Top USC Innovations Chosen to Transform Patient Care, Cancer Treatment, and Advanced Manufacturing

The USC Stevens Translation Catalyst Awards support proof of concept research to advance technologies from lab to product

What if a device the size of a smartphone could screen every newborn for jaundice in three minutes? What if doctors could detect Alzheimer’s disease decades before memory loss begins? What if surgeons could measure heart pressure without ever threading a catheter into the body?

These are not distant possibilities.

They are among the innovations that the USC Stevens Center for Innovation is advancing right now through its 2026 Stevens Translation Catalyst (STC) Awards. The STC program is part of USC Stevens Center for Innovation’s broader mission to advance the commercialization of university innovations through strategic intellectual property development, industry engagement, startup formation, and translational partnerships. By investing in technologies with strong commercial potential, the program helps USC discoveries reach the patients, consumers, and industries where they can create meaningful real-world benefits.

“The Stevens Translation Catalyst program is designed to support technologies at critical inflection points. Our goal is to help USC innovations move beyond the laboratory by funding the key validation studies, prototypes, regulatory milestones, and translational activities that can meaningfully de-risk a technology for industry partners, investors, and future commercialization,” said Dr. Erin Overstreet, Executive Director of the USC Stevens Center.

Together, the 2026 cohort spans medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, neurodegenerative disease, oncology, advanced imaging, AI-enabled healthcare, additive manufacturing, and translational biomedical engineering. What unites them is a shared sense of urgency: real people are waiting for these solutions.

This year’s awardees were selected from across USC’s research ecosystem through a rigorous review evaluating scientific merit, intellectual property strength, translational readiness, and commercial potential. Each project has already demonstrated promising results; the STC funding is designed to generate the validation data, prototypes, and regulatory groundwork that industry partners and investors need to take the next step.

“Many highly innovative technologies require targeted development work before they are ready for industry engagement. This program helps bridge that gap, and in doing so, it gives discoveries that might otherwise stall a genuine path to patients, consumers, and markets,” added Dr. Overstreet.

We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 STC Awards:

Goodbye to Catheters: A Gentler Way to Diagnose Pediatric Kidney Reflux

Principal Investigator: Jesse Yen | USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Vesicoureteral reflux, a condition where urine flows backward from the bladder toward the kidneys, affects up to 1% of children and, if undetected, can cause serious kidney damage. Today’s diagnosis requires a catheter and radiation exposure, which risks infection and is a painful experience for young patients. This new approach uses a simple IV-administered agent that releases harmless microbubbles when activated by ultrasound, making reflux visible without catheters or radiation. Funding will support in vivo validation and toxicology studies to advance this safer diagnostic method toward clinical use.

Restoring Sight with Sound: A Wearable Ultrasound Device for the Blind

Principal Investigator: Qifa Zhou | USC Viterbi School of Engineering

For the millions of people living with retinal degeneration, the options for restoring vision have historically required risky surgery to implant hardware in the eye. This project takes a radically different approach: a non-invasive wearable device that uses focused ultrasound to stimulate the retina from outside the body. Preclinical studies have already demonstrated strong efficacy and safety, and a functional prototype exists. Funding will support optimization and regulatory-aligned validation to move this promising platform toward clinical trials.

Engineering the Immune System to Fight Bone Cancer

Principal Investigator: Yong Zhang | USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Bone metastases, cancer that has spread to the skeleton, are among the most painful and difficult-to-treat complications of advanced cancer. This project engineers exosomes, tiny biological vesicles, to carry immune-activating signals directly to bone tumors, recruiting the body’s own defenses to fight back. The platform has demonstrated early promise and may ultimately be applicable across multiple cancer types. Funding will support pharmacological and efficacy studies to build the proof-of-concept data needed to attract industry partners and advance toward human trials.

A New Target for ALS — and Hope for a Broader Patient Population

Principal Investigator: Justin Ichida | Keck School of Medicine of USC

ALS is a relentless and fatal disease with few effective treatments. This project has identified a previously overlooked gene, CCDC146, as a promising therapeutic target, and developed antisense oligonucleotides (short molecules that can silence specific genes) to block it. Critically, this approach may be applicable to a broader range of ALS patients than existing therapies. With substantial preclinical data already in hand, funding will support lead candidate selection and in vivo efficacy testing, key steps toward an Investigational New Drug application and eventual clinical development.

A First-in-Class Peptide That Punches Through Cancer Cell Walls

Principal Investigator: Heinz-Josef Lenz | Keck School of Medicine of USC

Most cancer drugs work by interfering with tumor cell chemistry — but this therapy takes a more direct approach. Derived from human beta defensin-1, a naturally occurring immune peptide, it physically ruptures cancer cell membranes, killing tumor cells through a mechanism to which it is difficult for cancers to develop resistance. Preclinical efficacy has been strong, and a startup, CelluXo, has been formed to bring it to market. Funding will support optimization, stability studies, and in vivo validation to advance this potentially transformative oncology platform.

Measuring Heart Pressure Without a Catheter

Principal Investigator: Niema Pahlevan | USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Left ventricular pressure waveforms, a key tool for assessing heart health, currently require threading a catheter into the heart to measure. This invasive procedure carries real risks and is not broadly accessible for patient monitoring. This project uses a software-driven approach to reconstruct the full pressure waveform non-invasively, using existing cardiac imaging and physiologic measurements. Early validation in both animal models and retrospective human studies has been promising. Funding will support prospective clinical validation to position the platform for regulatory review and integration into standard cardiac care.

A PET Scan That Catches Alzheimer’s Disease Earlier

Principal Investigator: Hussein Yassine | Keck School of Medicine of USC

Pathological changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease begin decades before symptoms appear. This project advances a novel PET imaging tracer that detects disruptions in brain lipid metabolism, an emerging early biomarker of the disease, potentially opening a window for intervention long before cognitive decline is apparent. The technology is already well-advanced preclinically, and IND submission is the next major milestone. Funding will support regulatory documentation and IND preparation to accelerate first-in-human studies through a startup, PebRx.

Unlocking 3D Printing for the World’s Toughest Metal Alloys

Principal Investigator: Wen Chen | USC Viterbi School of Engineering

High-performance superalloys, the materials that keep jet engines and power turbines running under extreme conditions, have long been considered challenging to 3D print, because they crack during the process. This project introduces a novel microalloying strategy that eliminates cracking while preserving the exceptional mechanical properties these alloys are known for. If it scales, it could transform manufacturing in aerospace, energy, and defense. Funding will support validation across additional alloy systems and advancement toward patents and licensing.

Reading 50 Cancer Biomarkers at Once — Without Destroying the Sample

Principal Investigator: Cristina Zavaleta | USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Cancer is not one disease — it is thousands, defined by complex combinations of molecular signals. Current diagnostic tools can typically measure only a handful of those signals at a time. This platform uses Raman spectroscopy and proprietary “spectral barcodes” to simultaneously detect more than 50 tumor biomarkers in a single, non-destructive assay. A strong interdisciplinary team spanning engineering, pathology, and clinical oncology is driving the work. Funding will support validation against clinical standards and additional steps toward commercialization.

Bilisense: Faster, Fairer Jaundice Testing for Newborns

Principal Investigator: Maral Mousavi | USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Jaundice affects up to 60% of newborns, yet current testing can be slow, costly, or unreliable in babies with darker skin tones. Bilisense is a portable electrochemical sensor that measures bilirubin from a small heel-prick blood sample in under three minutes—right at the bedside. It’s faster than lab testing, more accurate than optical analyzers, and designed to work for every baby regardless of complexion. Funding will support pilot clinical validation and early manufacturing with an ISO 13485-compliant partner, helping position this technology for licensing or startup formation.