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ASU, Mayo Clinic open commercialization awards application


individualized medicine
November 15, 2012

Personalized medicine offers the promise of breakthroughs in prediction, diagnosis and treatment of disease by calibrating healthcare around the varying genetic codes of both individual patients and the diseases that afflict them.

The Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic has joined with the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development (OKED) at Arizona State University in sponsoring awards of $5,000 to $100,000 per award to promote commercialization of research in the general area of personalized medicine. Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE), the technology venturing arm of Arizona State University, will manage this initiative on behalf of ASU.

“The awards will foster research collaboration between the two institutions and lead to commercialization opportunities in the more than $200 billion individualized medicine industry,” said Jeremy L. Friese, director of New Business and Development in Mayo’s Center for Individualized Medicine. “At the Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic, our goal is not only to make discoveries in genomic and clinical sciences, but also to translate these breakthroughs into real-world applications that can improve healthcare for our patients.”

“Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic have some of the top scientists and physicians in the world doing research in these areas,” said Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan, senior vice president of OKED. “These awards will deepen the ties between our researchers and provide a boost for promising technologies in this area.”

Qualifying projects will:

1. pertain to individualized medicine, broadly defined as “discovering and integrating the latest in genomic, molecular and clinical sciences into personalized care,” encompassing wellness and nutrition; personalized services, devices and IT; and diagnostics

2. lead to commercialization potential in the short term

3. involve or result in collaboration between Mayo Clinic and ASU

Funds can be used for a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) prototype development, software or service development, pilot execution, company formation, or research endeavors leading to a commercialization product/ service.

Applications can be for new proposals or ongoing projects. The awards are open to ASU faculty, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students. Student/ faculty teams are encouraged to apply. Applications may contain membership from only one of the two institutions (ASU and Mayo Clinic); matchmaking can occur upon award selection.

For more information and to apply, visit http://azte.com/index.php/news-events/ASU_Mayo_Awards. Applications must be received by Dec. 21. Awards will be granted January 2013. 

Contact Charlie Lewis, AzTE vice president of venture development, at clewis@azte.com with questions.