The Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron is making an impression on exactly the kind of partners it needs — partners that allow the institute to play to the research and technical strengths of its local and regional base.
The institute and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week announced an agreement to collaborate in projects to understand the characteristics of new biomedical materials and polymers and to develop effective methods to assess their safety and performance in medical devices, such as pacemakers and replacement joints.
The partnership is the first the FDA has launched to explore engineered tissues, polymers and coatings used in medical devices. With it comes further national recognition of the depth of polymer expertise in Akron as well as the resources for the innovative research the institute has at hand.
The FDA partnership also connects the institute (itself a triumph of collaboration among the University of Akron, Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown and Akron’s three hospital systems) to the federal research funding stream. That is crucial for the two-year-old institute to sustain high-level work over the long term and build a reputation strong enough to draw researchers, investors and entrepreneurs to the region.
Dr. Frank Douglas, the president and executive director of the research organization, described the FDA agreement as “a really big deal.” It is not an exaggeration. The institute is showing its potential as an economic engine.
