Design Day 2013 - Apply - Johns Hopkins University

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May 7, 2013
8 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Armstrong Building
1600 McElderry Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Design Day 2013
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Introduction
Welcome to BME Design Day 2013!
The Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University is internationally
recognized as a leader in biomedical science and technology. In addition, the department
is rapidly emerging as a leader in the translation of scientific and technical advances into
clinical applications that improve patient care. One example of that effort is the Johns
Hopkins University Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design (CBID).
CBID’s dual mission is to educate the next generation of leaders in medtech innovation
and to develop solutions that are clinically and commercially impactful. Each year, about
20 graduate and undergraduate teams, along with Johns Hopkins clinicians and faculty,
tackle some of the most challenging healthcare needs of the US and global markets. This
year we are especially honored to host Dr. Omar Ishrak, chairman and CEO of Medtronic,
as our keynote speaker. Dr. Ishrak brings a rare unified perspective on the need for
innovation for both types of markets and patients, from the most advanced and wealthy
to the most needy.
Success in such an effort depends on close collaboration with a wide range of
stakeholders and experts. Our design teams benefit from access to volunteer advisors
from investment, regulatory affairs, reimbursement, and other critical perspectives. In
addition, through the generosity of donors who share our vision, we are able to provide
teams with the resources needed to build and test their ideas. These donors and partners
are listed on the last page of this program.
Our key stakeholders are front-line healthcare workers and their patients. Each of the
projects you will see today has been developed with regular mentorship, and in some
cases co-invention, by a clinician or other community health worker, mainly from Johns
Hopkins Medicine and our main global health innovation partner, Jhpiego. These mentors
devote many hours to ensure each team fully understands the problem and develops a
clinically viable solution.
To all our partners and sponsors, on behalf of all the students and faculty in CBID and
BME and the patients who will benefit from their innovations, we say “THANK YOU!”
Sincerely,
Youseph Yazdi, PhD, MBA
Executive Director
Assistant Professor,
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Elliot R. McVeigh, PhD
Massey Professor and Director
Department of Biomedical Engineering
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Design Day Agenda
7:00 a.m. Registration and Breakfast Available
8:00–8:15 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
• Youseph Yazdi, Executive Director, CBID
• Elliot R. McVeigh, Massey Professor and Director,
Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Nicholas P. Jones, Benjamin T. Rome Dean,
Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering
8:15–9:00 a.m. Undergraduate Innovation Presentations
• Introduction: Robert Allen, Undergraduate Program Director, CBID
• Introduction of new 2013-2014 Design Team Leaders
9:00–10:00 a.m. MSE Innovation Presentations
• Introduction: Soumyadipta Acharya, Graduate Program Director, CBID
10:00–10:15 a.m. Break
10:15–11:00 a.m. Keynote Address
• Introduction of Speaker: Paul B. Rothman, Frances Watt Baker, M.D. and
Lenox D. Baker, Jr., M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO,
Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Omar Ishrak, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic
11:00–1:15 p.m. Medical Innovation Showcase
• Over 20 Medical Device Innovation Teams Presenting
• Table-top demonstrations and exhibits
Noon
Lunch Served
1:15–1:45 p.m. Undergraduate Innovation Presentations, Continued
• Introduction: Robert Allen, Undergraduate Program Director, CBID
1:45–2:45 p.m. MSE Innovation Presentations, Continued
• Introduction: Soumyadipta Acharya, Graduate Program Director, CBID
2:45–3:00 p.m. Awards and acknowledgements
• Elliot R. McVeigh, Director, Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Thank You to Clinicians: Clifford Weiss, Clinical Director, CBID
• Final Acknowledgements: Youseph Yazdi, Exec Director, CBID
3:00 p.m. Adjourn
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Graduate student projects
GRADUATE MEDTECH
OmniSom Solutions—The Lyra At-Home PSG
Student Team: Christopher Lee, Dana Schultz, David Shin, Michelle Zwernemann
Clinical Advisors: Alan Schwartz, MD; Philip L. Smith, MD; Jason Kirkness, PhD; Hartmut Schneider,
MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center
Clinical Advisors: Susheel Patil, MD, PhD, JHU Sleep Disorders Center;
Soumyadipta Acharya, MD, PhD
Technical Advisors: Drs. Soumyadipta Acharya; Jerry Prince, Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering; Youseph Yazdi
Over 39 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea (SA), a serious medical condition that causes
people to periodically stop breathing during sleep. SA leads to many downstream clinical diseases
such as heart disease, stroke, and cognitive atrophy. In addition, undiagnosed and untreated SA
has an annual cost of $45–80 billion in medical costs and up to $165 billion in total downstream
economic costs in the United States. Despite these serious consequences, approximately two-thirds
of Americans with SA remain undiagnosed.
To overcome the diagnostic bottleneck imposed by limited clinic test infrastructure, at-home sleep
monitors have been introduced that allow patients to be screened from their own bedrooms.
However, no home system exists that can be self-applied by patients to record all 10 necessary
physiologic signals needed for a comprehensive diagnosis. Our team is developing the Lyra, the
first sleep apnea diagnosis system that effectively transitions the gold standard of sleep apnea
diagnosis to the home setting. The Lyra integrates traditional sleep diagnostic technology and novel
dry electrodes into comfortable, sleep-friendly form factors, a headset and chest strap, which record
a complete dataset equivalent to an in-clinic sleep study. Our first prototype focuses on home
appropriate EEG, the missing element from current home systems. In conjunction with Quasar, a
leader in novel, dry EEG electrode technology, we have developed a headset that can record EEG
necessary for SA diagnosis and can be self-applied by the patient. Our efforts were specifically
focused on reducing motion-related noise and optimizing sensor application pressure. We have
developed a unique electrode suspension system that achieves both these critical factors.
EchoSure: Vascular Anastomosis Monitoring
Student Team: Kaitlyn Harfmann, Ting-Yu Lai, Adam Lightman, David Narrow, Devin O’Brien-Coon
Clinical Advisors: Seth Goldstein, MD, and Ying-Wei Lum. MD, Department of Surgery; Gedge
Rosson, MD, Department of Plastic Surgery; Eduardo Rodriguez, MD, University of Maryland/
R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Division of Plastic Surgery; Emad Boctor, MD, Department
of Radiology
Technical Advisors: Soumyadipta Acharya, PhD; Jerry Prince, PhD, Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering; Youseph Yazdi, PhD, MBA
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Each year 50 thousand patients in the U.S. alone will undergo free flap reconstruction, about 15%
of whom will experience non-preventable vascular complications. These surgeries have the power
to restore patients’ lives, yet too often they result in failure. If signs of a vascular flow problem are
detected early, surgeons can repair the vessels before it is too late − thus, monitoring is pivotal
to the success of these cases. However, half of these patients suffer from costly and morbid total
flap failure due to inherent flaws in current monitoring devices, despite the fact that hospitals are
paying hundreds to thousands of dollars to monitor each patient after surgery.
EchoSure has developed a novel monitoring technology with the power to prevent thousands of
surgical failures and avoid unnecessary and expensive re-operations, while saving hospitals over
$2,200 per surgery. Current competitors have high false positive rates, non-definitive outputs, and
significant time delays to identify a problem—these factors lead to decreased surgical success,
unnecessary procedures, and clinical frustrations. Our unique, clinically driven insight was that
Doppler ultrasound was the ideal technology for monitoring—if it could be de-skilled so front-line
clinicians could use it. The result was EchoSure, a dual-component system comprised of EchoMark
and EchoFind. EchoMark is an implantable, resorbable marker placed beneath the vessels of
interest, which acts as a homing beacon for nurses tasked with monitoring post-operative
patients. EchoFind, a software application, is used to help guide users to the ideal position with
the ultrasound at which point critical information about the vessel health is gathered and used
to assess the patient. This technology will help save hospitals over $180 million annually while
decreasing unnecessary procedures and improving outcomes.
SympSolutions’ AccuRIGHT: Treatment for Resistant Hypertension
Student Team: Anmol Chopra, Hiren Mistry, Michael Batista, Hina Shah, James Su, Stephen Dria
Clinical Advisors: John Sperati, MD, MHS, Department of Medicine; Robert Fitzgerald, PhD,
Department of Medicine; Ying-Wei Lum, MD, Department of Surgery
Technical Advisors: Inder Makin MD, PhD; Youseph Yazdi, PhD, MBA
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects a third of all Americans, increases the risk for
heart disease, stroke and renal disease, and is directly associated with 350 thousand American
deaths annually. In the US the annual cost attributable to hypertension is $250 billion in medical
expenses. Even with the use of multiple antihypertensive drugs, the only treatment, 20 percent
of hypertensive Americans cannot control their blood pressure. These patients have resistant
hypertension. Two experimental device-based treatments have shown promise but exclude patient
populations and are associated with procedural complications. Therefore, there is a need for a
novel device-based treatment to help the millions with resistant hypertension.
SympSolutions has developed AccuRIGHT, a novel system to treat resistant hypertension within
a clinician’s office. The device utilizes the well-established technology of high intensity focused
ultrasound to noninvasively eliminate the carotid body, a central contributor to hypertension.
Surgical removal of the carotid body in animal and human trials has proven safe and effective,
creating reductions in pressure sufficient to restore patient’s blood pressure values to normal.
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For treatment cardiovascular clinics and hypertension centers would purchase our system, which
includes the device housing the ultrasound transducers as well as a unique disposable cover
to ensure safe operation. In terms of development, initial feasibility animal trials have begun,
ultrasound simulations have been performed to evaluate initial safety profiles, and a therapeutic
ultrasound setup has been proven to generate lesions sufficient to eliminate the carotid body.
With AccuRIGHT, patients will see improved health outcomes, health care providers will gain a new
source of revenue and the cost burden to the healthcare system will be reduced.
PathoS’ Clearview: Reducing Re-Operation Rates in Breast
Conserving Surgery
Student Team: Anjana Sinha, Hector Neira, Qing Xiang Yee, Vaishakhi Mayya
Clinical Advisors: James Shin and Ashley Cimino-Mathews, MD, Department of Pathology;
Melissa Suzzane Camp, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Breast Center
Patients undergoing breast conserving surgery (BCS) have a one in five chance of requiring a
reoperation because surgeons cannot determine if the entire tumor has been removed. During
the course of other cancer surgeries a surgeon sends the excised tumor to the pathologist who
prepares microscopy slides to assess tumor margins before the surgery ends. This process, known
as intra-operative histology, is generally accepted as the standard of care for surgical cancer
treatment. However, the inherent mechanical properties of breast tissue make slide preparation
for this assessment nearly impossible within the accepted 20 minute window. ClearView allows
pathologists to produce the high-quality histology slides required within minutes, enabling intraoperative
assessment of tumor margins for BCS patients. This could prevent up to 66 thousand
revision BCS procedures in the U.S. annually.
Using representative animal models, PathoS has demonstrated the ClearView system simplifies
preparation of histology slides of mechanically weak tissue while preserving the internal tissue
structures evaluated during margins assessment. Based on these favorable animal trials, PathoS is
currently conducting testing on human breast cancer specimens.
ClearView is comprised of a reusable applicator and proprietary disposable film. Using ClearView
a typical BCS procedure will require $120 of disposables, which will be covered by insurance
companies under existing reimbursement codes. According to FDA regulations ClearView is a Class
I device, the lowest-risk device category. This affords a quick time to market, with minimal testing
and regulatory requirements.
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GRADUATE GLOBAL HEALTH
Managing Birth Asphyxia
Student Team: Stephen Dria, Kaitlyn Harfmann, Christopher Lee, David Narrow
Clinical Advisors: Janine Bullard, MD, Department of Neonatology, JHU
Other Advisors: Helge Myklebust, Laerdal; Harshad Sanghvi, MD, Jhpiego
Sponsors: Day of Birth Alliance (CBID, Jhpiego and Laerdal Global Health)
Annually, there are over four million global neonatal deaths primarily occurring in resourceconstrained
environments. This accounts for over 38 percent of deaths in children under the age
of five. When performed properly neonatal resuscitation is an effective means to revive newborns
that are unable to properly breathe. Statistics indicate that birth asphyxia accounts for 23
percent of all neonatal deaths. Additionally, another one million newborns suffer from permanent
disabilities due to insufficient oxygen at time of birth. Effective newborn resuscitation alone can
prevent millions of newborn deaths. Neonatal resuscitation requires the use of a ‘bag-valve-mask’
or BVM. The BVM channels ambient air from the atmosphere into a one-way valve when the user
compresses the bag-component. Gas is then expelled through the mask and into the trachea,
bronchus and lungs of the infant. Due to the technical difficulties associated with the procedure,
newborns who otherwise would have been resuscitated die because of ineffective equipment
operation and improper technique—a function of the burden of training and skill retention.
Thus, it is critical to reduce the amount of skill required for providing an effective and consistent
resuscitation, especially in peripheral health care centers of the developing world.
Failed resuscitations are attributed to poor head positioning and an inadequate seal between the
mask and the baby’s mouth. However, air is forcibly pushed into the lungs through ventilation
only when proper mask seal and head positioning are addressed together. After significant
research, chest rise is a variable that is most cost-effective to quantify successful resuscitation
instantaneously. Thus, a tool to quantify lung expansion would be revolutionary to the
resuscitation protocol, providing low-skilled health workers real-time feedback throughout the
procedure. Our innovation will mitigate existing inadequacies attributed to constrained resources,
diminished skill retention over time and difficulty using devices associated with resuscitation. Our
technical solution quantifies chest expansion and guides the user through a proper resuscitation,
improving the results of attempted resuscitations and successfully managing birth asphyxia.
PanDiagnostics: Expanding Availability of MDR-TB Diagnostics in
the Developing World
Student Team: Anjana Sinha, Hiren Mistry, Anmol Chopra, Hector Neira, Devin O’Brien-Coon
Clinical Advisors: Gyanu Lammichane, PhD, Yukari Manabe, MD, Derek Armstrong, MHS, Center
for TB Research; Stacie Stender, RN, Jhpiego
Sponsors: Center for Tuberculosis Research Laboratory, Jhpiego
Globally, only 60 thousand of the estimated 310 thousand new cases of multi-drug resistant
tuberculosis (MDR- TB) are diagnosed. The situation is even more dismal in the 27 nations that
account for 80 percent of MDR-TB cases, where less than 5 percent of patients receive an official
diagnosis. MDR-TB diagnostics are typically available only at reference level facilities, two or
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three levels above where patients actually seek treatment. Clinicians are therefore forced to treat
these patients with highly ineffective drugs for at least six months prior to modifying treatment.
In the meantime, patients are likely to become increasingly resistant to treatment and to spread
this airborne infection within their community. Progression of MDR-TB cases into extensively drug
resistant (XDR-TB) cases is a major public health concern because XDR-TB strains are virtually
untreatable. Our team is developing a self-contained assay comprising effective, yet inexpensive
components, to bring the gold standard of care, culture-based diagnosis, to rural healthcare
facilities. User-centric design is being employed to assure the final system enables minimally
trained personnel to conduct MDR-TB testing safely, without sophisticated laboratory equipment.
Expanding availability of MDR-TB diagnostics to rural health facilities will lead to adequate
treatment for patients while they are still responsive to available drugs.
HemoGlobe: A Point-of-Care System for Diagnosing Anemia
Student Team: Dana Schultz, Hina Shah, James Su, Michelle Zwernemann, Vaishakhi Mayya
Advisors: Brandon M. Togioka, MD, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine,
Harshad Sanghvi, MD, Jhpiego; Lynn Kanyuuru, Jhpiego Kenya; Dr. Kusum Thapa, Jhpiego Nepal
Sponsor: Jhpeigo and USAID- Saving Lives at Birth
Moderate to severe anemia is a major public health problem, particularly dangerous during
pregnancy for both the mother and the baby. Every year, 100 thousand maternal deaths and 600
thousand neonatal deaths worldwide are attributable to anemia. The prevalence of anemia in the
developing world is staggering and affects 50 percent of pregnant women. Treatment at early
stages can prevent maternal deaths. However, most diagnoses are based on subjective assessments
or are invasive. Further, there is no mechanism to assess the impact of existing public health
initiatives to control and/or treat anemia.
HemoGlobe is a non-invasive anemia screening device that leverages existing cell phone
technology to provide a cost effective method for screening for anemia. The mobile platform
connected to a central server provides real time surveillance, thus allowing the health care workers
and the associated public health officials to identify the mothers at highest risk.
The non-invasive sensor is based on a novel technique of photo-plethysmography to measure
the hemoglobin concentration. The sensor communicates with basic cellphones for subsequent
processing, display, and data transfer to a central server. The server displays the population level
anemia maps to aid the analysis of individual pregnant women and also provide surveillance data.
The device that is able to track patient data geographically and over time would facilitate macroscale
public health policy by enabling the targeting of health care initiatives to areas in need and
by providing feedback on interventions.
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Inspiraid: Improving the Availability of Oxygen in the
Developing World
Student Team: Ting-Yu Lai, Adam Lightman, David Shin, Qing Xiang Yee
Clinical Advisors: John Sampson, MD, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
Medicine; Dr. Lynn Kanyuuru, Jhpiego Kenya; Dr. Kusum Thapa, Jhpiego Nepal
Sponsor: Jhpiego
Oxygen is a critical, life saving medicine. It is used to manage childhood pneumonia, COPD,
obstetric emergencies and is necessary for performing surgeries. Unfortunately, oxygen is
generally not available below the district hospital level in the developing world. There are
multiple technologies available for supplying patients with oxygen in the developing world, yet no
technology has proven to be a sustainable solution for resource starved clinics.
Our team has analyzed oxygen delivery from the perspectives of technological solutions, business
model innovations, and policy level efforts. We have developed a novel business model to deliver
oxygen to lower level clinics by incentivizing decentralized production and distribution of oxygen.
In our model, a local entrepreneur purchases a kit containing an affordable oxygen concentrator
combined with oxygen bottling equipment. The entrepreneur will then sell filled oxygen cylinders
to health facilities within a catchment area. Similar to a milkman delivering milk, the entrepreneur
ensures that every facility has the oxygen it needs, on hand for a fraction of current price. The
cylinders will be delivered on motorcycles, which can traverse difficult terrain and overcome the
logistical issues that plague truck delivery.
Additionally, this model effectively overcomes bottlenecks related to continuous electric supply,
and routine maintenance. The model is financially sustainable, with the initial investment being
paid off within the first three years. This model is the first of its kind to make oxygen affordable to
primary health centers and peripheral level hospitals.
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underGraduate student projects
UNDERGRADUATE MEDTECH
ShunTube: IVC Trauma Repair
Student Team: Bijan Abar, Wes Bernier, Calvin Chang, Emily Hsiao, Arianne Papa,
Sohini Sengupta, Jiarui Wang, Jennifer Yang, Amadeus Zhu
Clinical Advisors: James H. Black, M.D., FACS, Department of Surgery
Trauma injuries to the inferior vena cava (IVC) are a serious, fatal matter with a patient mortality
rate that exceeds 70 percent. Due to the high rate of blood flow through the IVC, it is imperative
for the surgeon to stop the bleeding from the vein as quickly as possible. However, this is difficult
to achieve in an open surgery setting due to the placement of the IVC within the body. We have
developed the ShunTube, an adjustable double balloon catheter that can be deployed without
the need for open surgery. The device includes two occlusion balloons, located above and below
the site of injury, that are both inflated with saline in order to seal off the wound. Blood will
enter the device through pores located beneath the lower balloon, travel upward bypassing the
wounded region, then exit above the upper balloon and return to the heart. Our device can be
rapidly deployed to improve patient outcome and reduce medical expertise required for surgical
intervention. Aside from treating trauma injuries, our device can also be modified for use in liver
cancer treatment, deep vein thrombosis treatment, and as a substitute for veno-venous bypass in
tumor resection procedures.
The HUMS Device: Minimally Invasive Treatment of Peripheral
Vascular Disease (PVD)
Student Team: Joshua Budman, Valeriya Aranovich, James Frick, BaDoi Phan, Paul Tershakovec,
Doran Walsten, Ben Wheeler, Alp Yurter
Clinical Advisors: Jennifer Monti, MD, MPH, Department of Internal Medicine
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a general term that describes obstructions of the large
arteries excluding the coronary artery, the aortic arch and the brain. PVD affects about 10 million
Americans and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To help treat the millions of
sedentary patients with PVD we have developed. The Human-Ultrasonic Mesenchyme-Stimulating
(HUMS) device that applies high frequency stimulation, in the ultrasound frequency range, to
areas with a high density of mesenchymal tissue to mimic the longitudinal stresses of exercise
in these areas. Three piezoelectric massage crystals are placed within a cuff that the health care
provider places around one of the patient’s thighs during treatment. Once energized, these
crystals vibrate to a specific amplitude and frequency capable of exciting endothelial progenitor
cells (EPCs) from the mesenchyme into the peripheral blood, thereby reducing PVD symptoms.
Research has shown an increase in EPC count has a causal relationship with a reduction in PVD
symptoms. Research on mice using scaled down models of the device will reveal the extent of
the device’s ability to increase EPC count, with estimates suggesting a 50% increase based on
porcine models.
