Lantern Pharma Collaborates with Code Ocean

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Lantern Pharma has announced a collaboration that will power their AI driven research by partnering with Code Ocean. 

Lantern Pharma is an emerging, oncology-focused, clinical stage pharma at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Genomics, and Machine Learning. They use genomic data, computational biology modeling and AI techniques to develop therapies by clarifying the potential mechanism of action to guide development. This further helps to identify the patient groups most likely to respond toa therapy, helping to bring patients to the right treatment faster.

Code Ocean is the leading computational research environment for sharing scientific discoveries. The collaboration will allow Lantern Pharma to leverage Code Ocean’s Compute Capsule technology to expand the power of their RADR platform resulting in faster, more collaborative discoveries from the billions of RADR data points.

The key limitation faced by computational researchers today are the complexities of analyzing big data when the available tools are disparate, cumbersome, and lack security. Through this collaboration, Lantern Pharma is expected to benefit from significant efficiencies in development time and cost, as well as increased reproducibility from Code Ocean’s platform. The Code Ocean platform will offer an easy to use, collaborative research experience with an integrated development environment, secure repository, and portable Compute Capsule® technology for guaranteed reproducibility.

Are you developing new software for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

The Center for Environmental Sustainability Through Insect Farming Receives $2.2m to Explore Insect-Based Solutions

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Texas A&M AgriLife Research is the agricultural and life sciences research agency of the U.S. state of Texas and a part of the Texas A&M University System. They have just partnered with the School of Science at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Mississippi State University. This partnership intends to explore the use of insects as food and feed in agriculture as a response to overpopulation, climate change, and a shrinking food supply.

The collaboration is referred to as The Center for Environmental Sustainability Through Insect Farming and has been started with a grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding came in the size of $2.2 million. The way the world is changing – growing populations, climate change, and the need for sustainability – means we need alternative protein sources. 

Beyond this collaboration, they intend to partner with over 30 companies in the U.S. and abroad in order to address the potential of insect farming. These partners will include food suppliers and insect farming pioneers such as Aspire Food Group, Protix, and Beta Hatch Inc. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it’s estimated that traditional agriculture will fall about 40 percent short of the world’s needed food supply by 2050. The leaders of the Center for Environmental Sustainability Through Insect Farming say that insect farming can provide a practical, economical and sustainable path for producing high-value protein and reducing agricultural waste — addressing issues related to climate change, environmental sustainability, socio-economic development and agriculture. Insects might offer a protein source as well as help in the process of converting agricultural byproducts into protein. They provide the chance at a circular economy solution.

Are you developing new software for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Texas Startup Aims to Optimize Gift Giving

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Have you ever forgotten to buy a birthday or Christmas gift? You’re on your way to the party, late, and don’t have anything to offer in return for the food and friendship. Don’t worry, from now on CardNow has you covered. Gift cards are a great way to give presents to even the pickiest of people. And with the increase in online shopping during the pandemic, the Texas startup aims to make digital gift giving easy, accessible, and efficient.

With CardNow you can purchase a box of inactive, unloaded gift cards to over 50 brands and restaurants, including Amazon, American Eagle, and even Doordash. The cards can be loaded and activated on-demand through the CardNow mobile app. No more waiting in line to purchase and load a card. CardNow’s innovative gift card system is not only useful for individuals, but for companies as well. Companies often use gift cards as employee incentives, contest prizes, gifts to loyal customers, or as apologies for mistakes. With CardNow, companies can have gift cards on hand for any reason. Never find yourself in a pickle for a present ever again. 

Are you adapting technology for a new purpose? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Texas Startup Jupe is Helping Covid-19 Efforts by Creating Pop-Up Hospital Rooms

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Potentially one of the most worrying parts of Covid-19, is the limited amount of space within hospitals. At a time when we’re encouraged to stay six feet apart, hospitals are at (if not exceeding) max capacity. Texas startup Jupe, is trying to solve this issue, and quickly, by creating portable isolation units. Jupe Health is a rapid-deployment recovery space designed for comfort, care and wellness. The three units are highly scalable, cost effective, and easily transportable. The intention is to have them as an immediate response for emergency bedding solutions, equipped with technology and amenities to support containment efforts in hospitals and clinics.

Pop-Up Hospital Rooms

‘REST’ units are 8.5 x 13 ft and contain beds, batteries, storage, waste containers, a personal Wi-Fi network, USB charging and lighting, with optional air filtration systems and climate control. They’re to be set up for medical professionals as a chance to rest near hospitals and/or isolated from their families.

