We’re Now on LinkedIn – Be Sure to Follow Us!

Our new LinkedIn Showcase page will provide information regarding Emory technologies, start-ups, successes, office news or events, and cool research from Emory. This page will allow us to share the happenings of technology transfer with the business community in a convenient location. We hope you will follow us at http://bit.ly/EmoryOTT_LinkedIn. We look forward to connecting with our business partners. LinkedIn is the largest professional and business orientated social media sites, connecting millions of individuals across the globe. The platform continues to seek new ways to connect individuals and companies in meaningful ways. One of the options available to large, multi-unit companies are Showcase Pages. These pages are an extension of a company page and provide an organization to “showcase” a sub-unit or product. A showcase page has its own followers and status updates independent of the company.

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AUTM 2016 Eastern Region: Marketing Takeaways

While AUTM’s annual meeting offers a superb opportunity to immerse ones’ self in our industry, the busy schedule and large number of attendees can be a lot to take in; AUTM’s regional meetings however offer a more intimate environment to delve deeper into specific topics impacting our world and build new connections. For two days, technology managers and business executives who manage intellectual property met in Philadelphia, PA for the 2016 AUTM Eastern Region Meeting. In attendance from “team Emory” were our Director, Todd Sherer, as well as our Marketing Manager, Quentin Thomas, who was also a part of a panel on Guerilla Marketing. Here are a few tactics and tips from the Guerilla Marketing panel picked up at AUTM’s Eastern Regional meeting. Email Tracking Tracking your emails can provide valuable information beyond just open rate. Knowing who opened your emails and how often they were opened can provide ideas as to whom you should, and sometimes more importantly, should not follow-up with, as well as how to follow-up. Resources for tracking emails include services such as MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, and Emma, as well as plug-ins for Outlook. Licensing Deals from Marketing There was conversation around the ability to track

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Inventor Becomes Patient: My Tool Was Like a Trusted Friend Telling Me What Was Wrong

Ernest V. Garcia, PhD, or better known as Ernie, is an endowed professor in cardiac imaging and the director of Emory’s Nuclear Cardiology R&D Laboratory. He specializes in medical imaging and bioinformatics, particularly quantitative analysis of cardiac images. Ernie has received numerous awards and honors but to highlight a few he was named a Medical Imaging Industry Top 10 Nuclear Medicine Researcher by the Medical Imaging Magazine and was named to the Council of Distinguished Investigators of the Academy of Radiology Research. What lead you to pursue cardiac imaging as part of your profession? I was trained as a scientist, a physicist. And I had a great deal of experience with computers and computer software, which was unusual for a scientist working in the 1960s. Back then, cardiology was the most quantitative modality that existed and it probably still is today. Meaning that the cardiologists were and are interested in numbers and quantitative data. So, I thought that I would apply my scientific background to the art of image interpretation. Who has impacted you the most in your career and why? That’s a tough question, there is the physicist part of me. So, I am definitely motivated by the life

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VC101 – Venture Capital for Beginners

Osage Partners recently visited to provide our inventors with a primer on venture capital. Kristin Leute and Stephanie Stehman from Osage provided an interesting talk and discussion after. A great crowd showed up at Whitehead Auditorium for the talk but we know that not everyone could make it, so we wanted to provide some takeaways from the talk that might be useful for those looking into getting their startup funded by venture capital firms. Venture capital (VC) might sound scary to some. Entrepreneurs often worry that VCs want control over their company or will try to usurp their authority. Venture capitalists do have specific desires in exchange for funding but they rarely want control of the company they fund. They will sometimes step in if the company is not doing well because they are financially accountable, but this control is not the goal. Venture capitalists also want liquidation preference so that they have rights to get money before others and they usually want some stock or ownership of the company. VC funding will dilute the founders’ ownership of the company but that’s not a bad thing! Some dilution is good, but too much dilution can be bad. When examining university

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The Magic of Science and How TMS Saved Me

I used to hate magic shows. Nothing frustrated me more than trying to figure out how the guy removes the beautiful woman from the box on stage, only to wow the audience moments later by revealing her—in the flesh—sitting in the theatre’s balcony with a big smile on her face. Magicians will never tell you their secrets, they will never disclose how the rabbit got in the hat, much less how he pulled the poor thing out of it. The stock answer, if ever asked, is a smug, “It’s just magic!” Many years ago I attended a magic show where the showman singled me out of the audience to be his “assistant.” I climbed up on the stage quite sure I’d get the inside scoop on his tricks. I struggled to concentrate while watching the magician’s nimble hands snip a rope into two parts and then deftly join the cut ends back together. When he ceremoniously yanked on the rope to prove to me and to the audience how fantastic his stunt really was, my frustration at not catching how he pulled it off settled it — I was done with magic and magicians! I stopped attending magic shows from

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It Started in My Basement, Now it Improves Patients Lives

Charles M. Epstein, MD, or “Chip” as he’s been known since childhood, is a professor of neurology specializing in epilepsy and the founder of  the Laboratory for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). He is also a co-inventor for the technology that is utilized by Emory partner Neuronetics, Inc in their NeuroStar TMS Therapy® for treating depression. Neuronetics has safely administered more than 10,000 NeuroStar TMS Therapy® treatments with clinically significant results: among patients studied, 54 percent responded to the therapy and 33 percent found their depression in remission. Neurostar wasn’t the first technology you were involved with. Could you tell us about some of your previous technologies? NeoControl was actually the first magnetic technology that went on the market thanks to Neotonus. This company was the first to develop TMS to treat urinary incontinence in women. World wide, women have been more prone to urinary incontinence than men. This was especially true after childbirth and before modern obstetrics. Using electromagnetics, treatment is much more comfortable than prior methods. The magnets work right through clothing and are essentially painless. This was the foundation of Neotonus’ technology, NeoControl. Unlike brain stimulation, TMS in the pelvic area takes even more power and without our

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Case Managers’ Reflect on Their Time with TMS

OTT’s first disclosure from Charles “Chip” Epstein, MD related to his work with an iron core stimulation coil was received in the spring of 1995, with a second disclosure related to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coming along in late 1997. These were not only the early days for the technology but also the early days of our budding Tech Transfer office. The technology looked promising since it was both the first magnetic stimulator to utilize an iron core design which enabled improvements in power efficiency, heat generation, focal stimulation, and costs. Recognizing these benefits, OTT decided to pursue patent protection resulting in two primary patent families; one focused on stimulating the nervous system and the other on stimulating the brain. These two disclosures formed the foundation of technologies licensed to two Emory start-ups Neotonus and Neuronetics and the winding path for a successful TMS treatment for depression began. Originally Neotonus licensed both patent families in late 1996 and launched into product development. The company’s primary focus was on their NeoControl system which was a non-surgical, non-invasive, painless treatment for female urinary incontinence also involving TMS. The system received FDA clearance in 2000. When Neuronetics came along in 2001, it was

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The Personal Side of a Tech Transfer Patient Video

AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers), our professional association, started a program called “Put a Face On It” three years ago with the goal of making a real-world connection between our members’ work and its ability to transform people’s lives. We were excited for the opportunity. Our first project was about a cardiac imaging toolbox. We had a great story – the inventor and patient were the very same person; he had his own invention used on himself before his by-pass surgery (see the video here). The story has been a rousing success. At Emory we are blessed to have a number of worthwhile innovations that have made a difference in people’s lives. The challenge for video number two was selecting one of those stories and finding a willing patient to participate. It’s not as easy as it might sound at first. If the technology is a diagnostic – How do you find a patient when the technology was just a part of the process to get treatment? If the technology is a surgical device – Does the patient know it was used and do they understand the importance of its role? One of the ideas floated after much discussion

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OTT30: 1st Start-up Investment

