Translational Research

By embracing industry best practices, the second phase of grantmaking supported a proprietary program developed by the Foundation to provide risk capital to support translational research in biomedical engineering at universities and medical schools which was not widely understood or appreciated. Funding was provided to individual researchers and departments of biomedical engineering. This investment strategy was unique as it brought together engineers and clinicians to collaborate on projects, instead of working in silos. At each selected school, the program had a clearly defined format that included a project manager, external business advisory board and a discretionary fund. This led to a process that accelerated promising university inventions into practical advances that improve health care. The program was extremely successful measured by more than five billion dollars in follow-on funding and the introduction of new products into healthcare. Today, this innovative process developed by the Foundation continues to unlock promising technologies at universities and medical schools and is considered the gold standard for university translational research.

Why Translational Research?

It is understood that the Federal government is the primary source of funding for “basic” research in U.S. academic institutions. Due to Wall Street pressures and the increased costs of regulatory approval, the traditional capital markets, including angels, venture capitalists (VC) and industry, had lost their tolerance for the high risk associated with early-stage translational research. As such, the “valley of death” for new technologies had widened. Gap funding for proof-of-concept efforts was difficult to obtain. Because Coulter Corporation routinely invested in translational research (TR), now at the Foundation, Sue and her team created programs to serve as a perpetual reminder of Wallace’s commitment to science serving humanity.

Why Biomedical Engineering?

In the earliest days of the Foundation, Sue Van was introduced to the Whitaker Foundation. The Whitaker Foundation was the largest funder of Biomedical Engineering (BME) departments and their infrastructure including faculty and buildings. “If the Whitaker Foundation had not significantly invested in BME infrastructure, the Coulter Foundation could not do what we did,” says Sue. As Sue learned more about this discipline, she observed that graduates from BME programs were problem solvers and team players trained in engineering, biology and medicine. This made them uniquely able to serve as the translators and interpreters between scientists and end-users, as well as communicate across industry departments: research & development (R&D), manufacturing, sales and marketing. The Foundation realized that biomedical engineering departments should be the vehicle for its new Translational Research Programs.

Sue Van's BMES Speech, 2013

The Pilot Program

The pilot began in 2001 at the Wallace H. Coulter Biomedical Engineering Department at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. The principles of the program are: (1) collaboration between engineers and clinicians with an identified clinical need and a proposed experimental plan (project), (2) a program manager with biomedical industry experience to coordinate the program, (3) a resourced and committed Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) and (4) an Oversight Committee (OC) composed of the translational research stakeholders. Project selection was based on identification of an unmet clinical need, achievable milestones and the ability to attract follow-on funding within twelve to twenty-four months. Each project required in-depth commercialization analysis, intellectual property protection, plans for regulatory approvals, reimbursement strategies, and achieving technical milestones.

Coulter Translational Partnership Award in Biomedical Engineering (TP)

With grants totaling $127.7MM over the life of the program, the Foundation formed a working partnership with the Biomedical Engineering Department to promote translational research. The Biomedical Engineering Department Chair is considered the Principal Investigator. Each school established an Oversight Committee, consisting of stakeholders in the translational process. Additionally, the grant also provided funding for a Coulter Project Director to oversee the daily operations of the award. These partnerships are intended to increase the number and effective collaborations between biomedical engineers and clinicians, supporting the movement of promising technologies to clinical application, and developing sustainable processes. The Translational Research Partner Institutions worked closely with the Foundation to promote, develop and realize the clinical potential of translational research. The ultimate goal of this partnership was to focus on outcomes which save, extend, and improve patient lives suffering from any disease or condition, in any size market, in any discipline, in any country around the world.

Program Oversight Committee Members

  • BME Department Chair
  • Clinicians
  • Office of Technology Transfer
  • Venture Capitalists
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Industry Representatives
  • Translational Partnership Phase I

The recipients of this pioneering group, that has come to be known as TP1, are the following:

  • Boston University, Boston, MA
  • Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
  • Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
  • Duke University, Durham, NC
  • Georgia Institute of Technology / Emory University, Atlanta, GA
  • Stanford University, Stanford, CA
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
  • University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Translational Partnership Phase II

Based on the success of TP1, the Foundation announced the establishment of the TP2 Program. The following six universities were the recipients of the Coulter Translational Partnership Award in Biomedical Engineering:

  • Columbia University, New York City, NY
  • Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
  • University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
  • University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
  • University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Coulter Translational Research Awards (CTRA)

In 2005, the Foundation launched the “Early Career” (EC) program which later was rebranded as the “Coulter Translational Research Award” (CTRA) program. The Coulter Translational Research Awards provided a total of $37.7MM in funding for individual Professors in established Biomedical Engineering Departments within the United States.

Early Career CTRA Program Awardees

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The awards supported biomedical research that is translational in nature, encouraged and assisted eligible biomedical engineering investigators to establish themselves in academic careers involving translational research.

The translational research projects were directed at promising technologies with the goal of progressing toward commercial development and entering clinical practice.

This program consisted of two, two-year phases with a maximum funding amount of $500,000 that was allocated to match the milestone needs of each project. During the ten years of the program, more than 400 projects were submitted, and 100 were selected for funding. As of March 2013, there were eighteen license successes and more than $400MM in VC funding secured.

Sponsored Events

From time-to-time, the Foundation has sponsored events around the U.S. that further its commitment to transformative philanthropy. These events include:

Coulter College

Coulter College was an event hosted by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation for its Coulter Translational Research Award grantees. The program provided a multi-disciplinary exploration of topics that academic researchers must consider when “translating” their innovations. Topics included patent law, working with the technology transfer office, follow-on funding sources, regulatory and reimbursement strategies, and more. To help bring this crucial information and insights to audiences of innovators and entrepreneurs, the program was offered to Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Teams and their faculty advisors.

Introduction to Coulter College

Coulter Investment Forum

The last Healthcare Innovation Conference sponsored by The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation was held on June 6, 2023. This event was a virtual session with 25+ companies, carefully selected and vetted in the Coulter Translational Award Program at participating US universities. The start-up pitch competition and investment forum was hosted by the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

Coulter Commercialization Process

The Coulter Commercialization Process is a documented 27 step process utilizing industry best practices.  Its goal is to accelerate academic innovations to the market to improve patient care by reducing risk and attracting follow-on-funding. To be considered for participation, each company must have a CEO, a solution to a large unmet clinical need that is capable of changing medical practice, and an addressable market large enough to attract an industry partner, venture capital, and/or angel investment.   The presenting companies were submitted by the 16 Coulter Translational Partner Universities.

The Coulter Translational Research Awards program was sunset in 2017.