Purdue Startup Scores Federal Grant

The tiny device can be inserted into existing MRI machines. (photo courtesy Purdue University)

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a nearly $230,000 grant to a Purdue University-affiliated startup. West Lafayette-based MR-Link LLC says it plans to use the funding to further develop its coin-sized device, which aims to help medical professionals conduct MRI scans more efficiently.

MR-Link was the only Indiana startup to receive the Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I grant and was one of 169 throughout the country to receive funding.

The company’s device works with MRI systems to perform various imaging scans while recording electro-physiological signals. Purdue says the device allows researchers to record, stimulate and image the brain and other organs in synchronization with the MRI system, which allows them to understand the patient’s physiology more effectively.

Co-founder Nishant Babaria, a graduate student in the Purdue School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, says the grant will allow the team to develop the device and software into a more user-friendly system so the company can begin to distribute beta testing units to MRI researchers. They also hope to use the funding to grow the company’s research team to help package the software and hardware.

The STTR program aims to "support scientific excellence and increase private sector commercialization of technological innovation," according to Purdue. You can learn more about MR-Link’s technology below: