Jose Jimenez

I acquired a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez and a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering in December 2016 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I focused my research in the development of organotypic models to study diseases such as tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression. I have been personally involved with the development of a variety of advanced microfluidic cell culture technologies over the past seven years. As Chief Executive Officer at Onexio Biosystems LLC and principal investigator of a Phase I and Phase II SBIR, I have led the research and development of the microDUO technology, a high-throughput screening co-culture platform. My expertise is in the design and development of microtechnologies for 2D, 3D, organotypic cell culture and high-throughput micro-culture systems. Additionally, I have significant previous experience utilizing the “physics of the microscale” to construct novel components and devices, as the founding manager of the Microtechnology Core Facility at UW-Carbone Cancer Center. Here, I gained extensive experience managing over 20 users and facilitating the adoption of advanced microtechnologies (e.g. microfluidic models, organotypic models, and drug/chemical screening devices at the micro scale) to laboratories across the world. In addition, I was responsible for consulting with clients and providing my knowledge and expertise in the design of new assays for biological research. Recently, I was awarded a $100,000 prize in the Transform Tox Testing challenge award offered by the NIEHS, NCATS and EPA, a SEED grant from the state of Wisconsin, and an NIEHS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR Phase II) to support the development and commercialization of the microDUO. Last year I was awarded a State Funded SBIR Advance to gain training in Lean Startup methodology, and the SLAS Europe Innovation AveNEW award to showcase the microDUO technology and gain new business partners. In the last 12 years, I have successfully completed research training and acquired a broad spectrum of experience in different topics. Since the beginning of my entrepreneurial career, I have been learning about the important roll of venture capital and I am very interested in learning more about this process. In the near future, I foresee a career in consulting and investment. The BioExpert Network will be a great opportunity to test my skills and take me closer to my goals.