NCInnovation Approves $13.6 Million to Support 17 University R&D Projects
Projects range from protecting agriculture and livestock to therapeutics for severe disease
Research Triangle Park, NC – NCInnovation, a non-profit organization that helps unlock the innovative potential of North Carolina’s world-class public universities, approved $13.6 million in R&D funding for 17 research projects at 12 North Carolina public universities. The unanimous Board of Directors approvals come after a multi-month review and evaluation process led by external panels of subject matter experts and overseen by the Program Committee of NCInnovation’s Board of Directors.
The R&D grants will support applied research that has already achieved proof of concept in areas from agriculture technology to Alzheimer’s treatment. Funding approval is conditioned on standard next steps, including executed grant agreements and formal notification to government partners.
“Thank you to NCInnovation’s external reviewers, hard-working staff, and Program Committee members for the thoughtful and diligent work put into this process,” said Deanna Ballard, chair of the NCInnovation Board of Directors Program Committee. “The research projects on this list are exactly what North Carolina public universities should be championing: real-world research that can bolster North Carolina’s – and America’s – competitiveness.”
“North Carolina’s public universities are working on truly amazing technologies, from improving poultry and livestock mortality rates to treating diseases like Alzheimer’s and pancreatic cancer,” said Michelle Bolas, executive vice president and chief innovation officer of NCInnovation. “NCInnovation helps researchers advance their discoveries through the university R&D process toward commercialization, strengthening the university-to-industry pipeline that’s central to American competitiveness.”
NCInnovation grant applications undergo rigorous evaluation. Applicants went through a multi-phase review process that included a pre-application, a full application, an external expert review panel, and a market fit assessment. The NCInnovation Board of Directors Program Committee, chaired by former Sen. Deanna Ballard, reviewed thousands of pages of application materials over the course of two months to develop the slate of R&D grants considered by the full board.
Only university researchers, not private companies, are eligible for NCInnovation grants.
NCInnovation’s Board of Directors approved the following 17 projects, which have achieved proof of concept, show commercial promise, and have the potential to drive job creation and economic growth across the state:
Dr. Zachary E. Russell, Appalachian State University
Using AI to identify livestock parasites
Dr. Zachary E. Russell and team developed a robotic microscope that can radically reduce the time, expertise, and cost needed to identify parasites in livestock and poultry, potentially supporting an industry critical to North Carolina’s economy and for which the state is a national leader. Their system automates a tedious and time-consuming analysis that currently requires specialists to identify parasites that are readily treatable if quickly and properly categorized. This technology promises results in minutes instead of days.
Dr. Stephanie Richards, East Carolina University
Compact wind tunnel for testing pesticides
Dr. Stephanie Richards and team developed a cost- and time-efficient device and method to test pesticide effectiveness against the world’s deadliest animal: mosquitoes. The process utilizes a compact wind tunnel (patent pending) to assess insecticide effectiveness, obviating the need for more expensive and lengthy field tests. The technology has applications for local governments, public health agencies, and agriculture, and will result in the creation of a new contract research organization based in eastern North Carolina.
Dr. Patrick Briley, East Carolina University
Technology to support speech language pathologists to treat stuttering
Dr. Patrick Briley and team developed a platform technology to help speech language pathologists and their patients treat stuttering through a digital platform that can carry on conversations, recognize speech patterns, and recommend specific lessons based on those patterns. The platform also addresses social anxiety by providing immersive VR practice environments and AI-driven customized treatments plans, and it includes case management tools.
Dr. Shirley Lee Chao, Fayetteville State University
Hemp-based bio pesticide for use in commercial poultry houses
Dr. Shirley Lee Chao and team patented two organic pesticides derived from industrial hemp that compare favorably with more toxic pesticides in early tests. The goal is to replace insecticides that harm pollinators and are associated with increased cancer risks in humans. The initial focus is on treating poultry houses (a major industry in NC), which often rely on toxic chemicals to control bugs, as well as post-harvest food-storage facilities.
Dr. Randy Schmitz, North Carolina A&T State University
Clinical knee arthrometer to measure knee laxity
Dr. Randy Schmitz, Department of Kinesiology chair at North Carolina A&T State University, and team invented a portable device, called an arthrometer, to test knee laxity, or looseness, which is a key indicator of injury risk for athletes, as well as the military. Knee injuries account for roughly 50% of musculoskeletal injuries in active people, and some 10 million patients are seen a year in the United States. The most commonly used arthrometer for 40 years is no longer available, and clinicians are dissatisfied with existing devices.
Dr. Amay Bandodkar, North Carolina State University
Healing wounds with electric bandages
Dr. Amay J. Bandodkar and team invented an inexpensive bandage with an embedded battery and electrodes that produce an electric field to facilitate rapid wound closure, including in irregularly shaped and deep wounds. Studies indicate faster healing than the current standard of care and the bandages have a number of potential uses, including the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, which affect nearly 750,000 Americans a year and have a mortality rate comparable to many cancers. Through this funding, the team will also pursue the bandage’s practicality in military and disaster settings.
Dr. Ericka Ford, North Carolina State University
Non-toxic fiber production
Dr. Ericka Ford and team developed a better way to make acrylic and carbon fibers, which have a wide range of uses. Currently this industry relies on a toxic manufacturing process that hasn’t changed since the 1940s and, as a result, is mostly carried out overseas. The new process would enable re-shoring, with a lower carbon footprint.
Dr. Amanda L. Wolfe, UNC Asheville
Targeting drug-resistant bacteria
Dr. Amanda L. Wolfe and team developed compounds that offer a promising new way to fight bacteria that resist existing drugs. There has been a sharp uptick in these multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens globally, with 3,595 recorded in 2021 in North Carolina hospitals alone, and one-in-four infections among active-duty military personnel involving an MDR pathogen. These new compounds inhibit an essential energy-producing enzyme in two bacteria designated as critical priority targets by the World Health Organization.
Dr. Jeffrey S. A. Stringer, UNC Chapel Hill
Inexpensive, portable ultrasounds
Dr. Jeffrey S.A. Stringer and team developed a low-cost ultrasound device that connects to smartphones and tablets, which will give women without local maternity care options better access to prenatal ultrasounds through a primary physician or local nurse. Nurses can collect ultrasound images with only a few hours of training, and those images can be analyzed by artificial intelligence, reducing reliance on specialists. According to the March of Dimes, more than 2 million American women live in counties without adequate access to prenatal care.
Dr. Ronit Freeman, UNC Chapel Hill
Treatment for fibrosis
Dr. Ronit Freeman and team are developing a drug to treat fibrosis, which is a scarring of heart, lung, or other organ tissue. Existing treatments for common types of fibrosis have such limited effects that only a fraction of patients even receive treatment. This team envisions producing a weekly inhalant that, at a minimum, will slow the condition’s progression and may reverse fibrosis, which would be unprecedented in humans.
Dr. Susan Trammell, UNC Charlotte
Laser technology to protect and store vaccines for transport
Dr. Susan Trammell and team developed an innovative laser technology, called Light-Assisted Drying, to enable storage of vaccines and other therapeutics at room temperature. The technology would eliminate the need for refrigeration during transport and storage, reducing costs by up to 80%. The process is faster and more versatile than other emerging methods. Key stakeholders include public health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, livestock producers, and healthcare providers.
Dr. Pinku Mukherjee, UNC Charlotte
Pancreatic cancer therapeutic
Dr. Pinku Mukherjee, the Irwin Belk distinguished professor of cancer research at UNC Charlotte, and team are developing a novel T-cell engager derived from a patented monoclonal antibody that was also developed at UNC Charlotte. This T-cell engager has shown significant efficacy in treating chemotherapy-resistant pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is particularly deadly because it is typically diagnosed only in late stages due to a lack of screening tools and the fact that it progresses without obvious symptoms.
Dr. Kaira Wagoner, UNC Greensboro
Pheromone-based technology for pest- and disease-resistant honeybees
Dr. Kaira Wagoner and team are addressing declining honeybee health with a pheromone-based technology called UBeeO. The primary threat to honeybees – crucial pollinators for food crops – is the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Chemical treatments are costly and harm hives, and other methods are unsuccessful and labor-intensive. UBeeO helps identify bee colonies that are Varroa-resistant so that queens from those hives can be bred selectively, improving bee colony survival rates.
Dr. Liam Michael Duffy, UNC Greensboro
A faster method for identifying molecules
Dr. Liam Michael Duffy and team are working on a better way to identify molecules, which is a crucial step in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical and agrochemical development. Their patented approach can radically lower the time, energy, and cost needed to distinguish molecular isomers (molecules made of the same atoms but with different physical structures) from each other, which would be revolutionary in drug and chemical industries.
Dr. Ben A. Bahr, UNC Pembroke
Alzheimer’s and traumatic brain injury therapeutic
Dr. Ben A. Bahr, a William C. Friday endowed chair and distinguished professor at UNC Pembroke, and team are working on a new therapeutic compound to treat Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 55 million people worldwide, as well as other brain disorders. Current treatment options are expensive, inaccessible, and/or have limited effectiveness. Bahr’s patent-pending compounds work to reduce multiple pathogenic proteins that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Dr. Lindsey Schroeder, UNC Wilmington
Neck Strength Assessment Device with military and sports applications
Dr. Lindsey H. Schroeder and team developed a new system to identify people at risk for traumatic brain injuries, whiplash, and other head and neck trauma. The device is portable and easy to use, relying on artificial intelligence and machine learning to set a new standard in neuromuscular monitoring.
Dr. Leslee Battle and Dr. Tori Brown, Winston-Salem State University
Utilizing virtual reality to train nurses
Dr. Leslee Battle, Dr. Tori Brown, and Ryan Schmaltz (director of the Virtual Reality Nursing Program at Winston-Salem State University) are developing state-of-the-art technologies to train the next generation of nurses with Patient Ready, an artificial intelligence-enabled platform that delivers realistic training simulations that are medically accurate and emotionally responsive. The system will mimic real-world training with its adaptive learning capabilities and may help address the nursing shortage facing North Carolina and the country.
NCInnovation, Inc. is a Research Triangle Park, NC-based 501(c)(3) public-private partnership designed to accelerate commercialized innovation from North Carolina’s research universities. Backed by more than $25 million in private philanthropic commitments, NCInnovation uses the interest and income from a $500 million State-funded endowment to provide non-dilutive grant funding, mentors, and support services so that North Carolina university proofs-of-concept return value to the regional communities that created them. Learn more at NCInnovation.org.
