University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus. Department of Bioengineering. Engineering the Future of Medicine

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1 University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus Department of Bioengineering Engineering the Future of Medicine

2 Thanks to bioengineering, medical advances once only imagined are becoming reality. They re happening now at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus. CU engineers and doctors are partnering to harness the power of technology to: Create revolutionary prosthetic devices that offer full mobility and deliver a sense of touch and temperature employing never-before-used pathways to interface with the human nervous system Develop new biomaterials that will make surgeries to treat aneurysms and heart disease more effective and affordable Adapt injectable polymers to spontaneously reconnect damaged nerve cells of patients with spinal cord injury and allow new cell tissue to grow Offer devices for children with congenital heart disease that are designed and manufactured specifically for each individual patient The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus is the first of its kind in Colorado and the only one in the region. The program is design-based and solutions-focused. Our location at the internationally recognized Anschutz Medical Campus allows faculty and students to work alongside clinicians and researchers to resolve real-life problems, in real time, across virtually every area of medicine. Bioengineers ask: What do the physicians who are treating disease need right now to improve patient outcomes? How do we make that a reality as quickly as possible? We are developing a reliable, peripheral nerve interface that allows us to communicate bilaterally between the body and devices. This opens the door to enabling artificial limbs to be true limb replacements, rather than just tools. It will also revolutionize how people are treated for all sorts of disabilities. Imagine bridging breaks in the spinal column, solving bowel and bladder control issues and even repairing the optic nerve. We have the basic elements in place. We re ready to put the pieces together to make this vision a reality. Richard Weir, PhD Associate Research Professor of Bioengineering 2 University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

3 Our bioengineering program is already of high caliber. The time is right to take the program to the next level. Renowned faculty members are engaged in groundbreaking research while offering innovative learning opportunities for students. The highly selective graduate program, launched in 2010, attracts top students from across the country who want to apply engineering principles and analyses to improve human health. Colorado s thriving biotech industry facilitates the program s emphasis on entrepreneurship and is equipped to introduce new technology to the marketplace. We invite you to join us as we create a global center for bioengineering right here on the Front Range. The result will be new talent, new markets and new solutions for an enormous range of human health issues. Bioengineers catalyze technology to cure and prevent disease. They are moving science, engineering and medicine forward in the 21st century. Bioengineers are gaining a better understanding of the body and improving human health through engineering. They translate that knowledge into the design and development of new treatments that include devices, synthetic materials, artificial tissues and drug delivery systems. While touring CU s Bioengineering Lab, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper described the operation as breathtaking. He told those assembled, You really get a sense that we re on the cutting edge here. It is magical. Colorado has all the elements required to be at the epicenter of bioengineering innovation. The collaborations between industry and academia are producing important new discoveries every day. We re going to need a new generation of bioengineers who are experienced with translating these discoveries into practical applications. At Covidien, we look to CU Denver to be preparing the next generation of leaders in this field. Carl Buice, PhD Senior Director, Technology Development, Patient Monitoring, Covidien Department of Bioengineering 3

4 Partnerships=Solutions CU bioengineers are partnering with doctors and researchers across the Denver and Anschutz Medical Campuses to create health care solutions. Biotechnology is interdisciplinary and translational. It requires collaboration among doctors, engineers, computer scientists, students and researchers. At CU, scientists from the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the Denver Campus are working with doctors and researchers at the Anschutz Medical Campus, bridging the two fields to yield new opportunities. The Anschutz Medical Campus is the ideal place for biomedical collaboration, and the CU Department of Bioengineering is one of just a few in the U.S. located on a medical campus. This prime location gives bioengineers access to patients, clinicians, researchers and industry. They partner with renowned research and treatment centers including the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Children s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Hospital and the CU School of Medicine. And they work within a region already oriented toward biotechnology and medical innovation. Dr. Robin Shandas is the only non-clinician to be recognized for his work in cardiac and pulmonary care by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. New engineering and imaging solutions carry the potential to shed new light on heart disease and pulmonary lung disease. As we age and in certain disease conditions, the vessels surrounding the heart stiffen and the load on the heart changes. Kendall Hunter, PhD is applying echocardiography to measure blood velocity and vascular wall motion to detect these changes. The earlier we can detect transformations in the vessels surrounding the heart, the earlier we can detect diseases or even the likelihood of diseases such as pulmonary lung disease, hypertension and even Type 2 Diabetes. This in turn will inform therapies and early interventions for large patient populations. 4 University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

