A Novel Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Training Program for Biomedical Research Trainees.

PROBLEM: Contemporary science emphasizes efficient translation of scientific discoveries into tangible, innovative products and services to improve human health. Therefore, researchers need skills in innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) to select which problems to address and bring to market the most promising solutions. Training in this skillset is not currently available to most biomedical research trainees. APPROACH: The Entrepreneurship for Biomedicine (E4B) training program was created to develop biomedical researchers' I&E skills. The program comprises 2 semester-length courses: E4B1 teaches core skills; E4B2 focuses on advanced skills for those interested in pursuing funding for a new venture. In addition to traditional entrepreneurship training, E4B teaches ethics and personal skills such as resilience, communication, and team-building. Each course is delivered online and requires about 4 hours weekly. Program elements include short videos for didactic content; a team-based capstone project; mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs; and a live, virtual pitch presentation. The program is housed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and is open to pre- and postdoctoral biomedical research trainees and faculty nationwide. OUTCOMES: In 2020, 77 trainees completed E4B1 and 13 went on to complete E4B2. Trainees in both courses were satisfied with learning content and mentorship and would recommend the program to a friend. Pre- and postanalyses demonstrated that trainees' confidence in their knowledge about and ability to perform I&E tasks taught throughout the program increased. Since completion, 4 graduates have received external funding for an innovation and 3 have started a company. NEXT STEPS: E4B is well accepted, and this preliminary evaluation suggests the program is effective. It could serve to support medical school curricula, business competitions, and technology transfer efforts, which are opportunities for future exploration. A more robust evaluation is planned and recruitment will be expanded to increase participation from women and underrepresented populations.

Rapid thermal inactivation of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2.

Airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is one of the leading mechanisms of spread, especially in confined environments. The study aims to assess the thermal inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 at high temperatures in the time scale of seconds. An electric heater with a coiled resistance wire is located perpendicularly to the airflow direction inside an air tunnel. The airflow rate through the tunnel was 0.6 m3/h (10 L/ min). SARS-CoV-2 were suspended in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS), aerosolized by a nebulizer at a rate of 0.2 L/min and introduced to the airflow inside the heater with the use of a compressor and an aspirator. In the control experiment, with the heater off, SARS-CoV-2 passed through the system. In the virus inactivation test experiments, the heater's outlet air temperature was set to 150 ± 5 °C and 220 ± 5 °C, and the air traveling through the tunnel was exposed to heat for 1.44 s. An inline gelatine filter harvested SARS-CoV-2 that passed through the system. The viral titer obtained from the gelatine filter in the control experiment was about 5.5 log10 TCID50. The virus's loss in viability in test experiments at 150 °C and 220 °C were 99.900 % and 99.999 %, respectively. The results indicate that high-temperature thermal inactivation substantially reduces the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in the air within seconds.

Market viability: a neglected concept in implementation science.

This debate paper asserts that implementation science needs to incorporate a key concept from entrepreneurship-market demand-and demonstrates how assessing an innovation's potential market viability might advance the pace and success of innovation adoption and sustainment. We describe key concepts, language distinctions, and questions that entrepreneurs pose to implementation scientists-many of which implementation scientists appear ill-equipped to answer. The paper concludes with recommendations about how concepts from entrepreneurship, notably market viability assessment, can enhance the translation of research discoveries into real-world adoption, sustained use, and population health benefits. The paper further proposes activities that can advance implementation science's capacity to draw from the field of entrepreneurship, along with the data foundations required to assess and cultivate market demand.

Partnered innovation to implement timely and personalized care: A case study.

BACKGROUND: Understanding how to translate research discoveries into solutions for healthcare improvement is a priority of NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA). This study, supported by one CTSA, aims to capture one process of shaping and implementing innovations to advance the timeliness and patient-centeredness of cardiovascular care. Specifically, we sought to understand a partnership between a private digital health startup company, a university innovation lab, and an academic health system's cardiology program pursuing this goal. FINDINGS: The collaboration proceeded through clear phases to address the questions and challenges: problem definition, exploration and formalization of the partnership, innovation co-creation and pilot test, and scale-up planning. Phases were punctuated by key decisions, such as forming the partnership, negotiating terms of the partnership, iterating form and features of the innovation, and exploring sufficiency of its value-add for scale-up and sustainment. Key implementation concepts were apparent, including implementation strategies (e.g., champions and iterative trialing) and the implementation outcomes of acceptability, sustainment, and scale-up. Participants identified potential risks of collaboration, reflected on their co-creation process, and the value of engaging stakeholders in innovation design. Findings may inform subsequent collaborations between innovators and translational researchers. METHODS: We conducted a case study to understand the partnership; characterize the questions they pursued, their decision points, information and data sources; and identify the challenges and risks. Data were collected through a series of four focus groups with members of each partnering organization. A transdisciplinary research team iteratively worked to condense and synthesize data from audio recorded transcripts into a case narrative.

Validating curricular competencies in innovation and entrepreneurship for biomedical research trainees: A modified Delphi approach.

INTRODUCTION: Biomedical researchers need skills in innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) to efficiently translate scientific discoveries into products and services to be used to improve health. METHODS: In 2016, the European Union identified and published 15 entrepreneurial competencies (EntreComp) for the general population. To validate the appropriateness of these competencies for I&E training for biomedical researchers and to identify program content, we conducted six modified Delphi panels of 45 experts (6-9 per panel). Participating experts had diverse experience, representing such fields as entrepreneurship, academic research, venture capital, and industry. RESULTS: The experts agreed that all 15 EntreComp competencies were important for biomedical research trainees and no additional competencies were identified. In a two-round Delphi process, the experts identified 120 topics to be included in a training curriculum. They rated the importance of each topic using a 5-point scale from not at all important (1) to extremely important (5) for two student groups: entrepreneurs (those interested in starting their own ventures) and intrapreneurs (those wanting to be innovative and strategic within academia or industry). Consensus (mean importance score >4) was reached that 85 (71%) topics were of high importance for the curriculum. Four topics were identified by multiple panels for both student groups: resiliency, goal setting, team management, and communication skills. CONCLUSIONS: I&E training for biomedical trainees should address all 15 EntreComp competencies, including "soft skills," and be flexible to accommodate the needs of trainees on different career trajectories.