UB center gives funding, research assists to health sciences startups

The University at Buffalo’s Center for Advanced Technology in Big Data and Health Sciences has awarded close to half a million dollars in research grants to nine health sciences projects by eight companies that could result in life-saving products and technologies to improve public health.

The UB center is one of 15 in the state funded by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation. Each project pairs a faculty researcher with a New York company with the goal of driving growth for the life and health sciences industries, UB said in its grant announcement.

UB School of Medicine (copy) (copy)

Through UB’s Center for Advanced Technology in Big Data and Health Sciences, faculty researchers from UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are paired with health sciences companies to conduct R&D and commercialize innovations.

This year, UB awarded more than $495,000 to companies that are working with UB researchers on nine innovations for drug development, medical diagnostics, medical devices and health care information technology.

The companies and projects funded for 2024-25 are:

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TETmedical, a new Cornell University spinoff that has devised the first blood test for brain injury from stroke. Doctors Rosalind Lai and Elad Levy, who teach at UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will lead clinical research to use the new 15-minute blood test to screen patients for missed strokes.

Immco Diagnostics, a UB licensee company specializing in advanced diagnostics for autoimmune diseases. UB Dr. Julian L. Ambrus is assisting research to develop a next-generation diagnostic test for Sjögren’s Syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body’s moisture-producing glands to be attacked by the immune system.

Neurovascular Diagnostics, a UB spinoff that is developing a low-cost blood test to screen high-risk patients for unruptured brain aneurysms. John Kolega, associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at UB Jacobs, is the UB researcher on the project.

Flag Bio, a Buffalo-based biotech startup pioneering proprietary technology for mRNA vaccines, new types of vaccines that use the body’s messenger RNA, or mRNA, to trigger an immune response to a virus. Norma Nowak, professor of biochemistry at the Jacobs School, is the faculty researcher.

J.M. Canty, a global company with locations in Buffalo, Ireland and Thailand. Canty develops automated smart imaging technologies to solve difficult problems in manufacturing process control for a variety of industries. Jun Xia, associate professor of biomedical engineering, a joint program of UB’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Jacobs School, is helping Canty devise sonocrystallization control systems – systems that use ultrasound to control crystal growth – to improve pharmaceutical production.

POP Biotechnologies, a UB spinoff developing cutting-edge vaccine technologies, has two projects funded by UB CAT. Jun Qu, professor of pharmaceutical sciences in UB’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, is working with POP to develop and test a novel peptide vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease. Novel peptide vaccines use synthesized peptides to trigger an immune response.

Jonathan Lovell, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of biomedical engineering, is also working with POP to develop novel cancer therapies using peptides that arise from malignant cancer cells and can be recognized and targeted by the immune system.

QAS.AI, Inc., a UB spinoff focused on development and commercialization of predictive AI software to optimize neurovascular treatment by assisting decision-making during surgery. Swetadri Vasan Setlur Nagesh, research assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Jacobs School, helped develop AI software that can detect diseased lesions in the brain and predict outcomes of aneurysm correction during surgery.

Vicora, Inc., a medical device startup commercializing robotic catheters that remove blood clots from the legs, lungs and brain. Dr. David Zlotnick, interventional cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Jacobs School, is leading research with UB physicians for simulated use-testing of robotic clot removal catheters for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For more information on UB’s CAT partnerships, visit www.buffalo.edu/partnerships/about/programs/ub_cat.html

Bloomberg Businessweek ranks UB MBA 30th among public business schools

Bloomberg Businessweek has again ranked the UB School of Management’s MBA program one of the nation’s best. The school rose seven spots in the 2024-25 ranking to No. 62 and is up two places to No. 30 among public business schools.

The school fared well in the diversity category, with an overall ranking of No. 13, and received high marks in learning, with a rank of No. 35. This ranking closely follows last month’s Bloomberg Businessweek return on investment ranking, which placed the UB School of Management at No. 11 in the nation.

“This recognition reflects the tangible impact of our efforts to cultivate a diverse and dynamic learning environment that equips our students to excel in today’s business landscape,” said Ananth Iyer, dean of the UB School of Management. “By continually improving the quality of our program, we ensure that our graduates are prepared to make a meaningful difference in their careers and communities.”

Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy – from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.

THE LATEST

More funding is available for upstate semiconductor ventures.

As they tally their fall census, several Western New York institutions, including St. Bonaventure University, are celebrating their highest enrollments in years. 

Amherst is the county’s most active real estate market.

A prime downtown site, now a parking lot, could be going up for sale.

Legal cannabis sales are soaring as more stores open and illegal shops are shut down.

Citigroup is far from alone in consolidating its office space as fewer people work in the office on a daily basis.

Lancaster manufacturer Pfannenberg plans to move to a larger facility in Alden.

A plan to build a soccer complex in the Town of Aurora is facing some pushback.

Citigroup is dropping from two Amherst office buildings to one because of hybrid work schedules.

A $1 million grant will help create a shovel-ready industrial site in Ripley.

Mayer Brothers is cutting 26 jobs in Niagara County.

A battery storage facility is being proposed for a brownfield site in the Town of Tonawanda.

A grant to hold a conference about Jefferson Avenue development got approved, weeks after Mayor Byron Brown objected to it.

Former 43 North winner ShearShare and its co-founders have accumulated about $635,000 in unpaid and defaulted debt to M&T Bank.

Soft spots are starting to emerge in the Buffalo Niagara job market.

West Herr CEO Scott Bieler received the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s second annual Industry Leader Award.

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership has chosen the Cobblestone District for its new offices.

Plans for Western New York’s tech hub are taking shape.

Rising costs push Zephyr to seek more aid for South Buffalo pot facility.

Upstate Niagara gets tax breaks for its big West Seneca expansion.

The pro soccer stadium search is down to two potential sites.

A big housing development on Chautauqua Lake is getting some pushback.

A brownfield loan could jump-start a stalled Jamestown affordable housing project.

How the local unemployment rate dropped, even though fewer people have jobs.

A Lackawanna warehouse project has been scrapped.

A Buffalo-based startup just raised $75 million from investors.

The owner of a former Model T showroom in Buffalo is expanding his delayed renovation project.

Neighbors aren’t happy with a senior citizen housing project in Angola.

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. A diverse group of 16 startups, including three from Buffalo, are getting set to compete for five $1 million prizes in the 43North competition.

2. Electricity bills have been shooting up. Here’s a look at why customers are paying a lot more.

3. As office buildings empty out from remote work, downtown leaders are looking to adapt. And more housing is a big part of the solution.

4. Local colleges – especially smaller ones – are having to get creative to keep their classes full.

5. Some neighbors of the new Buffalo Bills stadium hoped to make big money by selling their property. They’re mostly still waiting.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the region’s economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.

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