OSU Researcher Who Teaches Quantum Mechanics Wins Award Highlighting Role of Federally Funded Research for Startups

(OSU.edu) IR Medtek is a startup spun out of technology from The Ohio State University will be recognized next month in an event highlighting the role of federally funded research.
Coe, the chief technology officer at IR Medtek, described the innovation as a fast infrared cancer probe that can aid in determining whether or not an abnormality is cancerous and needs to be investigated more thoroughly.
One of the researchers who developed the infrared probe, Coe said the project would not have progressed without the support of federally funded research.
“Without an NIH grant, I would have never worked on cancer research. I’m a physical chemist. I teach quantum mechanics,” he said. “I learned through that NIH grant that you could take infrared spectrum of tissues and tell whether they had cancer or not. So I would have never worked on the project in the first place without federal funding.”
IR Medtek is one of 22 university-affiliated startup companies from across the nation to participate in the University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Showcase sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Universities. The showcase highlights the important role of federally funded university research in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the U.S. economy.