For the summer 2021 issue of TechConnect Magazine, we chose a topic that we knew everyone already was becoming most familiar—whether they wanted to or not. We already have lived in a world filled with innovative developments in MedTech—from detailed blood work at an annual physical to less-invasive surgical procedures. We have more examples of MedTech and its value in the pages that follow.
Two associate professors at Arizona State University are leading the exploration of sex-targeted drug delivery for traumatic brain injury. The five-year, $2.5-million project funded by the NIH will improve the understandings of sex differences in traumatic brain injury to help design nanoparticle delivery systems for more effective treatments.
As robotics technology advances, robots will help with a variety of tasks, even supporting people to navigate the challenges of aging. One Arizona State University project aims to develop robots to assist older adults with dementia and their caregivers. The work is supported by the Zimin Foundation as one of four proposals selected for funding within the Zimin Institute for Smart and Sustainable Cities at ASU. This partnership aids research projects that facilitate the integration of smart-city technology, specifically concerning infrastructure, transportation, resource efficiency, health, security and more.
The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a startup incubator network with outposts across Southern Arizona and a mission to grow scalable science and technology startup ventures that fuel the Arizona economy. For nearly two decades, the program has directly served more than 140 companies and impacted thousands of entrepreneurs.
In the largest study of the associations between smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function, researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, found both impair the ability to learn and memorize and that the effects of smoking are more pronounced among females while males are more impaired by cardiovascular disease.
In fiscal year 2020 alone, NAU inventors were issued 19 patents, filed 41 new patent applications and submitted 43 new invention disclosures. Because of the effort and investment involved, however, not many researchers have the resources needed to commercialize their inventions, much less launch startup companies to take their technologies to the marketplace. But NAU assistant professor and alum Zach Lerner has successfully done both—all within just a few years of beginning his career.
No doubt everyone has learned unforeseen lessons as the world begins to exit the pandemic. And that’s precisely what makes the time right for the Arizona Technology Council’s 2021 MedTech Conference. The conference also offers a bonus: It marks the return of the Council’s trademark in-person events and the accompanying networking. Check out the preview of the Council’s 2021 MedTech Conference.
It’s amazing what happens when you set a goal. At the turn of the century, Arizona was still largely about the five Cs. Now, the Grand Canyon state is quickly gaining a reputation as a world-class technology hub. Arizona is now home to big-name bioscience organizations, and many health care institutions are pioneering the future of life sciences in treatment and research. If that isn’t enough, the state’s universities are also making breathtaking advancements and shaping the future of the industry.
When it comes to medical technology, Arizona has turned into a breeding ground of innovative products and services. Some may have already been used by your families or are recent arrivals in your lives. And you don’t even need a prescription to be introduced to many of them. Here are some samples of the MedTech that can trace their roots to cities here as they help make the world a healthier place.