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Transcript of Horizons magazine
The newsletter of The University of Texas System Office of Technology Commercialization Summer & Fall 2012
It’s About Time
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
How revolutionary technology from a UT HSC–Houston spin-out is mitigating the negative effects of strokes.
UTweet15 UT System Institutions,
15 twitter feeds to follow
Better, Stronger, FasterCommercialization highlights from around UT System institutions over the past year
FundamentalsA new venture fund for UT System startups
A message from the Vice Chancellor
Welcome to the first edition of Horizons – a publication of The University of Texas System (UT System) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC).
Big things are afoot at the UT System OTC. Beginning in the Fall of 2011, OTC was realigned to be a part of the Office of General Counsel. The new alignment increases efficiency by leveraging important working relationships across all staff levels and will create an even closer working relationship between myself as General Counsel and Bryan Allinson, Executive Director of Technology Commercialization and Advisory Services, to better serve the UT System’s commercialization goals.
Combined with the launch of the UT System Horizon Fund and establishment of the Chancellor’s Technology Commercialization Advisory Cabinet, the UT System is committing more resources and sharpening focus on elevating UT System commercialization to the very top of the market.
We hope you enjoy Horizons and will stay with us as we launch even more initiatives in this vital area, in the months to come.
– Barry Burgdorf
On The Horizon 1
In Brief 2It’s About Time 4Technology Showcase 6
Chancellor’s Technology Cabinet 9
Technology Transfer and Research Committee 12
T H E O F F I C E O F TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION
B A R RY B U R G D O R FVice Chancellor and General Counsel
F R A N C I S C O G . C I G A R R O AChancellor, UT System
B RYA N A L L I N S O NExecutive Director
ABOUT HORIZONS
Horizons is published by
the Office of Technology
Commercialization (OTC) at
the University of Texas System.
Horizons is dedicated to
showcasing the newest
developments in technology
commercialization at the
UT System, as well as detailing
new ventures coming from
within the OTC. For additional
information about Horizons or
its contents, contact us via
email at [email protected].
CONTENTS
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
1
The University of Texas System Horizon FundAn exclusive UT startup venture fund
seeks to expand entrepreneurial opportunities
and enhance the University’s stake in
its investments
The University of Texas System (UT System)
has the abundance of talent and brilliant
minds necessary to bring new and ground-
breaking innovations to the world. But
translating ideas into usable technologies
isn’t always easy, and for faculty and
students, with limitations on time necessary
to commercialize research, the challenges
can be daunting. The UT System’s Horizon
Fund aims bridge the gap between the
emerging technologies coming out of UT
and their real world applications.
A mutually beneficial, two-way street, the
Horizon Fund focuses on funding new and
existing ventures while striving to provide
the UT System with the potential for a return
on investment.
“The UT Horizon Fund is the strategic fund
of the UT System focusing on UT owned
technologies, assets, faculty and students,”
said Bryan Allinson, Executive Director of the
Office of Technology Commercialization. “A
startup that has not licensed a UT owned IP
is not eligible for investment.”
The Horizon Fund is comprised of both new
and existing venture development. This ensures
that the Fund will be able to reach ventures
at any stage in the development process.
The $10 million dollar Fund is evergreen,
meaning that generated returns are put back
into the Fund for contribution toward other
investments and to grow the Fund itself.
“Soon, I envision a larger fund focused on
serving all of the venture needs of the
UT System, including thematic partnership,
multi-institutional collaborations and staffed
by principals with experience in different
strategic fields,” said Allinson. “The fund will
also make use of entrepreneurs-in-residence
to help establish and grow new ventures.”
The Horizon Fund has already invested in
several companies, and with plans for
expanding its scope, it’s fast becoming the
centerpiece of the UT System’s efforts to
commercialize its institutions’ technologies
and deliver the ideas of its faculty and
researchers to the world.
Horizon Fund Competition supports student-led technology
While the UT Horizon Fund aims to improve
commercialization of UT technologies and
returns on previous investments, the Fund’s
Student Investment Competition (SIC) strives
to improve returns of our most valuable asset
—our students.
The SIC seeks promising technology-based
enterprise opportunities led by students
from all 15 UT System institutions. Only
students who are attending a UT System
institution or who have recently graduated
from one are eligible to participate. The SIC
integrates with and enhances existing
investment competitions, such as Texas
Venture Labs at UT Austin.
The SIC is not a challenge for students
with a new idea or plan for development or
implementation of an idea. Rather, it’s a
competition for proposals representing real
opportunities for real UT System investment
returns, but lacking the funding necessary
for proposal enactment.
The SIC top prize winner receives $50k in
seed investment funding with additional
co-investment opportunities available through
the Horizon Fund’s New Ventures program.
This past June, UT student Jordan Kaufmann’s
startup Cardiovate was named the Student
Investment Competition winner for 2012. A
recent biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate
of the UTSA College of Engineering, Jordan is
helping Cardiovate develop a new stent-graft
that has been shown to prevent aneurysm
leakage following cardiovascular surgery.
Other finalists included Prinda Wanakule
(UT Austin, biomedical engineering), Daniel
Mendez (UTSA, mechanical engineering), and
a team of students from UT Dallas and UT
Austin: Alejandro Chapa (UTD), Johnathan
Plappert (UT Austin) and Landon Elfenbein (UTD).
