The Biomarker Factory: A Source of Funding for Filling the Gap in Translational Medicine between Biomedical Discovery and Utility in Clinical Practice

Jeffrey Shuster, Ph.D., General Manager, the Biomarker Factory

April's seminar discussed the funding that is currently available from the Biomarker Factory.
Jeffrey Shuster, Ph.D., General Manager, the Biomarker Factory

Presentation by Jeffrey Shuster

Carolina KickStart: Commercializing Biomedical Technologies through Startup Generation

Don Rose, Carolina Kickstart

March’s Carolina Innovations Seminar welcomes Don Rose, director of Carolina KickStart. He will be providing insight into the opportunities, resources, and challenges for company creation at UNC. A focus of the discussion will be the efforts of the KickStart program, which has an emphasis in the following areas: educating faculty and students on how to commercialize technology through company formation; funding promising technologies and emerging companies through a grant program; connecting faculty with outside resources that can provide services, advice, funding, and management expertise; and providing incubation services and expertise to early-stage companies.

Seed/Early Stage Investing Trends and Resources

David Rizzo, President and CEO, NC IDEA / IDEA Fund Partners

February’s Carolina Innovation Seminar welcomed David Rizzo, President and CEO of NC IDEA / IDEA Fund Partners and some colleagues and recipients of services. In addition to providing an overview of the resources their organizations provide, he discussed current trends in the seed and early stage investment space so critical to UNC start-up companies.

Presentation by David Rizzo

Innovations in Global Health

Doris J. Rouse, Vice President, Global Health Technologies, RTI International

The Carolina Innovations Seminar series started off 2013 by welcoming Dr. Doris Rouse from RTI International. Dr. Rouse provided insight into current trends and efforts in global health innovation. Her experience in this field ranges from developing products using new venture investment models to improving health in low resource settings.

Presentation by Doris Rouse

The Impact of Patent Law Changes and Rulings on UNC Inventions

Michelle McMullen-Tack and Steve Sarussi, McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

OTD’s December Carolina Innovations Seminar featured a discussion around the impact of recent Supreme Court and Federal Circuit Court rulings on university technology transfer. Also highlighted at the session was the key impacts of the America Invents Act on UNC inventors, who noted important changes to patent law--especially with a number of changes scheduled to occur in March 2013. We were joined by speakers from McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff, a national intellectual property law firm.

PowerPoint Presentation by Michelle McMullen-Tack and Steve Sarussi

Council for Entrepreneurial Development Overview

Jay Bigelow, Director of Entrepreneurship, CED

For November’s Carolina Innovations Seminar, OTD welcomed Jay Bigelow from the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), the Southeast’s largest and oldest entrepreneurial support organization. Jay provided an overview of the mission and resources of CED, as well as some case studies of how UNC efforts might engage with the organization.

PowerPoint Presentation by Jay Bigelow

Introducing the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network

Bob Creeden

For October’s Carolina Innovations Seminar, Bob Creeden will provide an overview of the Blackstone
Entrepreneurs Network , as well as some discussion of how the Network can play a significant role with UNC. Funded by a $3.6 million grant from The Blackstone Charitable Foundation in New York, the Network joins Duke, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development to unleash the region's innovation potential through growth entrepreneurship.

PowerPoint Presentation by Bob Creeden

Engines of Innovation - The Entrepreneurial University in the 21st Century

Buck Goldstein

For the first Carolina Innovations Seminar session of the year, OTD is pleased to welcome Buck Goldstein, the University Entrepreneur in Residence, who will be providing insight from the title work, co-authored in 2010 with Chancellor Holden Thorp. Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the 21st Century makes the case for the pivotal role of research universities as agents of societal change. Buck will share observations on the response to and impact of that work, as well as his thoughts on how the culture of innovation continues to evolve here at UNC

Leveraging Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Advanced Manufacturing

Kirsten Rieth

OTD’s April Carolina Innovations Seminar presented a look at the national emphasis to create and apply innovations in advanced manufacturing technology. Advanced manufacturing can mean many things--from robotics algorithms to nanomaterials. Speaking on this topic was Kirsten Rieth from the Innovation Advisors group at RTI International. RTI is working in multiple areas with national organizations to foster development of advanced manufacturing technology, from working with small manufacturers on technology adoption to commercializing manufacturing technology from NASA. New federal programs and possible collaboration opportunities were also discussed.

