Can Microbubble “Jackhammers” Speed Up Personalized Medicine?

Founder’s Fireside Lunch: Can Microbubble “Jackhammers” Speed Up Personalized Medicine? Featuring UNC Professors and Co-Founders of Triangle Biotechnology: Paul Dayton, PhD; and Samantha Pattenden, PhD
Before doctors can confidently prescribe the most effective antibiotic treatment for their patients, they have to know which germs they’re going up against? But for some microbes, such as multi-drug resistant, gram-positive bacteria, the traditional culturing process can take an extensive amount of time: days, weeks, even months. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking as patients suffer instead of getting better. Might there be a way to streamline molecular diagnostics by removing a bottleneck at the sample preparation stage—a process that currently takes scientists too much time—so that patients can get the treatment they need sooner? Join the Founder’s Fireside Chat at the Innovate Carolina Junction to find out.
On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Innovate Carolina will host a (bring your own!) lunch conversation featuring the UNC faculty co-founders of UNC-affiliated startup Triangle Biotechnology: Paul Dayton, William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor and Chair of the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Samantha Pattenden, Associate Professor of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the Eshelman School of Ph*rm*cy. Based on a problem that arose in Pattenden’s lab—how to more efficiently extract chromatin, a mixture of DNA and its associated proteins, from the cell nucleus—Dayton invented a reagent and developed a technology with Pattenden that became the foundational innovation of the company. During the chat, the two founders will describe the company’s technology—and an ultrasound-activated reagent that creates microbubble jackhammers to break up specimens much faster—and share wisdom from the perspectives of faculty entrepreneurs. Facilitated by Dedric Carter, PhD, MBA, Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and UNC Chief Innovation Officer, this conversation will give you a chance to learn key pieces of advice from Dayton and Pattenden that might guide your own journey: What strategy did they pursue for filing patents? How did they identify and assess the market potential and commercial pathway? What are their funding strategies? And how did they identify and bring on the right talent to manage and lead the company?
About the Founder’s Fireside Chat
This series of monthly brown bag chats features insightful conversations with the founders and leaders of startup and innovation-driven organizations connected with UNC-Chapel Hill. These lively and insightful chats are moderated by Dr. Carter and are perfect for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, innovation, and the dynamic world of UNC’s founding visionaries. Bring your lunch and enjoy a casual conversation while gaining valuable perspectives and inspiration from leaders who are shaping the future.

About the Featured Innovators
Paul Dayton, PhD, is the William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor and Chair of the UNC-NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. His research involves developing new technologies for imaging blood flow, microvasculature, and molecular markers using ultrasound and microbubble contrast agents. Samantha Pattenden, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the Eshelman School of Ph*rm*cy. Her lab develops innovative techniques in chromatin-based therapeutic target discovery and cancer diagnostics.

About Triangle Biotechnology
Triangle Biotechnology is a UNC-affiliated startup that consists of a team of scientists and ultrasonic engineers working together to create innovative, high-quality, high-throughput sonication solutions for biological sample preparation. The company is revolutionizing sample prep for a number of applications, including DNA shearing for next-generation sequencing, chromatin shearing for ChIP / ChIP-Seq, cell lysis for difficult-to-process samples, protein extraction for mass spectrometry.

Host or Publisher Innovate Carolina