TIPs stands for therapeutic interfering particles and they may be able to beat viruses like the flu, Ebola and HIV. Rutgers’ Laura Fabris will play a key role in designing TIPs thanks to a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Get this and other stories with this week’s Innovation NJ update.
East Hanover – Leslie Brody reports in The Wall Street Journal that, as owner of a laboratory that tested pharmaceuticals, Paul Winslow was dismayed by the scarcity of qualified scientists he could hire. After selling his business a decade ago, he tried to do something about the shortage. Dr. Winslow leased space across from a cemetery in East Hanover, rustled up $4 million worth of donated equipment and recruited volunteer scientists to show teenagers the wonder of real-world experiments.
Hoboken – Dr. Christophe Pierre, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology, has been named a Fellow of the prestigious National Academy of Inventors (NAI). An internationally recognized leader in the fields of vibrations, structural dynamics and nonlinear dynamics, Dr. Pierre has made research contributions in numerous areas of mechanical and aerospace engineering, including the dynamics of complex large-scale structural systems, and has been recognized for his pioneering work on mode localization in disordered structures.
Rutgers University’s Laura Fabris to Play Key Role in Federal Project to Fight Influenza Virus
New Brunswick – They’re called TIPs and their task would be to infiltrate and out-compete influenza, HIV, Ebola and other viruses. Soon, Rutgers’ Laura Fabris, Ph.D., will play a key role in a project aimed at designing TIPs – therapeutic interfering particles to defuse the flu, reports Rutgers’ Todd B. Bates. For the first time in virology, Fabris and her team will use imaging tools with gold nanoparticles to monitor mutations in the influenza virus, with unprecedented sensitivity, when it enters cells. Fabris will soon receive an $820,000 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Names Dr. Richard Besser as New President and CEO
Princeton – Richard Besser, M.D., former acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ABC News’ current chief health and medical editor, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation’s largest charitable foundation devoted exclusively to health and healthcare. Dr. Besser will succeed Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, who has led the $10 billion foundation for the last 14 years.
Chatham – The Research & Development Council of New Jersey is now accepting, until May 26, submissions for its 2017 Edison Patent Awards. For almost four decades, the R&D Council has honored the best and brightest patented innovations in the state of New Jersey with its annual Thomas Edison Patent Awards, which span a broad range industry sectors. Winners will be honored at the annual Edison Patent Awards Ceremony & Reception on November 2. To learn more or to apply for the 2017 Edison Patent Awards.
Glen Ridge – The New Jersey Rare Disease Alliance, dedicated to improving the lives of the more than 800,000 rare disease patients in New Jersey, will hold its annual Rare Disease Day commemoration on Monday, February 27, at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA), 10 West Lafayette Street, Trenton from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by BioNJ, the HealthCare Institute of NJ (HINJ) and the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD).
NJ Tech Council’s ‘Innovation Forecast 2017’ – Holmdel
When: February 23, 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Where: Bell Works, Holmdel
New Jersey Rare Disease Day 2017
When: February 27, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Where: 10 West Lafayette St., Trenton
TechLaunch BullPen #2 Hosted With New Jersey Innovation Institute at NJIT
When: March 2, 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: NJ Innovation Institute at NJIT, Campus Center, Newark
Jersey City Summit — Focus on Economic Development and Innovation
When: March 15, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Where: Saint Peter’s University – Mac Mahon Student Center
NJBIA’s The Education Equation – Strategies for Retaining NJ’s Future Workforce
When: March 21, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: The National Conference Center, East Windsor,
