From Lab to Market: SilkMed is Helping Patients with Burn Wounds Through Tufts Research

At the heart of Tufts Gordon Institute’s MS in Innovation & Management (MSIM) program are Innovation Sprints. These fast-paced, immersive team ventures ask students to identify key problems, prototype solutions, and synthesize business and financial models that scale. While Sprints are a key component of the MSIM curriculum, they also offer the option for students to create real business ventures they can take on the competition circuit, seek funding for, and continue working on even after graduation.

SilkMed teammates (from left to right) Mithun Shivaramaiah, Meghan Davis, Sebastian Useche, Rewa Karam, and Fan Mo are looking to revolutionize the burn wound industry by leveraging proprietary silk-based technology developed by Tufts University’s Kaplan Silk Lab, run by Dr. David Kaplan. With a working prototype to treat partial thickness burns and animal clinical trials finalized, SilkMed aims to help burn patients by reducing risk of infection, providing comfort, and streamlining the treatment process for physicians.

Initially, the team struggled to crystallize a product idea that helped address the real-world issues they were collectively driven to solve. “In the beginning of our Sprint it was a challenge to find one idea that aligned with all of our individual passions,” shared Meghan. After meeting with Kevin Oye, Executive Director of Tufts Gordon Institute, Meghan said, “We were introduced to Dr. Kaplan, and quickly found unison in wanting to help burn patients through his lab’s silk-based research.”

For Rewa, this Sprint has been an opportunity to put into practice various lessons from her courses at Tufts Gordon Institute. “Having a support system in the form of my teammates and the MSIM faculty and mentors has allowed me to become comfortable being uncomfortable. My team and I are in this journey together and we push each other forward.”

Looking to the future of SilkMed, Sebastian said, “Hopefully this is only the beginning — our team envisions this portfolio of products making a true impact for burn patients worldwide.” The team is currently preparing to submit grant applications to support their next steps in bringing SilkMed's silk dressings to market. SilkMed also recently took home the second-place prize in the Healthcare & Life Science track in this year’s Tufts $100k New Ventures Competition.

To learn more about Innovation Sprints, click here.