{"id":34047,"date":"2024-08-15T11:47:43","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T15:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/2024\/08\/15\/from-the-lab-to-the-market-commercializing-chemistry-research\/"},"modified":"2024-09-07T02:42:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T06:42:31","slug":"from-the-lab-to-the-market-commercializing-chemistry-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/from-the-lab-to-the-market-commercializing-chemistry-research\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Lab to the Market: Commercializing Chemistry Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\"The<\/a>
Vizma.AI recently hosted a set of founders and advisors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"A<\/a>
“At Vizma.AI, if we can’t buy it, we make it,” said Theis. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The emerging hyperpolarized MRI leads to increased precision of medical imaging, which means earlier detection of cancers and other diseases involving dysregulated metabolisms, including cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease. <\/p>\n\n

In the short term, Vizma.AI\u2019s goal is to sell injectable contrast agents that medical professionals can use alongside existing MRI instruments. However, Theis envisions a future with<\/strong> portable, cost-effective MRI devices<\/strong> that could slash the cost of such equipment \u2014 which is bulky and expensive \u2014 by as much as 90%. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWith hyperpolarization, you can work at lower magnetic fields, meaning you can use much cheaper MRI devices,\u201d said Theis. \u201cSo we envision an inexpensive MRI on wheels that can be used with hyperpolarized contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The idea for Vizma.AI originated nearly a decade ago, when Theis met Carlos Dedesma, who has recently become the startup\u2019s full-time CEO. Dedesma is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in commercializing MRI technology. He has led commercialization efforts at Hyperfine \u2014 which develops portable MRI devices \u2014 as well as strategy and partnerships at Verily, the life sciences research arm of Alphabet, Google\u2019s parent company. Theis and Dedesma\u2019s mutual excitement about the clinical impacts hyperpolarization could have on medical imaging led them to co-found Vizma.AI in 2019, one year after Theis started his faculty appointment at NC State.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cORC at NC State has been an invaluable partner in getting Vizma.AI off the ground,\u201d said Theis.<\/p>\n\n

In the initial stages, ORC helped with the process of filing invention disclosures and patents \u2014 Theis has obtained five patents with the office\u2019s help. ORC also assisted with negotiating intellectual property and licenses, and even pointed Theis and his partners at Vizma.AI to local law firms to help with the legal components of the business. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cComing to NC State, one of the things I really loved is how active, encouraging and professional the staff is at ORC. They helped [Dedesma] and I incorporate the company,\u201d said Theis. \u201cThey showed us the ropes of how to do this. I would say NC State\u2019s ORC is really one of the best I can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Theis\u2019 own entrepreneurial journey has inspired him to help others achieve their own commercialization aspirations. As the director of entrepreneurship at NC State\u2019s Comparative Medicine Institute<\/a> (CMI), Theis runs two annual programs, Catalyze and Business and Medicine. Catalyze<\/a> gives graduate students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to pitch startups, network with industry professionals and compete for funding to jumpstart their ideas. Business and Medicine<\/a> pairs CMI students with students in the Master of Microbial Biotechnology program, and they receive training in both the science and business of biotechnology. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI’m trying to encourage students, postdocs, other labs and other professors to think about avenues in entrepreneurship and convert their ideas into new products and startup companies,\u201d said Theis. \u201cI find it very rewarding.\u201d <\/p>

NC State faculty and students spearhead solutions to make the world a safer and healthier place. College of Sciences faculty are developing a new generation of antibiotics, creating antimicrobial surfaces, improving medical diagnostic devices and more. A few of them are taking the leap and ushering their discoveries from their labs out into the marketplace. <\/p>\n\n

NC State\u2019s Office of Research Commercialization<\/a> (ORC) has helped launch more than 200 startups and spinoffs based on NC State research. These ventures don\u2019t only speak to the Wolfpack spirit of innovation; they contribute to the social, economic and technological development of North Carolina and the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

We spoke to the faculty behind three of these startups to discuss how they\u2019re using molecular solutions to address society\u2019s most pressing challenges.<\/p>\n\n

