X

Biomechanics & Mechanobiology

Objective:

Biomechanics and mechanobiology research focus on the biological processes and mechanics at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and organism levels. Facilities like the College of Engineering’s Center for Ergonomics help our faculty model the stresses produced in certain situations.

 

What We Do:

• Quantify the mechanical environment that cells and matrix function while healthy, disease, or injured
• Identify and relationships between mechanical and biological processes such as growth, repair, and adaptation.
• Investigate how forces that act upon a cell or the cell’s environment affect cell behavior

 

Applications:

• 3D Engineered Environments
• Muscle and Skeletal Degeneration
• Micro-NanoFluidic Devices
• Blood Flow Simulation

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

Dr. Carlos Aguilar - Muscle Regeneration

                       

We use integrative genomic assays at the population and single cell level to understand muscle stem cells actions and animal models of disease, aging and trauma. Our lab is the first to deconvolve the heterogeneity of this stem cell compartment, how niche derived factors contribute to their functions and how chromatin modifications and accessibility are modulated through time. We also use microfluidic devices to understand changes in their elasticity (green and gray device) and ability to fuse (droplet sorter) below.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Dr. James Grotberg - Lung Airway Reopening During Inspiration: Liquid Plug Flow and Rupture Injures Epithelial Cells

Image 1) Stress levels on the cells jump to high levels at rupture (red curves)

Image 2) CFD model of propagation and rupture

Image 3) Microfluidic expts of plug propagation

Image 4) Airways are coated with liquid & forms plugs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Dr. Jan Stegemann - Characterization and simulation of engineered tissues

 

The Stegemann laboratory focuses on how cells interact with the 3D protein matrix around them and how these interactions can be used to develop better biomaterials and engineered tissues. Main application areas are in the cardiovascular department and orthopaedic tissues.

In collaboration with the Deng Lab (BME), we have developed ultrasound-based techniques that can be used to quantitatively characterize soft engineered and natural tissues at the micro-scale. Ultrasound is also used to stimulate progenitor cell differentiation in these details.

 

Find a Researcher :

• • Biofluids
  • Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics
  • Organ and Whole Body Biomechanics
  • Ergonomics and Rehabilitation 

 

Associated Core (and key) BME Faculty:

   

X

Computation & Modeling

 

Objective:

To expedite research by simulating and investigating the behavior of complex systems using mathematics, physics and computer science.

 

What We Do:

• Develop computer models and simulations
• Research data and identify trends and health patterns
• Model tissue structure and function from the molecular level to whole organ scale to better understand things like the flow of ions in cells, blood in arteries and air in lungs.

 

Applications:

• Drug Metabolism estimation
• Improvement of recovery timelines
• Determination of infectious disease susceptibility
• Blood flow simulation

 

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

        Dr. Kelly Arnold - Infectious Disease Susceptibility in the Female Reproductive Tract (FRT)     HIV transmission rates vary widely in women, from 1/5 to 1/2000. Previous research indicates the immune microenvironment in the female reproductive tract (a site of transmission) greatly impacts susceptibility. Together with collaborators from Canada and South Africa, the Arnold Lab uses high-throughput mass spectrometry, cytokine, and cytobrush measurements of FRT samples from high-risk women to identify complex rules for immune microenvironments that promote and prevent infection. These rules can generate new hypotheses for systems-level cellular mechanisms involved in HIV susceptibility, multivariate biomarkers for sexually transmitted infections, and aid in future design of preventative microbicides.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Find a Researcher :

• • Computation & Modeling

 

Associated Core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Neural Engineering

 

Objective:

Michigan has been at the forefront of neurotechnology since the 1970s, when Ken Wise, now a professor emeritus in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Michigan, invented the silicon neural probe. Today a cluster of innovative, accomplished faculty is driving the field forward, working side-by-side with clinicians in the U-M Medical School to focus on translational applications to improve the lives of patients.  

 

What We Do:

• Brain Machine Interfaces
• Neurostimulation
• Create Nerve Signals using multi-electrode arrays in the brain

     

Applications:

• Restoring vision, feeling, and movement
• Pain Control
• Moveable Prosthetics

     

Relevant Research From BME Faculty

 

Dr. Scott Lempka - Neuromodulation for Pain

 

The Neuromodulation Lab is interested in the innovation of electrical stimulation therapies for neurological disorders (a.k.a. neuromodulation), specifically for chronic pain management.

 

• The overall goal of our group is to develop a patient-specific approach using computer models and clinical measurements. We believe this research will help optimize current technologies and innovate new therapies to improve patient outcomes.
• Electrical stimulation therapies for chronic pain management, such as spinal cord stimulation, represent a multi-billion dollar per year medical device market. Although these technologies have existed for decades and are currently used to treat thousands of patients a year, they have a relatively limited success rate. These limited outcomes can largely be attributed to the simple fact that we don’t know how they work.
• The goal of the Neuromodulation Lab is to transform the field of neuromodulation for chronic pain by designing the tools necessary to carry out systematic, controlled, and well-powered studies, driven by scientifically-based computational models.

                                                         

Dr. Lonnie Shea - Regenerative Medicine: Islet Transplantation

The Shea Lab is interested in combinatorial therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury

• • Our long-term goal is to develop a combination therapy based on biomaterials that can bridge, modulate the injury microenvironment, and drive axon growth through an inhibitory milieu enabling the promotion and direction of axonal growth into, through, and re-entering spared host tissue to form functional connections with intact circuitry below the injury.
  • This is accomplished through the use of biomaterials, stem cells, and gene therapy
  • The bridges could be an off-the-shelf product that is readily available for implantation.

  7nbsp;

Find a Researcher:

• • Neural Engineering

Associated Core (and key) BME Faculty

X

Engineering Education

Objective:

Michigan is committed to bridging the gap between education research and engineering instruction to enhance student learning. Distinct from traditional engineering disciplines and education research, this research lies at the intersection of engineering, education, and the social sciences.

 

What We Do:

With a deep understanding of engineering, we leverage qualitative and quantitative education research methods to explore innovative means of transforming engineering programs to meet the changing roles of engineers in the global economy. Biomedical engineering graduate students have the option of pursuing their primary research in engineering education while completing one of the BME graduate concentrations to satisfy the master’s degree requirements and the Rackham Certificate in Engineering Education Research to fulfill their PhD requirements.  

Applications:

• Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Education
• Biomedical Engineering Instructional Change
• Biomedical Engineering Identity and Interdisciplinarity
• Strategies for Front-End Design

 

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

Dr. Aileen Huang-Saad - The Biomedical Engineering Instructional Incubator

     

Leveraging change and identity theories, the University of Michigan BME department piloted a new approach, a BME Instructional Incubator, to BME curriculum development where faculty are linked through a community of practice that: 1) establishes a shared understanding of BME norms and practices, 2) immerses faculty in evidence-based teaching practices, 3) helps students synthesize knowledge across interdisciplinary domains, and 4) produces graduates with a strong BME professional identity. The Incubator is designed to create long-term departmental change by cultivating faculty awareness of BME professional identity, and through the creation of student-centered first- and second-year BME classes.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Dr. Aileen Huang-Saad - Engineering Entrepreneurship Education (E3)

         

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the creation of engineering entrepreneurship curricula, programs and centers. While well-intentioned, many of these programs are designed by practicing entrepreneurs and engineering faculty with limited understanding of student learning theory and pedagogy or implications of programming on diversity and inclusion. Our research works toward bridging this gap by developing a model that can be used to explore the impact of E3 programs across and within student groups. As society works towards cultivating a diverse and innovative engineering workforce for the future, it is critical that we examine how these entry educational programs engage and influence all types of students. This research will guide universities in developing effective, scalable and accessible E3 programs and help to ensure that impactful E3 is available to diverse populations.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Find a Researcher :

• • Engineering Education

 

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

 

X

Micro-Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering

Objective:

Micro-Nanotechnology and molecular engineering research are concerned with the design and testing of microdevices which can affect the behavior of individual molecules or systems of molecules to perform specific functions. The nature of molecular interactions allows for an innumerable amount of potential applications.  

   

What We Do:

• Micro-Fluidics and micro-fabrication
• Development of biomembranes
• Biomedical microelectromechanical systems

     

Applications:

• Drug Testing and Drug Development
• Making Models of the Human Body to understand the mechanism of disease
• Disease Treatment

       

Relevant Research From BME Faculty

    Dr. Xudong Fan - An integrated microwell array platform for cell lasing analysis Laser emission-based detection technology enables novel sensitive cell and tissue analysis for cancers and drug development.  

