Start Up Companies Based on KU Research and Technologies
Technology transfer offices on the various University of Kansas campuses have assisted in the development of numerous start-up companies founded on University technologies during the past twenty-five years. Below is a list of those companies.
Life Sciences
Cancer Survivorship Training Inc. is a provider of online and mobile resources and education to health care professionals to help them better treat and advise cancer survivors.
CritiTech, Inc. has licensed KU patented technologies related to Super Critical Fluid (SCF) particle-size reduction techniques for pharmaceuticals. These technologies include methods and apparatus to produce nanoparticles, methods for SCF precipitation, and a harvesting apparatus for size-selective separation of nanoparticles. Founded: 1997. Location: Lawrence, Kansas.
Press Release
CyDex, Inc. was established to license and commercialize modified cyclodextrins for use in drug development and formulation. The series of anionically charged sulfobutyl ether beta-cyclodextrins (SBE-CDs) were originally synthesized and patented by scientists in the Higuchi Biosciences Center for Drug Delivery Research. CyDex has an exclusive license to the SBE Cyclodextrins. Their lead compound, Captisol®, enables two drugs on the market (2003) by Pfizer, Vfend® and Geodon®. Founded: 1994. Location: Overland Park, Kansas.
Sparking Economic Growth: KU and CyDex Pharmaceuticals
Flint Hills Scientific, LLC (FHS) is a "spin off" company from the University of Kansas that specializes in the development of advanced algorithms for use in real-time analysis of complex brain waves and other biologic signals. The company is currently co-developing a device with a major medical device manufacturer, which will detect and then prevent the onset of epileptic seizures.
HylaPharm is a drug delivery company now producing its patented HylaPlat technology, which delivers chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells in tumors and nearby lymph nodes while limiting drug exposure in kidneys, nerves and auditory organs. By limiting exposure in these surrounding areas, HylaPlat enables targeted treatments with fewer side effects.
News Release
Immunogenetix Therapeutics, Inc. is an early stage biotechnology company developing advanced DNA-based therapies for the prevention and treatment of HIV infection. DNA-based therapies offer significant advantages over recombinant protein therapies, including an enhanced cellular immune response and long term protection against viral diseases that require cellular immunity (e.g. HIV). The Company has exclusive worldwide rights to proprietary therapeutic candidates and supporting technologies being developed at the Marion Merrell Dow Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The director of this laboratory, Dr. Opendra Narayan, is a world renowned researcher in HIV who has developed a novel DNA-based therapeutic strategy to prevent and treat HIV infection. Dr. Narayan is evaluating these proprietary therapeutic candidates using a monkey animal model developed in his laboratory that closely mimics the HIV infection that occurs in humans. Several therapeutic candidates have completed initial efficacy studies in monkeys with promising results. Founded: 2002 Location: Lenexa KS
ImmuPep, Inc. Dedicated to modern immunotherapy. ImmuPep is a start-up biotechnology company founded to develop new approaches to modulating the immune and inflammatory responses and to treat disorders of the immune response. The principal technology inhibits, in a specific manner, the small subset of immune cells that cause autoimmune disease or rejection of organ transplants while leaving the rest of the immune system to function normally. This is in direct contrast with therapies currently on the market that inhibit the entire immune response and result in generalized immune or inflammatory suppression that lead to unwanted side effects such as sepsis. Targeted diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, insulin-dependent diabetes, and psoriasis as well as rejection of organ transplants. Technologies under development include anti-viral agents and diagnostic immunoassays. Founded 2002. Location: Lawrence, Kansas.
KC BioMediX, Inc. is a medical device company that was established to commercialize technologies developed at the University of Kansas for the care and treatment of infants born prematurely. Specifically, KC BioMediX is developing medical devices based upon technologies that measure, monitor and develop the non-nutritive suck – an essential building block in an infant’s development of the coordinated sucking, breathing and swallowing capability needed for independent oral feed.
Likarda is a animal regenerative medicine and contract research organization. Through the use of an innovative platform technology, Likarda streamlines the engineering of multi-cell type, uniform, organotypic 3D cell clusters for a variety of applications. This includes drug screening and regenerative medicine.
NephroGenex, Inc., is a start up utilizing technology developed in part at the University of Kansas Medical Center, is focused on the treatment of end stage renal disease (ESRD). It accounts for up to 15% of the entire health care budget in the United States , with annual costs estimated at $24 billion. In spite of the enormous socioeconomic burden, renal diseases are dramatically underserved by the pharmaceutical industry in contrast to cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases and diabetes.
The recently determined polygenic etiology of the leading renal diseases and the related difficulty in identifying and validating drug targets and appropriate patient populations, are major hurdles for kidney disease drug development.
Savara Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2008 in Lawrence, KS, as an early stage biotechnology company established to commercialize the NanoCluster dry powder aerosol formulation technology. The NanoCluster formulation technology is a platform technology with broad applications from respiratory medicine to vaccines and provides critical Life-Cycle-Management opportunities through product reformulation.
