Selagine

SELAGINE Inc. is a spin-out company from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) that is focused on developing novel therapeutics to help patients suffering from a variety of debilitating ocular surface diseases, and to improve the quality of life in conditions that lack optimal therapies.​

​The technology housed within SELAGINE is the outcome of a decade of research & development, with funding from National Eye Institute/NIH, Research to Prevent Blindness, UIC OTM Proof of Concept Awards Program, and the UIC College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology. SELAGINE's office is located within the Illinois Medical District and R&D laboratory is housed in UIC's Incubator Laboratory Facility​, a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation at the University.

The word ‘Selagine’ is derived from Selaginella bryopteris​ - the botanical name for Sanjeevani Booti plant. Sanjeevani translates as "one that infuses life". According to ancient mythology, Sanjeevani is a magical herb which has the power to cure serious medical problems. It was believed that medicines prepared from this herb could revive situations where death is almost certain. SELAGINE's philosophy aligns with an ancient Delphi maxim - Ἐγγύα πάρα δ' Ἄτα - that we interpret as 'knowledge is correct, but must always be treated with prudence'.​