Technology Commercialization - Announcements
September 2019
On August 23, 2019, the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) attended the Biotech Leaders Academy (BLA) Summer Celebration. OTC was honored to participate in the BLA internship program and had the privilege of having Alejandra Garcia Orosco intern with OTC for the summer. OTC would like to thank Alejandra and BLA for their contributions to driving entrepreneurship and commercialization at CHLA.
March 2019
Congratulations to Michael Neely, MD, on Commercializing BestDose – a Software Product Developed at CHLA
CHLA’s Office of Technology Commercialization recently announced a partnership with the healthcare company, InsightRX. The goal of the agreement is to incorporate the precision dosing platform, BestDose, developed at CHLA by Dr. Neely and his team, into the company’s decision support products.
During the drug development process, pharmaceutical companies study dosing regimens, mostly for adults and always for the average patient. Pediatricians often have to draw upon their own experience and estimate the right dose of medication for their young patients. Some of the medications our patients require can have significant side effects, so it is crucial that clinicians are able to target the best dose – one that provides the desired therapeutic effect and minimizes the chance for side effects.
Dr. Neely leads a team who developed a software tool that combines critical patient data and important drug characteristics to optimize dosing of many drugs. Working with many colleagues at CHLA and USC, the software is proven to decrease costs and improve patient care. Dr. Neely has published many articles describing the BestDose advantage in peer-reviewed journals, including a study that earned the best published article award for 2015-2016 in the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring journal.
Catalyzing Pediatric Innovation (CPI) Grant
The Southern California Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) is pleased to announce the Catalyzing Pediatric Innovation (CPI) Grant, a grant program supporting the advancement in novel pediatric medical devices and technologies. Grants of $25,000-$50,000 will be awarded to projects that lead to improved patient experience, quality, outcomes, or efficiency. Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent by April 15, 2019. Please visit http://www.scctip.org/funding/ for more details.
October 2017
NanoValent Pharmaceuticals Announces Exclusive Global Licensing Agreement with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Completion of First Wave of Financing
NanoValent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage cancer-focused pharmaceutical company advancing targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, confirmed licensing rights that give it exclusive global access to all uses of targeted HPLN (Hybrid Polymerized Liposomal Nanoparticle), a technology developed in collaboration with Timothy Triche, MD, PhD, of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Additionally, an initial wave of financing from management and angel investors has placed the company in position to engage commercial manufacturers in preparation for Investigational New Drug (IND) / Biologics Licensing Application (BLA) preclinical studies.
April 2017
CHLA Start-Up Receives Exclusive License
Avexegen Therapeutics Inc., an early-stage innovative biotechnology company developing novel therapies for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders has entered into an exclusive global license agreement with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) for Neuregulin-4 (NRG-4) for therapies in inflammatory bowel disease including Necrotizing Enterocolitis as well as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The license includes an issued patent and associated technology from the laboratory of Mark Frey, PhD that demonstrated NRG-4 therapeutic proof of concept in preclinical models of NEC and inflammatory bowel disease. NRG-4’s efficacy is mediated by dual mechanisms that promote mucosal healing: the direct protection of the intestinal barrier and the suppression of inflammatory cytokines via its novel immunomodulatory action. Currently, there are no FDA approved drugs for the treatment or prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), which is a life-threatening disease that afflicts very low birth weight premature infants. NRG-4 has the potential to be the first such therapy for NEC. For more information, contact mbroome@chla.usc.edu.
February 2017
Catalyzing Pediatric Innovation (CPI) Grant
The Southern California Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) is pleased to announce the Catalyzing Pediatric Innovation (CPI) Grant, a new grant program supporting the advancement of innovations in pediatric technology and devices. Up to six grants of $25,000-$50,000 will be awarded to projects developing pediatric innovation from ideation through commercialization. Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent by March 15, 2017. Please visit http://www.scctip.org/funding/ for details.
December 2016
Eight Leading U.S. Children’s Hospitals, including Children's Hospital Los Angeles, to Host the annual Impact Pediatric Health pitch competition.
Eight leading pediatric healthcare institutions hosting the annual Impact Pediatric Health pitch competition today announced that applications are now open for interested companies. Startups focused on pediatric digital health or medical device innovations are invited to submit their information to http://impactpediatrichealth.com/ by Jan. 20, 2017. From the applications, 10 finalists will be selected to pitch their business at SXSW, Monday, March 13, 2017. For more information about this Interactive pediatric health care innovation pitch competition, visit http://impactpediatrichealth.com/
November 2016
CHLA Start-Up Receives SBIR Grant
Avexegen Therapeutics, Inc., an early-stage biotech company focused on developing novel therapies for gastrointestinal disorders, announced that it has received an award of $225,000 under the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) for the development of therapies for inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Avexegen will use the NIH grant to advance the development of their lead drug candidate, Neuregulin-4 (NRG-4) by exploring different routes of drug delivery. The grant supports pre-clinical animal studies aimed at validating oral administration of NRG-4 in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Frey, PhD. If you are interested in learning more about SBIR and STTR grants or how to obtain industry funding, contact mbroome@chla.usc.edu.
September 2016
Collaboration between Sanofi and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Tai-Lan Tuan, PhD, associate professor of Research Surgery and researcher in the Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Program of The Saban Research Institute , and Sanofi will collaborate to evaluate the therapeutic potential of an anti-fibrotic drug candidate in her in vitro model of keloid skin fibrosis. Dr. Tuan will conduct preclinical studies aimed at credentialing the target for this indication to support the design of clinical studies of the drug in keloids, tumor-like skin scars. Keloids occur unpredictably after skin injury in 10 to 20 % of people of mostly dark skinned races, ie: of African, Hispanic, and Asian descent.
August 2016
Planning underway for 2017 BIO International Convention
The Center for Innovation at CHLA has begun planning for the 2017 BIO International Convention in San Diego next June. The BIO Exhibition is the world’s largest biotechnology gathering, allowing participants to reach high-level executives and influential decision makers who attend BIO to discover new players in the industry, form partnerships and evaluate emerging technologies. Read more.
Deton Corp. Raises $600,000 in Seed Round
Deton Corp., a medical device company developing innovative products for the diagnosis of lower respiratory infections, has secured $600,000 in an oversubscribed seed financing round. Deton is a participant in the Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), the pediatric technology accelerator operated by the Center for Innovation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Delton has developed a non-invasive, simple and cost-effective cough collection device that captures airborne bacteria for subsequent diagnosis of lower respiratory diseases. To learn more, click here.
July 2016
Notice of Issued Patent
On July 19, 2016, Yaniv Bar-Cohen, MD et al. were granted US patent 9,393,407 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for their work on a minimally invasive epicardial pacemaker. This technology addresses the need for an improved fetal cardiac pacemaker and also serves as an improved cardiac pacemaker suitable for infants, children and adults. When used in a fetus, the pacemaker can be implanted in utero without significant harm to the developing fetus or the mother. It can function for extended periods of time without dislodging or otherwise failing. Designed for infants, children or adults, the pacemaker can be implanted quickly and under conditions that might otherwise preclude successful implantation of a pacemaker. To learn more, please contact mbroome@chla.usc.edu.
June 2016
CFI and Division of Neonatology Collaborate on New Solutions
To foster collaboration between USC-based engineers and clinicians at CHLA with the goal of solving problems specific to pediatric medicine, the Center for Innovation (CFI) hosted a retreat with the Division of Neonatology and the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC.
Read more about the retreat and program.
May 2016
Notice of Issued Patent
Mark Frey, PhD, is working on the molecular mechanisms that drive intestinal repair after injury or inflammation. More specifically, his work is focused on the involvement of ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases and their cognate ligands in the intestinal response to injury, intestinal inflammation and colitis-associated carcinogenesis. With the help of the Center for Innovation, Mark received US Patent 9,352,023 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 31, 2016, titled “Use of neuregulin-4 for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and necrotizing enterocolitis.” He now seeks to see this technology commercialized for the benefit of both pediatric and adult patients. For more information, contact mbroome@chla.usc.edu.
Seminar "Managing Pediatric Chronic Disease in the Digital Age"
The Center for Innovation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles organized a round table discussion with a panel of experts who shared their perspectives on digital health strategies in the management of pediatric chronic disease. While modalities such as home monitoring, telemedicine, social networks and new health management platforms are gaining traction in healthcare, their true potential in pediatric health is not yet clear. The panel discussed the value of these approaches in driving behavior change, adherence, cost containment and improved outcomes in children with chronic diseases.
If you missed the event, click here to watch:
March 2016
CHLA team receives a $50,000 grant from NSF I-Corps Program
Click Brain, a CHLA research team, focused on developing decision support software for the interpretation of MRI images of the brain, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from NSF I-Corps Team Program for customer discovery. The NSF Innovation Corps (“I-Corps”) Program helps to accelerate technology commercialization, support engineering entrepreneurship and educate innovation leadership. To learn more about I-Corps Program with sponsorship from Innovation-Node Los Angeles (IN-LA), visit www.lanode.org.
February 2016
The Center for Innovation & Vax-Immune Partner on Proprietary Device
Vax-Immune, LLC is pleased to announce its partnership with The Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), a pediatric medical device consortium operated by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), in developing Vax-Immune’s platform device to aid in the rapid diagnosis of infection in pregnant women and babies. CTIP will provide product development and commercialization assistance to Vax-Immune. Read more.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles participates in Impact Pediatric Health at SXSW to support the best pediatric healthcare innovations
Impact Pediatric Health, the SXSW Interactive pediatric healthcare innovation pitch competition, today announced that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has joined the four founding hospitals, Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Texas, to help put on the March 14, 2016 event and support Impact Pediatric Health, a one-of-a-kind pitch competition to help showcase, and support, the best pediatric healthcare innovations.
All hospitals will also be judges, and have contributed to a $50,000 prize for the winner.
For more information, click here.
December 2015
CHLA Start-Up Receives SBIR Grant
Hillhurst Biopharmaceuticals, a CHLA spin-off company, focused on developing therapies to augment the cytoprotective heme oxygenase metabolic pathway, announced the award of a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) of approximately $700,000 to fund further pre-clinical development of the Company’s lead product candidate, HBI-002, for the treatment of acute cerebral injury. Read more.
November 2015
CHLA Impact Innovation Event
The Center for Innovation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles organized its first engagement and partnership program that included leaders in technology, media, entertainment, financial, creative, healthcare, sports and life sciences industries and government. The purpose of this meeting was to engage a diverse group of leaders that would stimulate new thinking for sustaining meaningful solutions to unmet pediatric needs and significantly improving the health of children everywhere. Learn more about this engagement program:
October 2015
CHLA recognized for its commitment to innovation through the Center for Innovation
As healthcare continues along its perpetual evolution, those in the industry are continually trying to get ahead of the curve and find solutions to the biggest issues facing patient care and delivery today. Some hospitals and health systems have made a commitment to innovation by establishing their own centers and institutes for innovation. Read more.
August 2015
Notice of Issued Patent
Rex Moats, PhD and co-inventors are developing a software system for the analysis of MRI data from patients to both assess functional parameters and characteristics of a patient's kidney, as well as data visualization to facilitate diagnosis of various types of kidney abnormalities and pathologies. With the help of the Center for Innovation they have received a US Patent Notice of Allowance August 13, 2015 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for patent Application Number 13/697,757, titled “Method and System for Quantitative Renal Assessment.” The team seeks to see this technology commercialized for the benefit of both pediatric and adult patients. For more information, contact mbroome@chla.usc.edu.
July 2015
Oak Therapeutics and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to Collaborate on Novel Medication
Oak Therapeutics, a corporation that develops and applies medication delivery technologies, has entered into a collaborative agreement with CHLA to develop and test an anti-infective medication for children treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Under this agreement, Oak and CHLA will conduct a clinical investigation to test the reformulated antibiotic, Anbacta™. These efforts will be co-led by Michael Neely, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California and Director of the Laboratory of Applied Pharmacokinetics and Bioinformatics at The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Ashley Margol, MD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The results of this investigation could support regulatory approval and lead to product commercialization. The agreement between Oak and CHLA was facilitated by the Center for Innovation. Read more.
June 2015
CHLA Joins HealthXL to Source Collaborative Opportunities in Connected Pediatric Care
CHLA has joined its global group of partners, bringing about a new focus on Connected Pediatric Care to these leading healthcare brands.
Recently at BIO International 2015, HealthXL -- a global market for health innovations -- announced that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has joined its global group of partners, bringing about a new focus on Connected Pediatric Care for these leading healthcare brands.
CHLA is the first pediatric hospital to join the HealthXL network of 16 partners including Bupa, Cleveland Clinic, Becton Dickinson, IBM, ICON, ResMed, Janssen Healthcare Innovation, Apollo Hospitals, Linde Healthcare, Novartis, Partners HealthCare, Silicon Valley Bank, EY, SoftServe, Hermitage Medical Clinic and SoftLayer, all working towards a common goal of improved healthcare delivery. Read more.
February 2015
CHLA Joins Forces With CureAccelerator Around Repurposing Research
CHLA has partnered with Cures Within Reach to repurpose drugs and devices through CureAccelerator, the world’s first interactive, online platform dedicated to repurposing research. By connecting researchers, funders, the biomedical industry and patient groups, CureAccelerator will propel the pace of repurposing research, to drive more treatments more quickly to more patients. Repurposing is defined as taking drugs, devices or nutriceuticals already approved for human use and repurposing them for a new disease indication, or making changes to an existing treatment protocol. In pediatrics, many drugs and therapeutic and diagnostic devices are neither designed or optimized for use in children. We encourage you to take advantage of this new program to drive better pediatric care. Priority is given to projects that focus on a disease without a current, effective standard of care and can achieve proof of concept in pilot clinical trials completed in under three years and $250,000. Project budgets range from $25,000 to $250,000 and typically last 12-36 months.
To learn more please contact Martin Broome, PhD at the Center for Innovation (mbroome@chla.usc.edu). Review CureAccelerator’s research priorities.
August 2014
New Partners OCTANe, CTIP Talk Strategy at First Meeting
The Orange County-based business accelerator OCTANe and the Center for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), a pediatric medical device consortium at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), came together on Aug. 5 for the first time since the announcement of their new partnership. Read more.
July 2014
OCTANe and the Consortium of Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics Announce Partnership Supporting Pediatric Research and Technology Commercialization
Southern California innovation catalyst, OCTANe, has partnered with the Consortium of Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), a pediatric medical device consortium operated by Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA), to support product development and commercialization of innovative pediatric healthcare technologies, with the expressed goal of providing greater access to the CTIP's life-saving innovations for a wider patient population.
CHLA’s Center for Innovation Brings Alex Judkins, MD, to BIO International Convention
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles participated in the 2014 BIO International Convention in San Diego with the purpose of getting on the radar of biotech industry leaders. CHLA teamed up with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to establish a presence for pediatric academic medical centers among the convention exhibitors and attendees, predominantly made up of industry innovators and investors from biotech and pharmaceutical companies. At the convention, CHLA’s Center for Innovation also partnered with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to host a rare disease partnering cocktail reception, which drew a diverse crowd of more than 170 stakeholders from academia, government, industry and patient advocacy groups.
NIH Grants $1.1 Million to CerRx for Novel Cancer Drug Research to CHLA Start-up Company, CerRx, Inc.
Lubbock, Texas-based oncology drug developer CerRx was awarded a $1.1 million grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to finance their research on cancer cell-killing therapies. The company will invest the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant into a Phase I study of two lead novel intravenous (IV) compounds called fenretinide and safingol, which, when combined, are thought to increase the toxic “ceramide” waxes of cancerous cells to destroy them. Read more.
TMRC Reached an Agreement With Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) to Develop and Commercialize Tamibarotene in Neutropenia
Under the terms of the agreement, TMRC will fund research at CHLA and TMRC will have the exclusive right to commercialize Tamibarotene for use in combination with G-CSF for the prevention and treatment of neutropenia.
June 2014
BioDome Partners Announces Exclusive Option Deal With Children's Hospital Los Angeles
BioDome Partners, LLC and Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) announced that they have entered into an option agreement under which BioDome Partners has the exclusive right to secure an exclusive license for technology and IP of CHLA pertaining to the use of neuregulin-4 (NRG-4) for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Read more.
February 2014
CTIP Hosts its First Annual Symposium, 'A New Era in Pediatric Innovation: Smarter Technologies for Unique Patient Needs'
Program co-directors Yaniv Bar-Cohen, MD and Jessica Rousset sought to convey a sense of community and opportunity around pediatric innovation. Over 200 participants were gathered to hear about and discuss three overarching themes important to pediatric innovation and of particular relevance in the context of healthcare reform—patient engagement, personalized medicine, and prevention — characterized each of the “Smarter Technologies” discussed during the panel sessions featuring both academic and industry leaders:
- Growing up in the Genomic Era – The Benefits and Unintended Consequences of Genomic Sequencing on Children and Their Families
- Therapeutic and Diagnostic Gaming – Empowering Children to Manage Their Health
- 3D Printing – Reshaping the Future of Medical Devices
October 2013
FDA Grants Prestigious Award to Pediatric Medical Device Consortium Led by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Orphan Products Development has awarded a grant of up to $1.5 million over five years to the Consortium of Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), a consortium established by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California (USC) for the development of pediatric medical devices. This grant recognizes CTIP [LINK TO CTIP] as a center of excellence for the development and commercialization of pediatric medical devices within the Southern California community.