Technology & Innovation

Coverage of innovative research, development and deployment of technology and technological advance, including hardware, software and software as service.

U-M scores $6.8M in federal stem cell research grants

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 28, 2009

Thirteen is the lucky number for the University of Michigan. That's how many federal grants the university recently received for stem cell research, totaling $6.8 million in federal stimulus cash."That money will certainly accelerate stem cell research at the University of Michigan," says Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology. "It will go towards all sorts of stem cell research."The money represents a 15-20 percent increase in overall funding for both adult and embryonic stem cells at the center's laboratories. That translates to more research positions and new research projects.Michigan recently lifted restrictions on stem cell research, specifically allowing embryonic stem cell research to move forward. With these grants also come new and different stem cells for U-M researchers to study. Some U-M researchers will use induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. These versatile cells are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells.This is the latest federal stimulus research grant the university has received this year. It has scored 260 different grants, accounting for more than $100 million in extra research funding.Source: Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell BiologyWriter: Jon Zemke

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Ann Arbor’s NanoBio, U-M score $9.3M research grant

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Education

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October 21, 2009

NanoBio isn't as small as its name implies... especially after nailing down millions in a federal research grant.The Ann Arbor-based firm is splitting the $9.3 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institute of Health, with the University of Michigan. NanoBio's slice of the pie is $4.1 million.That means three research job openings at NanoBio right now. The company's staff currently stands at 17 employees and three interns, and is expected to continue to grow."I expect we'll be adding a couple more to that in the near future," says John Coffey, vice president of business development for NanoBio. He hinted that a few more deals are expected to materialize this fall, describing them as "commercial opportunities."The grant is expected to support research to develop nanoemulsion-based mucosal vaccine adjuvants for a wide variety of antigens. The idea is to leverage the body's natural immune defenses to protect it against a wider range of diseases.The U-M spin-off has nailed down a variety of funding so far this, totaling more than $20 million. It has received $60 million in private equity since 2006.Source: John Coffey, vice president of business development for NanoBioWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M plans to launch start-ups with new Mich Venture Center

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Economic Development

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October 21, 2009

The University of Michigan has created a number of avenues to allow entrepreneurs to spin off university technology or enable students to chase after their start-up dreams. The newly formed Michigan Venture Center will serve as the hub for all of that activity."It's meant as a one-stop hub for people interested in working with us on University of Michigan start-up opportunities," says Ken Nisbet, executive director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Michigan.The Michigan Venture Center will allow entrepreneurs, investors and faculty inventors do everything from evolve their start-up to leveraging the university's bevy of inventions, innovations and patents. The main focus is to facilitate the creation of start-ups by helping them form business plans, assess potential for commercialization, attract investors and acquire gap financing.The university has programs and staff to facilitate all of these angles. But bringing them all under one roof at the U-M Tech Transfer's Business Engagement Center --1214 S. University Ave.-- is meant to help streamline the process. So far, the Engagement Center has been involved in the creation of 83 start-ups over the last nine years. "We've had a lot of success at creating new companies," We're easily in the Top 10 of U.S. universities, maybe the Top 5," Nisbet says.For more information on the Michigan Venture Center, send an email to techtransfer@umich.edu or call (734) 763-0614.Source: Ken Nisbet, executive director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Wolverine Venture Fund invests in Direct Flow Medical

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Economic Development

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October 21, 2009

The University of Michigan's Wolverine Venture Fund has struck again, this time making an investment in a California-based company.The VC fund, run by MBA students at the University of Michigan, has invested in Direct Flow Medical, an emerging medical device company developing a catheter-based, percutaneous-delivered prosthetic aortic valve. This investment is part of Direct Flow Medical's Series C financing, which has raised $40 million from the likes of EDF Ventures, New Leaf Venture Partners and Spray Venture Partners.The Wolverine Venture Fund is part of the University of Michigan's Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies in the Ross Business School. The fund is worth $3.5 million and has invested in more than 18 companies in industries like information technology, life sciences and alternative energy. These firms typically have some sort of U-M connection."That's how we get our deal flow," says Erik Gordon, clinical professor and associate director of the University of Michigan's Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. "The University of Michigan is one of the most connected places."Source: Erik Gordon, clinical professor and associate director of the University of Michigan's Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial StudiesWriter: Jon Zemke

Video Dexter Does Research Too

By Keith Jefferies

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Economic Development

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October 14, 2009

Dexter Research doesn't live in A2's shadow but rather thrives alongside the city that U-M made famous. And even as the economy has struggled this 70 person Dexter-based company has hit a comfortable stride, finding new applications and industries for its thermal detectors.

The String’s the Thing

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Arts & Culture

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October 14, 2009

Ann Arbor has an international and rarefied reputation for violin making. Concentrate visits the studios of two local masters --David Burgess and Joseph Curtin-- for a look at the skills, technology and artistry that produces some of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

Ypsilanti bloggers participate in Vegan MoFo

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Health

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October 14, 2009

Ypsilanti is making its voice heard in the vegan movement thanks to two bloggers taking part in the 3rd annual Vegan Month of Food, commonly referred to as VeganMoFo.The event is a virtual gathering of 350 bloggers, twitters and other assorted authors of the World Wide Web. They are posting at least five days a week about eating vegan throughout October in an effort to spread the word about consuming non-animal products."I tended to rely on online news sources for suggestions and substitutions for my cooking," says Jennifer Albaum, an Ypsilanti resident who is participating in VeganMoFo this year through her blog Scrumpdilly. "It's just a big resource for me today."Albaum points out this sort of virtual idea sharing is key because veganism isn't as prevalent in most of the Midwest, especially in small towns like Ypsilanti, which doesn’t have vegan-dedicated restaurants. Her blog and fellow Ypsilanti resident Mark Dickson's blog, Irreverent Vegan, are taking part of the event.An alphabetized list of all participating blogs can be found here and a link to the public RSS feed here. The original blog for the event organized by vegan chef and cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz can be found here.Source: Jennifer Albaum, author of the Scrumpdilly blogWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M hits a new record with an invention a day

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Economic Development

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October 14, 2009

The University of Michigan always likes to compare itself to the academic elite, like MIT, Stanford and Johns Hopkins. Now it has more than a few inventions to stand on when it makes that assertion.The university pushed the number of inventions it creates to 350 for the 2009 fiscal year, an average of almost one per day. That's in comparison to 487 for MIT, 401 for Standford and 282 for Johns Hopkins in 2007, the marquee names for research, development, tech transfer and commercialization."We're in the big leagues now," says Ken Nisbet, executive director of the University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer.U-M has sharpened its focus on developing its research and transforming it into new spin-off businesses in recent years. For instance, the university had 158 inventions in 1999 and was only in the mid 200s per year as recently as five years ago. Those numbers started to really race upward in 2007 when U-M hit 327 inventions.Although these numbers are impressive, the university is beginning to focus more and more on the quality of these inventions, patents and other assorted bits of research."It's not even a question of quantity," Nisbet says. "It's whether there is a business that can spin off from it."Source: Ken Nisbet, executive director of the U-M Office of Technology Transfer.Writer: Jon Zemke

VANGUARD USA hires 2, plans to continue staff expansion

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Arts & Culture

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October 14, 2009

One of the leading photography accessory manufacturers calls Whitmore Lake home, and continues to grow in the small lake town just north of Ann Arbor.VANGUARD USA has just hired two new people for its local U.S. headquarters, expanding its payroll to 21 people. It plans to hire a handful more people within the next year as it continues to revamp and upgrade its product portfolio."It appears to be nothing but growth on the horizon," says Jody Lamb, marketing manager for VANGUARD USA.The company got its start in 24 years ago when Anne Lee, a native of Taiwan, began making tripods and ball heads for cameras. One of her colleagues had ties to Ann Arbor and persuaded to open up her U.S. office in Dexter shortly after she started the firm. A few years later it moved to Whitmore Lake and expanded its portfolio to include more photography equipment, such as camera bags.The company went international in the 1980s, expanding into the Japanese and European markets. It even started offering hunting/outdoors equipment in 1997. Today VANGUARD USA employs 3,000 worldwide. The company recently overhauled its product line, causing it to focus more on advertising and getting the word out about its new products. That has prompted the recent expansion of the Whitmore Lake office."There has been a great need to focus on marketing and customer outreach," Lamb says.Source: Jody Lamb, marketing manager for VANGUARD USAWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor Nanosystems blooms thanks to green products

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In The News

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October 7, 2009

Ann Arbor-based, green-chem start-up Nanosystems doesn't look to stay small for much longer.Excerpt:In just four years, John Nanos has gone from teaching organic chemistry at the University of Michigan to building a multimillion-dollar company that's helping the environment.In 2005, the former adjunct professor launched a start-up company in Ann Arbor called Nanosystems Inc. after coming up with a greener way to make the polyurethane foam used in everything from the cores of surfboards to ear plugs and wound dressings.Nanos, who grew up in Dearborn as the son of a Ford Motor Co. engineer, developed chemicals for foam that are derived from soybeans, corn and other vegetables instead of oil. Today, Nanosystems produces these liquid building blocks for foam in Ann Arbor and Los Angeles, shipping them to dozens of customers around the country."You are essentially having a softer carbon footprint," said Nanos, who works out of a laboratory at the Michigan Research Institute in Ann Arbor.Read the rest of the story here.