Inside UMDNJ laboratories, researchers are delving into areas such as cancer, central nervous system disorders, diagnostics, fertility, medical devices, research tools, therapeutics, and tissue engineering. From tests for autism, schizophrenia, reproductive potential, and malignant brain tumors to new treatments for obesity, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, blood and neurological disorders, our inventory of technologies ready to graduate into the real world is significant.

Last year, nearly 100 invention disclosures were received by the UMDNJ Office of Patents and Licensing for everything from a portable device for collecting information about a living body to a temporary blood circulation assist apparatus. In that same period, 11 outside companies inquired about licenses and options on tools and technology created by UMDNJ inventors. Meanwhile, the number of emerging companies being founded by UMDNJ is also growing. In the new crop of companies:

• Vasade Biosciences, Inc., led by Stephen Vatner, MD, NJMS chair of cell biology and molecular medicine, is working on cardiovascular research and drug development.
• HM Gene, Inc., under Kiran Chada, PhD, RWJMS professor of biochemistry, is developing novel products for the diagnosis and prevention of many cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, and oral. A longer term strategy also includes Adiposense ™, an obesity pharmaceutical being developed with Wellgen, another UMDNJ spin-off company.
• Snowdon, LLC, founded by William Welsh, PhD, RWJMS professor and director of The Informatics Institute, is researching new medicines for cancer, pain, and neurological disorders. Snowdon’s computational “Shape Signatures” streamlines drug discovery.

With a $600,000 award from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology and support from the Foundation of UMDNJ, the Office recently offered research grants for promising, innovative technologies to 10
scientists:

John Chuo, MD, RWJMS, “Device for noninvasive bedside monitoring of endotracheal tube tip position”

Bernd Spur, PhD, SOM, “Synthesis of oxygenated decosahexaenoic acid metabolites for the study of inflammation in human diseases”

J. Patrick O’Connor, PhD, NJMS, “Accelerated bone fracture repair by systemic inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase”

Patricia Soteropoulus, PhD, NJMS, “Biomolecular beacons for miRNA profiling”

William Welsh, PhD, RWJMS, and Stephen Vatner, MD, NJMS, “Discovery of Mst1 inhibitors for the treatment of congestive heart failure”

Sheldon Lin, MD, NJMS, “Method for treatments of bone fracture, bone defects, and allograft incorporation by local administration of insulin or insulin variants”

Alexey Ryazanov, PhD, RWJMS, “Screening for elongation factor 2 kinase inhibitors: potential chemoprotective, radioprotective and anti-aging agents”

Dale Woodbury, PhD, RWJMS, “Isolation of amnion derived stem cells”

Kiran Chada, PhD, RWJMS, “Screen for inhibitor of obesity target”

A list of technologies available for licensing can be found at www.umdnj.edu/resrhweb/patents/

Sylvia Christakos	Method for the treatment of vitamin D related disease
Pranela Rameshwar	Hematopoietic growth factor inducible neurokinin-1 gene
Tariq M. Rana	Tat-derived oligourea and its method of production and use in high affinity and specific binding HIV-1 TAR RNA
Leroy F. Liu	Solubilized topoisomerase poisons
Michael J. Katz	Immunologically invisible carrier molecules connect a plurality of copies of an immunologically active molecule in an immunologic assay
Gary B. Nackman and Ramsey A. Fotey	Methods for stably populating solid surfaces, especially those of biomedical devices, with cells; also the resulting cell-coated surfaces
Tariq M. Rana	Site-specific protein modification
Jeffrey D. Laskin	Mammalian catalase-dependent oxidation processes and methods for stimulating oxidative activities
Benjamin H. Natelson	Portable device for collecting information about living body
Leroy F. Liu	Nitro and amino substituted heterocycles as topoisomerase I targeting agents
Stuart Peltz	Subfamily of RNA helicases which are modulators of the fidelity of translation termination and uses thereof
Masayori Inouye	Multifunctional biosensor based on ZnO nanostructures
Stephen Vatner	pDJA1, a cardiac specific gene, corresponding proteins, and uses thereof
David J. Foran	Collaborative diagnostic systems
Kenneth Khaw	Temporary blood circulation assist device

Kunitoshi Yamanaka	Cold shock regulatory elements constructs thereof, and method of use (Issued in Korea)
Masayori Inouye	Method for synthesizing stable single-stranded cDNA in eukaryotes by means of a bacterial retron and products (Issued in Europe and Canada)
Masayori Inouye	Inhibition of Protein Expression (Issued in Korea)

Sirtris	Proctor & Gamble	New England Biolabs	Virium	Vasade	AstraZeneca
Novus	Bristol-Myers Squibb	John Wiley and Sons	Takara	Sonomedica