A $5,000 cash prize is on the line for three early career professionals who will “pitch” their innovative research proposals to a panel of translational science experts during the ATS BEAR Cage competition.
The fourth annual Building Education to Advance Research (BEAR) Cage competition, which follows a Shark Tank-style of presentation, will award $5,000 to the top presentation and $2,500 each to the two runners-up.
BEAR Cage
1-3 p.m., Monday
Center for Career Development
Sails Pavilion (Upper Level), San Diego Convention Center
“Precision Genomics: Early Detection of Antibody-Mediated Rejection to Improve Survival”Sean Agbor-Enoh, MD, PhD
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Q: What do you look forward to most during the BEAR Cage?
A: I would not only like to learn from my opponents’ valuable research contributions, but also to see lung transplantation efforts “win” again. In the 1960s, lung transplantation was introduced as a “miracle treatment” for selected patients with end-stage lung disease who would otherwise not survive. Since then, survival remains dismal with a median of five years, despite our collective efforts. Among other extraordinary opportunities, BEAR Cage offers an opportunity to highlight a trend toward improving survival of these patients.
Q: Why should the panel award you
the top prize?
A: I believe the jury should pick me as the winner because the idea/product I plan to introduce is innovative, inexpensive, has great impact, and is broadly applicable to lung and other allograft transplantation.
Q: What would you do with the $5,000 should you win?
A: It is not the amount per se, but the idea of investing the money in a process or startup business could make this assay useful to transplant patients.
“Identifying Novel Disease-Modifying Drugs for the Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”Carlos Barrero, MD
Temple University
Q: What do you look forward to most during the BEAR Cage?
A: First, I am truly honored to be a finalist in the BEAR Cage competition and for the opportunity to present my work. Most of all, though, I look forward to getting mentorship from the project advisory team. Also, I would like to hear the feedback from experts in the field. Regardless of what happens in the competition, I will take those lessons to apply them toward the success of this proposal.
Q: Why should the panel award you
the top prize?
A: The panel should choose me because I am going to present a project that has the potential to identify a disease-modifying treatment for COPD, a devastating disease that is currently the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
Q What would you do with the $5,000 should you win?
A: I am excited to participate in this event. The prize for the BEAR Cage competition is going to be part of the savings to buy the first home for my family. I would love to show my family that my research efforts also translate to them.
“NEMESIS (NEutrophil MEchanical StabilISation): A Novel Extracorporeal Technology to Modulate and Monitor Pathological Inflammatory Responses of Neutrophils (PMN) in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome”Jatinder K. Juss, MD, PhD, FRCPC
St. Michael’s Hospital
Q: What do you look forward to most during the BEAR Cage?
A: I am thrilled to present NEMESIS, a first-of-its-kind potentially transformative extracorporeal technology at the ATS BEAR Cage competition! What excites me most about the BEAR Cage is that it cultivates strategic links between physician-led science, academia, and industry to deploy innovative technologies that will benefit patient care. This is the first time a Canadian was selected to compete at the ATS BEAR Cage, and I am looking forward to becoming the first female entrepreneur to win the top prize!
Q: Why should the panel award you
the top prize?
A: NEMESIS has enormous potential that addresses the salient challenges of re-establishing immune homeostasis not only in ARDS patients but also in critically ill patients with conditions characterized by persistent and inappropriate neutrophil activation, including sepsis, burns, major trauma, or surgery.
Q: What would you do with the $5,000 should you win?
A:Winning the BEAR Cage competition carries enormous prestige beyond any monetary gain. The publicity around this award will heighten visibility of NEMESIS, foster industry partnerships, and provide additional opportunities for public engagement to raise awareness of ARDS and sepsis.