University — Industry Technology Transfer

As a science and technology institute, the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging seeks to facilitate broad access to the innovative discoveries and inventions that originate in its laboratories. Extensive academic collaborations engage scientists and engineers at UCLA, Caltech, UCSB, Stanford, and numerous academic institutions, and a close working relationship with members of the Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMED), provides an integrated environment for translational and clinical evaluation and implementation of new science and technology. The Crump Institute views commercialization as an essential and responsible step to provide enabling technologies for biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences to improve patient care.

The energy and vision of several Crump faculty led to the establishment of a new technology transfer initiative in 2007. Activities center around Momentum Biosciences, a faculty-led incubation and business advisory group, which provides a home to an array of start-up companies in the fields of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and medical devices. Momentum (also known as MoM) has established off-site technology incubation facilities close to UCLA, and provides laboratory and facilities management, staffing, and seed funding to its early stage companies, freeing founders and scientists to focus on research and development. Three of the current eight incubator companies (Sofie Biosciences, Cellfluidics, and ImaginAb) were established based on discoveries and inventions by Crump faculty.

A key part of building a technology transfer “engine” is education. The Crump Institute joins with the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology to offer a graduate course on “The Business of Science.” Faculty from the School of Medicine, School of Engineering and Applied Science, the College, Anderson School of Business and the Technology Transfer Office, along with volunteers from outside business, legal, and financial communities join to help our students gain a better understanding of the cultures, expectations, and practices of companies in the biomedical sciences and healthcare.