By Jared F. Slanina

One idea can make a world of difference for patients everywhere. But how does that idea turn into a real product that makes it to the patient?

NEOMED’s Bench to Bedside program helps provide this solution, pairing students with professionals from various industries to develop medical innovations from concept to prototype.

The program culminates with the annual NEOvations Bench to Bedside Competition in a showcase event, where teams can earn up to $10,000 as a first-place prize to invest in their innovations.

Wrap Star

The prize money has made a major impact for Wrap Star, the team that took home first-place honors at the 2025 competition. The team, which includes College of Medicine students Sarah Kassis, Sofia Perez, Surbhi Srinivas, Emma Dang and Sarah Mizra, created a reversible, color-changing gauze and wrap that senses humidity to enhance wound care monitoring.

“Winning first place validated that our idea was real, feasible and worth pursuing,” said third-year medical student Sarah Kassis. “It gave our team confidence and momentum to keep pushing forward.”

The team has been actively working on the patenting and prototyping process to bring Wrap Star closer to real-world use.

“Wrap Star will help improve wound care by making bandaging simpler, quicker and more secure,” Kassis contended. “This means patients will get better protection and healing, while also making the process easier for healthcare providers and families.”

The Wrap Star team also earned the People’s Choice award and an additional $1,000 in prize money.

NEOFlow

The team behind NEOFlow, a device to improve flow in dialysis, was also among the winning teams. The group, which includes NEOMED students Adam Grden, Sameer Parashar and Nafees Sathik, was awarded third-place and $2,500 in seed money for their device.

“NEOFlow aims to reduce mechanical complications that arise due to clogging on the catheter and visceral fat wrapping around the catheter. In doing so, it reduces the need for an additional surgery,” Sathik explained.

The team has since been busy filing for a provisional patent as they work towards gaining a utility patent. They have also presented the catheter at the American Society of Nephrology Conference and the Association of Indian Physicians of Northern Ohio Conference in the fall. Additionally, NEOFlow is conducting additional tests with a new design to improve the flexibility needed for more accurate results.

“This award gave us validation for the necessity and potential profitability of the product,” said Sathik. “It showed us that even though there are people who do not know what peritoneal dialysis is, they are invested in our idea of improving patient outcomes.”

LEARN MORE

To learn more or become involved with NEOMED’s NEOvations Bench to Bedside program, visit 380cebbe0d.nxcli.io/bench-to-bedside/.