North Texas Awardees

Commercialization Awards:

MicroTransponder, Inc. of Dallas received $1,380,000 for further development and commercialization of implantable neural stimulators for pain management.  This breakthrough technology will provide an advanced method of relieving chronic and intractable pain usually suffered by patients with degenerative nerve conditions.  MicroTransponder's product will consist of an implantable neural stimulator that will be powered wirelessly by an exterior powering device worn by the patient and programmed by a laptop or PDA.  This technology will advance medical understanding of chronic pain and its causes, while ensuring a patient is receiving the relief from pain they need.  MicroTransponder is collaborating with University of Texas Dallas and MD Anderson in Houston to further their technology.

Net Watch Solutions, Inc. of Richardson received $500,000 for further development of its patent-pending, behavioral software that eliminates Information Technology (IT) system downtime.  This software enables mid- to large-sized IT enterprises to anticipate and avoid the leading contributor to costly downtime - the unexpected consequences of change.  Net Watch Solutions is working with the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Dallas. 

Texas Piezoelectric, Inc. of Richardson received $250,000 for the further development of material, device technologies and commercializable products that will harvest energy from naturally-available sources such as human energy or natural energy such as the wind or sun into micro-power.  This micro-power will be transferred ideally into battery-free, isolated electronic devices such as medical implants and wireless environmental sensors or further complement traditional storage.  Texas Piezoelectric is collaborating with the University of Texas at Arlington.    

SNR Labs, Inc. of Richardson, $750,000 for further development of its mobile handset software, Convergence Manager™. The tool allows wireless devices to work seamlessly between wireless services, including conventional cellular, WiFi and WIMAX networks. The automated process requires no action of the user, generates no service interruption, and significantly reduces battery power consumption of the wireless link when moving between wireless service areas.  SNR Labs is working with UT-Dallas to further their technology.

PrincipleSoft, Inc., of Plano, $750,000 for further development of multiple layer overlay modulation that will revolutionize lives by enabling a high speed connection directly to the key people and information an individual is targeting. One early commercial application of this technology will include a much greater ability to deliver real-time video to a variety of wireless devices. PrincipleSoft offers a technology that unleashes the bandwidth using advanced communications algorithms providing a magnitude of higher spectral efficiency. PrincipleSoft is working with UT-Dallas to further their technology.

Resonant Sensors Incorporated of Arlington, $600,000 for further development and commercialization of its new class of sensors for use in the production of biomedical compounds and drugs.   These revolutionary sensors, based on patented technology licensed from the University of Texas at Arlington, will allow researchers to rapidly and accurately evaluate the performance of experimental new drug compounds. 

Photodigm, Inc. of Richardson, $749,829 for further development of its advanced laser technology, which will result in more affordable and efficient laser systems necessary for equipment used in communications, digital imaging, defense and medical devices. For example, Photodigm lasers are currently being used in defense systems, including ultra-high performance sensors for airborne detection of submarines.

Optisense Network Inc., of Bridgeport, $1.5 million for the commercialization of a proprietary electro-optical voltage sensor technology, the “intelligent grid." The company’s “intelligent grid” technology will enable utility companies to monitor feeder circuits more cost-effectively, enhance system operations, optimize power flows, and provide greater grid security and reliability.

Hanson Robotics, Inc., of Richardson, $1.5 million for the commercialization of its patent-pending robot that offers more lifelike appearance than existing robots and speech recognition software that creates more realistic human-robot interactions. Initial applications of the technology will be robotics for the entertainment field and for potential prosthetic research and applications. Their collaboration partners are UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas.

Research Matching Awards:

The Atomically Precise Manufacturing Consortium (APMC) received $4,700,000 for research and development of technology that will make it possible to manufacture devices with atomic precision by accelerating the conversion of laboratory-level nanotechnology fabrication into production-ready equipment, tools and processes. The consortium consists of Texas university resources, technology companies and federal agencies.

The Future Semiconductor Commercialization (FUSION) a business and university R&D consortium received $5,000,000 for the development of advanced microelectronic technologies.  This project will lead to the development of a new generation of products, nanostructure materials for enhancing medical imaging and semiconductor devices through the application of nanotechnology and flexible microelectronic technologies.  The project will leverage external R&D funding, Texas university resources and government partners to co-develop technologies and products. 

