I-Corps: MedsForAll - I-Corps Winter Cohort Customer Discovery Training Program

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps Project is to conduct customer discovery interviews to identify initial customers that can support a universal medication autoinjector platform technology that can democratize accessibility to medications. A direct ampule autoinjector system can leverage the existing global medical infrastructure of the ampule-based medication cartridge while expanding accessibility of medications. From a cost effectiveness and cost minimization perspective, an equally safe and efficacious drug delivery platform technology will require complex advancements in the scientific and technological understanding of injection systems that can deliver a consistent dose of medication free of particulate contamination, air bubbles, and is also user intuitive with little to no technical training. The potential societal impact of this technology can save many lives since having wider access to this technology can prevent death or disability that can arise if patients undergoing medical situations are not treated quickly. This platform technology can also protect emergency responders, civilians and military personnel exposed to biological or chemical threats. The potential commercial impact of the project can disrupt the multi-billion-dollar health care market, democratize health care access, while being capable of expanding into global markets. This I-Corps project will further the development and commercialization of direct ampule-based autoinjector technology through customer discovery. Technical results of the feasibility of the technology under development have been proven through the development of a proof of concept that can consistently deliver a volume of medication. These results have been further refined to the publication of a patent undergoing review. The NSF sponsored customer discovery program will help the team develop the framework for conducting customer discovery interviews in a structured format while incorporating interview responses and data into a commercialization strategy for product to market execution. The intellectual merits of the proposed activity will help the team identify how current needs are being addressed regarding the administration of medications while more importantly identifying if those needs are truly met and or if there are other needs that can be met which currently are not met. The I-Corps customer discovery training program can help the project team identify stakeholders, key opinion leaders and develop a customer segmentation profile that can more accurately identify actual customers and payers in the health care medical device ecosystem while seeking avenues for collaboration in the healthcare industry. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.