Rutgers Startups

Actinobac is developing therapeutics for multiple indications, including blood cancers, autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, and HIV. Actinobac's drug candidates are based upon Leukothera (LtxA), a natural protein that targets and eliminates white blood cells (WBCs) involved in the mechanism of many diseases. Products based upon Leukothera are targeting treatments of leukemia/lymphoma, dry eye, and psoriasis.

Innovator: Dr. Scott Kachlany

Key tags: White blood cells, Leukemia, Lymphoma

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Affineti is developing oral hygiene products that provide diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for periodontal disease, caries, and implantitis. These biologically based technologies have been designed for clinical treatment and diagnosis using non-invasive, safe, and highly specific methodologies.

Innovator: Dr. Daniel Fine

Key tags: Dentistry, Oral cavity, Plaque, Periodontal

AmnioChor is a mission-driven biotech company based in perinatal tissue and stem cell technologies. AmnioChor has created novel methods to acquire and preserve human placental stem cells and tissue that will serve to expand the private and public stem cell biobanking industry. By innovative new methods of isolation and preservation of valuable placental components, the company seeks to become a critical resource of placental-based cells and tissue for immediate and future development of exciting new cellular therapies. AmnioChor’s advanced technologies enable production of cells of the highest quality and quantity to fulfill the burgeoning needs of the cellular therapy industry. The human placenta possesses an abundance of healing power and in the placenta’s 2nd life, AmnioChor plans to make biobanking available to everyone and leave no cell behind.

Innovator: Dr. Dale Woodbury

Key tags: Perinatal stem cell, Stem cell, Cord blood

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Belum Therapeutics is developing a novel drug for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The lead drug is a peptide fragment from the hormone EPO. It shares the same neural anti- inflammatory and myelin repair properties of EPO, but lacks the undesirable side effects such as increasing hematocrit. It has displayed excellent safety and efficacy in multiple indications including Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Traumatic Brain Injury. A clinical trial for MS is planned for later this year.

Innovator: Peter Dowling

Key tags: Neurodegenerative diseases, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Traumatic Brain Injury

Ceptur Therapeutics is developing unique and differentiated genetic medicines for patients with unaddressed diseases. The company’s proprietary U1 Adaptor technology controls gene-specific expression and affords advantageous properties for drugging difficult targets. U1 Adaptors are a 3rd-gen oligonucleotide-mediated gene silencing technology, mechanistically distinct from antisense or siRNA. U1 Adaptor oligonucleotides are well suited to in vivo applications because they can accept extensive chemical modifications to improve nuclease resistance and the attachment of bulky groups, such as tags for imaging or ligands for receptor-mediated uptake by target cells, without loss of silencing activity. The technology was previously licensed to SilaGene.

Innovator: Dr. Samuel Gunderson

Key tags: U1A Adaptors, Gene silencing, Huntington's disease

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Ciscovery Bio is a genomics company that enables cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) such as enhancers and promoters for drug development, precision medicine, and biotechnology. Our CRM-based approach empowers (1) screening drugs at the preclinical stage, (2) mapping the genome-drug relationship, (3) developing a novel therapeutic application of existing drugs, and (4) precise expression of transgenes in gene therapy and in Ag biotech. This will bring saving of millions of dollars in drug development, more patient-centric drug treatment, and improvement in gene therapy and GM crops.

Innovator: Dr. Jongmin Nam

Key tags: CRM, Non-coding biomarker, Precision medicine 

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CreOsso is developing products that enhance the body's own capacity for bone healing and regeneration. The technology is based on 10 years of research into the effects of local delivery of insulin and insulin-mimetics on bone regeneration in long bones, extremities and the spine.

Innovator: Dr. Sheldon Lin

Key tags: Bone healing, Bone regeneration, Autologous bone graft

Liposomal Technologies Inc. (Lipotech) was established based on a technology platform for development of Liposomal Oncology drugs. The company’s Liposomal Technology Platform starts with the legacy of Liposomal Cisplatin with Orphan Drug Designation for Pancreatic Cancer from European Medicines Agency and combines it with the patented use of Inhalation Therapy of Rutgers. The Liposomal Oncology technology platform gives Lipotech the opportunity to apply it in i.v. form as well as inhalation chemotherapies through a customized medical device like a nebulizer.

Innovator: Dr. Tamara Minko

Key tags: Liposomal, Pancreatic cancer, Inhalation chemotherapies

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Through the acquisition of Aquarius in 2015, Matinas BioPharma has focused on redefining the intracellular delivery of nucleic acids and small molecules with its lipid nanocrystal (LNC) platform technology, which is licensed from Rutgers University. Matinas BioPharma is developing its own internal portfolio of products as well as partnering with leading pharmaceutical companies to develop novel formulations that capitalize on the unique characteristics of the LNC platform.

Innovator: Dr. Raphael Mannino

Key tags: Drug delivery, Cochleate formulation 

MBRACE Therapeutics is a biotechnology company with primary focus on developing new treatments for patients with cancer based on the Selection of Phage Accessible Recombinant Targeted Antibodies (SPARTA) technology pioneered by its founders. Its goal is to develop, validate, and optimize therapeutically functional, anti-tumor monoclonal human recombinant antibodies to make antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for cancer treatment. The SPARTA approach is based on in vitro target receptor identification followed by in vivo antibody selection, using phage/yeast display, deep sequencing, and bioinformatics analyses.

Innovators: Dr. Renata Pasqualini, Dr. Wadih Arap

Key tags: Antibodies, Bioinformatics analyses, Cancer treatment

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MentiNova* is developing oral therapy for L-Dopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease patients. The company is exploring oral medication that could reduce uncontrollable, often chaotic movements in patients being treated with L-Dopa.

Innovator: Dr. Mary Maral Mouradian

Key tags: Parkinsons, L-Dopa

Metacrine* is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing differentiated therapies for patients with liver and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Metacrine's most advanced program targets the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), which is central to modulating liver and GI diseases. 

Innovator: Dr. Jeffrey D. White

Key tags: Diabetes, Endocrine, GI, NASH

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Mito Biopharma is developing small- molecule mitochondrial modulators, with a focus on liver-based diseases. Mito Biopharma has developed leads for the treatment of NASH and type 2 diabetes. As a secondary priority, Mito Biopharma is also developing drugs for liver-based orphan diseases related to metabolic imbalance and metabolic defect in liver.

Innovator: Dr. Shengkan (Victor) Jin

Key tags: Diabetes, NASH, HCC

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NAKI Therapeutics is a research-focused biopharmaceutical company. Its core technology is surrounding Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-Natural Killer (NK) immunotherapy with ground-breaking allogeneic ('off-the-shelf') or expansion technology and a unique and novel solid tumor molecular target-CD147. Its approach is to re-engineer NK cells, which belong to the human innate immune system, to target the specific cancer cell surface marker CD147, and thereby kill the cancer cells more effectively and safely in comparison to existing treatments. To deliver this therapy cost-effectively and in a scalable way, NAKI has also developed proprietary methods to expand NK and CAR-NK cells fast and with high purity. Their initial solid tumor focus is on Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) or Liver Cancer, where there is tremendous unmet patient need in the U.S. and particularly globally.

Innovator: Dr. Dongfang Liu

Key tags: Chimeric antigen receptors, Immunotherapy, Cancer

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NanoInk Imaging is developing an optical imaging technology based on functionalized nanoprobes that emit short-wave infrared (SWIR) light. The NanoInk Imaging System (NIS) offers enhanced tissue transparency, deeper tissue illumination potential, and molecular targeting of tumor markers. The first application of our NIS is improved detection of microtumors in small animal disease models. The second application of NIS is in Image-Guided Surgery allowing surgeons to visualize tumor margins and reduce the need for repeat surgeries.

Innovators: Ameena Moghe, Dr. Mark Ravera, Dr. Mark Pierce, Dr. Richard Riman

Key tags: Nanoprobes, Imaging hardware, Software, Tumors

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NemaGen Discoveries is an early phase biotech company focused on advancing therapies for patients suffering from allergic inflammation and mast cell-related diseases. It was established to identify novel approaches to disrupt and combat mast cells, a type of white blood cell that is part of the first line of defense in the body’s immune system but also the primary driver for asthma and allergies.

