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.
Lipid nanoparticles carry gene-editing cancer drugs past tumor defenses
Daniel Siegwart | Via UT Southwestern | June 23, 2022As they grow, solid tumors surround themselves with a thick, hard-to-penetrate wall of molecular defenses. Getting drugs past that barricade is notoriously difficult. Now, scientists at UT Southwestern have developed nanoparticles that can break down the physical barriers around tumors to reach cancer cells. Once inside, the nanoparticles release their payload: a gene editing system […]
Self-plugging Microneedles Offer Potential to Improve Delivery of Drugs into the Eyeball
Ali Khademhosseini | Via Terasaki Institute | June 17, 2022Published research on new eye treatment delivery shows improvement over hypodermic needles A collaborative team, including scientists from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), has developed a novel, self-plugging microneedle for injecting therapeutics into the eyes, potentially solving one of the major challenges of treating eye diseases – accurate delivery of therapeutic drugs to […]
Robert Langer wins BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
Robert Langer | Via MIT | June 17, 2022Institute Professor honored for groundbreaking work in nucleic acid delivery and nanoparticles. Robert Langer, the David H. Koch (1962) Institute Professor at MIT, received yesterday the 2022 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine in recognition of his contributions to messenger (mRNA) therapeutics and delivery technology, which enabled the rapid development of […]
Dr. Cato T. Laurencin Elected to the European Academy of Sciences
Cato Laurencin | Via University of Connecticut | June 16, 2022The prestigious European Academy of Sciences has recognized UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin for his visionary and pioneering work in the field of regenerative engineering In recognition of his pioneering work in the field of regenerative engineering, UConn professor Dr. Cato T. Laurencin has been elected to the prestigious European Academy of Sciences (EURASC). “It’s […]
Understanding Poor Vaccine Responses in Individuals With Weakened Immune Systems
Rong Fan | Via Yale School of Medicine | June 16, 2022When the COVID-19 vaccine first became available, people eagerly signed up for coveted slots to boost their antibodies against the virus that shut down much of the world. But not everyone who rolled up their sleeve received equal protection from illness. A significant proportion of the population has weakened immune systems, including cancer patients, those […]
Lydia Contreras Named New Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity
Lydia Contreras | Via The University of Texas at Austin | June 15, 2022The University of Texas at Austin has named Lydia Contreras as its new vice provost for faculty diversity, equity and inclusivity, effective immediately. Contreras, who currently holds the Jim and Barbara Miller Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Chemical Engineering, has served for the past two years as the managing director of diversity in the Office of […]
$2.38M to test nano-engineered brain cancer treatment in mice
Joerg Lahann | Via University of Michigan | June 15, 2022A protein that crosses the blood-brain barrier carries a drug that kills tumor cells and another that activates the immune system A new nanomedicine that crosses the blood-brain barrier, engages the immune system and kills cancer cells may offer hope for treating the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma. With $2.38 million in funding […]
U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Visits Milwaukee to highlight investments she brought home for the community
Jeffrey Toth | Via WIS Politics | June 8, 2022This week, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited Milwaukee to highlight federal investments she secured for community organizations through legislation signed into law by President Biden earlier this year. At Green Bay Avenue Elementary, Senator Baldwin joined Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Dr. Keith Posley, Marquette University President Dr. Michael Lovell, and educators from the MPS […]
Investigators unlocking mysteries of cell-based therapies
Adam Feinberg | Via Ophthalmology Times | June 8, 2022For some time, cell-based therapies have been viewed as an alternative treatment option for patients with a range of diseases caused by tissue failure, including corneal blindness. These therapies have shown great promise in theory, but when put into practice have offered limited clinical success in many applications due to low cell viability after injection, […]
Surprise! Noradrenaline Helps the Brain Learn from Unexpected Events
Mriganka Sur | Via Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | June 2, 2022Noradrenaline is a neuromodulator that has been linked to arousal and boosting alertness, but can lead to anxiety in large amounts. Unlike neurotransmitters, which enable cell-to-cell communication, neuromodulators are released over large swathes of the brain, allowing them to exert more general effects. Previous studies of the locus coeruleus (LC), the primary source of noradrenaline […]
Engineers develop nanoparticles that cross the blood-brain barrier
Paula Hammond | Via MIT | June 1, 2022There are currently few good treatment options for glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer with a high fatality rate. One reason that the disease is so difficult to treat is that most chemotherapy drugs can’t penetrate the blood vessels that surround the brain. A team of MIT researchers is now developing drug-carrying nanoparticles that […]
Engineers develop nanoparticles that cross the blood-brain barrier
Roger Kamm | Via MIT | June 1, 2022There are currently few good treatment options for glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer with a high fatality rate. One reason that the disease is so difficult to treat is that most chemotherapy drugs can’t penetrate the blood vessels that surround the brain. A team of MIT researchers is now developing drug-carrying nanoparticles that […]
No more flu for you? Discovery blocks influenza virus’ replication in cells
Jiayu Liao | Via University of California, Riverside | May 31, 2022SUMOylation inhibitor could lead to highly effective ways to treat the flu and other respiratory viruses It happens every year, especially in winter. A virus saunters into your wide-open respiratory tract, worms its way into lung cells, and, next thing you know, you’re lying in bed with a fever, aches, and chills—classic symptoms of influenza, […]
AI Used for Analysis of NBA Players’ Movement May Help Develop Cancer Treatments
Dong Xu | Via Pharmacy Times | May 25, 2022Pharmacy Times interviewed Dong Xu, PhD, MS, curators’ distinguished professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri College of Engineering, on research assessing the application of a form of artificial intelligence (AI) to help scientists develop new drug therapies for medical treatments targeting cancers and other diseases. Alana Hippensteele: Hi, I’m Alana […]
Western Engineering researcher and alumnus honoured with Ontario Professional Engineers Award
Kibret Mequanint | Via Western University | May 24, 2022The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) recently announced its 2022 Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) recipients, recognizing industry innovators and business leaders for their excellence and achievement in engineering. Western Engineering researcher, Kibret Mequanint, a professor in the department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering was awarded the Engineering Medal […]
Injectrode to better treat neurodegenerative diseases
Kip Ludwig | Via WAFB9 | May 24, 2022Neuromodulation therapies involve medical devices that can treat several chronic conditions, such as epilepsy, essential tremors, nerve pain, and even Afib. Many of these conditions require surgery, which can be costly and invasive, but what if instead of implanting a device, you could inject it without surgery? Pacemakers, spinal cord stimulators, and deep brain stimulators […]
Human Injected With Cancer-killing Virus Vaxinia
Yuman Fong | Via Newsweek | May 23, 2022Scientists have injected a human medical trial participant with a virus that is designed to kill cancer cells. The treatment is known as oncolytic virus therapy, in which a natural virus is genetically modified to enter cancer cells and replicate itself, thus killing them. Crucially, it’s designed to do this while avoiding healthy cells. The […]
Novel Immunotherapy Developed by City of Hope Could Provide New Treatment Model for SARS-CoV-2 Patients
Michael Caligiuri | Via BioSpace | May 20, 2022City of Hope researchers have engineered an immunotherapy using natural killer cells with a specific molecule that can target the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ spike protein, providing a novel therapeutic pathway for the treatment of COVID-19 and other infections that include the spike protein, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The research adds to City […]
New Western innovation gels engineering with medicine
Malcolm Xing | Via Western University | May 20, 2022Game-changing ‘bio-glue’ could mean end to surgical sutures, staples Western biomaterials expert Kibret Mequanint – in partnership with Malcolm Xing from University of Manitoba – has developed the first-ever hydrophobic (water-hating) fluid, which displaces body fluids surrounding an injury allowing for near-instantaneous gelling, sealing and healing of injured tissue. “Tissue adhesives that can perform in […]