Oregon Health and Science University 4499

BUSINESS PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Medical devices and equipment constitute Oregon's largest bioscience subsector, employing more than 4700 people. (OHSU; Portland) is the state's only health and research university and, as such, serves as a major catalyst for the region's bioscience industry. It is an incubator of discovery, averaging one new breakthrough or innovation every 2.7 days, with more than 4100 research projects currently under way. OHSU's sponsored research income from industry rose nearly 50% in fiscal year 2008 to $10 million. That figure is up almost 250% from five years ago, reflecting steady increases in private sector partnerships to develop new medical therapies, diagnostics, and devices.

A recent example of OHSU's commercial collaborations in the medical devices realm is the rib fracture plating system commonly known as the U-plate. Researchers at OHSU developed it as a minimally invasive surgical option for the most severe cases of broken or fractured ribs, which are typically left to heal, painfully, on their own. Acute Innovations LLC (Hillsboro, OR), a start-up company, licensed the technology from OHSU and designed and commercialized a comprehensive system of implants and instruments designed to alleviate the pain of acute rib fractures and to decrease healing time.

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