A UNIT OF THE U-M MEDICAL SCHOOL OFFICE OF RESEARCH
January 19, 2017
Upcoming Events :
EVENT   DATE WHO SHOULD ATTEND
License vs. Startup - the Great Debate
CLICK HERE to view a PDF flyer for this event.


Friday,
January 20, 2017
12:00pm-1:00pm
Taubman Health Sciences Library, Rm. 6000
FREE LUNCH
Entrepreneurs and researchers will hear from a panel of Tech Transfer experts who will debate the pros and cons of license vs startup. The panel includes Chris Fick, Ph.D., Senior Licensing Specialist, Life Sciences & Medical Devices; Ed Pagani, Ph.D., Associate Director, Health Technologies; Dave Repp, M.B.A., Assistant Director, Venture Center; and Dave Olson, Ph.D., Mentor-in-Residence. This event is part of our approved CME series. CLICK HERE to register.
Launching Your Biomedial Innovation: MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub and New Statewide Resources

Wednesday,     January 25, 2017 5:30pm-8:00pm
U-M Flint, Innovation Incubator
432 N. Saginaw St., Suite 207
Flint

Biomedical researchers can attend this workshop that offers an in-depth look at the University of Michigan's new statewide MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub, including the program's Mi-Kickstart early-stage and Mi-TRAC mid-stage funding opportunities available for biomedical translational research projects across the state with high commercial potential. Register to attend by yourself or as a project team.
FFMI firstPACE: Case Study - Inhaled Insulin


Wednesday,
January 25, 2017
5:30pm-6:30pm
Kellogg Eye Center, Oliphant Auditorium 
This event is open to the public. Attendees will be given the opportunity to dissect and gain critical knowledge on how different aspects of the business market can influence an innovation. The Exubera case study focuses on both positive and negative aspects that can make or break a business program. CLICK HERE to register.
FFMI firstPACE: Value Proposition, Customer Discovery, & Stakeholder Maps 

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Wednesday,
February 1, 2017
5:30pm-6:30pm Kellogg Eye Center, Oliphant Auditorium
Innovators will learn how to build, articulate, and defend a plan for their venture with the appropriate breadth and depth. CLICK HERE to register.
Mi-TRAC
Congratulations 2017 Mi-TRAC Awardees
11 projects selected for funding from a competitive field

The University of Michigan MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub recently held its Oversight Committee meeting to determine the 2017 Mi-TRAC mid-stage funding awardees. This is the first round of Mi-TRAC funding since U-M became the
Rick Neubig and Scott Larsen present to the MTRAC Oversight Committee
Innovation Hub, a statewide program co-managed by FFMI and U-M Tech Transfer that supports translational research projects in life sciences with high commercial potential.

At the meeting, 14 finalists from the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, and Henry Ford Health System presented proof-of-concept projects to the Oversight Committee, which is comprised of global biotech business experts and U-M leaders in translational science and tech transfer. Of these teams, 11 were selected for funding:

Principal Investigator
Proposal Title
Jimo Borjigin  Electrocardiomatrix (ECM): A New Method for Detection of Cardiac Arrhythmias
Benjamin Buller and Mark Katakowski  Commercialization of a Wide-Ranging Exosome Platform for Treatment of Stroke
Mark Burns, Kevin Ward, and Chandu Vemuri  Microfluidic Device for the Measurement of Viscosity, Coagulation, and Red Blood Cell Deformability in Blood
Xudong Fan and Kevin Ward Micro Gas Chromatography and Breathomics for Acute Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Acute Lung Injury
Craig Freidrich Antibacterial Orthopaedic Implant Commercialization
Michael Lanham OnTrack-Development and Evaluation of Software Medication Management Service for Infertility Patients
Scott Larsen and Rick Neubig Development of a Highly Potent Inhibitor of the Rho/MRTF/SRF Pathway as A Novel Oral Therapeutic for Scleroderma
Sophia Merajver and Matthew Soellner Dual c-Src/p38 Inhibitor for Triple Negative Breast Cancer
James Moon and Anna Schwendeman A Novel Nano-Vaccine Technology for Cancer Immunotherapy
Muneesh Tewari and Nils Walter A High-Specificity, Direct Single Molecule Counting Technology to Enable Cell-Free DNA-Based Liquid Biopsy for Oncology
James Varani Novel, Non-Irritating Retinoids for the Treatment of Acne

Questions about Mi-TRAC? Contact Brad Martin, MTRAC for Life Sciences Commercialization Program Director, at bradmart@umich.edu or 734-936-8577.
Mi-Kickstart
Mi-Kickstart Proposals Due February 1
Early-stage funding for biomedical innovation

Fast Forward Medical Innovation is accepting proposals for the Mi-Kickstart early-stage funding program.
 
Mi-Kickstart Awards, made possible by the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization for Life Sciences Innovation Hub, the William Davidson Foundation, and the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, enable biomedical researchers across the state to develop proof of concept for innovative technologies. This award is aimed to enhance the commercial potential of a technology to the point of translation and possible inclusion in Mi-TRAC or other research funding programs.
 
CLICK HERE to access the RFP.