SIC Finalists included UTSA, UTHSCSA, UTD and UT Austin
The new venture development aspect
focuses on providing UT System startups with
experienced business leaders who will allow
the ventures to be successful, as well as
positioning the companies for success through
the proof of relevance stage of product
development. One of the most critical steps for
new companies is seasoned guidance during
the proof of concept stages of development.
Funding to attract skilled entrepreneurs affords
leadership and experience for new companies
that they would otherwise be without. Helping
startups through these steps by decreasing
the chance of failure equates to better returns
for the UT System.
The existing venture development aspect
concentrates on maintaining the UT System’s
equity in its investments. Diluting equity in
previous investments can cause the UT System
to miss out on returns that could otherwise
be put toward future research and ventures.
For example, Stanford’s co-investment in
Google prior to its IPO resulted in $336 million
going back to the university1. Ensuring that
previous investments are being followed up on
and protected will safeguard the UT System’s
stake in these startups and garner greater
returns for the System.
UT HORIZON FUND AT A GLANCE
1 http://www.redorbit.com/news/education/318480/ stanford_earns_336_million_off_google_stock/
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
2
In early 2012, the planned secure data and large
volume repository of the UT System’s Research
Cyberinfrastructure (UTRC) initiative came online,
marking a major milestone in UTRC’s progress.
The initiative is comprised of three components: a
high bandwidth inter-institution network, access to
top-of-the-line computing and visualization resources
at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at
UT Austin, and the recently completed secure data
repository. The shared data storage housed at UT
Arlington and UT Austin will give researchers from
different locations access to a single data source.
Chris Jordan, leader of the Data Management and
Collections group at TACC and chair of the storage
committee for the UTRC initiative, explains, “At five
petabytes of initial raw capacity, the data repository
component of the UTRC will provide a highly scalable
and reliable pool of storage to researchers at all
System institutions, providing a high performance
solution to address the data management challenges
of 21st century research.”
Part of Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa’s Framework
for Advancing Excellence Action Plan, the UTRC will
bring high-performance computer connectivity
across all 15 UT institutions. The upgraded network
will allow for transmission and reception of data of
up to 10 gigabits per second. Additionally, the TACC
now operates the Lonestar 4 super computing
system and has made it available to all researchers
within the UT System.
“Lonestar is one of the most powerful supercomput-
ing systems in the world dedicated to open science
research and thus provides researchers at System
institutions with a scientific— and competitive—
advantage,” said TACC Director Jay Boisseau. “Our
staff is supporting researchers with new projects in
science, engineering, and biomedical research that
will enable important new discoveries to be made
here in Texas.”
The three components are designed to work together
and enhance one another, giving all System institu-
tions access to a world-class computing system. The
projects were funded by a $23 million allocation by
the UT System Board of Regents.
IN B
RIEF
All Systems Go Next generation network gives UT System institutions the edge
Three UT System health institutions
were awarded over $13 million in
grants from the state to support
cancer prevention and research.
The awards amount to nearly half
of the $29 million distributed
annually by the Cancer Prevention
and Research Institute of Texas
(CPRIT). UT Southwestern Medical
Center received $5.6 million, UT
Health Science Center at Houston
received $4.7 million and UT Health
Science Center at San Antonio
received $2.7 million. The grants
will fund six research projects
aimed at prevention efforts for
several different types of cancer,
including breast, cervix and colon
cancers. CPRIT has awarded grants
to eleven UT System institutions
since its inception in 2007.
UT System awarded cancer prevention, research grants
UT Austin professor Dr. James W. McGinnity has developed a new oral
formulation of oxycontin with time-delay binding agents to circumvent abuse
by drug addicts. Marketed by Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the tamper-proof
formulation is expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue with
UT Austin receiving significant royalties. In August 2011, UT Austin presented
preliminary results to the UT System Board of Regents, Technology Transfer and
Research Committee.
Dr. James W. McGinnity
UT Austin professor formulates tamper-proof oxycontin
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
3
HELPING CLINICIANS DELIVER BETTER CARE.
The Texas Medical Research Collaborative
(TxMRC), a research partnership between
several Texas-based health and engineering
institutions, has distributed funding for new
research projects across the state. The proj-
ects, presented by engineers and medical
researchers from North Texas, will receive
assistance by faculty from The University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Founded in 2009, TxMRC has given $1.2 million
in grants. This year, they distributed $500,000.
Partners include UT Arlington, UT Dallas, The
University of North Texas Health Science
Center in Fort Worth, Texas Instruments and
Texas Health Research & Education Institute.
“This effort brings top minds from the University
of Texas System’s academic institutions
including engineering and computer technology
from UT Arlington and UT Dallas”, said Dale
Klein, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs at UT Austin.
“TxMRC helps create and establish bedside
to bench to bedside collaborations. Clinicians
help identify problems that can be solved by
engineers and scientists at UT who can then
in turn work to deliver better products and
services back to the clinical bedside,” said
Patricia Hurn, Associate Vice Chancellor for
Health Affairs at the UT System.
Researchers that have received TxMRC
funding have high praise for the benefits
collaborations provide. Mehrdad Nourani,
Ph.D., professor of electrical engineering at
UTD and principal investigator for the “Smart
Bed” project affirms that collaboration allows
clinicians to explain needs to be addressed.
Engineers then offer solutions for implemen-
tation back to the real world.
The “Smart Bed” will be able to detect early
onset of a pressure ulcer and use technology
to analyze, monitor and redistribute pressure.
This proof-of-concept prototype will be a part
of a larger collaborative project to be submit-
ted to the National Science Foundation.
