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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 also potential for the startups to access future customers. Another person involved with the FBR incubator eff ort is William Palin, FBR's trustee and scientifi c director, who serves as an unpaid consultant. He was a principal scientist at diag- nostics company Alere in Scarborough and vice president of research at rapid diagnostics company Binax Inc. in Portland. He's also recently developed a rapid and less dangerous test for arsenic in water, Palin explains. Most current tests contain mercury in the bottle tops, which must be disposed of in a special manner, she says. MDIBL now houses two compa- nies. One is Novo Biosciences Inc., the fi rst MDIBL spinoff company in the lab's 117-year history, co-founded two years ago by Strange and MDIBL researcher and Assistant Professor Voot Yin. Novo is developing a thera- peutic compound to help speed tissue healing and stimulate the regenera- tion of lost or damaged body parts in animals, with the aim of eventually translating it for use in humans. In January, RockStep Solutions Inc., an information management soft- ware company formed by ex-Jackson Laboratory researchers, moved into MDIBL. " e MDIBL is a perfect start-up environment for RockStep," Chuck Donnelly, the company's CEO, said in a statement when he announced the move. " e institution off ers a world-class research environ- ment combined with an entrepre- neurial spirit, and we'll have the added benefi t of being able to interact with the MDIBL's scientifi c staff and their extended network of scientifi c, clinical and business collaborators." Bigelow also has a visiting scientist and former executive at Massachusetts drug company Repligen Corp. rent- ing space. Dan Witt, who has yet to establish a company, is conducting early investigation work on rockweed enzymes that he hopes one day may be applied in biomedicine. He brought with him a specialized scientifi c instrument he owns called a spectro- fl uorometer and is sharing it with a young Bigelow researcher, so he calls the incubator arrangement a "two-way street" in terms of sharing knowledge and space. If his research pans out, he says he plans to start a company and seek funding to move it toward commercialization. L V , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d @ LV a n d a t @ . LET US HELP: rudmanwinchell.com How do I exit my business without destroying it? rudmanwinchell.com Bangor, Maine 207.947.4501 A true strategic partner for your business Get the answers to grow your business Get the answers to grow your business to grow your business to grow your business to grow your business to grow your business Get the answers to grow your business P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y WO O D S H O L E O C E A N O G R A P H I C I N S T I T U T I O N Graham Shimmield, executive director of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, in front of "Alvin," a manned submersible used for deep-sea research.

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