U-M spin-off Biotectix adds two jobs, works to validate new tech

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

The people at Ann Arbor’s Biotectix don’t exactly know which way they’re going to develop their start-up's technology first given the world of potential it presents, and that's a good thing.

The 2-year-old spin-off from the University of Michigan got its start when a U-M professor and the people in his lab discovered a new way to use a polymer, PEDOT, for medical devices. In it they saw the potential to help fight illnesses, such as deafness, blindness and Parkison's.

Massachusetts-based Allied Minds and Ann Arbor SPARK’s Pre-seed Investment Fund have invested about $1 million in furthering research for the three-person (Sarah Richardson-Burns, David Martin and Jeffrey Hendricks) company and its discovery.

"Once the research was validated by an independent third party the decision was made to ramp up development," says Richardson-Burns, director of research & development for Biotectix.

That means that the company now employs two full-time scientists, an interim CEO and two part-time technicians. It's bringing an intern on this summer.

Biotectix's team is also trying to attract more financing to further its research. It's still deciding how to best commercialize the technology and which direction to first pursue.

"We’re not really sure where this will take us," Richardson-Burns says.

Source: Sarah Richardson-Burns, director of research & development for Biotectix
Writer: Jon Zemke