PDF version - University of Washington

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OPEN FOR
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BUSINESS
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Start-up takes aim at kidney stones
By Julie Garner
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Federal money
stimulates UW
spending and
research
The 2009 federal stimulus, an
$840 billion bill, was meant to stimulate
the economy, pumping money into job
production and renewable sources of
energy. While education and research
received only a sliver of the pie, an April
Seattle Times article reported that since
2009, Washington State alone has pulled
in about $900 million for just that: science.
In addition, of the five universities that
spent the most money in 2010, the UW
received $830 million in federal funding,
second only to Johns Hopkins University.
KIDNEY STONES ARE COMMON and excruciating. Now a team of UW
researchers is forming a start-up company, Propulse, that may ease
some of that pain. The research team’s device—developed at the UW
Applied Physics Laboratory—uses ultrasound to noninvasively push
stones toward the exit of the kidney before surgery is required. The
stones can be pushed at the rate of one centimeter per second.
They have also developed a unique ultrasound imaging method to
dramatically enhance the visualization of the stones. It provides a
safe alternative to the ionizing radiation of plane X-ray and computerized
tomography. The goal is an office-based procedure to detect and
remove stones. The method could be used to treat virtually all patients
University
2010 Federal Funding
Johns Hopkins University 1,737
University of Washington 830
University of Michigan 748
University of Wisconsin 545
Duke University 514
(in millions of dollars)
with kidney stones and would provide a treatment option for the majority
of patients who are sent home in pain to pass the stone naturally. The
technology could also be used to clean up stone fragments after surgery.
The team has also worked with NASA through the National Space
Biomedical Research Institute. Kidney stones are one of the risks of
space travel because astronauts begin to experience demineralization
immediately.
To learn more about the New Ventures program or to talk about
how this UW program can help you design a customized business
solution, call Lynne Chronister, Assistant Vice Provost for Research
and Director of Sponsored Programs, at 206-543-4043 or email her at
lchronis@uw.edu
UWalum.com/Columns June 2012
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