Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) www.wustl.edu has earned an estimated $16 million in royalties and licensing agreements related to technology development. Additionally, 108 foreign and U.S patents were issued to university researchers plus a number of startups were formed based on intellectual property developed at WUSTL.
Several of the new startups were created using the university’s ‘Quick Start License” which speeds up and streamlines the process for starting companies that are rooted in university technology. The program enables researchers to focus on developing their ideas and creating new businesses rather than worrying about upfront fees to get technology into the marketplace.
A few of the startups include:
- Accuronix Therapeutics http://accuronix.com is developing a new class of drugs that selectively targets a receptor that is over-expressed on the surface of cancer cells. The technology targets cancer cells, to potentially increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce toxic side effects
- AVVI Biotech www.avvi-biotech.com is working to advance the development and commercialization of novel adenoviral vectors to generate vaccines
- Cellatrix LLC, http://cellatrix.com is developing research tools consisting of 3-D tissue-engineered cultures able to identify effective drugs to treat certain cancers such as multiple myeloma
“It’s exciting to see Washington University technology leave the laboratory and enter the marketplace, where it has the potential to benefit people around the globe”, said Nichole Mercier, Managing Director of the Office of Technology Management https://otm.wustl.edu.