UNeMed

UNeMed Corporation is the technology transfer entity of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Through licensing and other cooperative agreements, UNeMed builds relationships with industry partners to transfer UNMC intellectual property from the laboratory to the marketplace.

History
Owned by the University of Nebraska's Board of Regents, doing business as UNMC, UNeMed was founded in 1991 as a for-profit company and it operates as an arm of the medical center’s research division. The process of bringing academic research to the marketplace has resulted in 40 invention disclosures per year; 400 active patents and patent applications; 33 active technology licenses to industry; 5 active start-up companies in Omaha; and approximately 300 intellectual property agreements per year with companies such as Amgen, Novartis, Baxter, Santa Cruz, Boston Scientific, Smith and Nephew and others.

In January 2007, the university's intellectual property office merged with UNeMed.

Case study
In the 1990s, researchers at UNMC discovered that combining creatine, a dietary supplement popular among athletes and bodybuilders to increase strength and performance, with ethyl ester, an alcohol derived from common sources such as corn oil, would create a novel compound which lessens side effects, such as bloating and cramping, normally associated with creatine. The ethyl ester allows body tissues to absorb the creatine more efficiently, thereby reducing the amount needed to be ingested.

In 2001 UNeMed licensed the novel compound, known as creatine ethyl ester, to ProNutrient Technologies, Inc., a Nebraska start-up company designed to exploit the market potential. Together, UNeMed and ProNutrient filed patents, went through the FDA notification process, explored manufacturing options, and developed marketing and distribution plans.

In 2003 ProNutrient was acquired by Biovance Life Sciences, Inc. The state added value by awarding the city of Central City a community development block grant to help fund Biovance. An agreement was later signed with GNC to distribute the compound, known as CE2, online and through its retail stores.

UNeMed today
The president of UNeMed is Dr. James Linder, M.D. UNeMed specializes in drug delivery, diagnostics and therapeutics, medical devices, research tools, and software for the commercial marketplace, and these technologies have been showcased at various conferences, including BIO2006 and BIO2007.

Drug delivery
UNeMed’s drug delivery technologies aid the body’s acceptance of drugs or ease administration of drugs. These include nanotechnology, intracellular delivery advancements, inhibitors to halt thinning of blood vessels, solutions to mitigate tissue injury in stroke victims, and a taste-masking agent for oral medications. Neurological drug delivery advancements allow for better understanding of permeating the blood brain barrier. One breakthrough led to partnership with Telomolecular Corp., which develops therapies for age-related conditions.

Diagnostics and therapeutics
A number of medical tests to detect disease have been created by UNeMed scientists and include indicators for pancreatic cancer, alcohol liver disease, advanced HIV-1, encephalitis, and human herpes viruses. Peptide treatments have been discovered which have been shown to prevent and remedy intestinal infections by acting as antimicrobial agents. In collaboration with the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, an imaging technology for cancer diagnosis and therapy has been developed. In cooperation with investment firm Allied Minds, a protein purification process has been developed that reduces the production costs of pharmaceuticals such as insulin.

Medical devices
UNeMed is developing solutions to make medical procedures less invasive and easier to perform, often in conjunction with existing surgical systems. Mini robotic surgical tools seek to expand access to surgical procedures and to mitigate invasiveness. Innovative dental technologies, such as a dental implant drill guide, provide patients with both physiological and psychological benefits. UNeMed is working with UNMC scientists to develop new approaches to manage airways during medical procedures, especially in traumatic injury cases, ensuring adequate oxygen to patients.

Research tools
To stimulate academic research, UNeMed cultivates resources to aid medical and scientific research. Biochemical methodologies include improvement in antibiotic development based on DNA research. A method for producing images of a single crystal structure was also developed. Obesity and diabetes are becoming major concerns for public health, and UNMC researchers are examining cellular pathways that regulate energy expediture which could unlock new treatments for myriads of health problems.

Software
UNMC has been a leader in medical informatics. A computerized emergency response system for public health labs, developed with support from the Centers for Disease Control, is being used in other states. Approved by HIPPA, the Secure Telecommunications Application Terminal Package (STATPack) allows remote hospitals or labs to send images of suspicious culture samples electronically to a state public health lab for identification, saving precious diagnostic time and eliminating risks of hand-delivering the sample. Additionally, researchers have developed an accurate and rapid molecular tool to identify bacteria strains.