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OralCheck: Early Detection of Oral Cancer
Student Team: Manjima Dhar, Yun-An Chen, Alex Dakos, W. James Melvin, Justine Yu,
Jennifer Zheng, Tony Wu
Clinical Advisor: Elliott Schwartz, DDS
Oral cancer has a 45 percent fatality rate within five years of diagnosis. This high fatality rate is
due to late stage detection. The symptoms of oral cancer are lesions in the oral cavity. However
these symptoms are not unique to oral cancer, therefore clinicians cannot easily distinguish
cancerous lesions by visible inspection. To help screen for oral cancer we have designed
OralCheck, a portable cell analyzer. OralCheck has two components: a brush for sample
collection from the mouth and a microfluidic chip for analysis. The brush is able to collect cells
from the lower levels of the oral cavity epithelium where cancer arises. A syringe is attached
to the inlet to allow easy sample insertion. The microfluidic analyzer uses electric fields to sort
the cancer cells from benign cells into separate compartments. The sorted cells will react with a
chemical to give a color change that is visible to the naked eye. A positive result will show two
visible dots (one in each well) and a negative result will show only one. OralCheck gives the
dentist a point-of-care method to screen for cancer cells, which will allow for earlier treatment of
the cancer, thereby improving clinical outcomes.
Remote Assessment of Parkinson’s Disease
Student Team: Nick Gisolfi, Steven Albers, Anthony Alers, Margaret Chow, Ran Liu,
Travis Wallace
Clinical Advisor: Ray Dorsey, MD, Department of Neurology
In order to allow movement disorder specialists to make more informed decisions when
prescribing treatment alterations, we have developed a system that assesses the severity of
various symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in a patient’s home. This system includes a wearable
accelerometer that is capable of quantifying tremor as well as other motor symptoms of
Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, we have developed a web application for use on any tablet
device that is capable of characterizing the handwriting of Parkinson’s patients. Both of these
components communicate to an online database that stores the results of tests that patients
complete at home. This database can be accessed by patients who will be able to track their
own test results as well clinicians who will have access to all patients accounts. Testing involves
calibrating the accelerometer based device for different motor tests as well as making the user
interface more simple and intuitive.
Tool to Aid Mechanically Difficult Birth
Student Team: Tonia Wu, Garren Angacian, Ashley Cook, Gaby Frid, Woojin Kim, Jennifer Hui,
Barry Leybovich, Molly Moore, James Verdone
Clinical Advisor: Edith Gurewitsch, MD, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics
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To assist obstetricians during forceps delivery, we designed, developed, and tested an instrument
that will mitigate the risks of complications to the mother while safely delivering the fetus. The
project quantified a safe range of angle of traction and the point at which the fetal head clears
the pubic symphysis during an instrument-assisted vaginal delivery. The OB Compass will guide the
physicians during the backward pull of the obstetric forceps by providing physicians with real-time
feedback of angle of traction and position of the forceps relative to the mother’s pubic bone.
OB Compass will deliver haptic feedback to alert the physicians if the angle of traction exceeds
45 degrees, a value that significantly increases the chance of tear in the pelvic floor muscle as
shown by our mathematical and experimental values. It will also provide visual position feedback
for the physicians with regard to the fetal head clearance of the pubic symphysis. Efficacy will be
demonstrated by a comparative study of the new device and classical forceps as applied to birth
simulators. The OB Compass aims to improve clinical techniques and clinical outcome significantly.
Haptact: Preventing OR Sponge Retention
Student Team: Jonathan LeMoel, Jay Bhasin, Rob Hubbard, Sean Reeder, Jimmy Su,
Grant Kitchen, Inez Lam, Annie Mao
Clinical Advisor: Hien T. Nguyen, MD, Department of Surgery
In about three thousand open surgeries each year, a surgical sponge is inadvertently left inside
the patient, requiring a second surgery to remove it, at a cost of $700M to health care system.
This is in spite of a “correct sponge count” by the nurses and OR technicians after every surgery.
To reduce the number of these second operations, we have developed a wrist-mounted device
worn by the circulating nurse integrating seamlessly into the existing workflow of the OR. Our
device, Haptact, uses radio-frequency antennae affixed to the wrist of the nurse’s sterile sleeve
to detect unique RF identification tags on the sponges. As the nurse picks up the sponge during
the customary manual count, Haptact keeps track of that sponge’s unique tag number, preventing
duplicate counts and keeping a running update of exactly what is “checked out” and in use and
what has been “checked in” and returned after the surgery. Haptact thereby supplements the
manual counting technique to reduce the need for a second operation.
Subcutaneous Injection of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies
Student Team: Truc Nguyen, Daniel Adler, Catherine Bernstein, Alexia Haralambous,
Jonathan Hunt, Thomas Nguyen, Antonio Spina, Lucia Tellez
Sponsor: Mitch Zhao, Ph.D, Janssen Research & Development
In order to facilitate subcutaneous delivery of therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) suspensions,
we developed Syr-Q, an injection device. Syr-Q resuspends sedimented mAb particles that would
otherwise clog the needle, leading to incomplete drug delivery. Syr-Q features an eccentric rotating
mass (ERM), which adequately resuspends sedimented mAb particles by generating vibrations
through centripetal acceleration. The ERM is attached to a timing circuit, which resuspends the
particles for 15 seconds before shutting off and allowing the patient to safely self-administer
the medication. Preliminary testing has shown that our resuspension mechanism is capable
of decreasing the injection force from 80 N to less than 25 N, with statistical significance of
p

The PrestoPatch: A Novel Device to Improve Shock Delivery in
Cardioversion and Defibrillation
Student Team: Piyush Poddar, Aaron Chang, Melinda Chen, Peter Malamas,
Sandya Subramanian, Joon Eoh, Kevin George, Rohil Malpani
Sponsor and Clinical Advisor: Todd Cohen, MD, Cardiac Inventions
To improve shock delivery in cardioversion and defibrillation, we have designed and developed
a device that 1) reduces the difficulty of switching the path that current takes through the body
and 2) reduces the difficulty of applying standardized external pressure to the patches to reduce
transthoracic impedance. The switching component of the PrestoPatch System utilizes a high-load
switch that gives clinicians the option to manually switch the shocking vector between the first and
second patch and the first and third patch during subsequent shocks. The placement of the three
patches on the patient is fully customizable based on user preference, thus allowing for flexibility
in producing a wide variety of shocking vectors and switching scenarios. The PrestoPatch System’s
compression component utilizes an adjustable tightening strap and pressure-concentration devices.
In practice, the pressure-concentration devices are placed over the electrode patches and the
attached strap is tightened prior to shock delivery. This combination of tightened strap and pressureconcentrators
provides a mechanical advantage that focuses the pressure exerted over the electrode
patches. Subsequently, the transthoracic impedance of the patient during defibrillation is decreased,
leading to more efficient delivery of electrical current to the heart.
UNDERGRADUATE GLOBAL HEALTH
Instalimb: Prosthesis for the Developing World
Student Team: Rowan Cade, Rochelle Dumm, Ian Graham, Brian Jeon, Kevin Keenahan,
Kevin Moon, German Om, Emily Rencsok
Clinical Advisors: Mark Hopkins, PT, MBA, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation;
Lew Schon, MD, Union Memorial Hospital
To solve the problem of appropriate prosthetics in the developing world, we have designed,
fabricated, and tested a novel system for directly fitting patients with re-moldable complete
prosthetic legs. This reduces or eliminates the need for costly replacement devices and could save
the amputee thousands of dollars over a lifetime. In addition, we are decreasing fitting time from
one week to only hours by eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming mold making
procedures. Our device can be molded directly to a patient’s limb and sized and assembled in one
visit. We are hopeful our device will be successfully implemented and will assuage the suffering of the
nearly 10 thousand new amputees every year who are denied access to appropriate prostheses.
Point of Care Malaria Diagnostic
Student Team: Maher Khalil, Arjun Khakhar, Christina Jacob, Theodore Leclere, James Chuang,
Jesse Zhang
Faculty Advisors: Marc Ostermeier, PhD, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering;
David Sullivan, MD, Department of Medicine
Clinical Advisors: Robert Hamilton, PhD, Department of Pathology
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To help clinicians in the developing world test for the presence of malaria, we have designed a
point-of-care diagnostic device without the need to draw blood. Our device is a lateral flow assay
that is able to detect malaria during the early stages of infection. Our novel platform replaces the
antibodies that are generally used in such assays with bacteria expressing evolved scaffold proteins
on their surface. Additionally, the device tests a patient’s urine for our biomarker, which obviates
the need for skilled professionals to draw blood. Our point of care test can diagnose malaria
quickly enough so that only patients requiring treatment receive it, thereby reducing the spread of
drug resistant malaria. The device is suitable for implementation in areas with limited pre-existing
healthcare infrastructure and limited training of healthcare workers.
Neo2Inspire: A Global Health Perspective on NeoNatal Resuscitation
Team Members: Anne Pigula, Malvi Hemani, Hyun Soo Jang, Yong Kim, Megan Lamberti,
Angelica Herrera, Barbara Kim, Brian Gu
Clinical Advisor: Sheena Currie, RM, Jhpiego
Sponsors: Laerdal Global Health and Jhpiego
Roughly one million newborns die every year due to difficulty breathing at birth, but many of these
lives could have been saved by proper neonatal resuscitation. To address this problem, we have
developed Neo2Inspire, a suite of tools to aid healthcare workers resuscitate newborns properly.
First, we have developed a plastic mat that provides support while positioning the infant to achieve
an open airway. This mat folds up into a box, which contains the bag-valve-mask resuscitator and
other tools. Secondly, we have incorporated elastic straps to secure the mask onto the infant’s face,
ensuring an airtight seal. Finally, to keep newborns warm, we have integrated a heat-producing
mechanism within the mat that utilizes a reusable chemical packet. Neo2Inspire is inexpensive,
easy to clean, sterilizable, and is supported by extensive end-user and laboratory testing.
OcuRex: Automated Early Glaucoma Screening
Student Team: Vikram Rajan, John J. Kim, Connor Jacobs, Tony Wei, Daniel Levenson, Edric Tam,
Ivan Kuznetsov, Monica Rex, Ravi Gaddipati
Clinical Advisor: Michael V. Boland, MD, PhD, Wilmer Eye Institute
Faculty Advisor: Xingde Li, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Engineering
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss. Astonishingly, up to 80 percent of afflicted
individuals in developing nations are unaware of their illness. To mitigate the impact of glaucoma,
we have designed an affordable and accurate glaucoma screening device. Based on the principles
of fundus imaging, this device outputs a structural image of the retina that functions as an
indicator of the developing pathology of the disease. The novel features of our device are designed
to make the learning curve for healthcare workers short. The device’s components are optimized to
lower cost while not sacrificing intended screening-grade functionality. Costs and time are further
minimized by segmented imaging and analysis hardware.
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Keynote Speaker
Omar Ishrak, PhD
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Medtronic
Omar Ishrak has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic since
June 2011. Medtronic is the world’s leading medical technology company, with
more than $16 billion in annual revenue, and operations reaching more than 120
countries worldwide. Medtronic provides therapies that are used to treat a wide
range of conditions, including cardiac and vascular diseases, diabetes, neurological
and spinal conditions, and more. The Medtronic Mission is to alleviate pain, restore
health, and extend life for millions of people around the world.
Omar joined Medtronic from General Electric Company, where he spent 16 years,
most recently as President and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems, a $12 billion division
of GE Healthcare, with a broad portfolio of diagnostic, imaging, patient monitoring
and life support systems. Omar also served as an Officer and a Senior Vice President
of GE.
Earlier in his career, Omar amassed 13 years of technology development and
business management experience, holding leadership positions at Diasonics/
Vingmed, and various product development and engineering positions at Philips
Ultrasound.
He grew up in Bangladesh, earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and Ph.D. in
Electrical Engineering from the University of London, King’s College.
Omar is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society and is also on the
Health Leadership Council of the Save the Children Foundation.
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Our Sponsors:
GE Foundation
GlaxoSmithKline
Jhpiego
Laerdal Global Health
Medtronic
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
Richard M. and Rachel A. Swirnow
The Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design
(CBID) brings Johns Hopkins clinicians and engineers
together with experienced external aspects to
design, build, and commercialize solutions to
significant medical challenges. CBID design teams
deliver innovations with high clinical impact, strong
commercial potential, and global reach.
As part of the nation’s top-ranked Department of
Biomedical Engineering, CBID has equal footing in the
Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and the
School of Medicine. We welcome your partnership!
Contact Us:
Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design
Department of Biomedical Engineering
3400 N. Charles Street
Clark Hall 208
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.516.0786
cbid@jhu.edu
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