Without the collaboration facilitated by
TxMRC, brainstorming and identifying solutions
involved in the development of the “Smart
Bed” would be more difficult and less stream-
lined. Research and new funding sources for
further development are currently underway.
TxMRC Brings the Best in Texas Together
New search engine gives public easy access to patent information
Searching for research and patent
assets at any UT System institution
is about to get much easier. A new
search engine will soon allow visi-
tors to search data compiled from
research, news, facilities and laborato-
ries across the entire UT System.
“The launch of this technology and
research database with public search
capabilities is the culmination of a vi-
sion the UT System has had for quite
some time,” said Barry Burgdorf, UT
System Vice Chancellor and General
Counsel. “It serves two important goals
of the Board of Regents – transparency
and heightened efforts to improve
and extend the reach of our technology
transfer across the UT System. The
search engine makes it easy for
potential investors to find out every-
thing they need to know about any
patent or technology coming from the
UT System.”
Patent searches will also yield contact
information for technology commer-
cialization officers responsible for
overseeing developing technologies
at their respective institutions.
The new system streamlines the
process of searching through the vast
amount of UT System-produced
research. And by making this informa-
tion easily available to the public, it
will help facilitate the transformation
of research into commercially
feasible opportunities and help the
System to realize investment returns.
Mehrdad Nourani, Ph.D.,
and principal investigator of
the “Smart Bed” project
Human-Robot Interaction System for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorders (RoDiCA)
Dan Popa, UTA
Nicoleta Burgnariu, UNTHSC
A Wireless Micro Gastro-Stimulator for Treatment of Severe Gastric Dysmotility
Jung-Chih Chiao, UTA
Dereje Agonafer, UTA
Hoi Lee, UTD
Jin Liu, UTD
Rajeev Jain, THPHD
Cerebrospinal FluidFlow Measurement and Monitoring for Ventricular Shunts
Mehrdad Nourani, UTD
Zeynep Celik-Butler, UTA
Donald Butler, UTA
Sabatino Bianco, THAMH
Non-Invasive Salivary Diagnostics of Diabetics Using Sensitive Nanoelectric Biosensor Strip
Walter Hu, UTD
Paul Bowman, UNTHSC
Nusrath Habiba, UNTHSC
Kimberly Fulda, UNTHSC
Embedding Passive Wireless Shear/Pressure Sensors in Shoes for Diabetic Foot Diagnostics and Ulcer Prevention
Haiying Huang, UTA
Bhaskar Banerjee, UTD
Matthew Pompeo, THPHD
Travis Motley, UNTHSCPast
TxM
RC G
rant
Rec
ipie
nts
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
4
It’s About Time
Cerevast’s new ultrasound stroke treatment
device may be the key to making up
for delayed treatment and the reason many
patients will be able to fully recover.
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
5
Cerevast’s new ultrasound stroke treatment
device may be the key to making up
for delayed treatment and the reason many
patients will be able to fully recover.
About 87 percent of all strokes are ischemic. These strokes occur when the arteries that carry blood to the brain become blocked and cannot deliver sufficient oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells. A lack of oxygen can cause these cells to die, resulting in permanent brain damage and eventually death. Ischemic strokes are commonly caused by blood clots that interrupt blood flow in an area of the brain. People suffering from this type of stroke stand a better chance of avoiding long-term disability when given clot-busing intravenous thrombolysis within three hours of the first symptom.
Unfortunately, due to patient and emergency staff delays, only a small fraction of ischemic stroke patients receive thrombo-lytic therapy when it matters most, leaving doctors in critical need of a faster, more precise and more reliable method of treatment.
With its revolutionary Clotbust ER™ stroke treatment device, Cerevast Therapeutics—a University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston spin-out and one of the first companies to receive funding from the UT Horizon Fund—hopes to give patients suffering from ischemic stroke a fighting chance at a full recovery.
With the introduction of the revolutionary Clotbust ER™, Cerevast is reducing barriers to critical stroke treatment.
Designed for rapid deployment in the emergency room setting, the Clotbust ER™ uses non-invasive techniques to deliver therapeutic levels of ultrasound energy to “lyse” or disrupt blood clots and dissipate occluded vessels affected by ischemic stroke, when used in combination with intravenous thrombolytic therapy.
Integrated software ensures delivery of consistent therapeutic levels of the ultrasound energy required to achieve acoustic streaming, i.e., transformation of ultrasound beam energy into energy of fluid motion, making Clotbust ER™ operator independent.
With proprietary software managing the treatment process, Clotbust ER™ removes the need for—and potential delays associated with—securing the assistance of a trained sonogra-pher or vascular technician in an already stressful emergency room setting. Because Clotbust ER™ requires the absolute minimum level of expertise for operation, emergency room
personnel, paramedics and other health care professionals will be empowered to help people in critical need of stroke treatment.
“The Clotbust ER™ significantly reduces the technical challenges associated with the administration of transcranial ultrasound for the treatment of ischemic stroke,” said Bradford A. Zakes, CEO of Cerevast. “Unlike conventional Doppler instruments that are designed and approved for diagnostic purposes only, the Clotbust ER™ delivers therapeutic ultra-sound energy to the region of the occlusion without the need to aim the transducer or hold it in place by hand for extended periods of time.” Recognized by the American Heart Association as one of the top three single most important contributions to the advance-ment of stroke treatment, the Clotbust ER™ clinical trial results support the use of ultrasound in reducing the harmful effects of stroke already in progress and in repairing some if not all of the damage done by the stroke.
