Spurring economic growth through research
On October 25, CBE Professor Jessica Winter was on Capital Hill to speak as a member of the Science Coalition panel for House and Senate briefings on the value and impact of federally-funded research.
Watch a video of Winter as she described how her company, Core Quantum Technologies, got its start with help from federal funding and how American-made innovation sparks economic growth.
Winter, who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, was pursuing basic research when she made a discovery that ultimately led to the technology that formed the basis for her start-up company. She wanted to have greater impact and bridge the gap between writing about research findings and bringing those to help patients. Thus, Core Quantum Technologies was born.
Core Quantum Technologies' innovative way to improve cancer testing and diagnosis is based on nano-particles which emit different colors. CQT's main product is the MultiDot, a group of semi-conductor nanoparticle quantum dots encapsulated in polymer-based micelles that allows researchers to continuously track tagged molecules with greater brightness, longevity and stability than currently available technologies.
By improving biomedical tests that can identify and track disease progression, the technology could enhance survival rates by helping doctors match patients to therapies tailored directly for them.
Core Quantum Technologies has created jobs and ultimately could provide significant revenue once the technology is implemented in the medical community.
More importantly, the cancer diagnostics that Core Quantum Technologies provides can save lives -- but none of this would have been possible without the funding for the basic research that started it all.
"Strong and sustained federal funding for basic research is essential for spurring the innovation that helps drive our economy and keep our nation globally competitive," Winter said. "I didn't set out to come up with a commercial invention," she added. "I was conducting basic research, which is really what moves the frontiers of science, because it sets the foundation for everything else."
Federal funding is especially important for this type of research, because industry is more inclined to only fund shelf-ready commercial products which have already involved years of basic research to develop.
Winter's research was supported by the National Science Foundation, including an I-Corps grant.
