Events

Apr

Navigating the Medical Device and Diagnostic Regulatory Environment | A Perspective from Abbott Leaders

Online - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Explore the landscape of global regulatory frameworks and strategic considerations pivotal in bringing a new medical device or in vitro diagnostic product to market. Caroline Mendes and Rodney Huang will discuss how to identify the applicable regulatory requirements for a new IVD or medical device, considerations in Pre-Submissions to the FDA, and additional Regulatory requirements that are critical to know early in the product development process.

This talk is for everyone who may be interested in new product development in the healthcare industry and wants to understand the general process of getting a new product authorized to be commercialized in a regulated market.

Northwestern Univ can register here: https://forms.office.com/r/EZ998v4pmc

NM/SRAL/Lurie Children's/NU Startups can register here: https://forms.office.com/r/xcM2RuNZ2Q

SPEAKER BIOS:

Caroline Mendes (Principal Specialist, Regulatory Affairs, Abbott Core Diagnostics) joined Abbott in 2018 as a Scientist based in Ireland, and in 2022 she joined the Regulatory Affairs Organization and moved to the U.S. (Lake County). Currently, she is part of the New Product Development team and supports the development of in vitro diagnostic products for infectious diseases and clinical chemistry, helping to outline global regulatory strategies, providing regulatory inputs to product development, and working on regulatory submissions. Caroline has a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Technological University Dublin.

Rodney Huang (Director, Regulatory Affairs, Abbott Diabetes Care) joined Abbott in 2011 and has played a key role in bringing the FreeStyle Libre family of continuous glucose monitoring systems to the US market. Developing robust regulatory strategies and building FDA relationships were essential to successfully navigating the evolving regulatory landscape. Rodney holds bachelor's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in biology and electrical engineering / computer science and a master's degree from the University of California, San Diego in bioengineering.

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Apr

Tom Wagner | Creating A Technology Company, From Idea To Impact Dogs And Cats Living Together

Evanston - 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Join Tom Wagner, Ph.D., the founder & CEO of an AI and robotics company named Berkshire Grey, as he shares elements of his journey, and that of his team, to have commercial impact with technology. During the talk, Wagner will take you along the path that started with a simple goal to have impact with technology, and then moved to a specific idea, to building a team, to venture capital investment, to material business, to taking the company public, to being acquired and taken private again as the play continues. During this talk Tom will offer candid thoughts and take aways in technology and markets, building a team, working with venture capitalists, customer adventures, creating choices when there seem to be none, what terms like work life balance really mean in this context, and the importance of embracing uncertainty and ambiguity from time to time. On a semi-technical front, some of the topics Wagner will cover include sparse data, search heuristics, bounded rationality, and the path from sensor inputs to information-based decision making.

For those interested in learning about starting a technology company, or simply looking for possibly entertaining and useful anecdotes, please Register here!

Speaker Bio:

Tom Wagner would generally describe a portion of his existence as the quest to have impact with technology. He has served as CEO of Berkshire Grey since the company s inception in 2013. Previously, he had the privilege of serving as the Chief Technology Officer of iRobot Corporation, a publicly traded robotics company, from 2008 to 2012. Prior to joining iRobot, Wagner served at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, where he created, managed, and transitioned programs in artificial intelligence, robotics, logistics, communications, command and control, telehealth, connected devices, and connected intelligent assistants. Earlier in his career, Wagner served as a principal lead at Honeywell, a professor at the University of Maine, spent time at General Motors, and held various roles in small & startup companies. He holds a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and computer science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a M.S. from the University of New Hampshire, and a B.S. from Michigan State University.

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Apr

Green Entrepreneurship with INVO and the Trienens Institute

Evanston - 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

The Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy invites faculty to attend a special presentation by the Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) to learn about opportunities and resources in sustainability and energy-related invention management.

In addition to hearing insights from INVO leaders, attendees will hear from guest speaker Kathryn Meng, investment director, RA Capital, about investing opportunities in university-managed sustainable technologies from an industry perspective. John Torkelson, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, will share a recent success story that highlights cross-university collaboration opportunities. The event will be followed by dedicated time for networking with colleagues.

Where: Tech Institute | J-wing Atrium | J205

When: 4:00 - 6:00pm | Tuesday, April 30

3:45 PM

Arrival Doors Open

4:00 PM 4:10 PM

Introduction | Demetria Giannisis, Senior Managing Director | Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy

4:10 PM 4:30 PM

INVO Overview and InQbation Lab Resources | Sonia Kim, Executive Director | Querrey InQbation Lab, Innovation and New Ventures (INVO)

4:30 PM 4:40 PM

Trienens Institute/INVO Collaboration Overview | Phillip Carter, Associate Director, Strategic Alliances/Invention Manager | Innovation and New Ventures (INVO)

4:40 PM 5:00 PM

Collaboration Spotlight | John Torkelson, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering | Northwestern University

5:00 PM 5:30 PM

Investing Opportunities in Sustainable Technologies from Universities | Kathryn Meng, Investment Director | RA Capital Management

5:30 PM 6:00 PM

Networking with fellow attendees

About Guest Speaker Kathryn Meng

Kathryn Meng is an Investment Director within the Planetary Health division of RA Capital. Kathryn s primary responsibility at RA is to invest in companies developing solutions that address climate change and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining RA, Kathryn was SVP of Strategy at Energetic Insurance where she addressed regulatory-driven commercial lender limitations to enable financing for renewable energy and efficiency via financial insurance products. Before Energetic, she was Head of Carbon Strategic Partnerships at Indigo Ag, where she led external innovation focused on solutions that minimize or sequester agricultural GHG emissions and deliver additional environmental, social, and economic co-benefits. Prior to Indigo, Kathryn was Investment Principal at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) where she invested in enterprise and consumer-facing clean energy companies, including software and hardware companies focused on utility and grid resilience, grid edge, next-generation renewables, efficient mobility, industrial efficiency, sustainable buildings, and the water-energy nexus. Kathryn holds a BA in Geography and Peace and Conflict Studies from Colgate University, a MSc in International Development: Environment and Development from the University of Manchester (UK), and a MA and Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University (2016).

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May

FoundHer Stories | A Fireside Chat with Marinna Madrid

Online - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Northwestern University's Querrey InQbation Lab is hosting the FoundHer Stories series to amplify the startup stories of women scientist entrepreneurs.

Learn about Dr. Marinna Madrid s experience co-founding Cellino in 2017 alongside Dr. Nabiha Saklayen while pursuing their doctorates at Harvard. Dr. Madrid will share how her company is building a scalable, automated biomanufacturing system for potentially curative personalized cell therapies.

While the FoundHer Stories series is focused on supporting women innovators and entrepreneurs, all are welcome to register.

Please register in advance.

OUR SPEAKER

Marinna Madrid, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CPO of Cellino, a venture capital-backed early-stage biotech company. Cellino is making personalized regenerative medicines economically viable at scale for the first time. Marinna received her PhD and MA in Applied Physics from Harvard University, where she co-invented laser-based intracellular delivery techniques. She received her BSc in Biophysics from University of California, Los Angeles, after transferring from Riverside Community College. She is the recipient of the Harvard Graduate Prize Fellowship, the Catalyst Accelerator Grant from Harvard Medical School, and is on the Forbes 30 Under 30 2019 list for Healthcare.

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96119336898

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May

Renal Grand Rounds - Alexander Staruschenko, PhD

Chicago - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Join us every Thursday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm for an exciting variety of speakers presenting on a variety of topics but not limited to clinical nephrology, basic, clinical, and translational research, and innovation in kidney diseases.

Northwestern University's Querrey InQbation Lab is hosting the FoundHer Stories series to amplify the startup stories of women scientist entrepreneurs.

Learn about Dr. Janice Chen s experience spinning out Mammoth Biosciences in 2017 from her doctoral research at UC Berkeley while working with Nobel Laureate Prof. Jennifer Doudna. Dr. Chen will share how her company is harnessing the diversity of nature to power the next generation of CRISPR products for applications ranging from healthcare, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and biodefense.

While the FoundHer Stories series is focused on supporting women innovators and entrepreneurs, all are welcome to register.

Please register in advance.

OUR SPEAKER

Janice Chen, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CTO of Mammoth Biosciences, where she leads the Applied program by implementing CRISPR-based DETECTR technology towards disease detection and other areas. Janice received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology in Jennifer Doudna's lab at UC Berkeley. She has authored multiple publications and patents related to CRISPR mechanism and technologies, and co-invented the programmable CRISPR-based detection technology called DETECTR. Janice was selected as a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare, and delivered a TEDx talk in 2018 on the potential for CRISPR to democratize diagnostics.

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/95167793934

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Jul

FoundHer Stories | A Fireside Chat with Mariana Matus

Online - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Northwestern University's Querrey InQbation Lab is hosting the FoundHer Stories series to amplify the startup stories of women scientist entrepreneurs.

Learn about Dr. Mariana Matus experience spinning out Biobot Analytics in 2017 from her doctoral research at MIT while working with Prof. Eric Alm. Dr. Matus will share how her company analyzes sewage with molecular technologies and AI to provide early warning of population health threats across the globe.

While the FoundHer Stories series is focused on supporting women innovators and entrepreneurs, all are welcome to register.

Please register in advance.

OUR SPEAKER

Mariana Matus, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Biobot Analytics. Originally from Mexico City, Mariana received her PhD from the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT in Computational Biology, where she specialized in the emerging field of wastewater epidemiology. In addition to her doctoral studies, Mariana co-founded the MIT Underworlds Smart Sewers Project, leading the vision and funding for a $4M interdisciplinary research project with collaborators from MIT s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. This work led to the creation of Biobot Analytics and set the scientific foundation for Biobot s wastewater platform, which is now serving the CDC and communities across all 50 US states. Mariana plans to expand Biobot s venture backed platform, which has secured $30M in funding, into countries all over the globe. Dr. Matus has been recognized for her leadership and entrepreneurial excellence through several awards. In 2020, she was named to the C&EN Trailblazing Women in Chemistry. She made Newsweek s list of America s 50 Greatest Disruptors in 2021, and their list of America s 50 Enterprising Idealists in 2022. Boston Globe named Dr. Matus #8 on their inaugural 50 Tech Power Players list for 2022, and most recently she was honored to be featured on the 2022 TIME100 NEXT list as an industry innovator.

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/98076227954

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Aug

FoundHer Stories | A Fireside Chat with Nishita Deka

Online - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Northwestern University's Querrey InQbation Lab is hosting the FoundHer Stories series to amplify the startup stories of women scientist entrepreneurs.

Learn about Dr. Nishita Deka s experience spinning out Sonera in 2018 while pursuing her doctorate at UC Berkeley. Dr. Deka will share how her company is building high-performance biomagnetic sensors for detecting muscle and brain activity, with the goal of building commercially viable non-invasive brain-computer interfaces.

While the FoundHer Stories series is focused on supporting women innovators and entrepreneurs, all are welcome to register.

Please register in advance.

OUR SPEAKER

Nishita Deka, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Sonera. She co-founded Sonera to commercialize a novel magnetic sensing technology for human-computer interfaces, with applications ranging from next-generation interaction modalities for personal computing to advanced healthcare monitoring and diagnostic tools. Nishita earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. She has a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. At Berkeley, she focused on the design and fabrication of nanoscale devices for MEMS and sensing applications.

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/98353333202

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