Global Contours Ltd., of Rockwall, $950,000 for further development of its patented Smart Concrete ™, a material capable of sensing infrastructure conditions when used to construct new buildings, bridges, highways, dams, levees and tunnels. For example, instead of embedding a sensory device in roads at weigh stations, future roads built with Smart Concrete will become the sensory mechanism. This technology also has the potential to detect infrastructure breaches in buildings and other major infrastructure.

Research Superiority Awards: UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth, $2.27 million to establish a Center for Commercialization of Fluorescence Technology. Fluorescence-based detection and fluorescence imaging are major areas of interest for commercial enterprises in developing new technology for use in optical sensing, enhanced security systems, biomedical diagnostics and tissue imaging. Advanced fluorescence and nanotechnologies, also known as nanophotonics, are the most recent tools developed by the international research team of Zygmut Gryczynski, Ph.D; Ignacy Gryczynski, Ph.D; Evgenia Matveeva, Ph.D.; and Julian Borejdo, Ph.D. These notable biophysicists were recruited to UNT Health Science Center specifically to start the Center for Commercialization of Fluorescence Technology.

The University of Texas (UT) at Tyler, $3.75 million for the recruitment of world class researchers in residential indoor environmental quality technology development and commercialization. Funds will also establish the Texas Allergy, Indoor Environment and Energy (TxAIRE) Institute at the UT Tyler to study indoor air quality. TxAIRE is a collaborative institute with UT Tyler as the lead institution and will include other academic and industry partners.

Nanotechnology Research Initiative, $10 million.  Governor Perry announced a new Nanotechnology Research Initiative (NRI) in Texas, a $30 million public-private partnership funded by a $10 million grant from the Emerging Technology Fund, $10 million form the University of Texas System and the remainder from private industry. “With this investment we will bring seven to eight globally recognized researchers and their teams to Texas to develop breakthrough nanoelectronics research, which will impact our semiconductor, energy, life sciences, aerospace and defense industries,” Perry said.  The researcher and their teams will be placed at two of our region’s universities, University of Texas at Dallas and University of Texas at Arlington. For the full article, please click here.

Awards Across the State

Research Superiority Awards:

Texas Tech University at Lubbock, $2Million.   A $2 million investment to Texas Tech University was awarded to recruit renowned experts in nanophotonics technology, establishing a world-class center in applied nanophotonics at the College of Engineering’s Nano Tech Center.  The university leveraged the state’s TETF investment to attract a $5.35 million donation from AT&T and $2 million from Texas Tech for a total of $9 million towards recruiting a top-tier team of experts in nanophotonics technology that will supercharge existing research strengths at the university’s Nano Tech Center.

Texas Tech University at Lubbock, $1.9 million.  The grant will further Texas Tech’s partnership with Bayer CropScience and help launch the International Center of Excellence in Agriculture Genomics and Biotechnology. In addition to the TETF award, Texas Tech is committing $1.8 million for personnel and lab equipment, and Bayer CropScience endowed a professorship at the university.  The funding helped lure Dr. Thea Wilkins, one of the world’s premiere cotton geneticists, from the University of California at Davis (UC-Davis) to become director of genomics at the International Center.

UT Health Science Center at Houston, $2.5 million.
Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D., joins the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as a professor of nanotechnology. He also will be president of the Alliance for NanoHealth, a collaborative venture of seven Houston-area research institutions dedicated to nurturing medical applications of the relatively new science of creating materials and devices on a nanometer scale – one billionth of a meter.  For the full article on Dr. Ferrari please click here.

University of Texas at San Antonio, $3.5 million awarded to recruit Dr. Ravi Sandhu, a nationally recognized leader in cyber security. Dr. Sandhu will become the founding executive director and chief scientist of the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security Research on June 1, 2007.  Dr. Sandhu served as a professor of Information Security and Assurance at George Mason University for 18 years and is responsible for the creation of nine U.S. Patents, 30 sponsored research grants, more than 160 published articles and the commercialization of multiple technology products in his area of expertise. He also co-founded TriCipher Inc. in 2000, and has received multiple science awards, including the 2004 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers technical achievement for outstanding and pioneering contributions to information security.

Texas A&M University at College Station, $5 million awarded to recruit commercially-focused faculty to market innovative research for the next generation of biofuels. Texas A&M and Chevron are also partnering on research efforts to achieve accelerated harvesting of non-food crops for conversion into biofuels products.

