At the University of Maryland’s 2009 Bioscience Research and Technology Review Day, John Fisher, PhD, associate professor in the Fischell department of bioengineering, wowed VCs with his pitch for a tissue engineering bioreactor system that grows bone and other types of tissue for implantation. The technology was one of six innovations presented in a series of eight-minute pitches by faculty members and graduate students at the university’s Professor Venture Fair. “Dr. Fisher impressed the judges with his clearly defined product — the bioreactor system itself — and his ability to position himself within an already vibrant tissue engineering marketplace,” says Gayatri Varma, executive director of the university’s Office of Technology Commercialization.<\/p>\n
The pitch competition encourages scientists to consider the commercial potential of their work and challenges them to translate their ideas for a general, non-technical audience. Fisher’s patent-pending bioreactor system improves the efficiency of tissue engineering by addressing many of the shortcomings of available systems, such as the high cost and complexity of the perfusion chamber and the low output of the rotating flask. His approach exposes growing tissue to an increased amount of oxygen and nutrients, making it a more prolific and cost-effective bioreactor than existing models. Fisher and his team have created a prototype in the lab using off-the-shelf products, and Fisher plans to start a company, ProlifiTEC, to bring the bioreactors to market.<\/p>\n