Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research

Last week the University of Virginia Department of Chemical Engineering had the pleasure of hosting our 3rd annual Bridge to Bio Program. 20 students from Virginia's Community College System took part in a 3-day introduction to chemical engineering & biopharmaceutical manufacturing, making connections with academic & industry mentors and embarking on the pathway to careers in biopharma. A very special thanks to the team at AgroSpheres for an outstanding behind the scenes tour of their biomanufacturing process! And thank you to everyone who has contributed to the ongoing success of Bridge to Bio and our student participants, especially the UVA School of Engineering Office of Diversity, Equity, and Engagement and the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research.

Can you teach innovation? This fall we interviewed serial innovator, professor of practice, and medical device design expert Andrew J. DiMeo, Sr., Ph.D. on the key practices, concepts, and frameworks that make repeatable innovation possible in healthcare. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eV6Jjjtk

Congratulations to Professor Silvia Blemker (UVA BME Department) on her election as Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors! Read more about the fascinating work Silvia does and her successful efforts to translate her research into products that help people. https://lnkd.in/e34kMx2p

What if, in the next 10 years, we could eliminate the need for metal implants altogether? Imagine replacing inert materials that wear out over time with living, functional tissue capable of complex repairs. In this clip, Benjamin Holmes Ph.D., shares the vision of regenerative medicine research and engineering: materials that enable successful, infection-free, scar-tissue free repair of any organ and structure in the body. 🎥 Watch now to explore the future of healthcare and catch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eqNPhKx2 Ben is a graduate of UVA Engineering and The George Washington University - School of Engineering & Applied Science. His team at Nanochon has been recognized by MedTech Innovator, CvilleBioHub, VentureWell, WeWork, Pismo Ventures, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), and BioHealth Capital Region for their breakthrough innovation in the field of #Orthopedics, #SportsMedicine and #RegenerativeMedicine. #FutureOfHealthcare #BiomedicalFrontiers

New episode of the Biomedical Frontiers Podcast is out now! Benjamin Holmes, Ph.D. shares insights on the biology of cartilage and the field of biomaterials and regenerative medicine. In this episode you will learn: (1) Why Ben conducted over 100 interviews with doctors to understand his target market (2) Why current standards of care for knee cartilage fall short in delivering healing and recovery (3) The future of the field of regenerative medicine and joint health (4) The value of programs like the National Science Foundation (NSF) iCorps and MedTech Innovator Incubator programs in advancing from concept to product to healthcare impact. This episode is a must listen for anyone in #biomaterials and #materialsengineering, anyone who has had a knee replacement or has a family history of #arthritis or #osteoporosis and all those practicing #sportsmedicine and #orthopedics. Nanochon is also recently the winner of Cville BioHub's BioSpark competition. Listen: https://lnkd.in/e4cSwbvU

From predicting fertility treatment success and advancing forensic analysis to developing neurodegeneration and cancer diagnostics, the research into epigenetic markers is opening doors in numerous fields. Jonathon Hill and his team at Wasatch Biolabs are beginning to collaborate with pharmaceutical companies, clinicians, and university research groups to discover new epigenetic markers in predicting drug response and efficacy, and early diagnostics with the goal of enhancing health outcomes in powerful new ways. Listen to the entire episode at: https://lnkd.in/eFiuX__v #healthcare #personalizedmedicine #research #genetics #biomedical

Checkout this podcast on Hidden Brain by Leidy Klotz at UVA Engineering - https://lnkd.in/dxhyHBKz on doing less. It's from May 2024, but there is so much wisdom and lessons in it. Thank you Leidy!

In 1990 I started my PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Duke because an undergraduate experience had taught me that I love research. As I dove into my graduate work I found that I was drawn towards something else... I wanted to invent solutions, not just study problems. In the early 2000's a collaboration between UVA and PocketSonics led to the development of one of the very first hand-held ultrasound imaging systems - the Sonic Window. It was a beautiful product and while PocketSonics was acquired, the Sonic Window didn't last long in the market. I got some satisfaction from invention, but the lack of patient impact was a deep disappointment. Around the time that PocketSonics was founded, Michael Lawrence challenged me to use ultrasound to understand clotting. With Francesco Viola the three of us founded HemoSonics. It was a long road, but we had great luck at the right times. We received key investment from the NIH and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Bill Brown provided the first capital to get the concept out of the University of Virginia. Dr. Mark Wheeler invested a year later and I left the safe world of tenured Professor with the goal of making a product that would save lives. Megan Kahn Shaw joined us early in our corporate life and we built an exceptional engineering team including Timothy Higgins, Aaron Buchanan, and Andy Homyk. It was a long process. We had an early partnership with StarFish Medical that helped me understand that Technology is not Product. Later we partnered with Key Tech Inc. to finalize the product. Along the way we hit a existential crisis when data demonstrated that the core technology was not precise or accurate enough to address our clinical problem. In a three month period I worked with Scott Corey to invent a new measurement technology that became the core of the Quantra. In 2017 Stago acquired HemoSonics and has made our invention an impactful product. I was gratified last night when I found that TIME named the Quantra System one of the best inventions of 2024. I have lived the dream of every engineer. I invented something that helps real people. I can never properly thank all the people that contributed, but I am profoundly grateful for the many layers of support that I've received. https://lnkd.in/eymxxabC

Genetics researchers reached a monumental milestone in 2000 when they laid out the ATCG sequence of our DNA. But that is only a part of the story in understanding disease. More recently, we have learned how epigenetic changes, like chemical modifications in DNA, add another layer of complexity, showing how lifestyle and environmental factors can impact gene expression over time. Jonathon Hill Ph.D, shares how his teams at Brigham Young University and Wasatch Biolabs are developing a multitude of new epigenetic tests for early detection of disease, treatment monitoring, and health prediction using novel sequencing techniques at scale. Listen: https://lnkd.in/evmCeHB3 #podcast #biotech #biotechnews #newresearch #precisionmedicine

New episode of the Biomedical Frontiers Podcast is out now! Jonathon Hill, Ph.D. shares insights on critical new developments in the field of genetic sequencing: + The discoveries and diagnostics that epigenetics will unlock in the near future + How he co-founded a company, Wasatch Biolabs, to help researchers and clinicians harness new sequencing and methylation techniques for the advancement of human health + Research into congenital heart defects & embryo development at Brigham Young University Listen: https://lnkd.in/eFiuX__v