Livio Valenti is the co-founder of Vaxess Technologies, a startup that developed MIMIX, a smart-release therapeutic patch that, after only minutes of wear-time, can release treatments into the skin at precise rates for up to months after the initial application. 

The origin story of the formation of Vaxess is incredible. Livio had been working for the United Nations in Cambodia, helping rice farmers convert their fields to silk so they could sell a higher value product. After seeing Professor Omenetto's TED talk (linked below) on the technological opportunities in silk, coupling that with Livio's knowledge on the challenges of drug and vaccine delivery in the developing world, and that he happened to start a degree at Harvard just a short drive from Tufts where the inventors Professors Kaplan and Omenetto had their lab, the seeds of Vaxess were born. 

Listen to hear more on how he discovered the technology, courted and brainstormed with Professor Omenetto, and how the Gates Foundation pushed them to think about their technology in new directions. He gives advice on looking for opportunities when you're in university, building long-term relationships with collaborators, the value of small business plan competitions, how to leverage non-dilutive funding, and much more. 

More about MIMIX: 

The same biology that allows MIMIX to activate the immune system against infectious diseases like influenza can also be used to activate the immune system against cancer cells. When a MIMIX patch loaded with a chemo agent is applied to certain tumors, for example, it kickstarts a natural immune response, eventually eliminating metastases throughout the body.

The technology behind MIMIX’s smart-release functionality is not a synthetic preservative or a complex drug-delivery device. It’s natural, water-soluble, and inexpensive—silk. It works like this: after a brief application, the patch is removed, leaving behind the tips of the medicine-filled microneedles painlessly within the patient. At once delicate and resilient, the microneedles dissolve at a precise rate, releasing medicine at its most effective dose and for the most effective length of time.

Courtesy of The Engine

Here's a link to Professor Omenetto's TED talk on the powers of silk. 

Find Livio on LinkedIn and visit the Vaxess website to learn more. 

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