Stony Brook professor receives SUNY Grant to develop spinal cord blood flow device

Thomas F. Floyd, MD, a Professor of Anesthesiology at Stony Brook Medicine, has been awarded $50,000 through SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF), which supports the development and commercialization of innovations by SUNY faculty and students. The SUNY grant supports his development of a disposable spinal cord probe designed to help measure spinal cord blood flow as a tool measure spinal cord ischemia, which can lead to paralysis.

Dr. Floyd is one of only five SUNY professors to receive the TAF award. For more on his research see this Department of Anesthesiology webpage.

“Technologies and treatments founded on SUNY campuses can be life-altering, and this important program allows us to speed the development and commercial success of our best ideas and innovations,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Projects supported by this most recent round of TAF funding could have an astounding impact on the health and well-being of New York’s citizens, industries and communities. Congratulations to each of the awardees.”

“We’re honored to support this latest testament to SUNY’s extraordinary research capacity,” said Dr. Tim Killeen, SUNY vice chancellor for research and president of the Research Foundation for SUNY. “TAF awards target critical research and development milestones – such as feasibility studies, prototyping and testing – that demonstrate that an idea or innovation has commercial potential. Our goal is to help students and faculty increase the attractiveness of their discoveries to potential outside investors.”

Since 2011, the TAF program has invested more than $1.3 million in funding to support the advancement of SUNY innovations from the lab to the marketplace. External partners have invested an additional $1.8 million in TAF-funded projects.