Cerevast has already received approval to commercialize Clotbust ER™ in Europe, and with the pending success of current trials, hopes to bring it to the United States and other areas of the world soon.
“The operator-independent design of the Clotbust ER™ enables safe, fast and reliable amplification of systemic thrombolytic treatment in the emergency room setting,” said Andrei Alexandrov, MD, Professor of Neurology and Director, UAB Comprehensive Stroke Research Center. “I look forward to the benefit this product will bring to those patients that suffer the debilitating effects of an ischemic stroke.”
Dr. Alexandrov, formerly with UTHSC-H at the time of the invention, is one of the inventors on the patents now licensed to Cerevast. To learn more about Cerevast and Clotbust ER,™ visit cerevast.com
Above: Graph showing results of the CLOTBUST clinical trial. Marked improvements in both short-term as
well as long-term treatments when the Clotbust ER was used in conjunction with traditional methods.All information and pictures courtesy of 2011 Cerevast Executive Summary
Above: Cerevast’s new Clotbust ER system
Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a
leading cause of serious, long-term adult disability. Reducing
delays in treatment can save lives and limit disabilities.
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
6
New primer will lead to stronger roads and a cleaner environment
TECH
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Terra-Prime
Terra-Prime is a carbonaceous material stabilizer
primer for the construction and maintaining of roads
and pavements developed by Dr. Yetkin Yildirim,
Director of Texas Pavement Preservation Center in the
UT Austin Cockrell School of Engineering.
Pursuit of an environmentally safe replacement to
MC-30 gave rise to a new technology for road
pavement primers known as Terra-Prime. Based on
superior performance tests, environmental benefits
and economic profile, Terra-Prime has the potential to
replace MC-30, a primer used globally to stabilize
roads and as an asphalt wearing surface.
The technology is licensed to TERRA PAVE International
and has been proven to perform at the same level as
MC-30 cutback asphalt in permeability and penetra tion,
but above all, is more environmentally friendly than
MC-30 and similar alternatives. While MC-30 coats
have a curing time of 6-7 days, Terra-Prime can be
cured in half of that time. Road coats prepared using
Terra Prime have an 8-9 times increase in strength
using penetrometer.
Moreover, a current testing program, sponsored by
UT Austin, revealed that modified formulations of
Terra-Prime, namely Top Seal Black and Terra Fog,
have the potential for other uses as well.
The University of Texas at Austin has patented technology behind
Terra-Prime, a new environmentally friendly primer for the construction
and maintanence of roads and pavements.
There are 18.4 million miles of road construction worldwide, 4 million in the US and 0.7 million in Texas.
The composition of soil found at these worksites varies greatly and often requires stabilization since changes in
composition affect road performance greatly.
The most widely used primer in the world today is MC-30, a flammable and toxic substance banned in many
areas and one which requires extra infrastructure to safe-gaurd, distribute and apply.
Considering the risks of existing products, a research project was performed at UT-Austin which resulted in the
invention of Terra-Prime. Tests show it has the highest strength among all tested prime coat materials, both
under dry and wet conditions, and surpassing, many times over, the threshold of MC-30.
As the world moves towards green technologies, the invention of Terra-Prime may bring about a revolution in
the use of prime coat layer. It’s an environmentally-friendly product with no VOC emissions, cures faster than
MC-30 and works with existing application equpiment, avoiding any extra financial burden to the industry.
Given these advantages, Terra Prime is well-positioned to replace MC-30 as the leading prime coat sealant in
the world.
T H E T E C H :
T H E TA R G E T:
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
7
UTEP startup recreates ancient Mayan pigments
After some 15 years of rigorous
research at UT El Paso (UTEP)
laboratories and in Central
America, Mayan Pigments, Inc.,
has unlocked the secret to
creating organic, brilliant
and enduring pigments like
those still brightly visible in
Mayan ruins.
Mayan Pigments, Inc., a UTEP
startup, has been working
closely with a West Coast
producer of all natural, non-toxic
and environmentally friendly
arts and crafts products. Red,
blue and yellow pigments are
being supplied by Mayan
and are key colorants in
the company’s paints
and crayons. Inspired
by Mayan frescoes,
the U.S.-manufac-
tured pigments
are free of heavy
metals and created
using an eco-friendly
process that produces
only water as the by-product.
Tapping the potential of embryo-free stem cells
StemBioSys, a biomedical
company led by Steven A. Davis,
M.D., chief executive officer,
and Xiao-Dong Chen, M.D.,
Ph.D., chief scientific officer and
an associate professor in the
Dental School at the UT Health
Science Center at San Antonio,
has entered into a licensing
agreement with South Texas
Technology Management to
commercialize a new system to
isolate and expand stem cells
from umbilical cord blood on a
global scale.
Stem cells are the cornerstone
of regenerative medicine, which
seeks to restore tissues
deteriorated by age, disease or
injury. Dr. Chen’s work focuses
on the isolation, expansion and
use of native, pluripotent
mesenchymal stem cells
(MSCs) isolated from umbilical
cord blood. Thanks to their
pluripotency— the ability to
differentiate into multiple types
of body cells and tissues —
these MSCs have the potential
for broad clinical applications.
While dubbed “embryonic-like”
MSCs, they are not from embryos.
“It has been widely assumed that
very small numbers of MSCs
exist in umbilical cord blood, but
StemBioSys’ novel extracellular
matrix (ECM) can isolate and
expand these in far greater
numbers,” Dr. Davis said.
