University of Maryland Announces 23 Research Projects

COLLEGE PARK, MD /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland's Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) announces the approval of 23 new research projects partnering Maryland companies with university researchers to develop high-tech commercial products.

Worth $3.6 million, the projects combine $2.1 million from participating companies and $1.5 million from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program. Funding supports work in the laboratories of participating university system faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their product development.

Seven approved projects are related to homeland security, and 13 are in the biotechnology market segment. Four institutions are participating: the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with nine projects; the University of Maryland Baltimore County, with one project; the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, with one, and the University of Maryland, College Park, with 12. Five projects involve Baltimore and Baltimore County-based companies, and two are on the Eastern Shore. Company partners include 14 startups, seven small companies, and two medium-sized firms.

Projects approved include:

  • Bethesda-based ADF Solutions Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($105,597), to develop image-recognition technology that enables law enforcement agents and private investigators to help categorize pictures found on suspect computers during onsite investigations. The new technology will enhance ADF's existing triage and preview software applications for digital forensic analysis.

     

  • Ellicott City-based Aid Networks LLC and the University of Maryland, College Park ($104,800), to develop a test bed for wireless sensor networks that can be applied to the monitoring of animals, personnel, and environmental patterns.

     

  • Baltimore-based Alba Therapeutics Inc. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, to explore the use of Alba's proprietary technology to deliver drugs and vaccines via the lung and nasal cavity.

     

  • Baltimore-based Alba Therapeutics Inc. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, to examine the role of tight junction modulation in acute respiratory distress syndrome, as well as the potential of the company's lead therapeutic molecules as a treatment for Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

     

  • Rockville-based APC Biotechnologies Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($77,525), to develop a fertility test for dairy cattle that could aid in commercial breeding and maintaining the 9.2 million cows needed to meet annual U.S. milk and milk product consumption.

     

  • Arnold-based Applied Sensor Research and Development Corp. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($106,856), to develop a commercial concrete maturity monitor prototype based on proprietary acoustic wave sensors that can determine and predict the strength of concrete at early stages to ensure the safety and quality of construction projects.

     

  • Baltimore-based Baltimore Animal Medicine and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($95,550), to further develop a new drug delivery system for pain relief in animals.

     

  • Biomedica Management Corp. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County ($105,000), to develop ClotFoam, a medical treatment that would arrest severe internal bleeding and promote blood clotting. ClotFoam could be used on-site when a traumatic injury occurs.

     

  • Waldorf-based Cardinal Scientific Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($168,960), to design a Web-based interface for manufacturing parts using a water-jet cutting machine.

     

  • Rockville-based CertusNet Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($272,178), to develop an intelligent, network-level load management solution for data centers, offering dynamic load balancing and automatic service restoration, as well as enabling automatic server load consolidation to save energy costs.

     

  • Frederick-based ChromoTrax Inc. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($71,991), to develop a test reagent that will help the company create a technology to detect abnormal DNA associated with birth defects and other genetically linked diseases, including cancers.

     

  • Baltimore-based Gliknik and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($116,627), to advance the development of an identified preclinical lead compound for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.

     

  • Easton-based Green Eyes LLC and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ($104,598), to create a device to protect moored water-quality sensors from the impairment and degradation caused by the growth and activity of living organisms (biofouling).

     

  • Rockville-based HeMemics Biotech and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($107,278), to develop preserved, dried cellular products for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the veterinary market.

     

  • Salisbury-based K&L Microwave and the University of Maryland, College Park ($145,140), to develop a new product line to manufacture space hardware for the satellite communications industry.

     

  • Hyattsville-based Maxion Technologies Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($105,000), to develop high-power, compact, high-brightness, efficient, mid-infrared lasers for chemical-sensing applications, such as monitoring pollutants, industrial process control, medical diagnosis, and infrared countermeasures.

     

  • Annapolis-based PharmAthene Inc. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($290,636), to conduct mechanism-of-action studies for Valortim, a fully human monoclonal antibody designed to protect against inhalation anthrax, which is the most lethal form of anthrax in humans caused by the Bacillus anthracis bacterium. Valortim is being co-developed by Medarex Inc. and PharmAthene.

     

  • Gaithersburg-based Promogen Inc. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($105,015), to develop synthetic gene promoters capable of targeting gene expression to specific cell types with unprecedented levels of precision. The technology will be used in gene-therapy drug development and recombinant-protein production and manufacturing.

     

  • Bethesda-based Quantum Molecular Technologies Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($454,628), to develop a new radiation sensor that could significantly reduce the size and cost of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. PET is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique that produces 3D images of functional processes in the body.

     

  • Bethesda-based RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and the University of Maryland, Baltimore ($232,146), to develop a novel, efficient heart-attack treatment that could prevent damage and accelerate healing of cardiac tissue.

     

  • Bethesda-based RioRey Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($267,370), to improve the performance and enhance the filtering capabilities of RioRey's system for preventing distributed denial of service attacks on computer networks.

     

  • Beltsville-based SunEdison LLC and the University of Maryland, College Park ($40,394), to enhance SunEdison's solar photovoltaic array technology.

     

  • College Park-based Zymetis Inc. and the University of Maryland, College Park ($112,153), to improve yeasts strains to enhance ethanol fuel production.

This is the 40th round of MIPS funding. The program has supported research projects with over 400 different Maryland companies since 1987.

Commercial products resulting from MIPS-related research have generated more than $12.1 billion in revenue, added jobs to the region, and contributed to successes, such as Martek Biosciences' infant formula additives, Hughes Network Systems' HughesNet, MedImmune Inc.'s Synagis, and Black & Decker's Bullet speed tip masonry drill bit.

About MIPS
The MTECH Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program, an initiative of the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, brings university innovation to the commercial sector by supporting university-based research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products.