Fall 2004 Projects

Summaries of each project are below. Projects span a broad range of technologies, such as the following:

• Medical Devices
• Microfluidics/Genomics
• Batteries and Fuel Cells
• Ionic Colloidal Crystals
• Wireless

1. LOW-COST X-RAY SYSTEMS: A low-cost x-ray imaging system made with off-the-shelf consumer digital imaging equipment that could be a boon to the two-thirds of the world's population that does not yet receive advanced medical care.

The problem: Given today's cost of medical equipment, two-thirds of the world population will never be able to have an x-ray to diagnose life-threatening illnesses such as tuberculosis and prenatal internal hemorrhaging. In these countries, simple x-ray systems based on traditional film methods are not practical for two main reasons: the absence of a minimal support structure for processing film, and the cost of film and storage facilities.

The approach: Dr. Richard Lanza, senior research scientist in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, is developing a low-cost x-ray imaging system based on off-the-shelf consumer digital imaging equipment, such as scanners and small personal computers. Leveraging next-generation inexpensive scanner technology, this product will generate high-resolution x-ray images at a fraction of the cost of traditional x-ray systems. More importantly, it will provide an alternative to sophisticated electronic x-ray equipment, particularly in developing countries where the cost of film and the absence of film processing and storage facilities make traditional solutions unpractical and unaffordable to deploy. Dr. Lanza won a Deshpande grant for his work and is actively working to find potential customers for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Lanza will also benefit from the guidance of Alex Laats, President of BBN Commercial, and other Deshpande Center catalysts.

Your opportunity: Dr. Lanza is looking for a team to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology such as homeland security. Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in electrical engineering, nuclear engineering, or biology and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in radiology, medical diagnostics, and medical devices. Other desired expertise may include experience in developing countries or the homeland security industry.

2. MICROFLUIDIC PLATFORM FOR BIOLOGICAL ASSAYS: A microfluidics-based hybridization platform for faster and easier-to-use biological assays that could dramatically accelerate molecular genetic research results.

The problem: The completion of the Human Genome Project marks a major watershed in the history of medicine. Hybridization assays that identify and quantify genetic or protein targets have played a major role in turning this information into advances in research and clinical diagnostics. Achieving further advances requires making these assays available to a much larger field of researchers and clinicians.

Current hybridization platforms include microarrays and high-density multiplexed (bar-code) systems. Microarrays perform many tests per sample but have limited accuracy, require skilled personnel, and are not easy to automate. Bar-code platforms perform fewer tests per sample but are easier to automate and are more accurate. Both platforms require the purchase of expensive specialized instrumentation, and both require large sample volumes, preventing meaningful reductions in per-sample costs. The hybridization assay market is currently $1.5 billion and is projected to grow 50% over the next five years.

The approach: Dr. Todd Thorsen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, along with his colleague Dr. James Benn, developed a microfluidics-based hybridization platform that is inexpensive, easy to use, and requires no specialized instrumentation. Furthermore, the platform can perform many tests per sample and uses significantly less sample volume than competitors while retaining high accuracy. These features can allow access to a much larger customer base and can enable a potentially more favorable consumables-based business model, rather than the capital-equipment-based model current competitors must follow. Dr. Thorsen won a Deshpande grant for his work and is actively seeking commercialization avenues for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Thorsen will also benefit from the guidance of Art Goldstein, retiring CEO of Ionics, Inc.; Rich Kivel, President of Trinity Pharma Solutions; and other Deshpande Center catalysts.

Your opportunity: Dr. Thorsen is looking for a team to perform a bottom-up market analysis and feature-by-feature comparison of the technology with several market leaders in the field of molecular diagnostics, and then develop a value proposition to be used to seek further funding for commercializing the technology. Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in biology, chemistry, or mechanical engineering and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering or science degree. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in drug discovery or clinical diagnostics.

3. FUEL CELL BREAKTHROUGH: An innovative approach to the design and manufacture of hydrogen fuel cells and metal-air batteries that could break the cost barriers impeding the mass marketing of these devices.

The problem: With the proliferation of portable consumer devices, and of electric vehicles targeted at lower gas consumption, the cost and durability of batteries and fuel cells has become a serious limiting factor. The emergence of metal-air batteries and fuel cells has created an inexpensive, safe, and environmentally benign alternative to hydrogen-air fuel cells. But there remain a few hitches. Within the most promising configuration, the zinc-air system, two problems compromise its power output and service life: the polarization of air electrodes and poor water management.

