IEEE notes the passing of husband, father, friend, and colleague Colin Brenan, who dedicated his career to developing novel technologies to accelerate drug discovery. He was an exceptional scientist and engineer—highly creative and intellectually gifted.
A serial entrepreneur and seasoned executive, Colin founded several life science companies over the course of his career. Two of his most notable achievements were the development of OpenArray and RapidFire, high-throughput screening technologies that he pioneered while at BioTrove. These inventions revolutionized the identification and development of small molecules, and they are used by many companies and labs across the globe to advance research and enable the pursuit of novel medicines.
His final professional role was CEO of Kibur Medical Inc., where he was advancing a proprietary drug-tumor profiling technology to help create improved oncology drugs, a poignant focus while he himself battled cancer.
Colin was an author on more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and reports advancing the science and technology of confocal microscopy, hyper spectral imaging, microsurgical robotics, and bio-microsystems. He was an inventor on 24 U.S. and foreign patents and more than 20 pending patent applications. He was also an avid supporter of IEEE and served as a past editor of Pulse, as well as a long-time member of the editorial advisory board.
In addition to his many technical contributions to the life sciences sector over the last 30 years, Colin’s optimism was infectious. He approached his daily work and his personal life through an incredible positive lens, even in the face of adversity. With his combined intellect, passion, kindness, and humility, he was a beloved, trusted collaborator and mentor to many. We are so very proud of all that he accomplished in his life and of his commitment to improving the lives of others. We will miss him immensely.
To honor Colin’s legacy and perpetuate his memory, the IEEE Engineering Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) partnered with the IEEE Foundation to establish the IEEE EMBS Colin Brenan Memorial Fund. The specific use of the Fund will be determined in partnership with Colin’s family and will focus on supporting initiatives and activities within the biomedical engineering and health technology field that were important to Colin during life.