RFU Hosts Inaugural Biotech Startup Business Plan Competition
The university hosted its inaugural Biotech Startup Business Plan Competition (BPC) on July 21 in collaboration with SmartHealth Activator, a healthcare ventures accelerator.
The BPC was the culmination of a four-month training program that paired Chicagoland startups with industry mentors who provided coaching on elevator pitches, business plan development and longer pitches with audio-visual materials.
More than a dozen Chicagoland startups from the fields of therapeutics, medical devices, digital health care and healthcare services pitched their innovations to a group of industry and venture capital judges for a chance to win cash prizes. The five finalists each delivered a detailed 10-minute presentation, followed by a five-minute Q&A with the judges.
The event also featured a fireside chat featuring Joe Nolan, president and CEO of Lake Forest, Illinois-based Jaguar Gene Therapy, who discussed some of the challenges his company faced as a Midwest startup.
The winning startups were:
- First prize ($10,000): Prenatal Hope, creator of innovative biomedical technology designed to improve prenatal care.
- Second prize ($5,000): TargaCell, a non-invasive stem cell delivery system that uses proprietary proteins to repair damaged hearts and control damaging immune responses. TargaCell was also the winner of the $1,000 prize for best elevator pitch.
- Third prize ($3,000): Enzyme by Design, developing specially engineered enzymes that reduce the dangerous side effects and improve the safety profile of cancer therapeutics.
Each winner also received prizes valued at over $1,000 consisting of membership services in RFU’s Helix 51 Incubator. The monetary awards were funded through the generous support of the competition’s sponsors: Exicure, Horizon Therapeutics, McCarthy Duffy, MBHB, Vetter Pharma, Abbott, Aptinyx, Cushman & Wakefield, Lundbeck, Perkins Coie, Xontogeny and VanquaBio. |
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University Highlights
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- As we approach the start of the fall quarter, a reminder that on-campus students, faculty and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Aug. 17. If you are still in need of a vaccine, you are encouraged to reach out to your primary healthcare provider, or you may also contact the RFU Health Clinics to arrange to be vaccinated. More information about the university’s vaccination and exemption requirements can be found on RFU’s COVID resource page.
- Cory Krebsbach, BFA, CHSE, assistant director of standardized patient education, Department of Healthcare Simulation, received the 2021 Emerging Leader of the Year Award from the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) in recognition of outstanding work within ASPE and the practice of simulation.
- Madeline Konsor, CHP ’23, clinical psychology PhD student, and Laura Aylward, PhD ’20, co-authored the article “To Weigh or Not to Weigh,” published on the Society of Behavioral Medicine website.
- Abbie Lyden, PharmD, BCPS, associate professor of pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy, led accreditation efforts for the emergency medicine PGY-2 residency program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) in Chicago. Their program received an additional three years of full accreditation. Dr. Lyden serves as director of the NMH PGY-2 emergency medicine residency.
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Research Highlights
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- Mirek Dundr, PhD, assistant professor, Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, received a one-year, $109,200 grant from Kansas State University for his research study “Structure-Function Properties in Liquid Organelles.”
- Walter Francesconi, research associate; Fulvia Berton, research specialist; Valentina Olivera-Pasilio, SGPS ’22; and Joanna Dabrowska, PhD, PharmD, associate professor, Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, co-authored “Oxytocin Excites BNST Interneurons and Inhibits BNST Output Neurons to the Central Amygdala,” published in Neuropharmacology.
- Michelle Hastings, PhD, director, Center for Genetic Diseases, received a three-month, $11,000 grant from the ForeBatten Foundation for her research study “Antisense Oligonucleotides for the Treatment of CLN3 Batten Disease-Supplement.”
- Eun Jung Hwang, PhD, assistant professor, Stanson Toshok Center for Brain Function and Repair, received a $60,000 Schweppe Scholar Award for her project entitled “Neural Basis of Cognitive Decline in Normal Aging.” This grant is available to outstanding junior faculty at Chicago Medical School who have not yet received NIH R01 funding (or the equivalent).
- Patrick Knott, PhD, PA-C, professor, Physician Assistant Department, authored the chapter “Eliminating 2D Spinal Assessments and Embracing 3D and 4D: Clinical Application of Surface Topography” for the book “Research Into Spinal Deformities 9.”
- Max Loh, PhD ’21, postdoctoral research associate, and Amiel Rosenkranz, PhD, professor and director, Brain Science Institute, authored the article “Shifts in Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex Activity from Adolescence to Adulthood,” published in Cerebral Cortex.
- Ziemowit Mazur, EdM, MS ’10, PA-C, assistant professor and associate director of physician assistant studies, co-authored the article “Multiple Mini-Interview Utilization in United States Physician Assistant Program Admission Processes,” published in the Journal of Physician Assistant Education.
- Jill Sorensen, chief operating officer, Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium, presented “Accelerating Health Innovation for Military and Civilian Populations” virtually as part of the BioPathways Entrepreneurial Speaker Series on July 13. Caralynn Nowinski Collens, MD, CEO at Dimension Inx, will present "Cells Aren't Enough: The Power of Regenerative Medicine" at the next virtual event in the series on Aug. 10. BioPathways is partnering with Women in Bio throughout 2021 to feature prominent female biotech founders, executives and leaders in venture capital.
- Grace “Beth” Stutzmann, PhD, director, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and Therapeutics, received a one-year, $43,000 grant from Photonic Pharma LLC for her research study “Drug Discovery Pipeline Targeting Pathologically Leaky Calcium Release Channels in Age-Related Indications.”
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Alumni Notes
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- Cheryl Watkins-Moore, DPM ’88, MBA, was named president and CEO of YWCA Metro in St. Louis.
- Lisa M. Schoene, DPM ’90, and Matthew B. Werd, DPM ’93, lectured in the sports medicine track of the Congres Annuel de l'Ordre des Podiatres du Quebec national medical meeting in Montreal.
- Mark D. Sorrentino, MD ’94, MS ’94, was named vice president of the Center for Pediatric Clinical Development and Center for Vaccines and Emerging Infectious Diseases at ICON plc.
- Robert N. Bilkovski, MD ’95, MBA, joined mPathix Health Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualis Innovations Inc., as chief scientific officer.
- Kimberly M. Darey, MD ’04, chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs for Elmhurst Hospital, was named to the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation’s board of trustees.
- Micah H. Yu, MD ’15, MS ’11, a rheumatologist and expert in autoimmune disease, joined the Medical and Expert Council of Alurx.
- Shazad A. Buksh, DPM ’18, MS ’18, was named president and CEO of NW Care in Salem, Oregon.
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