OBI Client Company Wins
- Received a $4.1M SBIR award from ARPA-H covering development and clinical translation of our technology for nerve-specific imaging intraoperatively.
- Presented at Intraoperative Imaging Society meeting in Deer Valley, Utah.
- Won judge’s choice best pitch at OBA Innovation Showcase in the Later Stage category.
- We welcomed Samantha Munoz to our team!
- Our manuscript has been accepted but still in press. We found a cysteine protease, calpain, specific cleaved alpha-spectrin in soft and hard drusen from human donors. This suggests calpain=induced proteolysis participates photoreceptors and RPE cell degeneration during aging and AMD.
- Rewire AI’s CEO, John Harkness, was invited to speak on the “If I Knew Now” panel about challenges faced as a startup founder at the Oregon Bioscience Association Biotech Summit.
- John was also interviewed on the Darwoft “Dare” podcast about Rewire’s efforts to innovate in the biomedical AI space.
- In September, 2023, AirOmatix was Runner-Up in the Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator Pitch Competition. Their pitch focused on how their oxygen concentrating technology could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating the need for transporting metal cylinders of oxygen.
- AirOmatix received the Judge’s Award in the Early Stage Startup category of the Oregon Bioscience Association’s 2023 Innovation Showcase. Their pitch touted the benefits of AirOmatix’s small, quiet, high-flow oxygen concentrating technology over the larger, louder, and lower-flow products on the market.
- Caravel Bio was one of 6 startups selected for the Greentown Go Make with Shell 2023 Program. The Caravel team is proud to announce the company was selected from over 100 applicant companies from around the world to work with Greentown Labs and Shell to develop products for CO2 capture and utilization.
- As a part of the program, Caravel received $15,000 in non-dilutive funding and will work with mentors and subject matter experts from the Greentown Labs community and Shell to advance Caravel’s Catalytic Biotechnology platform.
- Holly Rockweiler, Co-founder and CEO of Madorra, was featured on the “If We Knew Now” panel discussion at the Oregon Bioscience Association Biotech Summit.
- Patti White, CEO of Hemex Health, recently participated in the 18th Annual Academy of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Conference (ASCAT) in London. Throughout the conference, Gazelle garnered significant interest from KOLs and field experts due to its capability to facilitate affordable and accessible SCD diagnosis in low-resource areas.
- Hemex has concluded its participation in the 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Haematology & Blood Transfusion, a prominent event in the field of hematology. We were invited to present Gazelle during the lecture on “Next-Generation Integrated, Affordable Point-of-Care Solution for Haemoglobinopathy.” This provided us with a valuable opportunity to engage with hematologists and demonstrate the capabilities of Gazelle.
- New Hire: Shane Sweeney, Lab Technician.
- New Advisory Board Member: Andreas Penk, Former President of Pfizer China; Pfizer Oncology EMEA.
- Capital raised this past month: $400k in seed round convertible notes.
- Projects Completed: McDonnell Lab – Duke, Olzmann Lab – UC Berkeley, Scherer Lab – UT Southwestern.
- Due to strong demand for structure-determination services, HTI signed agreement with Kansas University Medical School as the 2nd cryo-EM imaging partner site. The first partner site is U. of Washington cryo-EM center.
- OSU selected HTI for their M.S. AI Capstone project.
- Signed agreement with Miller Nash as HTI legal counsel.
- CryoFast ™ alpha testing at OHSU in its final stage with results to be shared with our industry/pharma partners.
- ESG Brands was a finalist at Bend Venture Conference in the Impact Competition.
Aronora (OBI Alumnus)
- Aronora recently raised a funding round with investment from New York Blood Center’s venture fund to support their anti-coagulant drug development.
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals (OBI Alumnus)
- First patient has been dosed in Sparrow’s Phase 2 clinical trial for autonomous cortisol secretion treatment.
- David Katz, CSO, was featured on the “If We Knew Now” panel discussion at the Oregon Bioscience Association Biotech Summit.
Congratulations to these outstanding innovators!
CHIPS Act Designates Tech Hubs in Oregon
Congratulations to two Oregon CHIPS and Science Act Tech Hub designees! Led by Oregon State University, the Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub, and Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub were selected as two of the 31 Tech Hubs designated in the U.S.
In addition, Portland State University led a Tech Hubs proposal which received a Strategy Development Grant, so they may continue their plan development in pursuit of a future Tech Hub designation.
OBI is Now on Instagram!
We’re excited to share that we are now on Instagram! Join us on this visual journey where we’ll keep you updated with behind-the-scenes insights into cutting-edge biotechnology, stay up-to-date on engaging events like Lunch & Learns and Accelerate Happy Hour. Find us on Instagram: @OTRADIBio, and discover our state-of-the-art lab facilities, research projects, industry trends, and more.
Equalize: A Pitch Competition to Empower Academic Women Entrepreneurs
Equalize is a comprehensive program designed to take national action around the disparity of women academic inventors forming university startups. Equalize participants receive education, a field-specific mentor, and access to networks that drive new entrepreneurial connections. Equalize candidates can include faculty, postdocs, and grad students in STEM disciplines.
Applications for the 2024 program are now open – more information here.
Upcoming Events
OBI Accelerate Happy Hour – Last One for 2023!
November 9, 2023
5:30-7:00 PM
OBI Event Space – Portland
Free – register now
OBI Lunch & Learn: Startup Project Management Basics
November 14, 2023
12:00-1:00 PM
Virtual
Free – register here
PDXWIT & Prosper Portland
November Happy Hour
November 14, 2023
5:30-7:00 PM
Hotel Lucia – Portland
Register here
2023 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards
November 16, 2023
5:00-9:00 PM
Portland Center Stage – The Armory
Get tickets
OBI Lunch & Learn: Unlocking the Power of Inclusive Leadership
December 7, 2023
12:00-1:00 PM
Virtual
Free – registration now open!