Biomedical Engineering Undergraduates Take Top Prize at Big Bang! Business Competition
26th Annual Big Bang! Awards $97,000 in Prizes to California-based Teams
The UC Davis Mike and Renée Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship awarded almost $100,000 in grants and startup residencies Tuesday evening during the 26th annual Big Bang! Business Competition awards night.
This year’s $25,000 first-place prize went to First Bite, an all-UC Davis undergraduate team of biomedical engineers developing a medical device designed to help secure breathing tubes for intubated infants in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. The First Bite team developed the device to address the critical challenge of breathing tubes becoming displaced during treatment, putting vulnerable patients at risk.
“For intubated children in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, keeping their breathing tube in place is a matter of life or death,” said Camilla Lindh, First Bite CEO and UC Davis biomedical engineering major. Lindh explained that current methods of securing breathing tubes involve an often-ineffective adhesive that can damage fragile baby skin. “First Bite combines the idea of a pacifier and a breathing tube holder into one device, utilizing a modified pacifier and a dual-plane head strap to safely secure the tube.”
Lindh said the device is simple to use, quick to install and provides oral soothing through the pacifier component, reducing patient discomfort while facilitating development of the natural sucking reflex. This minimizes oral aversion and enhances feeding habits once patients are discharged, ultimately reducing hospital costs and facilitating long-term recovery.
The team plans to use the prize funding to support manufacturing efforts, finalize prototyping and testing, conduct outreach with hospitals and distributors, and continue work with the UC Davis Technology Transfer Office on a provisional patent.
In addition to Lindh, the team includes Rachel Amstutz, David Melnichuk, Lakshmi Penumasta, all biomedical engineering students; and Phineas Tucker, a student in biomedical engineering and pre-med.
This year’s awards ceremony celebrated ventures addressing challenges in veterinary health, education, healthcare, sustainability, food systems and social impact. In addition to the $25,000 first-place award, two other teams that included UC Davis engineering students were each awarded $10,000: Data Pigeon and Pharmstead.