Spreading the word on VCU startups and technologies
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As life has returned to normal, Innovation Gateway has taken the opportunity to get back out into the world, in person, in 2022. Already this year, we have brought together VCU researchers and regional experts with interests in virtual and extended reality (VR/XR) applications. We gathered students and post-docs and had them meet with those who successfully transitioned from academia into business, to show them what life is like on the other side. And our startup panel, co-hosted with the College of Engineering, showed researchers how to take their idea from a lab setting into the business world.
Our latest Launchpad newsletter includes our 2021 Annual Report, highlighting another transformative year on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. The stories we selected showcase the commercialization of VCU discoveries and how university research is creating products that improve health and enrich the quality of life within our communities.
VCU Innovation Gateway finished the year with a record 160 new invention disclosures — a 20% increase over 2020, and a more than 50% increase in licensing revenues, at $3.7 million. The world is taking notice: the National Science Foundation recently ranked VCU No. 58, up from No. 65, on a list of more than 400 public-research universities.
Given the tremendous need for critical research in the face of society’s grand challenges, unwavering institutional support is a must — but so is external backing from many of you who are receiving this newsletter. Partnerships with companies, investors, and entrepreneurial minds to nurture our IP and startups are essential to developing a sustainable system of mature ideas and technologies.
If you want to meet anyone you see in this newsletter, email me or Gerard Eldering, our director of new ventures. Many of these technologies are also available for reviewing more in-depth on our Technology Marketplace. Enjoy this issue of Launchpad.
Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., MBA
Assistant Vice President for Innovation
VCU Innovation Gateway
Bringing ideas to lifeTM
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A year of discoveries, partnerships, and the technologies of tomorrow
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Our 2021 Annual Report features stories of new partnerships and innovations from some of Virginia Commonwealth University's most brilliant minds:
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Support for VCU startups through our partnership with Activation Capital
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Nerve Tape, a revolutionary treatment for nerve regeneration after traumatic injuries, invented by Jonathan E. Isaacs, M.D.
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Climatext, a data collection system to assess public sentiment developed by a team led by Aashir Nasim, Ph.D.
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CoursFACTS, a course-scheduling software created by VCU School of Nursing Dean and Professor Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
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The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), a system for assessing comfort levels in ICU patients, made by Curt Sessler, M.D.
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And groundbreaking Covid-19 research by VCU College of Engineering's Michael Peters, Ph.D.
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Leap of Faith: Former VCU cancer researcher becomes CEO of company studying therapy he invented
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Ray Lee, M.D., Ph.D., a former physician-researcher at VCU Massey Cancer Center, decided the best way he could help as many patients as possible was through drug development. But he had to leave the comforts of the university to make it happen. Today, Lee leads a company that is in clinical trials with a cancer therapy he invented at VCU. And it just raised nearly $6 million from investors. Read more.
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Meet The Nuzzi, a VCU-born breastfeeding aid
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Created by lactation consultants and a pediatrician at VCU, The Nuzzi looks to become a common device in every new mother's life.
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Innovation Gateway Director of New Ventures Gerard Eldering presents to a group of engineers with entrepreneurship on their minds at this month's Startup Happy Hour at the VCU College of Engineering Research Building's Forum Stairs. Eldering was joined by Sean Mallon, VP of Commercialization at the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and John Newby, CEO of Virginia Bio. Attendees heard stories and were shown resources they can use to take ideas from lab to startup.
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VCU researcher developing methods to mass-produce eco-friendlier aerogels
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VCU Engineering professor named National Academy of Inventors fellow
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In January, Bennett C. Ward, a retired associate professor in the VCU College of Engineering, was elected as a fellow in the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors. Ward has invented the technologies behind a world of products, including surgical devices, inkjet printers, at-home pregnancy tests and air fresheners. Read more about Ward and his advice to young inventors.
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Exploring alternative career paths and options post-academia
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In February, the VCU Innovation Gateway team held “What Comes Next?,” a panel and networking event for students, post-docs, and PIs to discuss life and career options after academia. The panel included Hamilton Beach’s Wendy Reid, head of global licensing and strategic partnerships at the Richmond-based appliance maker; Michael Mancini, Ph.D., a former Innovation Gateway team member now leading the VCU College of Engineering’s Capstone senior design program; and Michael Berger, a Ph.D. student and biomedical engineer who served as a licensing liaison at Innovation Gateway.
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Halogen-free Electrolytes for Metal Ion Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries, which dominate the marketplace in smartphones, laptops, electric cars and more, contain halogens. Halogens give rise to multiple problems, such as rapid aging of the battery, costly manufacturing expenses, toxicity, and environmental and social consequences. Researchers at VCU are creating an alternative solution that could revolutionize batteries as we know it.
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When Every Moment Counts: Revolutionizing Trauma Care with a Simple Solution
Perfusion Medical, backed by a research team at the VCU School of Medicine that includes Dr. Martin Mangino and Dr. Loren Librecht, centers around PEG-20k (Poly Ethylene Glycol). When PEG-20k is administered intravenously after a patient has suffered substantial blood loss, it prevents the all-too-common “reflow problem” when cells swell with water and stop blood transfusions from doing their job.
The applications for PEG-20k are almost limitless: from ICU units to war zones, cardiac care centers, and mass casualty scenarios–there is a potential for saving millions of lives every year. Read more.
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VCU reaches a new national ranking: No. 58 among research universities
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VCU is within reach of its goal to break into the top 50 of its peers. The record ranking comes on the heels of the university's highest sponsored funding figures. Click here to read more.
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