PhotoCide Protection: A Surface-level Solution to the Spread of Disease<\/h2>\n\n

Whenever you touch a surface \u2014 whether it be a doorknob, a pole on a city subway or a bed rail at a hospital \u2014 you come into contact with millions of disease-spreading bacteria, viruses and molds. Reza Ghiladi<\/a>, a professor of chemistry, and Frank Scholle<\/a>, a professor of biological sciences, are working to change that. Their startup, PhotoCide Protection<\/a>, focuses on developing self-disinfecting materials and antimicrobial coating solutions <\/strong>for high-touch surfaces. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The idea first came to Ghiladi in 2010, when he found himself spending a lot of time in the hospital after the birth of his twin sons.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey spent nine weeks in the NICU,\u201d said Ghiladi, referring to the hospital\u2019s neonatal intensive care unit. \u201cThey underwent blue light therapy to cure jaundice, and the idea of using blue light therapy to activate compounds in order to create antimicrobial surfaces came to mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Ghiladi and Scholle combine engineered materials with photosensitizers, or compounds that react with ambient light and oxygen from the air. In this case, the reaction emits biocidal oxygen, which destroys 99.99% of the harmful pathogens on surfaces. <\/p>\n\n

The two professors, along with Dimitris Argyropoulos, professor emeritus in the College of Natural Resources, founded the startup in 2018 with the help of ORC. The office helped them file invention disclosures and provisional patents and invited them to participate in NC State\u2019s I-Corps site, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative to help researchers assess their products\u2019 market potential. Through I-Corps, they learned more about entrepreneurship and met Robert Sheehan, a retired executive who joined PhotoCide as the director of business and commercialization.<\/p>\n\n

The PhotoCide team has also been able to tap into the rest of ORC\u2019s suite of resources and connections. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey have built a tremendous network in the area. They put us in touch with First Flight Venture Center, and we were able to secure some funding from them,\u201d said Scholle. \u201cThey have the Executive-in-Residence program, which connects you with local executives and entrepreneurs. There\u2019s also the Wolfpack Investor Network.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Ghiladi and Scholle also appreciate the unique flexibility that ORC provides for faculty startup founders.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey understand that it’s not a direct line from idea to sales,\u201d said Ghiladi. \u201cThere are lots of pitfalls and lots of challenges, and ORC does a really good job of trying to bridge any of the gaps that we may come across or provide us with alternative routes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

ORC has helped Ghiladi and Scholle get closer to their goal of preventing the spread of infectious diseases, but their primary responsibility remains to their students. Whenever possible \u2014 and abiding by NC State\u2019s conflict of interest policies \u2014 Ghiladi and Scholle give graduate students an opportunity to work with PhotoCide. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf I bring in a student, I want there to be an intellectual challenge for them, and that usually comes from delving into the more fundamental research side of things,\u201d said Scholle. \u201cI don\u2019t want their experience to simply be running assays to test the efficacy of what we have already developed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The company\u2019s work provides students with a unique opportunity to see the connections among fundamental research, applied research and commercialization. <\/strong>The research has a clear application \u2013 the development of antimicrobial surfaces that prevent infections \u2014 but the company has to look to the market to determine which products are most useful. Then, they go back to fundamental research, studying and tuning the interactions between pathogens and the engineered materials at the molecular level to create the desired product.<\/p>\n\n

Ghiladi and Scholle are hopeful for the future of PhotoCide, but their best work lies in the mentorship and practical experience they\u2019re providing for their students.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019d be nice to walk into a CVS one day and see one of our products, but our number one accomplishment is our students,\u201d said Ghiladi. \u201cWe\u2019re training the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs to go into the community and do wonderful things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Synoxa Sciences: Developing Antiobiotics for Drug-resistant Infections<\/h2>\n\n

Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. die each year from drug-resistant bacteria. Without the development of new antibiotics, such deaths are projected to exceed cancer death rates by 2050. Joshua Pierce<\/a>, the Howard J. Schaeffer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and executive director of the Integrative Sciences Initiative<\/a>, is determined to change this trajectory. <\/p>\n\n

Pierce founded Synoxa Sciences<\/a> in 2018 with the goal of developing the next generation of antibiotics<\/strong> to fight drug-resistant infections.  <\/p>\n\n

\u201cSynoxa isn’t alone in this pursuit. There are many efforts along those lines, but the reality is that we don’t just need one new antibiotic,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cWe need as many of them as we can possibly get. We need to have a whole arsenal to refill the one we once had against these fairly common infections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Pierce\u2019s research approach involves developing new chemical reactions to scale up molecules made from natural organisms \u2014 either marine or terrestrial \u2014 that are made in very small quantities by the natural systems. These natural compounds, along with modified molecules, are then evaluated for their ability to be developed for human health-related applications. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cUltimately, we try to get these molecules on a path that could turn them into pharmaceutical agents,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cBut that\u2019s a long, extremely expensive, and sometimes meandering, process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

When Pierce and his students obtained the results that led to the creation of Synoxa, ORC stepped in to help launch the startup. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cAll the research that led to the startup was done by NC State graduate students,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cThere were a number of them, and their names are on some of the patents we got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

ORC not only helped with filing patents, but also with the legal components and fees related to setting up the entity. The office provided assistance with developing Synoxa\u2019s business plan, website and logo, and helped with the initial grant submissions to support the company\u2019s work. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cORC is able to provide a portfolio of services that can help make things easier to get started,\u201d said Pierce. <\/p>\n\n

Now, Pierce is focused on taking Synoxa to the next level. The company has already received two competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $1.2 million. Pierce and his team hope to earn STTR Phase II grants and bring in potential investors.<\/p>\n\n

Drug discovery is a tough and costly process. Antibiotic development, specifically, can be difficult to fund. But NC State\u2019s support has made a difference for Synoxa. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cNC State is super supportive of entrepreneurial efforts. They do everything within their power to promote and support these things,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cI routinely say that ORC is probably our best office on campus in terms of providing useful, helpful and constructive support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Vizma.AI: Transforming the Future of Medical Imaging<\/h2>\n\n

Thomas Theis<\/a>, associate professor and Goodnight Distinguished Scholar in Molecular Characterization in the Department of Chemistry, arrived at NC State with a mission to advance fundamental quantum chemistry. He\u2019s making his mark with Vizma.AI<\/a>, a startup he co-founded to develop medical imaging technology that is more precise, more cost effective and portable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance technology use strong magnetic fields to align the atoms in a patient\u2019s body. However, the technology is only able to detect about one in 100,000 of the atoms\u2019 nuclear spins, resulting in limited sensitivity and resolution. Through hyperpolarization chemistry, Theis and the rest of the Vizma.AI team are developing quantum-enhanced MRI technology that aligns all of the nuclear spins with the magnetic field. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis results in much, much higher sensitivity, meaning we can now detect molecules at very low concentrations,\u201d said Theis. \u201cUsually, an MRI only looks at water molecules. But with hyperpolarization, you can actually look at molecules that are present at very low concentrations, like vitamins, drugs or metabolites. So you can watch the chemistry unfold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\n \n\n
\"The<\/a>
Vizma.AI recently hosted a set of founders and advisors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"A<\/a>
“At Vizma.AI, if we can’t buy it, we make it,” said Theis. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The emerging hyperpolarized MRI leads to increased precision of medical imaging, which means earlier detection of cancers and other diseases involving dysregulated metabolisms, including cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease. <\/p>\n\n