One challenge with expanding
the stem cells is that they lose
their capacity to become differ-
ent types of cells. StemBioSys
solves this problem too.
“Our lab has developed a system
to rapidly expand [MSCs] and
slow down the loss of their stem
cell properties,” said Dr. Chen.
The StemBioSys’ system is
based on four pending patents,
all of which are licensed. The
first is for the ECM, the second
is for a method of isolating
stem cells from umbilical cord
blood and the remaining two
are focused on the use of the
cells themselves.
With its novel technologies,
StemBioSys is advancing ongoing
research and bringing the world
closer to realizing the stem cell
therapy promise.
Terapio tech combats radiation exposure
Founded in 2005 based on
intellectual property developed
at UT Arlington by Dr. Sanjay
Awasth, Terapio Corporation is
developing a pipeline of
therapeutic applications based
on the unique properties of
RLIP76, a transport protein that
moves large molecules across
cell membranes.
The first application of Terapio’s
technology is as a radiation
countermeasure, which studies
have shown to significantly
increase the overall survival rate
after exposure to lethal doses of
radiation. A second application is
for a promising drug delivery platform.
Noting the potential of these
and other applications, Santé
Ventures has provided Terapio
$5 million in equity financing.
Terapio previously received $3.2
million from the Texas Emerging
Technology Fund, the National
Institutes of Health and angel
investors.
“We have been following this
company’s scientific progress
since inception,” said Santé
Ventures Managing Director,
Kevin Lalande. “While keenly
aware of the challenging
fundraising environment for
early-stage biopharmaceutical
companies, we nevertheless
found in Terapio a compelling
combination of platform
technology with applications in
multiple large target markets.”
Chevron, UT Austin, addressing the demand for oil
The University of Texas at
Austin and the Chevron
Energy Technology Company
(a subsidiary of Chevron
Corporation) signed a
licensing agreement bringing
together two world-class
organizations to address the
growing demand for oil.
With more countries
industrializing and relying on
oil to run their economies,
mature oil fields are nearing
the end of their primary cycles
and previously discarded
methods for enhanced oil
recovery methods are being
re-evaluated. To address this
emerging issue, Dr. Gary A.
Pope, a researcher and the
director of the Center for
Petroleum and Geosystems
Engineering at UT Austin has
developed a new type of
surfactants to enable oil to
be obtained from areas with
too high of a water content to
be recovered using traditional
methods. Enhanced oil
recovery provides an opportu-
nity to produce more oil from
existing and sometimes nearly
depleted oil fields throughout
the world.
Find more information at
www.engr.utexas.edu.
H O R I Z O N SH O R I Z O N S
8
Chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), Alzheimer’s, cancer — the more intractable the disease
the greater the need for breakthrough medicines. Translating
innovative science into such medicine is what UT Southwestern
startup Reata Pharmaceuticals is on a mission to do.
Founded in 2002, Reata is developing a portfolio of oral drugs
that mimic the body’s natural mechanisms for regulating
inflammation. These new drugs, called antioxidant inflammation
modulators (AIMs), target the Nrf2 protein that protects against
inflammation and oxidative stress.
By activating Nrf2, AIMs help promote the production of a wide
range of antioxidant, detoxification and anti-inflammatory genes,
helping the body to more aggressively defend itself from a host
of difficult to treat chronic inflammatory diseases.
Reata’s most advanced AIM has proven extremely effective in
combating chronic kidney disease, a condition that affects over
26 million Americans. Now in a pivotal Phase III trial, the hope is
that the drug can be developed
into a therapeutic agent that can
reverse the effects of diabetic
kidney disease.
Since incorporation, Reata has
raised $215 million in private
financing, the majority of which
has come from investors in Texas.
In 2010, it secured business
development funding worth over
$1 billion, comprised in part of
funds from a co-development deal
with Abbott Laboratories, which
ranks as the largest agreement of
its kind in the history of the industry. A second agreement with
Abbott was announced in 2011.
Reata is a prime example how a University of Texas System
institution can transform discovery into major biotech advance-
ment, and ultimately help people suffering from debilitating
disease.
More information can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu and
www.reatapharma.com.
UT Austin battery tech positive for economy and environment
UT Austin is partnering with
Hydro-Quebec, Canada’s largest
electricity generator and the
world’s largest hydroelectricity
generator, to commercialize new
lithium-ion rechargeable batteries
developed by Dr. John B.
Goodenough, Professor and
Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial
Chair in Engineering.
Recipient of the 2009 Enrico
Fermi Award and 2001 Japan Prize,
Goodenough’s research led to
lighter, longer-lasting batteries. In
addition to being inexpensive and
capable of thousands of charge
cycles without capacity loss,
Goodenough’s technology provides
a safe and environmentally
friendly solution for transportation
and storage applications, and is
expected to have an enormous
impact on the U.S. economy.
The partnership includes down-
stream royalties and represents
the UT Austin’s largest ever up
front payment.
UTMB grants worldwide license for cannula technology
The UT Medical Branch-Galveston
granted a worldwide exclusive
license to Avalon Laboratories for a
novel double lumen extracorporeal
life support (ECLS) cannula (i.e.,
medical tube) developed by
Joseph Zwischenberger, M.D.
and Dongfang Wang, M.D. The
new ECLS cannula can be placed
into a vessel without surgical
incision. It also provides total
respiratory support for ICU
patients when coupled with an
external pump and oxygenator.
