Akron : Innovation + Job News

Inspired by the small hairs on a gecko’s feet which enable it to scale walls, a University of Akron professor and alumnus have invented nanotube technology replicating a gecko's unique properties in synthetic adhesives.

Ali Dhinojwala and Sunny Sehti launched ADAP Nanotech, LLC in 2009 to commercialize their invention. The company recently received a $250,000 investment from the entrepreneurial support organization JumpStart Inc., a nonprofit that serves Northeast Ohio. That cash infusion will enable ADAP Nanotech to develop manufacturing processes to make large quantities of its nanotube adhesive at competitive costs for the electronics market.

Sehti, a Ph.D. researcher in polymers, and Dhinojwala, Chair of UA’s Department of Polymer Science, expect their new adhesive to be successful as a thermal conductive adhesive, which could have applications in cooling electronics.

“People are looking for alternatives to dissipate heat in electronic equipment,” says Sehti. “Our product removes heat 300 percent faster than anything commercially available today.”

The thermal interface materials market that this new product would fit into is estimated at $500 million annually, Sehti adds.  He says that their product, NanoTIM, could achieve sales of roughly $3-4 million in its first year.

The carbon nanotechnology that went into the development of Nanotech was created entirely at UA in the past 10 years, says Sehti.  It could have applications for adhesive use in extreme conditions, including space exploration.

The JumpStart investment represents ADAP's second round of financial support. Last February, the Student Venture Fund at UA, a chapter of the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund, selected ADAP to receive $25,000 in startup funds.

ADAP Nanotech’s first commercial sales could begin in 3-4 months.  By the end of its first year, it could add 3-4 new, full-time employees in sales and technology support.  After five years, Sehti hopes the firm will employ 25-30 people.


Source: Sunny Sehti
Writer: Val Prevish

Akron has become known as a hub for biomedical companies in recent years, and now a new fund is seeking to further cultivate growth in that sector. The $1.5M Akron BioInvestments Fund targets high-growth companies in orthopedics, wound healing, cardiovascular science, biomaterials, medical devices and other areas for investments.

“While a small part of the Fund supports product development, the main focus is on supporting companies that are 2-3 years away from generating revenues," explains Dr. Zev Gurion, Executive Director of the Akron BioMedical Corridor. "We want companies we invest in to repay the loan so that the Fund will not become depleted over time. That’s why the business potential of the company is considered, as well as economic development elements."

Companies that receive investments must maintain an Akron headquarters or plan to establish a local presence, with an emphasis placed on the Biomedical Corridor. The Fund gets most of its backing from private organizations such as Medical Mutual, First Energy, Cascade Capital and NEOMED. The City of Akron created the fund through its Akron Development Corporation.

The Fund is composed of two parts. The Rapid Commercialization Loan Fund provides low-interest loans to companies that are close to commercialization. The Product Development Fund supports biomedical startups by financing proof of concept, prototyping, market assessment and business-plan development.

Committees made up of representatives from the University of Akron, county and regional government, private businesses and regional organizations make recommendations to the Fund’s board. Cascade Capital acts as the Fund Manager.

Zurion says that the Fund has made two investments so far, a $25,000 grant and a loan for $200,000. The Fund received six qualified applications in the first partial round of applications which ended December 31.


Source: Dr. Zev Gurion
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney

To spur economic development and create jobs in their communities, several Ohio cities have created new, hyperlocal funds that offer attractive financing to entrepreneurs that may have the next great business idea, yet lack the actual cash to implement it. The catch? They must be willing to put down roots and grow their businesses locally.

One example of a growing Ohio business that recently took advantage of such hometown love is ManuscriptTracker, a Wooster-based firm that sells web-based software that automates the peer review process for academic journals. Co-founder Brian Boyer says a $35,000 deferred-payment loan from the Wooster Opportunities Loan Fund made it possible for him to bring his product to market last year.

“We saw lots of potential to grow our business, but funding is very hard to come by for start-up software companies,” says Boyer, a Wooster native. “Thanks to receiving funding last year, we were able to develop a market version of our software, as well as sales resources such as a database, marketing collateral and potential client list.”

