Duke Inventions, UNC Oyster Boosters In NC IDEA Semis

An incubator formed to build companies from Duke University medical technologies and an incubator for oysters are among 26 semi-finalists from across North Carolina vying for the spring 2016 round of NC IDEA grants.

Durham’s Deep Blue Medical Advances, founded in 2014 as an incubator for developing various medical device inventions emanating from Duke University, is the sole bioscience-related semifinalist in the competition.

Howard Levinson, M.D., a Duke associate professor of plastic surgery, founded Deep Blue in the First Flight Venture Center on Davis Drive. He says ongoing Deep Blue projects include an anti-biofouling Foley catheter, a hernia mesh with enhanced anchoring strength, non-invasive light imaging technology to diagnose skin disorders, and tissue-engineered skin that resists contraction.

The semi-finalists also included a nod to the deep blue sea, however, for the Sandbar Oyster Company of Morehead City. 

Sandbar licenses patent rights from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on new substrate materials to be used for settling and growing oysters. The company aims to improve production of oysters for consumer markets and the restoration of oyster habitats. It's conducting a large-scale field test funded by the university’s Office of Technology Development.

The company was among presenters in October 2015 at the sixth annual International BioMarine Business Convention in Wilmington. The event was brought to Wilmington through the collaborative efforts of the convention owners, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and one of NCBiotech’s sector-building initiatives, the Wilmington-based Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation.

The grants of up to $50,000 are provided via twice-yearly application reviews from NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting business innovation and economic advancement statewide.

The organization serves as a catalyst for young, high-growth technology companies by promoting initiatives that foster growth and helps these companies contribute to the state’s business community. Since its inception in 2006, NC IDEA’s core grant program has awarded over $4.2 million to 104 companies across the state. It has also supported over 100 additional companies through its Durham-based startup program Groundwork Labs.

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