Award-winning projects at UMMS net technology development funds
“Development of Novel Biocompatible Core/Shell Upconversion Nanoparticle Technology”
Dr. Han has developed nanoparticle technology that, used with deep tissue imaging, could provide clinicians with a new tool to see and diagnose tumors more clearly from the outside.
“Amphiphilic Degradable Polymer-mineral Composites as Versatile Synthetic Tissue Grafts”
Previous CVIP awardee Dr. Song is developing polymer technology that is superior to previous synthetic composite tissue scaffolds in its ability to bond with bone for the repair of skeletal tissue.
“Enhanced Bioluminescence Imaging in Live Mice”
Imaging based on the glow of a firefly reveals biological processes that are otherwise invisible. Dr. Miller has developed new technology that greatly improves this imaging method for visualizing gene expression and enzyme activity in living animals.
“Active Plastics as a Novel Anti-Fungal Strategy”
The team of Dr. Kaufman and Daniel Schmidt, PhD, associate professor of plastics engineering at UMass Lowell, is testing a small molecule they have identified that can potentially be used as a medical-device coating capable of preventing colonization by common disease-causing fungi.
Four UMass Medical School faculty members have received 2013 Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property (CVIP) Technology Development Fund grants awarded by the UMass President’s Office.
To advance commercialization of discoveries made on the five UMass campuses, the CVIP Technology Development fund was established in 2004 to provide UMass researchers with supplemental funding to help close the gap between research discovery and proven technology. This year, eight awards of $25,000 each are being made to faculty members from the Amherst, Boston, Lowell and Worcester campuses.
Awardees from the UMMS are Gang Han, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology; Jie Song, PhD, assistant professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation and cell & developmental biology; Stephen Miller, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology; and, in a collaboration with a colleague from UMass Lowell, Paul Kaufman, PhD, professor of molecular medicine.
“These are the discoveries that help change the world for the better, create new jobs and businesses and make us very proud of the groundbreaking work being done on the campuses of the University of Massachusetts,” said President Caret of the award-winning projects.
