Date: Apr 14, 2015 Source: (
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2015 UTAH INNOVATION AWARDS
Inventing a Better Future
Presented by Stoel Rives LLP and Utah Technology Council, Written by Utah Business editors
April 14, 2015
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The platform works by identifying differences in sequenced genomes. These variants are then matched against an unprecedented repository of over 200 public and private data sources—more than any other genome interpretation software—and scoring algorithms to see which have been associated with disease in the past. Next, the software creates a summary report prioritizing clinically-relevant variants, giving healthcare professionals the ability to use that information to deliver personalized treatment.
Tute's goal is to provide a future where genomic data is integrated into medical records, giving doctors and patients access to actionable genomic information.
Bioprocessing Sensor by Applied Biosensors, LLC
People worldwide depend on pharmaceutical drugs for a better quality of life, but most drugs are expensive due to high manufacturing costs and the years of research it takes to bring drugs to market. Applied Biosensors has created a technology that is a smaller, faster and significantly more affordable single-use bioprocessing sensor that results in lower biomanufacturing costs by speeding novel drugs to market.
Single-use technologies are revolutionizing the process to yield faster lab-to-market drugs and lower production costs, but the key to Applied Biosensors' technology is a polymer matrix, which is made to be highly sensitive to specific chemicals or biomarkers. The company has created a "smart sensor" by altering the polymer chemistry to the sensitivity and specificity of almost any chemical.
Applied Biosensors embeds magnetic particles in the polymer and adds the capability to remotely monitor the magnetic field produced by the particles impregnated in the polymer. When the polymer changes in volume, the magnetic field changes as well. Thus, the measured magnetic field correlates to the concentration of the chemical.
The sensing system costs significantly less than other single-sensor platforms, is gamma sterilization compatible, has wireless data transmission, and provides a faster response in a wide range of chemical concentrations.
Life Science -- Medical Device
Suture-less Soft Tissue Repair by CoNextions Medical, Inc.
Currently, soft tissues, like tendons, are repaired with the use of sutures. These surgeries require a high level of skill on the part of the surgeon and an extensive recovery period followed by physical therapy. The long recovery period increases the likelihood of adhesions forming due to the necessary inactivity—which then requires an expensive, difficult revision surgery.
CoNextions' "suture-less" soft tissue repair device is intended to create a stronger initial repair, enabling a patient to become mobile more quickly with less need for physical therapy. A faster return to activity reduces the chance of adhesions forming and follow-up revision surgery. Additionally, the ability to become mobile faster will allow patients to return to work sooner.
The device may also make it possible for more physicians to perform the surgery, reducing the need for an expensive specialist. Overall, the suture-less soft tissue repair device could reduce costs for patients and insurance providers, in addition to shortening the recovery period for patients.
StreamDX by StreamDX, Inc.
By the age of 50, about one-third of men experience lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) such as urinary hesitancy, post-void dribbling and urgency. This condition can be serious, and more than 117,000 emergency room visits occur every year from urinary retention related to LUTS. Currently, in order to be diagnosed with LUTS, patients must make several trips to a urology clinic to perform urine flow tests.
StreamDX is a device that enables patients to perform urine flow tests in the comfort of their homes. It is a portable, battery-powered flowmeter that allows for multiple high-quality readings of urine flow with only one patient visit to the clinic. Not only can they perform the tests at home, but StreamDX also lets patients securely send the data directly to their electronic medical record. Other devices on the market cost $2,000 or more—making them affordable only for urology clinics—while the StreamDX is manufactured at a cost reasonable for consumers.
4D Scanner for Image-Guided Interventions by nView Medical
The 4D scanner is an imaging system that provides a 3D look inside the body, updated in real time. This translates into faster, more accurate and less invasive surgeries, benefitting patients and surgeons alike.
Less-invasive surgeries mean faster recovery times for patients and cheaper procedures for hospitals, but doing so means surgeons rely more and more heavily on imaging to compensate for the lack of a first-hand look into the body. While 3D imaging has recently trumped 2D glimpses into the body, such as X-rays, as a more accurate means of giving surgeons a less-invasive look inside a patient, the current 3D system provides just one snapshot at a time; using them again interrupts surgery and leads to longer and more expensive procedures.
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