{"id":49468,"date":"2023-04-05T09:46:18","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T13:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=49468"},"modified":"2023-04-10T07:47:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T11:47:43","slug":"where-are-they-now-2022-fly-for-researchers-winners-discuss-the-progress-of-their-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/04\/where-are-they-now-2022-fly-for-researchers-winners-discuss-the-progress-of-their-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Where are they now? 2022 Fly for Researchers winners discuss the progress of their projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.

Dr. Hamdy Ibrahim, UTC assistant professor in mechanical engineering, won the $20,000 first prize in the inaugural Fly for Researchers Faculty Pitch Competition. Ibrahim is developing an implant made from a metal alloy that stabilizes broken bones and then is absorbed by the bone once its work is done. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The 2nd Annual UTC Fly for Researchers Faculty Pitch Competition will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, located in the Mapp Building (410 E. Eighth St.). Click here<\/strong><\/a> to register for the event.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Seeking answers to medical questions was the focus for the Top Three winners of the 2022 Fly for Researchers Faculty Pitch Competition<\/strong><\/a> at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.<\/p>\n

In the competition, Dr. Hamdy Ibrahim, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, won the $20,000 first prize; Dr. David Giles, associate professor in biology, won the $10,000 second prize; and Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, associate professor of mechatronics, won the $5,000 third-place prize.<\/p>\n

Each has taken steps toward completing their projects, including new collaborators for the research and filing grants for more funds to continue the work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile some of these might be less visible to the community, they are equally important to the growing portfolio of commercialization innovation that we are building at UTC,\u201d said Dr. Joanne Romagni, UTC vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School. \u201cUTC research plays a significant role in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hamdy Ibrahim is developing an implant made from a metal alloy that stabilizes broken bones and then is absorbed by the bone once its work is done.<\/p>\n

Metals now used\u2014usually titanium or stainless steel\u2014stay in the body for the life of the patient. In some cases, the body attacks the metal as a foreign object, causing infection and pain. In these cases, the implants must be removed surgically.<\/p>\n

Working closely with the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Ibrahim has conducted pilot studies, seeking the most efficient alloys and testing the implants on animals.<\/p>\n

He said that data from those studies hopefully will lead to clinical trials on humans. The information already in hand has led to new research collaborations and partnerships.<\/p>\n

A grant proposal was submitted to the U.S. Department of Defense and, while they didn\u2019t win the grant, the department has expressed interest in the implants, Ibrahim said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got very positive feedback,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\"Dr.

Dr. David Giles works in his biology research lab.<\/p><\/div>\n

David Giles is trying to trick dangerous bacteria into killing themselves.<\/p>\n

He has been experimenting with cholera, trying to modify antibiotics that the deadly bacteria will absorb.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s currently mixing multiple antibiotics with fatty acids that pathogenic bacteria usually ingest without a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that they want, but it\u2019s changing them such that they\u2019re more susceptible to antibody treatment,\u201d explained Giles.<\/p>\n

Once the proper mixture of ingredients is found, the pathogen won\u2019t recognize the antibiotic because it\u2019s hidden inside other substances. Giles calls it the \u201cTrojan horse\u201d method.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re surveying all the antibiotics that we can to try to find if there\u2019s what we call a \u2018magic cocktail\u2019 of these.\u201d<\/p>\n

A major challenge worldwide is finding ways to fight bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and cause such diseases as pneumonia, meningitis and wound infections. Many are found in healthcare settings, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe need more weapons in our arsenal to attack these bacteria of medical importance,\u201d Giles said. \u201cSo we must develop or discover new antibiotics or find new ways to make them vulnerable or kill them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Dr.

Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu demonstrates his device that can control hand tremors.<\/p><\/div>\n

Prosthetics are the specialty of Erkan  Kaplanoglu, associate professor of mechatronics and director of the Biomechatronic and Assistive Technology Lab. He is developing a device intended to stop essential tremors in the hand.<\/p>\n

Unlike tremors in Parkinson\u2019s disease, which are constant, essential tremors only happen when someone reaches for an item such as a bottle, screwdriver or glass.<\/p>\n

Working with researchers from Marmara University in Istanbul, Turkey, Kaplanoglu has made two prototypes of a Smart Essential Tremor Stopper device that fits around the wrist and extends over the top of the hand.<\/p>\n

The devices are shaped differently, but each uses magnets as the primary method of suppressing  essential tremors, doesn\u2019t limit movement and only operates when tremors occur.<\/p>\n

He said the prototypes are being finetuned. The next step will be to test them on full-size robotic hands and then move them to patients at Erlanger Hospital.<\/p>\n

Funded in part by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, Kaplanoglu recently has been featured in the foundation\u2019s \u201cInventor Spotlight\u201d write-up.<\/p>\n

So far, the project has gathered about $40,000 in grants. Kaplanoglu hopes to receive more money from the National Institutes of Health to support undergraduate research on the device.<\/p>\n

While the device is directed at essential tremors at this point, it may be adapted for stroke victims or those who have Parkinson\u2019s disease, Kaplanoglu said.<\/p>\n

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UTC Fly for Researchers Faculty Pitch Competition 2023<\/strong><\/h4>\n

At the upcoming 2nd Annual Fly for Researchers competition on April 19, five finalists will give five-minute presentations followed by up to eight minutes of Q&A from the judges. A panel of local business executives and entrepreneurs will serve as judges for the competition.<\/p>\n

Similar to last year, the competition spotlights ideas that have the potential to be commercialized or licensed. A total of $35,000 in internal grants will be awarded\u2014$20,000 for 1st place, $10,000 for 2nd place and $5,000 for 3rd place\u2014and winners will be able to use the money to accelerate the success of their ideas, innovations and commercialization objectives.<\/p>\n

In addition, audience members can vote for their choice of the best innovation, with the leading vote recipient winning a $1,000 grant to accelerate commercialization progress. The Audience Choice grant is sponsored by Thomas Lyons, the Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship in the Rollins College of Business.<\/p>\n

The finalists:<\/p>\n

Whole Homes<\/strong><\/p>\n