University of Washington Bioengineering

What University of Washington Bioengineering does

The University of Washington Department of Bioengineering is a public academic department within the UW College of Engineering and UW School of Medicine, headquartered in Seattle, WA. Founded in 1967 and operating with approximately 103 employees and dozens of core faculty, the department delivers a portfolio of degree programs — an ABET-accredited BS, MS, BS/MS combined, the 10-month professional Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB), the online Master of Pharmaceutical Bioengineering (PharBE), and a PhD program with a Data Science option — alongside continuing education certificates and a BioEngage industry partnership program. Research is organized across themes including ultrasound imaging and therapy, microbubble contrast agents, biomaterials and tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, neural engineering, cardiac wound healing, point-of-care diagnostics, and biosensing.

Department revenue is earned through three streams: tuition (standard UW rates for in-state and out-of-state students), federal research grants (notably from NIH, including multi-million dollar R01 and MIRA awards to individual faculty), and technology licensing and spin-off formation via the UW CoMotion hub. Notable commercial outputs include the licensing of paper-based diagnostic technology to startup UbiDX and the graduation of MAB alumni into funded ventures such as Louiza Labs. The department's competitive position rests on a deep faculty talent bench, embedded clinical translation through UW Medicine, strategic industry partnerships with Philips Healthcare and other organizations, and a multi-decade track record of NIH-funded research with demonstrated clinical endpoints (e.g., FDA-approved CEUS for liver cancer in 2016).

The department operates as a non-commercial public entity, and the analysis that follows is framed for an audience evaluating its strategic positioning, research output, and commercialization pipeline rather than for an investable equity instrument.

Name

University of Washington Bioengineering

Legal name

University of Washington Department of Bioengineering

Website

https://bioe.uw.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UW Bioengineering is a public academic department at the University of Washington in Seattle offering undergraduate, master's, and PhD bioengineering programs, conducting NIH-funded research in ultrasound, biomaterials, neural engineering, and diagnostics, and licensing technologies to industry partners and startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Bioengineering Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAAALAO

Digital & AI-Enabled Diagnostics (algorithmic interpretation, decision support tied to assays)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Diagnostics (Biotech-related)

SECONDARYHDAHALAK

Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Semiconductors & Electronic Components/Sensors, MEMS & Optoelectronics

SECONDARYHLAGADAH

Cell-Based & Potency Assays (Bioassays)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services

Keywords

• Bioengineering education
• Academic research programs
• Tissue engineering research
• Ultrasound imaging research
• Neural engineering research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Programs: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition for bioengineering degree programs including BS, MS, MAB, PharBE, and PhD programs.
2. Research Grants and NIH Funding: Federal research funding from NIH, NSF, and other agencies. Professor Ayokunle Olanrewaju received $2.1M NIH MIRA grant. Professor Mike Averkiou received $3M NIH R01 grant. Multiple faculty hold active research grants.
3. Technology Licensing and Startups: Licensing of developed technologies to startups. UbiDX licensing testing system developed by Paul Yager's team. Spin-off companies like Louiza Labs from MAB alumni.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University of Washington Department of Bioengineering is an academic unit that delivers bioengineering education at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels, including the ABET-accredited BS program, MS, BS/MS combined pathway, Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB), Online Master of Pharmaceutical Bioengineering (PharBE), PhD, and a Certificate in Basic Bioscience. It also conducts sponsored research in ultrasound imaging and therapy, biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, neural engineering, cardiac biology, and point-of-care diagnostics, with select technologies licensed through UW CoMotion to startups such as UbiDX.

