Polsky Supports 13 Teams in Spring Quarter I-Corps Cohort

The Polsky Center ran its National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported I-Corps program virtually during the Spring quarter and accepted the largest number of teams of any cohort managed to-date. Polsky supported 13 teams focused on STEM projects in the seven-week program:

• ADPL Project, centered around Activity Dependent Proximity Ligation, is a platform technology that can measure enzyme activity with high resolution. Team members: Raymond Moellering, Jeff Montgomery, Gang Li, Vanessa Ma, Kirk Swanson, and Poorva Sandlesh.
• AutoLert is an easy-to-use iOS application that uses facial landmark detection to monitor drowsiness and attentiveness in drivers in real- time. Team member: Mickey Friedman.
• Bench Buddy is creating a platform to streamline scientific research, allowing scientists to work through interactive protocols. It integrates timers for each step and scales all calculations automatically. Team members: Blake Flood and Emily Higgs.
• Diabetes Group Visit Staff Training Program focuses on end-to-end support for shared medical appointments, or group visits. This includes peer support and group education. Team members: Arshiya Baig, Jennifer Close, and Kevin Yang.
• Digital CFU aims to commercialize digital CFU technology used to detect the absolute concentration of microorganisms in any liquid samples using droplet technology. Team members: Fatih Abasiyanik, Jing Lin, and Melikhan Tanyeri.
• NeuroOdyssey is creating the first adaptive cognitive prosthetic that will help recover cognitive functions lost in patients who suffer from brain disorders. Team members: Shawn Albert, Ankeeta Shah, and Richard Zhu.
• Novel Skin-Based Gene Editing for Treating Drug Abuse is developing and commercializing a skin cell-based gene therapy for treating drug abuse and co-abuse. Team members: Ming Xu, Payal Motwani, and Loren Riedy.
• Peanut Allergy Vaccine is creating a vaccine against peanut allergies that would be administered subcutaneously to infants deemed at high risk of developing a peanut allergy. Team members: Shijie Cao and Chitavi Maulloo.
• QSys is building a quantum consulting firm that provides cutting-edge expertise to help advance the frontiers in quantum information science. Team members: Joel Grebel, Kevin Gui, David Roberts, and Yi-Hsien Du.
• Smyl Fitness Rx creates functional assessments that older adults can complete at home with a smartwatch rather than in a lab. These assessments detect when a health decline is present, but is not severe enough to display observable symptoms. The assessments will provide personalized markers for predictive modeling and preventative treatment. Team members: Terrance Wallace, Brigitte Anderson, Holli Jones, and Emil Jovanov.
• Tech 10X recruits for Black and underserved technical jobs with an emphasis on software development. It uses the sourcing fee to give recruits housing grants or provide funds for startups in Chicago’s Promise Zones. Team members: Desmend Jetton, Nicole Wilson, and Deja Baker.
• UltraRes Biosciences is combining super-resolution microscopy with mass spectrometry, which provides a predictive assessment of compound specificity and efficacy. Team members: Amine Driouchi, Jelani Hannah, Richard Zhu, and Gang Li.
• University Blood Initiative fosters local blood donation and renews youth engagement in the blood donation process via the establishment of university student-led chapters. Team members: Aviva Klein, Max Korsun, Darain Syed, and Thara Venu.

Learn more about the Polsky I-Corps program:
Contact Melissa Byrn // melissa.byrn@chicagobooth.edu