• We have prototyped and characterized an automated, integrated microwell array platform for high throughput, systematic and statistical studies of cell lasers.
• The microwell array does not affect the cell lasing performance, but makes the captured cells more resistant to disturbance, thus allowing us to track individual cells and perform various analyses on them.
• Automated detection and high throughput long-term monitoring of cell lasing profiles is demonstrated using this platform.
• Our platform further enables the establishment of a reference baseline that represents the collective responses of cells to a global change and the identification of rare “abnormal” cells that deviate from a large cell population.
• Further integration of microfluidic channels that facilitate cell incubation, drug treatment and downstream processing and analysis will open the door to applying the cell lasing approach to single cell analysis and drug screening.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Figure X. Lasing threshold (a) and lasing spectrum (b) of a cell captured in the microwell. (c) CCD image of the lasing cell. The red color results from mirrors rejecting green color in the illumination light coming from the bottom. Fluorescence from the cell is also filtered out by the mirror and therefore only strong lasing signal is detected and shown in the image. (d) Lasing spectra of a cell captured in a microwell in long term monitoring. Curves are vertically shifted for clarity. The arrow indicates the peak whose wavelength was tracked.    

Find a Researcher :

• • Bio- Nanotechnology
  • Biomembranes
  • Bio-MEMS and Microfluids

 

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

 

X

Imaging and Biophotonics

Objective:

Our research in imaging and optics takes ultrasound, MRI, and other imaging technologies in new directions which include the treatment and identification of disease and promoting growth. Michigan is an innovator in therapeutic ultrasound. Histotripsy, an extremely high-precision technique that uses ultrasound in non-invasive surgery, was invented here.  

 

What We Do:

• Probing the composition and properties of tissues
• Treating disease
• Stimulating growth

   

Applications:

• Treatment of newborn infants
• Treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease
• Diagnosis and non- invasive examination

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

                               

Dr. Xueding Wang - Medical Imaging for Human Inflammatory Arthritis

 

Our research demonstrated that photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system, by revealing vascular features suggestive of joint inflammation, could be a valuable supplement to musculoskeletal ultrasound (US). LED-based PAI system integrated with a B-scan US enabling PA-US dual-modality imaging was employed in this study on human inflammatory arthritis. The increased blood volume in the joint space can be detected with excellent contrast-to-noise ratio.The images from clinically active arthritis, subclinically active arthritis and normal groups were compared and statistically analyzed. PAI results were also compared with those from US Doppler imaging to explore the potential advantages of this novel imaging technology over existing modalities.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Dr. Zhen Xu - Histotripsy for Image-guided non-invasive Surgery

Invented at the University of Michigan, histotripsy is the first imaged-guided ablation technique that is non-invasive, non-ionizing, and non-thermal. Guided by real-time imaging, microsecond ultrasound pulses applied from outside the body are focused to the target tissue. Cavitation is generated to disrupt the target tissue into an liquid-appearing acellular homogenate, without damaging off-target tissue. Histotripsy is currently investigated for cancer, cardiovascular, and brain applications.

                                Left: The histotripsy ultrasound transducer with 256 elements that was treating through an excised human skullcap. This transducer is made with rapid prototyping (3D printing) in Dr. Xu’s lab and is the most powerful ultrasound transducer in the world. Middle: Histology of histotripsy-generated ablation boundary in the porcine cardiac tissue showing bisection of individual cells. Cellular structures treated by histotripsy are completed disrupted. Right: “M” shaped liver ablation zone generated by histotripsy is seen clearly on an ultrasound image.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Dr. Joan Greve - Precision Approaches in Preclinical Studies It is estimated that one in twenty persons in the United States will experience deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in their lifetime. Treatment for DVT is frequently inadequate, resulting in high rates of residual and recurrent disease, serious longterm complications, and estimated treatment costs of US$ billions annually. Precision medicine, applying the correct therapeutic to the correct patient at the correct time, seeks to classify patients into subpopulations based on characteristics which distinguish them from others with similar clinical presentations. By doing so, healthcare providers can maximize efficacy, minimize side effects, and ultimately reduce treatment costs. The goal of this project is to improve treatment approaches for DVT by developing multiparametric-MRI (the integration of datasets encompassing several MRI properties) in preclinical models of DVT to quantify disease phenotype and its relationship to differential therapeutic response. In vivo methods that can non-invasively quantify thrombus characteristics such as size, composition, blood flow via recanalization, and surrounding collateral vein formation are critical for understanding how an individual thrombus responds to a specific therapy. (Collaboration with Dr. Jose A. Diaz and Olivia Palmer)

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Find a Researcher :

• • Imaging
  • Optics
  • Ultrasound and Ultrasonics
  • Functional and Molecular Imaging

 

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

 

X

Regenerative Medicine

 

Objective:

Regenerative Medicine’s aim is to to replace, engineer or regenerate human cells, tissues, and organs to restore or establish normal function. Michigan is unmatched in the broad reach of its research which includes the School of Medicine and the Colleges of Engineering and Pharmacy and as a result is a world leader in citations, grants received, and number of patents in this field.

What We Do:

• Stem Cell Research
• Development of Artificial organs and tissues
• Development of decoys

Our students have opportunities to participate in NIH-sponsored training grants and programs in several fields, including:

• Cellular Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Organogenesis
• Tissue Engineering

 

Applications:

• Organ Replacement
• Drug Delivery
• Injury Rehabilitation

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

Dr. Ariella Shikanov - Restoration of Ovarian Endocrine Function

                   

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a significant complication of cytotoxic treatments due to extreme ovarian sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiation. Currently, available treatment for POI is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which delivers unregulated, non-physiological levels of estrogen that interferes with growth in peripubertal girls and predisposes them to cancer and thrombotic events. Implantation of donor ovarian tissue that responds to the circulating gonadotropins and secrets steroid hormones in response fills the existing gap, especially for girls undergoing puberty. We designed a novel immuno-isolation device that protects the implanted tissue from rejection, allows diffusion of nutrients, oxygen and hormones, and accommodates structural and functional changes of growing follicles.

                     

Dr. Sriram Chandrasekaran - Discovering synergistic and antagonistic drug combinations for treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis

 

• • Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest bacterial infection, infecting 30% of all people world-wide and killing over a million persons each year. The prevalence of multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) exemplifies the challenge to identify novel combination therapies to counter antibiotic resistance and reduce treatment times.
  • The objective of this project is to implement a computational tool called INDIGO (INferring Drug Interactions using chemo-Genomics and Orthology) to enable the discovery of effective antibiotic combinations in Mtb by leveraging chemogenomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics data in Mtb, Mycobacterium smegmatis as well as from model organisms such as E. coli.
  • The INDIGO approach can accurately and expeditiously screen potent antibiotic combinations from thousands of possibilities, and identify antibiotic combinations that interact synergistically or antagonistically, as well as predict how antibiotics prescribed in combinations will inhibit bacterial growth.
  • The ultimate goal is to use INDIGO to help clinicians quickly assess the likelihood of success of new anti-TB drug combinations.

 

Dr. Jan Stegemann - Fabrication and Characterization of composite materials

The Stegemann laboratory focuses on how cells interact with the 3D protein matrix around them and how these interactions can be used to develop better biomaterials and engineered tissues. The main application areas are in cardiovascular and orthopaedic tissues.

We have developed and characterized a range of pure and composite biomaterials based on naturally derived proteins and polysaccharides. These materials are designed to have desirable biochemical, physical, and mechanical properties, which can be used to guide cell function. We also study structure-function relationships in such composite materials.

                                       

Find a Researcher :

• • • Artificial Organs
    • Biomaterials
    • Drug Delivery and Therapeutics
    • Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

   

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

   

X

Cancer

Challenge:

Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.

Technologies Available / Used at U-M Biomedical Engineering:

• Gene and drug delivery
• Oncogenic signaling and therapeutic mechanisms
• Single-cell analysis
• Multi-Scale computational modeling

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Immunology

Challenge:

An autoimmune disease, similar to allergies, is a condition resulting from an abnormal immune response to a normal body part. There are at least 80 types of autoimmune diseases, and neraly any body part can be involved.

Technologies Available/Used:

• Allogeneic cell transplantation
• Computational and experimental biology
• Tissue-engineered constructs
• Nanoparticle drug delivery methods

Relevant Research from UM-BME Faculty

     

Dr. Geeta Mehta - Biological Applications of Surfaces with Extreme Wettabilities

• In collaboration with Dr. Anish Tuteja, we have developed various surfaces with extreme wettabilities, that can be used to control the behavior of cells, bacteria and liquids.
• Paper substrates patterned with superomniphilic and superomniphobic areas are able to control where high grade serous ovarian cancer OVCAR3 cells settle and attach to the substrate.
• Anti-biofouling polymer coatings can prevent bacteria adhesion to maintain surfaces with little or no biofouling.
• Paper microfluidic devices to detect low concentrations of E. coli use a background of superomniphobic paper and a superomniphilic channels to lyse and determine the presence of E coli.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Cardiovascular

Challenge:

Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels, and includes coronary artery diseases such as angina, myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack), stroke, cardiomyopathy, heart arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, and many others, and the underlying mechanisms vary depending on the disease in question.

