A team of recent UW Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) graduates earned a grant from the Innovation Gap Fund for their startup CSFlow. The company develops novel antifouling coating technology to improve the reliability and longevity of implanted medical devices. The team includes Joie Chen, Sarah Fink, Rae McFarland, and Hannah Petersen.

CSFlow is based on their MAB capstone project mentored by UW BioE Professor Buddy Ratner and Kyung-Hoon Kim and Kan Wu, both postdocs in Ratner’s lab with deep expertise in polymer coatings. Dr. Malia McAvoy, a neurosurgeon at UW School of Medicine, guided the team’s validation testing and provided clinical insight throughout the project.

The team has initially focused on hydrocephalus, a chronic condition affecting more than eight million people worldwide. Caused by the abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, hydrocephalus is typically treated with a shunt that diverts excess fluid to another area of the body. However, these devices frequently fail due to the buildup of biological material, including proteins, cellular debris, and bacteria, on their surfaces.

“Failure typically requires urgent revision surgery. For many patients, this means undergoing multiple brain surgeries throughout their lifetime,” said Petersen, who worked as a project engineer at McKinstry prior to joining the MAB program.

The coating that CSFlow is developing reduces the biological interactions that drive buildup formation. The technology has the potential to extend shunt lifespan, reduce the need for revision surgeries, lower healthcare costs, and improve long-term outcomes for patients.

CSFlow will use its Innovation Gap Fund grant to commercialize the coating through business-to-business licensing, charging other companies for the right to manufacture and use their technology. Across the University of Washington, the Innovation Gap Fund supports business development activities to advance promising innovations that may lead to new products and services. It is funded by CoMotion, Washington Research Foundation, Population Health Initiative, and donors.

“Over the next year, our priorities include optimizing and validating our coating method, preclinical testing, engaging with medical device manufacturers, and pursuing additional funding opportunities,” said Fink, an alumnus of UW’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The Department of Bioengineering’s MAB program trains students to apply engineering design to clinical challenges to address market-based business and medical needs. It provides graduates with in-demand skills for work in biomedical industries and translational research.