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Dr. Joan Dunbar: Research Matchmaker

Faculty members are doing a much better job attracting funding from industry partners. Dr. Joan Dunbar leads biotechnology development at the school and establishes links between WSU and the private sector. For example, Dr. Jeffrey Loeb works with AlphaGene on epileptic seizure treatments and Dr. James Granneman is co-founder of a start-up company called New Target Technologies that investigates drug targets for obesity and diabetes.

When it comes to entrepreneurial spirit, it takes one to know one. Perhaps that’s the reason Joan Dunbar, PhD, was appointed director of biotechnology development at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. She recognizes an opportunity when she sees it and she knows how to bring collaborators together.

With scientific training in biological chemistry, Dr. Dunbar understands the lives of scientists, but she also understands the business of research. After leaving academia to run her own biomedicine and biotechnology consulting company for approximately five years, Dr. Dunbar is now back at the medical school promoting translational research and the development of biomedical technologies with an emphasis on academic-industry partnerships.

“We have research here that is ripe for technology development,” Dr. Dunbar said. “With statewide initiatives, like the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor, and the translational research programs sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies, WSU has to be competitive in attracting this funding and positioning itself as a significant player in technology development.”

Dr. Dunbar has already facilitated many collaborations between WSU researchers and interested corporate partners. For example, Joseph Gulfo, MD, chairman and CEO of Antigen Express Inc., praises Dr. Dunbar for serving as a liaison on projects between his company and WSU faculty members, includ- ing Drs. Lawrence Davis, Gilda Hillman, Malcolm Mitchell and J. Edson Pontes.

Dr. Gulfo, who recently accepted Dr. Dunbar’s invitation to present a seminar about the fundamentals of biotechnology start-up corporations, said, “All of a sudden, academic researchers are forced into a paradigm shift. Venture capitalists are not hypothesisdriven; rather, they are looking for the business plans that will turn research into commercial assets. And biotech entrepreneurs are evaluated solely on their ability to raise funds and enhance valuation. We need to get everyone speaking the same language.”

As translator and matchmaker, Dr. Dunbar is helping researchers promote commercialization of their technologies. “It’s not the wave of the future,” she said. “It’s here now.”

2000 Report to Investors:
Creating Personal Partnerships

Partnerships for Life

The Quest to Improve Women's Health

Gifts from Alumni

Gifts from Faculty, Staff, Friends and Corporations

2000/2001 Alumni Annual Telefund Volunteers

2000 New Endowed Funds at the School of Medicine

Alumni Contact Information

Bibliographies:
Anatomy and Cell Biology

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research