MOCA, Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art, continually stretches art far beyond the canvas, but the internationally revered icon started out as a tiny bastion of counterculture during the tumultuous 60s.

The concept of saving compostable food from landfills, and instead putting it to good use, is a notion that is starting to catch on in Northeast Ohio.

As a biomedical engineering graduate student at CWRU, Punkaj Ahuja was working in 2010 on applications for a core sensor his team was developing.

Then the idea for a rapid blood test using the same technology came to him. By October 2014, he had formed Apollo Medical Devices – a company that is developing a low-cost, accurate and rapid blood analysis system.The company has offices at BioEnterprise.
 
“Our device uses rapid blood testing technology with a single drop of blood in just five minutes,” explains Apollo CEO Patrick Leimkuehler. “It delivers when time matters most – in the ER, the ICU and the OR.”
 
The Apollo system uses a single drop of blood to get basic metabolic panel, or CHEM-7, results in minutes. The test measures various basic levels like glucose, sodium, creatinine and potassium to diagnose illness and determine treatments. Other tests require a blood draw and take up to two hours for results.
 
“I was working on another project using the same sensor technology and a group of us were in a room brainstorming,” recalls Ahuja. "We were discussing what else we can do with this sensor technology – with its low cost and rapid results.”
 
After talking to a physician, Ahuja was convinced they had to develop their product. “That’s what pushed us toward the test itself,” he says. “Once it was ingrained in our minds, a lot of work and a bunch of labs tests began to get this into the real world.”
 
While the Apollo device is still in the development stage, Ahuja and Leimkuehler plan to have the product to market by 2017. Apollo plans to market the device primarily to hospitals’ emergency departments, intensive care units and operating rooms. Once launched, Leimkuehler says Apollo plans to expand and target primary care doctors and the home health care markets.
 
Last summer, Apollo Medical Devices won the $20,000 grand prize in JumpStart’s Startup Scaleup NEO Up-and-Comers Pitch Competition. The company has also received funding from the Northeast Ohio Innovation Fund, CWRU’s Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership and Ohio’s Third Frontier Technology Validation and Start-up Fund.
 
 
 

Matthew Jackson traveled to Cleveland from the UK this past summer to get an idea of US cities' economic redevelopment efforts. He shares his impressions and compares Cleveland to the UK.

Doctors, researchers, pharmaceutical companies and the public will gather to discuss major issues around disorders of the brain and nervous system at Cleveland Clinic Innovations' Medical Innovation Summit October 25th-28th.

The Cuyahoga River's watershed extends south to Stark County. While the infamous fire of 1969 has faded, the river is still troubled, but efforts both natural and beautiful are underway to turn the tide.

While Cleveland's urban core is seeing an increase in educated young professionals, neighborhoods are also diversifying and families are moving to the suburbs.

This weekend, explore IngenuityFest, check out Walk All Over Waterloo, get cultured at International Cleveland Community Day at CMA, view short films at Ohio City Film Festival and more. 

For 14 years Christie Murdoch has called Tremont home to her eclectic boutique Banyan Tree – selling unique clothing, jewelry, accessories and gifts to loyal customers. Last October, The Banyan Box became one of  the first tenants of Small Box Cleveland – a market of shops in renovated shipping containers.

 
Now, Murdoch is moving east and about to open her third Banyan Tree store at 11440 Uptown Alley in University Circle’s Uptown. “I feel like it’s a fresh and new area that people are just hearing about, just learning about,” says Murdoch of the location. “There’s a mixture of people coming here, and it’s different than Tremont.”
 
Murdoch wasn’t actively looking for a third location, but Uptown felt right. “I looked at spaces over the years, but it wasn’t right,” she says. “Then this came along and we were open to it. It turned out really nice. It has the same feel as Tremont, but more modern.”
 
The Tremont Banyan Tree has a solid East Side customer base, Murdoch says, but having an east side location will add to it. “Our east side customers are very loyal, but I think they’d come here more. And we love that we’re staying in the City of Cleveland.”
 
The Uptown store will carry similar items as the Tremont location, but Murdoch will adapt as needed. “In the beginning we will have very similar things,” she says. “Then, when we figure out who our client base is, we will bring in more items. We want to get to know our clients first, get feedback, then go from there.” The store will also showcase work from local artists and designers.
 
Murdoch grew up in retail – her mother owned a seasonal store – but didn’t initially intend to go into retail herself until she came across an empty storefront in 2001. “I had graduated from college and was looking for a job when I saw this space in Tremont,” she recalls. “And I decided I could do it.”
 
Fourteen years later, the Banyan Tree is one of Cleveland’s prized stores for shoppers looking for something a little different.
 
The Uptown location opens Thursday, October 8 with an opening night party at 6p.m with food, drinks and shopping exclusives. Regular store hours are Monday through Wednesday from 11am to 7pm, Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 9pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm.

Marking its 90th birthday, the Cleveland Public Library consistently ranks as one of the top rated libraries in the nation as a place that is both innovative and inviting.

This weekend, hop on a trolly at SPARX City Hop and visit events throughout downtown, Ohio City and Tremont, check out local music at Heights Music Hop, get inspired at Creative Mornings and more.

The ambitious Eastside Greenway project will take years to accomplish, but leaders are taking small steps to connect Cleveland's eastern suburbs through trails and corridors.

Now in its seventh year, Sustainable Cleveland 2019 held its annual summit this week with the Year of Water. These social innovators are taking the theme seriously.