Precision Surgery Technologies LLC

University of California, Los Angeles

Tumor margin detection is difficult in head and neck and breast procedures, inadequate resection yields local recurrence, and broad resections are morbid procedure DOCI technology allows the detection of tumor margins without the need for injecting fluorescing material. Currently, there is no validated intraoperative technology to help surgeons identify precise cancer margins. There is a significant gap in the areas of intraoperative cancer margin delineation and precise surgical treatment of head and neck and breast cancer patients. We have developed a solution for this unmet clinical need.

Bio-Zipper

University of California, Los Angeles

The Bio-Zipper has been developed to improve post-surgical patient outcomes and reduce the frequency of surgical complications following lower urinary tract reconstructive surgeries. Current standard-of-care closures have high complication rates (30-day range from 30-68%), and are limited by surgeon experience with the technology (e.g., robotics) and the complexity of the procedure. Staples or adhesives are currently unavailable alternatives for the urinary tract, as they fail to adhere in moist conditions and/or increase the risk of infections, wound breakdown, or stone formation. There are currently 680,000 annual urologic reconstructions performed in the U.S. which would be the initial market for this device. Within this context, the Bio-Zipper has been designed to reinforce suture lines in these complex surgical reconstructions. By doing so, it will decrease 30-day complications (with a mean hospital cost of nearly $30,000 per incidence) by 20%. This will result in a mean savings of $5,600 per procedure. 

CDR3 Therapeutics, Inc.

University of California, Los Angeles

CDR3 Therapeutics is a pioneer in developing stem cell-based immunotherapies to revolutionize cancer treatment. The company's unique, patented technology overcomes the limitations of current CAR-T therapies, such as reduced functionality and persistence. By using hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) sourced from patients and adding either CAR or TCR genes, CDR3 creates a self-renewing source of gene-targeted immune cells. The modified cells engrafted into the patient's bone marrow, maintain their performance over time, thus addressing the challenge of solid tumors, an area currently unmet by FDA-approved therapies.