BioSig Technologies lured by DMC and Rochester’s ‘intellectual capital’

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BioSig Clinical Team
BioSig Clinical Team

Leaders of Connecticut-based BioSig Technologies say the prospect of establishing itself in an emerging world-class hub for medtech innovation played a big part in driving their decision to open a new research & development facility in Rochester, Minnesota.

The 10-year-old, Nasdaq-listed firm announced Oct. 15 it has set up shop in the Discovery Square life sciences hub, one of the six development sub-districts comprising the Destination Medical Center (DMC) area in and around downtown Rochester.

Discovery Square’s focus is leveraging the power of Mayo Clinic’s global clout as a research powerhouse to spin off a thriving biotech and medtech start-up community, bringing together the scientific expertise, entrepreneurism and venture investment elements needed to establish the city as an attractive destination for emerging companies.

And in the case of BioSig, it all worked as planned. The firm had earlier established a scientific collaboration with a local expert — Dr. Samuel Asirvatham, vice-chair of innovation and medical director of Mayo’s Electrophysiology (EP) Laboratory. Together they helped develop the PURE EPÔ platform, which uses proprietary technology to filter out electromagnetic interference from equipment in a typical EP lab to produce “cleaner” electrocardiograms needed for safer and more efficient catheter ablations, a quickly growing procedure to treat stubborn cases of complex heart arrhythmias.

Rybak: Proof of Concept Seen in Discovery Square

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R.T. Rybak
DMC Corporation Board Chair R.T. Rybak speaks at the 2019 Annual Meeting.

The Sept. 19 celebration marking the grand opening of One Discovery Square, a cornerstone element of Destination Medical Center’s Discovery Square sub-district, was justifiably hailed as a joyous moment by hundreds of guests, local officials and curious passers-by on a warm afternoon in Rochester, Minnesota.

And why not celebrate? The official opening of the unique, 90,000-square-foot office/bioscience building, located at 201-299 4th Street S.W., commemorated a symbolic achievement for Rochester.

The quick lease-up of Mortenson’s building by tenants such as Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota-Rochester, Epic Systems, WuXi Diagnostics, Philips, Boston Scientific, Rion and others is already demonstrating how the core DMC goal of creating local economic diversity by leveraging Mayo’s healthcare industry clout can work in the real world.

Entrepreneurship Week to celebrate Rochester, Minnesota’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

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RAEDI Rave EventRochester is home to a growing network of entrepreneurs, and this month, four days of events will highlight the successes of the region’s innovators. Rochester Entrepreneurship Week, from October 22 through October 25, features 11 events throughout the city, covering a variety of issues that affect local entrepreneurs.

Several forums, panels and group discussions address topics like managing wellness as an entrepreneur, joining startups, expanding Rochester’s art scene, and facing challenges unique to female entrepreneurs. There are also presentations from established entrepreneurs, including Garwin McNeilus, founder of McNeilus Truck & Manufacuring.  Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. (RAEDI) also hosts its annual Recognizing Awarding Valuing Entrepreneurs (R.A.V.E.) program during this week.

Minnesota-based healthcare technology firm Rion expands presence in Rochester joining One Discovery Square

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One Discovery Square, the new Destination Medical Center (DMC) Discovery Square development by Mortenson, has announced the addition of Rion LLC to the building in downtown Rochester.

Rion currently has a presence in Rochester and the lease at One Discovery Square marks an exciting phase of expansion for the company. The Rion team at One Discovery Square will be focused on advancing regeneration through innovations related to its exosome biotherapeutic platform, development of novel off-the-shelf biologics technologies and biomanufacturing. By being in One Discovery Square, Rion aims to work with teams at Mayo Clinic to develop lifesaving technologies that have the potential to augment access and improve the economy of healthcare.

Rochester Leaders Travel to Germany for Climate Protection Partnership

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Kevin Bright, DMC Economic Development Agency and City of Rochester Director of Energy and Sustainability, returned from a week-long trip to Germany with plenty of ideas to help Rochester improve its sustainability practices.

