stem-cell therapy from athersys shows promise in brain injuries and heart attacks
The October issue of the journal Experimental Neurology reports on a study showing that MultiStem, a patented adult stem cell therapy product from Cleveland-based biopharmaceutical firm Athersys Inc., mitigated the damage of traumatic brain injuries in lab experiments.

MultiStem uses multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPC, which "are obtained from the bone marrow or other tissue sources of healthy, consenting adult donors," according to an Athersys release. In an abstract of the study, the researchers explain, "Traumatic brain injury causes … an increase in circulating immune cells leading to increased blood brain barrier permeability. The intravenous injection of MAPC preserves … the integrity of the blood brain barrier."

As an unrelated 2007 Science Daily article explained, "The cells that make up the blood-brain barrier help the brain and immune system communicate. … Changes to the blood-brain barrier could give important clues about injuries to the central nervous system and the growth of tumors."

MultiStem appears to be an unusually versatile therapy. The same week that the Experimental Neurology report was released,
Athersys presented findings from clinical trials with heart attack patients at Transvascular Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C. That ongoing work involves Dr. Marc Penn, Director of Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. Athersys CEO Gil Van Bokkelen notes that while the recent trials were designed primarily to test safety, "we also saw clear and compelling signs that patients were experiencing improvement in heart function."

Van Bokkelen says Athersys and its many partners, including Pfizer, are excited about the potential of MultiStem as a "very powerful multifactor delivery system" that can treat a wide variety of patients.




Source: Athersys
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
tremont electric takes the i-stage
On October 18, venture capitalists, engineers, journalists and tech geeks from around the world will gather in San Francisco for i-stage, a competition in which inventors and developers vie for VIP access to the massive International Consumer Electronics Show in January. For the finalists who will present their creations, it's an opportunity of a lifetime — and not just because of the $50,000 prize. Imagine if the NFL held open tryouts, and the winner got to play in the Super Bowl.

Among the finalists this year is Aaron LeMieux, founder of Cleveland-based Tremont Electric. LeMieux will present the product he's been developing since 2006: the nPower PEG, or personal energy generator. The nPower uses the kinetic energy of your movement — running, walking, or hiking, as LeMieux was when he dreamed up the device — to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player.

LeMieux, a Westlake native, says he's honored to represent Northeast Ohio at the event.

"There are not many consumer electronics companies in Cleveland — I can count them on one hand," he says. So Tremont Electric's presence at the CES is good for the whole region — especially considering that about half of his suppliers are also in Cuyahoga County, and most of the rest are based elsewhere in Ohio.

At i-stage, the nPower's competitors will include a remotely controlled robotic avatar and wireless power transmission devices that will make outlets and cords obsolete. The nPower rivals both, in terms of far-reaching applications of the technology. "We can make this device the size of an automobile," LeMieux says, "we can put this technology into the lake and harvest wave motion."

For now, however, he's focused on keeping up with orders for the nPower and preparing for i-stage. "Nobody wants to fund someone who's trying to boil the ocean, as we say," he quips.



Source: Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

arisdyne's technology helps ethanol producers increase output at same cost
Everyone knows that powdered sugar will dissolve more quickly in your coffee than a sugar cube — and that stirring will help either dissolve even faster. Applying that principal to manufacturing is not so simple, but new technology from Cleveland-based Arisdyne Systems is helping corn ethanol producers achieve higher yields from the same raw materials and energy.

Arisdyne's hydrodynamic cavitation technology harnesses the power of cavitation, the tiny implosions that occur in any turbulent fluid. As the company's web site explains, "The system is calibrated to produce optimum process conditions. Shockwaves resulting from the implosions impact the surrounding process fluid. Tiny droplets or particles result producing high-quality emulsions and dispersions."

And greater yields. The technology has helped Corn Plus of Minnesota increase production by 4 percent, according to Arisdyne vice president Fred Clarke. "Which, if you think about it, is like getting free money," he adds. Corn Plus licensed the technology in June, after two months of testing, and in July reported in its newsletter that "data from the first couple of months are very promising and the unit's operation has been consistent."

Arisdyne installed another system just two weeks ago, and has signed contracts with two other clients, Clarke says. The outlook for next year? "It's bright," Clarke says. There are about 200 ethanol plants in the U.S., and Clarke estimates that 120-140 posses the "downstream" factors necessary to benefit from Arisdyne's system.



Source: Fred Clarke, Arsidyne
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
iguiders' online shopping aid to debut with major retailer in october
For some, the allure of online shopping is never having to deal with a pushy salesperson. The downside of avoiding a human is how time-consuming it can be to search on your own. Try typing "car" or "blender" or "snarky t-shirt" into Google and see how long it takes to find precisely what you want. So it's not surprising when Envirosell, which studies shoppers' behavior, reports that web surfers are 40 percent more likely to linger on sites with some sort of personalized experience.

That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.

"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.

A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.

Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."

"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.

The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.



Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis