Netramind Innovations aims to help clinicians diagnose and monitor the progression of eye diseases
In a sun-drenched conference room overlooking the Monongahela River at the sparkling new UPMC Vision Institute, Jay Chhablani beamed as he signed a licensing agreement to launch the University of Pittsburgh’s latest startup company – Netramind Innovations.
Seated beside Evan Facher, Pitt’s Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean for Commercial Translation at the School of Medicine, Chhablani, professor of ophthalmology and Vice Chair for Clinical Trials and Director of Clinical Research at the Vision Institute, marveled at the turn his life has taken over the past six years.
“When I was in India, I was the happiest person… I had a wonderful lab. The first question everybody asks is, ‘Why did you move?’ What I didn’t know was all these great things were waiting for me (in Pittsburgh),” he said.
Recruited to Pitt by José-Alain Sahel, Chhablani uprooted his family for the opportunity to work alongside one of the world’s most influential vision research pioneers.
Last year, he once again found himself on unfamiliar terrain when Lawton Snyder, CEO of the Eye & Ear Foundation, which supports the research at Pitt’s departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, approached him with the idea of launching a startup company to commercialize his AI-powered ophthalmic data analysis platform. The tools his lab is creating are used to diagnose and predict the progression of eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, empowering clinicians to make optimal treatment decisions.
Snyder explained to him that several local foundations, including the Shear Family Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, were interested in providing funding to help translate Vision Institute innovations from the lab to the market, where they can make an impact in people’s lives.
When Chhablani replied that he knew little about innovation commercialization, Snyder reassured him that Facher and his team at the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) would provide him with the education and mentoring he needed to succeed.
Now, Chhablani said he is excited to be able to “close the circle” for his research.
“I see patients, and they raise the questions. We have 11 people in the lab. We do research seeking solutions. The final part is to commercialize it and bring it back to the patients. A research paper doesn’t do that,” he said.
With his longtime collaborator, Sandeep Bollepalli, research assistant professor of ophthalmology, Chabblani conducted extensive stakeholder interviews to understand the unmet needs of patients and clinicians through a month-long NSF I-Corps commercialization short course. They then participated in an accelerator program at LifeX, a Pittsburgh life sciences commercialization company.
Rounding out the startup team is Kiran Vupparaboina, research assistant professor of ophthalmology.
At the license signing, Chhablani called out several people from the technology transfer arm of the OIE. He credited entrepreneur in residence, Dan Broderick, with providing him a primer in business basics; Rob Racunas, associate director of compliance and contracts, for educating him on intellectual property protection; and Paul Petrovich, director of new ventures, for helping him explore startup funding opportunities.
Facher pointed out that Netramind is the 14th startup to spin out of Pitt in fiscal year 2025. He noted that small businesses create most new jobs in the U.S.
“The formation of new companies is what drives the economy forward. This is the kind of thing the university is trying to do more of,” Facher said. “The impact of research is best felt when it’s making an impact for people and creating a societal benefit.”
If you’re a Pitt innovator curious about exploring the commercial potential of your ideas or research discoveries, contact the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to consult with one of our expert staff.
