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U of U commercialization successes

Startup success

Anesta

Anesta, which has since been acquired, was a U startup company that developed a successful product called Actiq, a breakthrough treatment for cancer pain based on the company's patented oral transmucosal system. The product is derived from the research of Dr. Theodore Stanley of the Department of Anesthesiology at the U. Cephalon bought Anesta in 2000 in an all-share deal worth $444 million. Cephalon was later purchased by Teva Pharmaceutical in 2011. Teva is a global pharmaceutical company committed to increasing access to high-quality healthcare by developing, producing and marketing affordable generic drugs. Headquartered in Israel, Teva has a global product portfolio of more than 1,300 molecules and a direct presence in about 60 countries. Learn more at www.actiq.com or www.tevapharm.com.

Avansci Bio

Avansci Bio is a U startup developing the MESO-1 Dissection Workstation, a novel technology that automates dissection from slide mounted tissue, improving accuracy, consistency, efficiency and provides a significant technical advancement for both clinical/research pathology and histology laboratories. The MESO-1 consists of three basic parts: an instrument that resembles a small milling machine equipped with a joy stick and digital microscope for controlling the milling process; a specialized consumable mill bit called the xScisor; and computer software for annotating images and pinpointing a tissue section to be collected. The company was formed in 2011 and has attracted significant funding – including a $50,000 grant from the U, more than $500,000 from private investors, and most recently, a $213,000 grant from the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Learn more at www.avanscibio.com.

BioFire Diagnostics

BioFire Diagnostics, Inc. started in 1990 as Idaho Technology, Inc., in the corner of an Idaho potato equipment facility. In 2012, the company changed its name to BioFire Diagnostics. Focusing on developing products with a firm commitment to eliminate disease through smart thinking and product innovation, it has introduced a number of "firsts" to the molecular diagnostics and biosurveillance industries. With FDA clearance of the revolutionary FilmArray system, BioFire has set a new standard in molecular diagnostics. Featuring unmatched usability, the FilmArray's comprehensive respiratory panel tests for 20 viral and bacterial targets in one, 60-minute test. Innovation at BioFire continues with the development of new panels like the Blood Culture Identification Panel, Gastrointestinal Panel, Meningitis Panel and the Lower Respiratory Panel. Much like the FDA cleared respiratory panel, these new additions will provide fast, comprehensive results. Learn more at www.biofiredx.com.

Blackrock Microsystems

Blackrock Microsystems is a U startup founded in 2008 that provides enabling tools for the neuroscience, neural engineering and neuroprosthetics research and clinical community worldwide. The company draws on a legacy of high tech innovation that began with Bionic Technologies, a spin-off from the U in 1997. The company was started by Brian Hatt and U Professor Richard A. Normann (also the inventor of the Utah Electrode Array) and was later taken over by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. (CKI). Having taken major strides in applying the technology to the human body, the research business of CKI was then acquired by Blackrock Microsystems, LLC. U Professor Florian Solzbacher is Blackrock's current president and executive chairman. He has created a commercial vision for the company to lead the market in implantable microsystems. Learn more at www.blackrockmicro.com.

Catheter Connections

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Catheter Connections, Inc., develops and commercializes innovative vascular access products designed to help protect patients from acquiring infections during intravenous infusion therapy. Its DualCap System is a family of user-friendly products that provides healthcare facilities with a cost-effective, integrated solution for IV disinfection and protection, helping in the fight against IV catheter-related blood stream infections. Designed by infusion nurses, the flagship product DualCap safely disinfects both IV tubing end connectors and IV catheter access valves — a major breakthrough for infection control. Learn more at www.catheterconnections.com.

Domain Surgical

Domain Surgical develops, manufactures and supplies thermal surgical tools that cost-effectively deliver superior clinical ouTVCmes. Its products produce desired clinical results while reducing the potential for complications by minimizing thermal damage and without passing electrical current into the patient. Domain Surgical's FMwand Ferromagnetic Surgical System is based on the principle of ferromagnetic heating. Simply described, heat is produced when a material having magnetic "domains" is exposed to an alternating magnetic field. The FMwand technology was originally conceived by pediatric neurosurgeon Kim H. Manwaring, M.D. Learn more at www.domainsurgical.com.

Larada Sciences (LouseBuster)

Larada Sciences is a spin-off company from the U that was formed in 2006 to develop, manufacture and market proprietary products and services based on breakthrough medical technology for the safe and effective non-chemical treatment of head lice. The company was founded by the lead scientist and technology inventor from the U, Dale H. Clayton, Ph.D., and by a group of seasoned entrepreneurs with numerous successful technology and medical device startup companies to their credit. Learn more at www.lousebuster.com.

Myriad Genetics

Founded in 1992, Myriad Genetics is a leading molecular diagnostic company dedicated to improving patients' lives through the discovery and commercialization of transformative tests to assess a person's risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions and assess risk of disease progression and recurrence. Myriad's portfolio of molecular diagnostic tests are based on an understanding of the role genes play in human disease and were developed with a commitment to improving an individual's decision making process for monitoring and treating disease. Myriad is focused on strategic directives to introduce new products, including companion diagnostics, as well as expanding internationally. Learn more at www.myriad.com

Sera Prognostics

Sera Prognostics, Inc. was founded in January 2008 to develop diagnostic tests for early prediction of preterm birth, preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications. In collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Maternal Fetal Medicine Network, Sera's scientific cofounders, Steven W. Graves, Ph.D., a professor in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Brigham Young University and M. Sean Esplin, M.D., an associate professor and high-risk obstetrician at the U'sSchool of Medicine, identified biomarkers detectable from simple blood tests that can help predict the likelihood of preterm delivery and other pregnancy complications. Sera Prognostics has exclusively licensed rights to the preterm birth and preeclampsia biomarkers and the proteomics discovery technology for use in developing diagnostics to help predict and manage pregnancy complications. Learn more at www.seraprognostics.com.

Xandem

Xandem produces motion-detection technology that "sees through walls." The company is the product of former U doctoral student Joey Wilson and Professor Neal Patwari, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The name "Xandem" comes from the word "tandem," which means to harness individuals into a more powerful framework. Xandem technology surrounds areas with small, inexpensive and low-power wireless transceivers. Each of the devices communicates with the others, forming a dense sensing web that blankets the area. When people enter the network area, they disturb the radio field and Xandem's powerful algorithms detect the disturbance. They call it "Synergistic Sensing" because it's not the individual transceivers doing the sensing; the network itself is the sensor working in tandem. Learn more at www.xandem.com.