Researchers Address Counterfeiting by Developing Smart, Microscopic Electronic ID Tags

InteliSpark client, OWiC Technologies, wins a phase I Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Science Foundation to develop intelligent, invisible electronic ID tags, linking physical objects to the digital world.

Counterfeiting is a growing business in the United States and across the world. The value of imported counterfeit goods worldwide was $509 billion based on 2016 customs seizure data. Not only does it hurt legitimate companies by tainting their reputations, counterfeiting is dangerous. When lower quality goods enter a supply chain for medical equipment or pharmaceuticals, for example, these products could jeopardize the health and safety of patients.

The New York based start-up, OWiC Technologies, is developing an innovative class of Optical Wireless Integrated Circuits (OWiCs). This research project, led by Dr. Alejandro Cortese, Co-founder of OWiC Technologies and recent graduate of Cornell University, will directly address this global issue of counterfeiting by developing a new OWiC designed specifically for use as a unique ID tag.

This innovative technology will help ensure that products are authentic for consumers as well as ensure quality control for manufacturers as they track components through their supply chains. The unique ID tag is microscopic, low-cost, and secure based on programmable integrated circuits, thereby overcoming the challenges in tagging products or components due to size, security or cost.

Promising New Drug May Treat Severe Flu Cases

InteliSpark client, CytoAgents, is awarded $1.66 million from the National Institutes of Health to research and test the safety and efficacy of a new drug that treats influenza-related hypercytokinemia, a severe immune reaction that may be life-threatening and lead to multiple-organ failure.

Every fall, Americans young and old, get the flu vaccine only to have to take it again the following year and perhaps every year thereafter for the rest of their lives. With the existence of multiple strains and the emergence of new ones, the vaccine does not provide 100% protection even for those who are most diligent in getting the vaccine annually.

An estimated 45 million people contracted the flu in the 2017–2018 influenza season, resulting in 21 million flu-related medical visits, 810,000 flu-related hospitalizations, and 61,000 flu-related deaths. The annual economic burden of the flu on the US healthcare system and society is around $11.2 billion.

The severity of flu varies from person to person with the most extreme cases leaving patients in a state of acute respiratory distress and multi-organ dysfunction. Hypercytokinemia is a severe immune response when a large number of cytokines are released into the body causing infections, autoimmune conditions, or other diseases. Antiviral drugs are not always effective due to the existence of multiple strains. Some patients even develop resistance to antivirals.

CytoAgents, a clinical stage biotechnology company, is revolutionizing the treatment of viral infectious diseases. Their platform technology is based on a well-studied agent that has the potential to mitigate flu-related hypercytokinemia. The NIH Small Business Innovation Research program selected this project for a direct-to-phase II, demonstrating the promise this new drug may have in treating severe cases of the flu.

Federal Funding Advances Innovations in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

InteliSpark client, Bitome, Inc., is awarded a phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to develop automated small molecule monitoring and analysis via miniaturized nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

NMR spectroscopy is versatile and has a wide range of applications. Chemists use NMR spectrometers to probe chemical structures and determine molecular identities. Medical practitioners use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), an application of NMR, for medical diagnostics.

However, NMR systems are expensive and not always user-friendly, thus preventing widespread adoption of NMR spectroscopy. Bitome researchers are developing a platform technology with wide ranging applications to address these key challenges. In this phase I project, they will develop a miniaturized, cost-effective, and user-friendly NMR system to be use in biochemical industrial manufacturing environments. Their innovative, push-button design will allow broader use and reduce manufacturing costs.

Novel Information Tracking System May Improve Work Flow in Operating Rooms

InteliSpark client, M&S Biotics, wins a phase I research grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Technology Transfer program. In partnership with The Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Stuart J. Corr will lead this effort to test and improve a novel system to passively collect and quantify intraoperative data points related to surgical instrument usage.

Many factors may affect patient outcomes from any given surgical procedure including the length of time between the start and end of surgery, known as operative time. Studies indicate that prolonged operative time is correlated with an increased risk of complications and patient deaths. Additionally, poor equipment management in operating rooms may contribute to prolonged operative times. If surgeons were more familiar with surgical equipment and its location in the operating room, they could use their time more efficiently during a procedure.

Currently, no data collection system exists to measure pre-operative planning optimization and equipment usage. M&S Biotics is a healthcare, Internet of Things startup, using analytics to improve efficiency, efficacy and safety of surgical procedures. In phase I of this project, researchers will develop a novel system to passively collect data points related to instrument usage, as well as surgical set optimization, patient outcomes, instrument longevity, technique variation, operating room throughput, and patient safety.

This innovative surgical instrument tracking and information gathering system may have the potential to significantly improve work-flow in operating rooms, allowing surgical teams to work more efficiently during procedures and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Research Funding Advances the Development of Novel Solar Energy Technology

InteliSpark client, nTact, wins a phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new, low-cost and high efficiency perovskite solar cells.

A source of energy that is renewable, accessible and abundant is right outside our window. Scientists have spent many years perfecting ways to harness the sun’s energy into electricity. Solar panels, made up of solar cells which convert the sun’s energy into electricity, have many advantages such as reducing our carbon footprint and reducing electricity bills. And researchers have discovered that a particular type of solar cells, namely perovskite, have increased conversion efficiency from 3% in 2006 to 24% in 2019, showing promise for higher performance. Yet, issues such as device lifetime, high costs, controllable perovskite deposition, and manufacturing processes are setbacks for perovskite solar cells to be competitive in the market.

nTact, in partnership with the Texas State University, will address these issues by advancing to phase II funding of their project to develop reliable, reproducible, cost-effective, and highly efficient perovskite solar cells based on their innovative slot-die coating technique. Researchers will significantly reduce manufacturing and installation costs by using novel technology to make parts that can be printed on plastic foils.

Plant Scientists Will Test Efficacy of Seed Treatment to Combat Foodborne Illness

InteliSpark client, Ascribe Biosciences, wins a phase I Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institutes of Health. Researchers will develop a novel seed treatment based on a natural molecule that activates plant defenses, to potentially prevent sprout-related foodborne illnesses.

Outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have occurred across the United States, causing at least 1,953 illnesses, 212 hospitalization, and 5 deaths between 1996 and 2017. Edible sprouts, including alfalfa, mung bean and clover, are prone to contamination in the seeds by bacterial pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, which has led to severe outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Though some seed treatments exist, no treatment is currently available to completely eliminate pathogens on seeds or sprouts that cause foodborne illness.

Ascribe Biosciences, an agricultural biotech startup, will develop an innovative seed treatment technology that enhances plants’ innate defense against pathogens, which is a great alternative to combatting pathogens with toxins. The research team, led by Dr. Murli Manohar, co-founder and CTO of Ascribe Biosciences, will test the efficacy of their seed treatment in phase I with the hopes of ensuring protection at the seed stage and throughout growth, harvest and point of consumption.

This novel technology has the potential to reduce sprout-related infections and outbreaks across the United States and abroad.

Award-Winning Technology May Improve Infant Formula

InteliSpark client, Zymtronix, is awarded $2.9 million from the National Institutes of Health via the Small Business Innovation Research program. Researchers will have the opportunity to accelerate their work in the production of complex human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) based on their innovative immobilized enzyme technology.

HMOs, the third largest component found in human breast milk, lead to stronger immune systems in breast-fed babies compared to formula-fed babies. HMOs feed good bacteria in the gut and are also absorbed into the baby’s blood stream to support the developing immune system. Broader research is also investigating the possibility of prebiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, and even antiviral properties in HMOs.

According to the Centers of Disease Control, 60% of mothers reported not breastfeeding for as long as they intended to and had to rely on formula. Factors contributing to stopping breastfeeding early include, but are not limited to, issues with lactation and latching, concerns about infant nutrition and weight, unsupportive work policies or lack of maternal leave. For some mothers, breastfeeding is not an option even from the time of birth of their child. Researchers have attempted to introduce HMOs into infant formula, but the biggest challenge is accessibility and affordability of complex synthetic glycans.  

As a recipient of this competitive award, Zymtronix has the potential to advance their work in the production of HMOs to improve infant formula. The company’s unique technology in enzyme immobilization significantly improves HMO production efficiency while also establishes substantial cost savings.

Federal Funding May Advance the Development of a Safer MRI

InteliSpark client, Ferric Contrast, Inc., wins a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for phase II of their project to develop safer compounds used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that will be particularly beneficial for patients who have frequent scans or suffer from chronic kidney disease.

Recent studies indicate that patients with kidney disease that have accumulated gadolinium, a chemical substance commonly used in contrast agents for a MRI, developed nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, a disease of fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Also, further research shows that patients with normal kidney function are also at risk for accumulating gadolinium in the brain during MRI scans.

To address this health risk, Ferric Contrast began developing new iron-based compounds as safer contrast agents for MRI through their phase I NSF funding. In successfully advancing to phase II funding, Ferric Contrast will further develop their new compounds and prepare for toxicity studies in mice, imaging studies in rats, as well as histology and metabolic panels.

Dr. Patrick Burns, Lead Chemist at Ferric Contrast, and Dr. Janet Morrow, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Ferric Contrast, will work in partnership with the University of Buffalo in this project that has the potential to develop safer medical imaging.

How Increased Environmental Health Literacy May Improve Quality of Life

InteliSpark client, ArchieMD, is awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop an educational environmental health literacy toolkit in the form of a smartphone app for secondary and post-secondary students.

Every adult should have the skills and confidence to use data to make decisions or solve problems in the real world. But that is not always the case, particularly when it comes to making decisions about maintaining or improving health. Low levels of numerical and analytical skills and science literacy in individuals may prevent them from understanding environmental data and quantitative risk information. This may lead to exposure to unfavorable environmental conditions that contribute to poorer health outcomes and decreased quality of life.  

ArchieMD, a company that provides visually-based health science education, is addressing this issue by developing a multimedia toolkit to teach environmental health literacy topics related to superfund sites. Superfund sites are polluted areas in the United States where hazardous waste was dumped or improperly managed such as manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites. ArchieMD believes that building literacy around environmental health risks will enable individuals and communities to make informed decisions to maintain or improve quality of life.

In phase I of this federally-funded project, researchers will develop an interactive multimedia smart phone app as an education tool. The aim is to instill foundational environmental health content knowledge in secondary and post-secondary students as well as help them acquire written, numerical and analytical skills. Students will select a polluted site in their vicinity and will learn how to assess and then manage the health risks associated with the environmental exposures of that site. Researchers expect that increased awareness will lead to changes in behavior, ultimately improving quality of life.

Federal Funding Enables Potential Advances in 5G wireless applications

InteliSpark client, Mosaic Microsystems LLC.,  is awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Phase II of their project to develop a packaging platform for the next generation communications electronics such as 5G wireless applications.

The tech industry is constantly evolving to produce higher performance technologies. In particular, the microelectronics industry is always looking for innovative technologies to create devices that are smaller, more power efficient, and lightweight. With the emergence of 5G, power loss is a major concern.

Mosaic Microsystems is addressing this issue through their innovative packaging technology based on their novel thin glass technology. Researchers have successfully advanced to Phase II NSF funding, demonstrating great promise in their technology to improve power efficiency and enable faster communications. The new packaging platform has the possibility for broad commercial and defense applications such as, but not limited to, mobile devices and infrastructure, automotive radar, and internet of things.