Harnessing the Power of Wind

InteliSpark client, Accelerate Wind, Inc., wins a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a low-cost, roof-edge wind capture technology. The federally-mandated SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program provides seed funding for innovative startups such as this phase II project that will harness the power of wind.

Though renewable energy is a growing market globally, the small wind market has lagged behind solar power. Commercial building rooftops utilize solar energy more often now but rarely tap into the power of wind energy. High costs with long payback times prevent small wind power from expanding into a larger market.  

Erika Boeing, CEO and Co-founder at Accelerate Wind, will lead a team of scientists in this phase II project to design and test roof-edge wind turbines with an enhanced capacity of energy capture to buildings and a shorter payback period. This would make wind power affordable on commercial buildings and potentially attract a larger market for this technology. The company’s target customers are solar installers, who already have a large market but would benefit from a varied portfolio.

By introducing affordable wind energy, this innovative technology may aid in the reduction of society’s reliance on and consumption of fossil fuels.

Innovative Ice Thermal Energy Storage that is Low-cost and Energy Efficient

InteliSpark client, Active Energy Systems, Inc., wins a grant from the National Science Foundation via the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program.  Dr. Levon Atoyan, Co-Founder and CEO of Active Energy Systems, will lead this Phase II project to develop low-cost, high efficiency, resilient, ice thermal energy storage technology for commercial building air conditioning.

Conventional ice storage systems, such as the Ice-on-Coil (IOC) technology, is costly, energy intensive, and takes up significant space, which in turn, prevents widespread adoption in commercial markets. Active Energy System’s proposed Icephobic Heat Exchange (IHEX) technology overcomes the challenges of conventional ice storage systems where freezing water adheres to cold surfaces and ice builds up on the coil. This makes their technology more energy efficient, strengthens cooling resiliency, lowers cooling costs for building owners, and reduces carbon emissions, thereby potentially opening up markets for ice thermal energy storage. Researchers estimate a 20% improvement in energy efficiency and a 67% reduction in total costs compared to conventional cooling systems.

This practical and sustainable cooling technology not only addresses the need for innovation in ice energy storage today, but may play a important role in the future when the energy demand for air conditioning is expected to significantly increase.

A Technological Innovation to Advance Crime Scene Analysis

InteliSpark client, SupreMEtric, LLC, wins a Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation, via the STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) program, to develop a novel technology for body fluid identification for forensic purposes.  

Bodily fluids found at crime scenes contain valuable DNA evidence that may aid crime scene investigators and forensic scientists in identifying suspects and victims as well as in vindicating innocent individuals. Currently, crime investigation labs rely on single body fluid-specific chemical tests, that are often inaccurate and destructive in nature. Testing each bodily fluid separately is time consuming and has contributed to the backlog of unprocessed DNA samples in crime labs across the U.S.

SupreMEtric, LLC, a startup spun out of the University of Albany, SUNY, will develop the first universal method for rapid, accurate, and nondestructive identification of all main bodily fluids in biological stains at a crime scene. Dr. Igor Lednev, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at University of Albany and Co-founder of SupreMEtric, will lead a team of researchers in optimizing a Raman spectroscopy method, a technique that utilizes the interaction of light with matter to discern a material’s characteristics, for a desktop instrument. They will also further develop a novel software that is capable of positively identifying all bodily fluids.

This innovative technology has the potential to significantly improve crime scene analysis in 600+ crime investigation labs across the US and be utilized by the 19,000+ crime scene investigators within the US. Department of Justice.

Novel Injectable Drug Delivery Systems Offer a Solution to Manufacturing Problems

InteliSpark client, Infinifluidics, Inc., wins a phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the National Science Foundation to create a portable, scalable, reproducible, platform for on-demand injectable drug delivery systems. These systems will not require any additional adjustment by the user and will be ready to be used as soon as they are connected.

Drug shortages are a growing public health issue in the United States with manufacturing problems as a main contributor to these shortages.  Treatment delays leave many patients in a vulnerable or even dangerous state.  To meet the needs of patients, healthcare providers, facilities, and pharmaceutical industries, technological innovation in manufacturing is more important than ever.

