Montana State’s new biomedical facility is an interdisciplinary hub for research, training

BOZEMAN - Montana State University recently opened its Biomedical Innovation for Research and Development Hub, an interdisciplinary training and research site that brings together engineering, nursing and computer science to advance life-saving technologies. Called the BioReD Hub, the program also provides collaborative opportunities for students in research and clinical practice.

Funded in part by a $429,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the hub aims to expand biomedical engineering research and education at MSU with an emphasis on developing new technologies to improve rural health care, said hub director Bernadette McCrory, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering.

MSU contributed $161,000 to the project through its Office of Research and Economic Development, the college of engineering, the Gianforte School of Computing and the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing.

"Health care is a tactile process," McCrory said. "You can't just watch a video and know how to do something. You need to put your hands on simulators and people. And you need to be able to practice these techniques when under distress, such as when you're tired, hot and hungry."

"We can't advance the discussion about the health of Montanans in rural communities without taking into consideration our engineering colleagues, computer science colleagues and those that help design our systems of care," said hub co-director Elizabeth Johnson, assistant professor of nursing, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the new facility.

The BioReD Hub is located just east of Bozeman in a 2,000-square-foot space designed to showcase research, McCrory said. It includes a makerspace, co-working areas and high-fidelity simulators. Equipment such as a laparoscopy surgery simulator, brain-wave measurement tools and clinical simulation manikins allow researchers to tackle technology and design challenges. Projects are inspired largely by health care delivery needs close to home, such as expanded children's health initiatives and trauma care. Other simulators at the hub provide training in clinical decision-making when new technologies are introduced at the bedside or when managing unfamiliar diseases, disorders or populations.

The hub is home to a number of research projects. For example, Nadya Modyanova, assistant research professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, is studying how children and adults with language disabilities and/or autism use nonverbal ways of communicating, such as through gestures, facial expressions or even shaping their shoulders. As a BioReD Hub research faculty, Modyanova and a team of students also use eye tracking and electroencephalography to ascertain children's and adults' language comprehension and identify how to better support communication.

A 50-person study digging into that question is funded in part by the Montana IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. Montana INBRE supports projects that enhance biomedical research capacity, expands and strengthens the research capabilities of biomedical faculty and provides access to biomedical resources for undergraduate and graduate students.

Another project at the BioReD Hub is a "smart patch" called TrialWear, for children who are participating in cancer-related clinical trials. This patch is worn on the skin and contains a geospatial locator that provides information to local care providers that can help prevent drug interactions or treatments that could disqualify the child from continuing a potentially lifesaving clinical trial. The patch was invented by Johnson, who has experience as a pediatric research nurse and pharmaceutical clinical trial manager. She enlisted design and production help from students and faculty in of the college of engineering, as well as computer scientists and researchers in MSU's Geospatial Core Facility.

"We are working on using machine learning, which is a form of artificial intelligence, for remote health monitoring," said hub co-director Laura Stanley, associate professor of computer science at MSU's Gianforte School of Computing. A medical professional using tools like this could remotely monitor a patient who's wearing a device like a smart watch for conditions such as respiratory distress, she said.

"If their blood oxygen gets too low, we could send them an automated message urging them to go the emergency room," she said.

Stanley said machine learning could help fine-tune the meaning of the data gathered to perhaps one day remotely distinguish between symptoms caused by different respiratory ailments.

The hub is also instrumental in progressing a new model of community-based participatory design of hospitals and care facilities, funded by MSU's Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, Johnson said. Through facility assessments and resident interviews, MSU researchers are integrating new design concepts into a critical access hospital in Montana to enhance provider satisfaction, patient wellness and community involvement in healthcare delivery decision-making. In partnership with Texas A&M University, new virtual skylights and virtual windows will be placed in hallways and congregation areas to simulate natural light, which has been shown to improve mood and mental sharpness.

Additional interdisciplinary projects will be fostered through the BioReD Hub's seed grants, which offer up to $5,000 in funding for successful applicants.

"These seed grants will be for researchers to collect pilot data and submit new proposals coming out of the BioReD," McCrory said. The grants are expected to be available starting in the spring 2025 semester.

Interdisciplinary research has long been a part of MSU's repertoire, and expanding such efforts is part of the university's strategic plan, Choosing Promise.

"The BioReD Hub is providing a space and resources for innovation that intends to address biomedical problems," said Alison Harmon, MSU's vice president for research and economic development. "The genius of the hub lies in the interdisciplinary approach and in the ongoing testing and use of tools developed for medical professional training. The hub is an example of how MSU combines our talents and expertise to develop the most viable and potentially useful solutions."