iBRIDGE CONVERSATION

I think everyone will agree with me when I say Cancer is scary. But there are some truly exciting innovations when it comes to curing these crazy diseases. The most recent one I read about I took a particular interest in. It was created by student start-up called Aura Biosciences and is a really exciting way of delivering cancer killing drugs to the tumors. Since chemotherapy releases drugs to the body, it kills both healthy and hazardous cells. Well, this my friend is where it gets exciting…the Nanosmart particle contains the drugs until they reach the tumor, then releases them! This is different from the other nanodelivery systems because it has the potential to be even more targeted. Pretty cool concept! Check out more here.

This month, we are excited to offer our members a few new benefits! I think the most exciting one is that while the other benefits of your membership will stay the same, members now are able to post as many innovations as they can using data synchronization tools with the API or bulk upload!

And, after using these tools, our members can nominate a faculty member to attend the University Startups National Conference or apply to receive a simulcast Webcast of EmTech!

Want to learn more? Visit Membership Benefits. Not a member, but interested in learning how to become one? Contact us!

Per an email sent to iBridge Network members today…

We’re writing to let you know that our privacy policy and terms of use have been updated. We do not expect to send you many emails of this nature, but sometimes it is necessary.

In addition to this news, we also have some other exciting updates and developments. The iBridge Network now has over 3,000 innovations and research objects posted from 38 campuses located across the United States. With visitors from over 5,200 cities, representing over 150 countries, the Network is moving forward boundlessly.

Innovations listed on the site are in a range of subject areas that vary from cell lines to software to nanotechnology to agricultural substances.

What are you interested in? Perhaps…

• Needle-Free Liquid Jet Injector for Drug and Vaccine Delivery - Most vaccines and protein therapeutics are currently delivered using needles and syringes. Despite their common use, needle-based methods have several limitations such as needle phobia, accidental needle sticks and re-use of needles and syringes in developing countries leading to a large number of HIV and HBV cases.
• Hydrogen Generation from Solar Energy - The idea of splitting water with sunlight is quite old, but the current efficiency of such systems is only 7%-12%. This invention incorporates photovoltaic cells (PV) and micro-chemical reactors to create an integrated device that utilizes light energy to convert water into hydrogen at a more efficient rate than current technologies. The device is compact, scalable, and can be manufactured using conventional integrated circuit manufacturing technology.
• Improved contrast agent for MRI using fluorinated nanoparticles - Washington University is actively seeking partners to further develop an innovative new contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging that could revolutionize diagnostic imaging. The agent, which uses fluorinated nanoparticles, enhances the use of MRI for diagnosing cardiovascular disease.
• Test Offers Early Detection of Melanomas and Other Cancers - A new blood and tissue test can detect metastatic cancer at an early and treatable stage. This noninvasive test detects over 95% of advanced melanomas and is up to 1,000-fold more sensitive than other testing methods, enabling it to detect very low levels of cancer.

Keep visiting the iBridge Web site or subscribe to find out about the new innovations posted to the site regularly.

Who knows what you’ll find?

Best,

The iBridge Network Team

P.S. Watch for the upcoming inaugural issue of the iBridge Network Newsletter. In this regular publication, you will enjoy learning more about what the Network is doing as well as the work of the Kauffman Foundation in the area of advancing innovation and entrepreneurism.

The UIDP is coming, the UIDP is coming! We are so excited for this meeting to be held at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation from April 9-10. It is the first conference of its kind; focusing on open innovation and open collaboration between universities and industries. We are thrilled to see real models in place and learn how it’s done! The iBridge Network will also have a booth at the conference, so we can share how we make university developed research easy to access for anyone with access to the internet.

I just returned from beautiful, sunny Palm Springs, CA and DEMO 08. It’s been a year since we re-launched the iBridge Network there, and it was great to be back! As part of the Kauffman Foundation’s sponsorship, we had a booth and a panel of faculty. Dr. Steven Barlow, from the University of Kansas and Dr. Yannis Papakonstantinou, from the University of California, San Diego, gave their insights on the research and turning ideas into innovations. In addition to our outstanding panel, I want to give many congratulations to all the DEMO God winners for 2008. There were so many outstanding innovations and products, it was really amazing to see all of them in action during the demonstrations. I loved the Pulse Smartpen and Livescribe Paper, it is a computer in a pen that records and links audio to the paper! I know pretty amazing, if only I had that in college. The other product that really caught my eye was Flypaper. Flypaper allows the regular Joe to create multimedia communication without having to figure out Flash. I can’t wait until they are all available to the public, so I can put them to good use!

