The brainchild of John Flavin, a seasoned life sciences executive and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of industry experience in finance, operations, and innovation, Portal Innovations LLC is a new platform to seed and accelerate life sciences, medtech, and bioinformatics ventures.
“There is an increasing pipeline of talent and biomedical innovation emerging from Midwest universities and companies that have the potential to be novel products in the healthcare market. However, entrepreneurs need an ecosystem of strong business and science teams coupled with capital and lab space to move the innovation from proof of concept to commercialization,” says Raju Prasad Ph.D., senior biotechnology equity research analyst at William Blair. “Portal is well positioned to successfully address this opportunity.”
Aware of this emerging opportunity in the Midwest, Flavin created Portal Innovations to seed, build, and scale early stage ventures emerging from academic laboratories, companies and innovation hubs.
To Portal, John brings a strong track record of successful life sciences and medtech senior management experience and innovation expertise in both the start-up and established company setting. Most recently John served as CFO at Endotronix and helped them secure $70 million to fund their pivotal clinical program. In parallel, he cofounded Pyxis Oncology as founding chairman and helped the team raise a $22 million Series A round to launch its novel immuno-oncology antibody drug platform. Over his career, he has co-founded and scaled several life sciences companies as president and CFO including Advanced Life Sciences and MediChem Life Sciences and has also co-founded and led transformative life sciences incubators including MATTER and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago. John has successfully raised over $345 million of public, private and philanthropic capital including 2 NASDAQ IPOs to fund the development of these impactful organizations.
In addition to providing management expertise, team assembly, and other start-up resources, Portal is partnering with Trammell Crow Co., a leading real estate developer in the United States, to design and develop wet and dry lab space to support a carefully curated portfolio of early stage companies in the recently announced Fulton Labs complex in Fulton Market.
Queen's University Belfast
Coating reduces catheter pain, risk of infection
Researchers say that it’s important to provide an alternative to current catheters, which have not changed much since their introduction almost 100 years ago.
Researchers from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast developed an antimicrobial coating that can be applied to urinary catheters to significantly reduce pain and lower the risk of infection.
The coating was created using a mix of polymers, ensuring its low friction which reduces catheterization pain and discomfort, and contains antimicrobial properties to protect users from microbes.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) associated with catheter use are one of the most common types of infection that affect people staying in hospital. This risk is particularly high if the catheter is left in place continuously (an indwelling catheter) with approximately 50% of all long-term catheterized patients experiencing recurrent episodes of catheter infections and blockages.
Dr. Nicola Irwin, lecturer in Pharmaceutical Materials Science and first author on the paper says: “Patients with poor control over their bladder function, for example those with urinary retention or drainage problems caused by neurological conditions such as spina bifida or spinal cord injuries, may need catheterized up to 8x a day.
“Insertion and removal of poorly lubricated catheters causes friction between the urethral walls and the device surface, which is not only extremely painful for the patient, but upon regular use can lead to damage and narrowing of the urethra, bleeding, and infection.”
As well as being extremely painful, low-level infections, overtime, can cause antibiotic resistance in these users.
Professor Colin McCoy, Chair in Biomaterials Chemistry and co-author of the research explains: “People who use medical devices such as catheters on a daily basis are at high risk of persistent low-level infections, which, overtime, can cause antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is one the biggest global threats to society today and leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased risk of infection and even death.
“It is vitally important we provide an alternative to the currently used devices, which have not changed much since their introduction almost 100 years ago despite their widespread clinical and many associated limitations.”
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with the University of Leeds published their findings in ACS Applied Bio Materials.
New York auto show moved to August
COVID-19 spreading in New York, forcing second major auto show cancellation in March.
“We are taking this extraordinary step to help protect our attendees, exhibitors, and all participants from the coronavirus,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, the organization that owns and operates the New York Auto Show.
The has been rescheduled to Aug. 28-to-Sept. 6, 2020. Press days are August 26-27, 2020.
“For 120 years, ‘the show must go on’ has been heavily embedded in our DNA, and while the decision to move the show dates didn’t come easy, our top priority remains with the health and well-being of all those involved in this historic event. We have already been in communication with many of our exhibitors and partners and are confident that the new dates for the 2020 Show will make for another successful event,” Schienberg added.
New York’s postponement will make Detroit’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in June the second major showcase of the year following Chicago. NAIAS had typically kicked off the auto show season, but falling attendance and lack of participation from automakers prompted organizers to shift the event until June.
NAIAS organizers say they’re working closely with the TCF Center venue and health officials to prepare for the show.
“First and foremost, we want our partners and visitors to have a safe, world-class experience in the Motor City,” said Doug North, chairman of the 2020 NAIAS. “Here in Detroit, we are monitoring the latest information about the novel coronavirus and are reviewing our policies and procedures. We are also in the process of meeting with city and state health and safety officials to develop the proper precautions for our show.”
New hires, promotions; MedAccred certification for Hoffer Plastics
Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association hires first executive director; MC Machinery’s regional sales rep; Tegra Medical’s VP sales, marketing
MC Machinery Systems welcomes Craig Barbeck as regional sales representative for the Northern Ohio Territory. Barbeck will support the sales team with a focus on laser and press brake products.
Barbeck’s strong technical and engineering background provides him with a unique insight into the needs of MC Machinery customers. With more than 15 years of experience in the fabrication industry and machine tool sales, Barbeck will use his industry expertise to increase sales support and boost customer satisfaction.