The approach: Dr. Yang Shao-Horn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is developing two innovative air electrode improvements that could solve these two problems. If successful, it could lead to the development of practical, rechargeable zinc-air batteries and fuel cells with high energy densities and prolonged service life, superior to lithium rechargeable batteries and equivalent to hydrogen-air fuel cells. Dr. Shao-Horn won a Deshpande grant for her work and is actively working to find potential customers for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Shao-Horn will also benefit from the guidance of Art Goldstein, retiring CEO of Ionics, Inc., and other Deshpande Center catalysts.

Your opportunity: Dr. Shao-Horn is looking for a team to help evaluate the small and large power supply markets for this technology, as well as other competing approaches. Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or mechanical engineering and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced science or engineering degree. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in the design or application of fuel cells within the portable consumer or electric vehicle markets.

4. COLLOIDAL CRYSTALS ... IN MINUTES: Extremely rapid, cost-effective fabrication of ionic colloidal crystals (ICC), a family of materials that could enable a wide range of new applications, such as ultrafiltration, microfluidics, catalysis, drug delivery, photonics, and ferroic devices.

The problem: Very few advances in the history of materials science have created "green-field"; commercialization opportunities — ones that open the door to a plethora of applications in numerous industries. Ionic colloidal crystals (ICC) are an exciting family of materials that could enable new functionalities in applications such as ultrafiltration, microfluidics, catalysis, drug delivery, photonics, and ferroic devices.

An example: In February 2004, the FDA published a report called "Combating Counterfeit Drugs" citing that FDA counterfeit drug investigations have increased to over 20 per year since 2000, after averaging only 5 per year through the late 1990s. This is just one of the many potential applications for ICCs: safe, physical markers in pharmaceutical drugs that could serve as anti-counterfeiting detectors and aid the government and pharmaceutical industry in eradicating this problem.

The approach: Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and co-founder of American Superconductor and A123 Systems, is researching the ability to manufacture ionic colloidal crystals. His project uses theory and experiment to identify colloid-chemical conditions under which ICCs are most easily formed. It seeks to determine practical fabrication conditions as the first step towards assessment of manufacturability and demonstration of prototype materials and devices. Dr. Chiang won a Deshpande grant for his work and is actively working to find potential applications for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Chiang will also benefit from the guidance of Art Goldstein, retiring CEO of Ionics, Inc.; Jeff Andrews, Partner at Atlas Venture; and other Deshpande Center catalysts.

Your opportunity: Dr. Chiang is looking for a team to help evaluate the most promising markets for the ICCs, as well as other competing approaches in those markets. Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in chemical engineering, materials, and chemistry and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced science or engineering degree. Given the horizontal applicability of these materials, Dr. Chiang is looking for students with a range of professional or research backgrounds from chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food & drug retail, and consumer products.

5. POWERING THE WORLD'S CELLULAR NETWORKS: Next-generation, high-performance amplifiers, based on a new ribbon-beam vacuum tube technology that breaks current throughput bottlenecks, to deliver more powerful and less expensive cellular networks.

The problem: Wireless operators have a continuous goal of reducing the cost of delivering voice and data to their customers. High capital and operating costs of wireless base stations present a major challenge for the wireless industry toward this goal.

The approach: Dr. Chiping Chen, Principal Research Scientist in the Plasma Fusion Center at MIT, along with colleague Dr. Richard Temkin, are developing next generation amplifiers based on their ribbon beam vacuum tubes technology. Such amplifiers will be inherently highly efficient, highly linear, frequency-scalable, and broadband. Business analyses and market research show that the ribbon beam amplifiers (RBAs) will reduce the cost of a third-generation (3G) wireless base station by 65%, saving up to $500B for wireless operators worldwide over 20 years, and that the RBA is future proof for emerging 4G and ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless communications. As a disruptive, broad-platform technology, the ribbon beam tube has wide applications, including satellite communications, radar, missile defense, and particle acceleration. Dr. Chen won a Deshpande grant for his work and is actively working to find potential customers for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Chen will also benefit from the guidance of Bruce Anderson, CEO of IGNITE! High-Tech Startups; Ric Fulop, co-founder of A123 Systems; and other Deshpande Center catalysts.

Your opportunity: Dr. Chen is looking for a team to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology. This will include a fairly rigorous assessment of the technology's characteristics mapped against the needs of potential customers and against the current competition and other emerging technologies, which will then help position it against the competition and help define a go-to-market strategy.
Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in electrical engineering or physics and currently will be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in the telecom and/or wireless industry with a passion for learning how breakthrough technologies are commercialized, especially in the wireless and telecom space.

Spring 2004 Projects

Summaries of each project are below. Projects span a broad range of technologies, such as the following:

• Nanomanufacturing
• Chemistry/MEMS
• Medical Devices
• Digital photography
• Wireless/MEMS

To see full details of each of the projects, follow the links below.

I-TEAM OPPORTUNITY #1: Nano-Contact Printing

Francesco Stellacci, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has developed a unique process for the low-cost, high-volume printing of very complex nano-devices. This “nanolithography” technology promises to revolutionize the way DNA gene chip arrays are manufactured. This technology can also be used to print proteins, viruses, phages and other molecular-scale entities. Dr. Stellacci won a Deshpande grant for his work, and is actively working to form a company to commercialize the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Stellacci will also benefit from the guidance of Rich Kivel, CEO of MolecularWare, and Jeff Fagnan, Principal of Seed Capital Partners, both of whom are advisors to Dr. Stellaci’s commercialization efforts.

Dr. Stellacci is looking for a team to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology. Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in Biochemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering or Electrical Engineering, and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in biotechnology, drug discovery or MEMS / IC chip manufacturing.

I-TEAM OPPORTUNITY #2: Personal Chemistry System

Klavs Jensen, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has developed a prototype desktop size device capable of conducting automated chemical experiments done manually in most worldwide laboratories. This “personal chemistry system” technology promises to revolutionize chemical research and development by drastically reducing both the time it takes to conduct chemical experiments and the excess waste generated from each experiment. Dr. Jensen won a Deshpande grant for his work, and is actively working to find potential customers for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Jensen will also benefit from the guidance of James Goldstein, General Partner of North Bridge Venture Partners who is an advisor to Dr. Jensen’s commercialization efforts.

Dr. Jensen is looking for a team to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology. Ideal candidates will have a BS degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in a pharmaceutical, fragrance, advanced materials, specialty chemicals, or laboratory instrument company.

I-TEAM OPPORTUNITY #3: Powered Joint Brace to Help the Mobility Impaired

Graduate students under the guidance of Woodie Flowers, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have developed a wearable, unencumbering exoskeleton that helps people who have suffered from neurological trauma, such as spinal cord injury patients, to rebuild strength, rehabilitate, and gain independence. This “active joint brace” technology promises to revolutionize the rehabilitation market, which is dominated by complex, expensive and unreliable robotic technology. The graduate student team won a Deshpande grant for their work, and is actively working to find potential customers for the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with the Flowers Team will also benefit from the guidance of Steve Kelly, Entrepreneur who is an advisor to the Flowers Team’s commercialization efforts. (See a video of the limb brace in action. Requires an MIT certificate to view.)

The team is looking for additional students to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology. Ideal candidates will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree and have deep interest in making a positive impact on the lives of thousands of disabled individuals. Candidates will bring either professional or prior research experience in medical devices or FDA Class II Regulatory approval processes.

I-TEAM OPPORTUNITY #4: Contrast Reduction for Digital Photography and Video

Fredo Durand, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, has developed unique techniques to accurately reproduce the contrast of a scene in cases of underexposed and overexposed photographs. This “high dynamic range” technology could have a major impact on digital photography, video, as well as medical imaging, and video surveillance, where it is crucial to ensure the visibility of all parts of an image. Dr. Durand won a Deshpande grant for his work, and is actively working to form a company to commercialize the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Durand will also benefit from the guidance of Sung Park, a well known local angel investor, who is an advisor to Dr. Durand’s commercialization efforts.

Dr. Durand is looking for a team to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology. Ideal candidates will have an academic background in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Mathematics, and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree. Candidates should have a general understanding of image processing techniques and will bring professional experience in digital photography, consumer electronics, and commercial video spaces.

I-TEAM OPPORTUNITY #5: The Nanogate: A Tunable MEMS LC Filter

Alex Slocum, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a unique microelectronic mechanical system (MEMS) than can be used as a tunable LC Filter for personal multi-band wireless communications devices. This “nanogate” technology promises to also to improve the design of devices and instruments such as microfluidic control valves with implications for drug discovery. Dr. Slocum won a Deshpande grant for his work, and is actively working to form a company to commercialize the technology. The i-Team members selected to work with Dr. Slocum will also benefit from the guidance of Jeff Fagnan, Principal of Seed Capital Partners, who is an advisor to Dr. Slocum’s commercialization efforts.

Dr. Slocum is looking for a team to help evaluate this market opportunity, as well as other potential applications of the technology. Ideal candidates will have an academic background in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering, and will currently be pursuing an MBA or advanced engineering degree. Candidates will bring professional experience in RF technology, wireless communications, or IC / chip design.