Several Medical College of Wisconsin faculty members have started their own companies in efforts to provide innovative treatments and tools in health care.
MCW’s technology and innovation portfolio includes more than 400 active technologies. In fiscal year 2024, spanning from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, MCW reported 35 new discoveries and inventions.
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Since 2014, there have been 22 spinoff companies founded by MCW faculty. Nine of them are highlighted below:
Badger Dental Products is developing devices used to address emergency dental trauma. The company was founded by Dr. David Poetker, professor of otolaryngology and communication sciences and chief of rhinology at MCW. Poetker is also a co-inventor of the devices.
CIAN develops novel diagnostics for traumatic brain injury. The company was founded by Ramani Ramchandran, Ph.D., who also invented the technology. Ramchandran is a professor of pediatrics in the neonatology division at MCW and director of the Medical Student Summer Research program.
N-Zyme Biomedical works to develop the first safe, effective and efficient treatments for laryngopharyngeal reflux, a form of acid reflux. Nikki Johnston, Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology and communication sciences at MCW, co-founded the company.
Prism Clinical Imaging provides physicians with imaging tools that can be used to plan for and treat brain tumors and neurological disorders. Edgar DeYoe, Ph.D., professor of radiology, and other practicing professionals at MCW founded the company. DeYoe is Prism’s chief scientist.
Protein Foundry manufactures proteins for biomedical research. The company uses specialized production methods that maintain the protein’s natural structure and full biological activity. Brian F. Volkman, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry at MCW, is a founder and president of Protein Foundry. Michael Dwinell, Ph.D., MCW professor of microbiology and immunology, and Francis Peterson, Ph.D., MCW professor of biochemistry, are also co-founders. The company received a $75,000 grant from the state SBIR Advance program in 2019.
RPRD Diagnostics specializes in clinical pharmacogenetic testing, precision medicine and health care implementation to provide clinicians, scientists and the drug development and biotech industries with innovative solutions. Dr. Ulrich Broeckel, founder and CEO of RPRD Diagnostics, is a professor of pediatrics and division chief of genomic pediatrics at MCW. In 2021, RPRD received a $75,000 grant through the federal Small Business Innovation Research Advance program.
Sanacor Inc. is a biotechnology company developing therapeutic interventions for common diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction, such as diabetic cardiovascular disease. It was co-founded by Dr. Michael Widlansky, who is a professor in the department of medicine and Northwestern Mutual professor of cardiovascular medicine and director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at MCW. Widlansky co-invented Sanacor’s technology.
Sonoptima focuses on wearable ultrasound technology, which uses artificial intelligence, to help patients get optimal timing of radiation therapy for pelvic malignancies. Sonoptima aims to make radiation therapy “less distressing for patients and more efficient for health care providers,” according to its website. MCW professors Dr. William Hall and Eric Paulson founded the company. Hall is a professor and chair of radiation oncology and the Bob Uecker Chair in Pancreatic Cancer Research, while Paulson, Ph.D., is a professor of radiation oncology and chief of medical physics.
XLock Biosciences is a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company that is developing custom proteins to treat immune disorders like psoriatic arthritis by selectively tuning the immune system. MCW biochemistry professor Francis Peterson, Ph.D., is president and co-founder of XLock Biosciences. Brian Volkman, Ph.D., MCW professor of biochemistry, is also a co-founder and chief scientific officer.
