SBIR Innovation Lab National Cancer Institute

In this episode, NCI SBIR Team Leader Monique Pond invites Program Director William Bozza to dive into the Innovative Concept Award, a funding opportunity that supports biotech innovations with the potential to develop new scientific paradigms focused on pediatric and rare cancers:
https://sbir.cancer.gov/small-business-funding/contracts/innovative-concept-award
SBIR DEVELOPMENT CENTER
SBIR Innovation Lab Podcast: https://sbir.cancer.gov/about/innovation-lab-podcast
SBIR Development Center: https://sbir.cancer.gov/
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Online: https://www.cancer.gov
By Phone: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
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National Cancer Institute

In this episode, host and NCI SBIR Program Director William Bozza invites NCI SBIR Director of Investor Relations Brittany Connors to discuss how biotech innovators and investors can connect with NCI SBIR and other NIH institutes from June 3-6 at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego.
Listen to this podcast to hear:
Overview of BIO International Convention and the networking opportunities for attendees to participate NCI SBIR's involvement at the annual conference; how and where to connect How the Investor Initiatives program supports SBIR-funded biotech startups NCI SBIR-funded biotech startups to lookout for at the event Podcast Guest Speakers: Name
Bios


William Bozza, PhD
Program Director
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
William Bozza, PhD serves as a Program Director, managing a portfolio of oncology startups (SBIR & STTR awardees) to facilitate small businesses in technology commercialization for cancer diagnosis and treatment.  Dr. Bozza is currently leading the Center’s efforts on the Small Business Concept Award for early-stage high risk/high reward technologies that are targeting rare and pediatric cancers.  He is also taking the lead on the Program’s Peer Learning and Networking Webinar Series to help SBIR companies learn from peers and facilitate collaboration.


Brittany Connors, PMP
Director of Investor Relations
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Brittany Connors serves as the Director of Investor Relations at NCI SBIR. She has worked at NCI SBIR in various roles since 2013, playing a major role in the center’s Investor Initiatives program. She has maintained a vast network and works with more than 70 industry-leading investors and strategics each year to review the NCI SBIR portfolio and to select companies to attend and pitch at events like BIO.
 
 
 
Programs referenced in this episode:
2024 BIO International Convention BIO One-on-One Partnering Match-making platform Investor Initiatives TRANSCRIPT
BILLY BOZZA:     Hello, and welcome to Innovation Lab, your go to resource for all things biotech startups, brought to you by the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research, SBIR Development Center. Our podcast hosts interviews with successful entrepreneurs and provides resources for small businesses looking to take their cutting-edge cancer solutions from lab to market.
 
     I'm Billy Bozza, a Program Director at NCI SBIR and today's host. Today, we're excited to talk about the upcoming BIO International Convention in San Diego. I've invited the Director of Investor Relations at NCI SBIR, Brittany Connors, to discuss our program’s involvement at the event and how attendees can connect with our staff while we're there. Welcome, Brittany.
 
BRITTANY CONNORS:     Thank you for having me, Billy. I cannot believe BIO is just around the corner and that we're talking about it already. I feel like the year just started. But let's talk about it, I'm excited.
 
BILLY BOZZA:     Me too. So, before we discuss NCI SBIR's participation in the event, can you give our listeners who might be unfamiliar with BIO, a brief introduction to what the event is all about?
 
BRITTANY CONNORS:     Yeah, definitely. So, BIO is perhaps the largest biotech focused event maybe in the world, probably in the world, bringing together upwards of 20,000 industry leaders from everywhere. You can really expect to see attendees from large pharma, I'd say that's a really good chunk of folks, the investment community, biotech startups, academia, nonprofit and government organizations like us.
 
     It's really just four days packed full of educational sessions, company presentations, and I would say one of the biggest draws is the partnering meetings. A few of the educational sessions, I've already put on my calendar, include AI's Impact on Onc

In the second episode on writing a good specific aims page, Enzyme by Design Co-Founder and COO Amanda Schalk and JBS Science Co-Founder Ying-Hsiu Su provide insights into their experiences with reviewers’ first impression on an SBIR/STTR application, the specific aims page.
 
Listen to this podcast to hear: •               Ways to address a competitive landscape
•               Considerations for reapplying
•               Application features for digital health and device startups
•               Differences between an SBIR grant and traditional academic grants
•               How to describe quantitative milestones
 
Podcast Guest Speakers:  
Name
Bios

William Bozza, PhD
Program Director
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
William Bozza, PhD serves as a Program Director, managing a portfolio of oncology startups (SBIR & STTR awardees) to facilitate small businesses in technology commercialization for cancer diagnosis and treatment.  Dr. Bozza is currently leading the Center’s efforts on the Small Business Concept Award for early-stage high risk/high reward technologies that are targeting rare and pediatric cancers.  He is also taking the lead on the Program’s Peer Learning and Networking Webinar Series to help SBIR companies learn from peers and facilitate collaboration.

