Warsaw-based AcceLINX partners with IU for research

By Lucretia Cardenas | Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly

A recently signed university-industry partnership could develop new or more cost-effective therapies to treat patients around the world who are affected by injuries or diseases of the musculoskeletal system, Indiana University said in a recent statement.

Those conditions - which can restrict movement and cause serious pain - include bone fractures, ligament tears, degenerative disc disease of the spine and osteoarthritis.

Indiana University and its affiliate, the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., entered into a partnership agreement with AcceLINX, the business accelerator developed and launched by OrthoWorx. The partnership is designed to identify and support further development and commercialization of marketable musculoskeletal health technologies developed at the university.

Tony Armstrong, president and CEO of IURTC and associate vice president in the IU office of the vice president for engagement, said the aim of the partnership is to bring faculty, student and staff ideas to market.

“If these inventors lack the commercial and operating experience to advance a technology, AcceLINX has the expertise and the network of resources to partner with us to help provide a quicker transition from idea to successful product or service,” Armstrong said.

President Sheryl Conley of AcceLINX expressed excitement about the partnership.

“Indiana University has an outstanding record of developing technologies in the health sector,” Conley said. “We look forward to assisting its researchers and IURTC in bringing new musculoskeletal innovations to market.”

Through the partnership, IU and IURTC will have access to AcceLINX industry and subject-matter experts. They will provide commercial and technical screening of university-developed technologies and feedback to inventors, as well as assistance in sourcing capital, typically on a pro bono basis. IU and IURTC will also have access to AcceLINX experts on a fee-for-service basis for more-involved projects.

In addition, AcceLINX will work with IU and IURTC to identify opportunities for university-related faculty or graduate students to participate in research for technologies originating in the private sector.

Conley said the partnership could impact the state in several different ways.