‘CARE’ units add to this, being double the size as the ‘REST’ unit and with a full bathroom and simple kitchen. They’re also off-grid, meaning they can be set up even in the most remote of places.

‘PLUS’ units provide a minimal intensive care unit (ICU), equipped with all medical equipment necessary to treat someone in need: personal protection equipment (PPE) , ventilators and a connected don/doff chamber.

These units have better sanitation and comfort than a tent, but more transportability than containers (24 units can be transported by one truck). And, unlike tents that hospitals are using currently, Jupe’s units give each patient their own room, helping with isolation and decreasing the risk of spread. They’re also designed to be quiet and dark, to provide a more restful environment.

The Necessities of Covid-19

Potentially the most difficult component of this pandemic (or any), is the lack of forewarning. Which means that people, companies, and the health sector as a whole, have to react as quickly as possible to an ever-changing situation. So, when speed is key (and a hospital usually takes more than two years to build) it makes sense to turn to modular construction. This method of building – prefabricating standardized components in a factory, and then assembling them quickly on site – is a fast, flexible, less wasteful alternative to traditional construction.

Although Jupe would have surely preferred more time, and there is worry that the units won’t be commercially available until too late, the company’s on track for its units to hit the market in the fall (which is also when a potential second wave of Covid-19 cases is expected). And, this is a long term solution; this crisis affected us mostly because we weren’t prepared, but these units can be bought and stored, in the event of another global pandemic.

The Company

Jupe’s development has been fast-tracked, but was originally designed for a different purpose. The company’s portable units were to house those displaced by natural disasters, refugees, and those experiencing homelessness. The company plans to get back to that strategy, but for now recognized the more immediate need.

Are you developing an innovative product to help in the global crisis? Your work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please  contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

WHO WE ARE:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

How VR Tech is Helping Senior Living Communities Live Their Healthiest, Happiest Lives

The global population is aging, and with that comes a number of concerns. But MyndVR is proving you can teach old dogs new tricks. Or, more importantly, you can address serious elderly concerns with new tech. The Dallas based company is implementing its Virtual Reality (VR) technology into senior living communities and it’s showing amazing results combatting health and wellness issues.

Depression and Dementia

Dementia and depression often go hand in hand. While dementia affects 7% of adults aged 60 or older, it often looks like depression, or vice versa, because both illnesses share symptoms such as memory problems, sluggishness, and low motivation. Also, both can cause the other. Although the complex relationship between the two disorders is far from conclusive, the prevalence of depression in dementia patients is reportedly between 9% and 68%.

According to the CDC, depression affects up to 5% of the general elderly population. That number rises to 11.5% in older hospital patients, and 13.5% in those who require home healthcare. Why are these numbers so high?

Health Problems: Depression is more common in those with another illness, and about 80% of older adults have at least one chronic health condition. What’s more, certain medications are associated with depression, including blood pressure, arthritis, and high-cholesterol drugs.

Loss of Purpose & Social Isolation: Combine physical limitations with retirement and suddenly it’s harder, and less necessary, to leave the comfort of a home. This means many elderly people are spending more time alone, without a sense of purpose.

Misdiagnosis: Depression symptoms can look like regular aging: fatigue, difficulty concentrating or persistent aches or pains. Often this means that family and friends, health care professionals, and even the patients themselves miss the signs.

Companies like MyndVR are seeing the benefits of using VR to combat these illnesses. Studies and clinical trials have used the technology as a simulation and interaction tool, which can expose patients to their fears, and present interactive environments with cognitive-behavioral challenges. In doing so, these VR systems have been linked with: helping overcome mental illness; prompting cognitive and behavioral changes in patients with psychiatric disorders including autism and dementia; and reducing chronic pain and intensive stress.

Fear of Falling

Many older adults have a constant fear or falling, which cannot be explained by physical examination. Logically, it makes sense that seniors would be worried about fall-related injuries and how these can impact their lives, both in terms of life quality and health care costs. But for many, these concerns morph into a heightened psychological fear. This can result in mental or physical issues, such as anxiety or muscle depletion from self-induced mobility restrictions.

A 2016 study found that VR exposure therapy, in the form of serious games, can be used to treat the fear of falling. This is because it requires both sensory and cognitive processing. Top-down processing refers to cognitive perception, where your brain uses patterns to perceive and fill in information. Bottom-up processing requires piecing sensory information together to create a picture. VR requires the cognitive organization and execution of synchronized motion (top-down process), while serious games allow for embodiment (bottom-up process). The combination of these two had a positive effect on the psychological or phobic reaction that patients had to falling.