The University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment organized the trip for government and community, policy and state agency leaders from several Minnesota cities, including Rochester, Elk River, Morris, White Bear Lake, Warren and Duluth. Each city is paired with similar partner cities across Germany; Rochester is paired with Münster. Traveling with Bright from Rochester were Mayor Kim Norton, Senator Dave Senjem, City of Rochester Sustainability Coordinator Kristi Knudson, and Katie Jones from the Center for Energy and Environment.

They spent the week learning firsthand how German cities are preparing for changes in energy and sustainability.

Rochester Organizations Launch “When in Rochester, MN” Mobile Application

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Experience Rochester, Destination Medical Center and Mayo Clinic announced the launch of a new mobile app, “When in Rochester, MN.” The app is the result of a unique collaboration between three organizations focused on improving the experience for community members, visitors and patients.

“The When in Rochester, MN app is exactly the type of project we love to see in the Rochester community,” said Lisa Clarke, Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency executive director. “The partnership between our three organizations is what makes this app different than other apps in other cities. Our teams have taken the time to understand what our community members and visitors need while in Rochester – and developed an app for that.”

Heart of the City Community Update: Meet the Artists

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Heart of the City Open House InformationOver the past 12 months, DMC and the City of Rochester have invited the community to participate in the redesign process of Peace Plaza. From integrating universal design elements to enhancing the current Peace Fountain, every inch of space has been considered down to the smallest detail. We invite you to continue to be part of the dialogue in this design process by imagining how the integration of art can transform one of our most valued public spaces. The final elements to be fit into place are the installations of four world-renowned artists whose previous works have been featured around the globe.

Eric Anderson – Rochester, MN

Ann Hamilton – Columbus, OH

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer – Montreal, Quebec

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle – Chicago, IL

On October 18, all four artists will be in Rochester to share their works-in-progress with the community.  DMC and the City of Rochester invite you an open house and lunch presentation at Castle Community.

DMC Brings Design Thinking Workshops to Area Communities and Universities

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Ideas to Solutions in 90 Minutes

Design ThinkingThroughout this fall, Destination Medical Center (DMC) Economic Development Agency will be partnering with several area universities and organizations to host Design Thinking workshops for students, business representatives, entrepreneurs and community members in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Free to all participants, these workshops are part of the lead-up activities for the DMC’s Assistive Tech Challenge pitch competition.

The partnering organizations include Luther College, St. Catherine University, Houston County Economic Development Agency, Minnesota State University, Mankato, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and CoLab, Winona State University, St. Mary’s University and The Garage Cowork Space in Winona.

2019 DMC Annual Meeting focuses on opportunities, growth, future

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With the newly opened One Discovery Square in the background serving as a symbol of its progress, civic and business leaders gathered outdoors Thursday, Sept. 19, for Destination Medical Center’s 2019 Annual Meeting and to celebrate the grand opening of One Discovery Square and the future Discovery Walk parkway, with a festive community celebration open to all.

Under a tent erected on a parking lot across from One Discovery Square, 400 guests enjoyed dinner and updates from a trio of key players in the DMC process. The speakers’ messages covered three broad themes: opportunity, growth and the future.

Rochester Childcare Center “Thriving” in Discovery Square

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World-leading scientists and researchers aren’t the only ones contributing to the community in Destination Medical Center’s Discovery Square. Families at Thrive Childcare are embracing the “live, work, play” environment envisioned for the sub-district.

Christ United Methodist Church opened Thrive Childcare as a nonprofit organization last October. The space in the church’s lower level has six classrooms with the ability to serve up to 82 children. Volunteers also run a family resource center to help families with questions they have about parenting.

Tanya Goretzki, Executive Director of Thrive, says the majority of parents who take their children to Thrive work in the downtown area. This saves them time dropping off their children in the morning. It also provides peace of mind.

“For parents being able to walk out our door and see the building that they’re working in gives them this calm, especially for our infant families,” said Goretzki. “They pop in throughout the day if they can.”