TECH
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Above: Reata’s
bardoxolone methyl
AIM is in final stages
of testing while various
other AIM’s are still in
pre-clinical trials. Image
courtesy of Reata.
UT Southwestern Medical Center startup
AIMs for success
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The newly formed Chancellor’s Technology
Commercialization Advisory Cabinet is
dedicated to transforming research and
discoveries into technologies that will fulfill
the University of Texas System mission
while benefitting society.
“The [Cabinet] is extremely important because
it allows UT System leadership to receive
constructive input from the private sector
and learn first hand from both successes and
failures in the commercialization arena,” said
UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa.
“The Cabinet will be pivotal in enhancing
[our] effectiveness in translating discover-
ies and inventions from our faculty to the
benefit of humanity.”
David G. BoothChairman, Co-CEO
Dimensional Fund Advisors
Clint W. BybeeCo-founder, Managing Director
ARCH Venture Partners
Ernest H. Cockrell President, Director
The Cockrell Foundation
Jonathan J. FlemingManaging General Partner Oxford Bioscience Partners
Thomas J. MeredithCo-founder, General Partner
Meritage Capital, LP
James J. MulvaChairman, CEO ConocoPhillips
Ron NixonCo-founding Principal
The Catalyst Group, Inc.
Robert B. RowlingOwner, ChairmanTRT Holdings, Inc.
Dr. Joseph C. SalamoneCo-founder
Polymer Technology Corporation
Charles W. TateChairman, Founding Partner
Capital Royalty
Ralph B. ThomasSenior VP, Portfolio Manager
Fayez Sarofim & Co.
John D. ThorntonGeneral Partner Austin Ventures
Rex W. TillersonChairman, CEO
ExxonMobil
“When the technology reaches the market, we expect it to become the product of choice for orthopedic and neurosurgeons who recognize the need for better bone graft materials.”- Daniel Oh President, GenOsteo
BONE SCAFFOLD TECHNOLOGY PUTS UTSA CLOSER TO TIER 1
GenOsteo—UTSA’s first faculty startup, first company to receive an IP license and first New Venture incubator company —joined with Austin-based SpineSmith Partners to bring new synthetic scaffold technology to market.
The UTSA-developed scaffold uses adult stem cells (ASCs) to produce highly effective bone graft material for use in spinal fusion operations and to restore bone loss due to trauma or disease.
“Our scaffold offers surgeons a new and better way to deliver ASCs to promote bone formation,” said Daniel Oh, President and CSO of GenOsteo and a member of the development team. “Delivering the right type of cells on the right scaffold will improve clinical results in or-thopedic bone grafting procedures.”
What was formerly a teaching university is slowly becoming a source of cutting edge biomedical technologies.
“This is the first example of UTSA bringing together the right environment of faculty research, university policy, IP management and collaboration with the business community to launch faculty-initiated technology ventures from the university,” said Cory Hallam, Director of the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship.
“[It’s] truly an example of UTSA’s continued climb toward being a Tier One research university.”
THE CHANCELLOR’S TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION ADVISORY CABINET
New group brings commercialization expertise to the UT System
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Decades of research at UTHSCT yields potential treatment for lung disease
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SalvapaseTM
scuPA, also known as SalvapaseTM, is a new therapeutic
approach to treating loculation and scar formation in
the lung pleural space.
A new, non-surgical technology, scuPA’s advantages
include resistance to inhibition/inactivation, a high
degree of dosing latitude and bioavailability in 24 hrs
(normally an impediment for a successful druggable
compound).
To date, the project is funded by the Fisch Foundation,
the Riter Foundation, the Genecov Foundation and
previously the UT System Texas Ignition Fund (TIF).
scuPA technology also represents the first ever
funded project by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute through the SMARTT program (Science
Moving towArds Research Translation and Therapy),
supporting the transition of potential new therapies
for heart, lung, and blood diseases from the lab to the
testing needed to establish their safety and effectiveness
in people.
Clinical trials, expected in the next 2-3 years, will study
whether or not scuPA may decrease morbidity and
shorten time spent in the hospital.
The Center for Biomedical Research at the University of Texas Health
Science Center at Tyler is developing SalvapaseTM —a treatment for
plueral disease in the lungs commonly caused by pneumonia, cancer
and tuberculosis—to replace expensive and invasive existing treatments.
Pleural disease and infection affects 80,000 people in the US and UK
annually. The disease encompasses many different conditions including
the scarring of tissue, the accumulation of fluid in membranes and the
escape of air from the lungs into the chest cavity. Although pleural
disease does not actually, at first, infect the lungs themselves, it does
damage the lining of the lungs, called pleura, and impair lung function.
Patients suffering from ventricular failure, cirrhosis, bacterial
pneumonia, cancer and tuberculosis— just some of the leading causes
of pleural infection—are expected to benefit greatly by the advances
made by UTHSCT and scuPA technology by attempting to deliver a
therapeutic (druggable) intervention to replace a costly and harmful
surgical treatment.
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UTSA grad student develops one-of-a-kind stent
A new stent-graft named TESAR has been shown to prevent aneurysm
leakage following cardiovascular surgery and has the potential to prevent
tens of thousands of aortic aneurysm ruptures, ultimately reducing
health care costs and complications for patients.
