Bioengineering students capture first place in 2012 Randall Family Big Idea Competition

PITTSBURGH (April 10, 2012) ... Noah Johnson, Bioengineering PhD Candidate, Class of 2015, and Hunghao Chu, PhD Bioengineering, Class of 2011, captured first place in the 2012 Randall Family Big Idea Competition.

Noah and Hunghao, advised by Dr. Yadong Wang, developed a drug delivery platform technology for controlled release of protein therapeutics to specific tissues over time. Delivery of growth factors using this controlled release platform has proven effective in post-heart attack recovery, with additional indications for wound healing, bone regeneration, neurodegenerative diseases, and chemotherapeutic delivery. The global market for biopharmaceutical proteins will exceed $155 billion by 2015, many of which will rely on a delivery system to localize them and extend their release over time.

The Randall Family Big Idea Competition is presented annually by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration. Six student team finalists competed for $75,000 in prizes, and were chosen from ideas submitted by 156 Pitt students.

Students from the Swanson School of Engineering are active participants in the event. The 2011 first place interdisciplinary team idea winner was Pulse Motors, let by CEO Micah Toll, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and materials science.

Contact Noah Johnson for more information. Intellectual property developed by Yadong Wang, PhD , associate professor, Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, and Hunghao Chu (PhD Bioengineering 2011, University of Pittsburgh).

2012 Wildcard Contestants:
Cloud Care
• Yicheng Bai: PhD student, Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2012
• PJ Dillon: PhD student, School of Computer Science, Class of 2013
• Chengliu Li: PhD student, Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2012
• Yaofeng Yue: PhD student, Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2012
A cloud-based e-Health platform, including wearable sensors that monitor food intake and physical activity, providing patients with ongoing feedback and guidance.

Infect-Defect
• Robert Benjamin Zaczek: Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2012
An electronic infection detecting "smart" wound dressing device utilizing novel sensing technology and a wireless connection for medical personnel.

WIND emPOWER
• Corey Travis Forster: Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2012
A website featuring a wind turbine using bicycle components and open-sourced programming to proliferate the use of wind energy as a power source.
Rapid Prototyping Machine
• James Henry Clampffer: Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2014
• Jason Galletta: Swanson School of Engineering, Class of 2014
High-quality, cost-effective prototyping equipment affordable to educators, hobbyists, and small businesses.