Innovator: Dr. Mark Siracusa

Key tags: Allergies, Asthma, Mast cells

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NeuroNovus is developing a novel, first-in-class gene therapy that promotes the regeneration of spinal cord tissue, resulting in dramatic functional recovery in an animal model of SCI. This is the first treatment for SCI that enhances regeneration of spinal cord tissue, attenuates scarring, and reprograms the spinal cord circuitry; all of which are essential for functional recovery. This therapy has the potential to help thousands of SCI patients regain motor control.

Innovator: Dr. Li Cai

Key tags: Spinal cord injury, Gene therapy

NeuroTechR3 provides personalized rehabilitation solutions using Exergame technologies for improving hand and arm functions in individuals suffering from the effects of brain injury and musculoskeletal impairments. A woman-owned and founded company, NeuroTechR3's goal is to become the market leader in gamified rehabilitation, expanding this field by providing reliable and accessible solutions for individuals with all types of neurological and orthopedic impairments.  

Innovator: Dr. Qinyin Qiu (Cho)

Key words: Stroke, Brain injury, Musculoskeletal impairments

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Nexomics Biosciences functions as a contract research organization (CRO), offering a broad array of gene-to-structure services to the biopharmaceutical community. Core capabilities include target selection and construct design using bioinformatics tools, cloning of genes into protein production vectors, recombinant protein expression, laboratory-scale fermentation, protein purification, crystallization screening, NMR structural studies, X-ray crystallographic structural studies, and functional assay development.

Innovator: Dr. Gaetano Montelione

Key tags: CRO, Gene-to-structure services, Structure-based assay

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Notitia Bio has developed an innovative Foundation Guild platform, which uses data from the gut microbiome to develop therapies and products focused on the ecological restoration of the gut ecosystem. Notitia Bio is focused on unique and effective treatments for various chronic or acute complications. The company is currently focused on COVID-19 and Long-hauler COVID-19; early & end stage Diabetic Kidney Disease; and Genetic Obesity/Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS).

Innovator: Dr. Liping Zhao

Key tags: Microbiome, Diabetes, Diabetic kidney disease

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NP Pharmaceutical is developing drug targets for treating neuropathic pain. The technology relates to compounds, compositions, methods, systems and kits for treating neuropathic pain regulated by SIP30. 

Innovator: Dr. Lei Yu

Key tags: Pain, Neuropathic pain

PharmaKrysto is an early-stage R&D company developing treatment of Cystinuria by blocking the growth of cystine crystals. Its lead programme, PK10, has the goal of freeing people with cystinuria from pain and the risk of kidney failure. PK10 has been granted Orphan Designation by both the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Innovator: Dr. Longqin Hu

Key tags: Cystinuria, Kidney

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PolyCore Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for patients suffering from dyskinesia and cognitive impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders. PolyCore is current conducting preclinical studies for its lead compound, PCT-3012, a novel small molecule for treatment of Parkinson’s motor symptoms and dyskinesia in patients with early- to mid-stage Parkinson’s Disease.

Innovator: Dr. Eldo Kuzhikandathil

Key tags: Parkinsons, CNS

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PrimeGen Biotech is a stem cell research company dedicated to optimizing the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells.

Innovator: Dr. Yufang Shi

Key tags: MSC-mediated immunosuppression, Stem cell, Liver cirrhosis

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The idea of using small linkers was developed by Prof. Markus Rüegg and his team more than 20 years ago. Work by Rutgers’ Prof. Peter Yurchenco led to the development of a second linker, which together forms the basis of the Simultaneous Expression of Artificial Linker (SEAL) technology, an innovative potential gene therapy. This approach overcomes the lack of laminin-α2, a condition of a severe congenital muscular dystrophy, by providing molecular connections with other laminins and with the plasma membrane of the muscle fibers.

Innovator: Dr. Peter Yurchenco

Key tags: Gene therapy, Laminins

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TAXIS Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage company developing new classes of anti-resistance agents to treat life-threatening, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. The proprietary TAXISTANCE® platform targets the disruption of the foundation of bacterial cell wall architecture to address elemental drug resistance mechanisms.

Innovator: Dr. Edmond LaVoie

Key tags: Drug resistance, Bacterial infections, Multi-drug resistance

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TRIM-edicine is developing novel protein and peptide therapeutics for unmet medical needs such as acute and chronic tissue injuries, wound healing, muscular dystrophy, aging-related degenerative diseases, neuromuscular disorders, cancer and diabetes. The company is built around a core of protein and peptide therapeutic approaches that involve novel mechanisms with remarkable biological properties. These unique biological molecules target a variety of cellular pathways that are altered in numerous disease states.

Innovator: Dr. Jianjie Ma

Key tags: Dermal wound healing, Muscular dystrophy, Protein therapeutics

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Virium* developed several oncology-related compounds. Its VP701 development program involved a novel nucleoside analogue, 4'-thio-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine. This compound is within a certain class of anti-cancer drugs generally characterized as cytotoxic agents with proven success in certain blood-borne cancers. In pre-clinical studies, VP701 has shown activity against leukemia, colon, lung, prostate, pancreatic, renal, and breast cancers.

Innovator: Dr. William Welsh

Key tags: Oncology, Nucleoside analogue

Visikol is a contract research services company that is focused on helping researchers accelerate their drug discovery and development efforts by providing best-in-class advanced tissue imaging and cell culture assay services. The team is comprised of experts in imaging, image analysis and cell culture and works as an extension of its client’s drug discovery and development programs. The Rutgers spinout, which provides many top pharmaceutical companies with tools necessary to create innovative therapeutics, received a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2021 and then weeks later was acquired by Swedish company CELLINK for up to $19.5 million.

Innovator: Dr. James Simon

Key tags: CRO, 3D assays, Tissue imaging

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Xiconic Pharmaceuticals is developing an Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) that targets a unique human tumor specific antigen that is principally found only on solid tumors and some B cell malignancies. The antigen is virtually nonexistent on normal cells. 

Innovator: Dr. Joseph Bertino

Key tags: Solid tumors, B cell malignancy, Antibodies

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*License no longer active

Zena Therapeutics is a drug discovery company designing new medications for mental health and addiction by improving safety profiles. Currently the work at Zena focuses on acute anxiolytic compounds that do not increase the risk of overdose if taken concomitantly with other central nervous system depressing substances such as opioids and alcohol. The company’s novel compound has shown, via preliminary studies, favorable pharmacokinetics, anxiolytic activity (in rats) and favorable safety characteristics. The innovations at Zena have the potential to not only help individuals with general anxiety and panic disorders, but also those suffering from withdrawal induced-anxiety (namely from opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder) who otherwise would not be candidates for other fast acting anxiolytics due to the risk of overdose. The overall mission of Zena Therapeutics is to ensure that the consequence for medication misuse, whether intentional or accidental, is never death.

Innovators: Dr. Eileen Carry, Dr. Ariane Vasilatis

Key tags: Pharmacokinetics, Panic Disorder, Addiction

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Beucher Technologies is developing a fire retardant coating superior to what is currently being sold in the market. The non-halogen coating will increase the ability to contain and prevent the spread of fire. It can minimize damage to structures, as well as flammable materials. The application can be valuable to all industries.

Innovator: Dr. Thomas Nosker

Key tags: Coatings, Construction, Building materials

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Decarbonizing carbonate mineral processing holds the key to gigatonne scale CO2 mitigation and removal. Queens Carbon’s patented approach, developed at Rutgers University, leverages novel hydrothermal technology to reduce the energy of carbonate mineral processing by 30% or more. This technology can produce carbon-neutral cement at 500C, which is lower than typical cement production temperatures of 1500C. Ultimately, this temperature reduction enables the use of sustainable energy and decreases the energy and cost for carbon emissions avoidance and capture.

Once adopted on a global scale, Queens Carbon’s technology will have gigatonne-scale CO2 impact through:

• Carbon-neutral cement production without compromising on cost or product performance.
• Large-scale, commercially viable carbon capture from atmospheric and point-sources.

Innovators: Dr. Daniel Kopp, Dr. Richard Riman

Key tags: Carbon-neutral, cement, renewable

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RenewCO₂ develops clean electrochemical processes that convert CO₂ into monomers and other organic chemicals for turning the chemical industry from a green house gas emitter to a consumer of carbon dioxide. Different from traditional fossil-derived feedstocks and current bio-to-plastics processes, its process is carbon negative and has a positive environmental impact.

Innovators: Dr. Anders Laursen, Dr. Karin Calvinho, Dr. G. Charles Dismukes 

Key tags: Carbon Dioxide, Organic chemicals, Renewable sourcing

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RRTC is developing eco-friendly ceramic materials at lower cost and complexity relative to current production standards.

Innovator: Dr. Richard Riman

Key tags: Ceramic, Building materials, Environment

Sicut Enterprises is a supplier of sustainable infrastructure building products manufactured from recycled plastics. Products include railway sleepers that have been proven in the laboratory and track over the past 20 years, and are now installed in 18 countries. Sicut is also able to offer a sustainable material solution to complement or replace traditional building products including wood, steel, and concrete, to meet increasingly demanding infrastructure needs globally.

Innovator: Dr. Thomas Nosker

Key tags: Railway ties, Recycled plastics, Environment

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Solidia is a cement and concrete technology company, offering patented environmentally-friendly solutions that make it easy and profitable to use CO2 to create superior, sustainable building materials. Specifically, Solidia's technology can provide sustainable cement manufacturing that can be produced in a traditional cement kiln using less energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing by 30%-40%; the technology also cures concrete with CO2 instead of water. 

Innovator: Dr. Richard Riman

Key tags: Cement, Building materials, Environment, CO2

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SubUAS is developing a single unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform that can seamlessly deploy in both air and water. The Navigator is designed to easily go from airborne to underwater operations, and back again. It is robust enough for repeated transitions and is able to work in a variety of weather conditions and underwater currents.

Innovator: Dr. F. Javier Diez

Key tags: Drone, UAV, Marine

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TLC Products is developing bulk graphene polymer matrix composites for a number of industries, with a focus on aerospace and military. 

Innovator: Dr. Thomas Nosker

Key tags: Graphene, Polymer composites, Military

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XPEED offers patented aerodynamic flow deflectors incorporated into both, existing and new wind turbines to improve performance. Field data shows an increase in wind farm annual energy production (AEP) by 2-4%. XTT offers customized deflector kits to retrofit any existing turbine blade in the market.

Innovator: Dr. F. Javier Diez

Key tags: Wind, Flow deflectors, Renewables

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Actionable Insight's Prysm is the first constituent relationship management application developed for non-profit healthcare. Prysm provides philanthropic foundations with a proven, repeatable process to effectively engage clinicians, elevate patient experience and improve philanthropic outcomes. By introducing an advanced lead generation component to grateful patient programs, fundraising becomes more intentional and the donor management system is able to perform as intended.

Innovator: Timothy Gale

Key tags: CRM, Grateful patient, Healthcare management

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Aeriel Technologies provides an AI-based solution using existing WiFi infrastructure to infer human motion through the distortion of WiFi signals. Aerial’s AI ecosystem includes knowledge-based and data-driven machine learning models and predictive analytics. Pre-built and ready-to-integrate algorithms deliver timely, robust smart services, while personalized experience can be offered by training customized algorithms and including AI-powered feedback.

Innovator: Dr. Marco Gruteser

Key tags: WiFi, Motion detection, AI

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Aprenda Systems offers an easy, secure management system of healthcare provider data. With Aprenda's Signature, payers, healthcare organizations and providers can easily streamline clinical, regulatory, financial, and administrative data collection activities, saving time, lowering operational costs, and reducing the burdens associated with collecting, maintaining, and distributing healthcare provider information.

Innovator: Dr. Alexander Izaguirre

Key tags: Data management, Healthcare management

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BiTKOO* is a leading information protection company, focused solely on identity and fine-grained authorization (entitlements management). BiTKOO products are delivered from the cloud, or deployed on-premises, to protect both cloud applications and on-premises systems of any kind. The company’s software portfolio includes Keystone, the fastest and most sophisticated XACML engine on the market. 

Innovator: Dr. Liviu Iftode

Key tags: Identity solutions, Access and entitlement management

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Import.io offers a novel platform to acquire, manage, and interpret web data. With a strong focus on data quality and control, Import.io's services span from simple web data extracting/scraping, to enterprise-level solutions. The goal is reliable, high quality data, every time.

Innovator: Dr. Tomasz Imielinski

Key tags: Data management, Big Data, Defense

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Intuidex is a machine learning / data model solution provider, including Space-Data-as-a-Service. Streaming data, by definition, has exploded in terms of value, veracity, variety, velocity and volume, making learning in real-time to gain insights from data all the more complex, not to mention related storage, processing and analysis tasks. Intuidex manufactures analytics solutions that address these information demands with proven, best-in-class technology for pattern of life and anomaly detection, forecasting, prediction, classification and numerous other machine learning solutions powered by Higher-Order Low-Resource Learning™, HO-LRL™.

