Case agrees to exclusive licensing agreement
with NDI Medical
Technology developed at the university for use
in creating a bladder control device
April 12, 2005 | For more information: Jeff
Bendix 216-368-6070
Case Western Reserve University has signed an exclusive agreement with
NDI Medical to license technology developed at the university for use
in creating a bladder control device.
“We are extremely pleased to have entered into this agreement
with Case,” said Geoff Thrope, president of NDI Medical. “This
cements our relationship with the university and gives us the green
light to proceed with commercializing this promising technology.” Case
partnered with MetroHealth Medical Center and the Louis Stokes Cleveland
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in the development
of the technology.
The technology reduces urinary incontinence through an implanted device
that delivers electrical stimulation to a sensory reflex nerve that
controls the urge to urinate. According to Thrope, about 16 million
people in the United States. experience some degree of urinary incontinence.
“The goal of this therapy is to bring relief to people who experience
frequent, significant urges to urinate,” Thrope said. He added
that trials involving the temporary implant of the device have been
going on for about two years. Trials using permanent implants will begin
in about a year, and the company hopes to have the product commercially
available in three to four years.
NDI has received more than $6 million in funding from state and federal
sources, including through the federal Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) program and Ohio’s Third Frontier Action Fund. “NDI
Medical is the type of company the Third Frontier Action Fund was designed
to help,” said Jennifer Ruggles, project administrator in the
technology
division of the Ohio Department of Development. “It is commercializing
an exciting technology that was developed in Ohio and has the potential
to create new jobs for Ohioans.”
“We have never had this kind of resource before and with help
from NDI Medical, we are striving to make Ohio the neurostimulation
capital,” said P. Hunter Peckham, professor of biomedical engineering
and executive director of the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation
(FES) Center.
The technology underlying the device was developed by three Case researchers
who also co-founded NDI Medical: Warren Grill, formerly an assistant
professor of biomedical engineering in the Case School of Engineering
and now an adjunct professor; Kenneth Gustafson, assistant professor
of biomedical engineering; and Graham Creasey, associate professor of
physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Case School of Medicine,
Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and MetroHealth Medical
Center.
A 1979 graduate of the Case School of Engineering, Thrope has had a
long association with the biomedical engineering department and its
current chair, Patrick Crago, and with many of the faculty.
“I am elated by this agreement,” said Crago. “Our
goal of commercializing the medical innovations of our faculty and students
is validated by achieving this new licensing agreement. It bodes well
for future collaborations with industry.”
The business plan for NDI won the Weatherhead School of Management’s
2002 Business Launch Competition. The company was founded shortly afterwards
with the support of Case’s Office of Technology Transfer.
“NDI Medical is a great Case success story,” said Michael
Haag, senior licensing manager for life sciences. “It is a company
that has its roots at Case and is using technology developed at Case.
We think it will be the model for many future spinoffs.”
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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