Ophthotech Enters into Gene Therapy Agreements with the University of Florida and the University of Pennsylvania (Ophthotech)
Ophthotech Corporation announced that it has entered into an exclusive global license agreement with the University of Florida Research Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) to develop and commercialize a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy product for the treatment of rhodopsin-mediated autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RHO-adRP), an orphan monogenic disease that is characterized […]
Colorado Surgeon Implements Exactech’s Cutting-Edge Technology (Post Independent)
Dr. Ferdinand Liotta is the first physician in Colorado to use a new state-of-the-art technology that helps physicians virtually simulate a surgery before even making the first incision. The orthopedic surgeon at Valley View Hospital, who specializes in shoulder surgery, said he came across the new computer-assisted navigation tool before the company had even finished […]
UF Startup AxoGen CEO Karen Zaderej Awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in Health Care (Jacksonville Business Journal)
Karen Zaderej, CEO of Alachua-based AxoGen Inc., a UF startup, took home the prize in the Health Care category. Her company focuses on the development and commercialization of technologies for peripheral nerve regeneration and repair. “I am honored to be named an Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner in Florida,” Zaderej said in a statement. […]
UF Startup Peerfit Ranked in Top 10 Small-Medium Companies for Best Leadership (USA Today)
HubSpot, Google and Facebook top the list of companies with the best leadership teams among large companies, according to compensation, culture and career monitoring website Comparably. UF startup Peerfit ranked in the top 10 of the list of small-medium companies. Leadership teams consist of roughly 10 to 20 executives within a company. According to Comparably […]
Research Will Power Accelerated Learning for Technology Entrepreneurs (The NIIC)
Successful entrepreneurs are driven to address unmet market and customer needs. In that same spirit, a national research project is underway to accelerate learning for technology-driven entrepreneurs. “This research is focused on founder learning behaviors, the role of entrepreneur coachability, and how startups can gain commitment from that first employee. We are unaware that this […]
Editorial: Keep up Work to Retain Local Startups (Gainesville Sun)
Alachua County does a good job of nurturing start-up companies, but needs to get better at keeping them in the community as they grow. The University of Florida’s business incubator in Gainesville, now known as The Hub, opened a new wing in January that doubled the facility’s size. The wing is already about 70 percent […]
Alachua Biotech Firm Speeds Test for Brain Injuries (Gainesville Sun)
(UF startup Banyan Biomarkers recently received FDA approval for its blood test that measures biomarkers that indicate traumatic brain injury. The blood test will streamline diagnoses, cut back on unnecessary CT scans, and should be available in about two years.) Ron Hayes remembers the moment his career in neuroscience took a turn — from being […]
Paracosm’s PX-80 Handheld Lidar Is Fast and Flexible Enough to Be Your Standalone Scanner (Spar3D)
UF startup Paracosm’s PX-80 handheld lidar scanner has come a long since the company introduced it to the market early last year. The company says the device has been in high demand not only in architecture engineering & construction, but also in a number of industries, with users capturing everything from dense Japanese forests to […]
Exactech Combines Computer Technology and Instrumentation for Revision Knee Surgery (BusinessWire)
UF startup Exactech, a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products and biologic solutions for extremities, knee and hip, announced that two of its leading technologies were used in combination for the first time to support a revision total knee surgery. Bernard Stulberg, MD, at the St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, […]
After Nerve-Wracking Eye Surgery, the World Comes into Focus for Early Gene Therapy Recipient (STAT)
(This is a story about the first recipient of Luxturna, which is the first gene therapy for a genetic disorder approved by the FDA. UF Professor William Hauswirth’s work with AAV, in conjunction with inventors from University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, is the technology behind Luxturna, marketed by Spark Therapeutics.) The machine looked like […]