ManuscriptTracker’s software organizes and automates peer review tracking for busy academics that don’t have the time or resources to manage the process themselves. The stringent nature of the peer review process, particularly with scientific journals, often necessitates involving as many as 20 individuals in a single review.

“To be published in an academic journal, your work must be vetted by the research of your peers, but that means asking top researchers to set aside their time,” explains Boyer. “We simplify and organize the process and provide helpful reporting forms. We also help academics to track who in their network is quick and knowledgeable.”

With the assistance of the economic development nonprofit Jumpstart, similar hyperlocal funds have also been created in Barberton, Canton and Mansfield.

As the New Year kicked off, ManuscriptTracker had already secured one new client, and Boyer says he’s hopeful that the new software will attract additional clients soon.


By Lee Chilcote

NorTech clearly has a “Go big or go home” attitude. Its cluster approach to economic development in advanced energy and flexible electronics has supported companies that have attracted $20.5 million in capital, created 171 jobs and generated $10.8 million in payroll in Ohio over a one year period starting in July of 2010.
 
A “cluster” is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular technology sector.
 
NorTech, a regional nonprofit technology-based economic development organization serving 21 counties in Northeast Ohio, has tested its cluster model on two industry clusters – advanced energy and flexible electronics. “We provide and connect cluster members to a variety of resources to help them commercialize new products, locate investors, access government funding, form strategic partnerships and funding collaborations,” said Kelly South, NorTech’s senior director of communications.
 
And now, NorTech has won big for its development innovation. The organization is in the national spotlight for recently receiving a prestigious national award from the State Science Technology Institute (SSTI).
 
SSTI is a national nonprofit organization that leads, supports and strengthens efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation.
 
According to a news release, SSTI’s awards program identifies "national models developed by states and regions to accelerate science, technology and innovation to grow their economies and create high-paying jobs."
 
NorTech received SSTI’s Most Promising TBED Initiative Award, a new category for creative initiatives that address a specific need in a region to achieve economic growth.
 
The recognition is a very big deal. "The SSTI award brings external validation from national technology based economic development (TBED) practitioners to our work,” said South. “It recognizes our cluster development model as a ‘best practice’ approach to growing regional industry clusters that can be applied to other industries and areas of the country. It’s a great honor to be recognized by our peers."
 
According to Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech, "At the federal level, there is a growing recognition of the value of regional innovation clusters as a ‘bottoms up’ approach to creating jobs and making the U.S. more globally competitive."


 

Summit Data Communications marks its inception from March of 2006 when “the last of the founders quit their ‘day job’ at Cisco Systems and went all-in at Summit,” says CEO Ron Seide.

Since then, the Akron-based company has shipped more than 1.4 million units of its product and is poised for further growth.

The company produces industrial and medical grade Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules for embedding into mobile devices that operate in challenging environments like factories, warehouses and hospitals. Unlike the “consumer-grade” wireless modules of its competitors, Summit’s modules are hardware and software optimized for optimal connectivity under the most difficult conditions.

More than 70 customers, half of which are in Asia, choose from among seventeen products. Revenues swelled from $7 million in ’07 to $15.2 million last year, a three-year increase of 115 percent. The company’s 2010 percentage growth rankings looked better because they were working off a smaller base, Seide explains.

Summit’s employees have grown from the original five founders to more than 20 full-time equivalents.

“We focus mostly on software developers and technical support people. I estimate we’ll add 6 to 9 people next year. We also employ an extensive number of remote software developers who work out of their homes. We use this flexibility to attract and retain talent that would often be beyond the reach of a small enterprise like ours,” says Seide. 

“We’re 100 percent bootstrapped, which is to say we’re self-funded.”

Source: Ron Seide, Summit Data Communications
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney

Technical students at Stark State College could be blown away by America’s first R&D center for large wind-turbine gearbox systems.

The Timken Company, Stark State and the Stark County Port Authority are building a Wind Energy Research and Development Center, the first of its kind in the U.S. Timken will use the facility to develop ultra-large bearings and seals on sophisticated equipment that replicates the operating environment of large multi-megawatt wind turbines. 

The $11.8 million research and development center will anchor Stark State’s new Emerging Technologies Airport Campus on 15 acres of property adjacent to the Akron-Canton Airport.

