Jeffrey R. Capadona, Ph.D.

Brain scientists face a dilemma: Conventional wire implants are rigid and can sometimes traumatize that sensitive, vital organ; but softer materials now being tested by researchers, have their own problems—they often bend or buckle and can’t be easily forced into squishy tissue inside the skull.

A biomedical research team at Case Western Reserve University might have found an answer to that problem—inspired by the bothersome, buzzing, blood-sucking mosquito.

“Until now, researchers were mostly inserting stiff, metallic devices into the Jello-like material of the brain, and that can be a real problem,” said Jeffrey Capadona, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering. “But we think we’ve found a solution—and we can thank mosquitos for that… Continue reading.

With a new $5.5 million, five-year federal grant, a Case Western Reserve University researcher is leading an international team to develop functional materials inspired by some of the most desirable substances found in nature.

The bioinspired materials produced in the project will be tested in soft-sided robots, but are expected to have a wide range of practical uses.

Faculty and students from Case Western Reserve, the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and the University of Chicago will study and develop materials that mimic such material as sticky and durable caddisfly silk, the adaptable skin of a sea cucumber and a substance that directs cellular behavior.

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Jeffrey Capadona, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve, Rowan and Weder lead the study of materials inspired by the sea cucumber, squid beak, and pine cone, which would allow the robot to adapt to different environments and tasks. The sea cucumber’s skin is typically soft and pliable, but can become rigid as a defense mechanism against predators. The tip of the squid beak can cut through muscle and bone, but the fleshy part near the squid’s mouth is 100 times softer. The pinecone opens in dry air and closes when wet… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the pending induction of Jeffrey R. Capadona, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Graduate Education / Research Health Scientist, Biomedical Engineering / Rehabilitation Research & Discovery, Case Western Reserve University / Department of Veterans Affair, to its College of Fellows. Dr. Capadona was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows For outstanding contributions in the area of biomaterials, focusing on the interface between neural engineering and neuroscience for neural interfacing..