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.
DNA Origami Approach for HIV Vaccine Development Could be Used Against SARS-CoV-2
Darrell Irvine | Via Clinical Omics | June 30, 2020By using a technique known as DNA origami to fold DNA into a virus-like structure, MIT researchers have designed HIV-like particles coated with HIV antigens in precise patterns, which may eventually be used as an HIV vaccine. In vitro studies showed that the DNA origami particles, which mimic the size and shape of viruses, provoked […]
Researchers bioengineer first-line defense against COVID-19
Mark Humayun | Via Medical Xpress | June 30, 2020Researchers at the USC Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, the USC Institute for Technology and Medical Systems and the USC School of Pharmacy are developing an antimicrobial fluid to bolster the body’s first-line defenses against COVID-19. The biocompatible coating is intended to block the virus from entering the body through membranes […]
Infant heart-assist device gets new life with $4.7M grant
Jim Antaki | Via Cornell University | June 29, 2020After being defunded by a company with rights to its intellectual property, development of a pediatric heart-assist device has been revived at Cornell with the help of a $4.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. Development and preclinical validation of the PediaFlow heart-assist system will be led by James Antaki, the Susan K. […]
UW Bioengineers Use Cholesterol Tag to Ease Proteins into Cells
Xiaohu Gao | Via University of Washington | June 28, 2020Xiaohu Gao, professor of bioengineering, and his lab have developed a new, cholesterol-based tag system to bring imaging and disease-treating proteins directly into a live cell, bypassing the cell’s defenses. They reported their finding June 19 in Science Advances. Traditionally, imaging and treatment of live cells has been limited to biomarkers on the cell’s surface, […]
SIIM 2020: Human element shouldn’t be neglected with AI
Elizabeth Krupinski | Via Aunt Minnie | June 25, 2020Sure, artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology is cool. But it’s not enough to show results in a lab; the technology’s real-world impact on efficacy and efficiency also needs to be evaluated, according to a June 25 talk at the virtual annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM). It’s also crucial to […]
Maternal obesity increases the chance of liver cancer in offspring for generations
Kun Huang | Via Medical Xpress | June 25, 2020Scientists recognize the connection between maternal obesity and liver cancer in the offspring of obese mothers, however, the mechanism is not well understood. In a novel study, appearing in the Journal of Hepatology, investigators have identified a microRNA in obese mouse mothers that appears to pass on liver cancer susceptibility, increasing the odds of liver […]
Artificial beta cells could lead to new diabetes treatment
Zhen Gu | Via Open Access Government | June 25, 2020The artificial beta cells (ABCs) are much more patient-friendly and mimic the functions of the body’s natural glucose-controllers. The idea is that the AβCs could be subcutaneously inserted into patients, which would be replaced every few days, or by a painless and disposable skin patch. The ABCs are constructed with a simplified version of a […]
Calcium helps build strong cells
Kris Dahl | Via Carnegie Mellon University | June 19, 2020Every time you flex your bicep or stretch your calf muscle, you put your cells under stress. Every move we make throughout the day causes our cells to stretch and deform. But this cellular deformation can be dangerous, and could potentially lead to permanent damage to the DNA in our cells, and even cancer. So […]
Repurposing approved drugs for COVID-19 at an accelerated pace
Donald Ingber | Via Harvard University | June 16, 2020The United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has signed an Agreement worth up to $16 million over the next year with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University to identify and test FDA-approved drugs that could be repurposed to prevent or treat COVID-19. This highly collaborative effort leverages the Institute’s […]
NSF RAPID grant supports COVID-19 ‘computational pipeline’
Lydia Kavraki | Via Rice University | June 16, 2020Lydia Kavraki, the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science at Rice, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Rapid Response Research grant to implement a computational pipeline to help identify fragments of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins that could be used as targets for vaccine development. “Efforts are already underway to produce new drug inhibitors, repurpose existing […]
Breast cancer vaccine research delivers promising results
Michael King | Via Vanderbilt University | June 11, 2020With a surprisingly simple approach in which cancer cells are first grown, ruptured and converted into nanoparticles, and then used as a vaccine, Vanderbilt researchers have developed what appears to be a promising treatment for breast cancer metastasis. Research led by Jenna Dombroski, Ph.D. student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the lab […]
Paul Yager developing rapid COVID-19 tests for the home and clinic
Paul Yager | Via University of Washington | June 11, 2020At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul Yager, professor of bioengineering, knew a rapid and accurate test would be needed to screen patients for the new coronavirus. He immediately set to work adapting his point-of-care testing research to developing an at-home test for the new virus. Since 2011, his lab has been developing compact, […]
How rod-shaped particles might distract an out-of-control COVID immune response
Lola Eniola-Adefeso | Via University of Michigan | June 10, 2020A long-ignored white blood cell may be central to the immune system overreaction that is the most common cause of death for COVID-19 patients—and University of Michigan researchers found that rod-shaped particles can take them out of circulation. The No. 1 cause of death for COVID-19 patients echoes the way the 1918 influenza pandemic killed: […]
DoD Funds Clinical Trial of Seraph Blood Filter to Treat COVID-19
Robert Ward | Via MD+DI Online | June 9, 2020The Department of Defense is funding a clinical trial of a COVID-19 treatment using ExThera Medical’s Seraph 100 Blood filter. The device was selected to be in the multi-center randomized clinical trial because it showed encouraging preliminary results in critically ill COVID-19 patients at a military hospital in the U.S. and 14 other hospitals in […]
Boston Scientific Receives Medicare Transitional Pass-Through Payment for the EXALT™ Model D Single-Use Duodenoscope
Brian Dunkin | Via PR NewsWire | June 8, 2020Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved its application for a transitional pass-through (TPT) payment category to describe single-use endoscopes, including the EXALT™ Model D Single-Use Duodenoscope, under the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS). The intent of TPT payment is to facilitate Medicare […]
Study Finds Screened Health Care Workers Unlikely to Be Covid-19 Carriers
Terence Sanger | Via MedicalResearch.com | June 4, 2020MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Terence Sanger MD Pediatric Neurology Vice president of Research and Chief Scientific Officer CHOC Children’s UC Irvine School of Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: During the current pandemic, publicly available data on the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers has been limited. This […]
Wearable COVID-19 Sensor Receives NSF RAPID Grant
John Rogers | Via Northwesternn University | June 3, 2020Device monitors early signs, disease progression and response to treatment A research team led by Northwestern Engineering bioelectronics pioneer John A. Rogers has received a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue developing a novel wearable device and set of algorithms specifically tailored to catch early signs and monitor progression of COVID-19. […]
New technique takes 3D imaging an octave higher
Gabriel Popescu | Via UIUC | June 2, 2020A collaboration between researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Colorado State University resulted in a new 3D imaging technique called harmonic optical tomography that facilitates the visualization of tissues and other biological samples on a microscopic scale. The technique can potentially be used to assist with diagnosing cancer and other diseases. The […]
USF COVID-19 Rapid Response Research Effort Delivers Funding in Second Round of Pandemic Projects
Paul Sanberg | Via University of South Florida | May 29, 2020The University of South Florida’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants program is investing in 14 faculty research projects that would advance new medical interventions to detect and stop infections, develop innovations in personal protective equipment, and address fear and confusion in communities particularly vulnerable to the virus. A total of $344,855 will support this new round […]