Barbeck previously served customers in Eastern Ohio, Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, Maryland, and Texas. He currently resides in the Greater Cleveland Area.
“I’m honored to accept a position alongside the well-respected MC Machinery team,” Barbeck says. “I look forward to upholding MC Machinery’s long-standing success by expanding our customer base in Northern Ohio.”
The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA), a new green trade group created to promote additive manufacturing (AM), has hired Sherry Handel as its first executive director. AMGTA was launched in November 2019 to promote the environmental benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) over traditional methods of manufacturing. The AMGTA is a non-commercial, unaffiliated organization open to any additive manufacturer or industry stakeholder that meets certain criteria relating to sustainability of production or process.
After an extensive search through a recruiting firm, Handel was hired in late February 2020 to lead the new nonprofit trade association.
“We are exceptionally pleased that Sherry is onboard and look forward to working closely with her and our industry founding members to build the foundation of the AMGTA,” says Brian Neff, chairman of the AMGTA Board of Directors.
Handel is the co-founder and previous COO of Energy Harvesters LLC, a clean-tech startup developing the Walking Charger, a patented device that charges smartphones and other mobile device batteries as the user walks. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and has studied sustainability at the University of Vermont and Boston Architectural College.
Hoffer Plastics now a MedAccred-certified injection molder
Hoffer Plastics received the MedAccred certification, a medical device industry-managed supply-chain oversight program of the Performance Review Institute. This designation, which identifies and verifies compliance to critical manufacturing process requirements, puts Hoffer in a trusted group of injection molders that have been endorsed to serve the medical industry.
This news comes as Hoffer Plastics continues to innovate and expand its processes and opportunities for the production of world-class custom plastic injection molding. The MedAccred accreditation will enable Hoffer to leverage its reputation of expertise, by interfacing directly with medical manufacturers.
Alex Hoffer, Chief Revenue Officer of Hoffer Plastics says, “This marks an important milestone in Hoffer Plastics’ history of earned credibility. Receiving MedAccred certification from PRI is a testament to our tradition of commitment to maintaining best-in-class status in sterile packaging. We know that in the end, customers are looking for peace of mind though product safety, quality, and consistency that a trusted, capable, accredited partner can bring. We are proud to be recognized as an integral part of the trust in that process.”
Tegra Medical, an end-to-end contract manufacturer in the medical device industry, has promoted Walter Gacek to vice president of sales and marketing. After holding several senior level sales management positions since joining the company, Gacek will now assume responsibility for all sales and marketing activities for the company’s device manufacturing and Quick Wire and Tubing businesses.
“Walter brings a wealth of experience to our management team,” says J. Mark King, president and CEO. “We have long relied on his expertise in developing new business and strengthening customer relationships. We’re looking forward to expanding his contributions as the company continues to grow its business in the US and abroad.”
With more than three decades in the medical device industry, Walter knows the business inside and out. His past positions have given him a strong working knowledge of all technical aspects of medical device contract manufacturing. Prior to joining Tegra Medical in 2009 as business development manager in the Western U.S., he spent 15 years with Accellent in various technical sales and sales management roles, including director of business development, where he built and led sales teams across various geographic regions.
This tabletop robotic device can accurately steer needles and catheters into tiny blood vessels with minimal supervision.
Martin Yarmush and Alvin Chen
Artificial intelligence, image-guided robotics for automatic blood draw
Engineers at Rutgers University created a medical device that can insert catheters and automatically conduct a blood draw.
Rutgers University engineers have created a tabletop device that combines a robot, artificial intelligence (AI), and near-infrared and ultrasound imaging to draw blood or insert catheters for fluid and drug delivery.
Research results, published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, suggest medical robots could reduce injuries, improve procedure efficiency and outcomes, and carry out tasks with minimal supervision when resources are limited.
“Using volunteers, models, and animals, our team showed that the device can accurately pinpoint blood vessels, improving success rates and procedure times compared with expert health care professionals, especially with difficult to access blood vessels,” says senior author Martin L. Yarmush, Paul & Mary Monroe Chair & Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Engineering at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
Access to veins, arteries, and other blood vessels is a critical first step in many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as drawing blood, administering fluids and medications, introducing devices such as stents, and monitoring health, but gaining access to blood vessels in many people can be quite challenging.
Failures occur in an estimated 20% of procedures, and difficulties increase in people with small, twisted, rolling, or collapsed blood vessels, which are common in pediatric, elderly, chronically ill, and trauma patients, the study says. In these groups, the first-stick accuracy rate is below 50% and at least five attempts are often needed, leading to delays in treatment. Bleeding complications can arise when major adjacent arteries, nerves, or internal organs are punctured, and the risk of complication rises significantly with multiple attempts. When nearby blood vessels are inaccessible, more invasive approaches such as central venous or arterial access are often required.
The robotic device can accurately steer needles and catheters into tiny blood vessels with minimal supervision. It combines artificial intelligence (AI) with near-infrared and ultrasound imaging to perform complex visual tasks, including identifying the blood vessels from the surrounding tissue, classifying them, estimating their depth, and is followed by motion tracking.
Next steps include more research on the device in a broader range of people, including those with normal and difficult blood vessels to access.
The lead author is Alvin Chen, who earned a doctorate at Rutgers. Co-authors include Max L. Balter and Timothy J. Maguire, who also earned doctorates at Rutgers, all under the supervision of Yarmush.
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
Posted by Robert Schoenberger
