May 2020
THE OCR REPORT
A Message from Jon
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Good news is always welcome. In today’s uncertain climate, it is also sustaining. This month, New Haven reached a tentative development agreement that will pave the way for a transformative $100 million life-sciences incubator in the heart of downtown. Additionally, the New Haven Plan Commission approved Yale New Haven Health’s plan for a new neuroscience center and expansion at its St. Raphael campus. These bright spots in our city’s future come at a perfect time.
 
The Yale community is continuing to mount a strategic response to the COVID-19 crisis. OCR has been pleased to support Naftali Kaminski and his team in an upcoming clinical trial to explore Sobetirome’s effectiveness for treating ARDS, a common symptom of COVID-19. To address the personal protective equipment (PPE) issue, a Yale-built system that tests non-certified respirators and masks has opened up valuable new options for healthcare workers. We are also lending our efforts to various pandemic response-related initiatives here at Yale and within the larger ecosystem. Our belief is that if we marshal our ideas, skills and resources, we can create scalable solutions.
 
We remain cautious, but are investing our energy in optimism, and our office’s activities in progress. 
Jon Soderstrom
Managing Director, University Technology Commercialization and Faculty Innovation
Yale Office of Cooperative Research
What's coming up
YSM Office of the Dean Workshop
The Yale West Campus Student and Postdoc Committee is excited to host All Points West 2020 in a virtual format that began this week! APW 2020 will include 3 more sessions of research talks from West Campus trainees on May 15, and May 19 at noon and a West Campus alumni panel on May 21 at noon .

This year's alumni panelists includes Blavatnik Fellow Natalie Ma and a diverse group of professionals in science writing, biotech, and entrepreneurship.
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Want $30k for your biomedical innovation?
 
Have an idea for a biomedical innovation? Apply for the $30,000 CT BiopipelineGrant!
 
Connecticut Innovations (CI) has partnered with Yale and other CT universities to award $30,000 grants for CT-based biomedical ventures. This $1 million, two-year initiative provides up to $30,000 per project to help you commercialize your biomedical technology innovation (medical devices, diagnostics, and health information technology).
 
Ideas related to the current COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged, though proposals addressing other unmet medical needs are appropriate.
 
Applications are now being accepted, and the deadline is  May 22, 2020 at 5pm EST . The strongest proposals, as determined by a peer review committee, will receive up to $30,000 in funding over one year.
 
Please direct any questions or comments to  cbit@yale.edu .
Our
News
Veracyte to couple Yale genomic test with its pulmonary fibrosis diagnostic
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Veracyte and Yale reports an exclusive licensing agreement for the first genomic test for IPF diagnosis
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Veracyte Gets Exclusive License to IPF Gene Signature from Yale
Elysium Health Licenses DNA Methylation Biomarkers From Yale University
How Can We Help Parents Quarantined With Autistic Children?
Yale d octor discusses how parents can overcome challenges during the pandemic
News We're Following
Development agreement outlined for 101 College St. project
The City Plan Commission unanimously signed off on Yale New Haven Hospital’s plans to build a new neuroscience medical research
How Policymakers Can Win The Coronavirus War
Elm City attracts medical device manufacturer
Prof. Edward Kaplan Brings Operations Research Tools to Local COVID-19 Decision Making
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Alexion to Acquire Portola
Current, state-wide industry news.
Faculty Spotlight
Faye Rogers, PhD


Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology
Overview of your current project
Our research program broadly focuses on understanding the mechanisms involved in activating the appropriate cellular response at the intersection of DNA repair and apoptosis following DNA damage. A current major focus is to determine how the nucleotide excision repair (NER) factor, XPD controls the activation of apoptosis and NER in the presence of DNA damage. In recent work, we have discovered that XPD occupies a critical role in regulating a p53-independent mechanism that modulates survival/death decisions following triplex formation. This discovery unveiled an innovative strategy for the treatment of cancers characterized by gene amplification, in which manipulation of the DNA damage response with triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) drives tumor specific induction of apoptosis.

DNA repair pathways have emerged as ideal targets for the development of cutting-edge anticancer therapeutics due to its role in both cancer progression and treatment. We have also developed a platform that utilizes natural products produced by fungal and bacterial endophytes to identify novel compounds with anticancer activity. We have recently discovered and chemically identified a novel DNA repair inhibitor that exhibits synthetic lethality in PTEN-deficient glioblastomas.
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Favorite Off-Time Activity
I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and I have a love for music and watching TV (Major Game of Thrones fan).
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Best Advice for Young Innovators
Strive to use your failures as fuel to achieve success.
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