IGERT: Bioinnovation through the development of novel biological delivery technologies

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This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award creates an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in bio-innovation that will cultivate trainees? abilities to develop clinically relevant biomedical technologies and devices leading to commercial products. This program couples research with entrepreneurship to develop graduates who can lead the creation of innovative and cost-effective solutions to complex biomedical problems.Intellectual Merit: Trainees will complete a bio-innovation curriculum that includes courses in entrepreneurship, marketing and intellectual property, and an FDA internship where they will learn device regulation and establish non-academic research collaborations. Business plans will be developed with colleagues in Tulane?s schools of Business, Law and Medicine. Research projects will center on drug delivery with application in regenerative medicine, biosensors or therapeutic materials.Broader Impact: This project will provide exceptional opportunities to a wide variety of students. IGERT trainees will learn first-hand about entrepreneurship, intellectual property and regulation. Teamwork interactions will educate non-scientists about transformational research approaches. Historically underrepresented groups will be recruited through established relationships with diversity programs at Tulane University and through direct ties to SACNAS and Xavier University. Finally, the development of new technologies and devices will expand economic development and reinforce the burgeoning biomedical industry of the New Orleans region.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to establish new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, and to engage students in understanding the processes by which research is translated to innovations for societal benefit.