2020 Winner: Immunaeon
Team: James Cooper, MD/PhD student; Joe
DiNardo; Daniel Fisher, PhD '11; Dan Rera,
MA '07, PMBA, '11; Adam Utley, PhD '19; and
Tom White, MD
HOW IT STARTED: Immunaeon began as an idea for a medical
device company, but through Panasci, grew to a multifaceted
biotech startup using deep learning algorithms to establish
new diagnostic criteria for disease and novel immunothera-
peutic applications.
WHERE IT WENT: The venture took first place in last year's
Panasci competition, which was postponed until September
and held virtually for the first time due to COVID-19. Even
with the delayed start, Immunaeon is off and running,
hiring its first full-time employee and getting more expe-
riential entrepreneurship training in the National Science
Foundation's I-Corps program.
WHAT WE LEARNED: "By helping us shape the business
model, unlock the vast network of resources at UB and
connect to leaders in the thriving Buffalo startup commu-
nity, our experience with Panasci continues to help
Immunaeon grow and succeed," says Utley.
Buffalo Automation Group
– 2016 Winner
• Inaugural recipient, Buffalo Innovation
Seed Fund, 2020 ($500,000)
• First place, Detect and Avoid Solutions,
Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems
International XCELLENCE Awards, 2019
• Selected for Acceleration by PortXL, 2019
• Semifinalist, GENIUS NY Accelerator
Competition, 2019
• First place, New York State Business Plan
Competition, 2016 ($10,000)
MemoryFox – 2016 Semifinalist
• Recipient, Launch NY Seed Fund, 2019
($50,000)
• Lindsay Macaluso, MArchitecture/MBA
'18, honored by Forbes at the Blackstone
Launchpad Under 30 Showcase, 2016
NanoHydroChem – 2017 Winner
• Winner, FuzeHub Commercialization
Competition, 2017 ($50,000)
Aviate Audio – 2018 Winner
• Winner, FuzeHub Commercialization
Competition, 2020 ($50,000)
• First place, New York Business Plan
Competition, 2018 ($20,000)
Willow – 2018 Finalist
• Recipient, Launch NY Limited
Partner Fund, 2019
Spring 2021 Buffalo Business 19
From left, Michael John, Immunaeon's chief information officer, with Cooper, Utley and Fisher. Photo: Nancy J. Parisi
