Three Pitt innovation teams each received $100,000 awards to continue on the path from the lab to market at the 10th annual Pitt Innovation Challenge (PInCh) sponsored by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).
Two of the teams, CAT-& and Aneurisk, are developing new methods to detect aneurysms. The third team, BITE Tick Repellent, hails from the Pitt Johnstown campus and is creating a green alternative to DEET derived from naturally-occurring carbon binding compounds.
CTSI held its competition and awards ceremony on the floor of the Petersen Event’s Center, with the pitches broadcast on the digital scoreboard hanging over center court, giving the competition an extra jolt of excitement for the 10-year anniversary.
Steve Reis, executive director of CTSI, welcomed back several PInCh alumni at the event, pointing out that nearly $5 million has been awarded through the competition during its lifetime, with innovation teams participating in PInCh forming 45 startups that have raised more than $80 million in additional funding.
“How we do this is we convene problem solvers,” Reis said.
PInCh aims to support diverse innovation teams solving challenging health problems.
The teams working to improve aneurysm risk management have both received significant support from the Pitt innovation ecosystem.
Team CAT-7 is developing a blood-based diagnostic test that can detect cerebral enurysm formation and risk of rupture. The team, led by third year School of Medicine student Adi Mittal and former Pitt faculty member Kamil Nowicki, began its journey in the NSF I-Corps program where they interviewed potential customers to understand what problems their innovation could solve for them.
From there they participated and won prizes in the Big Idea Competition, sponsored by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Big Idea Center for student innovation, as well as the Innovation Institute’s Michael G. Wells Student Healthcare Competition.
The have formed a company, Astria Biosciences, to commercialize their innovation.
Similarly, the Pitt innovators behind Aneurisk, have launched a startup to commercialize their aneurysm detection technology, only for abdominal aortic aneurysms. The team is led by Pitt professors Timothy Chung, David Vorp and Nathan Liang.
Using clinical, biomechanical, and shape data, the University of Pittsburgh Aneurisk innovation team has developed a clinical decision support tool to score the risk of aneurysm rupture to better manage patient outcomes.
They too participated in the NSF I-Corps program, advancing to its national program earlier this year, where they received $50,000 to support their efforts to conduct 100 customer discovery interviews.
The third recipient of the $100,000 top award was the BITE Tick Repellent team from the Pitt Johnstown campus, which also received an extra $15,000 bonus award to work with the Makerspace at the Swanson School of Engineering to further develop their innovation. The team is creating a green alternative to DEET insect repellent derived from naturally occurring carbon binding compounds. The team is comprised of Jill Henning, Matthew Tracey, Manisha Nigam and Luis Bonachea.
Finalist teams receiving $35,000 awards:
A-SIDE*
A bioengineered Autologous Serum Ocular Insert for Dry Eye Disease, using a patient's own blood serum proteins to treat dry eye disease with convenience, comfort, and efficacy.
Principal Investigators: Morgan DiLeo and Vishal Jhanji
CuffLink*
A groundbreaking rotator cuff telehealth rehabilitation platform that combines the safety of mechanical motion exercise equipment with motion tracking and remote monitoring to improve patient recovery.
Principal Investigators: Kevin M. Bell and Michael P. McClincy
Lexi Medical
Deep brain stimulation of the motor thalamus after stroke to improve movement in paralyzed or weak facial muscles, resulting in improved speech, breathing, and swallowing.
Principal Investigators: Jordyn E. Ting and Elvira Pirondini
*Denotes $15,000 Bonus Award recipients.
Video Pitch Award $25,000 Awards:
Lyme Disease Testing Kit (LDK)*
A better diagnostic test for Lyme disease that is simple, cost-effective, and reliable to allow early disease detection and reduce antibiotic misuse.
Principal Investigator: Danielle Tufts, PhD.
One Pass Epidural Needle (OPEN)*
A single, simple epidural needle which can be used to place multiple leads or catheters for epidural delivery, eliminating the need for second skin puncture to minimize pain.
Principal Investigators: Trent Emerick and Gaurav Chauhan
MPower Hub: From Personal Data to Diabetes Health
($25,000 Awardee) A mobile platform that empowers people to achieve diabetes health by visualizing their combined personal data, helping them transform data insights into healthier diabetes habits.
Principal Investigators: Carissa Low; Ann-Marie Rosland; Timothy M. Bober
*Denotes $5,000 Bonus Award winner.