Dartmouth Engineering Student Team Is Collegiate Inventors Competition Finalist

The GyroGel team (l to r): PhD Innovation Program Fellow Peter Bertone and PhD candidate Levi Olevsky. (Photo by Aleyna La Croix)

"I believe the field of tissue engineering can revolutionize the way we treat and care for patients across the field of medicine," said Bertone. "It's new, it's exciting, and the science is ripe for clinical translation."

With over 55,000 new cases of oral cancer in the US annually, there is a large and growing need for better treatment methods and outcomes. Current maxillofacial tumor treatment options are expensive, require multiple complex procedures, offer limited shaping for fit and contour, and significantly reduce quality-of-life for patients.

"I was drawn to biomedical engineering, and specifically bone tissue regeneration, because it combines my passion for problem-solving with a direct impact on patient care," said Olevsky. "I've always been fascinated by how the body repairs itself, and working on ways to enhance bone healing allows me to bridge engineering principles with medicine to address critical clinical needs."

Combining knowledge across multiple fields—materials, chemistry, fabrication, biology, 3D printing, and sintering—GyroGel offers a bone graft substitute for repairing complex maxillofacial defects with a single, simplified procedure. Their biodegradable, biocompatible scaffold stimulates regeneration of natural bone while allowing customized shaping to fit each patient's facial structure to preserve and restore their appearance.

"Our invention doesn't just promote bone regeneration, it does so with attention to both function and aesthetics," explained Olevsky. "In facial reconstruction, restoring appearance is just as important as restoring structural integrity, and I'm proud that our work considers both to improve patient outcomes."

"I've always been an innovator at heart," added Bertone. "My path in life has been to find where I can make the most impact, where I can innovate to make a difference for people."

A confocal microscopic image of the GyroGel scaffold where the red is the mineral lattice integrated with yellow polymer cryogel. (Image by Peter Bertone via the Dartmouth microscopy imaging core)

The first-round judges for each Collegiate Inventors Competition represent a broad cross-section of technological fields. Entries are evaluated based on originality, process, level of student initiative, and potential value and usefulness to society. Finalists will present their inventions in October to a panel composed of the most influential inventors and invention experts in the nation—National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officials.

Meanwhile, voting for the People's Choice Award, a special prize of $2,000 plus a patent acceleration certificate from USPTO, is open now through October 15 at 5:00pm ET.

A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the Collegiate Inventors Competition recognizes and rewards the innovations of college students and their advisors that have the potential of receiving patent protection. Introduced in 1990, the competition has featured more than 500 innovators and awarded more than $1 million to student teams for their original work and scientific achievement.