The company is developing a synthetic bone-graft substitute that promises a more successful, longer-lasting bone-repair for spinal fusions and challenging bone fractures. It would provide a simpler, easier to use, and cost-efficient alternative to currently marketed products for orthopaedic surgeons to implant. The company is a spin-out from New Jersey Institute of Technology, after successfully demonstrating pre-clinical proof-of-concept in sheep. The study was funded by the University City Science Center QED Proof-of-Concept program.

PCCI is a 501(c)(6) non-profit association of life science industry professionals. Its mission is providing early to mid-stage life sciences companies with advice and guidance to improve their business model, strategies, and commercial viability. Since 2004, PCCI has helped more than 100 leading-edge therapeutic, device, and diagnostic start-ups in the Greater Philadelphia area (including central and northern New Jersey) to advance their commercial presence.

Successfully spearheaded 4 proof-of-concept ventures that were each awarded $200K for a one-year, product development and proof-of-concept study• Round 3 (January, 2011) Nanotechnology-enabled lab-on-a-chip, providing simple and rapid diagnostic capability for personalized medicine• Round 4 (December, 2011) Biocidal textiles that kill pathogens on contact to prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infections• Round 10 (January, 2018) Bioactive composite matrix for use as a bone graft substitute to promote more-successful healing of spinal fusions and challenging bone fractures • Round 11 (February, 2019) Simple and cost-effective blood test for diagnosing and predicting outcomes of traumatic brain injury, as well as monitoring recovery for safe return to play The QED Program provides bridge-funding for proof-of-concept studies to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of early-stage life science and healthcare technologies for therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health IT solutions. Funding is awarded through a competitive review and market-driven process. Business Advisor to entrepreneurial-aspiring scientists and their technology transfer office, as a resource provided by Greater Philadelphia area’s largest business incubator for promoting commercialization of life science and digital health IT solutions• Providing strategic insight in developing a milestone-driven proof-of-concept research proposal, business plan and investor presentation. Deliverables are designed to retire business risk, positioning academic projects towards follow-on investment and a pathway to commercialization • Guiding and monitoring product development progress• Facilitating interest from follow-on commercialization partners (licensees or new venture investors)

The Penn I-Corps program, a satellite of the national NSF (National Science Foundation) I-Corps program, is an accelerator to facilitate commercialization of university research.Introduction of the Lean Start-up Business Model to University of Pennsylvania-based entrepreneurs and STEM start-ups • Instruction and Coaching on best practices and elicitation technique for more effective and successful interviewing of key stakeholders for customer discovery and product-market fit to validate market opportunity

SZF is an issues-oriented, evidence-based market research and consulting firm serving the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.We work with strategic and tactical decision makers, providing action-oriented reports and recommendations based on solid research and thorough analysis.

Primary Qualitative and Secondary Research Market Intelligence • Interviewing clinicians and other key stakeholders about their practice and unmet needs to validate demand for a product or service• Providing strategic insights and actionable recommendations through market intelligence to improve the odds of funding start-ups through investments or SBIR grants. Competitive Intelligence• Clients include Global Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical and global Life Science device firms• Consulting on pipeline therapeutics and medical devices for Marketing Strategy, regulatory issues, as well as emerging developments and trends

Jefferson Medical College, Department of Pathology and Cell BiologySignal transduction pathways in models of apoptosis (Clinical implications for druggable targets and molecular-targeted therapeutics)• Co-principal investigator at a leading center for health sciences research. • Provided vision, strategic direction, tactical guidance and biotechnological skills in mechanistic studies• Pioneered the discovery of an apoptosis-regulating chloride-transporter, a potential therapeutic target for oncology, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases• Authored grant proposals that successfully communicated strategic plans for the lab’s future research. Resulted in the award of 2 five-year grants ($1.25 million each) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Jefferson Medical College, Department of Pathology and Cell BiologyMechanisms of oxidative (free radical) cell injury involving iron metabolism (Clinical implications for cerebral and cardiovascular ischemia)

Biochemistry of glycoproteins, and the involvement of glycosylation in molecular and cellular immunology (glycomics of monoclonal antibodies and their interaction with NK cells)• Trained at the premier biomedical research institute for oncology and immunology• Pioneered the discovery of the critical glycomic determinant of monoclonal antibodies for dramatically enhancing the efficacy of an emerging immunotherapy for oncology; now recognized by the biopharmaceutical industry for its clinical advantage• Pioneered the development of a new analytical technique for studying the glycomics of monoclonal antibodies• Authored thesis: "Glycosylation of IgG Secreted by Murine Hybridomas: Its Repertoire and Influence Upon Antibody Dependent Cytotoxicity Mediated by Natural Killer Lymphocytes"

Biochemistry of branched chain amino acid metabolism

Department of Biochemical Development and Metabolic DiseasesClinical studies of metabolic profiling for the biochemical diagnosis and treatment of inborn errors of amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism that result in growth and mental retardation• Manager of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomic laboratory at a leading pediatric hospital and clinical research facility• Contributed methodology and metabolomic analysis in clinical studies that led to the treatment of isovaleric academia, a fatal childhood metabolic disorder.