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Credit: MDI Biological Laboratory
BAR HARBOR, MAINE -- The MDI Biological Laboratory has announced that it is providing incubator space and associated scientific resources on its Bar Harbor campus to Coagulation Sciences LLC a Riverdale, N.Y- based development-stage medical device company.
Coagulation Sciences is developing the Multiple Coagulation Test System (MCTSTM) to help hospitals minimize or eliminate unnecessary blood transfusions and their associated risks by providing information to physicians to arrest bleeding more rapidly.
Michael Kagan, Coagulation Sciences' director of product development, an engineer and Maine resident, hopes to establish manufacturing of the MCTSTM instrument and its disposable test cartridge in Maine. Kagan chose the incubator space at the MDI Biological Laboratory because of its location and the institution's commitment to developing a vibrant life sciences ecosystem in Maine.
"Maine needs to develop a support system to promote innovation and commercialization if it is going to grow its life sciences sector," Kagan said. "An important step is providing the incubator space and expertise to move a product through its development cycle. The MDI Biological Laboratory has the core laboratory facilities, infrastructure and access to expertise that will help us take Coagulation Sciences to the next level. This space allows us to expand our development efforts without additional capital equipment."
Coagulation Sciences is representative of the trend toward personalized medicine, or the tailoring of treatments to individual needs. Current tests to determine if transfusions are needed are often non-specific or too slow to inform transfusion decisions. As a result, 30 to 40 percent of blood transfusions are unnecessary. The company's automated analytical system will have the ability to determine within minutes if a coagulation disorder is truly present, and, if so, help define the nature of the problem so that the physician can make an informed decision regarding treatment.
The MDI Biological Laboratory is an independent nonprofit biomedical research institution focused on basic discovery, translation of discoveries into technologies that improve human health and driving innovation and entrepreneurship through interdisciplinary research, training and network-building. The institution's research and development activities are focused on regenerative medicine and its scientists are pioneering new approaches to treating devastating diseases like heart attack.
"Our goal is to help create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that nurtures innovation in the life sciences by providing a collaborative environment and by connecting entrepreneurs with the resources they need," said Kevin Strange, Ph.D., MDI Biological Laboratory president. "Coagulation Sciences has developed a new technology that will revolutionize the way we manage blood transfusions and is seeking to manufacture its device in Maine. This is exactly the type of company we want to help support."
Other innovative startups that the MDI Biological Laboratory has helped to launch and/or grow include RockStep Solutions, a life sciences-based software development startup; Anecdata, a data collection web application for crowd sourcing scientific and other types of data; and Novo Biosciences, the institution's first for-profit spin-off, which is developing drug therapies to reactivate and stimulate the body's innate healing abilities.
"Maine's enviable quality of life, Yankee work ethic and outstanding research and educational institutions can be leveraged to build a thriving life sciences industry sector," Kagan says. "But continued investment in the infrastructure and resources to attract and support new life sciences enterprises and the development of a technology-focused entrepreneurial culture is critical."
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The MDI Biological Laboratory, located in Bar Harbor, Maine, is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution focused on increasing healthy lifespan and increasing our natural ability to repair and regenerate tissues damaged by injury or disease. The institution develops solutions to complex human health problems through research, education and ventures that transform discoveries into cures. For more information, please visit mdibl.org.