Dr. Trivia Frazier joined a diverse a panel that included Diego Pinzon, Caroline Crumley, and Jack Carrere, all founders of startups in New Orleans, to speak about Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Unicorn & Beyond during the GNOuSummit. The summit was organized by GNO Inc. to showcase industry partners from advanced manufacturing, logistics, wind energy, technology, maritime and beyond and inform the public about opportunities in these industries.
Obatala® CEO to Join White House-organized HBCU Week
Dr. Trivia Frazier was invited to join a National Institutes of Health discussion that will take place during the National Historically Black Colleges and Univerities Week Conference, organized by The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Dr. Frazier will speak about Biomedical Research and Business Innovation, and how science can be a tool for economic advancement. Dr. Frazier is a graduate of Dillard University, an HBCU located in New Orleans, LA, and will be joined by other panelists Dr. Willie E. May of Morgan State University, Dr. Jon Lorsch of the National Institute of General Medical Science, Dr. Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young of Texas Southern University.
Dr. Frazier to Speak to Penn State Biomedical Engineering Students
Obatala's CEO will participate in the Penn State University College of Engineering's Department of Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series. She will give a presentation entitled "Human Blood-Derived and Adipose-Derived Products for Metabolic Research: a Tale of Risk and Reward" to students in the department. Contact us at info@obatalasciences.com for registration information.
Obatala CEO Selected as Power Tech Leader
Dr. Trivia Frazier was selected by New Orleans City Business as one of the top 20 leaders in the technology industry in New Orleans.
Obatala® CEO Speaks to Students at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans
Dr. Trivia Frazier was invited by Dr. Fern Tsien to speak to students participating in a summer program at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans. She shared her academic and career journey and spoke about the transition from academia to industry and how she started Obatala Sciences.
Obatala® Research Scientist Speaks during AMRI Summer Program
Dr. Katie Hamel presented to students of the Advanced Materials Research Institute at the University of New Orleans as a part of their summer symposium series. She discussed new research efforts by Obatala and her journey from academia into industry. Obatala has been a tenant of AMRI since 2019, and it is joined by several other STEM-based startups.
Obatala® Participates in MPS World Summit
After several years of planning, the first annual MPS World Summit begins on May 31, 2022, and Obatala's Staff will be deeply involved in the conference:
- Dr. Trivia Frazier will participate in Session 15: Disease Modeling, with a talk entitled "Embracing Diversity in a Microphysiological World". She will join several other panelists to discuss how MPS can be used to better model human disease.
- Dr. Cecilia Sanchez will present Poster on Abstract #133, "White and beige/brown human adipose tissue-on-chips as a platform for disease modeling and drug discovery".
- David Bode served on the Executive, Steering, Local Organizing, and Society Committees, and will be involved in launching the International MPS Society coming out of the convention. The Society will take over planning for future conferences and build a community of researchers in the field.
- Several team members will attend the conference and will be available to speak at Booth #105 during exhibit hours.
Obatala CEO Collaborates on Publication
Dr. Trivia Frazier joined with an international group of researchers to publish a paper, "Decellularized Human Umbilical Tissue-Derived Hydrogels Promote Proliferation and Chondrogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells" in the journal, Bioengineering. The study discussed in the paper established a protocol for the formuatlion of a hydrogel from decellularized human umbilical cord tissue, and assessed its application in the proliferation and differentation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells along the chondrogenic lineage.
Trivia Frazier Joins Panel at 2022 BIO Conference
Dr. Frazier will join an illustrious panel at the 2022 BIO International Convention in San Diego, CA. The panel discussion, "Fostering Diversity and Bio-Equity Through Novel Financing and Training Initiatives in the Aging Innovation Ecosystem" will be moderated by Kwame Ulmer, MBA, MS, who is Principal at Ulmer Ventures, Venture Partner at Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, and Founder of MedTech Color
The other speakers include:
LCDR Michael Banyas, USPHS, M.P.A.; Health Specialist at NIH/National Institute on Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Todd Haim, PhD; Director of the NIH/National Institute on Aging (NIA) Office of Strategic Extramural Programs (OSEP)
Karen Heidelberger, MBA, MS; Chief Partnership and Communications Officer & Partner at Deerfield
Obatala's COO Mentors Award Winning Tulane Novel Tech Team
Obatala's COO, David Bode, served as a mentor in the 2021-2022 Tulane Novel Tech Challenge, a year long technology development extracurricular activity where Tulane students do product development and customer discovery to build a commercializable product. Mr. Bode mentored Fleur Femtech, which is building an over the counter diagnostic for endometriosis. Fleur Femtech won first place in the 2022 Novel Tech Final Pitch.
Obatala's CEO Speaks at AACSB Annual Conference
Dr. Trivia Frazier, Obatala's CEO, spoke on a panel at the 2022 International Conference and Annual Meeting of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in New Orleans. The panel topic was "The Power of Purpose in Business", and she was joined by Alejandro Moreno-Salamance, Direcotr General of INALDe Business School; Andrea Chen, the Co-Founder & CEO of Propellor; and Karen Sedatole, Interim Dean of Emory University's Goizueta Business School.
