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INQBATION LAB & INVO UPDATES
October/November 2024
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The InQbation Lab welcomed its 18th resident startup in September. Melanyze (Prof. Nathan Gianneschi, Weinberg) is developing synthetic melanin nanoparticles that enhance the protective and repair functions of natural melanin, providing advanced solutions for skin protection, wound healing, and radiation dermatitis.
To learn more about InQbation Lab Resident Startups, visit the Q RESIDENT STARTUP PAGE.
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NM-Q MEDICAL DEVICE STUDIO KICKOFF | |
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September marked the start of our second NM-Q Medical Device Studio, a collaboration between Northwestern Medicine's Mansueto Innovation Institute and the Querrey InQbation Lab. The program aims to help NM clinicians advance their ideas from concept to prototype.
This year's program includes a new NM-Q Business Research Fellowship where a cohort of NM Fellows, NM Residents, and 4th-year FSM medical students conducted due diligence on candidate projects. They are mapping the care continuum, talking with stakeholders, and sizing potential markets. We're excited to see what the talented and motivated fellows will accomplish!
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Q PARTNERSHIP WITH MATERIAL IMPACT
In October, the Querrey InQbation Lab was excited to announce that it has begun a new partnership with Material Impact, a Boston-based venture firm. Material Impact's focus lies in innovation in materials science and deep tech. The venture firm already has investments in two Northwestern startups, Mattiq and NanoGraf. The initial focus of the new partnership will be on supporting the Trienens-Q Cleantech Accelerator (see below) as Ben Schlatka, partner at Material Impact, will serve as a Q Executive-in-Residence within our ecosystem. READ MORE
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TRIENENS-Q CLEANTECH ACCELERATOR
Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy and the Querrey InQbation Lab recently joined forces and launched the Trienens-Q Cleantech Accelerator. The accelerator is laser-focused on advancing breakthrough solutions within decarbonization, renewable energy, and sustainability. The inaugural event included a presentation about new startup NylaNova's launch from co-founder Yosi Kratish, and an insightful panel discussion with Ben Schlatka of Material Impact, Gami Maislin of Convergent Ventures, and Shashank Churukanti of Evergreen Climate Innovations, moderated by Prof. Jeffrey Richards. READ MORE
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FOUNDHER 3M SPOTLIGHT
The FoundHer 3-Minute Spotlight is an exciting new opportunity for early-career women research scientists interested in commercialization to level up their communication skills.
The Q is partnering with faculty from The Graduate School's Research Communication Training Program (RCTP) who will lead workshops and coaching in January and February. The program is open to Northwestern PhD candidates, postdocs and research professors.
Applications to participate are now open and will close on Friday, December 20, 2024 at 5pm CT. Only 8 slots are available. APPLY HERE
To learn more, register to attend one of the information sessions that will be held in December.
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FARLEY-Q ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101 BOOTCAMP FOR RESEARCH SCIENTISTS
The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and The Querrey InQbation Lab are co-hosting a second two-day workshop for scientists interested in exposure to entrepreneurship concepts at both a general and more practical level. Scientists will hear from panels consisting of entrepreneurial faculty and former PhD students who became founders of healthcare startups. The workshops provides students the opportunity to think about their own research with a translational lens and, through live workshops, mock customer discovery, and collaborative brainstorming, distill and communicate their technology, the value of it, and the impact of its potential commercial product.
Dates for the bootcamp are February 20 and 21, 2024. If you are interested, please complete THIS FORM.
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2024-2025 Q ENTREPRENEURSHIP FELLOWSHIP
The Q is accepting applications for the second cohort of Q Entrepreneurial Fellows (EF). EFs partner with Northwestern faculty to advance innovations towards commercialization. During the one-year program, Fellows undertake technical development and define commercialization plans. EFs are supported with a one year salary (plus benefits), a $10k stipend, and access to resources like mentoring, instruction and coaching. For more information or to apply, visit the Q EF WEBSITE.
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SNC Therapeutics (Prof. Evan Scott, formerly McCormick) was runner up at CvilleBioHub's BioSpark VA Pitch Competition. The company pitched their Tolerozome platform which helps delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. READ MORE | | |
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Syenex (Prof. Josh Leonard, McCormick) was named a 2024 BioTools Innovator Finalist. The accelerator is the first-ever accelerator focused on life science tools. The company was recognized as one of four finalists out of a cohort of twenty rigorously screened contestants. READ MORE | | |
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Rhaeos (Prof. John Rogers, McCormick) was named Best Patient Impact of the Year in MedTech World's 2024 Awards Gala held in Valetta, Malta. Sponsored by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, the event drew over 3,000 attendees to celebrate advancements in medical technology and the transformation of healthcare. READ MORE | | |
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Yobee (Dr. Ruchi Gupta, Feinberg) was chosen as a runner-up at the Wintrust Business Spotlight competition, which was a joint effort from Chicago Innovation, the Chicago Cubs, and Wintrust, spotlighting minority and women entrepreneurs. READ MORE | | |
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NylaNova (Profs. Tobin Marks and Yosi Kratish, Weinberg) is now live. Visit their new website to learn more about their solution to the global plastic pollution problem. Congratulations! | | |
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Actuate Therapeutics received an Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA for its novel therapeutic, Elraglusib, for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas. The designation provides multiple benefits to the company including regulatory assistance and market exclusivity. READ MORE | | |
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Amphix Bio (Prof. Samuel Stupp, McCormick) received a Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. FDA for its drug-device combination product that regenerates bones. This recognition accelerates the development and review process for Amphix, highlighting the potential of their innovative bone-regenerating technology. READ MORE | | |
