The Bruce Holm Memorial Catalyst Fund awarded $213,762 to five UB inventors and research teams developing potential innovative products in the field of life sciences. The funding will enable researchers to conduct studies, projects and trials demonstrating the use and worth for their prospective inventions.
UB scientists and researchers have now received 10 awards from the Catalyst Fund, which was established in 2011 to progress UB technology toward commercialization. The fund has provided researchers with nearly $450,000 total.
The Spectrum's "Top UB Inventions of 2012" parts one and two include innovators Daniel Swartz, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and pediatrics, and Janet Morrow, a professor of chemistry, who are using this new funding to further develop their research in modified blood vessel segments and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for people with allergies to contrast dye, respectively.
The five teams are:
- Rosemary Dziak, a professor of oral biology, will study the use of a novel, nano-sized calcium sulfate for its beneficial effects in replacing lost bone in patients who have conditions like osteoporosis, periodontal disease or craniofacial defects.
- Mark Ehrensbergy, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Kenneth A. Krackow Orthopaedic Research Lab, and Anthony Campagnari, a professor of microbiology and immunology, are testing a new electrochemical technique for eliminating biofilm infections on metallic medical implants.
- Venkat Krovi, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Pankaj Singhal, an associate professor of gynecology-obstetrics, division chief of gynecologic oncology, minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery at UB; and Jason Corso, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering are working to repurpose video-based micromotion analysis - used traditionally to evaluate industrial manipulative skills and efficacy - in evaluating proficiency and improving training of doctors performing robotic surgeries.
- Swartz and collaborators are developing specialized vascular grafts that - if successful - when implanted, would be stimulated to become functional as a native tissue when placed into a patient's body. This would alleviate the need for donor blood vessels from the patient.
- Morrow is developing a series of "smart" contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The goal is for the contrast agents to develop as tools for monitoring the progress of cancer treatments and deciding which treatments to implement, which can help patients who can't tolerate current MRI contrast agents.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