Texas A&M University’s Texas Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS) at College Station, $6 million award will help recruit world class researchers to TIPS to research and develop innovative advancements in biotechnology. The leadership of these top researchers will help new discoveries, particularly medical devices and therapies, move more quickly from concept to the marketplace to treat and prevent diseases. This award will leverage an additional $40 million for the institute from the Texas A&M University System and $2.5 million from the local community through the Research Valley Partnership.

Commercialization Awards:

CardioSpectra, Inc., of San Antonio, $1.35 million for the commercialization of its Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Diagnostic Catheter.  The catheter allows doctors to better predict the likelihood a patient will suffer a heart attack based on vascular plaque; it provides diagnostic capabilities unavailable through existing technologies, such as MRI, CT and ultrasound devices.  The OCT also has applications in ophthalmology, cancer detection and glucose monitoring for diabetics.

Xilas Medical, Inc., of San Antonio, $1 million for the commercialization of three medical devices that will aid in the early detection of neuropathies, foot stress and inflammation that often lead to diabetic ulcers and amputation.  The VPT meter provides physicians the ability to determine a patient’s risk of amputation as the result of neuropathy.  The GlideSoft insole reduces friction and pressure where traditional insoles only reduce pressure.  The Temp touch dermal thermometer allows home monitoring for patients to detect inflammation before a wound is created.

Molecular Imprints of Austin, $3 million for the commercialization of a “disruptive” technology called Step and Flash Imprint Lithography (S-FIL) for fabricating nano-scale devices and components. It has applications to semiconductors, light emitting diodes, disk drives, displays, digital cameras and bio devices.

CorInnova, Incorporated, of College Station, $500,000 for the commercialization of its Heart Therapy Device, a life-saving technology that reduces by 60 percent or more the instances of congestive heart failure in patients who have suffered a severe heart attack.

Endothelix, Inc., of Houston, $1 million for the development of new diagnostic technology which will allow physicians to more accurately, quickly and inexpensively assess patients’ cardiovascular health.  The medical device the company develops measures vascular “endothelial function” through temperature change in the fingertip.  Endothelial dysfunction is the gateway to cardiovascular disease, and current endothelial function monitoring is limited to research laboratories.  This critical technology will allow physicians to monitor endothelial function in their clinics and their offices as well as by patients in their homes.  More than 63 million Americans have cardiovascular disease, but only one in five are aware of it, according to medical experts. 

itRobotics, Inc., of Stafford, $750,000 to support the development and production of pipe inspection robots, which will enable – for the first time in many cases – the inspection of a significant portion of tubular infrastructure for gas, nuclear plants, power plants, and non-energy pipelines.  About 42 percent of U.S. gas distribution pipelines cannot be inspected; therefore, this critical technology will enable compliance with the 2002 Pipeline Safety Improvement Act.   The technology will help reduce accidents and associated liability in plants and pipelines, protect the environment from hazardous spills and toxic leaks, and reduce the risk and high cost of energy pipe failures.

Bauhaus, Inc., of San Antonio, $500,000 to support development and distribution of an animation software solution that replaces hybrid paper and digital methods with a complete digital system for animation and special effects.  Bauhaus technology has transformed the animation industry, and will further secure Texas’ place on the map as a high-tech hub and center for the creative arts.

NanoComposites, Inc. was awarded $1.5 million to commercialize its proprietary process for the functionalization of carbon nanotubes.  In 2007, NanoComposites will be producing uniquely enhanced elastomers for use in mission critical seals used in upstream oil and gas drilling operations. NanoComposites, Inc. has been working in collaboration with Rice University and assisted by the Greater Houston Partnership.

Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc., was awarded $1,250,000 to fund the clinical development of its AuroLase™ Cancer Therapy. Nanospectra’s primary focus is the development and commercialization of AuroLase^TM which is broadly applicable to virtually all solid tumors.  Other potential applications of AuroShell^TM micro particles in development include the detection of disease and bio-warfare agents through Raman-based substrates and immunodiagnostic assays and the development of laser eye protection for military use. Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc.’s collaboration partners are Rice University, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTMB at Galveston and the Greater Houston Partnership.

Monebo, of Austin, $500,000 for the commercialization Monebo’s innovative heart products the Cardiobelt and ECG Analyzer.  These technologies help patients receive quality results by monitoring heart signals, analyzing them, and allowing patients to wirelessly transmit them to their physician.  These measurements will detect heart complications more quickly and lead to better patient outcomes.  Monebo is a cardiac monitoring solutions company and works to assess and predict the electrical activity of the heart. 

