2012 Biomedical Engineering Research Opportunities
Prof. Amy Lerner
Department of Biomedical Engineering
amy.lerner@rochester.edu
Reseach Project:
Our research group is developing customized biomechanical models of the knee to study the risks for osteoarthritis. Our computational models are based on various medical imaging techniques, gait analysis and literature-based material properties as inputs to commercial finite element codes. During the summer of 2012, we will be actively collecting input data for these models, therefore the Xerox Fellow will be exposed to a wide range of research techniques. Our long-term goal is to develop a modeling technique that will allow a biomechanics researchers and clinicians to efficiently develop understanding of the risks for knee osteoarthritis. For example, we will be able to understand the effects of gender, ethnicity, obesity and knee injuries as risks, and could more effectively develop strategies for prevention of the onset or progression of disease. Students should have background in either mechanical engineering or biomechanics.
Prof. Diane Dalecki
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering
dalecki@bme.rochester.edu
Research Project: Biomedical Ultrasound
The primary goals of Professor Dalecki’s laboratory are to advance novel diagnostic ultrasound techniques, and to discover new therapeutic applications of ultrasound in medicine and biology. For this project, students will work towards developing new ultrasound technologies for the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Specifically, students will investigate the effects of ultrasound on extracellular matrix proteins and cell functions that are key for engineering artificial 3D tissues and enhancing wound repair. Students will develop skills in acoustic field calibration, signal processing, cellular and tissue preparation procedures, cell and extracellular matrix biology, and ultrasound physics. The research is highly multidisciplinary and spans the fields of biomedical ultrasound, acoustics, medical imaging, cell and tissue engineering, and biomechanics.
Prof. J.H. David Wu
Departments of Chemical Engineering, and of Microbiology and Immunology
davidwu@che.rochester.edu
Research Project: Genomics Study of Microbial Production of Bio-ethanol and Bio-hydrogen from Cellulosic Biomass as Renewable Energy Sources
The overall goal of this project is to turn waste biomass, such as grass clippings, cornstalks, and wood chips, into usable hydrogen or ethanol. The short-term objective is to understand how the bacterium controls the production of these two energy sources. Energy experts expect ethanol from biomass to replace at least 30 percent of the national gasoline consumption for transportation by 2030, and hydrogen is a promising future energy source that can be used in fuel cells with high efficiency. Deriving these energy sources from cellulosic biomass makes them renewable, eliminates competition with food supplies, and reduces carbon dioxide emission. The bacterium, called C. thermocellum, has the very rare ability to break down tough plant cellulose and convert it to hydrogen and ethanol. The DNA sequence of the genome of this bacterium, which contains more than 3,000 genes, has been determined. We plan to investigate the interactions among these thousands of genes and to formulate new strategies to efficiently produce hydrogen and ethanol. Molecular cloning, DNA microarrays and proteomic approaches will be employed to facilitate the study. Prior knowledge of computer programming, bioinformatics, biology and molecular biology will be useful for the project.
Prof. Danielle Benoit
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering
benoit@bme.rochester.edu
Hydrogel culture environments for regenerative medicine applications
We can interrogate and take advantage of the critical interactions between cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) to create bioactive materials capable of controlling cell function and tissue evolution. To determine the requirements of the microenvironment, we utilize hydrogels easily modified with respect to mechanical integrity, adhesive peptides, ECM molecules, degradability, and incorporation of drugs, to direct cellular differentiation through a variety of mechanisms.
In particular, we are interested in utilizing hydrogel microenvironments to direct encapsulated mesenchymal stem cell (adult stem cell) function for applications in musculoskeletal tissue engineering. A thorough understanding of how material properties effect cell differentiation and tissue evolution is essential to tailor ‘instructive materials’ to direct cell function.
Responsive drug-loaded nanoparticles to treat Waldenstrom’s
We are interested in developing novel responsive nanosized drug delivery carriers. In particular, we aim to exploit signals within the blood to modulate drug release to treat a cancer known as Waldenstrom’s. Waldenstrom’s is a blood cancer characterized by increased antibody production by dysfunctional B-cells. Due to the enhanced antibody concentrations within the blood, complications arise that result in patient death. We aim to develop a novel therapy for Waldenstrom’s. This therapy will combat the disease twofold. Specifically, nanoparticles will respond to antibody titers, degrading selectively at certain concentrations, releasing potent chemotherapy drugs to kill the overactive B-cells. Moreover, the resulting degraded nanoparticles will act as a sink for Waldenstrom’s antibodies, binding the antibodies and forming complexes that will be excreted renally. The successful candidate will develop nanoparticles with a variety of antibody responsiveness and analyze them in simulated blood.
Regine Choe
Department of Biomedical Engineering
regine_choe@urmc.rochester.edu
Research Project: Biomedical optics for breast cancer detection and therapy monitoring
The overall goals of Professor Choe's laboratory are to assess and improve the capabilities of diffuse optical technology in breast cancer therapy monitoring and detection. In clinical measurements of human breasts with tumor, we focus on identifying functional parameters
measurable with diffuse optics, which can serve as early indicators of therapy efficacy. Using a preclinical animal model, we study the metabolic mechanism of varied responses to therapy seen in the clinic, and investigate new therapeutic drugs and interventions. Also, we explore new functional and metabolic parameters (e.g. glucose metabolism) accessible through near-infrared fluorescent optical agents. The students will have opportunities to participate in various aspects of research: instrumentation construction and characterization, data
analysis algorithm development, preclinical experiments, and/or clinical experiments.
Prof. Laurel H. Carney
Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Neurobiology and Anatomy
laurel.carney@rochester.edu
Research Project: Auditory Processing of Complex Sounds
We study hearing using behavioral, physiological, and computational modeling strategies. Summer projects in our lab may involve any of these techniques. The problems that we are focusing on include detection of signals in noise, coding and processing of sounds with amplitude fluctuations, and understanding the brain's response to basic speech sounds. Our long-term goals are to better understand how the brain responds to and processes complex sounds, how this process is affected by hearing loss, and to design novel strategies for signal processing in hearing aids.
