News and Events > POCgrant Spring Solicitation, 2006

POCgrant Spring Solicitation, 2006

The TTO completed its Spring 2006 POCg solicitation, and 15 projects are set to begin work. The POCg program provides grants that enable advanced development and validation of promising CU technologies that are, or will become, suitable for commercialization. POCg awards are budgeted for $10,000 or $25,000, and the technologies are selected by an internal competitive application process.

The campuses generated a strong response to the TTO request for proposals. Thirty-four proposals were received, which included six from new inventors, and fourteen associated with new invention disclosures. Of the qualified proposals, i.e. those associated with a new or on-file invention disclosure, seven requested $10k and twenty-six requested $25k funding. TTO case managers chose five $10k proposals and twenty-four $25k proposals as finalists. From those finalists, TTO found that five of the $10k and five of the $25k proposals were truly outstanding and worthy of support. In addition, because of the high quality of the proposals, TTO chose five additional proposals to fund, re-budgeted at $20k.

Accounts are currently being set up for the awardees with the four campus OCGs as follows: Boulder 4 @$25k, 2 @$20k, and 1 @$10k, UCDHSC 1 @$25k, 2 @$20k, and 3 @$10k, CU-Denver 1 @$10k, and UCCS 1@$20k. Diverse disciplines represented include: therapeutics (2 projects), diagnostics (3 projects), medical devices (2 projects), biotechnology (3 projects), mechanical devices (1 project), analytical instruments (2 projects), and software (2 projects). Of the life science projects, the therapeutics are directed to the treatment of cancer and schizophrenia, the medical devices are directed towards emergency and cardiovascular medicine, the biotechnology projects include bioreactor strain optimization, a gene therapy vector, and an RNA purification method, and the diagnostics are directed towards cancer and infectious disease. The mechanical device is for a UV-resistant liquid crystal device. Software applications include educational training materials and a reading tutor. Analytical instruments include a high-throughput device to monitor asymmetric catalyst synthesis and a broadband, ultra-sensitive laser induced spectrometer.

Indicators for success.Of the 15 awards, 6 (40%) had been revised from a previous POCg proposal. Conversely, of 14 proposals that were submitted concurrently with a new disclosure, 2 (14%) were funded. Of 7 proposals that requested $10k, 5 (71%) were funded. Of 26 proposals that requested $25k, 5 were funded at $25k (19%) and 5 were funded at $20k (19%), or an overall success rate of 38%. The total success rate - 15 funded projects selected from 33 submitted proposals - was 45%.

TTO is pleased to report that this POCg solicitation attracted proposals of extremely high quality, and that funding was available for nearly half of the submissions. Factors for success include: a $10k budget request, and submission of a proposal that had been revised from a previous POCg application. A factor that diminishes the probability for success is submission of a new invention disclosure simultaneously with the POCg application.

TTO personnel are available to assist applicants in the preparation of proposals. TTO encourages faculty that apply for future POCg awards to contact the office and arrange a pre-proposal consultation.

Congratulations to the awardees, and many thanks to all who participated.

POCg Spring Awardees

$10k

Boulder
Ryan Gill, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, "Construction of a new tool for E. coli strain optimization." Production of succinate by E. coli: identification of genes that increase production and tolerance. Funds are for labor and material, and are matched by the PI.

Denver
Josh Abram, School of Education and Human Development, "The Colorado Consortium for Data Driven Decision (C2D3)."The primary focus of C2D3 is helping classroom teachers develop the skills and dispositions of information-based educational practice through research-based professional development, coaching, on-line instruction, and the development of professional learning communities. Funds are to be used to support marketing, licensing, and intellectual property.

UCDHSC
Jeffrey Holt, Pathology, "Defective BRCA2 signaling in Ovary and Prostate Cancer." Development of a simple diagnostic method to identify BRCA2-like sporadic breast, ovary, and prostate tumors. Funds are for tissue processing, reagents, and supplies.

Charles Little, Emergency Medicine, "The Difficult Airway Tube (DAT) a novel endotracheal tube." The proposed research is to develop an expandable endotracheal tube, which is smaller in diameter than conventional endotracheal tubes, thus allowing easy placement. Once inserted, the tube deploys to allow adequate ventilation. Funds will be used to construct prototype models.

Jerome Schaack, Microbiology, "Development of Improved Adenovirus Gene Therapy Vectors." Creation of adenovirus vectors of limited innate inflammatory potential. Funds are for mice, reagents, and supplies.

