2023 BiomedX Awardees

We are very excited to announce our 2023 - 2024 Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator awardees. This was a great year for our program as it marked the return to an in-person Pitch Day for the first time since 2019! Our funded teams participated in a rigorous semester-long bootcamp and pitched to the BiomedX Oversight Committee. They are among the Columbia faculty members awarded a Columbia Life Science Accelerator grant to advance biomedical research from the lab to the clinic.

Funds are awarded to perform a "killer experiment", that is, an experiment that will substantially remove risk and leave no doubt that the product will be an improvement over the status quo. The goal is to help translate these scientific innovations into clinically effective products.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING TEAMS:

CardiAIc: Artificial intelligence for atrial isthmus prediction

Deepak Saluja, MD (Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Cardiology) and Christine Hendon, PhD (Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering)

Cardiac arrhythmias are common and can be fatal. Cardiac ablation targeting the critical component or isthmus of an arrhythmia is a commonly used treatment; however, effectively targeting the isthmus is challenging due to functional and anatomic barriers such as scar tissue. The team, led by Drs. Deepak Saluja and Christine Hendon, is applying deep learning to recognize electroanatomic features of target regions for ablation in patients with arrythmias. This technology has the potential to improve ablation outcomes for a substantial number of patients, by accurately identifying where to ablate within the critical circuit.

Vibrant Bio: A comprehensive diagnostic method for all human infectious pathogens from one sample*

*Funded in collaboration with Columbia TRx (Therapeutics Accelerator) and ACT (Accelerating Cancer Therapeutics)

Wei Min, PhD (Professor of Chemistry), Zhilun Zhao, PhD (Postdoctoral Scientist, Department of Chemistry)

Current methods for infectious disease diagnostics are slow, costly, and low throughput, limiting timely treatment for many patients. To tackle the need for rapid, comprehensive detection, Professor Wei Min and team developed an innovative approach to screen for numerous pathogens in one patient sample. This Vibrant MicroBead method utilizes optical barcoding of microbeads, proprietary nucleic acid-based bioassays, and a high-efficiency, cost-effective hardware platform to rapidly read barcodes. This adaptable system can also extend to other applications like serological tests, pathogen screening, and phenotyping. This technology holds promise for early detection of infectious disease, rapid intervention to improve patient outcomes, and prevention of future pandemics.

Rapid point-of-care assays for detection of poliovirus and enterovirus D68

Nischay Mishra, PhD (Assistant Professor of Epidemiology) and Kiran T. Thakur, MD (Assistant Professor of Neurology)

In recent years, risk of paralytic poliomyelitis and enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) associated acute flaccid myelitis has increased. Early symptoms of both conditions are similar and include fever, headache, congestion, and cough. However, within one week, symptoms can worsen to include neurological sequelae. Clinicians and public health practitioners need rapid, inexpensive point-of-care diagnostic assays with high sensitivity and specificity to identify infected patients who may benefit from therapeutic antibodies and antivirals. Dr Mishra and team have developed high-density peptide microarrays and immunoreactive peptides for EV-D68 and poliovirus. Using these technologies, the team will build lateral-flow assays for rapid differential diagnosis of early infections with EV-D68 or poliovirus. The lateral-flow assays will be used as point-of-care diagnostics for testing both patients and environmental samples to improve response time for future cases and outbreaks.

FoliSeq: Stool-based host RNA profiling for gut disease diagnosis and monitoring

Harris Wang, PhD (Associate Professor of Systems Biology) and Alejandro Chavez, MD (Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UCSD)

Development of real-time, low-burden, and cheap monitoring methods for gut health, signaling, and inflammatory status can improve the treatment and management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Current methods for clinical management of IBD involve colonoscopies, which are resource intensive and invasive, and stool or blood tests, which only measure a limited number of biomarkers such as calprotectin and lactoferrin. However, these strategies do not provide the necessary sensitivity nor insight into disease pathology required to inform clinical decision making. Professor Harris Wang and team have developed a non-invasive and inexpensive method, FoliSeq, to measure the gastrointestinal transcriptome directly from stool to track disease state and response to therapy over time in large patient cohorts for less than $30 per sample. FoliSeq can be used to profile gut health, level of inflammation, disease pathway activity, and therapeutic response, and holds great potential as a non-invasive method to guide IBD management.

2022 Awards Announced

We are very excited to announce our 2022 - 2023 Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator awardees. This year was highly competitive, with a record number of participants in our Lab-to-Market bootcamp and a very exciting pitch competition! These teams are among the Columbia faculty members awarded a Columbia Life Science Accelerator grant to bolster advanced biomedical research.

Funds are awarded to perform a "killer experiment", that is, an experiment that will substantially remove risk and leave no doubt that the product will be an improvement over the status quo. The goal is to help translate these scientific innovations into clinically effective products.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING TEAMS:

NeuroFlex: Wireless, High-Resolution Neural Interface for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy (Co-funded by TRx)

Brett Youngerman, MD, MS (Neurosurgery) and Kenneth Shepard, PhD (Electrical and Biomedical Engineering)

Patients with epilepsy suffer from seizures, cognitive decline, and decreased life expectancy. Approximately one third of patients with epilepsy are drug-resistant and face uncontrolled seizures. While surgical intervention can mitigate symptoms and improve quality of life, surgical treatment of epilepsy is largely underutilized due to its invasiveness, multi-step complexity, and high cost. To address the need for a lower-cost, single-step intervention to treat drug resistant epilepsy, the team of Drs. Youngerman and Shepard developed a flexible, wireless, high-resolution neural interface for diagnostic seizure monitoring and therapeutic neuromodulation. Following placement, this device improves real-time neural mapping accuracy and supports therapeutic efficacy without the need for additional surgeries.

UltraNav: Novel Focused Ultrasound Device for Drug-Free Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (Co-funded by TRx)

Elisa Konofagou, PhD (Biomedical Engineering and Radiology) and Lawrence S. Honig, MD, PhD (Neurology)

Alzheimer’s disease affects over 6 million people in the United States alone, with devastating economic and healthcare consequences. Abnormal aggregation of beta-amyloid and tau protein is a hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease, and clearance of protein aggregates remains a major focus for Alzheimer’s therapies. The team of Drs. Konofagou and Honig developed UltraNav (ultrasound + navigation) which transiently opens the blood brain barrier in a focused region and stimulates an immune response to clear beta-amyloid plaque and tau. Clinical safety and preliminary efficacy have been demonstrated in pre-clinical and early-stage clinical studies. Funding from BiomedX and TRx will enable investigation of tau pathology in patients receiving treatment with UltraNav.

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Dental Disease Detection

Helen H. Lu, PhD (Biomedical Engineering), Sunil Wadhwa, DDS (Orthodontic Dental Medicine), and Michael T. Yin, MD (Medicine, Infectious Diseases)

Periodontal disease, characterized by progressive bone loss, and caries (cavities) are the two most common dental conditions, impacting nearly 50% of U.S. adults. Diagnosis and monitoring of periodontal disease and caries currently rely on qualitative assessment of dental radiographs. The team of Drs. Lu, Wadhwa, and Yin developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for rapid and accurate assessment of dental radiographs for detection and monitoring of bone loss. This innovative approach to radiographic assessment could improve diagnostic accuracy and throughput, enable longitudinal tracking of disease state, and inform treatment strategies in patients with periodontal disease and caries.

Bio-Microbur for Oral Delivery of Biologics (Funded by TRx, Co-funded by ACT and BiomedX) 

Kam Leong, PhD (Biomedical Engineering) 

Most patients prefer to take oral medications over injections, which are more burdensome and expensive. However, many therapies, such as insulin, must be delivered via injection because if taken orally they get degraded by the digestive system and are not well absorbed. To address these problems, Dr. Leong and team have developed a tiny swallowable device, a “bio-microbur,” inspired by sticky fruit burs that adhere to animal furs and clothing. The bio-microbur will protect labile drugs, prolong their retention, and enhance their absorption by the digestive system. After the bio-microbur sticks to the intestinal wall, the nanospikes and the coatings will biodegrade and release drugs or nanoparticles that carry drugs across intestine walls for safe and efficient delivery of critical therapies. The team will test a proof-of-concept for the device to ultimately establish a new platform technology for the efficient oral delivery of biologics. 

2021 Awards Announced

We are extremely excited to announce this year's newly funded projects in the Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator portfolio. These teams are among the six teams of Columbia faculty awarded a Columbia Biomedical Engineering Accelerator grant to bolster advanced biomedical research.

Funds are awarded to perform a "killer experiment", that is, an experiment that will substantially remove risk and leave no doubt that the product will be an improvement over the status quo. The goal is to help translate these scientific innovations into clinically effective products.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING TEAMS!

BiomedX Awards:

DIAGNOSTICS

A living yeast biosensor for SARS-CoV-2. Virginia Cornish, PhD, Alastair Ager, PhD, Thomas Briese, PhD

AutoDetect: Diagnostic Tool for Autoimmune Lupus Mediated Myocarditis. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, PhD, Robert Winchester, MD, Laura Geraldino-Pardilla, MD

OnXPansion: Automated, targeted expansion of patient tumor samples for clinical biomarker analysis and personalized treatment. Keith Yeager, M Eng., Anjali Saqi, MD, MBA **Co-funded with Accelerating Cancer Therapeutics (ACT)

IMAGING

SONO-PATCH: The World’s First Wearable Imaging Device. David Kessler, MD, M.Sc, Ken Shephard, PhD

IMMUNOTHERAPY

Development of enhanced CAR T regs for targeted induction of immune tolerance in transplantation and autoimmunity. Mohsen Maharlooei, PhD, Megan Sykes, MD **Co-funded Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRx)

DRUG DELIVERY

CultivageBio: Vaginal Probiotic Cocktail. Harris Wang, PhD, Mary Rosser, MD, PhD **Co-funded Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRx)

To see all projects funded by BiomedX, click HERE.

BiomedX technology adapted for COVID-19 selected for NIH RADx initiative

The National Institute of Health recently selected a new COVID-19 rapid testing platform for their Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative. This novel technology was developed by collaborative efforts between Columbia Engineering and Rover Diagnostics. The cheap, efficient, and portable platform utilizes reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to deliver a sample result within eight minutes.

Originally developed as a point-of-care test for rapid MRSA diagnosis, this was technology was funded through BiomedX and has been adapted for COVID-19. The sample preparation research behind the platform came out of Columbia Engineering professor Sam Sia’s lab. Professor Sia and Mark Fasciano cofounded Rover Diagnostics in 2018, with the goal of creating a testing platform for various infectious diseases.

Rover’s novel diagnostics prototype was established shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They quickly adapted their platform to be able to detect the novel coronavirus in an affordable and fast way.

https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/press-release/sia-covid-19-test-nih-challenge

2020 Call for Pre-Proposals

COLUMBIA BIOMEDICAL Engineering TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATOR

We are very excited to announce that the Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator is currently accepting Pre-Proposals for the next application cycle.

Areas of Interest:

All technologies that may have a direct impact on human health will be considered (e.g., medical devices, diagnostics, software, platform technologies, etc.). However, the most relevant are those where time to market can be achieved in a short time frame (e.g., 3-5 years). Projects that propose to undertake discovery research will not be considered.
Successful proposals must be translational in nature, i.e., the proposals must focus on efforts to translate research results into innovative clinical products and applications that have commercial potential and societal benefit.

Eligibility:

• Eligible teams must include an engineer or scientist AND a practicing clinician.

• Applicants must have a full-time faculty appointment, and at least one of the lead investigators should be from Columbia University. Graduate students and post-doctorate trainees can act as a project lead, with permission from the principal investigators (PIs).