Press Release-Funding
Press Release-Technology
SeekEdgar LLC is focused on delivering web based analytical software to mine specific data from SEC filings. Reports can be customized for specific customer needs with respect to groups of companies. The company is developing auditing tools for assessing various types of risk such as audit risk, fraud risk, auditor independence risk, information security risk, etc.
TVAX Biomedical, LLC was formed to commercialize a novel immunologic approach to cancer treatment. TVAX's personalized cancer treatment, TVAX Immunotherapy, used the natural resources of the cancer patient's own immune system to generate cancer specific killer T cells. Killer T cells that are delivered into the bloodstream of individuals with cancer will enter cancer tissue, kill cancer cells and reject growing cancers.
XenoTech, LLC was formed to manufacture products and to provide services to guide the discovery and development of drugs and other consumable products, such as food addictives, fragrances, and cosmetics. XenoTech specializes in the development and application of in vitro techniques for examining the metabolism of drugs and other chemicals for pharma-ceutical firms, chemical companies, academic institutions, and regulatory agencies, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). XenoTech ’s products and services are designed to provide pre-clinical safety information of the type recommended by the FDA to predict inter-individual variability in drug safety and efficacy, and to predict or explain adverse drug-drug interactions. Founded: 1995. Location: Kansas City, Kansas (KUMC)
Information/Telecommunication Tech
Cadstone, Inc. was formed with the specific purpose of pursuing the substantial business opportunity available in commercializing services, training, and a suite of electronic design automation development tools. This foundation is being developed around the next generation system level design language currently emerging as an industry standard. Initially, Cadstone will provide innovative solutions to current SoC (system on a chip) design problems facing the semi-conductor and CAD (computer aided design) industries. Founded: 2001. Location: Lawrence, Kansas.
DARcorporation is located in historic downtown Lawrence, Kansas. DARcorporation's extensive library holds more than 1,000 airplane designs, analytical texts and USAF, NASA and ESDU reports. DARcorporation has been a leading provider of consulting services in the areas of aircraft configuration design and analysis, stability and control and estimation of airplane models for flight simulators and aircraft technical analysis since 1991. Other services include wind tunnel and water tunnel testing and analysis. Their personnel are experienced with many software packages for airplane analysis and design. Founded: 1991. Location: Lawrence, Kansas.
Kansas Analytical Services provides simultaneous multiple NMR sample analysis utilizing MSS probe and standard NMR hardware and software.
Physical Sciences
TerraMetrics Agriculture, Inc. is affiliated with the University of Kansas Applied Remote Sensing (KARS) Program and the Kansas Biological Survey (KBS), incorporating 30 years of agricultural and natural resource research and product development experience. KARS and KBS are responsible for maintaining TMAI's leading edge in research and commercial product development. TMAI scientists and consultants work hand-in-hand with KARS Program scientists. The KARS Program is the home of the NASA Great Plains Regional Earth Science Applications Center (Great Plains RESAC), one of only seven NASA centers for excellence in the United States selected in a national competition, and the only NASA center dedicated to large-scale agricultural remote sensing research. Founded: 1998. Location: Lawrence, Kansas.
Education and Social Sciences
Computerized Assessment and Learning has created the most up-to-date computerized assessment platform available in the country today. In 2006 alone, our system delivered 2.7 million computer-based tests. In partnership with the University of Kansas (KU) Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE), the CAL computerized assessment system has been shaped to meet the needs of both educators and students and to accommodate varying content areas (mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies).
eLearning Creations, Inc. was formed to commercialize technologies developed within the Center for Research on Learning (CRL) for the special education market. ELearning Creations' initial strategy includes a partnership with a major special education publisher to produce a 10 course on-line series to certify special education teachers. The company will also market the licensed content to provide continuing education opportunities for teachers seeking re-certification for special education. The backbone of this product was developed by the CRL team and was part of the highly successful On-Line Academy and the e-Learning Design Laboratory. The product has been further enhanced to meet the recently-established standards of the Council for Exceptional Children. As the company grows, it is the intent of the founders to expand into other markets where the technology can be easily replicated. Founded: 2002. Location: Lawrence, Kansas
Institute for Community Health and Development has developed the Community Tool Book Curriculum to support all community members, volunteers, staff and leaders who are working for their community’s health and development. The curriculum, developed by the Work Group for Community Health and Development, is based on the core skills community members need to successfully lead a community-wide coalition or partnership’s efforts to address a problem or achieve a goal in their community. Sixteen "core competencies: have been distilled from over 25 years of experience working with communities in a variety of settings to address issues of importance to community members. Emphasis is placed on practical tools, specific skills sets and the importance of building on existing strengths community members and leaders bring to this imitative from their previous work.
