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JUNE 12, 2019
Stroke Technology Wins
2019 Biomedical Innovation Cup!
On May 15, FFMI hosted the 5th annual Biomedical Innovation Cup in conjunction with the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium. The event was moderated by
Kelly Sexton, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research - Technology Transfer and Innovation Partnerships. The Vortex Catheter Technology, a
new platform for minimally-invasive treatment of
stroke patients, was chosen by a panel of investors as the winning project.

Developed by a U-M team, including neurosurgery resident and researcher Luis Savastano, M.D., Ph.D., Aditya S. Pandey, M.D., Albert Shih, Ph.D., and Yihao Zheng, Ph.D., this device has the potential to enable integrated, enhanced navigation into the target cerebral artery. This leads to complete recanalization regardless of the size location, or firmness of the clots, and without clogging or releasing of clot fragments.
Save the Date! Researchpalooza is Thursday, August 15
Join Fast Forward Medical Innovation at this year's Researchpalooza on Thursday, August 15, from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM in the circle drive in front of Med Sci I. This is a fun event that spotlights the labs and offices here to serve you at U-M. There will be ice cream, popcorn, games, and lots of giveaways!

Be sure to stop by our table and talk to us about U-M's wide variety of biomedical commercialization programs and funding opportunities.
Funding
U-M Therapeutic Innovation Fund RFP - Up to $150K to Support Drug Discovery
The Michigan Center for Therapeutic Innovation (MCTI) and FFMI offer the U-M Therapeutic Innovation Fund, a five-year, $2.5 million fund created to accelerate the discovery and translation of therapeutic candidates at the University of Michigan. The fund supports the discovery and optimization of small molecule lead compounds for projects with a specific, novel, and testable drug discovery hypothesis. Selected projects receive funding and resources to support medicinal chemistry efforts through MCTI and funding for drug design, assay development, cell biology, structural biology, and pharmacology (up to $150,000 in value for each award for a period of 18 months with the funds being dispersed in two stages). The fund is jointly administered by MCTI and FFMI.

A pre-submission application and meeting must be completed on or before July 12, 2019. The submission deadline for the full proposal is July 26, 2019, at 5pm.
Monroe-Brown Seed Fund Gets a New Name
The Monroe-Brown Seed Fund has been renamed as the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF) . There is no change to the fund and its mission to award funding to biomedical startup companies with U-M licensed technologies in the domain of therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, or health IT. The new name reflects the expanding size of the fund and its focus to advance the process of transitioning commercially viable biomedical and healthcare projects to market.

The MBVF launched three years ago with a $3 million gift from the Monroe-Brown Foundation. A collaborative effort between FFMI and the U-M College of Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship , the MBVF has invested in 10 companies, having recently added Invenio Imagiing, Inc., to its impressive portfolio.
Commercialization Education
Aikens Innovation Academy Wraps Up
The inaugural cohort of the Aikens Innovation Academy, provided in partnership by FFMI and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center (FCVC), wrapped up a 9-week innovation development course with a successful pitch showcase event for 6 project teams, representing faculty, nurses, and trainees from Cardiology, Vascular Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular ICU, and Biomedical Engineering.

Each of the project teams, in search of development funding, presented their innovation to representatives from the FCVC and FFMI.
FFMI and the Department of Radiology Team Up to Offer
Pitch Competition
FFMI and the Department of Radiology recently partnered to hold the Department of Radiology Clinical Innovation & Value Challenge, a "shark-tank" style pitch competition where finalists competed for up to $40,000 in funding to develop and implement their innovation.

The annual challenge funds and provides education to early-stage innovation projects with the potential to make an impact. It is designed to foster and accelerate innovations in the form of novel products,
re-design of care delivery models, and enhanced education and training that will ultimately improve patient care.
Path of Excellence Students Participate in "Foundations of Innovation" Sessions
Path of Excellence in Innovation & Entrepreneurship students are participating in a multi-session "Foundations for Innovation" curriculum that runs throughout the summer.

