Rocky Mountain REACH (RMT-REACH)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The L.S. Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation (SIHI)-Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (SIHI- REACH) at the University of Montana (UM) will catalyze the emerging biomedical industry corridor in Montana and the surrounding states by establishing a hub to accelerate translation of academic discoveries into products that impact human health. Untapped opportunities exist in IDeA states to turn biomedical research discoveries into technologies that address unmet medical needs, disease burden, and health disparities for populations across the United States (US). We have partnered with 10 academic institutions across the IDeA states in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) region—including a community, a technological, and a tribal college—as well as the Washington Entrepreneurial-REACH (WE-REACH) at the University of Washington to gain invaluable guidance from their leadership team. Academic discovery is indispensable for ensuring a pipeline of research for novel diagnostics, devices, and therapies, yet sustainable infrastructure to support academic innovators in resource-limited regions has yet to be fully realized. Geographically remote regions have unique challenges in developing and promoting commercialization and entrepreneurship, including lack of infrastructure, less access to innovators and subject matters experts, and lower levels of funding. Gaps in resource allocation contribute to higher rates of mortality and disease burden, and health systems in these areas have traditionally been late to implement health innovation when compared to their metropolitan counterparts. In order for health innovation to reach clinical usefulness for all people, efforts are needed to ensure the inclusion of minority, geographically-isolated, and historically medically underserved populations at every stage of the biomedical research life cycle. We will accomplish our ultimate goals through the following aims: 1) Identify emerging biomedical discoveries with commercial viability in academic institutions within the four regional IDeA states supported by SIHI-REACH, emphasizing discoveries that address disease burden and health disparities for underserved communities; 2) Develop an innovative implementation system to enable access to gap funding, key subject matter experts in areas of product development, regulatory, reimbursement, legal, business development, and overall commercial strategy for academic researchers in resource-limited areas; 3) Provide funding and project management support for promising technologies and development teams to accelerate product definition studies; and 4) Elevate a WWAMI region-wide pro-entrepreneurial culture among academic investigators by engaging and mentoring biomedical innovators in rural and tribal institutions. With a strong leadership team providing diverse and complementary expertise and proven experience in entrepreneurial startups, SIHI-REACH will train the next generation of biomedical innovators in entrepreneurship and product development, positively impact the regional economy, and bring products that address health disparities to market. 1