We also had many questions for the iBridge Network, and many people who have heard about us through the grapevine. We were able to demonstrate the functionality of the Web site and show many of the exciting innovations that you all have posted.

As you may have read in the iBridge Network Newsletter, Laura is speaking in Boston at the Investing in Tech Transfer & Early Stage Conference from October 17 -18, 2007.
Sound interesting? We think so! IBF, the group hosting the conference, has offered iBridge Network members discounted registration fees - scroll to the bottom of this post for more information!

The audience will include a range of people who all play a role in ensuring that university research and technology leads to further innovation such as research & development scientists, tech transfer executives from university and research labs, private equity investors, new business development executives, venture capitalists, and corporate investors. We are excited to introduce them to the iBridge Network and our members!

The conference covers a range of topics from How & Why Venture Capitalists are Funding University and Research Spin Outs to Investing in Academic Research to Tech Transfer in Medical Centers, Life Sciences, Clean Tech and Nanotech.

Come join Laura in Boston! IBF Conferences have offered iBridge Network members a discounted registration rate of $100 off of the emerging growth rate of $895. To receive this price, enter S-KINUN when you register. To register, and to learn more, click here or contact Cathy Fenn, IBF’s Registrar at 516-765-9005 x 210 or Cathy@IBFConferences.com

The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) today issued its 2007 FLC Awards: Awards for Excellence in Technology Transfer. Among the winners is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and AerovectRX Corp., which licensed CDC technology that allows therapies and vaccines to be administered via an easy-to-breathe mist.

According to the FLC’s awards material, CDC and AerovectRX are being honored for their ability to partner and successfully commercialize innovation developed by the federal government.

In one other award category, Dr. Theresa Baus won the “Outstanding Technology Transfer Professional Award.” Baus is head of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center’s Office of Research and Technology Applications. Baus was honored this year, according to the FLC, for her work in developing a new model to “forge relationships between the Navy and the private sector.”

The FLC is a federally chartered organization, established in 1974, that acts as a national network of federal lab and research institutes.

The interest in the iBridge Network and Web site continues to grow, which we are very excited about! In case you haven’t had the opportunity to join one of our information sessions, we’ve scheduled a few more in the coming weeks.

They are:

• Mon, March 12, 11:00 AM Central
• Fri, March 16, 2:00 PM Central
• Tue, March 20, 3:00 PM Central
• Wed, March 28, 10:00 AM Central

We hope that one of these times works for you! Please register for the meeting date by going to https://kauffman.webex.com. You will be asked to enter your contact information so that registration details can be e-mailed to you.

Don’t come alone! Feel free to extend this invitation to others in your organization. (Please note: All attendees must register separately on https://kauffman.webex.com.)

If you can’t make these times, don’t worry – we’ll offer more online information sessions in the months to come. Bookmark www.iBridgeNetwork.com and check back often for the latest news about the iBridge Network. Also, e-mail us at info@iBridgeNetwork.com, with any additional questions.

Remember, with the iBridge Network, you’re only one step away from finding your missing link!

The interest in the iBridge Network and Web site continues to grow, which we are very excited about! In case you haven’t had the opportunity to join one of our information sessions, we’ve scheduled a few more in the coming weeks.

They are:

• Mon, March 12, 11:00 AM Central
• Fri, March 16, 2:00 PM Central
• Tue, March 20, 3:00 PM Central
• Wed, March 28, 10:00 AM Central

We hope that one of these times works for you! Please register for the meeting date by going to https://kauffman.webex.com. You will be asked to enter your contact information so that registration details can be e-mailed to you.

Don’t come alone! Feel free to extend this invitation to others in your organization. (Please note: All attendees must register separately on https://kauffman.webex.com.)

If you can’t make these times, don’t worry – we’ll offer more online information sessions in the months to come. Bookmark www.iBridgeNetwork.com and check back often for the latest news about the iBridge Network. Also, e-mail us at info@iBridgeNetwork.com, with any additional questions.

Remember, with the iBridge Network, you’re only one step away from finding your missing link!