Researchers get boost from UM

Friday, July 18, 2008

Researchers get boost from UM

University program awards $1.8M to projects

by Lindsey Robbins | Staff Writer

E-mail this article \ Print this article

Marylanders love their oysters, and a University of Maryland program is doing its part to make them healthier and taste even better.

Ocean Equities of Annapolis hopes to develop a recirculating aquaculture system for oysters, using the aquarium facility at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute in Baltimore. The facility produces its own aquatic environments by recycling tap water and adding the necessary minerals.

The project is among the 22 recently selected to receive a total of $1.8 million in grants under the university’s Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program, in which companies team up with university researchers. The grants will be matched by the individual companies.

While similar aquaculture ventures have sparked controversy over their environmental impact, UMBI provides filters and recirculates algae so that little waste is left, said Dorothy Leonard, president of Ocean Equities. She said the process is used for farming fin fish at the facility, and the oyster system will be more simplified.

Because this system allows researchers to monitor what oysters eat and the salinity of their environment, they will also be able to adjust the oyster’s taste, Leonard said.

A project by AviTech of Salisbury is getting the largest slice of the MIPS pie during this round of funding, with $407,685 for poultry research.

Maxion Technologies and Zymetis, both in the university’s Technology Advancement Program incubator in College Park, received funding. Maxion is refining lasers to detect chemical levels, and Zymetis is maximizing the conversion of yeast sugar into fuel alcohol.

Other projects this round:

*A&G Pharmaceuticals of Columbia, breast cancer research.

*AHPharma of Salisbury, solar LED systems for poultry houses.

*American Dynamics Flight Systems of Jessup, flight dynamics modeling.

*Aparna Biosciences of Rockville, yeast infection studies.

*AxonX of Sparks, outdoor video smoke and fire detection.

*Cellex of Rockville, testing sexually transmitted diseases.

*Encore Path of Baltimore, a device for gait training for stroke survivors.

*Gliknik of Baltimore, autoimmune disease treatments.

*Neuronscent of Clarksville, brain injury research.

*PharmAthene of Annapolis, anthrax prevention.

*Rafagen of Rockville, therapeutic protein studies.

*Refractory Composites of Glen Burnie, gel fuel development.

*RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals of Bethesda, heart disorder therapy.

*Remedium Technologies of Rockville, self-assembled dressings for wounds.

*Semantic Labs of Baltimore, social media studies.

*Sensics of Glen Burnie, video processor for panoramic head-mounted display.

*Traffax of Centreville, traffic detector design and testing.

*UMRobotics of Chantilly, Va., autonomous undersea structural inspection robotics.

The MIPS program has supported research projects with more than 400 Maryland companies and has generated more than $14 billion in state revenues, according to university information.