History
INFRASTRUCTURE PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH
The really tough problems with the greatest potential for significant breakthroughs lie at the interfaces between traditional academic disciplines, where the science, language, and culture inhibit good communications. The key interface between nanoscience and biology, including the specific topic of nanomedicine is one of the important areas where the university, regional universities, and the state have existing strengths to build upon.
Growing bio-tech and nano-tech companies in Utah depends upon a community-accessible infrastructure to supply key fabrication and characterization tools and expertise needed for advanced product development. A "poster child" is the Utah Neural Array developed in the Utah Microfabrication Core Lab by Richard Normann who effectively established an engineering linkage to a series of medical applications. This effort became commercialized in his Bionic Technologies, Inc. then in Cyberkinetics with the ultimate development of a new, local cleanroom, accompanying jobs and additional University collaborations. There have been two human surgeries (motor cortex implant) with the commercial Cyberkinetics Electrode Assembly, enabling quadriplegic individuals to begin controlling computers and artificial limbs through their volitional thoughts. Further substantial NIH grants have been awarded to Utah PI's based on development of this and related local know-how.
Anticipated outcomes from similar collaborative efforts include new ideas through effective seeded collaborations (facilitated by seminars, open use labs and other interactions); more effective research proposals seeded by user fee sponsorship to obtain preliminary data; superior research enabled by better equipment, instrumentation, & expertise; and more, stronger companies maturing through start-up, based on an industrial preliminary data seed fund and cost-effective access to needed sponsored resources.