AIMBE
Fellowbook News
AIMBE Fellowbook collects news stories highlighting the members of the AIMBE College of Fellows. Read the latest stories, jump to the College Directory, or search below to find the newest research, awards, announcements and more for the leaders of the medical and biological engineering community.
CRISPR Can Now Hitch a Ride on Nanoparticles to Battle Disease
Daniel Anderson | Via Singularity Hub | November 22, 2017It started like any other day. Dr. Hao Yin walked into the lab at MIT, ready to check on his transgenic mice. He had no idea he was about to make history. Yin’s mice harbored a single mutated gene that gave them a terrible liver disease. Left untreated, the deteriorating liver fails to process nutrients, […]
How Andy Weir Engineered a Lunar City in Artemis
George Pantalos | Via www.ScienceFriday.com | November 21, 2017AIMBE Fellow, Dr. George Pantalos, was invited to talk about healthcare and surgery on space exploration missions for Andy Weir’s new novel, Artemis. For his novel, author Andy Weir researched how to smelt aluminum in space, combat fire hazards in an enclosed moonbase, and run a lunar city’s economy in the world of Artemis. Weir discusses how […]
Hiding in Plain Sight
Tejal Desai | Via UC San Francisco | November 21, 2017Glaucoma, which affects over 60 million people worldwide, can seem easy to treat: medicated eye drops can be used to ease the buildup of fluid in the eye that underlies the condition. If glaucoma is caught early, eye drops can prevent irreversible blindness. But prescription eye drops aren’t the perfect solution for glaucoma. Many elderly […]
Stroke Rehab Technology Aims To Speed Healing
Milos Popovic | Via MD+DI & QMED | November 21, 2017Watching someone who has suffered a stroke try to perform everyday actions such as walking down the sidewalk or even bringing a cup to their lips can serve as a sobering reminder of how fragile full and robust health is, and also serves as an inspiration for those dedicated to improving the lives of those […]
Ultrafast Pulses Coherently Control Function in a Living Cell
Stephen A. Boppart | Via Photonics Media | November 17, 2017Researchers have used light to excite a light-sensitive channel in the membrane of optogenetic mouse neurons. When the channels were excited, they allowed ions through, which caused the neurons to fire. The researchers say the same technique could be used on cells that are naturally responsive to light, such as retina cells. Previous research has […]
Molly Shoichet named Ontario’s first Chief Scientist
Molly Shoichet | Via University of Toronto | November 17, 2017University Professor Molly Shoichet (ChemE, IBBME) has been appointed Ontario’s Chief Scientist. “[Shoichet] is one of the top biomedical scientists in the country, with in-depth knowledge of Ontario’s research community,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. “As Chief Scientist, she will help us continue a proud tradition of science and research […]
Shining a light on the nervous system to thwart disease
E. Duco Jansen | Via Vanderbilt University | November 16, 2017Vanderbilt University researchers are teaming with peers from two other universities to develop ways to fight disease with light with the promise of minimally invasive, drug-free treatments for cardiac arrhythmia, high blood pressure, asthma, sleep apnea, diarrhea and other diseases. They’re testing infrared neuromodulation, which targets specific areas of the nervous system and even single […]
Rebuilding spinal cords with an engineer’s toolkit
Treena Arinzeh | Via Medical Xpress | November 16, 2017Like an earthquake that ruptures a road, traumatic spinal cord injuries render the body’s neural highway impassable. To date, there are neither workable repairs nor detours that will restore signal flow between the brain and limbs, reversing paralysis. “The problem with spinal cord injuries is that nerve cells do not regenerate,” explains Treena Arinzeh, director […]
Torque, a Flagship Pioneering Company, Launches Platform to Develop a New Class of Deep-Primed Immune Cell Therapies, Financed with $25M Series A and Led by a Veteran Management Team
Darrell Irvine | Via PR News Wire | November 14, 2017Torque, an immuno-oncology company developing Deep Primed™ cell therapies that direct and evoke immune responses in the tumor microenvironment, today announced the launch of its technology platform to create a new class of immune cell therapeutics to treat cancer, financed with $25 million in Series A capital by Flagship Pioneering. The Torque platform makes it […]
How to build better silk
Markus Buehler | Via MIT | November 9, 2017When it comes to concocting the complex mix of molecules that makes up fibers of natural silk, nature beats human engineering hands down. Despite efforts to synthesize the material, artificial varieties still cannot match the natural fiber’s strength. But by starting with silk produced by silkworms, breaking it down chemically, and then reassembling it, engineers […]
Remarkable U of T Engineering alumni honoured
Tom Chau | Via University of Toronto | November 9, 2017Tom Chau (IBBME) – 2017 2T5 Mid-Career Achievement Award recipient Ten exemplary members of U of T Engineering’s alumni community were recognized on Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Engineering Alumni Network (EAN) Awards. The ceremony, held annually at the Great Hall at Hart House, celebrates alumni for their outstanding contributions to the Skule™ community as […]
Texas A&M Engineering, Health Science Center to lead groundbreaking EnHealth Initiative
Roderic Pettigrew | Via Texas A&M | November 8, 2017Dr. Roderic I. Pettigrew, a physician-scientist and internationally recognized leader in biomedical imaging and bioengineering, will join Texas A&M University to lead Engineering Health (EnHealth), the nation’s first comprehensive educational program to fully integrate engineering into all health-related disciplines. EnHealth will be an innovative, multicollege engineering health initiative based in Houston, Texas, designed to educate […]
Nanoparticles can limit inflammation by distracting the immune system
Lola Eniola-Adefeso | Via Phys.org | November 8, 2017A surprise finding suggests that an injection of nanoparticles may be able to help fight the immune system when it goes haywire, researchers at the University of Michigan have shown. The nanoparticles divert immune cells that cause inflammation away from an injury site. Inflammation is a double-edged sword. When it works, it helps the body […]
Using Advanced MRI to Detect and Accurately Target Disease
Daniel Vigneron | Via UC San Francisco | November 7, 2017Daniel B. Vigneron, PhD, wears a lot of hats: professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, professor of bioengineering and therapeutic sciences, director of the Advanced Imaging Technologies Specialized Resource Group, director of the Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center, associate director of the Surbeck Laboratory for Advanced Imaging. But all of these roles have something in […]
Fighting a giant foe at a tiny scale
Paula Hammond | Via MIT | November 7, 2017Paula Hammond’s research focuses on using nanoscale biomaterials to attack cancer, which she calls “a supervillain with incredible superpowers.” Using targeted nanoparticles, she is attempting to turn off the natural defenses of mutant genes and deliver a deadly punch to the cancer cell. Her work will soon be translated into clinical practice through partnerships with […]
Stanford creates gel for neural stem cell regeneration: 6 things to know
Sarah Heilshorn | Via Becker's Healthcare | November 6, 2017Sarah Heilshorn, PhD, a Stanford (Calif.) University associate professor of materials science and engineering, authored a paper in Nature Materials about growing and preserving neural stem cells, according to Stanford News. Here are six things to know: 1. The task of growing neural stem cells so they can mature in various cell types proves challenging. […]
Dr. George Christ | Growing Organs, Limbs and More
George Christ | Via WINA News Radio | November 6, 2017UVA’s George Christ, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedic surgery, talks with Les Sinclair about the Advanced Biomanufacturing Symposium. It’s hosted by The University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Biomanufacturing will bring together experts from academia, private industry and the government to share their expertise and help chart the future of this tremendously important […]
3D Mammograms and Breath Test Represent Advances in Breast Cancer Detection Technology
Etta Pisano | Via AJMC | November 5, 2017Doctors and researchers around the world are looking to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer. In recent years, the advancements in technology, specifically in detection methods, have demonstrated significant improvement in how early patients are diagnosed and treated. Mammograms are the most common and well-known breast cancer detection method; however, they are […]
Williams Named 2017 Inventor of the Year
Robert Williams | Via The University of Texas at Austin | November 3, 2017Robert O. (Bill) Williams III, Ph.D., professor and head of The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy’s Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, was named the 2017 Inventor of the Year by the university’s Office of Technology Commercialization. The prestigious award honors a researcher whose discoveries have made a significant impact in […]