December

Cornell researchers receive $100,000 grant from NFL Charities

Researchers from Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College have been awarded $100,000 by NFL Charities to research tissue engineering for spinal injuries.

New York State plans pilot seed fund

New York State is launching a new $2M fund aimed at providing seed-stage financing for high-tech startup companies.

PacBio wins number one on the list of 'Top 10 Innovations of 2010'

PacBio, a Cornell startup, wins the distinction of the number one life science innovation of 2010.

PacBio and Harvard use fast gene sequencer to crack DNA code of Haitian cholera strain

Cornell startup, PacBio, works with Harvard Medical School to sequence the full genome of the deadly cholera bug that has plagued Haiti since October.

CCTEC celebrates banner year

With its highest-ever gross revenues and largest number of spinoff businesses launched to date, CCTEC had its most successful year in fiscal year 2010.

Cornell researchers are making graphene nanomachines practical

Harold Craighead, and his colleagues in the Physics Department, can make graphene nanodevices called resonators on the surface of silicon wafer.

November

Weill Cornell Medical College studies lay groundwork for new treatments for regenerating liver and bone marrow

A team led by Shahin Rafii of Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on how the liver restores itself by demonstrating that endothelial cells play a key role.

iFyber receives grant from NSF

Cornell startup, iFyber, receives an SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation to develop nanoparticle, antimicrobial coatings on natural scaffolds for tissue reconstruction.

Achronix partners with Intel

Achronix, a Cornell startup, partners with Intel to not only make PLDs cheaper and less energy hungry, but to improve their performance so they can power the latest networking equipment.

Cornell professor develops new critical care tool

Dan Fletcher at Cornell's Hospital for Animals designed rescue dog and cat mannequins and related software for students to understand and practice emergency procedures.

Combination therapy kills cancer cells without harming surrounding tissue

Ari Melnick and his colleagues at Weill Cornell Medical College have found a combination therapy that is more effective than traditional cancer treatments and does not cause harm to surrounding tissue.

Discovery may lead to better tests for prostate cancer

Mark Rubin and his research team at Weill Cornell Medical College have identified secondary mutations that cause some types of prostate cancer to be lethal.

New type of prosthetic retina could someday restore detailed sight

Sheila Nirenberg and her postdoc, both of Weill Cornell Medical College, have built a surgery-free prosthetic retina that can restore vision in blind mice.

October

Startup firm set to fight Alzheimer's

Cornell startup, ADispell Inc., is gearing up for the fight against Alzheimer's with its own answer to the degenerative disease.

Pacific Biosciences Raises $200M in U.S. IPO

Pacific Biosciences announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 12,500,000 shares of its common stock at $16.00 per share.

Gene therapy may be powerful new treatment for major depression

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College paper reports that restoring a crucial gene in a tiny area of the brain reverses depression-like behavior in mice; human data backs up the promise of such therapy.

Researchers at Cornell are first to succeed in combining polymer self-assembly with inorganic single-crystal epitaxy

Prof. Ulrich Wiesner and his colleagues have developed a way of making single-crystal silicon or nickel monosilicide nanostructures with the help of a block copolymer self-assembly technique.

Cornell students develop a new iPhone app -- CUPetHealth

An iPhone app, developed by Cornell students, takes the guesswork out of achieving a dog or cat's appropriate weight.

Cornell researcher receives a grant from the Metropolitan Development Association

Cornell researcher, CC Chu, was awarded a grant to explore the feasibility of utilizing NovaSterilis' (a local company) supercritical co2 sterilization for a variety of absorbable biomaterials from both commercial and experimental sources.

September

Two Cornell startups receive Grants for Growth Awards

iFyber and Orthogonal are among the four recipients chosen to receive Grants for Growth awards from CenterState CEO.

Apply for the next round of Grants for Growth here.

Cornell professor wins MacArthur 'genius' award

Michal Lipson, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, was named one of 23 MacArthur Foundation grant recipients and will receive $500,000 over the new five years from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

To learn more about Prof. Lipson's inventions, click here.

Cornell researchers develop post-operation wound treatment

After more than 20 years of industry-wide trial and error, Cornell biomedical engineers and plastic surgeons from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have developed a sugar-based compound that may help bind post-operative wounds.

August

Cornell celebrates deal with NY apple growers

Cornell University officials, with some of the state's top agriculture officials, signed a deal with New York apple growers, giving them exclusive rights to new varieties developed by Cornell breeders.

PacBio looks to raise up to $200M in IPO

Pacific Biosciences plans to raise up to $200M in an initial public offering of its common stock, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

July

Novomer receives $18.4M grant from DOE

Novomer, Inc. received $18.4M from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project that seeks to convert waste carbon dioxide into plastics for use in bottles, laminates and other applications.

Cornell graduate students win top health care prizes

Mark Hartman and George Lewis Jr., both Cornell doctoral candidates, win top health care prizes with awards totaling $250,000.

Mezmeriz NSF Grant Award Reaches $200K

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Cornell startup, Mezmeriz, an additional $50,000 in funds to support the previously awarded SBIR Phase I grant for the company's carbon fiber MEMS pico projector.

June

New molecular framework could lead to flexible solar cells

The Dichtel group in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology has developed a method to organize organic dyes into stacked, porous two-dimensional sheets. These materials may ultimately be incorporated into inexpensive, flexible solar cells.

Gen-Probe makes $50M investment in Pacific Biosciences

Pacific Biosciences, a pioneer in real-time detection of biological events at the single molecule resolution level, received a $50M strategic investment from Gen-Probe Inc. to apply its technology to the diagnosis of human diseases.

May

Sugary band-aid may help heal post-operative tissue

A compound found in sunless tanning spray may help heal wounds following surgery, according to results published by plastic surgeons from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and biomedical engineers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Recent papers in PNAS and in Journal of Biomedical Materials Research provide additional background (subscription necessary to view the full articles).

Green of the Crop winner: Anil Netravali, inventor of organic composites

Cornell professor Anil Netravli won the Green of the Crop award for his research in green composite materials. His research is the basis for Cornell startup e2e Materials, Inc. whose eco-friendly product replaces traditional formaldehyde-based particleboard, plywood and medium-density fiberboard in furniture, cabinets and building materials.

Two new apple varieties released for New York State growers only

Apple varieties developed by Cornell are grown around the world, but the newest releases will be New York state exclusives. 'We want varieties that will excite our consumers,' says Roger Lamont, apple grower and chairman of New York Apple Growers (NYAG). 'And we need varieties that thrive in New York state -- a very different growing environment than Washington state or New Zealand.'

Department of Defense and The Solar Energy Commission invest $2.2M in Cornell startup, Widetronix, Inc.

Ithaca-based company, Widetronix, Inc., received two grants worth a total of $2.2M to expand its team and open a prototyping facility in Ithaca, creating five jobs in the near term and 25 high-tech jobs over the next five years. The company, based on Cornell technology, designs and builds low power, long life batteries for microelectronics.

Joint venture established in China to commercialize products based on licensed Cornell technologies

BioWorks Inc., a Cornell licensee and startup, and Coway International TechTrans Co., a commercialization partner of CCTEC in China, established a joint venture in China to commercialize products based on licensed Cornell inventions. CCTEC introduced the two parties initially and facilitated the formation of the joint venture.

April

Cornell inventor, Anil Netravali, named greenest inventor by regional group

Cornell fiber scientist Anil Netravali won first place in the inventor/entrepreneur category of the first 'Green of the Crop' contest, which honors innovative solutions for environmental issues by people, businesses, schools and community organizations.

Bright ideas pay dividends

A recent book, titled 'Sparking Economic Growth,' put out by The Science Coalition, a consortium of universities that includes SUNY, Cornell University, University of Rochester, and RPI, describes the positive impact of federal funding on university research. The book cites success stories, such as Google, Cisco Systems and SAS as proof that ideas hatched at American universities and backed by federal funding can turn into major economic engines. Cornell startup, Kionix, Inc., is mentioned.

March

Nanofluidics identify epigenetic changes one molecule at a time

Using a system of nanofluidic channels and multicolor fluorescence microscopy, a team of investigators at Cornell University has developed a method that analyzes the binding of DNA and DNA-binding proteins known as histones at specific locations along individual DNA molecules.

Cornell startup, Pacific BioSciences, deemed 'most promising' by VCs

Research firm VentureSource selected Cornell startup Pacific BioSciences as the most promising young company from a list of 5,194 candidates, partly because of its success in raising $260 million from prominent backers.

February

Researchers can see drug activity in solitary molecule

Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have developed a new technology that allows them to directly visualize functional motions of individual enzymes in nearly real time.

Cornell startup, Pacific Biosciences, names several partners in advance of sequencer launch

Cornell startup Pacific Biosciences today named 11 initial members of its new partner program aimed at providing completes solutions for its Single Molecule Real Time DNA Sequencing Systems when it launches in the second half of this year.

New adhesive device could let humans walk on walls

A palm-sized device invented at Cornell that uses water surface tension as an adhesive bond could lead to such applications as shoes or gloves that stick to walls, or Post-it-like notes that can bear loads, according to Paul Steen, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, who invented the device with Michael Vogel, a former postdoctoral associate.

January

Jostling balls reveal secrets of ultrathin films

Itai Cohen and colleagues at Cornell University have gained key insights into epitaxy, the process of depositing extremely thin crystalline layers of different materials on a substrate; epitaxy is a key process to the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

New vaccine method is cheaper and more effective

An interdisciplinary team of Cornell researchers has devised a new way to make vaccines at a cheaper cost.

New Cornell lily, 'Tangerine Tango', available for licensing

Developed by Mark Bridgen, Cornell professor of horticulture, the Tangerine Tango is the second ornamental plant to be developed at Cornell.

Cornell startup, Hµrel® Corporation, in an R&D collaboration with L'ORÉAL

Cornell startup HµREL® Corporation and L'ORÉAL announce an R&D collaboration to develop a non-animal alternative, microfluidic biochip.