PHILADELPHIA, PA -- (September 10, 2018) –Twelve promising technologies developed at nine academic institutions across the tristate region have been selected as finalists for the University City Science Center’s QED Program. QED is designed to bridge the gap between academic research and product commercialization. Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Harrisburg University of Science and Technology; New Jersey Institute of Technology; Penn State College of Medicine; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Temple University; Thomas Jefferson University; University of Delaware; and University of Pennsylvania will participate in the 11th round of the proof-of-concept program.
The QED finalists were vetted by a selection team comprised of 22 industry experts and investors charged with identifying technologies with clear product potential in life science and healthcare markets. The finalists have been matched with QED Business Advisors, seasoned veterans of healthcare and life science industries, who work with the researchers to develop a comprehensive proof-of-concept plan.
- Ahad Behboodi (University of Delaware) Device for improving foot and ankle movement
- Jacob Brenner (University of Pennsylvania) Device to ameliorate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- X. Lucas Lu (University of Delaware) Device for the capture of circulating tumor cells
- John Maris (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) Gene therapy for brain cancer
- Patricia McLaughlin (Penn State College of Medicine) Novel treatment for wound healing
- Peter Nguyen (New Jersey Institute of Technology) Therapeutic for neovascular disease
- Oscar Perez (Temple University) Tool for cell lines for drug discovery
- Qinyin Qiu (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) Tool for post-stroke rehabilitation
- Servio Ramirez (Temple University) Diagnostic for traumatic brain injury
- Roozbeh Sadeghian (Harrisburg University of Science & Technology) Diagnostic tool for dementia
- Frederick Silver (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) Novel imaging of skin lesions
- Eric Wickstrom (Thomas Jefferson University) Therapeutic for breast cancer
In January 2019, three projects will receive up to $200,000 each to validate their proof-of-concept. Funding for each project is contributed equally by the Science Center and the researcher’s home institution. Each research institution retains ownership of all intellectual property.
Established in 2009, the QED program has partnered with 21 academic and research institutions to identify the most promising university research and build business plans around them to avoid leaving potentially life-changing research on the shelf.
Since the program’s inception, QED has screened over 600 proposals with 128 projects accepted into the program. QED has awarded over $6 million to 34 projects that have gone on to raise over $22 million in follow-on funding. Among these projects, 10 technologies have been licensed and eight companies have been launched, demonstrating the value of the research taking place in academic labs that is too often left without the resources to commercialize.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a business’s lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO – and beyond. For more information about the Science Center, go to http://www.sciencecenter.org