Infinifluidics, a startup spun out of the University of Pennsylvania, is developing on-demand injectable drug delivery systems to meet this market need in treating diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.  In this phase I project, Dr. Sagar Yadavali, CEO of Infinifluidics, will manage and oversee the development of injectable drug delivery systems at industrial scale on a portable chip, combining microfluidics with semiconductor technology.

The proposed technology has the potential to increase the production of multiple lifesaving drugs and increase the economic efficiency and productivity in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Treating Cancer without Poisoning the Human Body

InteliSpark client, Shasqi, Inc., wins a $2 million grant from the National Health Institutes to conduct a phase I clinical trial for a novel drug that the biotech startup is developing in the treatment of solid tumors.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 10 million people died from cancer worldwide in 2020. The vast majority of these cases were from malignant solid tumors such as sarcomas, carcinomas, and lymphomas. Chemotherapy, one of the most common treatment methods, is effective, but is not without the risk of toxic, potentially life-threatening side effects such as damage to the heart and bone marrow suppression.

Shasqi has spent years researching methods to reduce systemic toxicity while also maintaining the efficacy of treating solid tumors. Preclinical studies of their novel drug show major inhibition of tumor growth, an improved immune system, prolonged survival and reduced toxic side effects compared to traditional therapies. Shasqi has opened an investigational new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration and will begin a Phase 1, first-in-human clinical trial to test the safety, tolerability and efficacy in treating patients with metastatic solid tumors.

The discovery of innovative therapies to treat cancer without poisoning the human body will enable cancer patients all over the world to have an improved quality of life during and after treatment and potentially live many more healthy years on this earth. This project is part of the federally mandated Small Business Innovation Research program. 

New Therapeutic May Reduce the Severity of COVID-19

InteliSpark client, CytoAgents, wins a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, via the Small Business Innovation Research program, to assess the potential of a new drug (GP1681) in reducing the duration and severity of COVID-19.

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has infected 120 million people around the world, resulting in 2.6 million deaths. Vaccine administration began at the end of 2020 but issues with cost, supply and distribution may delay getting the virus under control. The emergence of new variants of COVID-19 that are more severe and contagious could also prevent countries in managing the virus.  

While a majority of COVID-19 cases are mild, 14% are severe, requiring hospitalization and 5% require intensive care. Severity of viral diseases and negative health outcomes is often associated with hypercytokinemia, a severe immune reaction that may be life-threatening and lead to multiple-organ failure.

CytoAgents has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA, and NIH-funded preclinical studies of this drug in treating influenza-related hypercytokinemia are underway. Researchers believe that the promise it has shown in treating severe flu cases may also be applicable in treating severe cases of COVID-19.  With no expectation that COVID-19 will disappear any time soon, finding innovative therapeutics to treat severe cases is imperative to saving lives and reducing the immense pressure on healthcare systems. Dr. Jodi Craigo, Chief Science Officer at CytoAgents, will lead this project in assessing the efficacy in reducing the duration and severity of COVID-19.

New Low-cost, Rapid COVID-19 Testing May Help Contain the Virus

InteliSpark client, mPOD, Inc., wins a $500k grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a low-cost COVID-19 saliva test along with an app that will facilitate data collection, tracking, and tracing of COVID-19 cases.

Though the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines bring hope to a world that has come to a screeching halt in many ways due to the pandemic, the time it will take to distribute the vaccine to the wider population may cost many more lives. Meanwhile, new and more contagious strains of the virus have emerged that will continue to overwhelm healthcare systems.

Since the United States has prioritized severe and high risk-patients, the virus continues to spread as mild and asymptomatic cases go unnoticed.  The need for rapid, widespread, and inexpensive testing is needed now more than ever.  mPOD, Inc., a New-York based startup, is rising to meet this global health challenge by developing a diagnostic platform to detect COVID-19 in saliva along with a mobile app for data collection, tracking and tracing of the virus.

This new diagnostic has the potential to deliver test results faster and with greater accuracy and sensitivity compared to existing diagnostics. The app will help businesses, manufacturers, schools and large institutions track cases that will better inform public health responses. This novel technology also has potential applications for diagnosing other pathogens that may arise. 

