Funded proposals
In the inaugural year of the Kren Engineering-based Medicine Initiative (KEMi), our primary objective was to fund research projects mainly focused on ophthalmology. This aligns with our mission to enhance the integration of engineering and technology in the fields of medicine and healthcare.
Despite the short two-week submission period, we received an overwhelming response to our call for proposals (CFPs). A total of 83 proposals were submitted, with 70 of them being engineering-based medicine projects. In response to the enthusiasm expressed by our faculty, our donor increased this year's support to fund additional engineering-based projects and a special Kren-Endowed chair. The selected proposals are listed below.
Engineering-based medicine projects
Towards Ubiquitous Hospital-Level Personalized Healthcare: Doctor Robot (DocBot): Healthcare Engineering with AI & Robotic Technology (HEART)
Principal investigator: Xu Chen, PhD, UW Mechanical Engineering
Co-principal investigator: Tueng T. Shen, MD, PhD, Professor, Ophthalmology and Bioengineering, SOM & COE
Integrating Engineering and Rehabilitation Medicine to Improve Healthcare and Assistive Technology Access and Customizability
Principal investigator: Jennifer Mankoff, PhD
Co-principal investigator: Heather A Feldner, PT, PhD, PCS, Associate Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine, SOM
Additional collaborator: Brennen Johnston, Washington Assistive Technology Act Program (WATAP) Assistive Technology Support Technician
Real Time Machine Vision to Enhance Emergency Intubation
Principal investigator: Nathan White, MD, MS
Co-principal investigators:
- Jenq-Neng Hwang, PhD, Professor, Electrical Engineering, COE
- Richard Utarnatchitt, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, SOM
Millimeter-Scale, Bioresorabable Uterine Sensors for Real-Time, Ultrasensitive Cytokine Monitoring During High-Risk Pregnancies
Principal investigator: Quansan Yang, PhD
Co-principal investigator: Steven A. McCartney, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SOM
Vision-based projects
Advancing Volumetric Phase-Sensitive OCT for Wide-Field Functional Imaging of Trabecular Meshwork Dynamics
Principal investigator: Ruikang Wang, PhD, Professor, Bioengineering, COE
Leveraging the ADDF and EyeACT Datasets to Learn and Predict Dementia Thereby Identifying Dementia Biomarkers
Principal investigator: Yue Wu, PhD
Early Detection of Photoreceptor Dysfunction in Outer Retinal Disease Using Optoretinography
Principal investigator: Ramkumar Sabesan, PhD
Co-principal investigators:
- Jennifer Chao, MD, PhD, Professor, Ophthalmology
- Debarshi Mustafi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, UW Ophthalmology and Seattle Children's Hospital
Wearable Assist Device to Improve Visual Function Following Restorative Therapy
Principal investigator: James A. Kuchenbecker, PhD
Co-principal investigators:
- Russell Van Gelder, MD, PhD, Boyd K Bucey Memorial Professor and Chair, Ophthalmology
- Ruikang Wang, PhD, Professor and George and Martina Kren Endowed Chair, Bioengineering
Injectable Biomaterial-Mediated Transplantation of Limbal Fibroblasts for Treatment of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency
Principal investigator: Yuzuru Sasamoto, MD, PhD
Co-principal investigator: Cole DeForest, PhD, Associate Professor, Bioengineering, COE
Kren-Endowed chair project
High-Resolution Facial Imaging for Non-Invasive Detection of Rhythm Irregularities and Perfusion Deficits in Atrial Fibrillation Patients
Principal investigator: Nazem Akoum, MD, MS, FACC, FAHA, FHRS
Co-principal investigator: Ruikang Wang, PhD, Professor, Bioengineering, COE