Nanotechnology commercialization at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology

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Nanotechnology commercialization at the Technion
- Israel Institute of Technology
Benjamin Soffer, Manager Technology Transfer
OfficeTechnion Research Development Foundation
Ltd.
December 2008
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Nanotechnology In Israel
2007 Israeli Nanotech Survey
Growth in National Capacity
The 2007 survey confirms Israel's potential as a
global nanotech RD hub, revealing strong
continuing growth in national research capacity.
Over 330 Nano Researchers Working in 7 Leading
Fields

• Led by the Technion - Israel Institute of
  Technology, Israel's six universities have added
  or assigned new researchers to nanotechnology
  studies, and this strong growth trend will
  continue. The number of researchers reporting
  work in or related to nanotech has more than
  doubled since the INNI's initial survey in 2002.
  To support this growth, the INNI has directed a
  large portion of government funding allocations
  toward the improvement of laboratory
  infrastructure, especially the upgrade or
  purchase of institute equipment.

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Survey of Israeli academic and industrial
nanotech RD Ready or not, Israel is a key
global player.
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Technion Vision
Technion Today

• 18 Academic Departments
• 40 Research Institutes and Departments
• 49 Undergraduate Programs
• 63 Graduate Programs
• 13,291 Students
• 70,954 Graduates to date
• 588 Faculty Members
• 300 acre campus, 85 buildings (excluding
  dormitories)
• 4000 student dormitory beds

• A science and technology research university,
  among the worlds top ten, dedicated to the
  creation of knowledge and the development of
  human capital and leadership, for the advancement
  of the State of Israel and all humanity.

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Faculties for the Future

• Electrical Engineering
• Biotechnology and Food Engineering
• Humanities and Arts
• Industrial Engineering and Management
• Materials Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medicine
• Physics

• Aerospace Engineering
• Architecture and Town Planning
• Biology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Computer Science
• Education in Technology and Science

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Nanotechnology Research at Technion

• Researchers from 12 faculties
• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Biotechnology and Food Engineering
• Biology
• Medicine
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Mathematics

• 115 faculty and 300 graduate students and
  postdoctoral fellows conduct vigorous research in
• Nanoelectronics
• Nanooptics
• Nanomaterials
• Nanomechanics
• and the interface between these fields and life
  sciences.

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Main Lines of Activity

• Taking advantage of the unique combination of
  medical school, engineering, and sciences to
  develop and maintain cutting edge RD in
  nanotechnology
• Vigorous recruitment of bright new faculty from
  research labs around the world
• Extensive investment in infrastructure to serve
  all Israeli researchers in academia and industry
• New educational programs for training
  next-generation scientists and engineers
• Nurturing multidisciplinary collaborations within
  campus
• Collaborations with industry and other academic
  institutions

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Selected Research Projects
Electronic Nose for Detecting Cancer via Breath
Samples

• Dr. Hossam Haick
• Department of Chemical Engineering
• Overall aim Develop an inexpensive,
  non-invasive, breath-based electronic nose to
  diagnose, detect, and screen cancer at different
  stages of the disease.
• Technology Arrays of nanomaterial-based
  chemiresistors, chemicapacitors, and chemically
  sensitive field effect transistors.
• Hybrid structures of nanomaterials enable
  combining, in the same crystalline framework, two
  or more sensing properties that are difficult to
  achieve in a one-phase material.
• Breath based electronic nose can provide early
  warning of the cancer, before it has the chance
  to become life threatening.

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Nanofabricated HYBRID Biomaterials for Tissue Eng
Selected Research Projects

• Dr. Dror Seliktar
• Faculty of Biomedical Engineering
• Overall aim develop sophisticated biomaterials
  for tissue regeneration and wound healing.
• Technology A novel class of in-situ
  polymerizable HYBRID biomaterials based on
  protein-polymer conjugates.
• HYBRID biomaterials provide biological and
  physical advantages in treating tissue damage.
• Implants can be injected into the body as a
  liquid, formed into a gel in-situ, and stimulate
  functional regeneration of damaged bone,
  cartilage, nerve, and heart muscle.

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Electrospinning of Nanofibers from Polymer
Solutions
Selected Research Projects

• Professors Eyal Zussman and Alexander Yarin
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Straightforward, inexpensive method for
  producingnovel fibers with a 100 nm diameter or
  less.
• Polymer solutions containing suspensions of
  solidparticles and emulsions are electrospun in
  an lectric field of about 1 kV/cm.
• As-spun fibers are of interest in development of
  novel polymer-based light-emitting diodes,
  transistors, photonic crystals and flexible
  photocells, nanofiber-based filters, protective
  clothing, biomedical applications including wound
  dressings, light sails and mirrors for use in
  space, artificial tissues, and reinforced
  composites.
• Core-shell nanofibers are spun by
  co-electrospinning two materials that cannot be
  electrospun alone. The shell polymer encapsulates
  the core material resulting in compound
  structures for use in microelectronics, optics
  and medicine.

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Selected Research Projects
Manipulating Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation
and 3D Organization
Dr. Shulamit LevenbergFaculty of Biomedical
Engineering

• Control of human embryonic stem cellinteractions
  and differentiation is critical fortissue
  engineering applications and forstudying human
  development. Nano- andmicro-manipulations of the
  cell micro-environmentare used to induce
  specific differentiation of thecells and to
  engineer 3D tissue-like structures.
• Key research
• Cell interactions and formation of tissue
  structures during differentiation of human
  embryonic stem cells on defined biodegradable
  matrices with controlled architecture and
  composition.
• Forces evolving during human embryonic stem cell
  growth and proliferation on macro (whole
  scaffold) and micro (single cell) levels of
  scaffolds.

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Selected Research Projects
Nanoencapsulation Nanostructuring of Bioactive
Materials for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods
Prof. Eyal Shimoni Faculty of Biomedical and
Food Engineering

• Overall aim tailor food grade delivery systems
  an functional materials.
• Technology controlling self assembly processes
  of food components, edible biopolymers, mostly
  polysaccharides
• Molecular inclusion complexes host bioactive
  nutrients and serve as a food grade molecularly
  controlled release system for the
  gastrointestinal system.
• Nano-encapsulation protects the sensitive
  bioactive through food processing, storage, and
  the GI system.

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Challenges in Commercializing Nano
Technologies

• Business
• Technology
• IP

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• Business

• Difficulties in assessing cost or what market
  might
• bear.
• Buyer don't know what they are willing to pay.
• Dynamics of the market place is unknown.
• Difficulty assessing cost of goods.
• Difficulty assessing margins, or savings.
• competitive landscape mostly unknown.
• Financial forecast mostly unknown.

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• Business (Continued)

• Impact in the market place mostly unknown
• Capital investment required to bring product to
• the market unclear.
• Many Nano technologies are manufacturing
• process related, and it is challenging to
  estimate
• the savings involved.
• Cost of human resources required is often
• unknown, so is their availability.

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• Business (Continued)

• Difficulty in assessing the regulatory pathway of
  
• the product to the marketplace.
• Number of potential applications mostly
• unknown.
• Barriers to market entry mostly unknown.
• Difficulty in making assumptions regarding
• external factor affecting commercialization.

Back to main
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• Technology

• Nature and extent of problems remaining to be
• solved mostly unknown.
• Most innovations are at a concept level of
• development.

Back to main
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• IP

• Period required to develop the IP and hence the
  remaining life of the patents to be developed
  unclear.
• Number of potential applications mostly
  unknown.
• IP environment is unclear. Unclear whether it
  will be possible to obtain adequate IP
  protection.

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Models of Academic Approaches to
Nano-technology Commercialization
Progressive Policies
Aid in Securing Funding
Flexible Terms
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Direct Investment
Business Operations Participation
Hands-in-Pockets Hands-Off Hands-On Up-to-Elbows
Form the Licensee
Operational Role
Licensing Practices
Technion chose up-to-elbows
Source MIT, AUTM, MRUN, U Michigan et al
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Flexible Practices
Flexible Practices
Pro Active approach Internal/External

• Our commercialization strategies, tailored
  to the requirements of each venture, enhance the
  market value and performance of Technion
  discoveries and increase their success in the
  global marketplace

Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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Flexible Terms
Flexible Practices
TRDF Affiliated Companies - EXAMPLES
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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Flexible Terms
Flexible Practices
Success Stories - Examples
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Collateral Therapeutics
Business Operations Participation
Sanborn Research LLC
Direct Investment
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Case Study
Flexible Practices
Azilect/ Agilect (Rasagiline) An
anti-Parkinson's disease drug
Pro Active approach Internal/External

• Developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals in cooperation
  with  Prof. Moussa Youdim and Prof. John
  Feinberg
• Parkinson disease is a progressive condition
  that involves a gradual loss of nerve cell
  function in the brain. The nerve cells that are
  specifically affected are those that control body
  movement.
• 4 million people worldwide suffer from
  Parkinson's disease
• Affecting approximately 1 of the population over
  the age of 65
• Agilect/Azilect- Azilect was launched in
  Israel in March 2005
• 4 royalties of net sales

Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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Pro Active approach Internal/External
Flexible Practices
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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New Inventions (2007)

• 92 new invention disclosures
• 85 filed
• 4 in examination
• 2 released
• 1 abandoned

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Pro Active approach Internal/External
Flexible Terms
Flexible Practices
The Technion Entrepreneurial Centre and the
Technology Transfer Office
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
Direct Investment
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Pro Active approach Internal/External
Flexible Practices

• BioMed 08

Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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Pro Active approach Internal/External
Flexible Practices
July , 2006 MR. YEHIEL TAL Co-Founder CEO
Regentis Biomaterials Ltd.DR. DROR SELIKTAR
Co-Founder Department of Biomedical Engineering
December, 2005 PROFESSOR KARL SKORECKI
Bruce Rappaport Faculty Of Medicine
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
February, 2006 PROFESSOR ASSAF SCHUSTER Faculty
of Computer Sciences
November, 2006 PROFESSOR RON KIMMELFaculty of
Computer Sciences
Technion Webinar Innovation Series
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
April, 2007MR. ARIK ARAD CEO, EORD MR.
AVNER ESHED General Manager, EORD (E.E-B.Sc,
MBA)
April, 2006 PROFESSOR DOV DORI William Davidson
Faculty of IndustrialEngineering and Management
.
Direct Investment
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Business Development Assistance
Flexible Practices
Developing with MBA Students Technology Transfer
Strategies for Inventions based on Faculty
members disclosures
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
www.technionseed.co.il
Business Operations Participation
A Technion-based institute aimed at supporting
development and commercialization of biomedical
innovations from the Technion.
Direct Investment
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Help Recruit Talent
Flexible Practices
Dynamic but UniformProcess
Founders Instead of Finders
Market Looking for Technology
Pro Active approach Internal/External
EIR Program
Business Development Assistance
Community Building
Global Local Market
Help Recruit Talent
IP Generation
Licensing and New Company Formation
Business Operations Participation
Multi Disciplinary
Direct Investment
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• Business Operations Participation

Flexible Practices
Pro Active approach Internal/External

• Participation in the board of directors of
  affiliated companies
• Negotiation and approval of the IP and
  business aspects of agreements with industry

Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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Direct Investment
Flexible Practices
TTT - Fund
Pro Active approach Internal/External

• Investments in Technion Affiliated
  Companies
• A disbursement of an amount up to 50,000
  USD for a specific project of TRDF and/or
  DIMOTECH and/or TEIC.

Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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Direct Investment
Flexible Practices
Pro Active approach Internal/External
Business Development Assistance
Help Recruit Talent
Business Operations Participation
Direct Investment
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THANK YOU Benjamin Soffer sofferb_at_technion.ac.il
T3 Technion Technology Transfer T3.technion.ac.
il
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Selected Research Projects
Nanoparticles for Controlled Drug Delivery

• Dr. Marcelle MachlufFaculty of Biotechnology and
  Food Engineering
• Nanoparticles for the delivery of anti-cancer
  drugs.
• Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels
  from preexisting ones, is critical for growth and
  metastases of solid tumors.
• There is need for a controlled delivery system
  enabling local administration of anti-angiogenic
  drugs in small quantities.
• Nanoparticles facilitating controlled release of
  drugs over weeks or months have been developed.
  They can be injected into organs and particularly
  into the brain. The nanoparticles are
  biodegradable and composed from materials that
  are approved for clinical applications. First
  application therapy for glioblastomas, the most
  malignant form of brain tumor.
• Gene therapy using nano-delivery systems.