Faculty Startups Gain Traction

Northwestern Biomedical Engineering professors are taking their research out of their lab and bringing it to the public through successful startups.

Aptinyx, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, recently completed an IPO and began trading on the Nasdaq market. The company raised $102 million for its development of novel, synthetic molecules for the treatment of brain and nervous system disorders. Founded by Professor Joseph Moskal, Aptinyx was spun out of a predecessor company, Naurex, which was purchased by Allergan for $560 million.

Epicore Biosystems, a startup spun out of the lab of Professor John Rogers, has commercialized a proprietary sweat microfluidic sensing platform that is low-cost and capable of analyzing small droplets of sweat directly from the skin. The company recently partnered with Gatorade, the Seattle Mariners, the US Air Force, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to bring these patches into widespread distribution.