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Huntsman Cancer Institute at the (the U), in collaboration with the , the , and the , has awarded grants to seven research teams developing engineering innovations to improve cancer treatment and detection.
The awards were given through the Bioscientific Innovations from Cancer Engineering Partnerships (BICEPS) initiative. Now in its second year, BICEPS funds one-year pilot programs designed to address complex challenges in cancer care.
鈥淚 am optimistic that these newly funded, cross-disciplinary teams will launch new discoveries that will benefit our cancer patients in groundbreaking ways.鈥
Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled about this continued, powerful collaboration. I am optimistic that these newly funded, cross-disciplinary teams will launch new discoveries that will benefit our cancer patients in groundbreaking ways,鈥 says , chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Presidential Professor in Cancer Research in the Department of Population 人妻中出视频 Sciences at the U. 鈥淲e are hopeful that their creativity will be supported by federal funding and yield technologies that improve clinical care.鈥
鈥淔rom electrical to mechanical to computer engineering and beyond, I鈥檓 proud of our faculty for contributing their expertise to the critical field of cancer diagnosis and treatment.鈥
Charles Musgrave, PhD
The selected projects encompass a variety of subjects, including pioneering diagnostic tools and improved treatment-delivery methods.
鈥淚nterdisciplinary research has always been a critical aspect of engineering. We need to form these kinds of connections to translate ideas from the lab to real-world applications,鈥 says , dean of the Price College of Engineering at the U. 鈥淲e are especially excited to collaborate with Huntsman Cancer Institute and our partners in the health sciences, as we strongly believe that together we will accomplish extraordinary things that improve the human condition. From electrical to mechanical to computer engineering and beyond, I鈥檓 proud of our faculty for contributing their expertise to the critical field of cancer diagnosis and treatment.鈥
The BICEPS program began with a 2023 networking event that brought cancer investigators and engineers together to share research interests in a dynamic, lightning-talk-style setting. To continue the spirit of collaboration, event organizers issued the first call for pilot programs. In its inaugural year, grants were awarded to six interdisciplinary teams.
This year, proposals were evaluated on their potential to transform patient care and their likelihood of attracting future funding or commercial interest. Each of the seven selected teams will receive up to $40,000 for their project.
鈥淥ur hope is the selected projects will leverage the expertise between these groups to make significant strides to overcome the most pressing challenges in cancer care.鈥
Amit Maity, MD, PhD, FASTRO
鈥淭he Department of Radiation Oncology is extremely excited to be part of a program catalyzing collaborations between engineers and cancer specialists at Huntsman Cancer Institute,鈥 says Amit Maity, MD, PhD, FASTRO, professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the U. 鈥淥ur hope is the selected projects will leverage the expertise between these groups to make significant strides to overcome the most pressing challenges in cancer care.鈥
鈥淏y empowering interdisciplinary research, BICEPS enables scientists and engineers to develop transformative technologies that can detect, treat, and ultimately change cancer care as we know it.鈥
Ramiro Garzon, MD
鈥淭hese grants encourage impactful partnerships between engineers and cancer researchers to discover innovative engineering solutions in cancer care,鈥 says Ramiro Garzon, MD, chief of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the U. 鈥淏y empowering interdisciplinary research, BICEPS enables scientists and engineers to develop transformative technologies that can detect, treat, and ultimately change cancer care as we know it.鈥
Four of the projects will be funded by Huntsman Cancer Institute. The Price College of Engineering, the Department of Radiation Oncology, and the Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies will each support one project.
鈥淕iven the talent at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Price College of Engineering, the U is well positioned to bring these scientists together to create cutting-edge solutions to cancer-related problems.鈥
Sachin Apte, MD, MBA, MS
鈥淎s an oncologist with a degree in engineering, I very much value these partnerships to drive innovation in cancer discovery. The first year demonstrated we can indeed work together on common problems as these disciplines bring complementary skills,鈥 says Sachin Apte, MD, MBA, MS, chief clinical officer and physician-in-chief at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U. 鈥淕iven the talent at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Price College of Engineering, the U is well positioned to bring these scientists together to create cutting-edge solutions to cancer-related problems. I look forward to this next step in the maturation of the BICEPS grant program as we continue to refine how these two disciplines can create novel solutions.鈥
Awardees and Their Projects
Developing a new medical imaging technique to help doctors detect breast cancer before it spreads
Funded by the Department of Radiation Oncology
, professor of biomedical engineering at the U
, director of cyclotron operations at Huntsman Cancer Institute
, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and assistant professor of oncological sciences at the U
Developing a new drug therapy for multiple myeloma
Funded by the Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies
Douglas Sborov, MD, MS, director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute Hematology Disease Center and associate professor of medicine at the U
, distinguished professor of molecular pharmaceutics and distinguished professor of biomedical engineering
Helping doctors perform biopsies faster and without needing to remove tissue samples
Funded by Huntsman Cancer Institute
, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the U
Chakravarthy B. Reddy, MD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and assistant professor in the department of medicine at the U
Exploring an alternative to MRI to detect prostate cancer
Funded by Huntsman Cancer Institute
Glen Morrell, MD, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor of radiology & imaging sciences at the U
, professor of electrical & computer engineering at the U
, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and research assistant professor in the department of radiology
Investigating a method to detect infections after breast reconstruction surgery
Funded by Huntsman Cancer Institute
, associate professor of chemical engineering at the U
Jayant Agarwal, MD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor of surgery at the U
Developing a new treatment for bladder cancer
Funded by Huntsman Cancer Institute
, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the U
, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and associate professor of radiology at the U
Investigating a method to mitigate the harmful side effects of chemotherapy
Funded by the Price College of Engineering
, assistant professor in department of mechanical engineering
, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor and George S. and Dolores Dor茅 Eccles Presidential Endowed Chair in the department of molecular pharmaceutics, professor of biomedical engineering, Director of Utah Center for Nanomedicine
The critical research happening every day at Huntsman Cancer Institute is supported by the National Institutes of 人妻中出视频/National Cancer Institute, including cancer center support grant P30 CA042014, as well as Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
Media Contact
Heather Simonsen
Public Affairs Senior Manager
Huntsman Cancer Institute
801 581-3194
public.affairs@hci.utah.edu
About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the 人妻中出视频 of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, and world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, prevented, diagnosed, treated, and survived. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering the most advanced cancer healing and prevention through scientific breakthroughs and cutting-edge technology to create pioneering cancer treatments beyond the standard of care today. We have more than 325 open clinical trials and 276 research teams studying cancer. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for understanding how cancer begins and using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient鈥檚 unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.