Life saver

Umut Gurkan, the Wilbert Austin Professor of Engineering, is being honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for some life-saving engineering. He was named the winner of the 2025 Savio L-Y. Woo Translational Biomechanics Medal, which recognizes someone whose biomechanical research leads to improved health and livelihoods.

Gurkan’s work focuses on red blood cells and point of care diagnostics, or tests that can be performed at the bedside. He’s credited with making it easier to diagnose and manage sickle cell disease (SCD), a damaging blood disorder tha

afflicts millions worldwide. His invention, known commercially as Gazelle by Hemex Health, offers an inexpensive, accurate, and easy-to-use device to screen for SCD almost anywhere.

“The invention and commercialization of Gazelle have been transformative, especially in low- and middle-income countries,” Isaac Odame, a professor at the University of Toronto and medical director of the Global Sickle Cell Disease Network, said in a statement. “It’s a game-changer for universal screening, opening the door to timely and lifesaving interventions for sickle cell disease.”

Odame said the Gazelle device has been deployed in more than 44 countries, where it is reducing mortality rates by enabling early detection and treatment, especially in India and Africa.

Gurkan will be honored at ASME’s SB3C Summer Biomechanics Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference in June, where he will deliver the keynote address.

A professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, he called the award inspiring. “Receiving this medal is not just an honor but a call to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in medical technology to serve humanity,” he said.