Nine international teams developing new biomedical technologies for range of medical challenges
- Teams win seven-month innovation training and project mentoring from innovators at MIT and other leading institutions
- New technologies for a range of urgent medical needs, including maternal health, cancer therapy, vaccine design, and bone regeneration, among others
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, 9 NOVEMBER 2023—MIT linQ, an international biomedical technology innovation consortium based in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institute for Medical Engineering and Sciences (MIT IMES), introduced the eight teams admitted to IDEA2 2024. The seven-month program provides intensive innovation method training, collaborative project development, team-specific mentoring, and expertise to help projects move from novel ideas toward real-world application.
“We were very impressed by the strength of the applications to the program this year,” said Dr Mercedes Balcells-Camps, Program Chair of IDEA2 and a Principal Research Scientist at MIT. “Their projects cover all sorts of unmet clinical needs, such as preventing apnea in premature babies, new osteoconductive materials derived from salmon bone for dental applications, and neurostimulation for chronic pain.”
Proposals for IDEA2 were invited from anywhere in the world, and selected teams come from Sweden, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Poland, and the United States. IDEA2 program contributors for the 2024 edition include the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), the MIT Deshpande Center, the Medicine Innovation Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston Landing, and MIT Hacking Medicine.
The projects selected for 2024 are:
- AI Pelvic Floor: Prevention of pelvic floor injuries during childbirth with an innovative AI-powered solution
- Clinbermes: Clinical development of a novel G4-targeting berberine derivative to treat malignant mesothelioma
- MyHM: Noninvasive measurement of critical hemodynamic properties to improve prevatitive care
- Prevent Apnea: A medical device to reduce AOP, through kinesthetic stimulation on the dorsum of the chest with a pulsatile pattern
- Salmon Xenograft: Non-mammal, non-human derived xenograft for bone regeneration
- Soregen: Novel injectable hydrogel capable of inducing rapid angiogenesis
- SphereBio: New platform for rationally designed vaccines and therapeutics
- Spinally: A Class II medical device performing differential neuromodulation capabilities through intrathecal stimulation
- Zone of nerve injury: Defining the zone and severity of brachial plexus birth injury using Fluorescence lifetime imaging
The teams were selected competitively based on their potential for impact and readiness for additional support. Through group innovation training and individualized mentorship and advising, the teams will refine their research and development strategy to heighten the opportunity to healthcare impact.
The teams will meet in January at MIT for an initial workshop to sharpen the focus on the medical need they intend to address. They will then be matched with project mentors and subject and technology experts to help them develop their project over the summer. In April, the teams will meet again in a workshop to refine their project definition. Finally, in June they will gather to make their presentations of the progress in the program and make plans for next steps.
About IDEA2
IDEA² provides mentoring and connections to biomedical innovators around the world to develop their project ideas and to provide the expertise to realize them. It is especially valuable for trainees, early-stage professionals, and those who have few opportunities in their normal work to participate in innovation projects. More at http://idea2.mit.edu
About MIT linQ
MIT linQ is an initiative based in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Institute for Medical Engineering and Sciences (MIT IMES) to develop a new paradigm for biomedical technology innovation. MIT linQ, part of the MIT Innovation Initiative, unifies a portfolio of international innovation programs focused on improving healthcare through need-driven, interdisciplinary research and training. For more information, visit http://linq.mit.edu
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