NanoCoolers, of Austin, $3 million to develop a thermoelectric cooling system that will help cool semiconductors, which generate increasing heat as they become more powerful. It can be applied to everything from computers to refrigerators and climate-control systems.

PLx Pharma, of Houston, $2 million to help develop new formulations for safer and more effective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) currently on the market, such as Aspirin and Ibuprofen. PLx will use a platform technology licensed from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and will focus on reducing the potential life threatening gastrointestinal toxicities related with chronic use of NSAIDs.

Molecular LogiX Inc., of The Woodlands, $794,520 to develop a “first in class” therapeutic cancer treatment. This treatment will optimize the company’s Pan-HER Anti-Cancer Ligand, a genetically engineered version of the naturally occurring growth hormone that blocks the cell receptor necessary for growth of tumor cells. In addition to providing oncologists and their patients with a new, more potent drug to treat cancer, this drug has the potential to be the first of a new family of drugs to treat other diseases resulting from abnormal ligand receptor interactions. Molecular LogiX Inc. has been working in collaboration with scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and assisted by the South Montgomery County Woodlands Economic Development Partnership.

Xtreme Power, of Kyle, $2 million to develop a large scale energy load leveling system capable of efficiently and more cost effectively storing and delivering large quantities of electric power.

Quantum Logic Devices, of Austin, $600,000 for the commercialization of its patented nanoelectronic platforms, which allow hospitals, clinics, physicians and consumers to perform simple medical tests to immediately identify possible illnesses.

SecureOrigins, Inc. of El Paso, $2 million for further development of its Intelligent Software Agents (ISA). ISA are software modules that automate specific tasks, provide round-the-clock decision support and collaborate with each other without human intervention to determine best response action.

SenoMedical, Inc. of San Antonio, $2 million for commercialization of its new opto-acoustic platform technology which produces real-time color images that allow classification of benign and malignant tumors, such as in breast cancer. The Imagio™ device will further the mission of Seno Medical Instruments to provide the most advanced products for cancer screening, diagnosis and therapeutic treatment that are cost-effective and more patient-friendly than existing technologies. 

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Houston awarded $1.45 million for further development of its next generation therapeutic cancer vaccine technology researched at Baylor College of Medicine. Bellicum's BP-GMAX-CD1 formula incorporates a pharmacologically-regulated switch designed to generate a more potent and durable immune response against a patient's cancer cells than other vaccines in development. This award will leverage $1.2 million received from the National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense to accelerate the commercialization of this technology.

Laser Tissue Welding Inc. of Humble awarded $160, 000 for further development of its laser-assisted tissue welding device. The innovative tool joins and repairs human tissue using biodegradable and biocompatible materials, replacing the need to repair incisions with sutures or staples. Laser-assisted bonding is compatible with endoscopic and robotic applications, and will lead to faster wound healing and better cosmetic results. The award will leverage $160,000 received from the National Institute of Health Small Business Innovation and Research program to accelerate the commercialization of this technology.

ThromboVision Inc. of Houston  awarded $1.5 million for further development of its T-Guide™ platelet function monitor, which will commercialize a groundbreaking solution to help physicians and their patients monitor and assess anti-platelet therapy. Until recently, measuring the effectiveness of such therapies in preventing heart attacks, strokes, stent occlusions and other cardiovascular malfunctions was not possible.  The award will leverage $3.6 million received from the National Institute of Health to accelerate the commercialization of this technology.

Visualase Inc. of Houston awarded $750,000 for further development of its commercial-ready prototype. The technology uses a MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) system for treatment of cancerous tumors, particularly small focal metastatic tumors.  The award will leverage $750,000 received from the National Institute of Health SBIR program to accelerate the commercialization of this technology.

StarVision Technologies, Inc. of Houston awarded  $750,000 to help complete itsSpeedStar^TM product, a revolutionary new altitude determination sensor system that improves the performance and reduces costs for satellites.  StarVision Technologies, Inc. is committed to innovative research and development supporting the unmanned vehicle, government and commercial satellite and advanced missile systems markets in the aerospace industry.  StarVision is one of the original spin-off technology companies under Texas A&M University System's new initiative to increase the commercialization of its intellectual property. 

Falcon International of Odessa awarded $850,000 to make lightweight composite protective panels for military vehicles, aircraft and vessels.