3 faculty awarded IU grants to move inventions toward the marketplace

From the formula that shepherded Crest toothpaste to a new method of detecting chemical evidence from surfaces, Indiana University researchers have a long history of inventions that improve health and change lives. To continue groundbreaking discovery, the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office has awarded three researchers $25,000 each from its Gap Fund, which supports projects and enhances the commercialization of faculty innovations.

The Innovation and Commercialization Office works closely with faculty, industry and Indiana’s entrepreneurial community to move innovations from IU research into the marketplace, where they can create lasting societal impact. Over the past 15 years, IU has received 2,675 disclosures, resulting in 1,340 issued patents generating 559 licenses, 71 startups and $113 million in revenue.

The Gap Fund, a Translational Research Grant Program, is designed to overcome commercialization barriers by boosting the development’s marketability through additional targeted research. After some academic inventions surpass typical research phases, it can be difficult to obtain support through traditional funding mechanisms. The fund will help cover costs of equipment, supplies and other materials researchers may need to strengthen their innovations and demonstrate their utility to potential licensees and investors.

“These awards present a great opportunity for researchers to advance their technologies toward the market,” said Nick Hammond, IU associate vice president for innovation and commercialization. “We look forward to these projects moving technology forward and supporting the Innovation and Commercialization Office’s commercialization and licensing efforts.”

Meet the winners of the funding:

Molly Scheel, the Navari Family Professor in the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at the IU School of Medicine-South Bend, focuses her research primarily on mosquito development biology. She has created a technology to prevent lepidopteran insects, including the caterpillar forms of certain moths, from eating vegetable crops and causing significant yield and economic losses.

“We are very excited about the award, which will further our efforts to develop eco-friendly insecticides targeting highly destructive crop pests that threaten global food security,” Scheel said. “More specifically, the award will help us use RNAi yeast insecticide technology, which was recently developed for mosquito control, to target moths that destroy crops.”

Keshava Mysore, an assistant research professor of medical and molecular genetics at the IU School of Medicine-South Bend, worked alongside Scheel on the project and on another RNAi yeast insecticide technology that aims to control pest ants. He said that beyond the primary goal of developing methods for pest control, the funding will also introduce novel tools for investigating various aspects of moth biology and development.

“The project presents a unique and exciting opportunity for me to delve into an understudied yet crucial pest that affects many developing economies,” Mysore said. “The data generated from this study holds promise, potentially attracting further funding from federal agencies to expand these critical investigations.”

Dr. Elliot Androphy, professor of dermatology at the IU School of Medicine, isolated small molecule compounds that bind and block activities of a viral protein that’s always expressed in HPV-induced malignancies. These are being developed to treat and kill HPV-infected cells and cancers.

HPV-associated cancers affects about 680,000 people annually across the globe. Nearly 93,000 of those incidences are oropharyngeal cancer, a type of oral cancer that is largely asymptomatic in early stages. This HPV technology is licensed to Kovina Therapeutics Inc., a startup Androphy co-founded.

“This goal of this project is to determine whether this anti-viral drug will exhibit synergy with radiation or chemotherapy,” he said. “We hope that these compounds will make radiation therapy more effective, reduce side effects and improve patient outcomes.

“We are excited for this award, as these funds will allow us to begin these experiments, build on our findings and test the efficacy of the therapeutic combination.”

Renzhi Han is a professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine. He has developed a triple-adeno-associated virus vector system, a type of technology that can be engineered for gene therapy applications involving extra-large genes. The system delivers full-length dystrophin, a gigantic protein that strengthens and protects muscle fibers, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The genetic disease affects one in 3,500 to 5,000 male births.

“Winning this award not only provides the needed financial support for our efforts, but also serves as a validation of the importance of our research,” Han said. “The award will give me the confidence and resources to push the boundaries of our work and make meaningful contributions to the field.”