As part of the program, the students recently completed two sessions. The first session was on "Needs Finding & Observation," presented by Dr. Rachael Schmedlin, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Biomedical Education. The session included a lecture and a problem-solving, hands-on activity.

The second session focused on "Building a Business Case" and featured speakers Sara Risch, Ph.D., Biomedical Innovation Specialist, Fast Forward Medical Innovation, and HIrak Parikh, Ph.D., Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund Manager. The session looked at several topics directly pertaining to biomedical commercialization including value proposition design, stakeholder mapping, customer discovery, funding biomedical startups, and more.
MI-Pitch Club Offers Unique Learning Opportunity
Eight teams participated in the May MI-Pitch Club. The teams were challenged to develop a new device to use in laparoscopy procedures of the abdomen, an area that is difficult to maneuver with limited visibility. The winning team (pictured) developed a prototype for a 360° laparoscopy camera with motion sensor and panning technology.

The next MI-Pitch Club event is:
Tuesday, June 18
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Pizza House
618 Church Street
Food & non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Cash bar.
The Design Challenge Competition will begin at 5:00 PM.
Out & About with FFMI
Congratulations to Meghan Cuddihy, Commercialization Education Program Manager, Jon Servoss, FFMI Commercialization Program Director, and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center (FCVC) Innovation team for receiving a CVC Directors' Team Award for Education for the FCVC Innovation Program. This program comprises the CVC Innovation Challenge and the Aikens Innovation Academy, both of which are supported by FFMI. In particular, the Aikens Innovation Academy provides structured commercialization education, mentorship, and funding to CVC faculty, nurses, staff, and trainees.

The FCVC Directors' Awards are given to individuals and teams in the areas of Clinical Care, Education, and Research, and are given to those that exemplify the CVC's values of caring, integrity, innovation, teamwork, and excellence.
Debra Grega, FFMI Business Development Director and Mike Ranella, FFMI Associate Director for Business, recently attended the BIO International Convention in Philadelphia. The event brought together more than 16,000 attendees from around the world and put the spotlight on the global biotech industry.

Debra was featured in Wednesday's recap at #BIO2019, highlighting Michigan Medicine's role in translational research.
Mike Ranella, FFMI Associate Director for Business, attended the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. The meeting offered education and scientific sessions designed to teach, engage, and bring the oncology field together.
Najoua Elbourkadi, FFMI Associate Director for Business, traveled to San Francisco for the American Diabetes Association 79th Scientific Sessions. Organized by the American Diabetes Association, this event brings together health care professionals involved in diabetes research or the delivery of diabetes care and services.
FFMI Follow-Up
Invenio Imaging, Inc., Awarded Funding from the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund
The Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund (MBVF) recently awarded funding to Invenio Imaging, Inc., making it the 10th company in the MBVF portfolio. Invenio Imaging developed a portable Stimulated Raman Scattering microscope for use in the operating room that allows doctors to see brain tissue at a microscopic level to distinguish between tumor and normal brain tissue in the operating room. Invenio Imaging also previously received Mi-TRAC funding through the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization for Life Sciences Innovation Hub.
Bulletin Board
Explore New Technologies at the BRCF Genomics Showcase
Join the Biomedical Research Core Facilities (BRCF) for a Genomics Showcase on Thursday, June 13. Explore the rapidly evolving technologies, applications, and platforms available in the genomics space, including single cell analysis, ATAQ-Seq, epigenetics, high-throughput sequencing applications, and more!

The speaking sessions will occur from 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM, and the information tables will be available from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM. RSVP to reserve your lunch!
Last Chance! Nominate Exceptional Staff
Please consider nominating an exceptional research staff member for the annual Camille Mrozowski Award for Service Excellence in Research, sponsored by the Medical School Office of Research.

The award is open to administrative staff (not classified as "managerial") who work outside of the Medical School Office of Research and support Medical School research. Applications should be submitted via Competition Space , and the nomination deadline is Friday, June 28, 2019.
Our Collaborators
U-M Tech Transfer
MEDC
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.
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.