Center turns research into patents

By Brent Renneke

As Arthur Erdman observed high-class research in the medical device field being done at U. Minnesota, he noticed nothing usable in the field was being produced.

“Many of the ideas were put on a shelf and never went anywhere,” Erdman, professor in mechanical engineering, said.

In an effort to translate this research into something functional in medical practice, the University built a center solely devoted to furthering research in the medical device industry.

The Medical Devices Center is a facility that combines brainstorming, developing and testing intended for turning basic research into medical devices.

Erdman, who is the director of the center, said one emphasis of the center is to create a patentable device out of research that originated at the University.

The facility’s 11 rooms contain the equipment necessary to keep the entire process under one roof.

“We wanted to be able to walk around and get everything we need on one floor,” Erdman said.

After the brainstorming process of how to develop the medical device, a prototype is made, which Erdman said is the key to furthering the development of the idea behind the medical device.

Aiding the process of translating the brainstorm into a three-dimensional model are SMART Boards, which is a white board that automatically copies everything written on the board into a printable file, according to Lucas Harder, lab supervisor for the Medical Device Center.

“It helps us in getting the prototype into a three-dimensional model as quickly as possible,” Harder said.

Erdman said prototyping an idea is crucial because it ensures that everyone involved in its development is on the same page.

“Usually the inventor has one idea, but the engineer may be thinking it is something different,” Erdman said.

Once a three-dimensional prototype is created, Erdman said the prototype can actually be tested at the center.

Although testing usually leads to more fails than success, Erdman said the process takes a couple of days where before the center the same test could take months.

“Everyone stays engaged and excited because you are not just waiting,” Erdman said

Harder said almost all of the material, including catheters, needles and even other medical devices, has been donated from medical device companies like St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific.

The undergraduates, graduates, and fellows at the center have access to these materials at their convenience, according to Harder, who said students often dismantle medical devices worth around $2,000 to learn about the device.

“They can do that,” Harder said. “It is a huge advantage to be able to test things and see what is out there.”

Erdman said this contributes to the center’s other emphasis, which is teaching students about the medical devices in a way different from anything they have ever experienced.

“Rather than working theoretically, they are making stuff and getting experiences,” Erdman said.

Also taking advantage of the center are the four members of the Medical Devices Fellows Program, which is a program that places post-doctoral students into the heart of medical device design.

Marie Johnson, Ph.D., director of the center’s fellows program, said the team of four is first put through a “boot camp,” where they listen to prominent people from the industry, which include CEO’s, clinicians, patent attorneys and other researchers.

Eric Little, Ph.D., senior innovative fellow at the center, said the knowledge gained is vital to build a common base of knowledge with the team, which comes from vastly different educational backgrounds.

Once the group has acquired the knowledge, they are put into the clinical setting by observing surgeries and identifying places of need for medical devices, according to Johnson.

Johnson said she expects her fellows to come back with at least 200 observations related to medical devices.

Before these ideas are translated to prototypes, the group is required to fully understand the location the device will affect down to the cellular level.

Karl Vollmers, Ph.D., senior innovation fellow at the center, said the process teaches that a great idea is a small part of the process.

“In order to be successful, everything has to be designed with the end user in mind,” Vollmers said.

Johnson said this train of thought has already produced 20 medical device patents through the program, which is in its second year.

The medical device industry in Minneapolis and St. Paul is one of the biggest in the nation, and Erdman said whether it is through developing patents or in educating students, the center is contributing to that industry.

“We are working to solve healthcare problems, and what better place to do it than in the Twin Cities,” Erdman said.

Read more here: http://www.mndaily.com/2010/05/06/center-u-turns-research-patents
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