• The technology must be based on Columbia Intellectual Property. We suggest discussing the application and project with your Columbia Technology Ventures licensing officer before applying. If you do not have a licensing officer, please reach out to techventures@columbia.edu.

If you need an engineering or clinical collaborator, we may be able to facilitate introductions. Please email matchmaking requests to biomedx@columbia.edu.

PRE-PROPOSALS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020.

INFO SESSIONs

Tuesday, September 22, 3:30 – 4:30PM EST

Monday, October 26, 2:00 – 3:00PM EST

Wednesday, November 18, 12:00 – 1:00PM EST

https://columbialsavirtualinfosessions.splashthat.com/

If you have any questions, please email us at biomedx@columbia.edu.

For more information on the application process, click HERE. 

2020 AWARDS ANNOUNCED

We are extremely excited to announce this year's newly funded projects in the Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator portfolio. These teams are among the fourteen teams of Columbia faculty awarded a Columbia Life Science Accelerator grant to bolster advanced biomedical research.

Funds are awarded to perform a "killer experiment", that is, an experiment that will substantially remove risk and leave no doubt that the product will be an improvement over the status quo. The goal is to help translate these scientific innovations into clinically effective products.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING TEAMS!

BiomedX Awards:

CARDIOLOGY

Anti-Glycation modification of bioprosthetic heart valve tissues to enhance valve lifespan. Giovanni Ferrari, PhD; Isaac George, MD **Co-funded with Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRx)

IMAGING

Tissue Oracle: Fast, high-resolution, AI-enabled tissue scanner. Christine Hendon, PhD;  Hanina Hibshoosh, MD **Co-funded with Accelerating Cancer Therapeutics (ACT)

NEUROLOGY

MRI-Guided personalized TMS. Daniel Javitt, MD, PhD; Paul Sajda, PhD

ORTHOPEDICS

PythonFix: Python-tooth-grasping device for tendon-to-bone repair. Stavros Thomopoulos, PhD; William N, Levine, MD

Ignition Awards:

CARDIOLOGY

A Growth-Accommodating heart valve of pediatric use. David Kalfa, MD, PhD;  Jeffrey Kysar, PhD **Co-funded with Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRx)

DRUG DEVELOPMENT

Data-Driven Design of Biologics for the Next Generation of Drug Discovery. Harmen Bussemaker, PhD **Co-funded with Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRx) and Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV)

To see all projects funded by BiomedX, click HERE.

Columbia researchers are using light to address virus spreading in transportation settings

Physicist Dr. David J. Brenner originally developed a system that uses ultraviolet light to destroy bacteria and viruses in the operating room. Now his team is looking at the potential efficacy of utilizing this technology to address the spread of infectious diseases in airline cabins, hospitals, airports, and other modes of transportation.

Current FAA guidelines to hinder the spread of disease spread in airlines focus on ventilation systems and air filtration. Dr. Brenner says this isn’t enough. His team at Columbia are instead focusing on killing the viruses floating in air droplets and on surfaces. Their technology revolves around far-UVC light, which Brenner points out is much safer than traditional ultraviolet lights. The research team has already begun testing their 3 x 3 inch lights against the novel coronavirus. They recently have indicated that their light system is effective in killing less-threatening coronaviruses.

While it’s too late to inhibit the spread of Covid-19, this promising sterilization technology has potential to be implemented in the future to help prevent future disease spread.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/scientists-think-they-know-ways-to-combat-viruses-on-airplanes-theyre-too-late-for-this-pandemic/2020/04/20/83279318-76ab-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html

Fast Grants for COVID-19 related Projects

The Columbia Biomedical Engineering Technology Accelerator (BiomedX) is awarding Fast Grants to projects that have the potential to rapidly respond to immediate COVID-related clinical needs. 

Fast Grants are $1k to $5k and are meant to help teams cover expenses related to the rapid creation and implementation of technology innovations addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligibility
You must be:

• A PI at Columbia University with an appointment in the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), collaborating with a clinician

• Already working on a project (with an engineering or technology focus) that could help with the COVID-19 pandemic within the next three months

• In need of additional funding to complete and implement the project

Submission

Applications can be completed and submitted HERE.

Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by the Columbia COVID Tech Innovation Group and funds will be awarded on a rolling basis.

Evaluation Process

Proposals are evaluated against the following criteria:

1. The potential impact on an unmet clinical need during the COVID-19 pandemic

2. The potential for rapid response and implementation, yielding results within days or weeks

The success of projects is measured against one objective: rapid response to COVID-related clinical needs.

Questions? Contact biomedx@columbia.edu.

BiomedX team focused on aneuploidy screening featured on the TODAY Show

A BiomedX team was recently featured on the TODAY show discussing their technology to help answer address questions around pregnancy loss. Miscarriages happen far too often, and patients are left with little information why. Current genetic tests are slow and quite expensive, leaving parents frustrated and without answers. Dr. Zev Williams and his team are using advances in rapid genetic testing to create faster and cheaper methods of testing fetal tissue for aneulploidy.

The new proposed method will take only four hours and will cost less than $200. “The driving force is much more the ability to help and give answers,” says Dr. Williams. The test is meant to use DNA extracted from fetal tissue to reveal if any chromosomal abnormalities exist, and help provide some information to patients regarding issues related to the pregnancy loss.

Dr. Williams and his team recently did a trial with tissue samples from more than 50 women and are submitting the analyzed data to the New York State Health Department for approval. He has a patent on the method of preparing and testing samples and eventually plans to work with a commercial partner to offer it to doctors across the country, but he will start with a small number of patients at Columbia University Fertility Center. Eventually, he hopes to further lower the cost.

Yiannis Monovoukas ’84 Supports Biomedical Innovation & Entrepreneurship with $1M Gift

Inspired by his own experience as an engineer, businessman, and entrepreneur, Yiannis Monovoukas ’84, who also serves as a member of Columbia Engineering’s Board of Visitors, has established the Yiannis and Jamie Monovoukas BiomedX Fund with a donation of $200,000 a year for the next five years to support the translation of academic research discoveries from the laboratory to the market. Under the aegis of the Columbia Biomedical Technology Accelerator, also known as BiomedX and originally established with a grant from the Coulter Foundation in 2012, Monovoukas’ gift will provide funding, education, and support to students and faculty interested in commercializing their biomedical inventions.

“As we anticipate the 20th anniversary of the biomedical engineering department next year, it is so inspiring to receive this generous gift from one of our own successful alumni,” said X. Edward Guo, chair of biomedical engineering. “Our researchers, in collaboration with Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, are doing so much to advance the science of cancer detection and therapy, tissue and bone regeneration, and neuroscience, to name just a few areas. This gift will help assure the continuity and progress of their work while supporting its translation out of the lab to benefit human health.”  

Monovoukas is the former chairman, president, and CEO of TEI Biosciences, a regenerative medicine company that was acquired in 2015 by Integra LifeSciences. He currently heads two venture capital funds and is also the CEO of two startup companies, Helios Cardiovascular and AuraGen Aesthetics. A 2011 recipient of the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Life Sciences Award for the New England region, he went on to be named a finalist in the national competition, which recognizes global entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success. He earned his BS in chemical engineering from Columbia University, a Master’s and PhD in chemical engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

“BiomedX combines my passions for innovation, engineering, and entrepreneurship,” said Monovoukas. “The Columbia Biomedical Technology Accelerator has an outstanding track record of bringing cutting edge research to market and partnering with Columbia Technology Ventures to amplify the discoveries that are underway at the innovative juncture of engineering and medicine.” 

Now in its eighth year, the Columbia Biomedical Technology Accelerator has funded 50 teams with cumulative support of $4.7 million; collectively, the funded teams have generated more than $75 million in follow-on funding. More than one-third of these teams have licensed their research to startups or to industry.

In addition to the Monovoukas gift, the Columbia Biomedical Technology Accelerator is funded by Columbia’s School of Engineering and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.