Twice annually the Trask Innovation Fund awards funds through an endowed development program that assists faculty and staff whose discoveries are being commercialized through the Purdue Research Foundation’s Office of Technology Commercialization.

“The Trask Innovation Fund fills an important gap between the research and development of a technology and its move to commercialization,” said Brooke Beier, executive director of the Office of Technology Commercialization. “The funding can be used to create a prototype, collect marketing data, support personnel and other prerequisites before a technology is ready to be commercialized. Often the funding provides researchers with the means and resources to apply for other grants and can often lead to the creation of a startup or license agreement.” 

Jean Chmielewski, the Alice Watson Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science, received $25,000 of a Phase II Trask award for “Cell-penetrating Dual Antimicrobial Agents to Treatment of Hospital-acquired Pneumonia Infections.” The technology, a dual antimicrobial agent that enhances antibiotics through improved cell penetration and more targeted delivery, is effective against antimicrobial resistant bacteria, including MRSA infections, and shows promise in reducing hospital-acquired infections.

Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, assistant professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering

Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, assistant professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, received $29,705 of a Phase II Trask award for “Portable Platform for Pathogen Detection.” The technology aims to increase the efficiency of infectious disease monitoring and response by providing rapid and accurate pathogen detection platforms at the point-of-care. Kinzer-Ursem is working on a commercial prototype detection platform designed to validate the detection efficacy of cholera and malaria pathogens using smartphone app capable of data capture, analysis and geotagging through a portable platform.