The PROPEL Program

PROPEL, a joint partnership of iBIO and the iBIO Institute, is a series of programs aimed at increasing the number of life sciences start-ups in Illinois and boosting the success rates of existing companies. Industry led the development of PROPEL through generous support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Baxter International Inc., Abbott, and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. by providing initial funding for program development.
PROPEL and the iBIO Entrepreneurship Center help guide the development of formation-stage and early-stage life sciences companies by providing entrepreneurs with access to specialized resources and expertise. Industry, academia, service professionals, entrepreneurs, and government agencies connect to create and support a vibrant entrepreneurial community in Illinois and throughout the Midwest through PROPEL programs, including:

The iBIO Entrepreneurship Center
Coaching
Business Plan Presentation Panels
Professional Services
Workshops, Seminars and Educational Programs
CEO Roundtables and Networking
Technical Assistance
Grants

Current and Past PROPEL Participant Companies

Ag-Defense Systems, Inc.
Ag-Defense Systems is developing technology with real-time reporting capability for on-site monitoring in the $1.25 trillion food processing industry. Food contamination leads to over 75 million illnesses per year. The portable BioSage will be used to detect pathogens within minutes while employing GPS tracking capabilities so that as the threat of food supply contamination grows, Ag-Defense Systems will be ready to monitor and alert people in real-time.

American BioOptics
American BioOptics is a medical device company located in Evanston, Illinois. The company is working to revolutionize colon cancer screening, and eventually other cancers, with a highly accurate, minimally invasive test based on a novel light scattering technology platform.

Assistive Medical Equipment Corp.
Assistive Medical Equipment is improving the ease of care for the elderly and disabled by manufacturing and selling the MAX-MOVE™ transfer system. MAX-MOVE allows one nurse to transfer a patient without the lifting and bending that cause high lower back injury rates. MAX-MOVE helps hospital and nursing facilities comply with new safe patient handling legislation. Utility patents are pending and commercial prototypes are being evaluated. Email jim@assistiveme.com for more information.

B&H Biotechnologies, LLC
B&H Biotechnologies seeks to develop novel diagnostic, preventative (including new vaccines) and therapeutic products for infections, autoimmune diseases and cancers by revealing the pathogenic mechanisms of these diseases.

CanSil Diagnostics
CanSil Diagnostics manufactures diagnostic tools that detect disease by measuring the softness of individual cells in a tissue or fluid sample. CanSil utilizes microscopic, low-cost, disposable probes that can locate and "poke" cells to diagnose disease, such as cancer, in a completely novel way. For more information, contact info@cansildiagnostics.com.

Cell Habitats, Inc.
Cell Habitats, Inc. is an early-stage biomedical device company developing an easy-to-administer, implantable device that allows the natural repair and regeneration of damaged tissue. Its first application will be to restore normal cardiac function after a heart attack. Please contact cellhabitats@gmail.com for more information.

ChemSensing, Inc.
ChemSensing is an innovative manufacturer and supplier of sensor array technology. ChemSensing is committed to preserving and improving human life through the application of our its core technology to medical diagnostics. Targeting a variety of disease states, ChemSensing seeks to develop novel non-invasive diagnostic methods to provide a more effective way to diagnose, monitor and manage disease.

Functional Circulation
Functional Circulation is an Illinois biotech developing in vitro organ reanimation technologies for scientific and clinical applications. The Company makes products and services applying proprietary technologies to the understanding and treatment of organ-related disease.

J & J Solutions, Inc.
J & J Solutions, Inc. is an emerging medical device company that creates innovative solutions to optimize safety, increase productivity, and reduce the cost of preparing and administering hazardous pharmaceuticals. The company has developed a revolutionary technology with an initial application for handling chemotherapy drugs, a $1 Billion market. The company has filed non-provisional patents, built feasibility prototypes, attained proof of concept, and secured conditional purchase orders. Please contact us at innovate@jjsolutionsinc.com to learn more.

Kim Laboratories, Inc.
Kim Laboratories is the developer of the NoroCheck™ and ValidCheck™ pathogen detection systems for the real time detection of food borne pathogens. The company produces its detection instruments and test kits and sells them globally to food manufacturers and processors, school cafeterias, restaurant suppliers, water testing companies, as well as government agencies. Kim Laboratories also produces an array of diagnostic reagents for the detection of pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Norovirus. Contact sales@kimlaboratories.com for more information.

Lincoln Advanced Technologies, LLC
Lincoln is a development stage producer of health and safety equipment for government, industry, and the "critical infrastructure" segments of the U.S. economy.

Nerve Access, Inc.
Nerve Access is a pharmaceutical company founded to conduct quality research and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and related medical products, with a special focus on therapeutics that can enhance regeneration and functional recovery of the central nervous system (CNS) after neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, etc. Nerve Access is currently working to develop a drug for Alzheimer's with a novel route of administration. Email contact@nerveaccess.com for more information.

NeuRDS Inc.
NeuRDS Inc. is developing a revolutionary technology for use in neurostimulation devices. Please contact jacob.babcock@neurds.com for more info or inquiries.

Nucleon Biotechnologies
Nucleon Biotechnologies is dedicated to providing innovative and high-quality nucleic acid products for academic and industrial laboratories. Contact info@nucleonbio.com for more information.

ProSorp BioTech, Inc.
ProSorp BioTech, Inc. is an early stage medical device company engaged in the development and commercialization of a new generation of advanced blood management therapies through targeted filtration of undesirable compounds and proteins involved in inflammation for patients with chronic disease states, such as diabetes and kidney diseases. Click here to request information.

Rehabtek LLC
Rehabtek is developing advanced rehabilitation technologies and products for the diagnosis, therapeutic treatment, and outcome evaluation of neurological disorders and musculoskeletal injuries. Contact rehabtek_bo@yahoo.com for more information.

Stone Medical Corporation
The Stone Medical Corporation is dedicated to providing the Clean Collect Blood Collection System to hospitals and clinical laboratories worldwide. The Clean Collect Blood Collection System is a development stage product line that prevents the contamination of blood cultures, a 3.7 billion dollar problem annually for hospitals worldwide. Contact info@stonemedcorp.com for more information.

Sword Diagnostics
Sword dramatically improves the detection of low concentrations of biomarkers (indicators of the presence of disease) in immunoassays and easily integrates into existing tests. By detecting lower concentrations of these biomarkers, earlier disease detection is possible, improving treatment options and the probability of recovery. Sword’s Raman spectroscopy-based detection technology is targeted for life science research, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics.