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July 10, 2007

Dollars and Sensors

University-based company gets grant to continue research

Story by: Diana Golobay

The Shorthorn staff

The Shorthorn: Robert Rodriguez

Alumna Debra Wawro co-founded Resonant Sensors Inc., which specializes in production of a type of sensor that screens experimental drugs. The advantage of this technology is the ability for drug discovery companies to monitor potential drug interactions more quickly than with previous methods.

When alumna Debra Wawro co-founded Resonant Sensors Inc. with former faculty member Robert Magnusson, she began a partnership that remains strong 15 years later.

This partnership in combination with the use of university facilities recently earned a state grant that will help fund the company’s continued research. The Texas Emerging Technology Fund awarded the company $600,000 in late May. Wawro said the company plans to use the funds to commercialize its first product, which should be out at the end of the year.

Resonant Sensors Inc. is an Arlington-based company that specializes in producing a certain type of optical sensor used in screening experimental drugs. The company has developed technology that enables drug development companies to quickly monitor molecular reactions and the binding of certain chemicals.

“The real added value is speed and accuracy of our detection methods,” she said. “Right now, it takes pharmaceutical companies up to $1 billion and 10 to 12 years to bring a product to the market.”

Wawro attributed part of that delay to time-consuming drug-screening processes. She said the technology created by her company will improve and speed up the process.

She said the university has helped by lending the use of Nedderman Hall facilities in exchange for part ownership of the company.

“They’re a founder, in a sense,” she said. “They’ve been instrumental in helping us develop these technologies.”

A student also has a hand in the company’s research. Electrical engineering senior Charles Kearney said a friend recommended him to Wawro. He has worked for the company since the beginning of the summer. He continues to write an interface program that will allow users to take measurements with the technology.

“It’s really about understanding ... what the user wants and putting that into a package that can be sold,” he said.

He called the company an ideal place to work when he graduates in the fall. He plans to attend the university while working on a master’s degree and will continue to work with Wawro.

Kearney said the grant is a positive development for the company. He said the government funding provides the company with healthy publicity and ensures its continuation.

“It’s awesome. We’ll be able to develop a platform for equipment that’s really cutting-edge technology,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll give me a raise.”