His tiny invention could put a wrap on one of surgery’s painstaking challenges
In developing Nerve Tape, VCU Health surgeon-researcher Jonathan Isaacs created a simple, suture-free solution for repairing severed nerves.
What do fishing hooks, jewelry and scotch tape have in common? They all played a part in the development of Nerve Tape, a tiny biologic wrap that could revolutionize surgery.
Fifteen years ago,Jonathan Isaacs, M.D., a professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’sDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and chair of VCU Health’s Division of Hand Surgery, set his sights on solving a maddening problem: When faced with repairing severed peripheral nerves – a condition that can happen, for example, as a result of a mastectomy or even a bad fall – even the most skilled surgeons could only promise patients a 50-50 chance at full recovery.
VCU innovators look to streamline pacemaker procedures and safety
University grants fuel two clinical tools created to improve implantation accuracy and device management.
A pair of innovations by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are making headway in two critical areas of pacemaker care: how devices are implanted, and how they are managed during surgery. Both innovations have received support from VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, a division of the VCU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
VCU Center for Drug Discovery realigns to advance innovative therapies
In the world of drug development, university researchers play a critical role in creating promising new therapies. Under the leadership of new director Yan Zhang, Ph.D., the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Drug Discovery is undergoing a major transformation — realigning its structure to mirror the industry-standard drug development pipeline and expanding to become a true VCU-wide hub for translational research.
Historically, the center operated without a formally integrated infrastructure. But Zhang has rebuilt the center to mimic the full continuum of drug development — from target discovery and molecular design to preclinical testing and potentially early-stage clinical trials.
Two VCU researchers who have collaborated for years to address challenges found in the field of medical aerosols have received a $3.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"By bringing skilled industry experts to inventors early in the invention cycle, we enhance the chances of delivering VCU discoveries to the commercial market. The end result: greater prominence for VCU, economic development for Central Virginia, and technologies that improve and enhance human lives while addressing society’s grand challenges." - Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., MBA
More than ever, VCU startups are turning ideas into businesses
Since July 2022, VCU TechTransfer and Ventures has licensed laboratory discoveries and other inventions developed by faculty and trainees to 12 startup companies. Pictured here is Rebecca Martin, Ph.D., a longtime VCU researcher-turned-entrepreneur with Pleros Therapeutics. See her work and more in this article on VCU News.
Aerosol delivery and cybersecurity: Two VCU inventors recognized by National Academy of Inventors
Pictured Above: Michael Hindle, Ph.D.
Two VCU inventors from separate scientific disciplines – pharmaceutics and computer science — were formally recognized in June by the National Academy of Inventors for their contributions to society from their efforts in Richmond.
“It speaks volumes of what the institution is doing to have so many people inducted into [NAI] membership,” P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation, said during the April 25 event. “Over the last few years, VCU has proven to be a research powerhouse. The unstoppable knowledge creation and the transformative innovation being carried out here is felt locally, nationally and globally.”
A VR program developed by a Virginia Commonwealth University and Veterans Affairs psychologist and a prominent Richmond-based visual effects artist is helping individuals with addictions and mental health conditions in guiding them toward recovery. Read the full story at VCU News.
Researchers and scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health are charging ahead to find the answer to a decades-old opioid crisis that, in Virginia, now claims more lives than automobile accidents and guns combined. The most potent killer is fentanyl. Read more about the project led by Yan Zhang, Ph.D., professor of medicinal chemistry at the VCU School of Pharmacy and a member of the VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies.
A central venous catheter, also known as a central line, is a medical implant device that allows health care providers to deliver medication into the bloodstream, particularly the large vein that empties into the heart, without the need for many needle sticks into a vein. CVCs carry risks of infection and thrombosis, or blood clotting, which can lead to complications and result in longer hospital stays, illness or even death. Now, a division within the National Institutes of Health has awarded a $1.52 million four-year grant to a team led by Xuewei Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. The team is developing a solution to help prevent infection and complications for patients receiving chemotherapy, dialysis and other treatments through their veins. Read the full article on VCU News.
Across the academic and medical campuses, instructors, researchers and clinicians have turned to VR for teaching, training and patient care. Beyond a new method of learning, VR offers economic and efficiency benefits by reducing costs of training and anywhere, anytime access to academic lessons. Check out a roundup that offers a fairly comprehensive look at VR work at VCU.
Drug delivery, new therapies, AI, VR. Six VCU inventors received VCU TechTransfer and Ventures' latest round of Commercialization Fund awards. Read about them here.
Michael Hindle, Ph.D., is one of 169 distinguished academic inventors to be named National Academy of Inventors fellows. Hindle, who leads the Aerosol Research Group on the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and holds the Peter R Byron Distinguished Professorship in the VCU School of Pharmacy, said the honor reflected the successful collaboration of the pharmacy-engineering team for the past 15 years. Read more.
As we close out 2022, we move forward with a new name that better reflects our expanded functions: Innovation Gateway, our name for more than 10 years, is now VCU TechTransfer and Ventures. It’s a direct statementthat reinforces our mission of protecting and commercializing university IP and supporting our startup companies. Meet a few of the innovators that are leading VCU into the future.
Using virtual reality, a collaboration across the VCU School of Medicine, VCU College of Engineering, and Central Virginia VA Health Care System looks to replace an expensive and time-intensive surgical training process for a procedure to treat female urinary incontinence. Using an application developed by computer science professor Milos Manic, Ph.D., and his doctoral students, urogynecologist Lauren Siff, M.D. is helping build a VR training application that could change the way the procedure is performed in the future.
Jonathan Isaacs, M.D., is the creative force behind Nerve Tape, a tiny biologic wrap used to repair severed peripheral nerves. Like a piece of high-tech tape with tiny, flexible embedded hooks, the wrap loops around and self-seals the nerve’s outer connective tissues — improving nerve alignment and promoting regeneration. Read more.
VCU is now one of 80 “Innovation & Economic Prosperity” universities, the APLU announced Sunday at its annual conference. Earlier this fall, U.S. News & World Report named VCU among the top 30 innovative public universities in the country. Read more.
Robert F. Diegelmann’s research led to a breakthrough in the products used to stop the massive loss of blood in emergencies. In June, the emeritus professor at the VCU School of Medicine donated to the Richmond-based museum a collection of 16 items related to his research into hemostasis. His efforts ultimately led to the discovery of the blood-clotting properties of sodium bentonite, an absorbent clay often found in kitty litter. Read more.
IEEE Spectrum profiles VCU researchers Richard Costanzo and Daniel Coelho, who have developed a "neuroprosthetic" to detect odors and send signals to an implanted receiver that can stimulate the brain. Read more.
Continuing VCU's growing national distinction as a top urban, public research university, the latest institutional record of over $400 million for fiscal year 2022 marks a more than 47% increase over five years ago, and a 10% increase since last year.
VCU is a university on the move. And that move is powered by research. Our latest newsletter highlights some of this research and the inventors behind the work.
The recognition underlines VCU’s restlessly ambitious and innovative approach to strengthening student success and to pursuing groundbreaking research that tackles the world’s toughest problems.
The National Academy of Inventors has placed VCU among the top 100 universities in the U.S. for utility patents granted, reflecting VCU’s excellence in innovation and research.
Inventor of ‘world standard’ for determining ICU patient comfort named VCU Innovator of the Year
Curtis Sessler, M.D., a professor in the School of Medicine, created the RASS scale that intensive-care unit clinicians and researchers around the world have used for more than two decades to describe a patient’s level of alertness and agitation.
VCU named Innovation & Economic Prosperity award winner
Virginia Commonwealth University is the winner of the 11th annual Innovation & Economic Prosperity Talent award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The award recognizes exemplary initiatives in education and workforce development.
“The initiatives highlighted in this submission are perfect representations of our deep commitment to knowledge creation, innovation and conducting transformative research that tackles our greatest challenges, connects with our communities, reduces disparities and lifts lives. VCU’s TechTransfer and Ventures has been instrumental in advancing several of these university-led innovations to the marketplace, including through startups and overall furthering economic development.”
P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation
3D-printed hairs: Ph.D. candidate, professor developing tiny sensors to detect flow and environmental changes
Uses could include surgical robots that better detect minute changes in pressure or temperature, industrial machines that measure air or water flow, a robot that reads braille, or debris detection on a highly sensitive camera lens.
VCU researchers developing affordable, noninvasive treatment for RDS in newborns
Worth Longest and his team received a $3 million grant to create an aerosolized surfactant - a substance that lowers liquid surface tension - and a device to deliver it.
VCU climbs to No. 47 among U.S public research universities
“Our new NSF ranking is a direct reflection of our researchers’, staff’s, trainees’ and students’ dedication to answering some of society’s most pressing and challenging questions,” said P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation at VCU. “As a hub of intellectual curiosity, the transformative and collaborative research conducted here serves as a catalyst for innovation and societal impact within our communities at a local, national and global level.”
VCU’s 2023 Innovator of the Year led a team to create a worldwide scale used in ICUs
Meet the newly retired Curtis N. Sessler, M.D., the Orhan Muren Distinguished Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the VCU School of Medicine. He led the team that created the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, a tool used by intensive-care unit clinicians and researchers around the world. For his and his team’s work to create the scale, made available in 2002, Sessler was named the 2023 Billy R. Martin VCU Innovator of the Year. See how RASS came to be.
Laleh Golshahi, Ph.D., founder and director of the College of Engineering’s Respiratory Aerosol Research and Educational (RARE) laboratory, is studying how different nasal drug delivery products work in different people’s noses. She and her team have developed six nose models — three adult, three pediatric — that can be used by researchers and pharmaceutical companies to determine how aerosolized droplets land inside the nasal passages of millions of people of varying ages, genders and ethnicities. See the casts and meet Laleh.
Diving deeper into new frontiers of forensic biology
Figuring out whose DNA is found at the scene of a crime is a routine task for crime labs.
But what kind of tissue is the source of that DNA? And how long has it been there? That’s more difficult to determine. And courts that have historically focused on the “who” increasingly care about the “what” and “how.”
Kate Philpott, a Virginia-based scientific and legal consultant and affiliate faculty in the Department of Forensic Science, and forensics professor Christopher Ehrhardt, Ph.D., are developing a technology to analyze “non-genetic attributes” of cells within forensic evidence. They’ve also created a startup to someday sell their technology to crime labs. Dive deeper into their world.
A new way to power A.I. and antennas
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D. is breaking new ground in electronics design with tiny hardware and nanomagnet-based antennas. His works hold the promise to revolutionize the circuitry that underpins artificial intelligence, antennas and more. “Supriyo’s research centers on cutting-edge concepts in electronics design,” says Brent Fagg, senior licensing manager at VCU TechTransfer and Ventures. “He is not merely redesigning the way things have been done but completely changing the way electronics components are created and used.” Here’s more.
A startup developing first-in-class immune modulators
A VCU research and graduate student currently in VCU’s M.D./Ph.D. program founded a startup with a goal to modify immune responses that underpin allergic reactions and other immunological disorders, leading to longer term reversal of disease. Meet Pleros.
Turning a therapeutic for one disease into treatment for another
Could a drug used to treat high cholesterol be repurposed to treat eye disorders?
The connection between the two isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds, and Qingguo Xu, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, is on a path to making it work. His lab has formulated a pharmaceutical using fenofibrate, an FDA-approved oral drug used to treat high cholesterol, to hopefully someday treat certain eye diseases. See how.
An UNbelievable year that was all part of the plan
The results are in. They are phenomenal. And as importantly, they are intentional.
At no other time in VCU’s history have our researchers and trainees been more widely recognized for their contributions to transformative innovation across the sciences, the arts and the humanities, healthcare, engineering and mathematics.
Dr. Richard Marconi named senior member of the National Academy of Inventors
National Academy of Inventors names two VCU faculty as senior members for their research into treating diseases
Richard T. Marconi of the School of Medicine is developing new innovations for testing and preventing Lyme disease, and Martin K. Safo of the School of Pharmacy is targeting sickle cell disease.
Our Q1 newsletter, Launchpad: Accelerating the pace of VCU-created startups
For several years, VCU TechTransfer and Ventures has supported the creation and development of startup companies based on university IP. Now, we’ve added fuel to that work.
VCU ranked in nation’s Top 100 for university utility patents for second year
For the second year, the National Academy of Inventors has ranked Virginia Commonwealth University among the Top 100 universities in the U.S for utility patents granted. The ranking recognizes VCU’s research culture of innovation and commitment to solving real-world problems.
From cancer to road safety, VCU innovators explore solutions with new round of funding
There were six recipients in the spring 2024 round of Commercialization Fund awards from VCU TechTransfer and Ventures. The awards, which collectively total $242,000, support inventors who are conducting valuable translational research with a clear pathway to market.
Funding roundup: VCU faculty researchers receive state agency awards to develop and refine their technologies
Every day at Virginia Commonwealth University, faculty researchers are making new discoveries and developing technologies that hold the promise of improving lives and transforming society.
But to take ideas from a laboratory and commercialize them with the hopes of someday seeing their technologies used for good — and hopefully, creating revenue — requires partners beyond the walls of the university and academic medical center.
One of those partners is the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp., or VIPC. A nonprofit state agency, VIPC is the commercialization and seed stage economic development driver in the Commonwealth. Its team leads funding, infrastructure, and policy initiatives to support Virginia's innovators and startups. To support its mission, VIPC collaborates with local, regional, state, and federal partners — among them, VCU TechTransfer and Ventures.
As part of its work, VIPC manages the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund, which provides funding to technologies with a high potential for economic development and job creation. The fund has distributed more than $55 million to Virginia-based startups, entrepreneurs, and university-based inventors since 2012 in support of critical early technology testing and market validation efforts.
Virtual-reality surgical trainer earns top spot in first VCU startup
Pitch Day event
A VCU and Central Virginia Veterans Administration (VA) Health Care System urogynecologist won the university’s first Startup Pitch competition for her work on a virtual-reality surgeon training system.
Lauren Siff, M.D. and the team behind SurgicalED VR were awarded $10,000 and in-kind services to develop their technology, test it with academic medical centers, and bring the trainer to market. Siff was one of five faculty entrepreneurs to present their technologies before a panel of six judges and about 50 people from VCU and partner organizations on May 13.
“This Accelerator isn't just about launching something new, it's about amplifying and structuring the support for the amazing work our researchers have been diligently pursuing for years. These researchers have dedicated countless hours to developing the innovative technologies that form the bedrock of their startup ventures. Our teams exemplify VCU's commitment to fostering translational research—research that doesn't just stay in the lab but translates into tangible benefits for human health and well-being." -Brent Fagg, TechTransfer and Ventures’ assistant director of innovation
An inside look at the lab developing a Lyme disease vaccine for people
There is no group anywhere in the world working harder or more effectively at the leading edge of the fight to detect and prevent Lyme disease than the one led by VCU School of Medicine's Richard Marconi, Ph.D. His team is exploring and developing solutions to counteract the growing negative health outcomes related to the continent’s steady increase in tick population.
Our pitch: a commitment to solving real-world problems
In February, we launched VCU’s first Startup Accelerator to fast-track university-borne companies. Those eight-plus weeks of intensive consulting concluded in May with a Shark Tank-style Pitch Day competition for the five participating startups.
VCU researchers explore a promising pathway to treating fibrosis
Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine are leading research to find a cure for fibrosis, building off a recent Nobel Prize-winning discovery that has revealed a gateway into the scarring diseases. The team is funded by a $50,000 Commercialization Fund award from the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation.
VCU team has designs on a game-changer in women’s cancer treatment
The customizable radiation device for uterine and cervical cancers highlights VCU’s innovation ecosystem.
By: Dan Carrigan
Navid Fallahi knew there had to be a better way.
Fallahi, M.D., is a fourth-year clinical resident at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine. Cervical and uterine cancers present significant challenges in his specialty – radiation oncology – and as he was preparing to treat a patient at VCU Medical Center, he wondered: Could a radiation device be created to accommodate the unique anatomy of each woman?
That spark of an idea quickly grew. Within just months – thanks to supportive School of Medicine faculty, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and TechTransfer and Ventures – Fallahi and a cross-functional VCU team are nearing a testable prototype that offers promise for improving the treatment of gynecological cancers.
Biotech startup with strong VCU ties wins prestigious state grant for its DNA analysis tool
Physics professor and Massey researcher Jason Reed co-founded Evizia to propel scientific breakthroughs and improve patient outcomes.
By: Dan Carrigan
A startup company with roots at Virginia Commonwealth University has received a prestigious state grant that will accelerate its work in advancing DNA analysis.
Now housed in incubator office space in the Richmond neighborhood of Scott’s Addition, Evizia is building on more than a decade of published research and grants tied to its husband-and-wife co-founders – Jason Reed, Ph.D., a professor in VCU’s Department of Physics, and Sheila Corcoran, whose business résumé includes Wall Street experience.
An early version of their product – the aptly named PRECYSE – has been developed for testing, and they say the single-molecule imaging and analysis instrument offers superior speed, precision and cost efficiency compared with existing options for scientists and doctors.
Massimo F. Bertino, Ph.D. is a professor and director of the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Ph. D. Program in the Department of Physics at the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. He is also the chief technology officer for ThermaGel Innovations, a startup company based on his work in the field of aerogels. Meet Dr. Bertino and get an inside look at the technology behind the company, which has been supported by VCU TechTransfer and Ventures.
VCU at the Forefront of Fighting Tick-Borne Illnesses
Richard Marconi, Ph.D., professor at the VCU School of Medicine, leads a pioneering team tackling the public health threat of tick-borne diseases. With a unique two-mechanism vaccine, Marconi’s work aims to prevent Lyme disease transmission from ticks to humans while destroying any remaining bacteria. Discover Marconi’s vision to expand this technology to protect against multiple tick-borne diseases, addressing a critical health challenge affecting people, livestock and companion animals worldwide with support by VCU TechTransfer and Ventures.
Dr. Jonathan Isaacs Shares the Story of Nerve Tape
VCU surgeon’s innovation is finding a quick stick in top operating rooms across the country. Nerve Tape has soared in 2024, and its potential in orthopedic, reconstructive and other surgeries could make it VCU’s most successful licensing venture ever.
VCU Surpasses $500 million in Sponsored Research Funding for the First Time
The fiscal year 2024 total of $506 million represents the sixth consecutive year of record-setting funding, and it reflects an 86% increase over six years and 9% over last year. The rapid growth of VCU’s research enterprise continues the university’s growing national distinction as a top urban, public research university.
How does any university technology transfer program accelerate the pace of commercialization? Answer: You never work in a vacuum.
This year, our team has focused on strengthening existing partnerships and building new ones both inside and outside of VCU. Internally, that means creating connections with centers and experts on all of our research and health system campuses. Beyond VCU, community connections help us find collaborators who may benefit from our deep bench of talent and our IP market — or investors willing to support but would otherwise be unaware of our offerings.
Virginia Commonwealth University is a nationally renowned public research institution dedicated to the success and well-being of all members of its community. VCU student, faculty and staff groups and associations are open without regard to any characteristic or identity protected by law.