Innovator: Dr. William Pottenger

Key tags: Data management, Big Data, Defense

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MADBITS* is an image search organization technology company. It focuses on building new user experiences in the media space (photos and videos). Specifically, it is interested in the task of image search, and the creation of intelligent, dynamic image sets, to automatically organize large databases of images.

Innovator: Dr. Roy Yates

Key tags: Image processing, Deep learning

ReadyCoach was founded in 2016 following the successful implementation of a large U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to Rutgers University and Arizona State University, which focused on school improvement through principal and teacher evaluation and professional development through instructional coaching. The first version of ReadyCoach platform included a suite of coaching assessments, reports and interventions tools that were effective in facilitating data-driven instructional coaching. Since then, the system has been made available to a wider audience of schools and practitioners through additional federal grants dedicated to developing and implementing research-based coaching tools and trainings to individuals and organizations interested in student-centered and data-driven instructional coaching.

Innovator: Dr. Linda Reddy

Key tags: Education, Evaluation, Instructional coaching

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Redpoll LLC brings artificial intelligence (AI) to sectors where it has been historically ineffective or dangerous – such as biotech and public health – by developing new AI techniques based on human cognition, to build expressive, intuitive, and transparent AI that can be operated and understood by both data scientists and domain experts. Redpoll and Rutgers University have entered into a 42-month collaborative agreement with DARPA to develop OTACON, an introspective AI system that thrives in dynamic, uncertain worlds. The OTACON project, led by Dr. Patrick Shafto at Rutgers and Dr. Baxter Eaves at Redpoll, falls under the Science of Artificial Intelligence and Learning for Open-world Novelty (SAIL-ON) program, which aims to move AI systems out of closed-world problems with static constraints, into open worlds with dynamic constraints.

Innovator: Dr. Patrick Shafto

Key tags: Artificial intelligence, AI, Human cognition

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Scarlet Computing Solutions offers software products and services for higher education application and enrollment processes. Their Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record System (STARS) is a product suite (also known as SRAR or SSAR) designed specifically for higher education institutions seeking to streamline their admissions process. With STARS, colleges save time and money typically spent receiving, encoding, imaging, and filing transcripts, test scores, and other applicant documents. Electronic academic records with STARS admissions metrics are loaded automatically into the college’s current student information system (SIS) or CRM for efficient application review and records management.

Innovator: Dr. Paul Johnson

Key tags: Higher education, EdTech

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Simsi's flagship product, Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM), is a spatial analytic method and software for risk analysis and diagnostic for crime prevention and public safety. RTM is used in a variety of fields: public safety, medicine, public health, epidemiology, social welfare, transportation, city planning, emergency management, disaster recovery, homeland security, retail asset protection, and maritime shipping. 

Innovator: Dr. Joel Caplan

Key tags: Public security, Crime prevention, Defense

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SkyeBrowse is the brainchild of multiple research projects at Rutgers University funded by state and federal agencies. The research allowed the founding team to create the concept and IP behind SkyeBrowse. The secret sauce behind SkyeBrowse is videogrammetry, where we use 1 video instead of hundreds pictures to create a 3D model. Instead of taking hours to capture the data for a 3D model, SkyeBrowse simplifies it with 1 video in under 5 minutes. This allows departments to make a 3D model with one tap, which is the driving force behind tactical situational awareness.

Innovator: Dr. Jing (Peter) Jin

Key tags: Videogrammetry, 3D, Tactical situational awareness

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Steg.AI builds innovative security software to help businesses and organizations protect their media assets and intellectual property. Steg.AI's software products are powered by artificial intelligence technology that marries forensic tracers with digital pixels. The research technology developed at Rutgers is called light field messaging, which is an advanced forensic water marking technique that adds information to files like images, video, pdfs, gifs, etc., that is invisible to people but visible to proprietary algorithms (or even a camera).

Innovators: Dr. Eric Wengrowski, Dr. Kristin Dana

Key tags: AI, artificial intelligence, digital privacy

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Teoma* developed an internet search engine launched in 2001. Among several unique features, Teoma's technology leveraged a proprietary method of ranking sites, frequently referred to as "authority". Other features included a Teoma toolbar and many advanced search features that search engines broadly have adopted today.

Innovator: Dr. Apostolos Gerasoulis

Key tags: Internet search engine

Tokutek* is a premier high-performance database company, delivering Big Data processing power across two of the most important Open Source data management platforms -- MySQL and MongoDB. It developed Fractal Tree indexing, which improves database performance and storage compression across MySQL and NoSQL product lines while lowering total cost of ownership for its customers. Tokutek was acquired by Percona in 2015, along with the distribution of MongoDB, called TokuMX™. Percona is now the exclusive global licensee of technology developed by Rutgers along with MIT and Stony Brook and incorporated into Fractal Tree indexing by Tokutek.

Innovator: Dr. Martin Farach-Colton

Key tags: Big Data, MySQL, NoSQL

Zipreel* developed reliable, fast, and scalable software products to compress and classify media. Its technology revolved around distributed processing.

Innovator: Dr. Kumar Ramaswamy

Key tags: Video transcoding, Cloud-based software

*license no longer active

AmnioChor is a biotech company based in perinatal stem cell technology. AmnioChor has identified a source and method of acquiring and preserving human stem cells. AmnioChor’s stem cells will allow a tremendous expansion of the private stem cell storage industry and stem cell based therapies to augment the cord blood banking industry. 

Innovator: Dr. Dale Woodbury

Key tags: Perinatal stem cell, Stem cell, Cord blood

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Angiologics* developed a diagnostic device and software for early-stage cardiovascular disease. Specifically, the invention offers a non-invasive method of measuring arterial volume, without the need for specialty cuffs. It leverages computer algorithms, making analyses more consistent from patient to patient, and independent of cuff and tubing variations.

Innovator: Dr. Gary Drzewiecki

Key tags: Cardiovascular disease, Diagnostics

BioArray* developed molecular BeadChip™ assays for Transfusion Medicine that enhance donor and patient matching capability. The technology utilizes genetic information of blood donors and patients to predict red blood cell, platelet and leukocyte phenotypes. The assays for red blood groups are not influenced by immunoglobulin coating of the red blood cells, the presence of recently transfused red blood cells, or any form of polyagglutination.

Innovator: Dr. Richard Ebright

Key tags: Diagnostics, Transfusion, Transplantation

Ibris* developed a rapid, predictive, prognostic test that can identify ER-positive breast cancer patients requiring chemotherapy. Its products help physicians determine how aggressive a breast cancer could be, so that patients with potentially aggressive estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer can get chemotherapy in addition to treatment with anti-estrogen therapies.

Innovator: Dr. Anant Madabhushi

Key tags: Pathology, Digital pathology, Breast cancer

IBX is the world’s largest university-based biorepository. IBX has been perfecting the science of biobanking, bioprocessing and analytics since 1999. By utilizing a technologically advanced infrastructure and the highest quality biomaterials, IBX scientists work to convert precious biosamples into renewable resources thereby extending research capabilities. In April 2020, IBX received the first FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) enabling the use of saliva tests to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Since then, a revised EUA for an at-home saliva sample collection was also approved. Formerly known as Rutgers RUCDR Infinite Biologics, IBX was relaunched in August 2020 as an independent entity after a significant infusion of growth capital from Viking Global Investors. The sale was approved by the Rutgers Board of Governors in June 2020.

Innovator: Dr. Andy Brooks (deceased), Dr. Jay Tischfield

Key tags: COVID-19, Biorepository, Biosample, Biotesting, Collection logistics

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MediMatrix* developed collagen matrix beads for soft tissue repair. Specifically, the invention is a therapeutic method for treating pressure ulcers like decubitus ulcers with biodegradable collagen flake compositions and with biodegradable collagen sponge or sponge-like compositions. Products include biodegradable collagen flake compositions and biodegradable collagen sponge or sponge-like compositions. These are useful for skin reconstruction, treatment of wounds, and cosmetic surgery.

Innovator: Dr. Joachim Kohn

Key tags: Collagen matrix, Soft tissue repair, Cosmetic surgery

MentiNova* is developing oral therapy for L-Dopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease patients. The company is exploring oral medication that could reduce uncontrollable, often chaotic movements in patients being treated with L-Dopa.

Innovator: Dr. Mary Maral Mouradian

Key tags: Parkinsons, L-Dopa

NanoInk Imaging is developing an optical imaging technology based on functionalized nanoprobes that emit short-wave infrared (SWIR) light. The NanoInk Imaging System (NIS) offers enhanced tissue transparency, deeper tissue illumination potential, sharper and more distinct images, and molecular targeting of tumor markers. The first application of our NIS is improved detection of microtumors in small animal disease models. The second application of NIS is in Image-Guided Surgery allowing surgeons to visualize tumor margins and reduce the need for repeat surgeries.

Innovators: Dr. Prabhas Moghe, Dr. Richard Riman, Dr. Charles Roth, Dr. Mei-Chee Tan, and Dr. Dominik Naczynski

Key tags: Optical Imaging, Nanoprobes, Tumor markers

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Nian-Crae is developing biomimetic controllers for robotic prosthesis. The company works closely with clinicians to create tools for restoring mobility to persons with physical disability, using neuro-rehabilitation principles. The technology is used by clients or at their homes to encourage therapeutic exercises, while progress is monitored by therapists. 

Innovator: Dr. William Craelius

Key tags: Prosthesis, Robotics, Rehabilitation

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NovoPedics, Inc. is developing implantable medical devices designed to relieve pain and restore mobility to patients suffering from severe meniscal injuries and meniscectomies. MeniscoFix™ is a polymer fiber-reinforced scaffold for total meniscus replacement designed to be gradually resorbed by the body and be replaced by new tissue. It represents an innovative approach to replace damaged meniscal tissue with a patented fiber-reinforced design similar to the native meniscus. It is designed to be attached to both soft tissue and bone, thus potentially enabling its use in total meniscus replacement surgery.

Innovator: Dr. Charles Gatt

Key tags: Meniscus, Meniscectomy

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OptoVibronex is developing a device that can perform a "virtual biopsy" of skin lesions. The patented IP is a device and method to produce images of lesions, with measurements of mechanical properties and tensile modulus. POC data suggests accurate differentiation between normal skin and cancerous lesions. Lesion margins can also be defined precisely, preventing unnecessary removal of health skin.

Innovator: Dr. Fred Silver

Key tags: Skin cancer, Skin biopsy, OCT

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RAPT Ventures is developing a device to enhance early childhood brain development and maximize lifelong cognitive outcomes. The patented adaptive training algorithm improves infants' RAP (rapid auditory processing) skills, i.e., their ability to efficiently discriminate and respond to timing cues. This is a critical element in establishing the efficient neurological language maps that facilitate language acquisition, reading capabilities and learning in general. 

Innovator: Dr. April Benasich

Key tags: Child brain development, Cognition, Interactive learning

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REVA is developing bioresorbable polymer technologies for vascular applications. The leading product, MOTIV, is a drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold developed as an alternative to metallic stents for the treatment of peripheral artery disease. After restoration of blood flow, scaffolds support the artery through the healing process and then disappear (or “resorb”) from the body over a period of time. This resorption is intended to allow the return of natural movement and function of the artery.

Innovator: Dr. Joachim Kohn

Key tags: Coronary artery disease, Stents, Bioresorbable scaffold

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RizLab Health is developing an integrated, wearable impedance cytometry platform on a flexible circuit board with online smartphone readout. The leading product, Cytotracker Dx, is a wireless lightweight, pocket-sized complete blood count (CBC) analyzer that quantifies red/white blood cells, platelets, hematocrit, and hemoglobin levels within five minutes with only a drop of blood. This can be used for diagnosis and management of chronic and acute conditions; further, given its size, it can be used as a companion diagnostic for monitoring individual patient response to therapy in the clinic or on the field.

Innovator: Dr. Mehdi Javanmard

Key tags: Rapid blood test, Impedance cytometry, CBC

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TyRx has developed and sold TYRX™, an absorbable antibacterial envelope designed for use with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and pacemakers. TYRX demonstrated CIED stabilization and infection reduction, locally delivered minocycline and rifampin sustained for 7 days, and full absorbsion in approximately 9 weeks.

Innovator: Dr. Joachim Kohn

Key tags: CIED, Cardiac implants, Antibacterial envelope

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