The first cohort of Proof of Product (POP) grantees presented their progress on October 18 at the Cove @ UCI. The POP grant program provides up to $125,000 each to UCI innovators (faculty, students and staff) to advance promising technologies closer to commercialization. POP grants focus on bridging the funding gap for technologies that are too advanced for research funding but are still too early-stage for outside funding.
POP grants are part of UCI’s Bridging Innovation Gaps (BIG) initiative, designed to spur innovation leading to regional development. Three complementary programs are linked under BIG: POP grants, technical support to increase success in securing SBIR/STTR funding, and BioENGINE training and support to emerging technologies in healthcare and biomedical devices. Through funding support from the California state legislative bill AB2664 and philanthropy, the BIG initiative provides innovation funding through biannual award cycles.
“We are seeing the fruits of these programs really pay off,” said Michael Artinger, Ph.D., managing director of UCI Applied Innovation’s Research Translation Group. “It is never too early when you have a product idea to see who those customers are going to be.” Artinger introduced Ray Wells, SBIR/STTR coordinator at UCI Applied Innovation, newly hired to identify and match federal agency funding opportunities with startups on campus. “We’ve seen a fair uptick to applications and are just concluding funding proposals for second round,” said Artinger. “Round one included participation from the UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering, UCI School of Biological Sciences and the Beckman Laser Institute. Now in the second round, there is more participation from the School of Medicine.” UCI Applied Innovation continues to seek reviewers and industry support to expand the POP Grants program.
POP Grant recipients included:
• Professor Jeffrey L. Krichmar, Department of Cognitive Sciences, developed an interactive robotic device to treat autism spectrum disorder which affects one in 68 children. This device could provide labor-intensive multisensory therapy, interactive games and teletherapy to be used by researchers, therapists, schools and parents. So far his team has made the design more robust and enabled personalization. They are working with the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence. The next steps involve pursuing SBIR grants for further development.
• Professor H. Kumar Wickramasinghe, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developed a smartphone-controlled, portable, rapid DNA test. Drivers of adoption include quality, low cost, ease of use, portability and reliability. The device detects DNA via electric fields so no thermal cycling is needed. It can be connected to a cell phone through Bluetooth. The device contains a chip with 16 reaction chambers and multiple readouts that can detect mutations like cystic fibrosis. The global market for point of care diagnostics is currently about $6 billion and is expected to triple by 2024. They are forming a company and looking for seed funding.
• Professor Aimee Edinger, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, developed a small molecule anti-cancer therapeutic that starves cancer cells to death and founded the startup Obsidio. Current targeted cancer therapies are effective only in a subset of cancer patients because of the development of resistance to therapy, the need for active biomarkers and genetic heterogeneity in tumors.
Edinger’s compound, OBT-893, limits cancer cell access to soluble nutrients like glucose and amino acids as well as prevents the lysosomal degradation of complex molecules into building blocks. By blocking all known cancer cell growth pathways, Edinger hopes to prevent development of resistance to therapy. In a mouse study in Dr. Dennis Slayman’s lab, the compound was able to impede growth of a variety of cancer cells, and was non-toxic to normal cells and orally bioavailable and showed accumulation in tumors. Obsidio’s next steps are to continue to work on structurebased drug design and to target validation. Obsidio seeks partners and investors to raise between $5-$15 million to perform studies to obtain FDA investigational new drug status.
• Professor Elliot Botvinick, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Surgery, and the Beckman Laser Institute, had two separate projects funded; a rapid, integrated device for diagnosing ear infections, and a continuous analyte sensor device to improve healthcare.
The ear infection device uses a proprietary algorithm for diagnosis. Beacuse ear infections can only be visually diagnosed, doctors overprescribe antibiotics. Botvinick developed a handheld device for doctors that quickly conducts invasive measurement using LED arrays, works through earwax and was validated in a 30-subject pediatric clinical study. Botvinick’s team is also designing a home device for parents which integrates a thermometer. So far the team has completed market analysis.
Botvinick’s other project, a mobile continuous biomarker monitor – originally developed at the request of the military – monitors lactate levels (an indicator of low cell oxygen) in sepsis, trauma and cardiac events. The team is currently fulfilling regulatory requirements. The next steps are to validate that the device improves health outcomes and to develop industry partnerships. This device can also be adapted to monitor blood sugar.
• Professor Anand K. Ganesan, UCI School of Medicine, is developing small molecule drugs to inhibit growth of early-stage melanoma. Most treatments target on stage four melanoma and are not very selective, but stage three disease is more common than stage four disease. However, current therapies have a low response rate and all stage four therapies have significant adverse events. Ganesan’s group has identified a specific pathway for stage three disease using RoJ-A as a marker.
• Professor Kenneth J. Shea, Department of Chemistry, is developing a therapeutic bandage for treating venom-induced tissue necrosis. There are three to four million victims of snake bites a year. Shea’s goal is to develop a broad spectrum antivenom, but the challenge is that snake venom is dirty with lots of isoforms. His compound PLA2 binds with certain venom proteins across multiple species and neutralizes them. He is currently seeking SBIR funding and exploring development of a generalized antidote from different protein groups. The next steps will be to scale up synthesis and conduct field testing.