Five new innovators recently started their Accelerator Award projects after receiving funding during round VII of the Accelerator Awards. In total, $1 million from round VII has been awarded to advance the translation of technologies developed by Ohio State innovators from the university into the marketplace.
The Accelerator Awards program is designed to de-risk cutting-edge Ohio State innovations to facilitate their transition from the university into the marketplace. The program provides grants of up to $150,000 per project to support external validation that will demonstrate the commercial viability of a technology. At the conclusion of the project, the goal is to license the technology to an Ohio-based startup company. The funding is provided by The Ohio State University, with matching funds from the Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation and Startup Fund. The Accelerator Award program is administered through the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship
“The latest round of the Accelerator Award cycle showcased a remarkable collection of cutting-edge technologies. We are delighted to provide essential funding at this crucial early stage to our PIs enabling them to conduct proof-of-concept studies and develop prototypes that swiftly validate the efficacy of their technologies,” said Cheryl Turnbull, Senior Director of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship. “By investing in such groundwork before entering into license agreements, our aim is to enhance the value and scale of startup ventures emerging from Ohio State University."
The funding provided through the awards has helped provide a solid proof-of-concept platform on which to build a startup. Since the program launch in 2015, the Accelerator Awards has distributed over $7 million to 88 unique projects of which 18 are currently active. Successful conclusion of projects has led to the creation of 23 startup companies to date.
Accelerator Awards Overview: To be eligible for the Accelerator Awards program, submitted proposals must be focused on advancing Ohio State intellectual property toward commercialization, with the goal of licensing to a startup company. Projects are awarded funding to complete milestone objectives over a period of up to 12 months. Guidance from industry experts during the application phase and the funding period helps focus the projects on commercialization goals. Proposals are reviewed and recommended for funding by a selection committee that evaluates the commercialization and market potential as well as other criteria in keeping with the key goals of the program. The Ohio Third Frontier determines the final funding decision based on these recommendations.
Translating Immunomonitoring Methods for Clinical Use among Expectant Mothers
Shannon L. Gillespie, PhD, RN, College of Nursing
Dr. Shannon Gillespie is a nurse scientist and a clinical and translational immunobiologist. Her research aims to optimize the health of pregnant and postpartum mothers and the health of their children by designing and testing solutions to address the challenges in predicting and preventing complications during pregnancy and postpartum. Dr. Gillespie is developing a novel immunomonitoring method for the prediction of risk for future spontaneous preterm birth that will facilitate management of pregnancy healthcare. Accelerator Award funding will support the rendering, prototyping, and testing of an immunomonitoring kit within the clinical setting. The outcomes hope to lead to a first-of-its kind kit with a well validated, identified use in prenatal care.
The Design of Mechanical Transducer for Advancement of Atomic Force Microscopy
Hanna Cho, PhD, College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Dr. Hanna Cho aims to address the challenges that most users face in employing advanced characterization schemes and interpreting data in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The current limitations of the single-body design of conventional AFM probes make it challenging to carry more than one type of information. To overcome this limitation, Dr. Cho invented a new type of AFM probe, an inner-paddled cantilever, which provides two discrete transduction channels that respond independently to variations in topography and material properties. Through the Accelerator Award funding, the project will validate market assumptions, develop the batch fabrication of the probes, and collect user feedback, ultimately enabling the commercialization of the new probe and advancing the field of AFM.
A wireless sensing patch for noninvasive and continuous monitoring glucose levels in sweat
Jinghua Li; College of Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chronic Brain Injury Program
Wearable sweat sensing technologies have the potential to revolutionize the field of healthcare by enabling non-invasive, continuous monitoring of a variety of biomarkers. The sensors can provide important information about an individual’s health status such as glucose levels and electrolyte balance. Glucose sensing is particularly valuable for assisting patients with diabetes in making informed decisions about their diet, medication, and lifestyle choices. Currently, there are no reliable and accurate glucose sweat sensors available in the market that are non-invasive invasive. This challenge can be overcome with the development and validation of novel glucose sweat sensors for health monitoring during daily activities. Through the Accelerator Award, Dr. Li will develop and validate a sensor to create a disposable skin patch to monitor glucose levels in sweat in real time without the use of a needle with the intent to help physicians and patients who have Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, or to assist other individuals interested in their metabolic health to better manage their glucose levels and thereby improve their health outcomes.
Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) for Treating Cyanobacteria and Associated Toxins in Water Treatment Plant Reservoirs and Lagoons
Jiyoung Lee, PhD, College of Public Health and the Department of Food Science & Technology
Incidences of harmful algal bloom blooms (HABs) have increased about 600% since 2010 in the United States alone. HABs usually sit on the surface of the water and can produce toxins that pose a threat to freshwater sources for drinking water, recreation, irrigation, and fish farms. Since 2010, more than $1.16 billion was spent within 22 states to treat or prevent algae blooms, which does not include losses to recreation, tourism, commercial fishing, wildlife, or other economic fallout caused by HAB outbreaks. Dr. Lee and her lab have been working on how to control the blooms and toxins with environmentally friendly methods and received Accelerator Award funding to develop an ultraviolet- (UV)-aquadrone that can treat bloom-affected water on-site, such as drinking water intake, irrigation water, and beaches. Dr. Lee and her graduate student, Kendall Byrd, will use funds to build and test the aquatic drone technology equipped with UV-C lights to prevent and treat HABs, toxins, and other pathogens in water to validate efficiency in controlling HABs and toxins while having minimal impact on the aquatic ecosystem, as well as de-risking large-scale implementation by testing in water treatment plant reservoirs.
Devices and Methods for Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion
Dr. Nahush A. Mokadam, MD. College of Medicine, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery
Atrial fibrillation (AF) (an irregular heartbeat) can happen in up to 30% of patients undergoing open heart surgery. In AF, two of the heart’s four chambers begin to quiver and, when that happens, blood clots can form. Most commonly, these blood clots accumulate in a structure called the left atrial appendage (LAA). When these blood clots leave the LAA and travel to the brain, they can cause a stroke. There is evidence that occlusion or removal of the LAA in patients undergoing open heart surgery can reduce their risk of stroke. Currently available devices for this procedure have risk of incomplete occlusion, leaving an ongoing risk for stroke. Dr. Mokadam has developed a novel approach to this problem that can further reduce the risk of stroke. The Accelerator Award will allow his team to create and pre-clinically validate a prototype device specific for this purpose. Collaborators include Ryan Brune, PhD (Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence) and Bryan A. Whitson, MD, PhD (Division of Cardiac Surgery). At the conclusion of the award, this team expects its prototype to be ready for longer term clinical testing and, eventually, FDA sponsored clinical trials. A startup will ready the prototype for commercialization.