About 1.2 million people in the U.S. suffer from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Aneurysm rupture is the nation’s
13th leading cause of death with surgeons performing about 65,000 abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs
annually. However, one out of every six patients experiences stent-graft leakage from traditional stent-grafts in
the month following surgery and additionally, 20 to 30 percent of patients require corrective surgery as much as
six to eight years later.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and
legs becomes abnormally large or balloons outward. The exact cause is unknown, but risk factors for
developing an aortic aneurysm include: Smoking, High blood pressure, High cholesterol, Male gender, Emphy-
sema, Genetic factors, Obesity. An abdominal aortic aneurysm can develop in anyone, but is most often seen
in males over 60 who have one or more risk factors. The larger the aneurysm, the more likely it is to rupture
and break open.
T H E TA R G E T:
TESAR (Cardiovate)
Tissue Engineering Scaffold for Aneurysm Repair
(TESAR) creates a tissue barrier between the blood
and the aneurysm after it is implanted. The scaffold
promotes healthy tissue formation to repave the
aneurysm wall. Once the scaffold is in place, the
aneurysm stops expanding and the risk of rupture
decreases. After new tissue is in place, the scaffold
degrades and is safely reabsorbed by the body.
The technology has been shown in the laboratory to
reduce post-operative complications during aneurysm
repair surgery such as the need for additional
corrective surgeries following the initial procedure.
Also, the natural tissue is a better match for biological
healing than the materials found in traditional stent-grafts.
Developed jointly between UTHSCSA and UTSA,
graduate student Jordan Kaufmann, working with
Dr. Mauli Agrawal (Dean of Engineering at UTSA) and
Steven Bailey (division chief for cardiology at UTHSCSA),
designed the unique stent-graft as part of her doctoral
research in biomedical engineering. The stent represents
the only one of its kind in the $507 million cardiovas-
cular stent-graft market.
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BY PROVIDING an exemplary and transformative education experience, the University of Texas System is preparing the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, educators and leaders. It’s what the University of Texas (UT) System is known for and why we’re one of the top university systems in the country. Less obvious but imperative to our high-level of success are the behind-the-scenes resources afforded by UT System business activities. In a struggling economy where state funding is less and less reliable, ensuring the greatest return on our most valuable assets—the innovations of our staff and students–is more important than ever.
Enter the Technology Transfer and Research (TTR) Committee. Established in 2011, the TTR Committee is dedicated to the effective management of UT System resources and commer-cialization of its world-class research and technologies. In addition to ensuring the UT System with greater financial returns, the Committee is helping the UT System to improve Texas communities, industries and economies as well as those of the entire world. James Dannenbaum, Chairman of the committee, said “the TTR committee has its sights set on improving commercialization at the UT System and its member institutions.”
FROM OBSTACLES TO OPPORTUNITIES
Before engaging in new efforts, the UT System needed to identify roadblocks standing in the way. The Changing Landscape of Technology Commercialization Symposium, dedicated to the sharing of ideas, insights and best practices that drive success in the commercialization of intellectual property, provided the perfect opportunity.
Upon closer examination, two key issues rose to the top:
While the UT System was brimming with talent and innovation, it wasn’t fully protecting its assets nor pursuing opportunities. By refining and reinvesting into the commercialization processes, the UT System can position itself for improved returns on patents, licensing and startups.
From evergreen funding to enhanced intelligence, the newly formed Technology Transfer and Research Committee is set on putting the UT System at the top of the nation for research commercialization and ROI.
By focusing on sustainability, the UT System can more effectively commercialize technologies without relying on short-term, one-time successes.
By connecting better with investors and entrepreneurs, the UT System had a greater chance of getting startups off the ground.
Focus on sustainable commercialization
Lack of early stage capital, limited awareness
1
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In 2011, the
Association
of University
Technology
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universities
in several
different
categories.
At right is
how the
UT System
fared.
TOTAL RESEARCH FUNDING
2nd
ISSUED PATENTS
STARTUPS
LICENSES
3rd
4th
5th
successOne Committee, UNLIMITED
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STRIDES TOWARD GREATER RETURNS
• Horizon Fund• Research and Technology search engine • Increased technology commercialization intelligence and education
To fulfill its mission, the TTR Com-mittee approved several different initiatives laid out by the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) including the Horizon Fund, a new
Research and Technology search engine, and increased intelligence and education around UT System’s technology commercialization.
The Horizon Fund* — a strategic evergreen fund used to invest in ideas and scientific breakthroughs developed at UT institutions — is up and running and has already started investing in UT startups.
“The University of Texas secures very valuable investment rights from the success of its enormous capacity for innovation and invention,” said Regent Alex Cranberg. “Until now, our otherwise highly capable System has had little ability to take advantage of these potentially lucrative opportunities.”
The hope is that the Fund’s Existing Ventures Program will bring the UT System’s license income up to par with the nation’s other leading universities.
Likewise, the Research and Technology search engine, which debuted in March 2012, allows the public and potential investors to get a better look at what the UT System has to offer in terms of assets and investment opportunities.
“I’m excited about the potential of the Research and Technology search engine to connect scientists and funders working on related problems in cross disciplinary ways,” said Cranberg.
“Better information infrastructure such as this will help tax-payers and students who fund much UT research to better understand the value of their important investment.”
Additionally, the UT System has taken steps to fulfill its objectives of gaining intelligence and education.
Hard at work since the 2011 Symposium, TTR Committee initiatives are starting to yield results, signaling a new era of discovery and promise of future success.
*For more information on the UT Horizon Fund, visit
www.utsystem.edu/technology-commercialization/funds.html
Meet the Comm i t t ee“The TTR committee has its sights set on improving commercialization at the UT System and its member institutions.”
