Dear Colleagues,
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of when the Fast Forward Medical Innovation team, along with most of our business partners, co-workers, friends, and family began working exclusively at home.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire FFMI team for their flexibility, resilience, creativity, and dedication to developing and maintaining high-quality educational programming, funding opportunities, and business partner relationships during this time.
I also want to express my appreciation to all of you for the support and encouragement we have felt over the past year as we adjusted to the virtual world.
With hope that the vaccines are offering a light at the end of the long tunnel, we look forward to continuing to work with all of you and are excited to continue creating more groundbreaking and innovative initiatives to help further your research goals.
Best Regards,
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Bradley Martin, Ph.D.
Director
Fast Forward Medical Innovation
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Frankel Innovation Initiative Call for Letters of Intent Opens
April 1
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After Letters of Intent are reviewed by a triage committee, a select group of faculty will be invited to submit a full application for funding consideration.
Made possible by a generous donation from the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation, FII was established to advance innovative research by U-M Medical School faculty, and their collaborators inside and outside U-M, that has the potential for rapid clinical application and groundbreaking impact.
FII is administered by Fast Forward Medical Innovation and offers one year of funding in the range of $250,000 - $1,000,000, with the potential for multiple years of funding. Award winners will receive mentorship from industry and technology development experts.
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Save the Date! Watch the Biomedical Innovation Cup on April 28 |
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The path to market for a new biomedical product is challenging. It’s not enough to have a deep knowledge of the science. Innovators must be ready to step into the spotlight, showing stakeholders and potential investors clarity of vision and passion.
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
3:15pm-4:45pm
Presenters include:
Michael Burns, M.D., Ph.D.
John Vandervest, M.S.
University of Michigan
Lola Eniola-Adefeso, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Novel Dermatology Treatment for Double Chin
John Farris, Ph.D.
Grand Valley State University
Eric VanMiddendorp, MSE
Spectrum Health Innovations
Water Management System
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Cheers to the Latest Kickstart Winners |
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The new Kickstart teams are:
Sonali Kurup, Ph.D.
Ferris State University - Pharmaceutical Studies
Small molecule EGFR/AURK inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer
Nishaki Mehta, M.D.
William Beaumont Hospital
PressRite
Part of the MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub, Kickstart Awards offer early-stage funding to biomedical researchers across the state of Michigan. The award is aimed to enhance the commercial potential of a technology owned by any Michigan-based non-profit to the point of demonstration of utility and offers possible inclusion in the MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub or other research funding programs.
Questions? Contact Sara Risch, Biomedical Innovation Specialist, at johnssar@umich.edu or 734-764-5598. |
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Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund Invests in Courage Therapeutics |
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The Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF) recently invested in Courage Therapeutics. Based on path-breaking research done by Professor Roger Cone and his team, Courage Therapeutics is developing novel peptides targeting the melanocortin system, which is involved in regulating appetite and the neurophysiology around feeding behavior.
Their first-in-class therapeutics are aimed at the treatment of anorexia nervosa, other related eating disorders, and potentially genetic obesity. The company is led by Dan Housman who has had prior startup success and will be based in Boston, MA. MBVF is part of a $1.5M syndicate round that includes the MIT Angels.
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Commercialization Education |
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Sign Up for April 20 Innovation Studio |
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Looking for feedback and input on your biomedical innovation? Join the Fast Forward Medical Innovation team for Innovation Studio, virtual office hours that give life science innovators of all levels the chance to address project needs, challenges, or questions. Participants can get individual feedback on:
- innovation concepts
- opportunities for commercialization education
- funding resources
- any other innovation concerns that faculty, staff, or trainees may have
The Innovation Studio is available for 30-minute consultations via Zoom every third Tuesday of the month. The next available consultations will take place Tuesday, April 20, 2021, between 2:00pm-3:30pm. Space is limited.
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FFMI fastpace Spring Cohort Registration Available |
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FFMI fastPACE is a four-week biomedical and commercialization course designed to help participants prepare a successful business case for funding and development partnerships.
Registration is now available for the Spring 2021 cohort, to be held virtually, beginning Friday, April 30, 2021. Sign up today!
Questions? Email Jon Servoss, FFMI Director of Commercialization Education. |
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MTRAC Award Winner, Fifth Eye, Receives De Novo Classification from FDA |
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Fifth Eye, a provider of intuitive real-time clinical analytics, recently announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted De Novo classification for its Analytic for Hemodynamic Instability (AHI). AHI can continuously monitor any patient with an electrocardiogram (ECG) for hemodynamic instability — a leading cause of death for critically ill or injured patients. This clinically validated technology enables hemodynamic assessments every two minutes as opposed to every two hours or more, increasing the likelihood of timely patient rescue.
