[SBIR/STTR Rosters]

The Small Business Bioengineering, Surgical Sciences, and Technology Scientific Review Group reviews grant applications for the small businesses initiative programs (SBIR and STTR) involved in innovative research and technology development of biomedical devices and systems for treating human diseases.  They involve integration of biomedical devices into living systems; or propose systematic, quantitative, and integrative approaches to thinking about and addressing problems important to physiology or clinical medicine.

These bioengineering and surgical science projects integrate physical, chemical, or mathematical sciences and engineering principles into the study of biology, medicine, behavior, and health. They develop innovative biologics, materials, processes, implants, and devices, for the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of disease.  Surgical sciences integrate the device and instrumentation applications into living systems.  Studies involving minimally invasive surgery, microsurgery, computer-assisted surgery, and robotics are reviewed in this scientific review group.  Pre-clinical studies and studies focused on applications of device/instrumentation are included.

Specific areas covered by SBTS:

• Therapeutic devices and systems: including artificial organs, implantable medical devices, bio-molecule delivery/immobilization devices, and prosthetic devices.
  
  
• Advanced techniques and devices that permit tissue engineering, endosurgical approaches, catheter-based surgery, minimally invasive surgery, microsurgical procedures, robotics, and image-guided intervention.
  
  
• Development of cellular and tissue-engineered constructs, including: design, construction, and pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of function.
  
  
• Development of vertically integrated medical devices, including: pre-clinical human studies, translational medical device development and clinical device validation.
  
  
• Optimization of design, development of standards, and monitoring and evaluating medical devices.

SBTS has the following shared interest within the SBIB IRG:

• With Small Business Biomedical Imaging [SBMI]: Grant applications proposing the design or development of medical imaging systems, their components, software, or methods of image analysis would be referred to SBMI.  Applications proposing the design or development of diagnostic or therapeutic devices or their components would be referred to SBTS.

SBTS has the following shared interests outside the SBIB IRG:

• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: In general, bioengineering projects would be referred to BST if the focus of the study is technology development or if the results of the developmental effort could apply to multiple devices; if specific medical or medical research device(s) are being developed, the project would be referred to SBTS, or to an organ-system IRG.
  
  
• With the organ-system IRGs: Applications having a bioengineering or device development focus could be referred to SBTS or to the organ-system IRG depending on the focus of the application.  In general, if the device relates to multiple organs, the application would be referred to SBTS.