- James Dannenbaum Chairman, TTR Committee
James D. Dannenbaum A UT Austin alumnus with a degree in civil engineering, Regent Dannenbaum was named “Engineer of the Year for 2004” by the Greater Houston Chapter of Texas Society of Professional Engineers, and “2004 TSPE Outstanding Engineer of the Year for the State of Texas” by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. Regent Dannenbaum is active in various UT organizations including the Chancellor’s Council, the President’s Associates, the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Development Board, and the Medical School Advisory Committee. Mr. Dannenbaum has also served as a member of the board of the Society for the Performing Arts, the Sam Houston Council Boy Scouts of America, and the March of Dimes.
R. Steven HicksA veteran of the radio industry, Regent Hicks founded and
served as chief executive officer of Capstar Broadcasting Corporation. In 1996, he was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was recognized as Broadcaster of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters. Mr. Hicks serves on numerous charitable and professional boards including Harden Healthcare, DMX, Andrew Harper, CPO Commerce, Healthtronics, Inc., and Austin Recovery.
Alex M. CranbergMr. Cranberg is Chairman of Aspect Holdings, LLC., which
has drilled over 500 exploration wells and made many oil and gas discoveries in Texas and Louisiana, Belize, Hungary, and Kurdistan. Aspect has also founded numerous venture technology-driven oil field service companies. Mr. Cranberg has been active in education philanthropy; he founded the Alliance for Choice in Education, which has provided tens of millions of dollars in scholarship support for children from low-income families to attend private schools.
Brenda PejovichMs. Pejovich is CEO of BFG Management Company LLC and Brenda Pejovich Group LLC, a North Texas based operations consulting and executive search firm. Her public service record includes gubernatorial appointments to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Building & Procurement Commission, and Texas Mutual Insurance Company. Ms. Pejovich is cofounder of the Professor Svetozar Pejovich Future Leaders Award and a prime sponsor of the World War II Memorial located on the capitol grounds in Austin, Texas.
Printice L. GaryMr. Gary founded Carleton Residential Properties in 1991 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner. He has served on the Boards of the Dallas Citizens Council, the North Texas Tollway Authority, Pro-line Corporation and the Texas Tax Reform Commission. He currently serves on the board of the Southwestern Medical Foundation and the National Equity Fund in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his Master’s of Business degree from Harvard University.
Office of Technology Commercializationwww.utsystem.edu/technology-commercialization
Engaging our community
UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT TYLER ON TWITTER: @UTSCT
A cardiologist at UTHSCT claims that losing
an hour due to daylight savings can lead to an
increased risk for health-related issues
UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER–HOUSTONON TWITTER: @UThealth
Doctors at UT Health discover that listening to
Mozart while performing colonoscopies raised the
detection rate of adenomas from 30% to 67%
UT PERMIAN BASINON TWITTER: @utpb
UTPB hosts the 2012 West Texas Guitar Festival
which featured world class talent as well as a
guitar competition for high school students
UT MD ANDERSONON TWITTER: @MDAndersonNews
A $1 million donation from AT&T helps MDA’s tele-
surgery venture that aims to provide specialized
care to underserved communities in Texas
UT EL PASOON TWITTER: @utepnews
UTEP’s School of Nursing has double the national
average of male nursing students with 22% of its
nursing students being male, 370 in total
UT BROWNSVILLEON TWITTER: @UTBrownsville
It will be up to UT Brownsville students to choose
a new mascot after UTB ends its two decade
long partnership with Texas Southmost College
UT AUSTINON TWITTER: @UTAustin
Thomas Smith, visual effects producer for Star Wars,
Star Trek,and Indiana Jones movies has donated his
archives to the Harry Ransom Center
UT SAN ANTONIOON TWITTER: @UTSanantonio
UTSA becomes only the second university in the
nation to train PhD level psychologists who will
specialize in military health care
UT ARLINGTONON TWITTER: @UTArlington
UTA advances to the “Environmental Eight” in
national environmental tournament. The tournament
evaluates schools’ environmental studies programs
UT MEDICAL BRANCH–GALVESTONON TWITTER: @UTMB_news
After Hurricane Ike, UTMB Galveston completes
its $36 million mondernization project to update
John Sealy Hospital
UT TYLER ON TWITTER: @UTTyler
Ranks in the top 10 in Texas for graduating its
students in 4 years (at a rate of 24.8%) while offering
the lowest tuition of the 10
UT DALLAS ON TWITTER: @UT_Dallas
A recent $3 million gift from Texas Instruments
brings UT Dallas to over $110 million of its $200
million goal for being a Tier 1 university
UT HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER–SAN ANTONIO ON TWITTER: @uthscsa
Researchers find that seratonin, the chemical
that produces pleasure, is absorbed too efficiently
to be transmitted by children with autism
UT PAN AMERICANON TWITTER: @UTPA
UTPA sees 4th and 5th graders from schools in
both Texas and Mexico meet on campus for the
Festival of International Books and Arts
UT SOUTHWESTERNON TWITTER: @UTSWnews
UTSW was named the #1 medical school in
Texas by U.S. News. It ranks 21st and 20th in the
nation for primary care and research respectively
Keeping the UT System community
and followers around the world
current on the exciting developments
and research coming out of the
UT System is easy, thanks to Twitter.
In 140 characters or less, all 15
UT System institutions are using
the Twittersphere to communicate
everything from clinical trial progression
and new venture funding to academic
recognition and events.
The UT System on twitter.com/UTInnovations