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

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.

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.

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.

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.

BioRegenix, Inc.
BioRegenix, Inc. is an early stage biotechnology company whose mission is to develop products that repair and regenerate injured human tissue. CardioGen is used for heart muscle regeneration. A protein, combined with a polymer scaffold, will attract progenitor stem cells. The public disclosure of the science of the polymer scaffolds has been released in a scientific journal. BioRegenix is pursing grant funding, private investment, and partnership opportunities to continue development of this cutting edge technology. Contact ttriant@bioregenix.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.

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.

Assistive Medical Equipment Corp.
Assistive Medical is a development stage producer of equipment that is used for transferring patients with severe mobility limitations. The equipment reduces the physical loads the caregiver experiences during transfer of a patient into or out of a wheelchair. Assistive Medical is pursuing grant funding as it continues moving toward commercialization.

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.

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.