Universities are known as centers for scholarship and discovery, but can they also be investors? Looking at GeoVax Labs, Inc., a 2001 Emory start-up that later went on to become the first company the university invested in, the answer to that question may very well be yes. Even today, many universities are hesitant to invest in their start-up companies. The reasons for this are twofold: first, a start-up is a risk. Like their name suggests, start-ups are just getting started, so typically there isn’t an extensive history of the company to give the investors added confidence. Secondly, there is the issue of time.  For a start-up, seeing actual results can be a long way away from the present. “Emory made a monetary investment in GeoVax understanding that we may never see a return on it,” says GeoVax Case Manager, Cliff Michaels. “But [Emory] knew it would be an important company with a product that could have profound global impact, and perhaps, an opportunity for Emory to recoup its investment.” Founded by Dr. Harriet Robinson, formerly of Emory, GeoVax is a pharmaceutical company aimed at creating a vaccine for HIV. The vaccine the company has been developing involves a two-step vaccination

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OTT30: Monetization

2015 marks the 30th anniversary for Emory OTT and part of that celebration includes a series of blog posts highlighting important “firsts” for the office.  This month we highlight Emory’s monetization of its FTC royalty rights, at the time the largest for a U. S. university. Researchers at Emory invented two drugs Lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC) for the treatment of AIDS. In August of 2005, Emory sold its royalty rights to FTC for $540 million to Gilead Science and Royalty Pharma. The University’s share of the transaction was reinvested in Emory’s research and education mission following the terms of the Bayh-Dole Act. From a recent interview, Emory President James Wagner showed his deep interest and encouragement in expanding research and scientific development at Emory. He stated: “We are extremely proud of our scientists and their lifesaving and life-enhancing discoveries.” “This study illustrates once again that our nation’s long-standing and world-leading policy of investment in research through universities and other public institutions, along with the responsible use of technology transfer, delivers a tremendous return through improved health for millions, innovative technologies, economic development and training for the next generation of innovators.” Even today, more than 90 percent of AIDS patients

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OTT30: 1st Start-up Acquisition

2015 marks the 30th anniversary for Emory OTT and part of that celebration includes a series of blog posts highlighting important “firsts” for the office. This month we highlight our first start-up to be acquired – Atrionix. All startups share the same beginning – an idea, yet, of the many companies launched on good ideas, only a few experience success. Of Emory’s 72 start-ups only 9 have been acquired or merged. In 2000, the University’s own Atrionix became OTT’s first acquisition, when the company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $62.8 million. Co-founded by Jonathan Langberg, professor and director of cardiac electrophysiology for Emory Healthcare, Atrionix also became the first company to offer a complete line of products to diagnose and treat atrial fibrillation, a condition that affects more than 2.7 million Americans and more than 5 million people worldwide. Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, which is when the heart’s two upper chambers quiver instead of beating properly. Atrial fibrillation causes the atria to not pump out blood completely, which could lead to pooling and clotting. Complications from atrial fibrillation could result in strokes. Atrionix developed several patented cardiac ablation medical devices that eliminated the need

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OTT30: 1st Breakfast Club

2015 marks the 30th anniversary for Emory OTT and part of that celebration includes a series of blog posts highlighting important “firsts” for the office. This month we highlight the Emory Breakfast Club. In June of 2006, the first Breakfast Club meeting was held. “The idea was to find a better way to engage the business community with regards to licensing opportunities we had in the office. We created this event so that we could find a way to more regularly bring the business community together and pitch technologies to them” says Todd Sherer, Executive Director. The meeting is held twice a year and as its name implies first thing in the morning over breakfast. Sherer often describes the event as “a dating service for technologies.” How are the technologies picked: “We sit down as a group and ask ourselves ‘What technologies do we have that have a compelling story behind them?’”, adds Sherer. Three technologies were presented at the inaugural meeting: Therapeutic HIF-1 pathway inhibitors for use in cancer and macular degeneration ACE Inhibitors for use in cancer and infections Progesterone for use in traumatic brain injury Since its inception the event has been a wonderful success and become

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Our Blog is Two Years Old!

