Stentix won the 2025 Y-Prize competition after presenting their business plan for a bile duct stent that can be adjusted noninvasively to help patients maintain bile flow without further surgical intervention. Stentix makes use of MORF, a magnetic, self-reconfiguring “origami-style” material invented in the lab of Cynthia Sung, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) in Penn Engineering. The Stentix team included Penn students Summer Cobb (SEAS), Amanda Kossoff (Vagelos LSM), Elizabeth Jia (Vagelos LSM) and Aarsha Shah (Vagelos LSM).
The Y-Prize, which is cosponsored by PCI, the Mack Institute, Penn Engineering and Venture Lab, is a competition where members of the Penn community propose the best applications for an emerging technology from Penn Engineering. The winning team receives $10,000 and Stentix plans to use this prize to further develop the technology to help patients suffering from bile duct obstructions. Read more about the winning invention here.