In the short term, Vizma.AI\u2019s goal is to sell injectable contrast agents that medical professionals can use alongside existing MRI instruments. However, Theis envisions a future with<\/strong> portable, cost-effective MRI devices<\/strong> that could slash the cost of such equipment \u2014 which is bulky and expensive \u2014 by as much as 90%. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWith hyperpolarization, you can work at lower magnetic fields, meaning you can use much cheaper MRI devices,\u201d said Theis. \u201cSo we envision an inexpensive MRI on wheels that can be used with hyperpolarized contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The idea for Vizma.AI originated nearly a decade ago, when Theis met Carlos Dedesma, who has recently become the startup\u2019s full-time CEO. Dedesma is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in commercializing MRI technology. He has led commercialization efforts at Hyperfine \u2014 which develops portable MRI devices \u2014 as well as strategy and partnerships at Verily, the life sciences research arm of Alphabet, Google\u2019s parent company. Theis and Dedesma\u2019s mutual excitement about the clinical impacts hyperpolarization could have on medical imaging led them to co-found Vizma.AI in 2019, one year after Theis started his faculty appointment at NC State.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cORC at NC State has been an invaluable partner in getting Vizma.AI off the ground,\u201d said Theis.<\/p>\n\n

In the initial stages, ORC helped with the process of filing invention disclosures and patents \u2014 Theis has obtained five patents with the office\u2019s help. ORC also assisted with negotiating intellectual property and licenses, and even pointed Theis and his partners at Vizma.AI to local law firms to help with the legal components of the business. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cComing to NC State, one of the things I really loved is how active, encouraging and professional the staff is at ORC. They helped [Dedesma] and I incorporate the company,\u201d said Theis. \u201cThey showed us the ropes of how to do this. I would say NC State\u2019s ORC is really one of the best I can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Theis\u2019 own entrepreneurial journey has inspired him to help others achieve their own commercialization aspirations. As the director of entrepreneurship at NC State\u2019s Comparative Medicine Institute<\/a> (CMI), Theis runs two annual programs, Catalyze and Business and Medicine. Catalyze<\/a> gives graduate students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to pitch startups, network with industry professionals and compete for funding to jumpstart their ideas. Business and Medicine<\/a> pairs CMI students with students in the Master of Microbial Biotechnology program, and they receive training in both the science and business of biotechnology. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI’m trying to encourage students, postdocs, other labs and other professors to think about avenues in entrepreneurship and convert their ideas into new products and startup companies,\u201d said Theis. \u201cI find it very rewarding.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in College of Sciences News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n

\"The<\/a>
Vizma.AI recently hosted a set of founders and advisors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"A<\/a>
\"At Vizma.AI, if we can't buy it, we make it,\" said Theis. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The emerging hyperpolarized MRI leads to increased precision of medical imaging, which means earlier detection of cancers and other diseases involving dysregulated metabolisms, including cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease. <\/p>\n\n

In the short term, Vizma.AI\u2019s goal is to sell injectable contrast agents that medical professionals can use alongside existing MRI instruments. However, Theis envisions a future with<\/strong> portable, cost-effective MRI devices<\/strong> that could slash the cost of such equipment \u2014 which is bulky and expensive \u2014 by as much as 90%. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWith hyperpolarization, you can work at lower magnetic fields, meaning you can use much cheaper MRI devices,\u201d said Theis. \u201cSo we envision an inexpensive MRI on wheels that can be used with hyperpolarized contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The idea for Vizma.AI originated nearly a decade ago, when Theis met Carlos Dedesma, who has recently become the startup\u2019s full-time CEO. Dedesma is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in commercializing MRI technology. He has led commercialization efforts at Hyperfine \u2014 which develops portable MRI devices \u2014 as well as strategy and partnerships at Verily, the life sciences research arm of Alphabet, Google\u2019s parent company. Theis and Dedesma\u2019s mutual excitement about the clinical impacts hyperpolarization could have on medical imaging led them to co-found Vizma.AI in 2019, one year after Theis started his faculty appointment at NC State.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cORC at NC State has been an invaluable partner in getting Vizma.AI off the ground,\u201d said Theis.<\/p>\n\n

