BMS Scholar J. Paul Robinson Among Six Purdue Innovators to Receive Trask Innovation Funding

Dr. J. Paul Robinson, the SVM Professor of Cytomics in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Basic Medical Sciences, is one of six Purdue University researchers receiving a total of nearly $209,000 from the Trask Innovation Fund to help their labs commercialize their innovations.  The fund is a development program established to support projects that advance the commercial value of Purdue intellectual property.

Dr. Robinson holds a joint appointment in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.  He is receiving Trask funding for a handheld device for real-time detection of pathogens, toxins, and contaminating chemicals for biodefense and food analysis.

The Trask Innovation Fund makes awards twice a year to aid faculty and staff with their patented innovations that are being commercialized through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), which is housed in the Convergence Center in the Discovery Park District.  There are three Trask Innovation Fund tracks: Innovation Sparks for Life Science, Innovation Sparks for Physical Sciences, and Commercialization Partner Spark.  Dr. Robinson is receiving support through the physical sciences track. 

The other five Purdue researchers receiving funding this round are:

  • Dr. Jean Chmielewski, Alice Watson Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry (track: life science)
  • Dr. Arun Bhunia, professor of food science (track: life science)
  • Dr. Luna Lu, ACPA Professor of Civil Engineering (track: commercialization)
  • Dr. Pedro Irazoqui, Reilly Professor of Biomedical Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering (track: commercialization)
  • Dr. Jeffrey Youngblood, professor of materials engineering (track: physical sciences)

Click here to view a news release with further details about the other funded innovations.

“Even during a global pandemic, researchers created many technologies worthy of OTC’s investment to develop solutions through the Purdue commercialization ecosystem and Purdue’s growing Discovery Park District,” said Abhijit Karve, director of business development for OTC.  Purdue inventors who are prepared to move their innovations to market have until February 19 to apply for funding through the Trask Innovation Fund.

All Purdue faculty, staff, and researchers who have submitted a disclosure to OTC are eligible to submit proposals.  To learn more about these and other Purdue technologies, contact OTC at otcip@prf.org or visit the OTC Inventions page at inventions.prf.org. The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by the office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing, and protecting Purdue intellectual property.

Writer(s): Chris Adam, Purdue News Service | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week we are highlighting Scott Fix who is the Lead Facilities Manager in the Department of Veterinary Administration.

Remembering Zeus: A Legacy of Loyalty and Love

We continue our series of articles about animals and their owners who’ve found help and healing at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital by sharing the story of a beloved dog named Zeus. For Amy Fitzsimmons-Blaising, Zeus wasn’t just a dog, he was her spirit animal and best friend. A proud Giant Schnauzer bred in Bedford, Indiana, Zeus had been the heart of Amy’s home for 11 unforgettable years. Then, in October 2024, Zeus’s health challenges began, when he started coughing and showing signs that looked like seizures. After rushing him to a local veterinary urgent care facility, Amy learned he was in congestive heart failure, and she turned to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital for help.

PVM Scholar Receives Purdue WGHI Pilot Grant Aimed at Advancing Women’s Health

Purdue University’s Women’s Global Health Institute (WGHI) has announced six pilot research grant awards aimed at solving critical problems in women’s health and quality of life, and one of recipients is Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty member Viju Vijayan Pillai. Dr. Pillai is assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology.

The universal socket set of vaccines: Innovative technology heralds more effective, more efficient vaccines

You fight fire with fire. And Purdue Veterinary Medicine vaccine expert Suresh Mittal fights viruses with viruses. Using innovative techniques, Dr. Mittal, Distinguished Professor of Virology in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, develops novel vaccines for viral infections including avian influenza.

PVM Shows Pacers Pride!

In celebration of the Indiana Pacers’ amazing run in the NBA playoffs, Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students were well represented in a group photo in front of Lynn Hall this morning, just hours before the start of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which takes place tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.