Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards five novel biomedical devices with $115,000 total Round-2 2017 Pilot Funding
PITTSBURGH (January 22, 2018) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $115,000 to five engineering and medicine groups through its 2017 Round-2 Pilot Funding Program for Early Stage Medical Technology Research and Development. The latest funding proposals include proposed solutions to conditions such as peripheral artery disease, pulmonary fibrosis, improving auditory pathology detection, improved wound healing and repair, and a better means to perform root canal surgery.
The Center for Medical Innovation, a University Center housed in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, supports applied technology projects in the early stages of development with “kickstart” funding toward the goal of transitioning the research to clinical adoption. Proposals are evaluated on the basis of scientific merit, technical and clinical relevance, potential health care impact and significance, experience of the investigators, and potential in obtaining further financial investment to translate the particular solution to healthcare.
“We have an extremely strong cohort from our 2017 Round 2 funding,” said Alan D. Hirschman, PhD, CMI Executive Director. “The collaboration between engineering and medicine at Pitt provides a fertile setting for novel medical technology, and so we’re proud to give these researchers funding to take their ideas to the next level.”
AWARD 1: A
structurally and mechanically tunable Biocarpet for peripheral arterial disease
Development of a prototype “Biocarpet” that is mechanically and topographically tunable and
can be used to treat complex peripheral artery disease. This will help treat
long lesions in peripheral arteries that have multiple stenoses.
Jonathan
P. Vande Geest, PhD
Professor of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
Kang
Kim, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and secondary appointment in Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
William
R. Wagner, PhD
Professor of Surgery University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and secondary in Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
John J. Pacella, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Vascular Medicine Institute
Kenneth J. Furdella
Graduate Student, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
AWARD 2: FibroKineTM:
CXCL10 Biomimetic Peptides for Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Development of an inhaled aerosol delivery system will achieve target organ specificity and efficient delivery to
the lung. This will specifically aid patients who suffer from Pulmonary
Fibrosis.
Cecelia C. Yates, PhD
Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Development, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Timothy
E. Corcoran, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and secondary appointments in departments of Bioengineering and Chemical and Petroleum
Engineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
Zariel I. Johnson,
PhD
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Christopher
Mahoney, M.S.
PhD Candidate, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
AWARD 3: Hearing
for Health: Single Unit Hearing Screener and Amplifier
Development of a wearable product that will allow health care professionals to quickly
screen individuals for hearing loss. The device would also further provide
sound amplification for those individuals with difficulty hearing.
Catherine V. Palmer,
PhD
Program Director and Associate Professor, Audiology Program, Department of Communication Science & Disorders, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences; and Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center
Jeffrey S. Vipperman,
PhD
Professor and Department Vice-Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
AWARD 4: Gel-based reconstructive matrix for treating orbital trauma and periocular wounds
Development of a novel ocular trauma management system,
for immediate response to injuries that occur to the areas including and surrounding
the eye.
Morgan
Fedorchak, PhD
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Clinical & Translational Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; secondary appointment in Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering; and
Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration
Jenny
Yu, MD, FACS
Assistant Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Operations Department of Ophthalmology, UPMC Eye Center; and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Michael Washington, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
AWARD 5: Vital-Dent, a Revitalizing Root Canal Solution
Development
of a novel device to regenerate vital
tooth pulp after root canal therapy. Vital pulp will help protect the tooth
from future infection and injury, reducing the need for tooth extraction,
implants and dentures.
Juan Taboas, PhD
Department of Oral Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine; secondary appointment, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering; and Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine
Herbert Lee Ray Jr., DMD
Assistant Professor of Endodontics and Director, Graduate Endodontic Residency Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine; and Center for Craniofacial
Regeneration, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine
Jingming Chen, B.S.
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering; and Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, McGowan Institute of Regenerative
Medicine
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About the Center for Medical
Innovation
The Center for Medical Innovation at the Swanson School of Engineering is a collaboration among the University of Pittsburgh’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), the Innovation Institute, and the Coulter Translational
Research Partnership II (CTRP). CMI was established in 2011 to promote the application and development of innovative biomedical technologies to clinical problems; to educate the next generation of innovators in cooperation with the
schools of Engineering, Health Sciences, Business, and Law; and to facilitate the translation of innovative biomedical technologies into marketable products and services. Over 50 early-stage projects have been supported by CMI with a total investment
of over $1 million since inception.
Contact: Paul Kovach