Amanda Schalk, PhD
co-founder and COO
Enzyme by Design
Amanda Schalk, PhD is the co-founder and COO of Enzyme by Design. Amanda earned her undergrad degree in biochemistry on a full-ride scholarship from Eastern Michigan University and went abroad to Goettingen, Germany to earn her Master's and PhD degrees in Molecular Biology from the prestigious International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Biology and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry.  She spent 5 years as a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Lavie at the University of Illinois at Chicago characterizing the structures and enzymatic activities of L-asparaginases, resulting in multiple first author peer-reviewed publications.  She also has experience as the operations manager at a startup where she also has gained experience as a virtual lab manager.

 
Ying-Hsiu Su PhD
Cofounder,
JBS Science
Ying-Hsiu Su PhD is a co-founder of JBS Science Inc. and a member of the Board of Directors. Dr Su is a Professor of Translational Medical Sciences at The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. She is one of few pioneers in the field of transrenal DNA for cancer detection. Dr. Su’s research team has developed the technology to preferentially isolate this circulation-derived urine DNA for detection of colon and liver cancers. In addition, a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for collection and storage of urine samples for biomarker studies in the EDRN of the NCI has been established by her group. Dr. Su has collaborated with JBS scientists in developing various approaches to bring the transrenal DNA technology to clinical applications in the fields of cancer detection and personalized cancer management. Dr. Su’s office and lab are located in The Baruch S Blumberg Institute. Dr. Su contributes her expertise in urine DNA technology. She serves as a member of the scientific advisory board.
Programs referenced in this episode:  ·       PLAN series: specific aim page - - https://sbir.cancer.gov/commercialization/workshops-webinars/peer-learning/specific-aims
·       NCI SBIR/STTR Grants - https://sbir.cancer.gov/small-business-funding/grants
·       Phase IIB Bridge Award - https://sbir.cancer.gov/small-business-funding/grants/bridge-award
 
Transcript:        [music]
 
             BILLY BOZZA:  Hello and welcome to Innovation Lab, your go to resource for all things biote

In this episode, you will get advice from two NCI SBIR-funded startups on how to write a good specific aims page on your application. Senior Vice President of Radiant Digital Jeffery McLaughlin and Co-Founder and CEO of DoseOptics William Ware will share how they successfully put together this key application component.
Listen to this podcast to hear: ·       Highlighting significance and clinical impact in your specific aims page
·       How to provide sufficient detail and quantitative milestones
·       Specific features for devices and digital health
·       Considerations for Fast-Track and Phase II SBIR/STTR applications
 
Podcast Guest Speakers:   
Name
Bios

William Bozza, PhD
Program Director
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
William Bozza, PhD serves as a Program Director, managing a portfolio of oncology startups (SBIR & STTR awardees) to facilitate small businesses in technology commercialization for cancer diagnosis and treatment.  Dr. Bozza is currently leading the Center’s efforts on the Small Business Concept Award for early-stage high risk/high reward technologies that are targeting rare and pediatric cancers.  He is also taking the lead on the Program’s Peer Learning and Networking Webinar Series to help SBIR companies learn from peers and facilitate collaboration.
 

 
Jeffrey McLaughlin
Senior Vice President
Radiant Digital
Jeffery McLaughlin is a highly accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience encompassing organizational leadership, customer and user experience, digital media, human-centered design, and software development.
 
Mr. McLaughlin is recognized for his ability to drive innovation through human-centered design thinking, customer discovery, and rigorous engineering. His research endeavors have yielded impactful projects in domains such as worker safety, trauma recovery, cancer survivorship, medication adherence, chronic disease management and more. These endeavors reflect his commitment to improving the lives of individuals through outcome-focused technology solutions.
 
In his role as Senior Vice President of Services and Solutions at Radiant Digital, Mr. McLaughlin provides strategic leadership across every facet of the company’s business, including service line definition, technology development, delivery, and business growth. Under his guidance, Radiant Digital has consistently produced award-winning digital experience initiatives for Federal, State, and commercial clients.
 

 
William Ware,MS
co-founder and CEO
DoseOptics
William Ware is the co-founder and CEO of DoseOptics, LLC. The company is developing an imaging technology that will allow, for the first time, radiation therapy to be visualized. Treatments will be easily and routinely verifiable directly on patients thereby minimizing delivery errors and improving outcomes. William graduated with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Darthmouth Thayer School of Engineering, from where he spun out the company’s technology based on the work of President and Co-founder Prof. Brian Pogue.
Transcript:               [music]
 
             BILLY BOZZA:  Hello and welcome to Innovation Lab, your go to resource for all things biotech startups, brought to you by the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research, SBIR Development Center.
 
             Our podcast hosts interviews with successful entrepreneurs and provides resources for small businesses looking to take their cutting edge cancer solutions from lab to market.
 
             I'm Billy Bozza, a program director at NCI SBIR and today's host.
 
             In the last episode, you heard from an SBIR-funded

NCI SBIR Team Leaders Monique Pond and Jonathan Franca-Koh cover the basics of registering a small business for an SBIR/STTR application and the anticipated timeline to expect from submitting an application to receiving an award.
Listen to this podcast to hear: •               Guidance on the four registrations that should be completed before applying for SBIR/STTR funding
•               Managing eRA Commons accounts
•               Addressing registration errors and warnings
•               Reviewing the SBIR/STTR grants application summary statement
•               Typical timeline from applying to receiving an award
Podcast Guest Speakers: Name
Bios

Monique Pond, PhD
Program Director and Team Leader
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Monique Pond, PhD is a Program Director in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She manages a portfolio of grants and contracts to small businesses developing novel cancer therapies, digital health technologies, and therapeutic devices. Pond leads the CARE program, Connecting Awardees with Regulatory Experts, and other collaborative initiatives with FDA to assist small businesses in navigating the regulatory pathway for their technology. She initially joined the NCI SBIR Development Center in 2018 as a Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
 
 

 
Jonathan Franca-Koh, PhD, MBA
Program Director & Team Leader
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Jonathan Franca-Koh is a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center. Jonathan manages SBIR & STTR grants and contracts with a focus on cancer therapeutics and novel tools for research and drug discovery. He provides oversight throughout the award period and mentors applicants and awardees in developing their technology goals and commercialization strategy. Additionally, he plays an active role in several center initiatives, including recent investor forums, workshops, targeted funding opportunities, and represents the NCI on the trans-NIH REACH program. Prior to joining the SBIR Development Center, Jonathan was a Program Director at the NCI Division of Cancer Biology and Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, overseeing the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) program, a network of interdisciplinary centers that brought together physical scientists and cancer biologists. Jonathan received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of London’s Institute of Cancer Research in 2003, and completed post-doctoral research at Johns Hopkins University and the J. Craig Venter Institute. In 2014 he completed his MBA from Johns Hopkins University, focusing on finance and health care innovation.
 
 
Programs referenced in this episode:  SAM (System for Award Management) - https://sam.gov/content/home eRA Commons - https://www.era.nih.gov/register-accounts/register-in-era-commons.htm Grants.gov - https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration SBA (Small Business Administration) - https://www.sbir.gov/registration NIH SEED Small Business Funding - https://seed.nih.gov/small-business-funding/how-to-apply/before-you-apply Transcript:  MONIQUE POND:    Hello everyone and welcome to Innovation Lab, your go to resource for all things biotech startups, brought to you by the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research or SBIR Development Center.
 
             Our podcast hosts interviews with successful entrepreneurs and provides resources for small businesses looking to take their cutting edge cancer solutions from lab to market. I'm Dr. Monique Pond, a Program Director and team lead here at NCI SBIR and I'll b

Podcast Summary NCI SBIR Team Leaders Monique Pond and Jonathan Franca-Koh break down the importance of speaking with a program director before applying and share advice on how to go about doing so.
Listen to this podcast to hear: •               When to reach out to program directors
•               Tips for matching with the right program director
•               The type of guidance program directors offer (grants, programs, steps based on innovation or company stage, SBIR/STTR application)
•               Steps to take if your technology fits under multiple NIH institutes
•               Actions to take after you receive your application summary statement
 
Podcast Guest Speakers:  
Name
Bios

Monique Pond, PhD
Program Director and Team Leader
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Monique Pond, PhD is a Program Director in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She manages a portfolio of grants and contracts to small businesses developing novel cancer therapies, digital health technologies, and therapeutic devices. Pond leads the CARE program, Connecting Awardees with Regulatory Experts, and other collaborative initiatives with FDA to assist small businesses in navigating the regulatory pathway for their technology. She initially joined the NCI SBIR Development Center in 2018 as a Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
 
 

 
Jonathan Franca-Koh, PhD, MBA
Program Director & Team Leader
SBIR Development Center
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Jonathan Franca-Koh is a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center. Jonathan manages SBIR & STTR grants and contracts with a focus on cancer therapeutics and novel tools for research and drug discovery. He provides oversight throughout the award period and mentors applicants and awardees in developing their technology goals and commercialization strategy. Additionally, he plays an active role in several center initiatives, including recent investor forums, workshops, targeted funding opportunities, and represents the NCI on the trans-NIH REACH program. Prior to joining the SBIR Development Center, Jonathan was a Program Director at the NCI Division of Cancer Biology and Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, overseeing the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) program, a network of interdisciplinary centers that brought together physical scientists and cancer biologists. Jonathan received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of London’s Institute of Cancer Research in 2003, and completed post-doctoral research at Johns Hopkins University and the J. Craig Venter Institute. In 2014 he completed his MBA from Johns Hopkins University, focusing on finance and health care innovation.
 
 
Programs referenced in this episode:  Program director contacts - https://sbir.cancer.gov/about/contact-staff SF424 SBIR/STTR Application Guide - https://sbir.cancer.gov/commercialization/business/icorps/sf424-sbirsttr-application-guide.pdf PLAN series: first steps to a business - https://sbir.cancer.gov/commercialization/workshops-webinars/peer-learning/first-steps-starting-small-business PLAN series: specific aim page - https://sbir.cancer.gov/commercialization/workshops-webinars/peer-learning/specific-aims Transcript:               [music intro]
 
             MONIQUE POND: Hello and welcome to Innovation Lab, your go to resource for all things biotech startups, brought to you by the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research, SBIR Development Center.
 
             Our podcast hosts interviews with successful entrepreneurs and provides reso