Three others have received continued funding for their work with devices to accurately diagnose autism, treat cataracts and prevent stroke during cardiac surgery.

The five-year CTP program started in 2011 with $3.3 million in funding from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and $1.67 million from UofL with a goal to support research teams of bioengineers and clinicians to address unmet clinical needs, make improvements in health care and introduce commercial products. Desirable outcomes include inventions, patents, improved diagnosis and treatment of disease, commercial products, licenses, partnerships and start-up companies.

“The projects supported this year represent a diverse set of projects that address a broad spectrum of unmet clinical needs by developing a wide variety of innovative technologies,” said Rob Keynton, principal investigator on the project and bioengineering department chair. “All of the projects establish strong partnerships and collaborations between engineers (bioengineers) and clinicians to tackle clinical challenges facing patients and health care providers today. The Coulter Translational Partnership program at the University of Louisville is proud to have the opportunity and ability to support these innovations and entrepreneurial efforts.”

Funding proposals are evaluated on the basis of scientific merit, potential health care impact and significance, experience of the investigators, the potential for commercialization and the likelihood of successfully obtaining continued funding.

New recipients for 2013:

Shape Adaptive Therapy to Treat Tumors

Warren Boling, MD, neurosurgery; Chin Ng, PhD, radiology; Robert Cohn, PhD, electrical and computer engineering.

Treatment of Cervical Pathologies by Curcumin Delivered Locally by a Polymeric Device

Lynn Parker Petty, MD, obstetrics and gynecology; Ramesh Gupta, PhD, pharmacology; Martin O’Toole, PhD, bioengineering.
Preclinical Validation of a Novel Multiple Sample Biopsy Device

Gerald W. Dryden, MD, medicine; William Hnat, PhD, mechanical engineering.

Novel Suture-Less Trocar Site Closure & Herniation Prevention Device

Daniel Metzinger, MD, obstetrics and gynecology; Scott Cambron, MS, bioengineering

These teams received a competitive renewal for a second year of funding:

A Novel Image Based Diagnostic System for Accurate Diagnosis of Autism

Manuel Casanova, MD, psychiatry; Ayman El-Baz, PhD, bioengineering.

Engineering an End to Cataracts

Tongalp Tezel, MD, ophthalmology; Martin O’Toole, PhD, bioengineering.

Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Stroke Prevention

Matthew Williams, MD, cardiothoracic surgery; Guruprasad Giridharan, PhD, bioengineering

UofL is one of about 16 institutions to participate in this Coulter program.