Presentation by Kirsten Rieth

Entrepreneurship on Campus: Launching the Venture and Medtech-ID

Patrick Vernon

Andrew DiMeo

OTD’s March Carolina Innovations Seminar welcomed speakers from two university entrepreneurial programs: Launching the Venture and Medtech-ID. Patrick Vernon and Dr. Andrew DiMeo provided updates on their respective programs and introduced some recent efforts to emerge out of UNC and NCSU.

MedTechID Presentation Part 1

MedTechID Presentation Part 2

Vernon Presentation

Supporting Innovation in Advanced Medical Technologies

Cindy Clark, President, ibiliti

OTD’s February Carolina Innovations Seminar welcomed Cindy Clark of ibiliti as its headline speaker. Cindy provided an overview of ibiliti and insight on medical technology opportunities in North Carolina. ibiliti, a non-profit organization, accelerates the growth and commercialization of medical technologies in North Carolina by uniting human, intellectual and financial assets toward significant discoveries that improve lives. In 2009, they received a Center of Innovation grant through the N.C. Biotechnology Center.

Powerpoint Presentation by Cindy Clark

A Funding Environment for Early-Stage Ventures

Christy Shaffer & Clay Thorp Hatteras Venture Partners

OTD’s January Carolina Innovations Seminar provided insight into the current funding environment for early-stage, start-up ventures. Bringing their expertise on the matter were presenters Clay Thorp and Christy Shaffer of Hatteras Venture Partners. They described their outlook on sources of seed and early-stage financing, with a focus on what opportunities might be available to UNC’s entrepreneurs.

America Invents Act: Patent Reform and Inventorship Standards

Mitch Bigel, Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec, P.A.

OTD’s December Carolina Innovations Seminar will explore the impact of patent reform via the recently signed America Invents Act, as well as review patent inventorship standards and intellectual property strategies relevant to copyright works. Speaking on these topics will be Mitch Bigel, of Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec, P.A.

Powerpoint Presentation by Mitch Bigel

Overview of the Drug Discovery Center of Innovation

Paula J. Ehrlich, President & CEO

OTD’s November Carolina Innovations Seminar will provide an overview of the Drug Discovery Center of Innovation (DDCOI), its goals and activities, as well as potential opportunities for collaboration and interaction with UNC and its researchers. The DDCOI's mission is to provide pharmaceutical expertise and project management resources to accelerate the translation of discoveries into therapeutics. The DDCOI offers a non-profit alternative to more traditional approaches to early drug development.

Transition from Grad School to Start-Up Company:
Perspectives from UNC Alumni

Jeff Terrell, Chief Tech-nology Office, Altometrics

Rich Holloway, VP Product Development, Morphormics

For OTD’s October Carolina Innovations Seminar, Jeff Terrell (Altometrics) and Rich Holloway (Morphormics) will join us to discuss their transition and pathway from UNC graduate student to working at a UNC start-up company. Jeff and Rich will compare and contrast life at a university with life at a small/emerging business. From founding an organization to driving growth and profitability, this session aims to offer insight to current and future entrepreneurs.

Presentation by Rich Holloway

"Accelerating Innovation at Carolina"

Judith Cone, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Innovation & Entre- preneurship

Ms. Cone's role is to assist the Chancellor, a serial entrepreneur and respected scientist, in strengthening a university-wide culture of innovation. Carolina’s commitment to a rich liberal arts education and top professional programs equips our faculty, staff, and students to assess the current state of knowledge in a discipline, augment that knowledge through rigorous new research, and share the results of this new knowledge in ways that benefit North Carolina, the United States, and the world. Ms. Cone will give a brief overview of the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, its role in helping the Carolina community move important ideas forward into innovations, what has been accomplished thus far, and plans for the future.

