{"52024":{"#nid":"52024","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Medical Device Startup Company Wins Georgia Tech Edison Prize","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA Georgia Tech startup company being formed to commercialize a new device that could help prevent pressure ulcers in hospital and nursing home patients has won the first Georgia Tech Edison Prize. The $15,000 prize will help launch the new company, which will be known as Multispectral Imagers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETreatment of pressure ulcers costs an estimated $8 billion each year in the United States alone, but the painful skin injury can be prevented if detected early. The device, a hand-held multispectral imaging system that provides data in real-time, could be used by health care professionals to detect signs of pressure ulcers before they can be seen with conventional visual screening techniques -- especially in patients with darker skin. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have developed a novel multispectral imager that can be integrated onto a chip,\u201d said Fengtao Wang, a Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student who explained the company\u2019s plan to a judging panel. \u201cWe can deliver a compact, real-time and low-cost multispectral imager to detect erythema at an early stage.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe device would be marketed to clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals and other facilities that treat patients whose mobility problems can result in development of pressure ulcers. In addition to the medical applications, Wang said the device may also have military, agricultural, manufacturing and environmental uses. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Wang, the company team includes Ali Adibi and Fuhan Liu in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Linghua Kong and Stephen Sprigle of the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) in the Georgia Tech College of Architecture. Adibi and Sprigle are both professors; Kong is a senior faculty engineer and Liu is research engineer. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech Edison Prize was established to encourage formation of startup companies based on technology developed at Georgia Tech, and was made possible by a multi-year grant from the Charles A. Edison Fund, named for the inventor\u2019s son. Awarding of the first Georgia Tech Edison Prize was part of the Georgia Tech Graduate Research and Innovation Conference held February 8. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThomas Edison often receives credit for inventing the electric light bulb, but his real accomplishment was in making that device -- along with the phonograph and motion picture camera -- commercially successful to create new companies and new industries,\u201d said Stephen Fleming, Georgia Tech\u2019s vice provost for economic development and technology ventures. \u201cThrough the Edison Prize, we want to advance this kind of company-producing technology commercialization at Georgia Tech.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech Edison Fund, which is managed by Fleming, also provides seed funding to startup companies that have a close association with Georgia Tech. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe judges for the first Georgia Tech Edison Prize heard a number of excellent presentations,\u201d Fleming explained. \u201cThe judges selected Fengtao Wang because he had successfully identified an un-served market for the product and had begun approaching potential partners to commercialize the technology. Innovation is ultimately about turning knowledge into money.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EApproximately 100 entries were received for the prize competition from among the 300 graduate students who submitted posters to the Graduate Research and Innovation Conference. Those entries were evaluated by a committee of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and Georgia Tech faculty to create a list of 11 finalists. Those finalists were each invited to make presentations to a judging committee, which selected the winner announced at a reception on the evening of February 8. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe judging committee included: \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2022 Jamie Bardin, former CEO of EZ-Prints\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u2022 Nelson Chu, general partner of Kinetic Ventures\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u2022 Merrick Furst, distinguished professor in the Georgia Tech College of Computing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u2022 Gary Lee, former CEO of Flexlight Systems\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u2022 Keith McGreggor, manager of technology evaluation in the ATDC\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u2022 Nina Sawczuk, assistant director for biosciences in the ATDC\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u2022 Jim Stratigos, president of Broadband Strategies \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Enterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute helps companies, entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation. It is one of the most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the nation. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314\u003Cbr \/\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30308 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E). \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"A Georgia Tech startup company being formed to commercialize a new device that could help prevent pressure ulcers in hospital and nursing home patients has won the first Georgia Tech Edison Prize.  The $15,000 prize will help launch the new company, to be known as Multispectral Imagers.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A startup developing a device for preventing pressure ulcers wins an award"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2010-02-10 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:05:33","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2010-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"52025":{"id":"52025","type":"image","title":"Filter on CMOS camera chip","body":null,"created":"1449175449","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:09","changed":"1475894473","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:13","alt":"Filter on CMOS camera chip","file":{"fid":"146059","name":"tjh41035.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tjh41035_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tjh41035_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":601934,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tjh41035_0.jpg?itok=v-Qft8lk"}},"52026":{"id":"52026","type":"image","title":"Image showing skin erythema","body":null,"created":"1449175449","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:44:09","changed":"1475894473","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:13","alt":"Image showing skin erythema","file":{"fid":"146060","name":"tae41035.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tae41035_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tae41035_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":284473,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tae41035_0.jpg?itok=U7jmgGqG"}}},"media_ids":["52025","52026"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/","title":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.arch.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech College of Architecture"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8451","name":"erythema"},{"id":"398","name":"health"},{"id":"6057","name":"image"},{"id":"1480","name":"multispectral"},{"id":"8452","name":"pressure ulcer"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}