5 A partnership with Children s Hospital is improving care for Colorado s youngest patients. Bioengineers at CU Denver are amplifying our ability to care for children. Robin Shandas and his team offer the expertise and experience to help define a problem, develop a solution and make it happen. It s very much a real-time process. Glenn T. Furuta, MD Director, Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program Children s Hospital Colorado and National Jewish Health Bioengineering is helping us move toward a cure for childhood diabetes. Through our partnership with the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, we are making real progress in developing ways to increase the ability of islet transplant tissues to cure childhood diabetes. This is fundamentally an engineering issue. We know it works in principle. We know the biology. We ve got the technology. We just need to put it all together in a real-world application. Richard Benninger, PhD Assistant Professor of Bioengineering Our partnership with the bioengineering team is on the verge of yielding new devices for patients with glaucoma and cataracts. It s the perfect combination of skills. We bring to the table our experience in patient needs, preclinical testing and clinical trials. The bioengineering team brings experience in materials technology and manufacturing. The result will be a real improvement in our ability to treat patients. Naresh Mandava, MD Professor and Chair, Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute Department of Ophthalmology, CU School of Medicine Department of Bioengineering 5

6 The University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus is preparing the next generation of bioengineering entrepreneurs. Significant employment growth is projected for bioengineering-related industries, indicating opportunities for job creation here in Colorado. Bioengineering students can tailor their experience toward various career opportunities in health care, the biomedical industry, government regulatory agencies or academic research. The University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus has Colorado s only bioengineering department, and it is the only engineering program intimately linked to the training and research missions of its university s medical campus. Entrepreneurship is emphasized through a track designed to give students the know-how to develop new biomedical devices and bring them to market. Currently, the department offers PhD and master s degrees in bioengineering. Within two years, it will expand to include an undergraduate program that will be Colorado s only sole degree program. Not surprisingly, the department is overwhelmed by student demand, with four applicants for each of its 26 graduate-student slots and a steady rise in inquiries. The field of bioengineering is generating new markets and new jobs. The Department of Bioengineering has already spun off four new companies, including EndoShape, Inc. and Illumasonix LLC. The university s bioengineering alumni are developing new ultrasound-based treatment techniques, next-generation magnetic resonance imaging that helps us better diagnose heart valve disease and methods that help us better understand the progression of hypertension. I ve been developing a novel polymer that has the potential to improve clinical outcomes for aneurysm patients and generate significant cost savings at the same time. The translational nature of my research at CU Denver provides an opportunity for me to hone my design skills. This should give me an upper hand in my future career as a physician-scientist and as a bioengineer who can make a real difference in the field. Kiran Dyamenahalli Graduate Student 6 University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus

7 The opportunity to create a global center for bioengineering is here. Your investment will support the department s new and expanded efforts in five key areas: Talent creation: A bold training program for graduates and undergraduates, bolstered by strong scholarship support, will help fill the growing need for experienced bioengineers. Innovative space: A new space will be designed to support the conversations and processes that make CU s bioengineering program one of the world s best. In this space equipped with computer resources, wet labs, manufacturing equipment and more multidisciplinary teams of engineers, clinicians and researchers can meet, model and prototype new devices. New ideas: A greater pool for innovation grants and bridge funding will help the department attract the best minds and give its scholars and researchers the resources and support to pursue their ideas. New markets and new jobs: This is an opportunity for Colorado s Front Range to attract and retain the brightest talent, who can fulfill the potential of bioengineering and ensure its accessibility beyond this region. More solutions: Quite simply, increased investment will mean more students and fellows for the program, which in turn will mean more throughput more solutions, more response to the huge demand, more benefits for more people. The opportunity to achieve all of this is here and now. The university has the infrastructure, the talent and the demand. The Front Range has the necessary entrepreneurial spirit and commitment. With your help, we can leverage this opportunity to create a sustainable competitive advantage that will lead to a powerful force in bioengineering in Colorado and almost unimaginable advances in medicine. The Department of Bioengineering epitomizes the spirit of innovation and collaboration between the CU Denver and Anschutz Medical Campuses. The department positions CU at the forefront of bioengineering a field that is central to Colorado s economic growth in the 21st century. Don Elliman Chancellor, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus Department of Bioengineering 7

8 For more information, contact: Noelle DeLage Senior Director of Development University of Colorado Foundation 1380 Lawrence St., Suite 1325 Denver, CO (office) The field of bioengineering is at the heart of a revolution in applied engineering and medicine. New solutions are being created, new markets are being spawned and, most importantly, entirely new opportunities to prevent and cure disease are emerging at lightning speed. Robin Shandas, PhD Professor and Chair, Department of Bioengineering Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) and Surgery cufund.org All gifts should be payable to the University of Colorado Foundation, specifying the appropriate fund. July 2012 JS/JP UCD11009