UB CAT Announces Funding for Industry-University Research

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (CAT) has announced that five industry-university collaborative projects in which UB researchers are partnering with private industry in areas ranging from innovative surgical technologies to bioterrorism defense systems have received $1.5 million in funding.

The funding, representing a combination of state and private industry dollars, will be used to develop new technologies for the market.

"It is very encouraging to see this level of university-industry collaboration," said William M. Mihalko, M.D., Ph.D., CAT executive director. "The CAT program is designed to help make companies more competitive by leveraging university researchers and resources to bring innovative products to market more quickly.

"It is a collaborative effort between university researchers and their counterparts in industry," noted Mihalko. "Their interactions help transfer knowledge and technology out of the university setting, while engaging industry on trends in the marketplace that could lead to further research and development, and create a positive economic impact."

The UB CAT is one of 15 centers across the state supported by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research. Administered by the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR), CAT provides necessary gap funding to promote the development and commercialization of biomedical and bioengineering research, a field in which Buffalo-Niagara traditionally has excelled. Since 2001, CAT has awarded more than $5 million for 27 collaborative projects. This year's projects include:

-- Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Cartilage Regenerative Surgical Technology. Laura Edsberg, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, UB School of Dental Medicine, with industrial partner TCAG, Inc. This project supports animal testing for hardware/software system development to regenerate articular cartilage of the temporomandibular joint.

-- Real Time Ultralow Dosage Oral Cancer X-Ray Spectrometer. Thomas Mang, Ph.D., clinical associate professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dental Medicine, with industrial partner IET Inc. This project supports the evaluation of a low dose X-ray spectrometer to detect pre-malignant carcinoma in the oral cavity, allowing for dynamic real time image processing.

-- Validation of New Computer Aided Total Knee Replacement Algorithms. William M. Mihalko, M.D., Ph.D., director of orthopaedic research, Department of Orthopaedics, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, with industrial partner Stryker, Inc. This project supports the validation of next generation computer navigation software for total knee replacement.

-- Painless Laser Maxillofacial Surgery. Thomas Mang, Ph.D., clinical associate professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, UB School of Dental Medicine, with industrial partner TCAG, Inc. This project supports the design, development, testing, and validation of a painless maxillofacial computer-assisted surgical system.

-- Bioblower Validation for Air Purification against Bioterror Organisms. James Garvey, Ph.D., professor, Department of Chemistry, UB College of Arts and Science, with industrial partner CUBRC. This project is to demonstrate that the BioBlower air compressor can provide a suitable heat source and airflow for an integrated catalytic oxidation (CATOX) system.

Companies wishing to learn more about UB CAT and the application process may contact Mihalko at 829-3944 or mihalk@buffalo.edu. Applications may be downloaded at the STOR Web site at http://www.stor.buffalo.edu, which provides information about STOR and its programs.