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Wallace H. Coulter Translational Research Partnership

2009-2010 Projects

  • Sean Fain, BME and Medical Physics; Josh Medow, Neurosurgery; and Krishna Kurpad, Radiology; “Targeted, Accelerated MR Spectroscopic Imaging for Treatment Planning to Maximize Neural Function in Stroke Patients.”
  • Charles Mistretta, BME and Medical Physics; Patrick Turski, Radiology, Neurology and Neurological Surgery; Walter Block, BME, Radiology and Medical Physics; and Yijing Wu, Medical Physics; “HYPRFLOW Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA).”
  • Patricia Keely, BME and Clinical Pharmacology; Andreas Friedl, Pathology; David Beebe, BME; and Kevin Elicieri, Molecular Biology; “Nonlinear Optical Histopathology for Clinical Use.”
  • Dave Beebe, BME; Doug McNeel, Medicine; Amye Tevaarwerk, Medicine; Mark Burkhard, Medicine; and Gleen Liu, Medicine; “Clinical Assays for Dirculating Tumor Cell Analysis.”
  • Bill Murphy, BME; Richard Illgen, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Matthew Squire, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; Ben Graf, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation; and Mark Merkel, Veterinary Medicine; “Orthopedic Implant Surfaces for Enhanced Healing.”
  • Justin Williams, BME; Vivek Prabhakaran, Radiology; Mitch Tyler, BME; Justin Sattin, Neurology; and Dorothy Edwards, Occupational Therapy/Kinesiology; “A Closed Loop Neural Activity Triggered Stroke Rehabilitation Device.”
  • Hongrui Jiang, BME (ECE); Jon Gould, Surgery; Charles Heise, Surgery; and Carter Smith, Surgery; “Development of a Biomimetic Microlens Array for Improved Medical Imaging in Laparoscopy and Endoscopy.”

Translational research relies on cooperative work among engineers, physicians, and other health care professionals for clinical adoption of medical discoveries.

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH refers to the transformation of scientific discoveries into practical solutions. To increase the chances of success, creative teamwork across disciplines is essential. Biomedical researchers engage in translational research when they focus on developing solutions that address particular clinical problems or unmet clinical needs. Translational research is currently a priority of the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies and foundations.

The University of Wisconsin has long been a leader in the field. The Biomedical Engineering Center, based in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has served as an interdepartmental hub for many medical and engineering school faculty. Recently, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation awarded the department a Translational Research Partnership Award in Biomedical Engineering consisting of $1 million annually for five years to fund translational research collaborations between biomedical engineering researchers and practicing physicians. To acknowledge the award and the center's increased emphasis on translational research, it has been renamed the Biomedical Engineering Center for Translational Research.

The strategic vision for the Department of Biomedical Engineering is to advance healthcare by integrating education, discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. The Center supports that effort by encouraging bedside physicians to collaborate with laboratory scientists and engineers. The center serves to: