Spring 2014 UW Bioengineering eNews
In this issue: Chair's Letter - Note to Graduates - Features - News Briefs - [...]
Electrospun fibers show promise for rapid HIV prevention
UW Bioengineering Ph.D. student, Cameron Ball, and Assistant Professor Kim Woodrow, demonstrate the potential of a new type of product that may help women protect themselves against sexual HIV transmission. Their research, published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (AAC) of the American Society for Microbiology, shows the ability of water-soluble electrospun fiber material to rapidly release maraviroc, an antiretroviral drug. The researchers suggest that their material offers advantages over other anti-HIV microbicides currently in development.
19th UWEB21 Biomaterials Intensive Short Course
Biomaterials: The Platform Technology of Medical Devices. A 2.5 day introduction to biomaterials, medical devices and biocompatibility presented by the experts. August 14 to August 16, 2014.
2014 NESAC/BIO Workshop – Register by 8/2/14 for early rates!
This 2.5 day workshop includes lectures and surface analysis demonstrations. Demonstrations on NESAC/BIO instruments will provide application examples for the material covered in the workshop lectures. Attendees will learn the capabilities of biomedical surface analysis methods and how to intelligently review data received from surface analysis laboratories.
Computer-designed protein causes cancer cells to self-destruct
UW researchers, including BioE Professor Patrick Stayton and many collaborators from the UW and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, have created a protein molecule that can prompt cancer cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus to self-destruct.
Sensor in eye could track pressure changes, monitor for glaucoma
UW researchers develop sensor that may be placed permanently in a person's eye to track changes in pressure, report data wirelessly and monitor for glaucoma
Advanced 3-D imaging technique maps micro blood flow in real-time
UW Bioengineer Ruikang Wang’s non-invasive method for imaging vascular health holds promise for better diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of diseases.
UW Bioengineering students showcase innovation, win second place, Best Innovation prizes at UW Business Plan Competition
UW Bioengineering students led 4 teams in the 2014 Business Plan Competition, which concluded on May 22. Competing against 88 other teams, BioE’s teams pitched diverse, innovative ideas to hundreds of judges – including entrepreneurs, lawyers and investors. One team won second place and Best Innovation prizes.
Profile: PhD student Jason Coult investigates “smarter” treatment for cardiac arrest, pursues musical interests
If your heart stops beating, CPR and a shock might not necessarily save your life. PhD student Jason Coult seeks to increase cardiac arrest survival by improving treatment technology. Outside the lab, playing music helps him stay engaged in research.
Profile: Fulbright recipient Hani Mahmoud to study diabetes in Kuwait
Bioengineering senior Hani Mahmoud is eager to help establish collaborations between the United States and Kuwait on mutual interests in biomedicine to improve health.
Lara Gamble receives Peter M.A. Sherwood Mid-Career Award from AVS Applied Surface Science Division
UW Bioengineering Research Associate Professor Lara Gamble was selected as the 2014 recipient of the Peter M.A. Sherwood Mid-Career Award from AVS Applied Surface Science Division This award recognizes Dr. Gamble's research contributing to the development of surface analytical methods for characterizing biomedical surfaces and interfaces.
Ruikang Wang elected AIMBE Fellow
UW Bioengineering Professor Ruikang Wang to join AIMBE's College of Fellows Class of 2015.
Graduate Academic Counselor Dorian Varga receives 2013-14 GO-MAP Graduate Staff Leadership Award
UW Bioengineering Graduate Academic Counselor Dorian Varga is the 2013-14 recipient of the GO-MAP Graduate Staff Leadership Award in recognition of her consistent efforts to promote diversity in graduate education.
Student Kurt Kung of the Pollack Lab wins two UW poster contests
Kurt Kung, an electrical engineering PhD student and manager of the Pollack lab, recently won two poster competitions at UW with his poster, "The Novel Renewable Energy Technology - Energy Harvesting from Water".
Buddy Ratner named 2014 UW School of Medicine Lifetime Inventor & Innovator
Buddy Ratner, professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering at UW and noted pioneer in the field of biomaterials, is named 2014 UW School of Medicine Lifetime Inventor & Innovator. This award honors an individual whose career has helped pave the way for medical innovation to occur at UW.
Suzie Pun receives 2014 Controlled Release Society Young Investigator Award, inaugural Biomaterials Science Lectureship
UW Bioengineering Robert F. Rushmer Associate Professor Dr. Suzie Pun is the 2014 recipient of the Controlled Release Society (CRS) Young Investigator Award and Biomaterials Science Lectureship.
Deok-Ho Kim appointed to Theranostics editorial board
UW Bioengineering Assistant Professor Deok-Ho Kim recently was appointed to the editorial board of the academic journal Theranostics. The journal, which has an impact factor of 7.806, is one of the leading journals in the field of regenerative medicine and therapeutic applications.
Senior Hani Mahmoud selected as Fulbright Student, will study diabetes in Kuwait
UW Bioengineering senior Hani Mahmoud is selected as a Fulbright Student and becomes the first-ever student in the department's history to receive the internationally renowned fellowship. Hani will travel to Kuwait to investigate the rising prevalence of type-2 diabetes in that country at Dasman Diabetes Institute.
Graduate student Anna Blakney receives 2014 GROW with USAID Fellowship
UW Bioengineering graduate student Anna Blakney receives 2014 GROW with USAID fellowship to study in South Africa. Anna, currently researching in Kim Woodrow's lab, will spend 6 months at University of Cape Town investigating the timing of the BCG vaccine and HIV acquisition from an immunological perspective.
2014 BIOE Awards Recipient Profiles: Barry Lutz, Wilbert Copeland and Elizabeth Soberg
On March 21, 2014, UW Bioengineering distributed Outstanding Faculty, Graduate Student/TA and Staff Awards. These awards annually recognize outstanding contributions of individual members of the BIOE community. Award recipients include Barry Lutz, Wilbert Copeland and Elizabeth Soberg.
The Seattle Times reports “‘Very big deal’: UW team uses stem cells to fix monkey hearts”
The Seattle Times reports that Dr. Charles Murry, UW professor of pathology, bioengineering and cardiology, and colleagues have successfully regenerated heart muscle in monkeys using human stem cells. This "proof-of-concept" research may one day be applied to humans whose hearts are damaged by heart attack and shows promising progress towards solving the "burgeoning public-health problem" of cardiac disease.
Stem Cell Therapy Regenerates Primate Heart Muscle
Stem cell therapy regenerates heart muscle in primates, finds a study led by Dr. Charles Murry, UW professor of pathology, bioengineering and cardiology. This approach, which uses heart cells created from human embryonic stem cells, should be feasible in humans and may be ready for clinical trials in humans within four years, researchers say. The study was published in the advanced online April 30, 2014 edition of Nature.
UW Bioengineers participate in 2014 Engineering Discovery Days
UW Bioengineering faculty, staff and students participated in Engineering Discovery days April 25-26, 2014, teaching bioengineers of all ages through exciting hands-on exhibits and activities.
UW Bioengineering senior Hunter Bennett receives 2014 College of Engineering Dean’s Medal
Hunter Bennett, has been awarded the College of Engineering Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence for 2014. This honor reflects Hunter's hard work, leadership, and tremendous contributions to the Department of Bioengineering during his time here. Congratulations, Hunter!
UW Bioengineering to host 2014 summer camp for Seattle area high school students
UW Bioengineering will host BIOE Summer Camp, a day camp for high school students, July 21-25, 2014. With a focus on bioengineering technologies for global health, the camp will bring 24 Seattle-area students to campus.
Dianne Hendricks Creates Opportunities for Education, Outreach
Whether she’s inspiring undergraduates to explore new areas of knowledge or unlocking the scientific curiosity of K-12 students, Dianne Hendricks looks for way to make a lasting impact. The new full-time lecturer in UW Bioengineering brings to her role expertise in laboratory teaching, mentoring and outreach.
Buddy Ratner explains history of biomaterials in TED Blog story
UW Bioengineering professor Buddy Ratner explains the history of biomaterials from antiquity to today in a recent TED Blog story
A “Band-Aid” to Heal Hearts
The heart cannot heal itself very well. However, Dr. Charles Murry, professor of Pathology, Bioengineering and Cardiology, is working on new ways to repair heart damage.
2014 BIOE Awards for Faculty, Staff and Graduate Student Announced
The 2014 BIOE Awards for Faculty Teacher/Mentor, Graduate Student TA/Mentor and Staff were announced on Friday, March 21 during the annual Rushmer Lecture. Award recipients include Barry Lutz, Wilbert Copeland and Elizabeth Soberg.
Eric Chudler Leads Brain Science Open House
Eric Chudler, associate research professor of UW Bioengineering and executive director of the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, recently organized an open house event for elementary and middle school students which celebrated Brain Awareness Week.
Paul Yager named in Seattle Business Magazine’s 2014 Leaders in Health Care Awards
UW Bioengineering professor Paul Yager is noted in in Seattle Business Magazine's 2014 Leaders in Health Care Awards for "Achievement in Medical Devices"
James Bassingthwaighte, team receive recognition for best technical paper
James Bassingthwaighte and team receive recognition for best technical paper published in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology during the last year
Winter 2014 UW Bioengineering eNews
Winter 2014 UW Bioengineering eNews. Updates on our research in technologies for global health, student profiles, news briefs and more.
Rapid results lead the way in inventing the high-tech, low-cost future of medicine
The world does not yet have a Star Trek tricorder. But UW bioengineers are developing devices and technology that may be powerful precursors to Dr. McCoy’s handy 23rd century diagnostic device, and may make improving health faster and easier than ever before. Researchers are answering the call for accessible, rapid testing tools, which can speed the time until treatment starts, helping prevent deaths, outbreaks and disability.
Yager infectious disease test mentioned in Puget Sound Business Journal
A test for infectious disease intended for use in low-resource settings in development by UW Bioengineering professor Paul Yager and industry partners featured in the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Credit card-sized device enables rapid pancreatic cancer diagnoses
Adjunct faculty Eric Seibel and Ph.D. program alumnus Ronnie Das lead efforts to develop a prototype credit card-sized microfluidic device for diagnosing pancreatic cancer.
3-D imaging eases “liquid facelift” complications
UW Bioengineering professor Ruikang Wang and his lab has pioneered fine-resolution, non-invasive imaging technology called optical microangiography which allows visualization and analysis of small blood vessels.
Titanium-based materials fight oral bacteria, lead to new patent
Research conducted by UW Bioengineering professor Dr. James Bryers and collaborators in the UW School of Dentistry, which aimed to discover new ways to use titanium-based materials to fight oral bacteria, has resulted in a recently patented antibacterial agent.
Albert Folch Elected AIMBE Fellow
UW Bioengineering associate professor Albert Folch has been elected to the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2015.
Buddy Ratner selected as 2014 POLY Fellow
Buddy Ratner, professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering at UW, has been selected as a 2014 POLY Fellow of the Polymer Division of the American Chemical Society. This prestigious award recognizes the most outstanding achievements in and contributions to polymer science and the profession.
Senior Anh Ta helping develop hydrogels to tackle brain cancer
Senior Anh Ta is pursuing research solutions and embracing academic challenges, with the hope of one day becoming a pediatric oncologist.
Graduate student Wilbert Copeland pursues synthetic biology frontiers, gives back to the academic community
UW Bioengineering graduate student Wilbert Copeland pursues synthetic biology frontiers, gives back to the academic community through mentorship activities.
Mary Gates Research Scholarship Awardees Announced
Congratulations to all 18 UW Bioengineering Mary Gates Research Scholarship undergraduate awardees announced for Autumn 2013!
A spoonful of sugar helps fluid flow in microfluidic devices
UW Bioengineering research assistant professor Dr. Barry Lutz and colleagues have demonstrated the concept of "programming" paper microfluidic devices with various concentrations of sugar to control the speed of fluid flow
Charles Murry, François Baneyx named AAAS fellows
UW Bioengineering professor Dr. Charles Murry (joint in Cardiology and Pathology) and adjunct faculty Dr. François Baneyx (professor of Chemical Engineering) are among 5 UW faculty members recently named American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows.
Adjunct faculty Rajesh Rao to lead neural engineering center
Rajesh Rao, UW associate professor of Computer Science and Engineering and adjunct faculty in Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering, has been named director of the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) based at the University of Washington.
Barry Lutz on Diagnostics for Global Health
UW Bioengineering research assistant professor Barry Lutz discusses recent developments in point of care diagnostics research in an article for the Project Syndicate website.
Global WACh Bioengineering Winter Seminar
In this seminar series learn how novel bioengineering approaches may be used to address challenges to the health of women, children and adolescents
New strategy lets cochlear implant users hear music
UW Bioengineering professor Dr. Jay Rubinstein is working to improve the signal processing abilities of cochlear implants, allowing users of the technology to hear music.
Ying Zheng receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
UW Bioengineering assistant professor Ying Zheng has received an NIH Director's New Innovator Award to recognize her work creating organ-specific microenvironments for regenerative medicine and therapeutic development.