Biodegradable implantable medical devices might be possible thanks to $18 million NSF grant to multi-university consortium.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT) will lead the research in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and the University of Cincinnati (UC). The consortium will create orthopedic, craniofacial and cardiovascular devices for adults and children that adapt to a patient's anatomy and dissolve when no longer needed.

Funding for the project comes from a five-year, $18.5 million grant to develop implantable devices made from biodegradable metals. The project stems from a five-year Engineering Research Center (ERC) grant that NCAT received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with Pitt and UC. The highly competitive ERC grants support large-scale university and industry collaborations on pioneering technologies considered important to future generations.

Five grants were awarded in 2008 from 143 applicants. Only 29 universities in the past 25 years have received an ERC. NCAT is the first Historically Black College and University (HCBU) to become an ERC. The NSF's ERC program is intended to focus on combining fundamental research with research and education emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship. The education program will be strategically planned to develop graduates who are experienced in the creative process and cross-cultural collaboration and who are able to define pathways to explore and realize innovation opportunities to prepare them for success in a global economy.

"The teaming between North Carolina A&T and the University of Pittsburgh with UC offers a unique consortium that focuses on UC's expertise in sensor technology, Pitt's in biomedical engineering and NCAT's in materials engineering," said Carlo Montemagno, dean of UC's College of Engineering. "Furthermore, this consortium has deep roots in the shared belief of offering the best educational opportunities and best resources available to our students. It is a central trust placed upon public universities to not only develop new technologies but also help our students in launching new careers in engineering, science and medicine."

Serving as project director is Jagannathan Sankar, NCAT's Distinguished University professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures. UC Professor Mark Schulz, co-director of the UC Nanoworld and Smart Materials and Devices Laboratories, will serve as the ERC deputy director along with Pitt's William Wagner, deputy director of the university's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (MIRM) and professor of surgery, bioengineering and chemical engineering.

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