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Cour Pharmaceuticals (Prof. Steven Miller, Feinberg) announced positive top-line results from its Phase 2a study of CNP-104, a novel therapeutic for the treatment of Primary Biliary Cholangitis. The drug showed promising clinical and immunological improvements and was well-tolerated. READ MORE | | |
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NanoGraf (Dr. Harold Kung, McCormick) was featured in The New York Times for their progress on creating one of the world's largest silicon anode facilities in Flint, Michigan. This project significantly advances U.S. efforts to onshore the battery supply chain and enhances the performance of domestically made lithium-ion batteries. The news comes after NanoGraf's recent R&D facility opening in Chicago's West Loop for developing more powerful batteries. READ MORE | | |
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Vanqua Bio (Dr. Dimitri Krainc, Feinberg) posted positive interim results from Phase 1 clinical trials of VQ-101, a small molecule allosteric activator of GCase. In healthy volunteers on Phase 1a, VQ-101 demonstrated good tolerability, robust lysosomal GCase activation, and pharmacokinetics consistent with once daily dosing. The study, conducted at Center for Human Drug Research, has advanced to the Phase 1b portion in patients with Parkinson's disease. READ MORE | | |
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Sibel Health (Dr. John Rogers, McCormick) was awarded $525k from the National Institutes of Health's RADx Tech for Maternal Health Challenge. The competition focused on developing technologies for areas with limited access to maternity care, specifically targeting the critical period up to one year after childbirth or the end of pregnancy, when most maternal deaths occur. READ MORE. | | |
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MFNS Tech (Prof. Vinayak Dravid, McCormick) was awarded an SBIR NSF Phase 2 grant to support their efforts in commercializing an affordable and sustainable environmental water remediation technology over the next two years. | | |
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NanoGraf (Prof. Harold Kung, McCormick) secured a $60M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a new battery factory in Michigan for the production of silicon anode material used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The facility is expected to support up to 1.5 million EVs annually and create 350 jobs in U.S. battery production. READ MORE | | |
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Opera Bioscience (Prof. Danielle Tullman-Ercek, McCormick) received a $275,000 Phase I SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health. This award will support the development of low-cost cytokines and growth factors for stem cell therapy manufacturing. | |
ACTIVE STARTUP FUNDRAISING | | | |
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Actinia (Prof. Mercouri Kanatzidis, Weinberg) is raising $2.5M in Seed funding to reach key milestones over the next 18 months. These milestones include (i) signing meaningful joint development contracts with current industry partners, (ii) hire experienced management, including a full-time CEO and product lead, (iii) win substantial non-dilutive funding from the U.S NIH, DOE, and DOD, and (iiii) reach prototype stage with at least one corporate partner and prepare for Series A. | | |
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Amphix Bio (Prof. Samuel Stupp, McCormick) is raising $10M in Seed funding, to launch first-in-human clinical trials in 2025. Their supramolecular therapeutics platform triggers targeted regenerative signaling pathways and provides an extracellular scaffold to support tissue growth. Their first two programs are regenerative therapies for spinal fusion surgery and acute spinal cord injury. | | |
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Affix Medical (Dr. Riad Salem, Feinberg) is raising $500k in Pre-Seed funding to continue their mission to improve percutaneous drain management for all patients with indwelling lines/tubes/catheters. Their flagship product is a drain fixation device that mitigates the need for suture fixation, expedites dressing changes, and decreases rates of tube-related complications. This device is tailored specifically to long-standing percutaneous drains placed by Interventional Radiologists and was developed in collaboration with interventional radiologists at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. | | |
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Syenex (Prof. Josh Leonard, McCormick) is raising $5M to (i) integrate their delivery designs with 3 CDMOs, (ii) support the approval of 5 partner INDs, and (iii) secure a first-in-human readout for their lead T cell delivery composition. Since incorporating in May 2022, the company has raised $5M, launched two T cell delivery products, and secured over 20 partners with a first-in-human trial expected to initiate before year end. | | |
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Temprian Oncology (Prof. Caroline LePoole, Feinberg, Prof. SonBinh Nguyen, Weinberg) is raising $300k in Seed funding to demonstrate proof-of-concept in the treatment of melanoma in vivo. Temprian Oncology is developing lipid-based nanoparticle supercarriers to deliver active ingredients to metastatic melanoma tumors. This novel approach combines chemo- and immunotherapy into an off-the-shelf product suitable for delivery in remote geographic locations. | | |
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Volexion (Dr. Mark Hersam, McCormick) is raising $8M in Series A funding to scale-up and pilot its proprietary graphene encapsulation technology in an effort to enable the next level of performance and cost for Lithium-ion batteries, expand into new applications, and accelerate commercial engagement and strategic partnerships. | |
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INVESTORS: Contact the InQbation Lab for more information regarding these investment opportunities.
NU STARTUPS: To share your fundraising/milestone news, email inqbationlab@northwestern.edu.
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OTHER NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES | | |
MICROCT WORKSHOP - NOVEMBER 18th | |
For more details or to register for the event, please click here. | |
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR THERAPEUTICS | | |
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The Chicago Biomedical Consortium Hub for Innovative Technology and Entrepreneurship in the Sciences (CBC-HITES) provides Chicagoland academic innovators with support to develop discoveries into biomedical applications.
Applications for the Chi-Town Commercialization Award through CBC-HITES are accepted on a rolling basis for therapeutics and offers up to $250K in funding. For more details, click here.
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT NORTHWESTERN NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE to the Entrepreneurship at Northwestern Newsletter. This newsletter is a monthly roundup of university-wide news featuring the launches, raises, and milestones of our students, faculty, and alumni! This snapshot celebrates the wide-ranging impact of the Northwestern community and enables us to stay in touch with our Wildcat entrepreneurs.
Please share your own milestones through the newsletter.
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