Quality of Life

MyndVR knows that not only can VR impact major health concerns, it’s also fun. The interactive technology encourages dancing, singing and laughing, often giving patients a sense of inclusion, relief and happiness. The company’s goal is to ‘lift spirits, improve quality of life, relive cherished memories, and create new ones’.

Are you developing technology with health benefits for elderly people? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Self-driving trucks begin deliveries in Texas.

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Self-driving vehicles have been a massive conversation topic in the past decade, and have revolutionized the way we look at cars. But when you think about these vehicles, it’s usually a small car driving down a quiet street, or reversing into a parking spot. What about self-driving trucks? In August, 16 months after its founding, autonomous trucking startup Kodiak Robotics made its first commercial deliveries in Texas. The company’s fleet of eight trucks set off with human safety drivers behind the wheels, for now. The idea of a 40-ton vehicle being driven by technology might seem daunting, but the technological innovation could save lives and, simply put, it makes sense.

It’s no secret that truck drivers work long, tiring hours. Too often we see articles about drivers falling asleep, or crashing because of a mistake they made due to fatigue. In fact, research has found being tired behind the wheel is just as bad as being over the drink-driving limit. Even when following federal regulations, it’s a major safety concern for truck drivers to be working long, odd-hour shifts and driving a heavy vehicle, on consecutive days. In 2017, there was a national shortage of over 50,000 truck drivers, potentially because of these safety concerns.

But without the trucking industry America would shut down. 75% of the US depends on the trucking industry to make deliveries, according to Teletrac Navman. Truck drivers move about 10.5 billion tons of freight, and drive roughly 125,000 miles, each year.

This high demand, met with safety concerns, is exactly why Don Burnette and Paz Eshel founded Kodiak Robotics. The startup is revolutionizing and re-defining the trucking industry with self-driving freight trucks. This tech not only eliminates the need for tired drivers to be doing long hours, but it also just makes sense. Long-haul trucking involves a lot of highway driving, something structured and predictable, and perfectly suited to self-driving vehicles. Kodiak Robotics says, “As hard as it is to navigate city streets, autonomous vehicles are much closer to being able to drive on more structured interstate highways, which have no jaywalking pedestrians, no aggressive cyclists, and no runaway pets. That’s why we’ve focused on building technology specifically for long-haul trucks driving on highway routes, often referred to as the ‘middle mile’”. These autonomous vehicles also require fewer stops, so more efficient drive times can be accomplished.

The company built its software from scratch, rather than working from existing self-driving tech. In this way, the software is built for the trucks, so there’s no need to adaptor modify. This technology was then tested in simulations, and then on closed roads, before Kodiak Robotics rolled out the real thing across the state.

Before Kodiak Robotics, CEO Don Burnette worked on Google’s self-driving project and autonomous vehicle startup Otto. He says, “As industry veterans, we’ve seen where self-driving technology has fallen short, and have a clear vision for how to make it work and work safely.”

“Our trucks will not drive drunk, distracted or drowsy. Our trucks will never speed, or text while driving. While humans often repeat their mistakes, software learns from them. Most importantly, we will not put a truck on the road without a human behind the wheel until we have proven that our trucks are safer than a human driver. Full stop.”

Are you working with autonomous tech? Did you know your R&D work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Borden Dairy Company Makes a Comeback with a New R&D Center

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Founded more than a Century ago, Borden Dairy Company has re-emerged with new leadership, ownership, a focus on its people, a confident vision to regain its position as the undisputed front-runner in the dairy sector, and a new research and development center that will allow them to launch new, groundbreaking products.

As you may remember, Borden is a legacy dairy firm, credited with inventing the use of glass milk bottles more than 130 years ago and also being the first American Dairy Company to utilize the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspection Shield back in the 1960s.

As it makes a comeback, the new CEO at the company is Tony Sarsam, who boasts more than 30 years of experience in the food sector having worked with companies such as Nestle and PepsiCo. Before taking on Borden, he was the CEO at Ready Pac Foods where he managed to guide the firm to an astounding 60 percent growth in less than five years.

Better yet, to help Borden reclaim its position, Sarsam re-established the sales and marketing functions, then added a new R&D team that will help the firm unveil new products.

At the center of this intense comeback is also Borden’s iconic spokes-cow, the Mascot Elsie, who has been awarded a new modern look. Elsie first appeared in 1936, and was soon after named by AdAge as one of the Top 10 Advertising Icons of the 20th Century.