“We are very pleased to launch such an important project for the wind energy industry,” said Douglas Smith, Timken’s senior vice president of technology and quality at the center's groundbreakign in August. “Being able to simulate real-world conditions at full-scale puts us in a unique position to rapidly assess and qualify new solutions for the industry.”

According to Timken, the 18,000-square-foot center will secure 65 jobs directly, while creating a unique research practicum and technical certification program for Stark State students, offering them critical experience conducting research, developing new designs and testing large wind-turbine bearing systems.  It will also provide critical training for current and future technicians required by today’s wind turbine manufacturers and operators.

Joint funding for the project combines more than $6 million invested by Timken, $2.1 million from the Ohio Third Frontier, and $1.5 million in loans from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority's Advanced Energy Jobs
Stimulus Program.

Source: The Timken Company

Knotice is the poster child for early stage funding, taking an initial half-million dollar investment and using it to fuel an innovative product that's getting -- well, knoticed. 

Founded in 2003, the Akron-based company helps marketers maximize their direct digital marketing through process automation. CEO Brian Deagan says the product has been so well received in the marketplace that sales have grown at least 50 percent since 2003.

"Knotice started this year with 55 employees, and today employs nearly 90, with several positions still available," says CEO Brian Deagan. "Current openings include account executives with mobile experience, software engineers, sales professionals, creative talent, finance and administrative staff . . . We're opening a Seattle office in November, so we're excited to see what the future holds."

The company's technology lets marketers access customer data across all channels. Concentri, its on-demand direct software platform, unites mobile marketing; email marketing, the Web and direct display within a Universal Profile environment, letting marketers manage all their digital touchpoints from a single log-in.

"Other less advanced solutions require the user to move data back and forth between disparate systems � which can be a real pain," Deagan says.

"The company has fully re-paid an investment of $500,000 from JumpStart: "The investment helped us to launch our product and hire a variety of very talented people � most of them are still with us. In an industry that normally relies on outside funding for success, Knotice has been able to mostly self-fund its growth," explains Deagan.

Deagan says Knotice also tries to make the company a good place to work.

"We celebrate people's interests in sports, music and the arts. Employees are reimbursed for yoga classes which they can take at any time [flex time] . . . that, and we have one of the best marketing platforms out there," Deagan boasts.
 
Source: Brian Deagan; CEO and co-founder
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney

Picture the belching smokestack of a steel mill releasing heat waste into the air. Harnessing and converting that into usable energy is becoming a reality, thanks to the new Thermafficient Waste Heat Recovery Engine developed by Akron’s Echogen Power Systems.
 
Echogen views the engine as a game changer for steel mills, power companies and other industries that require a lot of electricity.

Echogen’s first engine, which can produce 250 kilowatts of electricity from a given heat source, was built in Lebanon, Ohio, and is in final testing stage at American Electric Power’s research center in Columbus.

“We’re moving it to another facility, this time in Akron, for a long-term endurance trial in a true industrial setting,” explains Mark Terzola, Echogen’s chief operating officer.

Echogen is currently building a much stronger engine, able to produce six to eight mega watts of electricity, according to Terzola. “We’re in late-term negotiations with potential industrial partners who need this kind of engine,” he says.

Echogen recently caught the eye of the Dresser-Rand Group, Inc., of Houston, which makes rotating industrial equipment. Dresser-Rand has invested $10 million in Echogen in exchange for a 20 percent stake in the company and will provide turbines and other parts for Echogen’s future engines.

“Dresser-Rand is the exclusive licensee for our engines to the oil and gas industry,” Terzola notes. Echogen also plans to manufacture smaller engines for companies that produce less heat waste, such as ceramics companies and glass makers.

On another front, California’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory also contacted Echogen. Berkeley Lab hopes to be the first in the world to produce electricity from the earth’s heat using hydrogen and to store some of it underground, where it won’t contribute to climate change. Echogen is designing a special turbine for the project, according to Terzola. The project, which will unfold over about three years, has received $5 million of underwriting from the Department of Energy. EchoGen has received additional support from JumpStart and the Ohio Third Frontier.

““We’re only at the tip of the iceberg for this technology,” Terzola explains. “We have an outstanding team of engineers we’ve recruited from world-class organizations, and the technology we’re working with has tremendous future opportunity.”

