By Caroline Arbanas, news.wustl.edu
Scientists developing new drugs, diagnostic tests or other technologies often struggle to secure funding to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of their research. Federal dollars typically don’t cover such proof-of-concept studies.
But the university’s Bear Cub grants help fill the gap, providing much-needed support to investigators to move their discoveries beyond the laboratory and into the marketplace.
The grants, awarded annually through the university’s Office of Technology Management, aid scientists who aim to commercialize their research.
This spring, the technology management office awarded $235,000 in Bear Cub grants to four research teams among nearly 30 that applied.
“The interest by faculty and students in commercializing their technologies has grown substantially in recent years,” said Evan Kharasch, MD, PhD, Washington University’s vice chancellor for research. “This is a testament to the innovative nature of their research and a genuine interest in solving real-world problems. Through the Bear Cub program and other initiatives, we want to provide multiple opportunities for our scientists to commercialize their discoveries.”
This year’s winners are:
Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, is developing a smartphone-based rapid diagnostic test to detect acute kidney injury. Each year, an estimated 1.5 million critically ill patients in hospital intensive-care units develop a sudden loss of kidney function, prolonging their stays and adding billions to health-care costs. But diagnostic tests typically take several days to provide results, which delays treatment. Singamaneni’s innovative test detects a urine biomarker of acute kidney injury using a spectrometer that can be attached to a smartphone. The test is relatively inexpensive and produces results in about 30 minutes, which also makes it practical to use in settings with limited access to sophisticated technologies.
View the full list of winners in the WUSTL Newsroom.