Foudazi named honoree of first NMSU Intellectual Property Award

Cassie McClure | 575-312-3242 | cassie@mcclurepublications.com | Apr. 23, 2021

In celebration of World Intellectual Property Day April 26, New Mexico State University’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Arrowhead Center will recognize Reza Foudazi with the first NMSU Intellectual Property Award, which honors NMSU faculty or staff who have developed intellectual property with demonstrated societal, industrial or commercial benefits.

“One of Arrowhead’s highest charges and top priorities is working with NMSU’s inventors and innovators to ensure their work is available to the largest possible base of users and beneficiaries,” said Kathryn Hansen, Arrowhead Center CEO and director. “We look to support work and research that can change the lives of everyday people or advance industries through a day-to-day application.”

Foudazi is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and was selected due to his considerable patent portfolio and his commercialization work with Filtravate. Foudazi and his team invented a new method of membrane fabrication that is considerably more eco-friendly and has a higher filtration rate than conventional membranes.

“As the human population continues to grow, demands for clean water will increase, necessitating further development of water purification technologies,” Foudazi said. 

Arrowhead licensed the antimicrobial filtration membranes patent to VIC Technology Ventures, which started Filtrivate, a New Mexico and Las Cruces-based company. The company has obtained seed investment to validate and mature the technology while commercializing it for much-needed bioprocessing applications.

“This invention can greatly improve the productivity and performance in the bioprocessing industry, a multi-billion-dollar business,” Hansen said. “Filtration membranes also have a wide range of applications, from household water purification to large scale water treatment plants-from research lab to large pharmaceutical bioprocessing plants.”

Foudazi worked with Arrowhead Center through numerous programs such as LAUNCH and Aggie I-Corps, to name a few. The programs allowed him to define a path to market and finding companies to license the technology.

“This award was not possible without the hard work and determination of my students and the mentorship and support that my research group received from Arrowhead Center,” he said.

To celebrate Foudazi, the public is invited to attend the NMSU Intellectual Property Award Virtual Reception from 5 to 6 p.m. April 26 via Zoom. Registration is free and can be found at https://nmsu_ip_awards_2021.eventbrite.com/.

For any questions about technology commercialization at NMSU, contact Patricia Knighten at pmk@nmsu.edu or
505-918-5974.