Obatala Announces Cecilia Sanchez, PhD, as New Chief Scientific Officer
Obatala Sciences is pleased to announce that Cecilia Sanchez, PhD, will serve as the company's Chief Scientific Officer and VP for R&D effective April 1, 2022. Dr. Sanchez received her PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Pierre Chambon, an international leader in transcriptional biology in Strasbourg, France, before moving to Tulane University in New Orleans for post-doctoral fellowships with both Dr. Melanie Ehrlich and Dr. Darwin Prockop. Upon completion of her training, Dr. Sanchez joined the Tulane Department of Medicine's Pulmonary Division as a faculty member, where she was independently funded on projects relating to pulmonary fibrosis. In 2017, she and her family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where she was an Innovative Projects leader in Biomerieux, an international leader in the development of biomedical devices and assays.
Like all members of the New Orleans diaspora, Dr. Sanchez missed the ambience of Southeastern Louisiana, and Obatala was fortunate to recruit her in December 2021. In accordance with our transition plan, over the past few months, Dr. Sanchez has worked closely with Dr. Xiying Wu and Dr. Jeffrey Gimble to onboard into her new role. Drs. Wu and Gimble will remain as active members of Obatala Sciences. Dr. Gimble will now serve as the company's Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Wu as a consultant.
Dr. Sanchez brings to Obatala a wealth of expertise in stromal stem cell biology, fibrosis models, GMP operations, and biotechnology product development. We are excited for her to assume her new leadership role in the company!
Obatala CSO to Present Poster at MPS World Summit
Obatala Sciences' CSO, Dr. Cecilia Sanchez, will present a poster at the first annual MPS World Summit, which will be held in New Orleans, from May 30-June 3. This conference is partially funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and it will be the largest ever gathering that is exclusively focused on microphysiological systems, organs-on-chips, and organoids. Dr. Sanchez's poster describes Obatala's Adipose Tissue-on-a-Chip Platform as a tool for disease modeling and drug discovery.
Obatala CEO Interviewed at AACR by Biotechniques
Obatala's CEO was interviewed by BioTechniques during the 2022 AACR Conference in New Orleans. She shared information about how Obatala's products can be used in various cancer models to advance drug discovery. She also gave her tips on how to have an effective experience at large conferences such as AACR and how to enjoy New Orleans.
Obatala Sciences™ Participates in Americas Competitiveness Exchange
Obatala Sciences™ was included in the Americas Competitiveness Exchange Louisiana programming, a week long series of events that brought economic development representatives from 21 countries to the New Orleans Area, Baton Rouge Area, and Acadiana to learn more about business development and partnership opportunities in the state. Obatala® participated in events in New Orleans and Lafayette, and Obatala's CEO, Dr. Trivia Frazier, presented a summary of the company to the attendees.
Obatala® CSO Honored as a Top 1000 Scientist in US
Dr. Jeffrey Gimble, Obatala's CSO was selected as one of the 1000 most impactful scientists in Biology and Biochemistry in the US by Research.com. This ranking is based on the number of publications Dr. Gimble has authored and the number of citations those publications have received. Dr. Gimble's 261 publications have been cited over 40,000 times!
Obatala® CEO Participates in New Orleans Entrepreneur Week
Obatala's CEO, Dr. Trivia Frazier, joined a panel during Idea Village's New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, "Enterprise Investing with Local Impact" where she discussed how the support of Ochsner Ventures has allowed Obatala to grow. She was joined on the panel by local investor Tara Hernandez, Ochsner Ventures CEO Aimee Quirk, Hampr founder Laurel Hess, and Benson Capital Partners Managing Director Mike Katz.
Obatala Sciences™ Featured on Startup Hustle Podcast
Dr. Trivia Frazier was interviewed on the Startup Hustle podcast, and discussed her journey from undergraduate science major to tenur-track faculty member to biotech founder and CEO. In addition to the podcast, Obatala Sciences™ was chosen as one of the top startups in New Orleans by Startup Hustle.
Louisiana Economic Development Features Obatala Sciences as SBIR Success Story
Louisiana Economic Development, the official economic development organization of the state of Louisiana, included Obatala Sciences in a video showcasing SBIR success stories in the state. Obatala's CEO, Dr. Trivia Frazier, was interviewed as a part of the video, and shared the impact that SBIR funding has had on the company.
Obatala® CEO Joins Town Hall Meeting on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a virtual town hall at Dillard University on how to incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into STEM. Dr. Trivia Frazier, 0batala's CEO, is a Dillard Alumnae, and joined a presitigous panel that included:
- Justin Matthews, School of Engineering, Georgia Tech, Former DSL/Griffiss Institute Alumnus
- Dr. Kelly Nash, Associate Dean for Faculty Success, College of Sciences and Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio; Former PREP and SSA Alumnus
- Grace Johnson, Department of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Science Center; Former GEOPATH Alumnus
- Latisha Franklin, Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA); Former MARC Alumnus (video prepared remarks)
- Olabimpe Olafuyi, Ph.D. student in Computational Chemistry, Jackson State University
Other speakers at the event included Dillard University Facuty Members Dr. Ruby Broadway, Dr. Eric Buckles, and Dr. Abdalla Darwish as well as the president of Dillard University, Dr. Walter Kimbrough.
Other speakers were The Honorable Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense and The Honorable Ms. Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.