Echogen currently has 25 employees and plans to have nearly 50 by the end of 2012.

“The early capital we received through the Ohio Third Frontier enabled us to leverage it for immediate growth that provided us with a foundation for long-term success,” he notes.

Source:  Mark Terzola, Echogen Power Systems
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Ohio may not have the sunshine or constant wind found elsewhere, but there's no doubt about it. Advanced and alternative energy is becoming a big deal in Ohio.

The growth of the industry is the catalyst for Nortech's first ever Advanced Energy B2B Conference and Expo Sept. 14 and 15 in downtown Akron, says Karen Allport, vice president of strategic outreach for the tech-based economic development organization serving northeast Ohio.

“Ohio has a very strong manufacturing base, innovative research facilities and a highly skilled workforce,” she explains. “In fact, we have more than 400 organizations, large and small, engaged in advanced energy research and manufacturing.”

Ohio leads the Great Lakes in offshore wind development, with wind farms throughout the state. Major studies are being conducted on fuel cells and photovoltaics, and Northeast Ohio is teeming with top-notch national and international manufacturers and research institutions.

Allport ticks off names of some Ohio companies involved in advanced energy.

“FirstEnergy is the nation’s fifth-largest investor owned electric utility,” Allport points out. Others include Eaton Corp., Lincoln Electric, Babcock & Wilcox, Cliffs Natural Resources, GE Lighting, Parker Hannifin, and the Timken Company, she notes. She also mentions ongoing energy research at Kent State University, the University of Akron, and Case Western Reserve University.

Consider this: Ohio is fourth in the country in the number of clean energy jobs, with 35,267 employees working in the state’s advanced energy industries. Ohio is sixth in the nation in number of clean technology businesses, for a total of 2,513 clean energy companies. We’re also seventh nationwide in the total number of clean energy patents filed -- 309 patents over the past decade.

There’s an international component to the Advanced Energy B2B Conference and Expo as well, according to Allport.

“We have a mayor’s association involved whose members want to showcase advanced energy activities in their communities, so they’re in touch with groups in India and Great Britain to generate interest in collaboration,” she explains. “Our overall goal with this energy conference and expo is to provide programs and exhibits that drive opportunities for commercial activities,” Allport notes.

With more than 300 people from all over Ohio and nationwide expected to attend and all 70 exhibit spaces already sold out for the upcoming conference, perhaps the combination of advanced energy + the state of Ohio will finally gets its due. 

Source:  Karen Allport, Nortech
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

"Flannel Channel." "Hot Shots @ Hot Spots." "Got*City GAME! Cleveland."

Those catchy monikers are the titles of some of the channels of the new UNCOMN.TV Network, established in April by Cleveland's Barb Siss Oney.

UNCOMN.TV is short for "unifying communities," and UNCOMN.TV Network is an online technology company that brings together employers, universities, civic organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio to inform individuals, both locally and globally, about what the region offers.

"We want to attract talent, business and resources to the region by demonstrating the rich economic assets and quality of life in Northeast Ohio," Oney explains.

"I believe that positive community change is possible, and my goal is to find ways for individuals, businesses, organizations, and institutions to collaborate to positively impact Northeast Ohio. It's one thing to produce a great show, but that has a limited life," she notes. "If we are to have an ongoing impact on attracting and retaining talent in Northeast Ohio, however, we need a way to build ongoing engagement."

UNCOMN.TV Network is a combination of relevant content, collaborative marketing and social media.

"We apply the power of traditional TV, the global reach of the web and the interactivity of social networking to deliver information about living, learning and earning in Northeast Ohio," Oney says.

Tune in to the "Flannel Channel," and you'll view programs about regional businesses, educational institutions and organizations that are employing and educating local professionals. The "Hot Shots @ Hot Spots" channel features members of the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club, Ohio's largest young professionals group, showcasing what they think is "hot" about Cleveland.

Got*City GAME! Cleveland (GCGC) was the first program of the UNCOMN.TV Network. GCGC represents a partnership with more than 150 colleges, universities, businesses and civic organizations to showcase fun locations throughout Cleveland. "Within weeks of launching, GCGC was being watched in more than 1,065 cities in more than 66 countries," Oney says.

