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Investigation Title Valuation Summaries
Eye-Tracking More than 2000 Chronos Eye-Tracking Devices (C-ETD) were sold to clinics/hospitals
Devices between 2004 and 2014. Around 30 to 40 leading laboratories for vestibular research
and neurology have used, or are still using, the system for performing ground-based
studies. During the active marketing phase, the technology accounted for 40% to
60% of company turnover and generated $15 million in turnover overall. Chronos
Vision is now developing a new application where the experience from the eye-tracker
technique is an important feature that is primarily aimed at eye lens replacement
procedures— e.g., during cataract surgery. The primary focus is guided surgery for
personalized (toric) lenses, which are an improvement on standard intraocular lenses
by taking into account the aspheric nature of the cornea.
Japan Aerospace On the ISS, Japanese scientists crystallized a human prostaglandin D2 synthase-
Exploration Agency inhibitor (H-PGDS/HQL-79 complex), which plays a critical role in the formation of
Protein Crystal Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD). This allowed researchers to identify a new
Growth molecule,TAS-205, which is considerably more effective than HQL-79 at mitigating
the expansion of muscle necrosis in mice and dogs. A Phase I study sponsored by
the multinational Taiho Pharmaceutical Corporation verified the new TAS-205 inhibitor
to be safe for use in humans. Taiho Pharmaceutical has continued to sponsor
research on this new drugTAS-205 candidate and, in October 2017, completed
a 24-week Phase II trial with 33 DMD patients.
LusoVu Augmented reality glasses engineered by LusoSpace to help European Space
Agency (ESA) astronauts on the ISS led to a spin-off company, LusoVu. LusoVu’s
commercially available smart glasses—Eyespeak—are capable of assisting patients
who are suffering extreme mobility and communication limitations. Eyespeak has the
potential to benefit a proportion of the millions of people per year who have stroke/
traumatic brain injury-related dysarthria and associated conditions worldwide. Based
on the initial ESA study, LusoSpace has also developed future smart glasses for the
consumer market with dimensions and shape similar to sunglasses. LusoSpace now
has a partnership with DHL Portugal for implementing augmented reality in logistics.
To date, LusoSpace has applied for three patents (one granted to date) for augmented
reality technology.
NanoRacks-Planet Started by three NASA engineers in 2010, Planet provides Earth observation
Labs-Dove photography from low-Earth orbit. Using the space station as a technology
development testbed, Planet deployed 110 small satellites before moving on
to using commercial launch providers. With an estimated annual revenue of
$64.4 million, and value of over $1 billion, Planet currently operates a fleet of more
than 175 satellites and employs more than 470 people. Since its formation, Planet
has garnered $183.1 million of private funding and secured two contracts with
National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, worth a combined $34 million.
PK-4 Technical know-how gained during ISS research in the field of cold plasmas has
led to the creation of three companies: terraplasma (active in hygiene, medicine,
water purification, odor control), terraplasma emission control (active in car exhaust
technology) and terraplasma medical (active in wound and skin disease treatment).
Terraplasma holds three patents for cold plasma-based dental applications, odor
removal, and homogenous plasma production. In addition, terraplasma is the exclusive
licensee of seven patent families from the Max Planck Society. Following clinical
validation, a small ergonometric hospital treatment device for wound management
—SteriPlas—is planned for commercial release in fall 2018. Additional products in
development include Plasma Care: a miniaturized wound treatment device that can
create plasma from ambient air without using a gas tank.
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