After a nearly decade-long absence, the Center for Advanced Technology has returned to UB. The center is now headed by Dr. William Mihalko, associate professor in the UB School of Medicine, head of arthroplasty at Erie County Medical Center and director of orthopedic research in the department of orthopedic surgery at ECMC.
Ten years ago, the UB CAT center was de-certified by New York state, because, according to an e-mail from Provost Elizabeth Capaldi, "it was too practical for its time."
"They were interested more in basic science at that time," she continued. "Now they are again interested in funding science that can lead to technologies that can be commercialized."
Since then, UB, with help from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, devised new projects and proposals to convince the state to reinstate the center. UB would have been eligible to apply for re-certification for the center approximately two years from now, said Mihalko, which administrators had been planning to do. Last May, however, Gov. George Pataki stepped in and re-instated CAT, allocating $1 million annually to fund the center.
CAT essentially takes ideas and technology that have already been or are on their way to being patented and licensed, and helps them obtain a corporate sponsor in the marketplace.
The main objective, said Mihalko, is to boost the economy and enhance New York biomedical technology. CAT's success will in part be gauged on its ability to increase employment in Western New York, one of UB's goals for the center.
"One area that the university is trying to focus on, not just doing research, but to take it to the next level and help faculty get a relationship with outside business," said Mihalko, "and turn the technology and research into patents and licenses."
In the original CAT, projects included an invasive catheter and a newborn footprint scanner system. Today, the primary focus is bioengineering. The center will emphasize biopharmaceuticals and biomedical devices, including the development of lung-surfactant therapy for premature infants, photodynamic cancer therapy, interferon treatment for multiple sclerosis and the implantable pacemaker.
Mihalko was chosen for the position of director because his research focus is consistent with these ideas. "He has the appropriate past experience," said Bruce Holm, senior vice provost and professor of gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics.
Mihalko said his first priority is to introduce and explain the center's goals to UB departments. He hopes to stress the fact that, "anybody with an idea that is device related or is doing research and has come up with a technology that is biomedical related, that you ought to really go after a corporate sponsor and put in an application."
Along with Mihalko, professor of oral biology Dr. Robert Genco and Holm comprise the top level of CAT administration, accompanied by faculty members from various departments.
The group is currently in the process of reviewing applications of new devices to determine the growth potential of the product, its likelihood of creating jobs, whether there is a market for the item and insuring the technology utilized is feasible.
The Discovery Award will be given to innovative projects using a bioinformatics-type approach that allows researchers to jump from a basic science level to the developmental stage. The Science Transfer Award will be given for research nearing the commercialization phase.
The CAT awards consist of both corporate funding and matching funds from the state. Award recipients will be announced in April.