Technologies Available/Used:

• Image-Based simulation of hemodynamics
• Cardiovascular Integrated Modeling and Simulation
• Cell and tissue engineering

 

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

  Dr. Andrew Putnam & Dr. Jan Stegemann - Modular approaches to revascularize ischemic tissues       Over the past 5-10 years, a number of studies have demonstrated that vasculature formed in bulk gels in vitro can inosculate (connect) with host vasculature in vitro following transplantation. These pre-vascularization strategies hold great promise to treat ischemic conditions and potentially overcome a critical challenge in the field of tissue engineering. However, they require an invasive surgery, which in some cases may not be desirable. In this project, we are making small vascularized modules by embedding endothelial cells and supportive stromal cells in small biomaterial modules (on the order of 250-400 um in diameter) and culturing them for a period of time to allow the cells to self-assemble into primitive vascular networks. The small microtissues can then be injected in a minimally-invasive fashion, thereby jump-starting the formation of microvasculature in vivo.

Associated Core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Neurological Disorders

Challenge:

A neurological disorder is any disorder of the nervous system. Structural, biomechanical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms.

Technologies Available/Used:

• Neural Interfaces
• Neural Probes
• Sensor arrays
• Prosthetics

 

Relevant Research From UM Faculty

 

Dr. James Weiland - Brain Imaging in Humans with Retinal Implants

   

The long-term goal of this project is to study how the human brain responds to sight recovery. Prior work has shown that even in the adult brain, whereas structural plasticity is limited, functional plasticity results in profound changes in how the brain processes sensory input. The visual cortex of people who lost vision in adulthood can become active in response to tactile input, a phenomenon known as cross-modal plasticity. What is unclear is the impact of this functional plasticity on sight recovery therapy such as retinal prostheses. Prior work in our lab has established the feasibility of brain imaging in Argus II retinal prosthesis patients and studied cross-modal activation in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

                                                                                                                                                               

Dr. Tim Bruns – Closed-loop neuromodulation for bladder control

     

• • One of the goals of our group is to develop interfaces with the peripheral nervous system to restore and understand pelvic organ function
  • Current electrical stimulation therapies for bladder function operate in open-loop mode, such that the state of the bladder is not taken into account. We are developing a closed-loop approach that stimulates to control the bladder. We base stimulation timings on neural recordings that are used to estimate the bladder pressure and state.
  • We are also collaborating with electrical engineers to develop and evaluate novel microelectrodes which will enhance our ability to identify neural activity and selectively stimulate individual neurons.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

 

X

Skeletal / Orthopaedics

Challenge:

Musculoskeletal Disorders are injuries and disorders that affect the human body's movement or musculoskeletal system, for example, the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, blood vessels, etc. Common disorders include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendonitis, and Muscle or Tendon strain.

Technologies Available/Used:

• Cartilage & Tissue engineering
• Muscle 7 Bone regeneration
• Cellular reprogramming and cell-fate plasticity

 

Relevant Research from UM-BME Faculty

Dr. Rhima Coleman and Ellen Arruda - Finite element analysis of the human knee

The long-term goal of this project is to investigate how ACL and cartilage injuries alter the distribution of loads in cartilage tissue, accelerating the onset of osteoarthritis, and strategies to restore normal joint mechanics. It is well documented that patients with prior cartilage or ACL injury have earlier onset OA (post traumatic OA, PTOA) then the general population. Situations in which these injuries appear together, as is often the case, present a complex scenario in which the repair of both tissues must be carefully considered to restore normal joint biomechanics. We are characterizing the effects of these injuries on joint tissues using inhomogeneous models of cartilage and ACL properties and evaluating the influence of repair design parameters on restoration of normal joint mechanics.

                                         

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Molecular Imaging

Objective:

Molecular Imaging enables the visualization of #D structure and cellular function in living tissues. Quantitative, label free-molecular sensing and diagnostics with minimal perturbation are possible

Applications:

• Label-free imaging for biofabrication - personalized medicine
• Early cancer detection - in vivo diagnosis
• Drug discovery - assessing therapeutic response of precision medicine

What we do:

• MRI imaging
• fMRI

X

Functional & Physiological

Objective:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI (fMRI) is a functional neuroimaging procedure using MRI technology that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow

What We Do:

• Ultrasound
• Photo acoustic
• Optical imaging

Applications:

• Imaging and diagnosis of peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cardia function, brain function.
• Map neural activity of the brain and spinal cord

X

Multi-Scale Modeling

Objective:

To study processes that take place over multiple physical or temporal scales (e.g. organ vs tissue vs cell vs protein) and that influence each other's function and performance.

What we do

• Molecular simulations
• Continuum mechanics
• Agent based modeling

Applications:

• Cardiovascular disease research
• Medical device design and performance evaluation
• Image-Based non invasive diagnostics
• Patient-specific planning of complex cardiovascular procedures
• Better diagnostics, based on relationships between multiple measured factors rather than individual factors
• New design of mult-combinatorial therapeutics based on systems-level properties
• Extremely low-cost, low-risk hypothesis-testing of drugs and other therapeutics
• Agent based modeling

X

Systems Biology

Objective:

To take a holistic approach to biological research. It is an interdisciplinary field of study that aims to understand how interactions between many simple biological components can give rise to complex behaviors

What we do:

• Omics analysis
• Network modeling
• Metabolic flux analysis

Applications:

• Regenerative medicine
• Cancer
• Immune dysfunction

X

3D Culture

An artificially created environment in which biological cells are permitted to grow or interact with their surroundings in all three dimensions.

Applications:

• Functional tissue models to study development and disease
• Platforms to investigate how cells interact with chemical, physical, and mechanical aspects of their evironment
• Tissue analogs to replace diseased or damaged tissue

X

Biomechanics & Mechanobiology

Objective:

Biomechanics and mechanobiology research focus on the biological processes and mechanics at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and organism levels. Facilities like the College of Engineering’s Center for Ergonomics help our faculty model the stresses produced in certain situations.

What We Do:

• Quantify the mechanical environment that cells and matrix function while healthy, disease, or injured
• Identify any relationships between mechanical and biological processes such as growth, repair, and adaptation.
• Investigate how forces that act upon a cell or the cell’s environment affect cell behavior

Applications:

• 3D Engineered Environments
• Muscle and Skeletal Degeneration
• Micro-NanoFluidic Devices
• Blood Flow Simulation

Relevant Research from UM Faculty

    Dr. Carlos Aguilar - Muscle Regeneration         We use integrative genomic assays at the population and single cell level to understand muscle stem cells actions and animal models of disease, aging and trauma. Our lab is the first to deconvolve the heterogeneity of this stem cell compartment, how niche derived factors contribute to their functions and how chromatin modifications and accessibility are modulated through time. We also use microfluidic devices to understand changes in their elasticity (green and gray device) and ability to fuse (droplet sorter) below. [gallery size="medium" ids="2488,2487,2486"]       Dr. James Grotberg - Lung Airway Reopening During Inspiration: Liquid Plug Flow and Rupture Injuries Epithelial Cells     [gallery size="medium" ids="2531,2532,2533,2534"]

  Dr. Jan Stegemann - Characterization and simulation of engineered tissues   The Stegemann laboratory focuses on how cells interact with the 3D protein matrix around them and how these interactions can be used to develop better biomaterials and engineered tissues. Main applications areas are in the cardiovascular department and orthopaedic tissues. In collaboration with the Deng Lab (BME), we have developed ultrasound-based techniques that can be used to quantitatively characterize soft engineered and natural tissues at the micro-scale. Ultrasound is also used to stimulate progenitor cell differentiation in these details.

Find a Researcher :

• • Biofluids
  • Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics
  • Organ and Whole Body Biomechanics
  • Ergonomics and Rehabilitation

X

Immuno-Therapeutics

Objective:

Immunotherapy is the "treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response." Faculty are engaged in applying nano-and biomaterial technologies toward modulating immune responses, as well as developing diagnostic and computational tools for the design of interventions.

What We Do:

• Immune actuation
• Immune tolerance
• Nano particles
• Cytokine and chemokine delivery
• Systems biology of the immune system

Applications:

• Cancer (Breast, Prostate, Pancreatic)
• Allergies (Food, Airway)
• Pulmonary disease (pulmonary fibrosis, COPD)
• Autoimmune disease (Multiple Sclerosis Type 1 Diabetes)
• Infectious Disease (HIV and other STIs, tuberculosis)

X

Single Cell Analysis

Objective

Single-Cell analysis refers to the study of individual cells isolated from tissues in multi-cellular organisms. By studying one cell at a time, the results are certain to stem from that particular cell.

