Biotech

  • RNAissance Ag names agri-tech leader Steve Meyer new CEO

    RNAissance Ag names agri-tech leader Steve Meyer new CEO

    TechAccel LLC, a Kansas City-based technology and venture development company investing in scientific breakthroughs for healthier agriculture, today announced that Steven Meyer has joined subsidiary RNAissance Ag LLC as chief executive officer.   Meyer most recently was chief operating officer at Lucy Scientific Discovery Inc., British  Columbia, a cGMP manufacturer of psychotropic compounds for therapeutic uses. Prior…

  • President Biden announces $25 million grant to the Heartland Robotics Cluster 

    President Biden announces $25 million grant to the Heartland Robotics Cluster 

    President Biden held a White House news conference today where he announced that the Heartland Robotics Cluster, led by Invest Nebraska, was one of 21 finalists awarded a multiyear grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).   The Heartland Robotics Cluster includes Invest Nebraska, the University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Engineering,…

  • Thyreos awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to accelerate the development of herpesvirus vaccine

    Thyreos awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to accelerate the development of herpesvirus vaccine

    Nebraska-based biotech startup Thyreos has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to develop a new vaccine to protect against Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), a disease that causes respiratory illness in cattle. Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) is endemic…

  • MedTech startups Notable and CicloMed collaborate on new technology to predict patient responsiveness to anti-cancer drug

    MedTech startups Notable and CicloMed collaborate on new technology to predict patient responsiveness to anti-cancer drug

    Notable Labs, Inc. (Notable), a clinical-stage predictive precision therapeutics company, and CicloMed LLC (CicloMed), a developmental-stage pharmaceutical company, today announced the beginning of a Phase 1B/2A clinical trial of potential cancer treatment fosciclopirox in patients with a deadly disease known as refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). A Phase 1B/2A clinical trial is a crucial step…

  • Homegrown medtech company Centese develops game-changing device for surgery patients

    Homegrown medtech company Centese develops game-changing device for surgery patients

    A new Omaha-based medtech company has developed a self-cleaning chest tube system that provides more precise measurements for monitoring patients recovering from surgery on their heart or lungs.  Startup Centese developed the device, called Thoraguard. Through a novel self-irrigating mechanism, Thoraguard eliminates one of the main hazards of analog chest tubes: the need for medical…

  • ReEnvision Ag develops new way to plant

    ReEnvision Ag develops new way to plant

    A northeastern Iowa agtech startup is developing technology that will change the way farmers plant crops, all while saving them money and reducing environmental impact. Nora Springs, Iowa’s ReEnvision Ag is one of five agriculture technology companies participating in the AgLaunch 365 accelerator program, which aims to cultivate startups that will transform regional agriculture; create…

  • All processors on deck in the race to research COVID-19

    All processors on deck in the race to research COVID-19

    Sometimes a problem is so urgent and complex, you need the whole world working on it.  That’s COVID-19. Sometimes you also need the help of a global supercomputer. That’s Folding@home. A distributed computing project powering research into SARS-CoV-2, Folding@home seeks to develop effective, patent-free drugs to treat the deadly coronavirus, which has caused over 732,000…

  • Hybrid85 passes profits onto farmers

    Hybrid85 passes profits onto farmers

    At the very top of the Nebraska State Capitol building stands a 32-foot tall bronze statue of the Sower, a figure representing agriculture’s vital role in the development of modern civilization. Maybe it wasn’t the best fit for the state license plate, but the Sower is an undeniable symbol of Nebraska. According to the Nebraska…

  • Funding Roundup for the Week of November 4th

    Funding Roundup for the Week of November 4th

    The Silicon Prairie had a dry week when it comes to outside fundings.  So, the winning cities really appear to be Fayetteville, Arkansas and Iowa City, Iowa.  While neither city had huge deals, they both participated in the creation of ground breaking technologies that have received multiple mechanisms of support from the universities, local economic…

  • Interview with an Entrepreneur: Karen Linder

    Interview with an Entrepreneur: Karen Linder

    I have known Karen Linder for many years, and she is an incredible entrepreneur.  Many people do not realize that she has been growing a 3D printing company in Nebraska, called Tethon 3D, for the better part of this decade.  The company is one of the leading suppliers of porcelain and hard to produce ceramic…