(30c) Commercializing a Biomaterial Platform Technology: Knowing Your Audience

In this talk, I will discuss my experience commercializing a novel biomaterial platform. Microporous Annealed Particle (MAP) scaffolds came out of my postdoctoral research and 10 years ago my co-inventors and I began the journey towards commercialization by founding Tempo Therapeutics. In addition to discussing the transition from academic research to industry start-up, I will also explore some of the hurdles we encountered and the lessons we learned. In particular, I will highlight the necessity of understanding the historical perspectives, motivations, and expectations held by different audiences, including regulatory agencies, patent officials, and investors.

Author Biography: Don Griffin is an Associate Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Virginia (UVA). He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2011 from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to starting his academic appointment at UVA, Prof. Griffin co-founded Tempo Therapeutics to commercialize a biomaterial known as Microporous Annealed Particle (MAP) for the regenerative treatment of volumetric wounds. As Chief Science Officer (CSO), Prof. Griffin has helped guide and grow Tempo since its incorporation in 2015. Tempo is currently engaged in clinical studies for treatment of poorly healing diabetic wounds and accelerated closure of large skin wounds following cancer removal via Mohs surgery. At UVA, the Griffin research group focuses on the study of MAP-tissue integration and using MAP to investigate the impact of biomaterial features on clinically-relevant outcomes, including regeneration (e.g., skin, mucosal epithelium, and skeletal muscle), reconstruction (e.g., vocal cord), and transplant support (e.g., pancreatic beta cells for type 1 diabetes treatment).