Page 28 - Gates-AnnualReport-2016

In an effort to see if their technology could enhance the effectiveness of existing antibiotics, the team screened six representative antibiotics widely used to treat wound infections for additive or synergistic activity for killing of MRSA when combined with conditioned medium from human MSCs. These studies revealed that four of the six major antibiotic classes exhibited synergy with MSC conditioned medium for bacterial killing, and the other two classes exhibited additive activity.
These findings suggest that activated human MSCs can be used broadly with essentially any antibiotic for treatment of chronic wound infections. Dr. Dow has chosen patients with chronic orthopedic implant infections as the optimal patient population to target for the first human clinical trial based on results of preclinical studies of this technology in dogs with similar joint infections.
In the area of corporate development, Dr. Bill Quirk remains committed to actively moving the anti-infective stem cell technology forward as the CEO of a to-be-formed company. He and Drs. Dow and DeGroote are working with CU Innovations to finalize details of this startup company and to begin plans for capital fundraising and pursuit of nondilutive funding, including Small Business Innovation Research proposals.
2016 GATES GRUBSTAKE FUND UPDATE
In its second year of operation, the Gates Grubstake Fund continued to focus on accelerating basic, translational and clinical research related to the field of regenerative medicine through the award of three annual grants of approximately $350,000 each. This year the Gates Center partnered on the Grubstake awards process with the new office of CU Innovations. Led by Kimberly Muller, who joined the campus in June 2015 from the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, CU Innovations provides the Anschutz Medical Campus with intellectual property management services and connections to a variety of commercialization programs in the university and the community.
Along with Gates Center Entrepreneur in Residence Heather Callahan, Kimberly’s office collaborated with the Gates Center to communicate availability of Grubstake funding across campus and to add structure to the evaluation and selection process. As a result of this increased exposure, we received 24 proposals.
After careful review of the written proposals, the Scientific Investment Advisory Committee invited eight applicants to make personal presentations. This competitive selection process resulted in the following three awards in early 2017:
• Jeffrey Olson, M.D.: Intraocular device to potentiate retinal stem cell transplantation in macular degeneration •Kenneth Liechty, M.D.: A platform technology useful for treating a variety of diseases where inflammation and oxidative stress are pathognomonic in the progression of the disease; initial focus is treatment of diabetic ulcers, where compelling in vitro and animal model data exists showing that treatment results in closure rates of diabetic wounds
equal to nondiabetic wounds
•David Wagner, Ph.D.: A 15-amino acid peptide to potentially stop demyelination and restore myelin production in
multiple sclerosis
Getting great ideas out of the lab and off the shelf is critical to realizing future therapies. In a world of shrinking public funding, we need new solutions like venture philanthropy, forward-thinking business/investor partnerships, and competitive ‘valley of death’ funding to drive innovation and keep brilliant investigators in the game.
—Diane Gates Wallach
28 Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine