As digital health projects grow at academic institutions, a proof of concept grant program has selected two projects as part of its new award category.
Initially announced in May, the University City Science Center‘s QED Proof of Concept program picked two digital health projects from Rutgers University. One led by Dr. William Craelius with the biomedical engineering department, co-invented by Nicky Newby of Nian-Crae, is developing a smartphone app to assist in stroke patient recovery using physical therapy.
Another group is working on medical technology to enhance the identification of prostate cancer using computer-based image analysis of MRI scans, according to a press statement. The technology is being developed by a team led by Rutgers University biomedical engineering professor Dr. Anant Madabhushi at Rutgers and Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. One problem identified with computerized imaging is that radiologists are unable to accurately determine whether abnormalities on the image are a harmful growth or benign in a time efficient manner. Madabhushi has been the principal investigator on a five year research grant with University of Pennsylvania and Siemens to improve MRI features in order for radiologists to diagnose patients more effectively, announced in 2009.
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Each group will get $100,000 — half from the QED program and half from Rutgers.
Stephen Tang, the University City Science Center CEO, said in the statement that it is exploring opportunities for further involvement in the digital health sector. Last month the Canadian Consulate General in Philadelphia said it would establish a health IT accelerator on the Science Center campus.
In an interview with MedCity News, Christopher Laing, who oversees the Science Center’s science and technology programs, including the QED Proof of Concept program, said part of the decision to add a digital health track to the QED program this year came from its experience working with a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia research scientist Dr. Flaura Winston. Her team, backed by National Science Foundation funding, is developing a software platform to bring the rigor of clinical trials to Web-based health and wellness interventions such as those for chronic illnesses. Laing said the Science Center helped set up an advisory board for her group and helped devise ways to commercialize the idea. Based on that experience, Laing said the Science Center saw that it could provide assistance to these types of projects.
The QED program is funded with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, with additional financial support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, the William Penn Foundation and WEXFORD Science & Technology.
