Bin Duan, PhD, named UNeMed’s Emerging Inventor

UNMC researcher Bin Duan, PhD, took the top prize as UNeMed’s Emerging Inventor during the annual Research Innovation Awards Ceremony.

Other top awards included the Startup of the Year and the Most Promising New Invention of 2022.

The ceremony featured remarks from UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold, MD, and University of Nebraska at Omaha Chancellor Joanne Li, PhD. UNeMed CEO and President Michael Dixon, PhD, delivered a presentation reviewing the previous fiscal year.

The awards ceremony, held Oct. 13 to cap off UNeMed’s Innovation Week, recognized all UNMC and UNO inventors who contributed to a new invention disclosure, had U.S. patent issued or had a technology licensed.

Dr. Duan, an associate professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, earned the Emerging Inventor award for his work in biomaterials and tissue engineering.

He was listed as an inventor on 13 new inventions submitted during the last five years and has six pending patent applications. His work focuses on novel biomaterials and biofabrication techniques — including 3D bioprinting — to enhance human regenerative processes and promote various types of wound healing. He has developed numerous hydrogels and tissue-engineered scaffolds for clinical applications, including bacterial biofilm prevention, localized drug delivery, muscle and nerve regeneration and postoperative abdominal adhesion prevention.

Dr. Duan’s work with UNeMed’s 2015 Innovator of the Year, Tammy Kielian, PhD, on a 3D printed antibiotic craniotomy scaffold has garnered interest from more than a dozen companies. It is patent-pending in the United States and in Europe.

Dr. Duan’s two inventions from 2022 are a novel, 3D-printable bio-ink and a 3D-printable, refillable hydrogel drug depot for localized, sustained delivery of therapeutic agents. 

UNeMed presented the Most Promising New Invention of 2022 award to a pair of UNO researchers in the School of Health and Kinesiology: Doctoral research assistant Cody Anderson and his graduate mentor, Song-young Park, PhD.

Their invention — a system for measuring blood pressure in wearable electronic devices, such as smart watches — produces an accurate and reliable way for people to track their blood pressure, in real-time, without the need for specialized equipment or training.

The innovative approach measures the speed of a user’s pulse wave, which spreads throughout the body with every heartbeat. Pulse wave velocity is a proven measure for finding blood pressure and blood vessel stiffness, important biomarkers for determining and predicting cardiovascular health.

The innovation could allow people to monitor and control their cardiovascular health virtually anywhere, while also helping reduce cardiovascular disease and associated costs.

UNeMed presented UNMC researchers Howard Gendelman, MD, and Benson Edagwa, PhD, with the 2022 Startup of the Year Award for the company they co-founded: Exavir Therapeutics.

Dr. Gendelman is professor and chair of the UNMC Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience. Dr. Edaqwa is an associate professor in the same department.

Exavir Therapeutics is developing ultra-long-acting antiretroviral nanomedicines. These nanomedicines enable long-acting, slow and effective release of antiretroviral therapy, potentially allowing for dosing once every six months or longer.

Exavir Therapeutics is working on developing CRISPR-Cas9-based therapies as a potential cure for HIV infections.

In May 2022, Exavir Therapeutics successfully closed on a $4 million seed-financing round that will help advance Exavir’s lead formulation toward a clinical trial.

More information about Innovation Week and the Innovation Awards ceremony, including its history and awardees, can be found online.