Innovation & Impact | 2016-17 BioE eNews Year in Review

In this issue: Anniversary Update | Research News | Faculty Awards and Honors | Trainee News | Featured Publications

Welcome to the Fall 2017 issue of Innovation & Impact!

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the founding of UW’s Center for Bioengineering, and 20 years since we became a department. Throughout our history, we’ve empowered health care innovation for Washington and for the world.  I invite you to learn more about our past, present and future.

With warm regards,

Cecilia Giachelli, Ph.D.
W. Hunter and Dorothy Simpson Endowed Chair, Professor
Department of Bioengineering
University of Washington

Anniversary Update

50 Years of engineering better health for a boundless future

In our 50 years at UW, we have empowered better health care through biomedical innovation, and transformed lives here in Washington and around the world.

 

Research News

Building global excellence in neuroengineering and immunoengineering

Our newest tenure-track faculty Andre Berndt, Azadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad, Amy Orsborn and Hao Yuan Kueh will propel research that improves the lives of people with stroke and other neurological conditions, mobility challenges and more.

 

Material from shellfish boosts bioassays, medical tests

Professor Xiaohu Gao’s lab discovered a simple way to dramatically increase the accuracy of ELISA and other common assays — by 100 to 1,000 times.

 

Brain surface stimulation provides ‘touch’ feedback to direct movement

BioE researchers from UW’s Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering are working towards technology that enables the brain to directly control prosthetic devices.

 

Buddy Ratner co-directs new Center for Dialysis Innovation

The CDI aims to transform treatment for advanced kidney disease, and envisions future dialysis therapy as complication-free and completely restorative of kidney health.

 

BioE ranked fifth among global biomedical engineering programs

2017’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects recognized BioE’s research productivity and quality, and the strength of researchers’ international collaborations.

Back to the top

Faculty Awards and Honors

Valerie Daggett, Wendy Thomas, Rong Tian and Chun Yuan inducted as 2017 AIMBE Fellows

This year’s class of AIMBE Fellows, the largest in BioE’s history, represents UW’s leadership in medical and biological engineering research, education and service.

 

Allan Hoffman receives 2017 Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal

This award recognizes Professor Emeritus Allan Hoffman’s pioneering efforts to advance biomaterials research and contributions to the academic community.

 

Cecilia Giachelli elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

Chair and Professor Cecilia Giachelli is recognized for her vascular calcification research, which propels development of treatments for chronic kidney disease and atherosclerosis.

 

Charles Murry named Director of UW Medicine’s Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine

As ISCRM’s director, Professor Charles Murry will lead and energize efforts to develop regenerative medicine therapies by studying stem cells in health and disease.

 

Alyssa Taylor receives Award for Excellence in Science Education from Seattle Association for Women in Science

The award acknowledges Senior Lecturer Alyssa Taylor’s innovation and impact in education, passion for teaching and service as a role model for science and engineering students.

Back to the top

Trainee Highlights

Postdocs Heather Gustafson and Meredith Redd receive Whitaker International Scholar Awards

The Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program promotes the professional development of biomedical engineering leaders who advance the profession through an international outlook.

 

Senior Celina Gunnarsson receives UW President’s Medal, College of Engineering Dean’s Medal

The first recipient of a UW President’s Medal in the College of Engineering since 1992, Celina Gunnarsson is recognized for excellence in academics, research and leadership.

 

Ph.D. student Rahil Jain investigates “smart” solutions for diagnostics, home electronics

Rahil Jain, whose work was recently featured on the cover of Lab on a Chip, seeks ways to enhance diagnostic tests with smartphones, and also develops “smart home” devices.

 

Ph.D. student Hal Holmes targets wildlife and timber trafficking with microfluidic devices

Hal Holmes is developing a field-deployable device that allows customs officials and agents of conservation to identify endangered or protected species.

Back to the top

Featured Publications

Virus-inspired polymer for efficient in vitro and in vivo gene delivery

Yilong Cheng et al. (Suzie Pun’s lab)
Angewandte Chemie, International Edition

A rapid, instrument-free, sample-to-result nucleic amplification test

Lisa K. Lafleur et al. (Paul Yager’s lab)
Lab on a Chip

Ice-melting dynamics: The role of protons and interfacial geometry

Andrew J. Schwartz and Gerald H. Pollack.
Langmuir

Dramatic enhancement of the detection limits of bioassays via ultrafast deposition of polydopamine

Junwei Li et al. (Xiaohu Gao’s lab)
Nature Biomedical Engineering

 

In vivo maturation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in neonatal and adult rat hearts

Shin Kadota et al. (Charles Murry’s lab)
Stem Cell Reports

Designed a-sheet peptides suppress amyloid formation in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

Alissa Bleem et al. (James Bryers/Valerie Daggett’s labs)
NPG Biofilms and Microbiomes

Engineering single nanopores on gold nanoplates by tuning crystal screw dislocation

Yueming Zhai et al. (Xiaohu Gao’s lab)
Advanced Materials

 

Back to the top