Transfer to Transform 2023
Transfer. Transform. Together.
A hospital environment is a fertile ecosystem for new ideas. Innovators from every corner of the organization – from surgeons, doctors and nurses to research staff – have unique perspectives on what can help a patient or a fellow clinician or a scientist.
The Office of Technology Commercialization at Nationwide Children’s Hospital facilitates the transfer of new technologies, research and innovations to outside partners to benefit pediatric care, our community and the general public.
Message from Leadership
Matt McFarland, RPh
Vice President of Commercialization and Industry Relations
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Each year, Nationwide Children’s Hospital hosts more than one million patient visits from around the world. Some of the children who receive care here have diseases that are difficult to diagnose and treat. Some have no effective treatments available at all.
Luckily, new ideas and innovations with the power to transform pediatric care — better surgical instruments, enhanced data analysis tools and infectious disease mitigation platforms, to name a few — emerge from every corner of our organization every day. The novel solutions invented and discovered by our doctors, nurses, researchers and other staff members improve the care, safety and lives of our patients. However, we don't stop there.
At Nationwide Children’s, we are also passionate about making a difference in the lives of children who receive care beyond our doors. By bringing impactful innovations to market, our office ensures novel technologies find their way beyond our walls. Innovation starts here, and it changes lives everywhere.
This commercialization also drives economic development. As Central Ohio has evolved as an up-and-coming biotechnology hub, our pioneering work in the areas of cell and gene therapy has been critical to this growth. But it’s more than our research and discovery that makes us a critical partner in the region’s continued growth. We have played a part in every step and aspect of this development, from creating jobs and attracting leading talent and biotech companies to the region to driving innovation and investment in manufacturing. If our discoveries are the seeds that grow business, Nationwide Children’s has also helped build a foundation of soil rich with knowledge and potential where those seeds can be planted, watered them so they can flourish and harvested the fruits of that labor for the continued benefit of the community. Nationwide Children’s has transformed how we understand the role of a pediatric academic health center in moving discoveries along the development pathway.
This would not be possible without the expertise of our Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). Our dedicated team of licensing associates and other professionals has helped facilitate the transfer of innovative technologies and research ranging from first-of-its-kind gene therapy Zolgensma, an FDA-approved treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), to the Comfort Collar, a surgical innovation designed to prevent pressure wounds around tracheostomy tubes, to outside partners to benefit patients around the world. It is an honor to look back on the transformative accomplishments and growth apparent at Nationwide Children’s and across Ohio over the last decade knowing our part in them.
This year marks my tenth leading this office and its incredible team. I am honored to work with such a dedicated group of professionals, and I am humbled to be a part of an organization that demonstrates its passion through its actions, invests in the best people and programs, and is willing to take a few risks to do the right thing.
Our research has helped fund, build and expand the Columbus life sciences ecosystem, and we stand out for our pioneering approach to advancing our discoveries in partnership with industry. As we continue to invest in the infrastructure, partnerships and culture that supports innovation, we can ensure the next generations of new therapies and devices are created and made available to children who need them, no matter what disease they have and where they receive treatment.
Steven Goodman, PhD
Principal Investigator
Center for Microbial Pathogenesis
Dr. Goodman’s collaborative research embodies the spirit of innovative research and discovery. To recognize his dedication, creativity, collaboration, and impact, on behalf of Offi ce of Technology Commercialization (OTC) at Nationwide Children’s, Abigail Wexner Research Institute President Dennis Durbin, MD, presented Dr. Goodman with the 2022 Excellence in Innovation Award during the AWRI Annual Research Retreat on Nov. 16, 2022. He was also honored at the OTC’s annual Excellence in Innovation Awards Ceremony and Reception on Jan. 10, 2023.
Cultivating Discovery: Ohio and Beyond
Technology transfer by Nationwide Children’s Hospital has been a key driver of explosive life sciences industry growth in the central Ohio region.
It has led to the creation of jobs, attracts world-class talent and drives innovation and investment in manufacturing in the region. This is the result of the organization’s groundbreaking investments in infrastructure, unique approaches to engaging with industry and determination to bring transformative innovations in care to children everywhere. And there are no signs of the activity slowing down.
When Every Week Matters: Advancing A Treatment to the Clinic
Researchers and regulatory experts bring a potential new therapy for a deadly neurodegenerative disease from Investigational New Drug (IND) Application to clinical trial enrollment in a matter of weeks, setting a new standard in translating therapies from bench to bedside.
“The ability to begin enrolling patients so quickly is really a huge testament to the strengths of Nationwide Children’s,” says Kathrin Meyer, PhD, a principal investigator in the Center for Gene Therapy in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children’s who led the preclinical work to develop the therapy.
Moving towards a trial required a coordinated effort across the Abigail Wexner Research Institute. To prepare to submit an IND for the therapy, teams across Nationwide Children’s, including researchers, the Office of Technology Commercialization’s licensing team, regulatory specialists, sponsored project officers, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), cores and shared resources, legal services and more, as well as numerous external collaborators, were involved in a thorough and constant review process.
“This process involved essentially every component of the integrated system of bench-to-bedside research and regulatory support that has been developed at Nationwide Children’s over many years,” says Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE, president of AWRI.
Available Technologies
Our portfolio of over 130 available technologies developed by our innovative researchers and clinicians is diverse and ever-growing. They span a wide array of research fi elds and categories of market applications and range from early-stage innovations to market-ready products.
Types of innovations include:
- Biomarkers
- End User Innovations
- Gene Therapies
- Therapeutics
- Tissue Engineering Innovations
- Research and Clinical Tools
Startups
The Office of Technology Commercialization at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, led by Matt McFarland, RPh, PhD, facilitates the transfer of new technologies, research and innovations to outside partners to benefit pediatric care, the local community and the general public.
2022 Metrics
*A contributor is any Nationwide Children's faculty or staff member who submitted one or more invention disclosures.
*2022 Revenue unavailable at time of publish