Powerpoint Presentation by Judith Cone

"Partnering and Product Development--A Case Study of
Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals"

Sheila Mikhail, J.D., M.B.A.
Life Sciences Law

Sheila Mikhail, founder and managing member of Life Sciences Law, discussed partnering and product development strategies critical to the early stage success of biotech companies. Sheila shared lessons on this topic from her involvement in the growth of Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals. Inspiration was founded in 2004 to address new, improved, and more affordable treatments for hemophilia by two families with children suffering with the disease. Inspiration is currently in clinical studies with an IV recombinant factor IX for the treatment and prevention of bleeding in adults and adolescents with hemophilia B.

Presentation by Sheila Mikhail

Dr. Darrel Stafford, Professor, Biology

OTD honored our hard working innovators. A special ceremony was held in which the Provost presented those who have had a patent issue in 2010 with a plaque of the first page of their patent. We also recognized those who submitted a Report of Invention to our office in 2010.

In addition, OTD honored Dr. Darrel Stafford, Professor in the Department of Biology, for his impact and continued contribution to innovation here at UNC. As part of the ceremony, Dr. Stafford presented an overview of his work and the ongoing developments of the commercialization of his research findings.

Michael Meehan, J.D., Ph. D., Knobbe Martens Intellectual Property Law

Dr. Michael Meehan will be discussing ways in which intellectual property can be jeopardized and how you can be proactive in protecting your inventions. Whether performing research within the academic lab, within a start-up company, or as a collaboration between the two, researchers must think strategically about how they intend on protecting and obtaining patent rights to the technologies that result from their work. Dr. Meehan is an attorney with Knobbe Martens Intellectual Property Law, where he handles a wide variety of cases in fields such as computer software, computer-assisted surgery and surgical simulation, and medical devices. Before entering the practice of law, Dr. Meehan was a researcher in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University, working on surgical simulators and preoperative planning systems. He also worked in various internet companies, worked his way up from programmer to chief architect, and finally held the positions of Director of Engineering and Chief Technical Officer. Dr. Meehan obtained his Ph.D. at UNC under Dr. Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., the National Medal of Science recipient, Turing Award winner, best-selling author of The Mythical Man-Month, and founder of the University of North Carolina's computer science department. Dr. Meehan obtained his JD from Stanford University.

Presentation by Dr. Michael Meehan

Brooks Adams, Executive Director and President of the NC Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology

The Centers of Innovation (COIs) grant program was launched by the NC Biotechnology Center
in an effort to make innovation and commercialization a strategic priority for North
Carolina. Each COI focuses on a particular industry sector and their goal is to assist
their academic and industry partners in overcoming commercialization obstacles to arrive
at marketable products. During our February Carolina Innovations Seminar Mr. Brooks Adams
will be presenting his ongoing work as the Executive Director and President of the NC
Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology (COIN). COIN was established in 2009 to
provide resources, including networking, information, and tailored innovation services
to clients in NC to encourage and foster entrepreneurship in nanobiotechnology and
downstream economic growth.

Presentation by Mr. Brooks Adams

Anil Goyal, Ph.D., CLP,
Pres. & CEO, Qualiber, Inc.

From 2003 to 2008, Anil Goyal was the Vice President of Business Development and a member of the senior management team at Serenex, a private venture backed drug discovery and development company based in Durham, NC. Anil led the BD strategic plan that resulted in the acquisition of Serenex by Pfizer in April 08. Prior to completing the acquisition, Anil led a multi-disciplinary team to in-license a phase 2 supportive oncology product which allowed the company to raise $30M in financing. He also established more than a dozen technology collaborations with large pharmaceutical /biotechnology companies including GSK, Pfizer, Aventis, Novartis, Lilly and Amgen. In this month’s seminar, Anil will be sharing his experiences and lessons learned related to the development and sale of this Serenex.

Presentation by Anil Goyal

Merrill Mason, Smith, Anderson et al

David Pierson, Intersouth Partners

The identification of an exciting new technology and the decision to move that technology forward as part of a university spinout company is only the beginning of the adventure.  While eager to see their inventions advance, entrepreneurs must first deal with the legal and financial hurdles that come with such a venture.  In this month’s two part seminar, Merrill Mason of Smith Anderson addressed legal concerns and common legal mistakes made by startup companies.  In the second half hour, David Pierson of Intersouth Partners discussed what makes new biotech ventures attractive for VC investment and offered advice for pitching your idea to potential investors.

Presentation by Merrill Mason, Smith Anderson et al

Presentation by David Pierson, Intersouth Partners

UNC Faculty Members

The Office of Technology Development is pleased to announce our first “Carolina Seeds of Innovation” Showcase. This showcase will highlight several innovative UNC-Chapel Hill technologies. The technologies that will be presented range from renewable energy to novel drug formulations to biocatalysts for pharmaceutical and biodiesel production. We hope that you will come learn more about some of the exciting work that is being done on our campus and also, to learn of collaborative and entrepreneurial opportunities arising from these new technologies. Click here for a list of featured technologies.

 BTM Nanocapsules for Formulation of Drugs and Vaccines and Imaging Agents
Russell J. Mumper, Ph.D.

Improved Industrial Biocatalysts
Rex Williams, Ph.D.

Innovations Today for the Renewable Energy Markets of Tomorrow
Brian Lamb, Ph.D.

John Bradberry, CEO - Ready Founder Services

John Bradberry has worked for two decades as a business consultant, entrepreneur, and investor, and is the author of the upcoming book, Secrets of Startup Success: How to Turn Your Entrepreneurial Passion into a Thriving Business (March, 2011, American Management Association). In researching the book, he discovered that the "secrets" of entrepreneurial success are not so secret, and not very hard to grasp. But founding teams often overlook vital startup fundamentals, severely undercutting their odds of success. So, he turned to a deeper set of questions: Why do so many entrepreneurs fail to take care of the basics? Why do smart people risk everything on untested business ideas? Why do so many founders underestimate their funding needs, adopt pie-in-the-sky sales projections, or dismiss early signs that things are off track? He concluded that one of the primary culprits is the legendary passion that drives so many aspiring entrepreneurs--that entrepreneurial passion is a double-edged sword, driving both success and failure. In this discussion, Mr. Bradberry will explore the upside and the downside of startup passion and provide a framework to help entrepreneurs make the most of their drive, determination, commitment and belief while avoiding the pitfalls and traps that can accompany them.

The Promise and Peril of Entrepreneurial Passion

Stephen Frye, Ph.D.
Jian Jin, Ph.D.

The Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (CICBDD) was created with the mission of enabling translation of basic scientific discoveries into potential human therapeutics. In order to achieve this goal, the center has recruited expertise in assay development, compound screening, medicinal chemistry, and computational chemistry. Dr. Stephen Frye, Director of the CICBDD, will be discussing the goals and ongoing efforts of the CICBDD and the ways that these efforts are helping to position UNC to complete the cycle from basic scientific research through translational drug discovery to clinical studies. Dr. Frye received his B.S. in chemistry from NC State and then his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at UNC before beginning his career at GSK as a medicinal chemist. In 2000, Dr. Frye was selected to lead GSK’s High Throughput Chemistry Group that evolved into Discovery Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Frye joined the UNC School of Pharmacy in 2007 to create the CICBDD in partnership with the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the School of Medicine, and the Department of Chemistry.
Dr. Jian Jin, Associate Director of the CICBDD, will also be joining us to discuss his ‘open source’ approach to discovery of chemical probes for epigenetic targets. Prior to joining the CICBDD in 2008, Dr. Jin had more than 10 years of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery experience at GSK, where he most recently served as a Manager of Medicinal Chemistry from 2003 to 2008. Dr. Jin is currently using his expertise in medicinal chemistry to further collaborative projects with other UNC faculty that have discovered novel therapeutic targets.

Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery