Date: February 25, 2016

photo Kibum Lee 2rResearchers developing technologies that could lead to new gene and cell therapies, and that will help nurses and physical therapists do their jobs more effectively, will receive a total of $600,000 in funding through the eighth round of the University City Science Center’s QED Proof-of-Concept Program. The program, started in 2009, funds novel university technologies with market potential, bridging the gap between academic research and product commercialization. The awardees were selected from a pool of 62 applicants and 12 universities in the Greater Philadelphia region.

The QED grants will support researchers at the University of Delaware, Penn State University and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Half of the $600,000 awarded will be contributed by the Science Center and half by the researchers’ institutions. Each project will also receive guidance from the Science Center’s experienced team of business advisors. To date, 28 funded QED projects have attracted over $15 million in follow-on funding and led to seven licensed technologies.

Dr. KiBum Lee, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers, is developing an innovative platform for programming human patient-derived stem cells for use in stem-cell therapies in people with incurable and debilitating diseases and disorders. His strategy is unlike conventional approaches because it doesn’t rely on the use of viruses to modify the cells’ genes.

More information about the QED Proof-of-Concept Program and the four recipients.