Dec. 9, 2011

Eleven innovators from the College of Medicine, including 10 from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, were honored Dec. 5 at the Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization’s Seventh Annual Innovators Reception.

In alphabetical order, the honorees were Research Assistant Professor Ewa Bienkiewicz, Professor Michael Blaber, Research Specialist Kate Calvin, Professor (and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs) Myra Hurt, Professor (and Associate Dean for Medical Education) Mary Johnson, Assistant Professor Sanjay Kumar, Associate Professor Tim Megraw, Associate Professor James Olcese, Postdoctoral Associate Raed Rizkallah and Associate Professor Branko Stefanovic, all from Biomedical Sciences, and Assistant Professor Stephen Quintero, from the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health.

Researchers from across the campus were recognized for their work in the fiscal year ending June 30. Some had had their technology commercialized through a license or option agreement. Some had received funding from the Florida State Research Foundation GAP program when it seemed their research results could lead to public availability of a new product or service. Some were recognized for patents issued, patent applications filed or disclosures submitted.

Below are the specifics on the College of Medicine honorees.

Bienkiewicz was honored as a 2011 GAP recipient. She is working to develop a therapeutic agent that can go into the body and naturalize the effect of toxic hemin release following a stroke (A Novel Approach to Treating Stroke Victims).

Bienkiewicz was also recognized for submitting these disclosures:
o    Use of Vitamin B12, or Its Analog, As a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.
o    Methods of Treatment Using Cellular, Non-pathological N-terminal Domain of the Prion Protein For Cardiovascular Injury Events.

Blaber was honored for having these patents issued:
o    Mutant Polypeptides of Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 – U.S. Patent No. 7,776,825 issued 8/17/2010.
o    Methods and Materials for Treating Inflammatory Conditions – U.S. Patent No. 7,754,216 issued 7/13/2010.
o    Engineering Human Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factors and Associated Methods – U.S. Patent No. 7,790,682 issued 9/7/2010.

Blaber also was recognized for filing a patent application: Method for Development of a Peptide Building Block Useful for De Novo Protein Design, U.S. Patent Application No. 13/044,723, March 10, 2011.

Calvin was recognized for filing a patent application: Materials and Methods for Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (TIPN) Using Botulinium Neurotoxin, U.S. Patent Application No. 13/056,499, Jan. 28, 2011.

Hurt was recognized for submitting disclosures:
o    Targeting the Zinc Finger Linker Peptide HpTGEKP Phosphorylation in Mitosis with a Phospho-specific Antibody, as a Proliferation, Mitotic Index, and Cell Cycle Marker.
o    The Transcription Factor YY1 is a Substrate for Polo-like Kinase 1 at the G2/M Transition of the Cell Cycle.
o    Regulation of the Transcription Factor YY1 in Mitosis Through Phosphorylation of its DNA-Binding Domain aka Phospho-regulation of the Transcription Factor Yin-Yang 1.

Johnson was recognized for submitting this disclosure: Auscultation Simulation Stethoscope System.

Kumar was recognized for submitting a disclosure: Submerged Brain Slice Incubator and Holding Chamber for Electrophysiology.

Megraw was recognized for having technology commercialized. He created and licensed polyclonal antibodies against a critical protein in cellular pathways regulating human brain size to Millipore Corp.

Megraw was also recognized for submitting this disclosure: Cdk5rap2 Regulates Centriole Engagement and Cohesion in Mice.

Olcese was recognized for filing a patent application: Compositions for Inducing Labor and Associated Methods, U.S. Patent Application No. 12/745,819, July 21, 2010.

Quintero was recognized for submitting this disclosure: Realistic Simulated Abdomen.

Rizkallah and Hurt were recognized for submitting a disclosure: Phosphorylation of the Transcription Factor YY1.

Stefanovic was recognized for filing a patent application: Protein Controlling Synthesis of Collagen and Associated Methods, U.S. Patent Application No. 12/898,849, Oct. 6, 2010.