What We Do:

• Omics analysis
• Fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging

Applications:

• Cancer
• Stem cell differentiation
• Tissue formation
• Autoimmune disease (Multiple Sclerosis Type 1 Diabetes)
• Infectious Disease (HIV and other STIs, tuberculosis)

X

Gene and Drug Delivery

Objective:

To deliver a pharmaceutical, protein, or nucleic acid to target safely in order to induce a therapeutic effect.

What We Do:

• Implantable biomedical scaffolds
• Injectable nano particles & micro particles
• Proteins, plasmids, viruses, small molecules

Applications:

• Cancer/tumor treatment by targeting cancer cells
• Regenerative medicine: trophic factors can be made available that can promote the formation of functional tissues
• Autoimmune diseases/allergies - desensitize a patient to specicfic protiens or factors that induce an aberrant immune response
• Inflammatory diseases - modulate the trafficking of immune cells that can create inflammation following injury

X

Cell Transplantations & Therapies

Objective:

Cell transplantation and therapies seek to create and refine processes for cells to be introduced to the body in a controlled manner to direct function, regrow tissue, and fight disease. We have technologies for engineering the cells, as well as for engineering the environment to maximize engraftment and function.

What We Do:

• Cell survival and engraftment
• Directed differentiation
• Immune modulation
• Hydrogels and microporous scaffolds

Applications:

• • Stem-cell therapies (cancer, diabetes)
  • Spinal Cord injury
  • Fertility preservation
  • Revascularization of tissues and organs
  • Cartilage/bone regeneration and replacement

                                     

Relevant Research from BME Faculty

Dr. Jan Stegemann - Development and testing of cell-based therapies

The Stegemann laboratory focuses on how cells interact with the 3D protein matrix around them and how these interactions can be used to develop better biomaterials and engineered tissues. The main application areas are in cardiovascular and orthopaedic tissues.

In these projects we are developing ways to control the phenotype of progenitor cells using defined microenvironmental cues. Our goal is to prime cells to regenerate desired tissues upon transplantation to challenging sites of wound repair.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Cardiovascular

Objective:

A subset of BME's cardiovascular engineering faculty seek to apply engineering tools and analyses to understand the design rules by which the cardiovascular system develops and functions. Others seek to exploit this type of fundamental understanding to create functional vessel replacements across length scales (i.e. from capillaries to large vessels) using cell and material-based strategies.

Applications:

• Re-vascularization therapies for treatment of ischemic conditions
• Wound Healing
• Vascularization of engineered tissues, especially bone and cardiac muscle

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Molecular, Cellular Diagnostics, and Tissue Diagnostics

Objective:

Technologies to analyze biological and chemical markers (genome, proteome, metabolome) in the human body (liquid biopsy, tissue biopsy, breath). Also, technologies for the capture of rare cell types that are causing or related to disease.

What We Do:

• Molecular analysis of blood, tissue, breath, and sweat
• In vivo capture of disease or related cells
• In vivo probes of diseased tissues

Applications:

These techniques are used for early disease detection that can guide therapy or monitor chronic diseases.

• Chronic disease like diabetes
• Cancer: early detection of metastic disease
• Autoimmune disease

Associated core (and key) BME Faculty:

X

Histotripsy

Objective:

Histotripsy controls cavitation to fractionate the target tissue into cellular debris with millimeter accuracy using microsecond, high-pressure ultrasound pulses.

Applications:

• Image-Guided non/minimally invasive surgery
• Cancer/tumor reduction/removal (liver, prostate, kidney, pancreas, etc)
• Venous thrombosis/ artery plaque removal/ alternate to stent
• Brain applications (brain tumors, stroke, neural stimulation

X

Neural Interfaces

Objective:

Neural Engineering encompasses techniques to interface with and study the nervous system, towards developing devices and treatments to map, assist, augment, and/or repair a wide variety of conditions. Our approaches include placing and modeling the effects of electrodes in or on the brain, retina, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves

Applications:

• Controlling Prosthetic Limbs
• Restoring Vision
• Reducing or Eliminating Chronic Pain
• Restoring Bladder Function