Winners of Second CMBB Biotech Bridge Hackathon Announced
FAU’s Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, within the Schmidt College of Science, has announced the winners of its second annual Biotech Bridge Hackathon.
Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (CMBB), within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, has announced the winners of its second annual Biotech Bridge Hackathon.
The three-day event is a competition where participants form teams, work intensively on a project, create a solution to life science problems using technology, and then pitch their ideas to judges. Unlike traditional hackathons that focus primarily on software development, the CMBB Hackathon’s biotech-focused format emphasizes scientific relevance, real-world application and teamwork.
The theme of this year’s competition was “Beat the Clock: Follow your Mind, Heart and Gut,” which attracted 60 students from across disciplines to create innovative solutions to extend the human health span.
“I am exceptionally proud of the students who demonstrated the initiative to step outside their comfort zones and participate in a hackathon for the first time,” said Shailaja Allani, Ph.D., director of the CMBB. “They successfully formed cross-disciplinary teams spanning from high school through graduate level, demonstrating confidence in their abilities and commitment to innovation. Most remarkably, within a span of less than 48 hours, they acquired proficiency with cutting-edge technology tools, developed functional applications and generated creative solutions to relevant health care problems.”
The winners of the 2026 hackathon are:
- First Place: Q-Beam - $1,500 cash prize
Project: A quantum computing-optimized surgical planner for brain tumor ablations
- Second Place: Health Lens - $1,000 cash prize
Project: A solution to spot Parkinson’s disease earlier through the detection of hidden symptoms
- Third Place: CogniAware - $500 cash prize
Project: A method to passively monitor digital user behavior to understand changes in cognitive health
This year, Florida Atlantic partnered with Palm Beach State College for the Hackathon. By engaging students from Palm Beach State College’s STEM programs, the university seeks to expand access to high-impact innovation opportunities, while strengthening regional workforce pipelines.
The event was sponsored by FAU’s Division of Research, the FAU John D. MacArthur Campus’ Office of Academic Affairs, the Florida Small Business Development Center at FAU, TriAxis Works, Prolindox, Fisher Scientific and Studio Solian.
Established in 2023, FAU Biotech Bridge aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry to give students insights into the wide array of non-academic career options in the rapidly growing biotechnology field. CMBB’s Biotech Bridge draws on the expertise of 47 FAU faculty from various disciplines, including cancer biology, biochemistry, computational chemistry, neuroscience and aging, as well as 34 affiliate faculty representing institutes and the biopharmaceutical industry.
For more information on FAU Biotech Bridge program, visit www.fau.edu/science/cmbb.
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Tags: students | engineering | technology | science | AI