. Principal Investigator: Thomas Wingo, MD (Emory University).
  • DexaPatch: Low-swelling, steroid-releasing, implantable hydrogel platform to reduce post-operative inflammation in tight surgical spaces. Principal Investigators: Andrés Garcia, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech), Adam Klein, M.D., Daniel Refai, M.D., Stephen Linderman, M.D., Ph.D. (Emory).
  • MagTrack: MagTrack is a wearable alternative controller that simplifies power wheelchair driving and the control of digital devices for people living with tetraplegia. Principal Investigators: Nordine Sebhki, Ph.D., and. Omer Inan, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech).
  • Orally Bioavailable CXCR4 Antagonists for the Treatment of Cancer: Best-In-Class Orally Bioavailable CXCR4 Antagonists Heat Up Solid Tumors. Principal Investigators: Dennis Liotta, Ph.D., Eric Miller, Ph.D., Haydn Kissick, Ph.D., and John Petros, M.D. (Emory University).
  • ProLymph Nano: Drug delivery technology unlocks new market opportunities by targeting the lymphatic system. Principal Investigator: Susan Thomas, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech).

In addition to project management and mentorship, awardees gain access to resources including incubators, accelerators, and venture capitalists that can potentially translate into follow-on investment or other business opportunities upon graduation from the Biolocity program.

Learn more about Biolocity and our portfolio at biolocity.org.

by

Biolocity Selects 5 Promising Technologies for Funding

The Biolocity program has selected five promising and patient-focused technologies for its new cohort of Biolocity Launch, a year-long collaboration that helps faculty members commercialize their innovations.

The program includes mentoring from business advisors, project management support, and funding to accelerate technology development and reach commercial milestones. Housed in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biolocity is open to all faculty at Emory University and Georgia Tech.

“We are fortunate that, despite the pandemic, there is a rich pipeline of promising patient-impacting technologies being developed at Emory University and Georgia Tech,” said Courtney Law, managing director of Biolocity. “This year’s applicant pool was competitive, and the projects selected to be a part of this cohort have a strong potential for commercialization. These innovators are passionate about improving human health, and we are excited to work with them to advance their technologies toward the market.”

Biolocity selects projects through an annual, multi-stage application process that provides university innovators with the opportunity to receive pitch coaching, market assessments, and competitive analysis to cultivate commercial success. Faculty members work with entrepreneur advisors to de-risk their technology through each application stage with the final cohort determined by an oversight committee of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, clinicians, biomedical engineers, and university technology transfer experts.

Since 2015, the program has awarded more than $8.7 million across 58 projects, generating over 10 times that much follow-on investment.

This year’s cohort includes:

  • Agrithera: A therapeutic strategy to overcome the pharmacological drawbacks of cannabidiol (CBD) for epilepsy treatment by creating precursor molecules that metabolize to CBD in the body. Principal Investigators: Dennis Liotta, Ph.D., and Stephen Traynelis, Ph.D. (Emory University).
  • NiPro: A customized nipple prosthesis with a subcutaneous anchoring system to help patients with body image issues after breast reconstruction. Principal Investigator: Nick Boulis, M.D. (Emory University).
  • Sanicka: A clinical decision support tool to aid treatment selection and optimization for leukemia patients. Principal Investigators: Ana Quiroga, Ph.D., and Sakis Mantalaris, Ph.D., (Georgia Tech); Nicki Panoskaltsis, M.D., Ph.D. (Emory University).
  • Sleep Monitoring Biopatch: A soft, wearable biosensor patch and accompanying software to enable at-home sleep testing. Principal Investigators: Hong Yeo, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) and Paul Zolty, M.D. (Piedmont Hospital).
  • Urearetics: A novel mechanism to treat uremic pericarditis and pericardial effusions in chronic kidney disease patients by inhibiting urea transport. Principal Investigators: Jeff Sands, M.D.; Janet Klein, Ph.D.; and Xiaonan Wang, M.D. (Emory University).

This is the first year that project funding for Biolocity has been expanded through a gift to the Emory School of Medicine from John and Rosemary Brown. They established an innovation-to-market fund to take a multi-pronged approach to advancing new technologies, including support for Biolocity.

“We are grateful for the generosity of the Brown Innovation Fund, which has allowed us to expand our commercialization support of technologies at Georgia Tech and Emory University. The Brown family’s vision to build partnerships across campuses allows us to continue our goal to support human health innovation at both institutions,” Law said.

Learn more about Biolocity and our portfolio at biolocity.org.

 

by

Brown Family Innovation Gift

The Biolocity team is grateful for the generosity of John & Rosemary Brown in supporting our work to accelerate innovation.  Their gift will help expand our support of entrepreneurs at Emory and Georgia Tech who are developing early-stage biomedical technologies that positively impact patient health.  

Learn More Here

by

Innovations Selected for Biolocity Launch

 

Five research innovations from Emory University and Georgia Tech selected for Biolocity Launch.

The Biolocity team is excited to announce the faculty-lead innovations selected to participate in the newest cohort of Biolocity Launch! In addition to receiving funding to support commercialization milestones, awardees join a year-long collaboration with consultants and business advisors for project management and longitudinal coaching to accelerate the development of their patient-impacting technologies.

Each year, Biolocity opens an intensive, multi-stage application process that provides applicants with the opportunity to receive pitch coaching, market assessments, and competitive analysis needed for commercial success. Faculty work with entrepreneur advisors to de-risk their technology at each application stage before final acceptance into the program by an oversight committee comprised of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, clinicians, biomedical engineers, and university technology transfer experts.

Below are the select projects included in this year’s cohort:

  1. Dynamic Sampling Platform: This platform technology aims to provide simple, accurate, and low-cost quality monitoring for cell therapy bioreactors. Principal Investigators: Andrei Fedorov, PhD, Georgia Tech, Edwin Horwitz, MD, Emory University, and Mason Chilmonczyk, PhD, Georgia Tech.
  2. Focused Cryo: A cryoablation system designed to aid in targeting peripheral nerves in a highly precise manner. The platform has applications in metabolic syndromes, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic pain. Principal Investigators: David Prologo, MD, FSIR, Emory University.
  3. NanoCliq: A vaccine technology that leverages protein nanoparticle platform to prevent the onset of Leishmaniasis, a fatal disease that currently has no vaccine available. Principal Investigator: M.G. Finn, PhD, Georgia Tech.
  4. New Therapeutic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): The development of an LRH-1 agonist drug which increases innate steroid production specifically at the site of inflammation in the gut. Principal Investigators: Nathan Jui, PhD, Emory University, Eric Ortlund, PhD, Emory University, and John Calvert, PhD, Emory University.
  5. Twice Therapeutics: A two-step method that can deliver long-lasting gene therapies to diseased tissues without re-engineering viruses. Principal Investigators: James Dahlman, PhD, Georgia Tech and Eric Sorscher, MD, Emory University

“We are fortunate in this current climate to continue to be able to provide funding that will assist the commercialization of these promising technologies,” says Manuel Kingsley, interim director of the Biolocity Program. “While research may look different this year, the passion these innovators have for improving healthcare delivery is unwavering as is our team’s commitment to their advancement. We look forward to working with each awardee to support their technology development.”

Funding and commercialization support provided by Biolocity is used to bridge the gap in development between early-stage university research and its path to the market. If you are interested in commercialization guidance for a device, therapeutic, or platform technology with the ability to positively impact human health, schedule a meeting here.

To learn more about Biolocity’s funding and partnership opportunities, visit www.Biolocity.org.