Pitching its optical technology for early detection of urinary tract infections (UTIs) to help save lives, improve health and reduce costs, Metabowlite won UC Santa Barbara’s 23rd Annual New Venture Competition (NVC) Finals, taking home the $10,000 First Place Award.
The event represents the culmination of the Technology Management (TM) Department’s rigorous eight-month technology business plan competition that is open to UCSB students from all disciplines.
“It’s a great honor to receive such a generous cash prize and land first place at the competition,” said Metabowlite team member Orlando Chirikian, a Ph.D. candidate in biomolecular science and engineering (BMSE). “We are grateful to all of our friends, colleagues and family who supported us throughout the competition.
"It would not have been possible for us to convey such a polished presentation without the constant help and support of our mentors.”
Comprising Chirikian, Markus Merk and Mohamed Faynus, all of whom are Ph.D. candidates in BMSE, Metabowlite designed a technology to detect UTIs quickly and accurately.
UTIs are one of the top health complications impacting people 65 years and older, second only to respiratory infections. Seventy percent of UTI cases in the elderly progress to urosepsis, where the body’s aged immune system starts attacking its own tissue, requiring hospitalization and, often, causing cognitive impairment and kidney problems.