David Askenazi M.D., MSPH, professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, has received funding from the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to support his project ZorrowFlow.

The ZorroFlow is a neonatal external urine collection device that has been designed to provide a safe, comfortable, and easy-to-use system for continuous measurement of urine output and sampling in neonates.  

“Knowing the urine output level of a critically ill patient is a critical piece of information for clinicians,” explains Dr. Askenazi. “It can help them determine the amount of fluid to prescribe and inform them about a patient’s organ perfusion. For neonates and small children, the current urine collection methods have significant drawbacks. Zorroflow provides a safe and comfortable method for urine collection and fills a critical void in our ability to care for neonates and small children.”

Dr. Askenazi has worked with the UAB Department of Engineering to create and test multiple prototypes using 3-D printing. The funding from the Harbert Institute will allow Dr. Askenazi’s team to create a steel mold of the most recent prototype and produce 1,000 devices to perform the final efficacy, safety and usability tests needed prior to FDA approval.

The ZorrowFlow project was one of 11 early-stage projects selected by the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to receive grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Regional Innovation Strategies program. The Regional Innovation Strategies program supports proof-of-concept and early-stage product development.