Product overview

The University of Washington Department of Bioengineering is an academic department offering a comprehensive suite of educational programs and research services. The portfolio includes undergraduate and graduate degree programs (Undergraduate, MS, BS/MS, Master of Applied Bioengineering, Online Master of Pharmaceutical Bioengineering, and PhD), continuing education certificates, industry partnership programs, and a seminar series. The Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) is a distinctive 10-month professional master's program that pairs students with dual mentors (faculty/clinician and alumni) to develop medical innovations. Research activities span multiple specialized labs focused on areas including ultrasound imaging and therapy, biomaterials, cardiac wound healing, neural engineering, and point-of-care diagnostics. The department also maintains an industry engagement program (BioEngage) to facilitate collaboration between academic researchers and industry partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Program in Bioengineering ABET-accredited undergraduate degree program providing foundational bioengineering coursework and specialized tracks, preparing students for careers in research, medical school, or industry.
• Master of Science (MS) in Bioengineering Research-focused master's degree providing advanced training in bioengineering principles and methodologies for students preparing for doctoral study or industry research roles.
• Bachelor's/Master's Program (BS/MS) Combined undergraduate-graduate degree pathway that lets qualified students streamline their progression to a master's degree in bioengineering.
• Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) Ten-month intensive professional master's program focused on medical innovation and entrepreneurship, pairing students with dual faculty/clinician and alumni mentors to develop practical healthcare solutions.
• Online Master of Pharmaceutical Bioengineering (PharBE) Online, asynchronous master's degree for working professionals seeking expertise in pharmaceutical bioengineering.
• PhD Program in Bioengineering Doctoral research program with an optional Data Science track, training students for academic and industry research careers in bioengineering.
• Certificate in Basic Bioscience Continuing-education certificate program providing foundational bioscience knowledge for professionals seeking to expand their expertise.
• BioEngage Industry Partnership Program Structured program connecting UW Bioengineering faculty and students with industry partners for collaborative research, talent recruitment, and technology licensing relationships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Professor Buddy Ratner: 340+ publications, 25+ patents over 51-year career
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Philips Healthcare/UltrasoundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2023Collaborating with Mike Averkiou's lab to implement ultrasound cavitation treatment technology on clinical ultrasound scanners. Philips is implementing technology developed in the research lab onto commercial clinical scanner platforms for accelerated clinical translation.
• University of CypruscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborators from University of Cyprus are working with the Averkiou lab on repurposing common drugs as mechanotherapeutic agents for cancer treatment in combination with ultrasound cavitation.
• UW Medicine - Lab Medicine & PathologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UW Lab Medicine & Pathology including Colin Pritchard, Eric Konnick, Steve Salipante for UW-OncoPlex genetic testing panel used in cancer patient care and treatment decisions.
• UW Medicine - RadiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Mike Averkiou's lab and Dr. Manjiri Dighe in UW Radiology to transfer contrast-enhanced ultrasound research from lab to clinic for cancer diagnosis and monitoring.
• UbiDXcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerStartup company licensing paper-based diagnostic testing technology developed by Paul Yager's team. Yager serves as Chief Scientific Officer. Technology focuses on at-home monitoring of inflammation biomarkers for disease management.
• CoMotion (UW Technology Transfer)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUW's entrepreneurship hub supporting proof-of-concept and business development for innovations including the Innovation Gap Fund that supports Paul Yager's diagnostic technology development.
• Population Health InitiativeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUW initiative supporting health-focused innovations, contributing to Innovation Gap Fund that supports diagnostic technology development.
• Colorado Antiviral Pharmacology LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Professor Ayokunle Olanrewaju's team on optimizing miniature mass spectrometer accuracy for measuring antiretroviral drugs as part of NIH MIRA grant.
• Washington National Primate Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAzadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad is a core scientist at WaNPRC, collaborating on neural engineering research involving non-human primate models.
• UW Center for NeurotechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAzadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad is an investigator with this NSF-funded ERC focused on neural technology development and brain-computer interfaces.
• Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJennifer Davis serves as ISCRM Director; collaborative research on cardiac wound healing and regeneration involving multiple labs within the institute.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MIT Department of Biological Engineering: MIT's flagship bioengineering department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs with research strengths in biomaterials, imaging, and computational biology. Directly comparable as a top-tier US bioengineering program with strong industry partnership and startup pipelines.
• University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering: Large biomedical engineering program with broad research portfolio including biomaterials, imaging, and neural engineering. Comparable in scale, NIH funding capture, and ABET-accredited undergraduate program.
• Stanford Bioengineering: Stanford's interdisciplinary bioengineering department spanning biomaterials, imaging, and computational bioengineering with deep Silicon Valley industry ties. Closely comparable in scale, scope, and translational research orientation.
• Rice University Bioengineering: Rice's bioengineering department with strong industry ties to the Texas Medical Center, research strengths in biomaterials and biomedical imaging. Comparable in applied bioengineering focus and clinical partnership model.
• Georgia Tech Biomedical Engineering: Top-ranked biomedical engineering program with strong industry partnerships and a major emphasis on translational research and startup creation. Comparable in applied bioengineering focus and Atlanta-based industry ecosystem.
• Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering: One of the oldest and largest US biomedical engineering programs with extensive clinical translation through Johns Hopkins Medicine. Comparable in research breadth (imaging, biomaterials, neuroengineering) and integration with a top-tier medical school.
• UC Berkeley Bioengineering: Interdisciplinary bioengineering department with strengths in synthetic biology, biomaterials, and computational bioengineering. Comparable as a top public-university program with strong industry partnerships in a major biotech hub.
• UCSF Biomedical Engineering: UCSF's biomedical imaging and bioengineering graduate group with deep integration into a top medical center, focused on translational medical technologies. Comparable in clinical-translational orientation and bioengineering-medical school integration.
• Duke Biomedical Engineering: Duke's biomedical engineering department with research strengths in imaging, biomaterials, and neuroengineering, integrated with Duke University Medical Center. Comparable in clinical-translation focus and faculty scale.
• Caltech Bioengineering: Caltech's small but elite bioengineering and bioinspired engineering program with strengths in bioimaging, microfluidics, and biosensors. Comparable in research intensity and high-impact technology development despite smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/post
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uw-bioengineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Washington Bioengineering