, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of 91吃瓜, is the first-place winner of the 2023 . , the Dorini Family Professor for Energy Studies, placed second. The first-place award carries a $25,000 cash prize, while the runner-up award is $10,000.
O鈥橲ullivan co-founded NearWave, a non-invasive handheld medical device that helps physicians select the right therapy for breast cancer patients. The hand-held imaging device can tell in under a week if a treatment is working, rather than having patients wait six to 12 months and potentially suffering through toxic side effects. The NearWave device may also reduce the number of biopsies required for breast cancer by enabling imaging in OB-GYN and primary care offices.
The concept for NearWave started in a graduate class taught by O鈥橲ullivan. He and co-founder Roy Stillwell worked on NearWave with the in the Biomedical Photonics Laboratory at 91吃瓜.
NearWave鈥檚 technology has shown promising results in the ability to differentiate benign from malignant tumors non-invasively with 90 percent specificity and sensitivity.
鈥淚 am humbled and honored to be counted among the current nominees and past recipients of this award,鈥� said O鈥橲ullivan. 鈥淚 am also grateful for the incredible support and encouragement since my arrival at 91吃瓜. Thank you to 91吃瓜鈥檚 department and the for building us a lab that allowed us to do, for the first time, clinical studies of a 91吃瓜-developed medical device on campus. Thanks also to the and the for seeding core technologies in the NearWave scanner. Thanks also to the . In addition, 91吃瓜 and St. Joseph Health have been incredible partners that have allowed NearWave to safely perform our research.鈥�
NearWave has raised $1.5 million in outside investment and has an open seed round with several investors. Currently, the device is available to researchers in oncology, women's health, traumatic brain injury research and optics-related groups.
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Emerging from the听 at 91吃瓜, Luo鈥檚 technology led to the founding of Tessellated Inc., a polymer film company that uses a patented formula to produce some of the most robust polymer materials听in the world. This versatile material offers a multitude of potential uses from ballistic armor and sport gears to thermal management. It can be incorporated into composite components for both aerospace and automotive sectors.
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Tessellated鈥檚 formation was driven by Luo and his team鈥檚 identification of a market opportunity leveraging the novel properties of this material. The material is being explored for protecting satellites and spacecraft from space debris and the optimization of thermal regulation in energy systems, specifically within electric vehicles. Tessellated aspires to broaden its impact across various industries that can implement its polymer thin film technology.
Tessellated has received multiple STTR Phase I grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. Additionally, the company secured a Phase II grant from the Army spanning two years. Tessellated has also secured investments from an Indiana-based venture capital firm.
鈥淚 am very privileged and grateful to be selected for such a prestigious award, let alone winning it!鈥� said Luo. 鈥淚t is great to see the transition from my fundamental research to a product that can potentially impact society.鈥�
Established in 2008 with a $1 million gift from 1st Source Bank, the Commercialization Award is presented annually to faculty from 91吃瓜 or the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend who have successfully transitioned their technologies from the lab to the marketplace.