Baltimore Business Journal - by Scott Dance

Five research projects in Greater Baltimore have landed nearly $1 million in funding to help turn ideas into commercial products.
The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program awarded the grants as part of $3.3 million going to 16 teams of private companies paired with faculty at state universities. MIPS granted $1.4 million, while the remaining $1.9 million came from the companies partnering with the researchers.

The university faculty members conduct research in labs while working closely with the partner companies to advance the products.

Here are the Baltimore-area awards:

• BlueWing Environmental Solutions and Technologies LLC of Ellicott City and Joshua McGrath, an assistant professor at University of Maryland, College Park, received $139,000 for developing artificial floating islands that help clean the Chesapeake Bay;
• Corridor Pharmaceuticals of Lutherville and University of Maryland, Baltimore, professor Gerald Rosen received $223,031 to test a treatment for anthrax poisoning;
• Encore Path Inc. of Baltimore and University of Maryland professor Jill Whitall received $138,872 to develop a rehabilitative device to help stroke victims walk;
• Fyodor Biotechnologies Inc. of Baltimore [University of Maryland BioPark tenant] and Ganesh Sriram, a University of Maryland assistant professor, received $180,330 to develop a treatment for malaria and other diseases; and,
• KYDES Pharmaceuticals LLC of Halethorpe and University of Maryland, Baltimore, professor Stephen Hoag received $300,399 for developing compounds that deactivate drugs such as opiates and amphetamines when they are tampered with.

MIPS is part of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, a business incubator and support system at the University of Maryland, College Park.