Translational research: Positive impacts
Over the last year, BME faculty and UW Health clinicians completed the following projects, funded via the Wisconsin Coulter Translational Research Partnership in Biomedical Engineering.
 |
Beebe's device adheres to a young patient's hand and painlessly delivers a necessary drug. (Larger image)
|
Professor David Beebe and Pediatrics Associate Professor Carol Diamond:
“Non-electric, disposable drug-delivery device for hemophilia”
The team has developed a palm-sized device that could deliver measured, timed doses of drugs ranging from aspirin to insulin. Easy and inexpensive to make, the disposable device is slightly larger than a poker chip and contains no electronic parts. Initially, Beebe, biomedical engineering alum Ben Moga and Diamond developed this platform technology to deliver a vital blood-clotting factor to children with hemophilia. Since then, they have conducted animal studies using liquid aspirin and a vaccine.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has patented the technology, which Beebe and Moga are continuing to research and develop. Currently, they are perfecting a microneedle array, which replaces the current single needle, for virtually pain-free drug delivery.
In addition, Beebe and biomedical engineering and business alum Tony Escarcega formed Ratio, a spin-off company that is commercializing the device.
Associate Professor Walter Block and Radiology Assistant Professor Amish Raval:
“MRI-guided endomyocardial injection catheter”
For MRI-guided heart therapy, Block and Raval have patented catheter technology to visualize the entire length of the catheter at slow imaging rates, and disclosed catheter technology to enhance real-time tracking of the catheter tip. The technologies enable the interventionalist to check for kinks along the catheter—as well as to target drug delivery around the infracted zone. For this project, Block and Raval developed and tested a device thatsubstantially reduced heating effects along the length of the cable.
Currently, the two are working with the startup company HeartVista, of Palo Alto, California, to provide a software foundation of acquisition, reconstruction and visualization widgets with which they can conduct animal trials.
Assistant Professor Kristyn Masters and Cardiothoracic Surgery Assistant Professor Takushi Kohmoto:
“Bioactive polyurethane-based materials for vascular applications”
The goal of this project was the synthesis, characterization and testing of a new class of biomaterials that may be used in vascular applications. Specifically, the project team aimed to develop materials that were both blood-compatible and possessed mechanical properties appropriate for use as vascular grafts.
Masters and Kohmoto successfully met those goals in an in vitro environment. Now, they are testing the materials in vivo. The materials’ unique, bioactive properties also have garnered interest for potential use in other applications; the researchers and several companies currently are investigating these avenues.
Masters, Neurosurgery Post-graduate Trainee Roham Moftakhar and Associate Professor Wendy Crone (also engineering physics):
“Enhanced delivery of liquid embolic agents for aneurysm occlusion”
The goal of this project was to develop and test a new type of device to occlude cerebral aneurysms. The group’s device consists of a gelling material encapsulated within a bioactive polymer; its use is intended to overcome challenges associated with current aneurysm occlusion treatments. The project team successfully has completed testing of these devices in an in vivo aneurysm model and currently is working toward translation to the clinic via licensing this technology to an existing aneurysm device company.
Assistant Professor William Murphy and Radiology Assistant Professor Amish Raval:
“Controlled protein delivery technology for treatment of ischemic disease”
Murphy and Raval have developed a series of injectible materials that can control delivery of proangiogenic molecules, which stimulate blood vessel growth, to areas of the body that experience poor blood vessel growth, called ischemia. To ensure optimal blood vessel growth, the molecules are released in a controlled dosage and time frame based on the need in a particular area of the body.
Currently, the collaborators are conducting in vivo studies via a hind-limb ischemia model in rats.
Assistant Professor Brenda Ogle, Transplantation Surgery Assistant Professor Luis Fernandez, Molecular Biology Senior Information Processing Consultant Kevin Eliceiri (also molecular biology) and Surgery Associate Scientist Matthew Hanson:
“Multichannel multiphoton flow cytometry for the characterization of pancreatic islets”
The goal of this project was to develop an instrument to analyze and sort large multicellular entities in a high-throughput and noninvasive manner for cellular transplantation.
“We hypothesized that a novel multiphoton fluorescence excitation flow instrument could be used to accurately probe cells deep in the interior of cell aggregates and to excite endogenous fluorophores of cells as intrinsic biomarkers,” says Ogle.
The group has accomplished the first steps in wedding flow cytometry technology with multiphoton technology by creating a proof- of-concept prototype. Now, the researchers are working toward translation to the clinical cellular transplantation arena, including islet and stem cell transplantation.
Professor Ray Vanderby, Assistant Professor Lee Kaplan (also orthopedics & rehabilitation) and Associate Professor Patricia J. Keely (also pharmacology):
“Acoustoelastic analysis of ultrasound waves to determine in vivo tissue strains and material properties: technology transfer to medical imaging systems”
The group’s experiments combined with new analytical methods to produce encouraging results: The methods appear to provide a “biomechanical signature” for tissues. This signature may help to diagnose tissue damage and pathology as well quantify function. Now, clinical trials are underway for musculoskeletal applications, including rotator cuff, knee and hand tendons.
The researchers have filed patent applications with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and presented their methods and results at national and international conferences for orthopedics, biomedical engineering, and medical imaging.
In addition, they have submitted journal papers documenting their new methods of acoustic wave analysis. And, they have formed a company, Echometrix LLC, to facilitate the rapid transfer of this technology to the ultrasound imaging community.
