The Reporter: December 1997, Vol.8, No.5
Innovation in Research
Invention's Road: The Story of a Device

 Dr. Jonathan E. Aviv is a perfect example of a researcher who takes advantage of the various kinds of support available to faculty and ends up with a patented and marketable tool. Although research doesn't always lead to a tangible device or treatment, when it does, a full cast of characters plays an important role behind the scenes.

 In 1993, Dr. Aviv, P&S associate professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, along with Dr. John H. Martin, P&S associate professor of neurobiology and behavior, announced a test that they hoped would help clinicians better manage post-stroke swallowing problems. Later that year, Dr. Aviv received a CPMC Office of Clinical Trials Pilot Award to further investigate the prototype he and Dr. Martin had made using their own money and departmental funds. Also that year, Dr. Aviv was made an Irving Clinical Research Scholar, further supporting his study of the device.

 Previously, in May 1992, Dr. Aviv had filed an invention report with the help of Columbia Innovation Enterprise. That was followed by a patent application in April 1993, which would protect ownership of the invention should the two doctors publish any of their findings. Now, as of October 1997, the FDA cleared the device because of its promise in potentially reducing the incidence of pneumonia in thousands of elderly Americans and stroke patients who develop swallowing disorders. In addition, Pentax Precision Instrument Co. has purchased licensing rights to manufacture and sell the device in North America and South America.

 The device, called the Air Pulse Sensory Stimulator, measures sensory loss, or numbness, in the throat and voice box. Numbness in this region can increase the risk of food and secretions inadvertently going into the lungs and causing pneumonia.

 Sara Gusik, associate director of CIE, says that many inventions are filed but fewer get licensed and fewer still get FDA approval. " I think what's so amazing is how fast this all happened," says Ms. Gusik. " It happened this way because it is a very creative idea, it's right on target, and it's very non-invasive, unlike a pharmaceutical. It's also a tribute to the fact that Dr. Aviv really pushed for the device."

 Clinical trials of the device were conducted at several institutions, including CPMC. According to Michael Leahey, director of Clinical Trials, a large multi-site trial is now in the works, following FDA approval and improvements in the device. " Dr. Aviv was in one of our first groups of pilot award winners," says Mr. Leahey. " This is a good example of what the pilot awards set out to do. They were established in the hopes of stimulating further funding for investigators who are in the early years of their careers."