The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a community driven by its students, and one of those students is enriching the lives of countless people through his engineering and business development.
Meet Larry Blankenship, a graduate student at UNC who found his true purpose after many successful years of experience in business, healthcare and cardiology. He’s lived many different lives serving as a CEO, COO, president and director for multiple start-up companies and as a submarine sailor in the Navy. Now, Blakenship, at the age of 78, is returning to education, pursuing his master’s in Counseling to use his vast career knowledge to help others.
But first, he has a pretty big project to complete – one that could help save the lives of those facing heart complications.
Recently, Blankenship received the Early-Stage Capital and Retention award for $250,000 as a part of the Advanced Industries Accelerator Program. The grant is used to help start or enhance young Colorado companies.
The grant money, as well as $500,000 acquired from outside investors, will be used to kickstart the development of Blankenship’s newest idea, the CardioScout, which will advance the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure. The device is a microinjector that works inside the heart, lowering the risk involved with most heart surgeries.
According to a press release from the Mayo Clinic, “The CorNav CardioScout Epicardial Access System and Micro-injection System is designed with the goal of providing minimally invasive, high resolution, agile navigation across the epicardium to deliver injectable compounds that could help to repair failing myocardium (heart muscle).”
Blakenship says the heart is one of the most important parts of the body, and any surgeries involving the heart are very difficult to perform.
“In healthy adults, 65% of the blood volume in the left ventricle is pushed into the bloodstream each cycle. In heart failure patients, this can drop down to 20%, not enough blood flow to live a normal lifestyle,” Blakenship said.
The CardioScout system uses stem cells, a specialized type of cell that can transform into bone, muscle, brain or blood cells, and the micro injector developed by CorNav, and embeds them inside the left ventricle of the heart while it’s still beating, rebuilding the damaged tissues.
Over the next two years, Blankenship will work with the Mayo Clinic and CorNav Corporation, a Boulder-based medical device company that he is the Chief Operating Officer of, on developing a prototype, adhering to FDA standards, and at the end of the timeline gain an approved FDA 510(k) clearance needed to begin clinical sales.
“I’m humbled by the support we’re receiving for this concept and look forward to seeing it help people who suffer from heart failure,” Blankenship said.
In the Heart of the Sea
Blankenship’s journey to seeking better treatment for congestive heart failure started in a completely different profession, as a sailor aboard a submarine, which led him to finding a love for engineering and creation.
“I was part of the military-industrial complex designing computers and systems for the Navy and the Air Force,” Blankenship said. “The Navy taught me how to work, learn, accomplish and feel good about myself.”
During his time in the Navy, available resources helped Blankenship find Arizona State University, a place that suited him educationally and financially. That’s where he began work with a team of 40, managing the design of IV pumps that set into human veins.
Blankenship said that his dedication to his engineering is motivated by the desire to help people get the drugs and the surgery they need to live.
“Something happened in 1989,” Blankenship said. “The FDA released a study that stated 45% of medical device recalls were caused by design errors. That’s embarrassing to [the] engineering profession, so I did quality consulting and design consulting for about seven years to prevent these errors.”
Blankenship proceeded to work with startup companies across Colorado, contributing to several patents for lifesaving surgical tools.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Blankenship retired from his research and development positions in 2019 and began work on his next big project.
“I was sensitive to the diagnosis of serious illnesses,” Blankenship said. “I’ve lost people in my life, so when I retired, I asked myself, ‘What do I want to do?' I want to learn to help people one on one. However, I knew that you don’t just go giving advice... you can do more harm than help.”
Helping Others Help Themselves
Inspired to return to school and learn the proper skills to help, Blankenship went to various universities in Colorado, searching for a mentorship role in counseling. After finding UNC, Blankenship decided to enroll, appreciating the practical focus of UNC’s degrees.
Now, Blankenship is working towards his master’s degree in Counseling and enjoying every moment of it.
“My generation, somebody my age, may not be comfortable with a 26-year-old counselor,” said Blankenship. “I can relate to anybody in the baby boomer era. It might be a hospice where I want to help people – people who are facing serious end-of-life issues but also their families who are struggling with something serious going on.”
Blankenship is on track to graduate in 2026 at 80 years of age, and while he advances his career further, Blankenship hopes to inspire people with his story. His advice to his fellow students is to always follow their heart and to find something they love doing and make that their career field.
“There is always room at the top of your career,” Blankenship said. “If you have a passion for something and you make yourself good at what you do, there is always room at the top.”
Blakenship is currently taking a year off to attend to the success of the CardioScout system and will resume classes at UNC in the fall 2025 semester.
More Stories
-
Turning a New LEAF with Composting
Reduciendo el desperdicio a través de la composta
-
‘In It for the Long Haul,’ Alumna and District 6 Educator Wins Presidential Teaching Award
Egresada de UNC y educadora del Distrito 6 gana medalla presidencial de enseñanza
-
A Return to FAFSA Familiarity in 25-26
De vuelta a lo conocido con FAFSA en 2025-26
-
Top Stories of 2024 Showcase Impact, Innovation and Inspiration
Las mejores noticias del 2024: impacto, innovación e inspiración
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube