Oxi-DENT Is a Randall Big Idea Winner
The Randall Family Big Idea Competition is designed to be an experience-based 
learning opportunity for University of Pittsburgh students interested in finding a big idea and discovering how to take it to the next steps towards start-up creation. This year, the big idea named Oxi-DENT, a therapeutic coating for dental implants, won the grand prize of $25,000. As the grand prize winner, the Oxi-DENT idea was chosen as the one with the most commercialization promise. Watch Oxi-DENT’s big idea video here.
Pitt’s Departments of Bioengineering and Chemical and Petroleum Engineering students involved in the project include:
- Noah Snyder (team lead), lab of Tracy Cui, PhD
- Andrew Glowacki, lab of Steven Little, PhD
- Kasey Catt, lab of Tracy Cui, PhD
- Zhanhong Jeff Du, lab of Tracy Cui, PhD
- James Eles, lab of Tracy Cui, PhD
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty mentors for this competition included Eric Beckman, PhD, and Charles Sfeir, DDS, PhD. As the technology developed moves forward, Drs. Cui and Little will also serve as mentors to the students.
The Randall Family Big Idea Competition is made possible through the generous support of the Randall family. Robert P. Randall was president and chief executive officer of the Three Rivers Aluminum Company (TRACO), a prominent regional door and window company, which was acquired by Alcoa and is now a division of Kawneer. Mr. Randall continues to give back to the community through his position on the Board of Trustees at the University of Pittsburgh, his work with the United States Chamber of Commerce, and as a board member of both the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance.
Congratulations, Oxi-DENT team!
Illustration: Oxi-DENT team. –Pitt’s Innovation Institute.