STARTUPS & INNOVATIONS

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

The Innovation Institute, a La Palma-based incubator with a Newport Beach lab owned by five nonprofit health systems, is springing into action to solve COVID-19 challenges. 

Amid the pandemic, “we’ve seen strategic innovation catapult to the forefront, no longer in the shadows, and we’ve doubled down to expedite projects that can directly impact and improve the health crisis we are in today,” said Joe Randolph, president and chief executive of the institute.

The institute has developed a closed-circuit ventilator valve that is compatible with mechanical ventilators. The Baywin Closed Circuit Valve was designed to limit the release of infectious particles and reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients with underlying health conditions, according to Randolph. 

About 3,000 to 5,000 closed-circuit valves will be shipped to four undisclosed health systems, including a large academic center in Southern California, by the second week of May, officials said. 

Other efforts include: 

• Developing a clothing sterilization device that is designed to kill viruses and pathogens on the spot. The product is in early stages of development; a timeline for the project hasn’t been disclosed. 

• Sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, face shields, beds and ventilators via portfolio companies and their connections. 

• Two portfolio companies, FutureSense LLC and InHealth Strategies, are looking into how clinicians manage distress and cope with loss while on the job. 

• Leveraging the Innovation Institute’s software platform and online portal to mine innovative ideas from frontline workers.  

Randolph added, “Often times, a burning platform will ignite ingenuity and innovation. We are certain that this effort will result in many new products, processes, and solutions that can be brought to market and shared with others.”

For more information, visit https://ii4change.com/got-an-idea.

Irvine-based Nanommune Inc. and Chinese firm Sino Biological Inc. are co-developing test products for the detection of coronavirus strains.

One of the first products under the partnership tests for COVID-19 immunity against 134 antigens from a finger stick blood test in 10 minutes. The test is more accurate than others available today because it tests two immunoglobulins (IgA and IgG antibodies) and produces two independent sets of data, according to company officials. 

The test is not intended for diagnostic purposes; it functions as a “serosurvelliance” tool to help scientists understand the epidemiology of the virus. In other words, it helps map where, when and how the virus spreads through different populations such as humans and animals. 

“In order for communities around the globe to understand the prevalence and threat posed by COVID-19, a comprehensive serosurveillance program is necessary to provide policy makers, researchers, and frontline medical professionals with the data necessary to forecast and respond to this fast-moving and dynamic threat,” said Dr. Philip Felgner, director of the Vaccine R&D Center at the School of Medicine at University of California-Irvine. 

Felgner is the founder of Nanommune, which is now raising funds to accelerate test production. Felgner currently creates the tests under a Sales and Services Agreement via UCI, while Sino Biological provides purified proteins for the tests.  

The tests can also be used to correlate antibody responses with clinical outcomes, such as how convalescent plasma from formerly infected patients aids in the treatment of infected patients. 

As an online platform that routes donations for animal shelters, Seal Beach-based Cuddly Inc. made the transition to remote work with little trouble. That hasn’t been the case for animal shelters, however.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” said Cuddly Chief Executive John Hussey.

“The appetite to foster animals has grown tremendously and shelters are empty across the country … many of those fosters will get adopted because owners won’t want to part with the animal.”

On the other hand, most animal shelters don’t have the infrastructure to handle online operations and lack volunteers and supplies for remaining animals in their care, said Hussey.

Over the last few weeks, Cuddly has updated its parent-pet matching software to help place fosters. It also made about 1,000 medical masks and created a surface clean product for its shelter partners. Supplies were donated to shelters and leftover masks were sent to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Another positive: “We’re seeing increased participation in donations for rescues and shelters,” said Bridget Bowhay, director of e-commerce partnerships. “A lot of people feel powerless right now, but this is one area where they can take action.”

Cuddly closed a $1.1 million seed round last summer. The company is now raising a $1.5 million bridge round, before a Series A round in the fall. 

LAUNCH

Irvine-based Everguard.ai has launched a safety and surveillance system for the steel industry.

Sentri360 uses a variety of cameras, sensors, and wearable devices, which are paired with artificial intelligence and computer vision to detect unsafe events and alert workers to concerns in real time.

Human teams normally monitor safety conditions, moving from checkpoint to checkpoint through a plant, or monitor the environment with traditional video surveillance cameras. This leaves room for error, according to Chief Executive Sandeep Pandya.

Everguard’s system looks for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), proper use of machinery, fall detection and cobbling warnings, in which a line of liquid metal falls off the proper track or “roller,” according to Pandya.

Boston-based BCG Digital Ventures and Seah Global Inc., a South Korean steel conglomerate with Irvine operations, recruited Pandya from a fleet management startup to lead Everguard in 2019.  

BCG and Seah provided an initial investment of several million dollars. The company is hiring and plans to seek Series A funding this year.

Orange County’s crowdless streets are beginning to fill up—with robots. 

San Francisco-based Starship Technologies is using autonomous robots to deliver meals for area businesses including Ray’s Pizza, Le Diplomate Cafe, Cha for Tea and Adya. 

There are about 15 robots delivering daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to company officials.  

The robots use a combination of sensors, artificial intelligence and computer vision to navigate obstacles, cross streets, climb curbs and operate in rainy and snowy environments. 

Users download the Starship Deliveries app and drop a pin for delivery location. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can meet and unlock it through the app. 

The robots travel at 4 mph and each robot can carry up to 20 lbs, or the size of three shopping bags, company officials said. It’s similar to a technology from Amazon that was tried out locally last year (see story, page 12).

The company is now fielding requests from grocery stores, restaurants and other delivery companies amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

FINANCING

Henry Klassen, founder of jCyte Inc. and director of the Stem Cell and Retinal Generation Program at the UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, was awarded a $6.6 million grant in April to continue clinical trials on patients with retinitis pigmentosa. 

The grant comes from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), an Oakland-based stem cell research group that funds early-stage projects.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a condition that leads to vision loss and eventual blindness and has no current treatment. 

jCyte in Newport Beach aims to treat retinitis pigmentosa patients with retinal progenitor cells, a type of stem cells that are designed to improve the health of damaged retinal cells and slow disease progression, the company said. 

Klassen’s team recently completed a Phase 2b trial that dosed and monitored 84 patients over a 12-month period. The results have been promising and demonstrated a strong safety profile so far, according to clinical officials.  

The new grant will be used to support repeat dosing in a subset of previously treated patients. It will also support ongoing cell manufacturing activities at jCyte. 

The company’s jCell therapy platform has received Orphan Drug Designation from the Food and Drug Administration and the company has raised more than $14 million in funding from angel investors and CIRM.