“Despite not having made marketing investments in recent years, the Borden brand still holds a lot of equity, driven by over 150 years of dairy leadership,” said Joe DePetrillo, Borden’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Elsie remains a beloved and iconic representation of this proud heritage with people of all generations. For these reasons, we wanted our brand refresh to be evolutionary in nature rather than revolutionary. We were mindful to respect the familiarity and trust Elsie has earned, while ensuring that our brand stays relevant to today’s consumer.”

Life Science in Texas Experience Exponential Growth as a Result of Funding

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A recent report by CBRE Research has found that between 2014 to 2017 Houston, Texas is the third – fastest growing life science market. With an increase of 14% within the workforce as well as several strong academic institutions the state’s capital has more than 200 life science companies.

In 2017 the state received $1.16 billion in funding .The steady progression in Houston’s life science sectors can be seen as the result of funding and incentives by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Texas is due to receive  more funding the next few years for a collaborative 30 – acre biomedical research campus being developed jointly by the Texas Medical Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The project is expected to generate over 30,000 new jobs and a $5.2 billion return when the project opens in 2022.

Through seeing a sector that was once completely associated with Texas grow into one of the bigger industries, there is no doubt that government initiatives aid in the progression and developments. Being the centre of an exponential life health sector boom, companies should leverage R&D tax credit options available to them now.

To find out more on whether you are eligible contact us today

Notorious Plant Killer?: Dallas-based startup OrchidBox develops terrariums for the lackluster green thumb

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If you don’t have a green thumb, growing plants can be an absolute nightmare. The day has come where anyone, anywhere (yes, this includes the person who overwatered their grandmother’s African violet) can grow a variety of plants, thanks to Dallas startup OrchidBox.

“It’s sad, I don’t think young people understand just how diverse our wildlife is, and we are losing more and more plant species every day,” Hollis said in an interview.

OrchidBox was developed by Nathan Hollis, who has a background in computer science and a love for plants. Hollis’ creation, an acrylic box that has high-power LED lights, a water indicator level, and a water level viewing window, promises that any user will never kill a plant again.

The OrchidBox comes with built-in intelligence and is Wi-Fi enabled. This allows the box to coordinate with sunrise and sunset times, and send watering alerts straight to a smartphone. The case will also let you know when to water the plant (if you see a red light on the case, you should really water the plant). According to the company website, the OrchidBox uses over 400 lumens over a 4” x 4” x 7” area that includes light flux levels that are approximately 50% of the sun’s intensity on a sunny summer day—a design feature that cannot be found within any other growing device. The sensing technology has been designed to last, so users can grow plants over the years to come.

“While most people think of the stereotypical store-bought orchids, there are actually 50,000 species of orchids, some that are very, very bizarre. Most people don’t know that, and some don’t even know what an orchid is, so we wanted to take the opportunity to teach people,” Hollis said.

The terrarium box comes with: the OrchidBox, a power adapter, base substrate, soil of choice, watering cup, a pipette, and a fertilizer sample. The application supports Facebook and Google logins. Users can add terrariums to an account. It also allows users to view the water level remotely.

OrchidBox’s mission is to increase conservation and conservation awareness by developing microclimate-controlled devices for plants. The OrchidBox is still in its development phase.

More information about the innovative startup can be found by clicking here.

Creating an innovatiove, quirky desk accessory? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

The Flood of the Boxes: Dallas-based delivery startup Fetch makes apartment package delivery easier, more convenient

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If you’ve ever lived in an apartment complex or have been a property manager, packages can overtake a leasing office or lobby in the blink of an eye. Thanks to an innovative Dallas startup, property managers will no longer need to ‘sail’ through a mass flooding of packages in their apartment complexes.

Fetch, created by Michael Patton, collects parcels that are mailed to apartments at off-site warehouses and then delivers them to residents at a convenient time. “The e-commerce explosion has flooded apartment buildings with packages. I saw what a pain it was for the property managers, and that was an eye opening moment for me,” Patton said.

Fetch works in a simple, yet innovative way. Users redirect their deliveries to a Fetch warehouse. Once the package has arrived at the warehouse, users then receive instant notifications, hours before it would normally arrive at an apartment complex. Patrons can then request their package to be delivered on their schedule—convenience at its finest, especially for bulky or large items that take a bit more effort to deliver and coordinate.

Fetch has signed 15 contracts with various properties around Dallas. The startup currently manages packages for roughly 5,000 apartments, according to an article on 512tech. Property managers are charged $10 per unit on a monthly basis. The service is available in Texas, but it plans to expand rapidly across the country.

For more information on Fetch, please click here.

Are you developing a platform that benefits employees? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.