Audax Medical, Inc.
As a Brown licensee, Audax is developing a platform technology, Arxis, for bone and soft tissue regeneration. Arxis is an organic nanotechnology that can be tailored to mimic natural tissue structures and promote cell growth. The technology has mechanical and adhesive properties that can help support degenerated or weakened tissue in the short-term. Audax has been able to optimize Arxis for use in orthopedics. Arxis formulations designed specifically for osteoarthritic and osteoporotic indications are currently in the pre-clinical phase of development. For more information please visit www.audaxmed.com.
Bio-Tree Systems
Brown licensee, Bio-Tree Systems, Inc., was formed in 2005 with the goal of quantifying micro-vascular geometry/morphology in various diseases. Bio-Tree Systems identify, quantify and correlate changes in the micro-vascular architecture of diseased regions with response to therapy or disease progression. The technology platform, developed to support precise analysis of micro-vascular geometry/morphology architecture, is called Vasculomics™.
This represents a new bio-informatics field featuring advanced image processing and pattern recognition methodologies enabling detection and analysis of micro-vessels 3-5 times smaller than previous vascular imaging and quantification technology. Disease applications include drug development and safety (ranging from discovery to the clinic), disease screening (including breast, lung, colorectal, prostate, and brain cancers), and diagnosis (including a novel method for clinical companion diagnosis). Therapies are optimized and personalized based on detection and quantification of subtle geometry and morphology changes in the vasculature architecture of the diseased region irrespective of therapy modality (drug therapy, combination of drugs therapy, or combination of therapies consisting of drugs, radiation and/or ablation therapies).
Vasculomics™ is currently used in pre-clinical drug development in oncology and is entering the fields of neurology and drug safety.
HM Solutions
With technology licensed from Brown University, HM Solutions provides water treatment systems to remove arsenic and other toxic contaminants from drinking water at significantly low operational costs. Their technology is an elegant innovation applied to the current iron based adsorption technology. HMSolution’s system has many different drinking water applications: Community water systems, beverage companies, agricultural companies, and households that need a POE (point-of-entry) or POU (point-of-use) system. By providing a cost-effective and easy to operate system, HM Solutions' mission is to protect cities, communities and homeowners from the health effects of toxins – such as arsenic and other toxic contaminants. For further information, please see: www.hmwatersolution.com
Micro Magnetics
Micro Magnetics is engaged in commercial applications of spintronics, a new technology which combines the fields of magnetism, electronics, and nanotechnology. The company provides products and services in the areas of magnetic sensing and semiconductor metrology. Its magnetic current imaging system, the Circuit Scan 1000, is a high-resolution magnetic microscope which provides current density images of operating integrated circuits. This product has found utility for failure analysis, fault isolation, and yield enhancement of semiconductors.
Micro Magnetics SpinTJ Series magnetic field sensors are based on magnetic tunnel junction technology with magnetic sensing capabilities. The SpinTJ sensors have a linear and bipolar response, field sensitivity, low noise, low power consumption, and are small in size. They have been used in a number of industrial and research applications, including compassing and navigation applications, biomagnetic sensing, basic and applied research in magnetism and currency/media validation.
Microtissues
Microtissues, Inc. has an exclusive license from Brown for U.S. and international patent applications on the 3D Petri Dish™, a new technology for the culture of living cells in three dimensions (3D). This product creates small living microtissues that mimic the function of natural organs and tissues, helping to reduce the use of animals in research as well as the cost of drug testing and drug discovery.
The platform technology is in a format that maximizes cell-to-cell interactions, creating a more natural and more reliable 3D cell culture environment. Microtissues, Inc.’s products are used by researchers in a wide range of areas, including cancer research, stem cell biology, toxicity testing, developmental biology, drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. For further information on Microtissues and its products, please see www.microtissues.com.
Nabsys
Founded by scientists at Brown, Nabsys is enabling advances in life sciences and healthcare through strategic deployment of a novel positional sequencing platform for DNA analysis. The Nabsys platform uses solid-state nanodetectors to analyze single DNA molecules, revealing both location and identity of DNA sequences over long distances.
The system is designed to set new standards for accuracy, speed, and scalability, for the analysis of genome structural variation, genome mapping, and both targeted and whole genome sequencing. Nabsys was the first company to receive a “$1000 Genome” award from the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health for an electronic approach to sequencing DNA. For more information about Nabsys, please visit www.Nabsys.com.
Nanovis
Nanovis is a surgical implant company with a portfolio of implant nanotechnology. Their technology includes nanopatterned implant surfaces, biomaterials and growth factors intended to speed the healing process by increasing bone and soft tissue on growth to implants and biomaterials. Nanovis’ technology portfolio applies to metal, polymer and ceramic composite implants across a broad range of implant markets.
Nanovis Spine is currently developing an innovative cervical plate system, a pedicle screw system, an interbody fusion device system, and an advanced bone graft extender.
NsGene
NsGene, Inc. is a Providence-based biotechnology company that was originally part of NsGene, A/S, a Danish biotechnology company with a mission to develop regenerative therapies for neurological disorders. NsGene, Inc. has licensed and further developed an encapsulated cell (EC) therapy product platform. The original EC technology was invented at Brown University in the Artificial Organs, Biomaterials, and Cellular technologies program.
The technology is currently being applied in a clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. An encapsulated human cell line has been engineered to secrete nerve growth factor (NGF) in the vicinity of the degenerating cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. The EC implant is a slender catheter-like device that can be implanted directly into the central nervous system. The cell-containing tip is placed in a diseased anatomical target in which powerful cell-engineered therapeutic proteins can be secreted over several months to yield a regenerative effect on the diseased brain cells. NsGene is also pursuing an implant for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. For further information, please see www.nsgene.com.
Spectra Systems
Spectra Systems invents, develops, manufactures, and markets integrated materials and systems solutions to authenticate and process banknotes and other high value documents. Its solutions include proprietary engineered consumable materials and the authentication software and hardware systems necessary to identify these materials. These integrated solutions are used by two Group of Eight (G8) central banks and 14 other central banks for currency security, and exclusively by a G8 country for passport security. Spectra's software and hardware systems include high-speed currency authentication sensors and quality control systems. For further information, please see Spectra Systems’ web site at www.spsy.com.
Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals
Tivorsan Pharmaceuticals is a protein therapeutics company working to create a new method to treating serious neuromuscular disorders, including DMD and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). This method, using recombinant human biglycan (rhBGN), is based on 24 years of research in the Fallon laboratory at Brown University. Tivorsan was formed by Dr. Justin Fallon in collaboration with colleagues from Old Forge Holdings, LLC of Greenwich, CT and LifeTech Research, Inc, a Baltimore, MD-based technology research and development firm. For further information, please see www.tivorsan.com.
For more information, please contact the Industry Engagement and Commercial Venturing at [email protected] or (401) 863-7499.