There are plans to launch city-specific channels for Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown. "We'll also have forums, blogs, podcasts, live webcasts of conference keynote speakers and webinars for workforce development," she notes.

UNCOMN.TV Network received funding from Cleveland's Civic Innovation Lab as well as Ohio's Third Frontier program through Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE).

Source: Barb Siss Oney, UNCOMN.TV Network LLC
Writer: Lynne Meyer

Christopher Che formed Che International Group, LLC in 2005 with the goal of acquiring and growing subsidiary companies from diverse industries.

Since then, Che's first acquisition -- Hooven Dayton Corp., which he purchased in 2007 -- has doubled its revenues (from $10 million in 2007 to $20 million in 2010) and made an acquisition of its own -- Benchmark Graphics of Richmond, Ind.

On June 27, Che International made its second acquisition -- Akron-based Digital Color Imaging, which was promptly renamed Digital Color International, Che says. Altogether, Che International now employs about 150 and primarily serves Fortune 1,000 customers, Che says.

The acquisition of Digital Color, which provides digital, offset and wide format printing as well as direct mail, warehousing and fulfillment services, complements Hooven Dayton, a Dayton-based provider of high quality prime product labels, flexible packaging, promotional coupons and specialty printing solutions, Che says.

"Our goal is for the Che International Group to have subsidiary companies across industry lines but serving the same customer base," he explains.

Che's success as a small-business leader during a slow economy has been noticed not just in west central Ohio but by the White House. In May, he was asked to host a "listening session" of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. In June, Che was appointed to the council itself. 

"They felt I could bring my expertise to the council as a small business," he says "and help explain what it takes to grow during tough times and what some of our issues are."

How has he been able to grow?

"We focused on really training our people and we did not cut down on marketing budgets," he says."And we developed a very highly impactful value proposition to take to customers -- a value proposition that would make a difference to their bottom line."

Che, who came to the United States from Camaroon in 1980 to attend college, says Ohio has been "a beautiful place for me. It's proven to be very supportive. Whenever I needed them they were there to help me with low-interest loans or training and so forth."

Meanwhile, Che International Group is working on additional acquisitions as well as companies that might merge with Digital Color, Che says.

Source: Christopher Che, Che International Group
Writer: Gene Monteith



 

Some of the technology we'll be using in a few years -- diesel fuel made from recycled plastics and micro electronic devices that detect pathogens in the air -- are being coaxed into the marketplace today by AvMat, a consultancy based in Akron that helps bring new technology to commercialization.

Joe Hensel, CEO, started the firm in 2003 and has since worked with at least 20 start-ups to guide them in their journey from big idea to commercial success.

A former chemical engineer with an MBA in finance who has worked with multinational aerospace and automotive companies, Hensel says his background in R&D and manufacturing gives him a good vantage point to help entrepreneurs take their ventures to the next level.

AvMat specializes in aerospace, electronics and alternative energy businesses. The intellectual property frequently comes through university and government labs where scientists who create it are unfamiliar with the workings of the business world. AvMat offers advice in legal, managerial, financial, operational and branding and marketing services.

Polyflow, a client for the past six years, is a typical example of the type of business he works with. Polyflow takes recycled plastic and rubber materials and creates gasoline, diesel fuel and feedstock for engineering polymers that could be used in place of those normally made from crude oil and natural gas. Over the next year or two, Polyflow could begin commercial sales.

AvMat evolved from Ohio Polymer Enterprise Development, an initiative by the University of Akron to commercialize advanced material technologies for fuel cells.

Today Hensel is sole owner of the company and AvMat is now an equity stake holder in several of the firms that it has worked with. In addition to Hensel, AvMat has one employee. There are no plans to add new employees at this point, says Hensel.

Source: Joe Hensel, AvMat
Writer: Val Prevish

Any sober driver knows you can see better in dark places with your headlights on. Akron based LifeSaving Medical Solutions is applying the same principle to tricky emergency and surgical intubations. And their device was new-tech enough to land on a 2009 episode of NBC's ER.

