Rocky Hill, Conn., September 25, 2007 – Connecticut Innovations (CI), the state’s quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and innovation development, today announced that it has provided seed funding of $250,000 to New Ortho Polymers Inc. (NOP) of Farmington, Conn., through its Seed Investment Fund. This is the second company to receive assistance through this program. The funding will be used to help NOP develop innovative orthodontic systems that make use of proprietary shape memory polymer (SMP) technology developed at the University of Connecticut (UConn). The systems, including polymer-based self-ligating brackets, arch wires, hooks and modules, will make it easier for orthodontists to apply braces and will offer patients both greater comfort, through the use of lighter, more consistent forces, and a more aesthetic look compared with metal based systems.
This investment brings together two Connecticut organizations dedicated to creating new enterprises in Connecticut. NOP was started by UConn R & D Corporation, a for-profit subsidiary of the UConn Foundation that creates new business entities based on the research of the faculty and staff at the University of Connecticut. To date, it has developed four companies.
The NOP team consists of Eleanor Tandler, chief executive officer; Charles Burstone, D.D.S., professor emeritus for the Department of Orthodontics at the UConn Health Center; Patrick Mather, Ph.D., Milton and Ann Stevenson Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at Syracuse University and former associate professor of chemical engineering at UConn; and A. Jon Goldberg, Ph.D., director of the Center of Biomaterials at the UConn Health Center and member of the University of Connecticut’s Institute of Materials Science.
Governor M. Jodi Rell commented, “New Ortho Polymers and other entrepreneurial ventures are vital to the state in so many ways. They are spawning the next generation of high-tech products and creating high-quality jobs of the future for our citizens. We must continue to provide them with the resources they need to grow – both financial and advisory – through programs such as CI’s Seed Investment Fund, aimed at assisting companies when the most need the support.”
“CI is pleased to have the opportunity to support a company that has been established through a successful intra-university collaboration – between the world-renowned UConn School of Dentistry at the UConn Health Center, the University of Connecticut at Storrs and the University of Connecticut Research and Development Corporation,” said Peter Longo, deputy director of CI. “NOP is an excellent example of the successful leveraging of one of our state’s greatest assets – the intellectual capital residing in our research universities.”
“New Ortho Polymers is excited at the opportunity to launch a new business with top notch partners. With CI as our collaborator, we plan to continue our research efforts to bring to market some of the most innovative orthodontic products designed and developed by some of the most renowned scientists in each of their respective fields of study,” states Tandler.
“We are delighted to have worked closely with CI on this investment to foster entrepreneurial growth in the State. This investment is, for us, a model as to how we can create new economic opportunities for Connecticut with UConn’s intellectual property and CI’s business expertise,” adds Mark Van Allen, president of the UConn R & D Corporation.
About Connecticut Innovations Inc.
Connecticut Innovations (CI) is a quasi-public organization dedicated to driving a vibrant, entrepreneurial, technology-based economy in Connecticut. CI stimulates high-tech growth by investing in: early-stage Connecticut technology companies; university/industry research collaborations; technology transfer; and, clean energy initiatives through the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. CI also fosters collaboration among government, business, nonprofit and academic organizations to advance technology growth and promotes public policies consistent with CI’s mission. For more information on CI, please visit www.ctinnovations.com.
About New Ortho Polymers Inc.
New Ortho Polymers, Inc. (NOP) is based on patented technology using polymer materials in orthodontic appliances developed by Drs. Charles Burstone and Jon Goldberg at UConn's School of Dental Medicine. NOP is applying self-reinforced polymer material to create the first polymer-based, esthetic archwire for commercial use. NOP also utilizes a patented shape memory polymer technology developed by Dr. Pat Mather, formerly at UConn's Institute of Materials Science in Storrs, to create orthodontic appliances for tooth movement. NOP is working to create the next generation, polymer-based, esthetic, complete orthodontic system for tooth movement.
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