In the initial stages, ORC helped with the process of filing invention disclosures and patents \u2014 Theis has obtained five patents with the office\u2019s help. ORC also assisted with negotiating intellectual property and licenses, and even pointed Theis and his partners at Vizma.AI to local law firms to help with the legal components of the business. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cComing to NC State, one of the things I really loved is how active, encouraging and professional the staff is at ORC. They helped [Dedesma] and I incorporate the company,\u201d said Theis. \u201cThey showed us the ropes of how to do this. I would say NC State\u2019s ORC is really one of the best I can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Theis\u2019 own entrepreneurial journey has inspired him to help others achieve their own commercialization aspirations. As the director of entrepreneurship at NC State\u2019s Comparative Medicine Institute<\/a> (CMI), Theis runs two annual programs, Catalyze and Business and Medicine. Catalyze<\/a> gives graduate students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to pitch startups, network with industry professionals and compete for funding to jumpstart their ideas. Business and Medicine<\/a> pairs CMI students with students in the Master of Microbial Biotechnology program, and they receive training in both the science and business of biotechnology. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI'm trying to encourage students, postdocs, other labs and other professors to think about avenues in entrepreneurship and convert their ideas into new products and startup companies,\u201d said Theis. \u201cI find it very rewarding.\u201d <\/p>

NC State faculty and students spearhead solutions to make the world a safer and healthier place. College of Sciences faculty are developing a new generation of antibiotics, creating antimicrobial surfaces, improving medical diagnostic devices and more. A few of them are taking the leap and ushering their discoveries from their labs out into the marketplace. <\/p>\n\n

NC State\u2019s Office of Research Commercialization<\/a> (ORC) has helped launch more than 200 startups and spinoffs based on NC State research. These ventures don\u2019t only speak to the Wolfpack spirit of innovation; they contribute to the social, economic and technological development of North Carolina and the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

We spoke to the faculty behind three of these startups to discuss how they\u2019re using molecular solutions to address society\u2019s most pressing challenges.<\/p>\n\n

PhotoCide Protection: A Surface-level Solution to the Spread of Disease<\/h2>\n\n

Whenever you touch a surface \u2014 whether it be a doorknob, a pole on a city subway or a bed rail at a hospital \u2014 you come into contact with millions of disease-spreading bacteria, viruses and molds. Reza Ghiladi<\/a>, a professor of chemistry, and Frank Scholle<\/a>, a professor of biological sciences, are working to change that. Their startup, PhotoCide Protection<\/a>, focuses on developing self-disinfecting materials and antimicrobial coating solutions <\/strong>for high-touch surfaces. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The idea first came to Ghiladi in 2010, when he found himself spending a lot of time in the hospital after the birth of his twin sons.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey spent nine weeks in the NICU,\u201d said Ghiladi, referring to the hospital\u2019s neonatal intensive care unit. \u201cThey underwent blue light therapy to cure jaundice, and the idea of using blue light therapy to activate compounds in order to create antimicrobial surfaces came to mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Ghiladi and Scholle combine engineered materials with photosensitizers, or compounds that react with ambient light and oxygen from the air. In this case, the reaction emits biocidal oxygen, which destroys 99.99% of the harmful pathogens on surfaces. <\/p>\n\n

The two professors, along with Dimitris Argyropoulos, professor emeritus in the College of Natural Resources, founded the startup in 2018 with the help of ORC. The office helped them file invention disclosures and provisional patents and invited them to participate in NC State\u2019s I-Corps site, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative to help researchers assess their products\u2019 market potential. Through I-Corps, they learned more about entrepreneurship and met Robert Sheehan, a retired executive who joined PhotoCide as the director of business and commercialization.<\/p>\n\n

The PhotoCide team has also been able to tap into the rest of ORC\u2019s suite of resources and connections. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey have built a tremendous network in the area. They put us in touch with First Flight Venture Center, and we were able to secure some funding from them,\u201d said Scholle. \u201cThey have the Executive-in-Residence program, which connects you with local executives and entrepreneurs. There\u2019s also the Wolfpack Investor Network.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Ghiladi and Scholle also appreciate the unique flexibility that ORC provides for faculty startup founders.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey understand that it's not a direct line from idea to sales,\u201d said Ghiladi. \u201cThere are lots of pitfalls and lots of challenges, and ORC does a really good job of trying to bridge any of the gaps that we may come across or provide us with alternative routes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

ORC has helped Ghiladi and Scholle get closer to their goal of preventing the spread of infectious diseases, but their primary responsibility remains to their students. Whenever possible \u2014 and abiding by NC State\u2019s conflict of interest policies \u2014 Ghiladi and Scholle give graduate students an opportunity to work with PhotoCide. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf I bring in a student, I want there to be an intellectual challenge for them, and that usually comes from delving into the more fundamental research side of things,\u201d said Scholle. \u201cI don\u2019t want their experience to simply be running assays to test the efficacy of what we have already developed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The company\u2019s work provides students with a unique opportunity to see the connections among fundamental research, applied research and commercialization. <\/strong>The research has a clear application \u2013 the development of antimicrobial surfaces that prevent infections \u2014 but the company has to look to the market to determine which products are most useful. Then, they go back to fundamental research, studying and tuning the interactions between pathogens and the engineered materials at the molecular level to create the desired product.<\/p>\n\n

Ghiladi and Scholle are hopeful for the future of PhotoCide, but their best work lies in the mentorship and practical experience they\u2019re providing for their students.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019d be nice to walk into a CVS one day and see one of our products, but our number one accomplishment is our students,\u201d said Ghiladi. \u201cWe\u2019re training the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs to go into the community and do wonderful things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Synoxa Sciences: Developing Antiobiotics for Drug-resistant Infections<\/h2>\n\n

Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. die each year from drug-resistant bacteria. Without the development of new antibiotics, such deaths are projected to exceed cancer death rates by 2050. Joshua Pierce<\/a>, the Howard J. Schaeffer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and executive director of the Integrative Sciences Initiative<\/a>, is determined to change this trajectory. <\/p>\n\n

Pierce founded Synoxa Sciences<\/a> in 2018 with the goal of developing the next generation of antibiotics<\/strong> to fight drug-resistant infections.  <\/p>\n\n

\u201cSynoxa isn't alone in this pursuit. There are many efforts along those lines, but the reality is that we don't just need one new antibiotic,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cWe need as many of them as we can possibly get. We need to have a whole arsenal to refill the one we once had against these fairly common infections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Pierce\u2019s research approach involves developing new chemical reactions to scale up molecules made from natural organisms \u2014 either marine or terrestrial \u2014 that are made in very small quantities by the natural systems. These natural compounds, along with modified molecules, are then evaluated for their ability to be developed for human health-related applications. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cUltimately, we try to get these molecules on a path that could turn them into pharmaceutical agents,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cBut that\u2019s a long, extremely expensive, and sometimes meandering, process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

When Pierce and his students obtained the results that led to the creation of Synoxa, ORC stepped in to help launch the startup. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cAll the research that led to the startup was done by NC State graduate students,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cThere were a number of them, and their names are on some of the patents we got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

ORC not only helped with filing patents, but also with the legal components and fees related to setting up the entity. The office provided assistance with developing Synoxa\u2019s business plan, website and logo, and helped with the initial grant submissions to support the company\u2019s work. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cORC is able to provide a portfolio of services that can help make things easier to get started,\u201d said Pierce. <\/p>\n\n

Now, Pierce is focused on taking Synoxa to the next level. The company has already received two competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $1.2 million. Pierce and his team hope to earn STTR Phase II grants and bring in potential investors.<\/p>\n\n

Drug discovery is a tough and costly process. Antibiotic development, specifically, can be difficult to fund. But NC State\u2019s support has made a difference for Synoxa. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cNC State is super supportive of entrepreneurial efforts. They do everything within their power to promote and support these things,\u201d said Pierce. \u201cI routinely say that ORC is probably our best office on campus in terms of providing useful, helpful and constructive support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Vizma.AI: Transforming the Future of Medical Imaging<\/h2>\n\n