Developed by physician Noam Gavriely and manufactured in Israel in response to the sometimes difficult intubations of wounded military personnel, ETView's Tracheoscopic Ventilation Tube incorporates a video camera and lighted tip to allow medical personnel to see, on any connected monitor, the pathway the device is traveling -- making certain the tube arrives in the appropriate place. Once ETView is in place, the system allows ongoing visual monitoring of the airway, which, it turns out, is very important.

Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) can occur when excess excretions build up in airways. In addition to making patients very ill, VAP creates millions of dollars each year in additional hospital costs. ETView's ongoing airway visualization allows hospital staff to determine when removal of secretions is needed to avoid this complication.

LifeSaving Medical Solutions CEO, Eric Cooper, says growth of the company, since it's founding in 2009 has been slow -- about 2 percent per year -- as the sales force works its way through hospital purchasing committees. But several current studies -- and the fact that the company has been able to reduce the core cost of the device by nearly 50 percent -- should begin to spur growth in the near future.

"We're the only one with this technology," Cooper says, "and several doctors want to get involved with us and champion its use."

Source: Eric Cooper, LifeSaving Medical Solutions
Writer: Dana Griffith

Fluence Therapeutics believes it's found a better way to treat skin ailments like psoriasis using a new light therapy.

The Akron company formed in 2009 to commercialize photodynamic therapy technology developed at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

"We are commercializing photodynamic therapy using Pc 4, a novel photosensitizer," says CEO Warren Goldenberg. "Our initial application is the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis." 

Goldenberg explains that "photodynamic therapy involves both a pharmaceutical (the photosensitizer) and a light source which activates the photosensitizer to kill certain cells. We are developing two products: a photosensitizer containing Pc 4 as its active ingredient and a light source (device)."

Current treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis is light therapy and systemic pharmaceuticals. Light therapy can involve the use of ultraviolet light B (UVB) alone or a combination of ultraviolet light A (UVA) combined with systemically or topically administered psoralen (PUVA).

"We believe our products will have higher efficacy than current light-based therapies and, since they use red light, they do not create the cancer risk of current UV therapies," Goldenberg says.

"Moderate to severe psoriasis is also treated with systemic (i.e., taken orally or by injection) pharmaceuticals distributed by major pharmaceutical companies and generic manufacturers. Many of these medications are used for other diseases, including arthritis. Biological therapies, however, do not work in all patients. They suppress the immune system and have been shown to have a number of side effects including increased rates of infections and potentially increased rates of certain kinds of cancers (particularly lymphomas). They are contraindicated in many cases (e.g., for patients with infections or compromised immune systems) and they are very expensive," he says.

Human clinical trials are underway at University Hospitals Case Medical Center with support from the National Institutes of Health. The technology has been developed with over $32,000,000 of funding from the NIH.

Fluence has three part-time employees. Provided it obtains sufficient funding, the company hopes to grow to 40 employees over five years, including management, product development (engineers and chemists), clinical, regulatory and business development.

Source: Warren Goldenberg, Fluence Therapeutics
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney

In the fall of 2009, CSI - Las Vegas aired an episode called "Death and the Maiden," in which Akron-based NicheVision's SpermFinder had a role. Vic Meles, one of the company's owners, says the filming took more than 4 hours, but the microscope, which is the most important component, appeared in only a few scenes.

"We found out during taping that many of the props on the show are hollow shells, but we can certify this part was the absolute real deal," says Meles.

Meles' company develops software and integrated solutions that automate tedious, time-consuming laboratory tasks so they can be accomplished faster, with less stress and greater accuracy.

Company founder Luigi Armogida, a former microscope salesman with a background in microbiology, started the business in 2006. While working on a project at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations Armogida saw people hunched over microscopes, spending hours looking at slides for rape kits. Workers would spend hours looking for as few as one or two cells. Armogida thought: Why not computerize the task? His employer at the time was not interested in developing his idea so he started his own company.

SpermFinder comprises a microscope, computer and software that identifies the cells. Another product, "Armed Expert," which creates a profile of the person whose cells have been identified, was developed by the U.S. Army and commercialized by NicheVision. A third product, currently in development, called "DNA Express" will remove the sought-after cell from the slide.

"Our customers are crime labs anywhere in the world," says Meles. Surprisingly, the company has only four employees.

Source: Vic Meles, NicheVision, Inc.
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney