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University of Utah Spins-Off 23 Companies in 2010-2011

Great Salt Lake (John Morgan/Flickr)

Great Salt Lake

The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, named the top institution for creating start-up companies, says the school spun-off 23 new companies in its 2010-2011 fiscal year, most of which are based on scientific or engineering discoveries. The new figures were released in the annual report of the university’s Technology Venture Development office.

In their latest (2009) annual survey, the Association of University Technology Managers noted that University of Utah passed MIT as the leading institution in the U.S. for creating start-up companies based on university research. In previous years, Utah tied or ranked second behind MIT.

In the year ending July 2011, says the report, the university spun-off 23 companies, most of which are based on technology developed in Utah’s science or engineering labs. In addition to the new companies created, the report notes the university disclosed 233 new inventions and entered into 81 licensing agreements. And more than 2,400 students took part in commercialization, innovation, or entrepreneurship programs, such as its business plan competitions.

The 23 new start-ups in FY 2011 ties the years 2008 and 2009 for the most new companies in one year. The university has created some 132 new companies since 2005, an average of 19 per year. Most new companies have emerged from the school’s engineering department and medical school.

Some of the new companies created in the past year include …

  • Axon Optics. Coatings that block light known to trigger migraines.
  • CB Bioenergy. Microbes and nutrients to produce methane gas from depleted coal-bed methane seams, depleted oil reservoirs, oil shale, and other carbon sources.
  • Elute. Antibodies or anti-infective agents for grafting bones during implants or orthopedic surgery.
  • Insurgen. A type of fused stem cell to treat diabetes.
  • MacCure. Detection and treatment of small vessel diseases, such as macular degeneration.
  • Telome Health. Assays of telomere length — repeated DNA sequences — and other medical diagnostic tests.
  • Xandem. Technology that can detect and track people through walls.

Photo: John Morgan/Flickr

Read more: University Start Up Commercializes Feeding Tube Research

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