It’s almost hard to believe that our blog site is two years old (we started in March 2013). We started with the intention of posting twice a month to share hot topics in tech transfer, at Emory and beyond. Quickly we discovered that we had lots of ideas and started posting every week. There are now over 110 posts and approximately 5,000 page views. Over the past two years the site has seen a new platform, a new design, and a re-organization. But at the heart of everything is still the posts we share with our readers and we love hearing from our readers. We’ve shared our signature events like the Breakfast Club, Kauffman Series, and our Annual Celebration. There have been quarterly social media campaigns in which we share Emory expertise in areas such as infectious diseases, cancer, medical devices, and research tools. We’ve heard from our fearless leader of the office, Todd Sherer, in our From the Director series as well as from our fearless interns who have shared their insights about working in a tech transfer office and venturing out on their own. We hope that reading this blog and keeping up with Emory’s tech transfer comings

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OTT30: Our 1st Start-up Listed on NASDAQ & Russell 3000

2015 marks the 30th anniversary for Emory OTT and part of that celebration includes a series of blog posts highlighting important “firsts” for the office. This month we highlight our first start-up to be listed on both the NASDAQ Biotech Index and the Russell 3000 – Pharmasset. All startups share the same beginning – an idea, yet, of the many companies launched on good ideas, only a few experience success. Among these successful startups is Pharmasset, a biotech company founded in 1998 by Emory’s Raymond Schinazi, PhD and Dennis Liotta, PhD with assistance from OTT. Pharmasset was originally set out on developing new compounds for treating viral infections and cancer and more specifically spent considerable time focusing on the Hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis is an inflammation in the liver, and Hepatitis C (HCV) specifically is a contagious viral infection of the liver with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, lasting a few weeks to a lifetime, and being acute or chronic. Transmission is spread primarily through contact with infected blood. While Hepatitis A & B have vaccines, Hepatitis C unfortunately does not, so the focus is currently on treating the infection rather than preventing it. There are an estimated 3.2

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BIO 2015: A Beginner’s Perspective

The 2015 edition of BIO International Convention led us to Philly, where nearly 16,000 biotech industry leaders converged from around the world. As this was my first BIO I didn’t know what to expect. Despite all the preparation from my colleagues in OTT, the scale of the convention still amazed me. The first thing you can’t help but notice is the sheer size of the event. Walking into the exhibit hall gave me a sense of awe, but those first few steps only presented a small portion of all that was happening. A wide variety of expertise, presentations, give-aways, and food were on display courtesy of more than 1,800 exhibitors. To put that number into perspective, if you spent one minute with each exhibitor, it would take you 30 hours to speak with each one! Being an exhibitor in the Georgia Pavilion provided an opportunity for me to network with many people, from seasoned veterans of the biotechnology industry to students who were curious what a “tech transfer office” is. Conversations at the booths included patent reform in foreign countries, biosimilars legislation in Georgia, and “must-have” restaurants in Philly. One of the greatest things about being in the Georgia Pavilion,

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OTT30: Epivir – First anti-HIV Drug

2015 marks the 30th anniversary for Emory OTT and part of that celebration includes a series of blog posts highlighting important “firsts” for the office.  This month we highlight Epivir™, Emory’s first anti-HIV approved drug. Developed by Emory faculty, Dennis Liotta, PhD and Raymond Schnazi, PhD, Epivir™ contains a compound called 3TC (lamivudine). This drug is in the class known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), this class of drugs interrupts the replication process of double-stranded viral DNA, resulting in the inability of HIV to multiply. In 1995 when this drug was approved OTT and the inventor’s believed this was the validation of the University’s antiviral research program and its role in HIV research. It was also believed that Epivir™ was at the forefront of the fight against HIV and had a bright future. Those predictions came true as Epivir™ was a ground breaking and widely prescribed drug and is currently contained in four FDA approved drugs used for the treatment of HIV. Since Epivir™ was approved and sold as singly 3TC has been approved to be sold in combination with zidovudine as Combivir®, in fixed-dose combination with zidovudine and abacivir sulfate as Trizivir® and, in fixed-dose combination with abacavir

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