A team that includes two University of Utah engineering students won the 2015 Bench-2-Bedside competition, a contest designed to help medical, engineering and business students create new ideas in medical devices. The competition, which is organized by the U’s Center for Medical Innovation, was held April 8 in the Utah State Capitol Rotunda.
The team, Cinluma, is made up of Kristopher Loken, Timothy Pickett, Brian Charlesworth, Jennwood Chen, Ashley Trane and Ashley Langell. Loken is finishing up his MBA/MS degree in bioengineering, and Pickett is working on a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. More than 20 teams competed in this year’s contest.
Cinluma is developing a heated probe that can be used to destroy pre-cancerous lesions in the treatment of cervical cancer. The team was formed just three months ago.
“I really couldn’t stop smiling last night,” Loken said about winning the competition. “It was exhilarating. It was validation for all of the hard work our team put into it. It was amazing.”
The team has won $15,000 to further develop the device in addition to free office space for six months, free business consulting, legal services and web development.