If you have questions, please contact MTRAC for Life Sciences Tech Mining Specialist Nick Dehaan at nmdehaan@umich.edu or MTRAC for Life Sciences Tech Mining Specialist Michelle Larkin at michcote@umich.edu.
gi
Coming Soon - U-M Fast Forward GI Innovation Fund Kickoff 
Three-year program targets discovery and development of future tech to help GI patients

Are you a researcher working in the GI field and interested in innovation and commercialization? Join the Fast Forward Medical Innovation team as they kick off the latest round of this $500,000+ funding program targeting discovery and development of future technologies to help patients suffering from gastrointestinal disease. This fund was made possible by a generous gift from Mary Petrovich, U-M College of Engineering alumna and friend of Michigan Medicine.

U-M Fast Forward GI Innovation Fund Kickoff
Monday, February 27, 2017
1:00pm-4:30pm
Palmer Commons, Great Lakes Room
CLICK HERE to register

At this event, you'll have a chance to meet past awardees and learn more about past successful applications. For more information, contact Visha Krishnan, FFMI Senior Business Analyst, at kvisha@umich.edu or 734-764-2891.
lifescience
Life Science Venture Trends for 2017
Standing room only at FFMI's first event of the year

Does your technology address unmet needs? Is it merely an incremental change? Will it cut costs? And who's the ultimate payer? Are your potential investors sympathetic with your goals and those of your startup?
 
An audience of 70+ biomedical innovators from across Michigan learned about these questions and more from a panel of national investment experts who journeyed to Ann Arbor the first week of January for FFMI MTRAC's Oversight Committee Meeting. Ann Arbor SPARK and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation were our co-sponsors for the event, which was moderated by Tom Shehab, M.D., Partner, Arboretum Ventures, Ann Arbor, MI, and included James Eadie, M.D., Sante Ventures, Austin, TX; Michael Henderson, M.D., Vice President of Asset Acquisition, Strategy, and Operations, BridgeBio, Palo Alto, CA; and Donna See, M.B.A., M.P.H., Allied Minds, New York, NY. Attendees also learned more about the tools and resources available to innovators and startups, including the new statewide MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub .
 
CLICK HERE to watch the video of the panel session.
fastpace
Calling All Innovators! 
Sign up for our 4-week FFMI fastPACE course to help move your innovation along the commercialization pathway

Do you have an innovative idea? Are you looking for funding, collaboration, and mentorship? FFMI fastPACE, formerly the Early Tech Development Course, is launching its 6th cohort starting March 10. To date, 71 project teams have completed this 4-week biomedical commercialization course, featured in the Journal of Academic Medicine, that is  designed for the busy medical academician with an early-stage project.  

During the  course, tailored to accommodate your busy schedule, teams work with experienced mentors to share and review projects, provide constructive feedback, and offer peer support. It blends in-person and online education to help faculty researchers and clinicians prepare a successful business case for funding and development partnerships.

In addition, FFMI can partner you with medical students who are part of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Path of Excellence and eager to assist in project development and expand their exposure to up-and-coming innovations.

Interested in bringing FFMI  fastPACE to your institution? The FFMI Education Partnership Program now offers a "Train the Trainer" component that gives you information and tools to customize the program to your institution's specific needs.

For questions or early enrollment, email Jon Servoss (FFMI Commercialization Program Manager) at servossj@umich.edu, or Grace Murphy (FFMI Commercialization Education Coordinator) at gramurph@umich.edu. Online registration is coming soon.
staff
Introducing Our New FFMI Staff Members

The FFMI team is excited to introduce two new staff members. 

Grace Murphy joins us as the FFMI Commercialization Education Coordinator, working with MICHR and MTRAC for Life Sciences Innovation Hub partners to extend the FFMI commercialization education programs outside of UMMS. Prior to this position, Grace successfully managed the FFMI firstPACE series (CME credit lectures) and special events as an Education Project Specialist. Before joining FFMI, Grace lived in the Boston area and was part of the Creative Services teams for Converse, Inc., TJX (TJMaxx), and Stride Rite Children's Group where she managed creative operations and commercial production. Grace is originally from the Detroit area and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit.


Margarita Sifuentes has a dual-reporting role with the Medical School as our new Education Coordinator for the Path of Excellence (POE) Innovation & Entrepreneurship. In her position, Margarita works closely with Mark Cohen, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Director of the POE, as well as FFMI's Jon Servoss to bring innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship learning opportunities to M1-M4 students enrolled in the Innovation POE. Prior to joining FFMI, Margarita was the Graduate Student Programming Designer as part of the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology where she helped create and design programs to help grad students build skills for the doctoral application process and future academic work. Margarita earned her B.S. in biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from U-M this past fall.
tbi
Funding Opportunity: Traumatic Brain Injury
Register Today!

The Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care (MCIRCC) will host its third Grand Challenge, thanks to the Joyce and Don Massey Family Foundation. 
    
The Massey TBI Grand Challenge will fund integrated science teams that can develop and deliver innovative solutions to improve patient outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). 
    
Up to $600,000 is available to fund the development of diagnostic, device, therapeutic, or health IT solutions that address the initial "golden hours'" of care after severe TBI (generally the first 48 hours). Treatment administered during this critical timeframe can determine patient survival and have a significant effect on long-term function and disability. 

Massey TBI Grand Challenge
February 17, 2017
8:30am-5:00pm
North Campus Research Complex
Building 18, Dining Hall
CLICK HERE to register

To be considered for funding, you must attend the Grand Challenge event. 

If you have any questions, please contact masseygrandchallenge@umich.edu

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Office of Research
Fast Forward Medical Innovation is part of the Office of Research, where our mission is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the U-M Medical School community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact.