UofL chosen to turn engineering innovations into medical solutions

University of Louisville bioengineering researchers will use a $3.33 million award from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to help commercialize promising academic innovations into medical solutions to benefit patients.

The five-year Coulter Translational Partnership Award has the ultimate goal of focusing on outcomes to save, extend and improve patients' lives. With the university's $1.67 million contribution, UofL's program will have a $1 million operating budget for each of the five years. UofL is one of about 15 institutions to participate in this Coulter program.

"When we support university researchers, we create a vigorous hub for life science and engineering businesses to create jobs, change lives and increase our intellectual capital," UofL President James Ramsey said. "Our university has long been and will continue to be committed to translating research from the laboratory bench-top to the bedside."

The Coulter Foundation will form a working partnership with UofL's bioengineering department to promote translational research. The key UofL partners will be J.B. Speed School of Engineering, through Robert Keynton, the lead researcher and bioengineering department chair; the School of Medicine, through Mark Slaughter, M.D., chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery; and the Office of Technology Transfer, through Holly Clark and Melea East, interim co-directors. An oversight committee of industry representatives, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and clinical doctors will be established.

Three UofL bioengineering faculty members – Andre Gobin, Ayman El-Baz and Palaniappan Sethu – are previous Coulter Translational Research Award (career award) recipients.

Provided by University of Louisville