UCSF Catalyst Program Newsletter
Fall 2019


UC students Gain New Resources, Opportunities Through Expanded Entrepreneurship Program
The University of California and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation are excited to announce the expansion of an exciting program that will equip students with more tools and resources to take their entrepreneurship and innovation to the next level. The $5 million expansion of the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars program will give more UC campuses critical access to resources, opportunities and mentorships for students and recent graduates across disciplines and experience levels. UCSF students will be able to take advantage of LaunchPad events, coaching, and network to help them succeed in their entrepreneurial ventures, moving groundbreaking research out of the laboratory or classroom and into the marketplace. As part of her role as Program Director for the Catalyst Program, Jeni Janci, PhD , will serve as the LaunchPad's Entrepreneur in Residence. For more information on the UCSF LaunchPad, please visit: https://launchpad.ucsf.edu/


Michael Shlipak Receives Prestigious Department of Veterans Affairs' Barnwell Award
Congratulations to Catalyst Program Awardee Dr. Michael Shlipak on receiving the prestigious Barnwell Award in recognition of his pioneering clinical investigation on causes and consequences of kidney disease. The Barnwell Award also recognizes Dr. Shlipak's impactful efforts to improve strategies for the early detection and prevention of kidney disease. The Barnwell Award is the VA’s highest honor for clinical research – it is given each year to a VA investigator whose scientific contributions have fundamentally changed the clinical approach to conditions important to Veteran’s health care. Click here for more information.


Apply Today to the UCSF "InVent Fund"
The UCSF Innovation Ventures Philanthropy Fund or “InVent Fund”, is a philanthropic trust to boost the University’s most promising healthcare discoveries through translational studies and closer to the marketplace. Traditionally, to guarantee their breakthroughs' advance to commercialization, universities partner with industry, licensing discoveries to new or established companies whose goals are to develop those inventions into successful products. In return for industry investment, universities and inventors usually cede control over the relevant innovation at an early stage and with much higher risk. As a consequence, even in the case of discoveries that are ultimately transformed into blockbuster products, universities receive relatively modest financial returns for the ideas that originated in their laboratories. In creating the InVent Fund, UCSF seeks to rewrite the rules on how breakthrough discoveries are developed at our university. Instead of prematurely licensing the rights to our most promising but early findings to industry, we have created the InVent Fund to provide financial support, as well as experienced product development mentoring and expertise to a small number of outstanding projects. By supporting and de-risking our most promising projects through translational development, we expect to capture greater value for UCSF and our inventors with the added benefit of building a sustainable program of funding for future innovations. Click here for more information and apply by 9/27.


Catalyst Awardees, Advisors, and Interns Gather for TPPs
Erica Pascal, PhD, JD, presents on Intellectual Property at the TPP Workshop.
Ken Fang, MD, presents on importance of the TPP for product development and commercialization at the TPP Workshop.
The Catalyst Program recently added the creation of a Target Product Profile (“TPP”) to the year's activity cycle to help advance the awarded projects along the translational pathway and this summer recruited 59 interns from UCSF, UC Berkeley, UC Hastings, Stanford, and San Francisco State University to help the 2019-2020 Catalyst Awardee Project Teams create the TPP. In June, the Catalyst Program facilitated a workshop with the program's expert industry advisors for the Catalyst Awardee Project Teams and Catalyst Interns focused on the development of a TPP. The workshop topics included the role of the TPP in translational studies, Project Management, Intellectual Property, as well as the importance of the TPP for product development and commercialization. Since the workshop, the Catalyst Interns have worked with the Catalyst Awardee Project Teams to develop and present a TPP for each of awarded projects to assembled expert industry advisors for additional feedback.

Delegations from China and Brazil Visit the Catalyst Program
Faculty from Yunnan University in China meet with the Catalyst Program.
In August the Catalyst Program was visited by academics from Yunnan University in China as well as healthcare professionals and investors from Brazil. Both sessions were highlighted by presentations on translational research and the extensive innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem at UCSF.
New Advisor Spotlight: Patrick Yam
The Catalyst Program is pleased to welcome Patrick Yam, MBA, as an advisor to the program. Patrick is Founder and CEO of Somnology Inc. Somnology is a digital device healthcare enterprise focused on developing and commercializing a medical monitor for the continuous monitoring of sleep disorders. A serial entrepreneur, Patrick has been instrumental in building and leading as the CEO of financial, technology and healthcare companies. He was the first Executive Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University where as a co-founder he assisted in the development of the Center for Innovation. His early career includes professional responsibilities as an investment banker, investment manager and macro-economist. A published professor and professional speaker he has globally addressed audiences on topics regarding Macro-Economics, Innovation, and Healthcare. A Corporate Director he has also committed his passion to various non-profit organizations.

Upcoming Events
Interested in hacking medicine? Join the UCSF Rosenman Institute and MIT Hacking Medicine on October 11-13 for the MIT Grand Hack SF . Engineers, scientists, designers, patients, clinicians, law & MBA students all welcome. Click here for more information. 
Register today for the BIO SPARK Showcase in San Francisco on Monday, October 21 from 1 PM - 6 PM. The BIO SPARK Showcase aims to provide an excellent opportunity for academic researchers in the SPARK network to showcase drug development programs that are ready for partnering or venture funding. Click here for more information.
Join the CSI Foundation and UCSF on November 1-2 in San Francisco for a comprehensive overview of major topics in catheter and device therapy for structural and valvular heart disease , in addition to novel therapies for atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Click here for more information.
The Catalyst Program will be hosting Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's 3rd Drug Hunter Award Seminar at UCSF later this Fall. Stay tuned for more information and connect with the Catalyst Program on our website and social media for more details as they become available.
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