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Asalyxa Bio, Inc., an MTRAC Award Winner, Closes Seed Funding Round |
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Asalyxa Bio, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing nano-engineered, immune cell-targeted therapeutics, recently announced the closing of an oversubscribed seed financing round totaling more than $2 million.
Asalyxa Bio's drug development programs are based on the company's proprietary PANTHER technology platform, which enables the targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds directly to neutrophils and other key immune cells.
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A Conversation with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund on March 17 |
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In an event sponsored by Michigan Medicine Corporate & Foundation Relations, leadership from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund will offer a firsthand look at significant funding opportunities designed to overcome the exceptional obstacles currently before our scientific community and accelerate discovery.
1:30PM-3:00PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
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Michigan Drug Discovery Grant Program Increases Researcher Support |
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Michigan Drug Discovery is adding a new grant program to its support for University of Michigan researchers. Project grants represent the third funding opportunity to be offered by Michigan Drug Discovery. Funded projects will receive $100,000 per year for up to three years and will be conducted in partnership with Michigan Drug Discovery and drug discovery experts from the research cores.
The application window for Michigan Drug Discovery Project Grants will open March 22, 2021, with funding beginning July 1, 2021, for accepted projects. More information about the application process and instructions for requesting a pre-submission meeting are available at drugdiscovery.umich.edu/resources/funding-opportunities/.
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Webinar for New UMOR Resource for Reducing Bias in Nomination and Peer Review Process |
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The U-M Office of Research has launched a new resource for program administrators, reviewers, and award committees to improve practices and mitigate bias when coordinating funding programs or other nomination processes.
During a webinar on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 12:00pm-1:00pm, U-M Research Development will walk attendees through the new resource. Jesse Johnston, Sr. Research Development Officer, and Nick Wigginton, Assistant Vice President for Research, will present. This event will be recorded and made available to registrants for later viewing.
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LHS Collaboratory on March 25 |
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The LHS Collaboratory presents "The Swiss Learning Health System (SLHS): A National Initiative to Support Evidence Uptake in Policy and Practice.” Dr. Boes and Dr. Mantwill, from the University of Lucerne, will provide an overview of the SLHS and its key features to support learning cycles in the Swiss health system.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
12:00pm-1:30pm
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Become a Precision Health Member |
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When you become a member of Precision Health, you will be part of a focused, driven community of research collaborators who see beyond the boundaries of department and field of study. Join by March 31, 2021, to become part of the Spring Cohort and be featured in the April Precision Health Update.
What does membership mean? You can advance your work with access to datasets, analytics tools, and other research resources. You can make your research more visible through communications support and promotion of significant publications. Your membership awaits!
Precision Health Membership is open to U-M faculty (Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn campuses), U-M scholars (graduate students, fellows, residents, etc.), and affiliate (non-U-M) faculty. Scholar and affiliate members must be sponsored by a U-M faculty PH member.
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Call for R01 Boot Camp Mentees and Coaches |
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The U-M Medical School Office of Research is currently accepting applications for the 2021-22 Cohort of its R01 Boot Camp program. It is an intensive mentorship program designed to help early career faculty receive their first NIH Research Project Grants (R01, or equivalent). While developing proposals over a 9-month course, mentees attend a variety of workshops on topics such as grant writing, statistics and study design, budgeting, and constructing components of the grant application.
Since the program’s inception in 2013, the success rate of R01 Boot Camp graduates obtaining ≥ one R01-equivalent grant within 36 months of completing the program is nearly 40%.
Applications for both mentees and coaches are due on Monday, April 12, 2021.
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2021 Investigators Awards: Request for Applications |
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Precision Health Investigators Awards are open to University of Michigan full-time faculty members with a primary appointment in research, instructional (tenure), or clinical tracks. Up to eight two-year awards will be funded in 2021, for up to $200,000 per project.
Pre-proposals are due Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 11:59pm EST.
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To better navigate the complexities of the U-M biomedical research enterprise, visit the Research Project Lifecycle. This interactive tool provides an overview of the resources available to you, not only within the Medical School Office of Research but also across the University of Michigan.
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Fast Forward Medical Innovation is part of the Office of Research, where our mission is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the U-M Medical School community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact.
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