This grant is part of the federally-mandated Small Business Innovation Research program and more specifically, the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative.

Early Detection May be the Key to Combatting a Devastating Disease in Citrus Trees

InteliSpark client, Fyr Diagnostics, LLC, is awarded a phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a novel technology for the early detection of a serious plant disease called Huanglongbing found in citrus trees.

In the United States, the citrus industry is a significant contributor to our nation’s economy with around $15 billion in revenue and over $70,000 jobs generated in the 2016 -2017 season. Though not harmful to humans, Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as the citrus greening disease, is the most devastating disease to the citrus industry in the US and around the world. A tiny insect infects citrus trees with a bacteria that causes this cureless disease . In Florida, the state most impacted by HLB, the economic toll was $1 billion lost revenue per year and nearly 5,000 jobs lost annually from 2013 – 2018.  

The key for managing the spread of the disease is early detection, but current diagnostic tools are either unreliable or infeasible due to high costs. Fyr Diagnostics, a small company based in Montana, specializes in developing diagnostic tools for both human and agricultural diseases.  In this federally-funded project, researchers will develop quick, cost-effective, and sensitive early detection tools for HLB disease in citrus trees. These new diagnostic tools may prevent further spread of the disease and boost an industry that has faced huge economic losses in recent years.

Dr. Sarjubhai Patel, President and Co-Founder of Fyr Diagnostics, will lead this research project.  Dr. Patel is also an Associate Research Professor at the University of Montana, COBRE Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience.   

Decreasing Risk of COVID-19 by Increasing Access to Affordable Healthy Foods

InteliSpark client, Equiti Foods LLC, wins supplemental funding for their phase I Small Business Technology Transfer  (STTR) grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Equiti Foods has developed Good Bowls, a production and distribution platform for affordable, healthy, good-tasting frozen food meals to combat health disparities in low-income communities. The supplemental funding expands this project to take into consideration the impact of COVID-19 on nutrition and health in at-risk communities.

A major contributor to our nation’s $3.5 trillion in annual health care costs is the prevalence of chronic diseases which are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Poor nutrition is a risk factor for developing chronic diseases which makes low-income, minority and rural communities that lack access to affordable, nutritious foods at a higher risk of developing a chronic disease.  Similarly, poor nutrition and health in these same communities significantly increases the risk of contracting COVID-19. 

To address this critical social and public health issue, Equiti Foods is developing a business model that provides economic opportunities for farmers and small businesses in rural communities and advances a production and food distribution platform to increase access to healthy, affordable and good-tasting food options in low-income communities in the southeast. Good Bowls are good-tasting frozen foods based on the Mediterranean diet that integrate southern staple foods like collard greens, sweet potatoes, peppers, corn and beans.

Equiti Foods plan to use a sliding-scale model so that these locally sourced meals are sold at a lower price in corner stores and at a higher price in high-end stores. While reducing COVID-19 related health risks through increasing access to good, healthy food, Equiti Foods, a mission-driven start-up located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will also provide much needed job opportunities.

An Algorithm May Help Detect Seizures

InteliSpark client, Eysz Inc., wins a phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop technology to detect seizures based on eye-movement data.

In the United States, around 3.4 million people have epilepsy, a neurological disorder in which abnormal brain activity causes seizures. Absence seizures are a type of seizure in which brief abnormal brain activity causes a short blanking out or staring into space. Due to few observable symptoms, absence seizures are difficult to diagnose using current technologies. Electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring is the standard system for detecting and characterizing seizures but has significant limitations including poor detection capability and not translating well into an outpatient setting.

Eysz is addressing this critical need by developing an algorithm and software solutions to detect absence seizures. Using eye-movement data from eye-tracking systems, physicians in outpatient settings will have the potential to reliably detect seizures in near real-time. This will enable better therapeutic decision-making, decrease time to treatment, save lives and ultimately improve the quality of life for epileptic patients. Dr. Rachel Kuperman, founder and CEO of Eysz, will lead this research effort.