海角社区

海角社区 researchers鈥� new invention 鈥� a syringe that can temporarily store adult stem cells so that they can be delivered and given to the patient from the same device 鈥� is the booster physicians and veterinarians need to treat tendon injuries more effectively.

鈥淪tem cells have been all the rage for 20 years. That鈥檚 because stem cell therapy can accomplish amazing things. But the cells and the tissue grown from them are sensitive. Keeping the cells or tissue alive and uncontaminated is a big hurdle,鈥� said Dr. Mandi Lopez, director of the 海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Laboratory for Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Research. 鈥淓ach time you 鈥榯ouch鈥� them, you lose a certain percentage of the cells, and when you lose too many cells the treatment becomes less effective.鈥�

The current system requires multiple touches. The cells or tissues are grown in a laboratory system, transferred to a container under very clean conditions, and then transported to a hospital or treatment facility. When the doctor needs the stem cells, they are usually moved from the container into a syringe to give to the patient.

The 海角社区 syringe limits those touches.

鈥淭he device is intended to be a one-stop shop. The stem cells or tissue grown in the laboratory are placed directly into the syringe for transport,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淭he doctor or veterinarian doesn鈥檛 have to unpack the cells or move them to a different syringe. They can be applied to the tissue directly from the same syringe.鈥�

鈥淭his new syringe advances stem cell therapy so more people and animals can quickly recover from tendon injuries,鈥� said Robert Twilley, 海角社区 vice president of research and economic development. 鈥淥ur researchers are scripting a narrative of healing, resilience and groundbreaking discoveries for a brighter and healthier Louisiana.鈥�

Lopez, through the 海角社区 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, has applied to patent the device. If approved, it will be her eighth U.S. patent.

鈥淚鈥檝e worked with ITC for pretty close to the whole 20 years I鈥檝e been at 海角社区,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 started creating things very early in my career, and ITC has been very receptive and extremely supportive. Basically, I go to ITC and say, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檝e got this great idea.鈥� Then we work together to protect and commercialize that idea, whatever it might be.鈥�

鈥淲e work with amazing scientists whose work has the potential to change Louisiana residents鈥� lives for the better,鈥� said Grace Myers, ITC commercialization officer. 鈥淭here is nothing more enjoyable than seeing 海角社区 inventors move their discoveries from the lab to the marketplace.鈥�

About 海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization

海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) protects and commercializes 海角社区鈥檚 intellectual property. The office focuses on transferring early-stage inventions and works into the marketplace for the greater benefit of society. ITC also handles federal invention reporting, which allows 海角社区 to receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federally funded research, and processes confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, and other agreements related to intellectual property.

 About 海角社区 Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development

海角社区 Innovation unites the university鈥檚 innovation and commercialization resources under one office, maximizing 海角社区's impact on the intellectual, economic, and social development of Louisiana and beyond. 海角社区 Innovation is focused on establishing, developing, and growing technology-based startup companies. 海角社区 Innovation oversees 海角社区 Innovation Park, a 200-acre business incubator that fosters early-stage tech companies, and the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, which streamlines the process of evaluating, protecting, and licensing intellectual property created by 海角社区 researchers. 海角社区 Innovation serves as the host organization for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network which oversees all SBDC services across the state as well as the 海角社区 SBDC, which provides free consulting services to small businesses across the state. 海角社区 Innovation helps Louisiana technology companies apply for seed funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant programs. 海角社区 Innovation educates faculty, students, and the community on entrepreneurial principles through the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program which trains innovators to consider the market opportunities for pressing scientific questions, leading to increased funding state and federal grant programs as well as potential industry partners and licensees.