NIH prize challenge recognizes undergraduate biomedical engineers for innovative medical device designs

Newswise — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the higher education non-profit VentureWell have selected 11 winners and five honorable mentions in the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, who are set to receive prizes totaling $160,000. The awards will be presented to the winning teams on Oct. 25, 2024, during the annual Biomedical Engineering Society conference in Baltimore.

Now in its 13th year, the annual DEBUT Challenge calls on teams of undergraduate students to identify healthcare problems and develop technological solutions. This unique partnership supports innovation and entrepreneurship training for students at a critical stage early in their careers.

“This year’s competition drew tremendous student innovation from all DEBUT Challenge entrants,” said Bruce J. Tromberg, Ph.D., director of NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).  “We congratulate all the participants and their mentors on the impressive engineering designs and their passion for addressing compelling healthcare problems. DEBUT demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary teams coming together to deliver solutions to benefit patients.” 

The innovative designs receiving NIBIB-sponsored awards include a system for monitoring post-operative bleeding in urologic cases, a real-time imaging probe of the ear canal to examine the health of middle ear structures and a device to aid cesarean section delivery during impacted fetal head complications.

Additional winners include the recipients of the prize sponsored by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The winning team developed a powered lower limb prosthetic that provides assistive movement at the knee joint to promote a more natural walking gait and support in standing and climbing stairs.

“Assistive and rehabilitative technologies such as the low-cost, adaptable, bionic knee developed by this year’s winning team can improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities,” said Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D., NICHD.

This year’s challenge included submissions from 85 teams, consisting of 362 students from 24 U.S. states. Along with NIBIB, NICHD and VentureWell, six NIH partners supported the challenge this year with unique prizes: the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

The 11 winning projects are:

NIBIB “Steven H. Krosnick” First Prize ($20,000): UroFlo: An automated and intuitive UTI and blood clot prevention device, Rice University, Houston

UroFlo is an adaptive, automated, intuitive continuous bladder irrigation system to improve post-operative assessment of hematuria (blood in the urine). UroFlo incorporates a spectral sensor to quantify hematuria, adjusts inflow rate automatically and quantifies waste bag outflow rate. A web-based, remotely accessible user interface consolidates data and alerts clinical staff to issues, such as abnormal flow rates, severe hematuria or the need to make a bag replacement.

NIBIB Second Prize ($15,000): OCTAVE: Optical coherence tomography and vibrometry endoscope, University of California, Riverside

OCTAVE is an endoscopic optical coherence tomography imaging probe that is capable of high-resolution, real-time, functional imaging of the middle ear structures. OCTAVE addresses a critical challenge in hearing loss detection by providing the capacity to image inner ear structures with high enough resolution to reveal specific sites of damage to the tympanic membrane.

NIBIB Third Prize ($10,000): Cesarean Delivery Glove, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

The Cesarean Delivery Glove (CDG) is a cost-effective, reusable device that allows a single operator to safely and effectively resolve impaction of the fetal head within the mother’s pelvis during the cesarean section procedure. The CDG extends an obstetrician’s reach to provide sufficient force for extraction while minimizing risk of trauma to mother and baby. 

NIH OAR Technologies for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Prize ($15,000): Infusion Pump Mobile Application, Loyola University, Chicago

The Infusion Pump Mobile Application integrates seamlessly with the Baxter Novum IQ infusion pump to ensure accurate and efficient drug infusion in the intensive care unit environment. The app provides patient verification, barcode integration, delivery confirmation, real-time infusion progress monitoring, alert and alarm notifications and direct medication order transmission. Intravenous (IV) infusions can potentially be used for HIV treatment, including antiretrovirals and broadly neutralizing antibodies.

NIMHD Healthcare Technologies for Low-Resource Settings Prize ($15,000): NanoLIST, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

NanoLIST is a rapid, low-cost test kit that utilizes gold nanoparticles to detect when a person’s saliva sample contains an elevated lead concentration. The test kit produces a result within 30 seconds. Its self-contained format is designed so a test can be safely performed without supervision by a clinician and for easy disposal.

NCI Technologies for Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis, or Treatment Prize ($15,000): ColoTech: A ‘pro-diagnostic’ for the early detection of colorectal dysplastic and cancerous tissue, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California

ColoTech is a novel, cost-effective screening tool for abnormal (dysplastic) cells and could aid in earlier colorectal cancer detection. ColoTech’s highly sensitive approach uses a probe ingested by the patient that changes chemical composition upon contact with abnormal or cancerous tissue and could be an alternative to colonoscopy.

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, NICHD Rehabilitative and Assistive Technologies Prize ($15,000): U-Build Bionic Knee: Transfemoral powered prosthetic, University of Utah, Salt Lake City

The U-Build Bionic Knee is a low-cost, powered lower-extremity prosthesis designed to improve mobility and quality of life for individuals with lower-extremity amputation. The device generates assistive power at the knee joint, enabling ambulation on level ground, uneven terrain, and positive-power activities like sit-to-stand movement and stair ascent.

NINR Technologies to Empower Nurses in Community Settings Prize ($15,000): IV pole redesign, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

Intravenous (IV) poles are a staple of healthcare operations, but their current design makes visualizing medications difficult. IV Pole Redesign was built in collaboration with nurses and incorporates a tiered and angled hook rake top, an offset pole portion, a spider base, a line organizer, and wheels that improve mobility across threshold transitions.

NIDDK Kidney Technology Development Prize ($15,000): NephroGuard, Clemson University, South Carolina

NephroGuard is a real-time diagnostic device to quickly detect onset of acute kidney injury in patients following cardiac surgery. NephroGuard uses an electrochemical sensor to detect a biomarker that has been shown to detect kidney injury within hours rather than days.

VentureWell Venture Prize ($15,000): Knee-sy Does It: Your therapy automation solution, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey

Knee-sy Does It is a novel stretching device designed to replicate physical therapy treatment at home for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis or recovering from knee surgery. Knee-sy Does It delivers a combination of dynamic and static stretches in a sequence similar to that which a physical therapist might administer in practice.

VentureWell Design Excellence Prize ($5,000): Malleous: A novel suction-retractor instrument to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the operating room, University of Pittsburgh

Malleous is a surgical instrument combining suction and ribbon retraction tools in one device while maintaining the retractor's malleable and bendable properties. By reducing the need to pause during surgery, the Malleous device reduces surgery duration, which has the potential to increase surgeons’ efficiency and reduce the risk of complications.

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About the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB): NIBIB’s mission is to engineer the future of health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies. The Institute is committed to integrating engineering and physical science with biology and medicine to advance our understanding of disease and its prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. NIBIB supports emerging technology research and development within its internal laboratories and through grants, collaborations, and training. More information is available at the NIBIB website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): The National Institutes of Health, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit https://www.nih.gov.