Investment...

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Kitty Cardwell is a professor in entomology and plant pathology and received funding to further the development of Microbe Finder (MiFi). MiFi is a next-generation sequence-analysis, cloud-based software-as-aservice that quickly finds several pathogens in a single sequenced sample with high targeting for life-saving diagnoses. The current technology is focused on plants, but the funding will be put toward the adaptation of the technology to mammals with a track on diagnosing tick-borne diseases early.

Yu Feng, associate professor in chemical engineering at OSU, is using artificial intelligencepowered, user-centered smart inhalers that will gather patients’ pulmonary-air flow dynamics information to maximize inhaled medication delivery.

“The Canopy Health tech program bridges a critical gap in the commercialization of OSU’s innovations by providing muchneeded prototype development funding and commercialization expertise,” said Daniel Will, Cowboy Technologies executive director. “The program is synergistic with the OSU Research Foundation and its for-profit accelerator and venture capital arm, Cowboy Technologies, that provides resources to drive OSU technology-based products and services to market, and support burgeoning startup ecosystem at OSU and in the state.”

The OSU faculty join two other researchers from OU as Canopy’s initial investments. Industry executives, both locally and nationally, visited Tulsa to assess the business plans from nine university-based innovators. The chosen research was selected based on their projected and recognized market strengths, encompassing a high chance of clinical use or follow-on funding by 2025.

Recipients hope to initiate technology-related startups in Tulsa.

“Canopy elevates Tulsa as a thought leader and fertile ground for virtual HealthTech innovation by highlighting our state’s intellectual capital to in- and out-ofstate stakeholders,” said Rachel Lane, Canopy HealthTech executive director. “Our inaugural year is just the first flurry of activity in the industry avalanche we anticipate.” news.ed@ocolly.com research, operations and partnerships of higher education institutions through a commitment from institute leadership.

“Our partnerships are complementary,” Kluver said. “We develop them because they are mutually beneficial, in helping us learn more about the others’ context and efforts, and them to learn about ours. These partnerships, such as study abroad programs, can directly help our students and faculty, as it opens up opportunities for them to learn more about the international context and to see a dimension of their scholarship or research that they might not see if they were to stay here.” news.ed@ocolly.com