$20k

Boulder
Natalie Ahn, Chemistry and Biochemistry, "Mediator of Rho-dependent Invasion (MRDI), a novel drug target and biomarker for metastatic melanoma." Expression of MRDI is necessary for metastatic cancer cell invasion. MRDI localizes to membrane ruffles at the leading edges of cells, and most likely functions to promote actin polymerization events that control cell motility and invasion. The proposed research is to further characterize MRDI, and to examine the effects of modulating MRDI expression in xenograph models. Funds are for research associate salary and are to be matched by the Division of Biochemistry.

Ron Cole, Center for Spoken Language Research, "Scalable Internet-based school delivery model for Foundations to LiteracyTM." Modify and optimize delivery of the Foundations to Literacy program, which is a scientifically based interactive reading program, to be deployable in a public school classroom. Funds are for programming labor.

Colorado Springs
Zbigniew Celinski, Physics, "Development of electrically controllable liquid crystal phase retarders operating in UV." The aim of this project is to provide a reliable method to orient liquid crystals for their stable operation in UV light, and to develop liquid crystal electrically controllable phase retarding devices that operate in UV. Funds are to be used for graduate student support, equipment, and supplies.

UCDHSC
Douglas Graham, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Pediatrics, "Development of a Diagnostic FISH Assay for Mer Cytogenetic Abnormalities in Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Lymphoma." Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) can be used to detect chromosomal abnormalities. A FISH assay for Mer, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase oncogene, could be used to monitor leukemia and lymphoma, which are conditions associated with Mer overexpression. A reliable Mer FISH assay could also be used in other Mer positive cancers, including rhabdomyosarcoma, pituitary adenoma, gliomas, stomach cancer, and prostate cancer. Funds will support a Professional Research Assistant, the purchase of supplies, and charges for core sequencing facilities.

Robin Shandas, Mechanical Engineering, Pediatric Cardiology, "Development of a Cardiovascular Shape-Memory Polymer Stent-Graft for Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm." Shape memory polymers are superior materials for stents. Advantages include: compact size for insertion, which expands to fit upon deployment, ideal vehicle for drug storage and release, ease of manufacture and few constraints on complex designs, such as branched structures. Funds will be used for materials, supplies, and testing.

$25k

Boulder
Dave Walba, Chemistry and Biochemistry, "Heterogeneous Asymmetric Catalyst Discovery Using Liquid Crystals." Lack of methods for high-throughput measurement of steriochemical purity is a key technical block to combinatorial asymmetric catalyst development. The envisioned system is an array device, similar to recently commercialized LC video microdisplays, in which each pixel comprises a reaction vessel and analysis cell. The proposed experiments will demonstrate asymmetric catalysis by surface-bound catalysts. If the steriochemical purity of an active surface-bound catalyst can be determined, and if such analytical cells can be printed onto array devices for direct high-throughput read-out, then the system will enable combinatorial discovery of asymmetric catalysts. Funds are for scientists' salary, materials, and analytical services.

Jun Ye, JILA, "Broadband cavity ringdown spectroscopy for rapid and sensitive molecular detection." Cavity-enhanced spectroscopic techniques are exquisitely sensitive, but limited to narrow spectral bandwidths. By coupling a broadband frequency comb to cavity resonance, high sensitivity is maintained over a broad spectral range. Funds will be used to purchase components for a prototype system.

Rob Batey, Chemistry and Biochemistry, "RNA Purification by Nondenaturing Affinity Chromatography." A method has been designed, and is proposed to be optimized, that is capable of producing extremely pure RNA samples, while avoiding denaturation of the native folded state. In preliminary experiments, purified samples can produce diffractable crystals that are suitable for x-ray structural analysis. Funds are for research associate salary, equipment, and supplies.

Chris Bowman, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, "Redox-Initiated Radical Chain Polymerization for the Detection and Amplification of Biological Recognition Events." This project aims to couple a nucleic acid hybridization event with radical chain polymerization, thereby enabling direct (ideally visual) and extremely sensitive detection of target-binding events. Funds are for student support, materials, and device fabrication.

UCDHSC
Tom Anchordoquy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, research directed towards further proof of concept in the preclinical development of a new treatment for schizophrenia. The proposed product is firmly rooted in current clinical practice and in some preliminary data already obtained. The project goal is to provide greater depth in preliminary data in order to further validate the concept. The data acquired will be used to support a federal funding application (a submitted STTR application for $500K over 2 years). POC-g funding will accelerate the development trajectory.