Thomas Theis<\/a>, associate professor and Goodnight Distinguished Scholar in Molecular Characterization in the Department of Chemistry, arrived at NC State with a mission to advance fundamental quantum chemistry. He\u2019s making his mark with Vizma.AI<\/a>, a startup he co-founded to develop medical imaging technology that is more precise, more cost effective and portable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance technology use strong magnetic fields to align the atoms in a patient\u2019s body. However, the technology is only able to detect about one in 100,000 of the atoms\u2019 nuclear spins, resulting in limited sensitivity and resolution. Through hyperpolarization chemistry, Theis and the rest of the Vizma.AI team are developing quantum-enhanced MRI technology that aligns all of the nuclear spins with the magnetic field. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis results in much, much higher sensitivity, meaning we can now detect molecules at very low concentrations,\u201d said Theis. \u201cUsually, an MRI only looks at water molecules. But with hyperpolarization, you can actually look at molecules that are present at very low concentrations, like vitamins, drugs or metabolites. So you can watch the chemistry unfold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
Vizma.AI recently hosted a set of founders and advisors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"A<\/a>
\"At Vizma.AI, if we can't buy it, we make it,\" said Theis. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The emerging hyperpolarized MRI leads to increased precision of medical imaging, which means earlier detection of cancers and other diseases involving dysregulated metabolisms, including cardiovascular, kidney and liver disease. <\/p>\n\n

In the short term, Vizma.AI\u2019s goal is to sell injectable contrast agents that medical professionals can use alongside existing MRI instruments. However, Theis envisions a future with<\/strong> portable, cost-effective MRI devices<\/strong> that could slash the cost of such equipment \u2014 which is bulky and expensive \u2014 by as much as 90%. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWith hyperpolarization, you can work at lower magnetic fields, meaning you can use much cheaper MRI devices,\u201d said Theis. \u201cSo we envision an inexpensive MRI on wheels that can be used with hyperpolarized contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The idea for Vizma.AI originated nearly a decade ago, when Theis met Carlos Dedesma, who has recently become the startup\u2019s full-time CEO. Dedesma is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in commercializing MRI technology. He has led commercialization efforts at Hyperfine \u2014 which develops portable MRI devices \u2014 as well as strategy and partnerships at Verily, the life sciences research arm of Alphabet, Google\u2019s parent company. Theis and Dedesma\u2019s mutual excitement about the clinical impacts hyperpolarization could have on medical imaging led them to co-found Vizma.AI in 2019, one year after Theis started his faculty appointment at NC State.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cORC at NC State has been an invaluable partner in getting Vizma.AI off the ground,\u201d said Theis.<\/p>\n\n

In the initial stages, ORC helped with the process of filing invention disclosures and patents \u2014 Theis has obtained five patents with the office\u2019s help. ORC also assisted with negotiating intellectual property and licenses, and even pointed Theis and his partners at Vizma.AI to local law firms to help with the legal components of the business. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cComing to NC State, one of the things I really loved is how active, encouraging and professional the staff is at ORC. They helped [Dedesma] and I incorporate the company,\u201d said Theis. \u201cThey showed us the ropes of how to do this. I would say NC State\u2019s ORC is really one of the best I can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Theis\u2019 own entrepreneurial journey has inspired him to help others achieve their own commercialization aspirations. As the director of entrepreneurship at NC State\u2019s Comparative Medicine Institute<\/a> (CMI), Theis runs two annual programs, Catalyze and Business and Medicine. Catalyze<\/a> gives graduate students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to pitch startups, network with industry professionals and compete for funding to jumpstart their ideas. Business and Medicine<\/a> pairs CMI students with students in the Master of Microbial Biotechnology program, and they receive training in both the science and business of biotechnology. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI'm trying to encourage students, postdocs, other labs and other professors to think about avenues in entrepreneurship and convert their ideas into new products and startup companies,\u201d said Theis. \u201cI find it very rewarding.\u201d <\/p>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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