Mayo Scholars Program provides unique research experience
Medtronic key to creating this opportunity for private college students
Mayo Clinic researcher
It wasn't your typical undergraduate research project: last spring, a team of students from the College of St. Benedict and Saint John's University dug into knee replacement technology. Working with an MBA student from the University of St. Thomas, their task was to do a cost analysis of an implant device to determine if it was possible to reduce costs and get the same results.
The students’ unique experience was connected to their participation in the Mayo Scholars Program — a collaborative effort between the Mayo Clinic and staff and students from nine Minnesota’s private colleges and universities. Selected MBA students and undergraduate science and business students evaluated a wide variety of technologies and ideas submitted by Mayo professionals through the Mayo Clinic Office of Intellectual Property. As one student put it, “it was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
In all, 46 students from nine of Minnesota’s private colleges and universities participated in the inaugural 2006-07 program. Other projects involved a new positioning device for shoulder and elbow surgeries, new ideas for agri-medicine and a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. Students were mentored by licensing managers from Mayo Clinic’s Office of Intellectual Property and the inventors, as well as faculty members from their campuses.
Manuel Campos, Ph.D., a biology professor from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, served as a faculty advisor to the knee replacement team. “The project provided the students and me with a unique experience that extended the borders of the classroom,” he said. “In the real world of research and development they will need to work in interdisciplinary teams and this gave us a way to re-create that scenario in an academic setting.”
John Meslow, a retired Medtronic executive and former board member to the Minnesota Private College Council, provided the impetus for the program. About two years ago, he was visiting with the leadership of the Mayo Office of Intellectual Property and learned how Mayo evaluates and pursues new product ideas submitted by Mayo professionals. “I recall thinking immediately that this could be an outstanding learning opportunity for our private college students,” said Meslow.
Meslow and other bio-medical leaders are very aware of the importance of attracting new talent and nurturing our state’s life science industries. Between 1995 and 2005, employment in the medical technology industry grew nearly four times faster in Minnesota compared to the rest of the nation. Employment in the pharmaceutical industry grew nearly twice as fast in Minnesota as in the rest of the nation. And despite the growing number of Minnesotans seeking post-secondary education, Minnesota’s bio-business organizations say that one of the most serious threats to their growing industries is the projected shortage of talented professionals.
"Minnesota is still a dominant player in key areas of bio-business such as medical technology, but we appear to be losing ground to other states," said David Etzwiler, executive director of the Medtronic Foundation. "While the large med tech companies are still hiring and growing, hiring in small, medium and start-up companies has slowed significantly. That means that we're not producing as many new ideas and inventions as before, ideas that can be commercialized and translated into more jobs."
"This unique collaboration between business and education provides real world opportunities for Minnesota's best and brightest students, with the hope that they will remain engaged in some of the state's most important industries, all while potentially uncovering innovation that will have a positive impact on both healthcare and Minnesota economy," said Etzwiler.
The Mayo Scholars Program was developed by the Mayo Clinic and Meslow with financial and conceptual support from the Medtronic Foundation and Mayo Clinic Office of Intellectual Property and administrative support from the Minnesota Private College Fund. The program has three main objectives: (1) to assist Mayo's Office of Intellectual Property in the evaluation of new product submissions by Mayo inventors, (2) to provide research internship opportunities for undergraduate science and business students, and (3) to provide leadership development and research opportunities for MBA students.
“Mayo welcomed the opportunity to provide a meaningful real world learning experience to students,” said Susan Stoddard, Ph.D. from Mayo Clinic Office of Intellectual Property. “We are proud to participate in a program that helps the state of Minnesota grow and keep talent for the state’s ever-growing life sciences industries,” she said.
The Mayo Clinic Office of Intellectual Property serves as the bridge between new medical technology and discoveries and the marketplace. Within the Office of Intellectual Property, Mayo Clinic Medical Devices develops products that are the result of research and clinical use to improve patient care at Mayo Clinic. Each device has been designed to address a clinical need for which nothing was commercially available.
Since 1986 the office has signed more than 660 license agreements, filed more than 2,029 patent applications and received over 590 patents for Mayo Clinic intellectual property. To date, the Mayo Clinic Office of Intellectual Property has been involved in over 30 start-up companies resulting from Mayo Clinic discoveries. Some of the projects studied by students in the Mayo Scholars Program represent opportunities for additional start-ups.
Meslow is delighted with the program so far. “It’s been an exceptional experience working with one of the world’s most prestigious health care systems and I am excited about the quality of the research done by our students and with the collaboration between all of the organizations involved,” he said.