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Biodegradable Stent Wins National Innovation Award |
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Michael Dunning, an engineering student from Athlone town, has won the Siemens Innovative Engineer of the Year Award 2007, which took place on Thursday 21st June at the headquarters of Engineers Ireland in Dublin.
Each year engineering students, in their final year, from the Universities and Institutes of Technology throughout the country compete for this prestigious award, which is presented jointly by Engineers Ireland and Siemens.
Michael, a student of Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway, beat off tough competition from five other finalists to take home the coveted title along with a cheque for €2,000. He was selected for designing a stent, which can treat urethral strictures. Stents are small medical devices designed to be inserted into a vessel or passageway to keep it open.
What is unique about Michael’s stent is that it is made from biodegradable polymer material. The stents that are currently used in medical practice worldwide are metallic and often they require revisionary surgery, which can be invasive and traumatic. Michael’s biodegradable stent removes the need for such revisionary surgery. His stent is also self-expanding which means it is non-invasive when inserted into the body.
Speaking at the awards Malcolm Banks, Sales Manager of Medical Solutions for Siemens said, “I am delighted to see that five out of the six finalists had worked on medical related projects. Medical devices are of high value and fit well with the new industrial and R&D trends in Ireland.”
Jack Golden, President of Engineers Ireland, also speaking at the ceremony said, " High level research is paramount to the future economic success of our country and it is awards like this that encourage young researchers to be innovative in their work and to think about the practical applications of their research, so that it has value in the international marketplace. I think Michael’s project is a superb example of such research.
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