Utah’s Science Guy

Breaking through barriers and taking Utah with him

Utah’s closest thing to the popular Bill Nye the Science Guy is physicist and inventor Bill Niedermeyer. Niedermeyer thinks everyone can be a scientist — and he’ll stop mid-task to make sure you’re following him as he explains every detail with unrivaled enthusiasm.

An expert marksman and gourmand, Niedermeyer is unassuming and friendly. Now, partnered with a team of world-class scientists at EVÕQ Nano, he is leading Utah to the future of nanotech.

This branch of technology cuts across numerous scientific disciplines — physics, chemistry, microbiology, engineering, just for starters. Nanotechnology came on the scene decades ago with big promises and mind-blowing models.

It’s taken that long for the actual science to catch up with theory.

Niedermeyer, EVÕQ Nano’s chief technology officer, and Dr. Bretni Kennon, Ph.D., chief science officer, spent hundreds of hours at the University of Utah’s Nanofab doing science no one else is doing and

painstakingly capturing and documenting imaging of their uniquely spherical, non-ionic particles.

In animated tones, Niedermeyer and Kennon report about their latest “field trip” to the university.

“We can see exactly where our materials are in the bacterial cell. We permeated the membrane without lysing (rupturing) it,” Kennon explains. “And we can see our materials evenly distributed throughout the dead bacteria.”

Nanomaterial is the smallest of the small. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, about half the width of a DNA chain. The customengineered particles Niedermeyer and Kennon test in EVÕQ Nano’s North Salt Lake City labs are between four and 10 nanometers.

At that size, material stops behaving as expected on the macroscale. Solids become liquid, opaque becomes transparent, stable turns combustible, and knowns become unknown.

Further, most nanomaterials are ionic and can be dangerous to humans or the environment. But data indicate EVÕQ Nano’s material is safe, earth-friendly, and effective. EVÕQ Nano CEO Scott Morrison focuses on translating key findings into viable market solutions.

“We feel a deep responsibility to harness this technology’s potential. We dialed in the manufacturing and research, and we are seeing incredible results.” he said.

The company’s latest win includes killing antibioticresistant superbugs. Partnered with the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), EVÕQ Nano and Seattle Children’s Hospital found key ingredient EVQ-218 demonstrated in vitro efficacy against more than 60 different strains of bacteria and fungi, including many of the world’s worst pathogens.

Project advisor Thomas Hofmann, MD, Ph.D., wrote:

“[EVQ-218] has been shown to have broad and consistent antiinfective potential against lung pathogens in [cystic fibrosis], from the common pathogens (P.a., Staph, Stenotrophomonas) to the more rare and difficult pathogens (fungi, NTM, Burkholderia). Therefore, it qualifies as an excellent, broadspectrum candidate for inhaled drug development.”

Rafael Hernandez, MD, Ph.D., Center for Global Infectious Disease Research at Seattle Children’s, agreed EVQ-218 indicates “promise as an anti-infective therapy for [cystic fibrosis].” With this data, EVÕQ Bio, EVÕQ Nano’s biotech and pharmaceutical division, initiated a Food and Drug Administration path for EVQ218 and is completing toxicology studies, with its FDA pre-IND meeting near.

Meanwhile, EVÕQ Energy is developing lead-acid battery prototypes with reputable battery manufacturers to penetrate the home energy storage market, and EVÕQ licensing deals provide vital ingredients to create antimicrobial textiles and surfaces.

The project has come a long way since the early 2000s when Niedermeyer trolled technology conferences to share small bottles on his high energy-ablated nanoparticles, evenly suspended in Rocky Mountain water.

Back then he didn’t know exactly what he had. Nearly 20 years later, Niedermeyer knows his nanoparticles are truly unique— unlike any other nano. And he’s more confident than ever that the nanotech frontier is endless.

Learn more at evoqnano.com.