Biomedical Engineering Team wins NIH DEBUT Challenge

For the first time in its short history, a Loyola Engineering team submitted its 2023-24 capstone project to the NIH DEBUT (Design by Biomedical Engineering Teams) Challenge competition. Class of 2024 students Lauren David, Dhruv Patel, Leah Smith, Esther Wayntraub, and Elza Wu won the $15,000 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Prize. There were 85 applications from 48 universities in 24 states, with 362 students participating altogether. Other DEBUT winners included teams from Stanford, Cornell, and Northwestern Universities.

All Loyola capstone projects are industry-sponsored, and span fall and spring semesters of senior year. The winning project is an Infusion Pump Mobile Application, sponsored by Baxter International. The app integrates seamlessly with the Baxter Novum IQ infusion pump to ensure accurate and efficient drug infusion in the intensive care unit environment. The app provides patient verification, barcode integration, delivery confirmation, real-time infusion progress monitoring, alert and alarm notification and direct medication order transmission. Intravenous infusion can potentially be used for HIV treatment, including antiretrovirals and broadly neutralizing antibodies. You can watch a video demonstration of the app's functionality here: Infusion Pump Mobile Application