News

Tracking radiation treatment in real time promises safer, more effective cancer therapy 

January 3, 2023

The ability to accurately detect where X-rays land and in what dose could reduce the collateral damage from radiation therapy.

Radiation, used to treat half of all cancer patients, can be measured during treatment for the first time with precise 3D imaging developed at the University of Michigan.

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Century-old question on fluid in lungs answered

December 9, 2022

A “new physiological flow” modeled in the body could aid in treatment of lung infections and pulmonary edema.
Pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs that can be fatal, presents a 125-year-old medical puzzle—one that has now been solved by researchers at the University of Michigan and Arts et MĂ©tiers ParisTech. 

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Shutting down backup genes leads to cancer remission, in mice

September 30, 2022

Cancer cells delete DNA when they go to the dark side, so a team of doctors and engineers targeted the “backup plans” running critical cell functions.

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Five New Faculty Join U-M BME for Fall 2022

September 26, 2022

U-M Biomedical Engineering is growing to meet the needs of our rapidly increasing student population and experiential learning curriculum while also serving our research mission to the benefit of humanity. We are so excited to welcome five new Assistant Professors this Fall 2022 semester. MarĂ­a Coronel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering Dr. MarĂ­a Coronel received […]

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A view into what’s really happening during gene editing for Precision CRISPR

September 26, 2022

Gene editing is one of the hottest new techniques being explored by scientists and medical doctors alike, with the most typical applications including improved food production and treatment of serious diseases. Expected to reach a market size of  $18.5M by 2028, the most popular method relies on the technique known as CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats). 

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U-M Weil Institute, College of Engineering & Michigan Medicine Awarded $5.7M Grant for Wearable Sensor that Detects Diseases through Body Odor

August 24, 2022

ANN ARBOR, MI – Researchers from the University of Michigan’s Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation, College of Engineering and Michigan Medicine have received a $5.7 million grant from the NIH Screening for Conditions by Electronic Nose Technology (SCENT) program to develop a portable sensor that uses body odor to detect over 20 acute and chronic, inflammatory, metabolic, respiratory, cardiovascular and skin diseases in both adults and children.

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Rackham Welcomes David Sept as Associate Dean

August 11, 2022

Rackham Graduate School welcomes David Sept as associate dean for academic programs and initiatives. As associate dean, he will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with Rackham programs in engineering and the physical sciences.

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Tumors partially destroyed with sound don’t come back, in rats

April 25, 2022

Non-invasive sound technology developed at the University of Michigan breaks down liver tumors in rats, kills cancer cells and spurs the immune system to prevent further spread—an advance that could lead to improved cancer outcomes in humans. By destroying only 50% to 75% percent of liver tumor volume, the rats’ immune systems were able to clear away the rest, with no evidence of recurrence or metastases in more than 80% of animals.

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Recovery from muscle loss injuries hindered by immune cell conflicts

April 14, 2022

Studies in mice show how the two of the body’s natural injury responders conflict following traumatic muscle injuries.

Tissues often fail to regenerate from traumatic muscle-loss injuries such as gunshot wounds and car accidents, and new research in mice from the University of Michigan sheds light on why. The findings suggest new treatment strategies that could eventually restore function and prevent limb loss.

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How well do boosters work? Depends on your genes

February 24, 2022

Computer modeling links a person’s genes to whether producing more antibodies will help them fight off the disease.

Genetics play an important role in how our bodies respond to vaccines and booster shots, suggesting that certain protective responses elicited by vaccination could be more effective with personalization, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers.

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New $13.8M center at U-M will study infectious disease, pandemic preparedness

December 20, 2021

The multidisciplinary research team ​​will synergize efforts across the University.

As researchers around the world continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, most agree on one issue: If history is any indication, there’s another pandemic coming.

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BME Led Team Receives 2021 Precision Heath Investigators Award

December 8, 2021

A team of researchers led by BME and EECS professor Zhongming Liu, PhD, and BME/fMRI Research Scientist, Scott Peltier, PhD, received one of seven Precision Health Investigators Awards for 2021 for their project titled, “Deep Learning for Prediction of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type.” The awards— each of $200k over 2 years—support […]

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Individual finger control for advanced prostheses demonstrated in primates

September 30, 2021

In a first, a computer that could fit on an implantable device has interpreted brain signals for precise, high-speed, multifinger movements in primates. This key step toward giving those who have lost limb function more natural, real-time control over advanced prostheses—or even their own hands—was achieved at the University of Michigan.

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Predicting how well a vaccine will work for you

September 3, 2021

A conventional approach to HIV vaccination does not induce immune responses in everyone equally, and a new computer model shows why. by James Lynch, Michigan Engineering In an advance that sheds light on why certain vaccines may influence people differently, a new computational approach developed at the University of Michigan may predict how individual patients […]

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Low levels of electrical current can block pain

August 27, 2021

A team from King’s College London, University of Michigan and Presidio Medical Inc., have published a study in Science Translational Medicine, demonstrating that low levels of electrical current can be used to inhibit pain signals in nerves from ever reaching the brain, resulting in a marked decrease in the levels of pain experienced by participants.

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Wearable temperature sensor provides early warning for complications in cancer patients

August 16, 2021

The device, which takes measurements every two minutes, was able to detect infection and cytokine release syndrome events several hours sooner than routine monitoring. by Ian Demsky A simple, wearable temperature sensor was able to detect dangerous complications in hospitalized cancer patients hours earlier than routine monitoring, a team from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer […]

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Mary-Ann Mycek named next BME Chair

July 15, 2021

Mary-Ann Mycek has been named the new interim chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, effective July 1, 2021.

Mycek, who joined U-M’s BME faculty in 2003, will be the sixth chair of the department.

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Carbon fiber brain-implant electrodes show promise in animal study

July 14, 2021

A tiny, implantable carbon fiber electrode developed at the University of Michigan and demonstrated in rats has the potential to provide a long-term brain-computer interface that can capture the scope and nuance of electrical signals over lengthy periods of time.

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Blood test shows promise for predicting treatment response in metastatic HPV-positive throat cancer

June 24, 2021

A sensitive blood test being developed by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center shows promise for predicting whether patients with metastatic HPV-positive throat cancer will respond to treatment months earlier than standard imaging scans.

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Ultrasound Technology Developed at U-M Now in Clinical Trials for Liver Cancer

June 7, 2021

The University of Michigan is one of eight sites around the country that will enroll patients in a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a technology that uses ultrasound to treat liver tumors.

The #HOPE4LIVER trial will employ the noninvasive technique to mechanically destroy primary and metastatic liver tumors.

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Incoming BME Assistant Professor Aaron Morris’ ‘TED Talk’ released

May 24, 2021

by Brandon Baier Aaron Morris, Ph.D., an incoming BME assistant professor and current research fellow in the Shea Lab, was selected as a 2020 TED fellow and will participate in a first-ever fellows takeover of TED.com starting on Monday, May 24, 2021. Morris’ talk, titled “The future diagnostic lab inside your body“, will be published […]

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Immunotherapy: The Next Generation

March 8, 2021

BME recently hosted a virtual seminar for alumni and friends on February 23rd, 2021, presented by Professor Lonnie Shea, William and Valerie Hall Chair of Biomedical Engineering, and Dr. Jacqueline Jeruss, Associate Dean for Regulatory Affairs and professor on “Immunotherapy: The Next Generation.” The event was hosted by William Hall, Michigan Engineering Alumnus and Supporter, […]

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Ideation and Collaboration

March 8, 2021

New BME spaces with educational and design focus poised to reshape Biomedical Engineering learning and teaching It was announced in the Fall of 2019 that the first floor of the LBME building would receive a new 12,000 square feet, $5 million dollar renovation that would reinvent and redesign the BME Design Spaces with a focus […]

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New Non-Contact Technique Allows for Quantitative Characterization of Soft Biomaterials

February 18, 2021

Conventional rheology methods face limitations that can now be bypassed through the application of Resonant Acoustic Rheometry (RAR,) a new ultrasound-based technique that is helpful in identifying properties of soft biomaterials, such as hydrogels. Hydrogels are commonly used as a model of the extracellular matrix and help to recapitulate the structure and function of a […]

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Method of Immunomodulation at Biomaterial Scaffolds Can Help Detect Early Pancreatic Cancer

February 16, 2021

Individuals with pancreatic cancer face a worse disease prognosis than those diagnosed with other forms of cancer, as stage IV pancreatic cancer has a five year survival rate of 1 percent. The survival rate of localized pancreatic cancer is around 33%, while many other cancers have a rate exceeding 90%. This is largely a result […]

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Open BME Seminar Series

February 1, 2021

We are thrilled to announce that The University of Michigan will be a part of the Open BME Seminar Series this Winter and Spring. This virtual series is being coordinated by seven of the leading BME departments across the country. The goal is to expose our graduate students to cutting edge ideas in the field of biomedical […]

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How to end discrimination in health research funding

January 27, 2021

by Kate McAlpine | Michigan Engineering Network of U.S. biomedical engineering researchers calls to end funding disparities between Black and white scientists. White researchers are nearly twice as likely to be awarded a grant than Black scientists of similar academic achievement, studies of National Institutes of Health funding programs show—and a group of 19 biomedical engineering […]

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Research Team Awarded $2M NIH Grant for Breath Analyzer that Detects and Monitors COVID-19, COVID-19 Induced Lung Injury

January 26, 2021

Across the United States, there has been a marked increase in COVID-19 cases as many states tentatively reopen. This has resulted in a critical need for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring technologies that can process results quickly and can be used in both clinical and everyday settings.  In December of 2020, a research team led by […]

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Treating autoimmune disorders with an inhaler, rather than an IV

December 7, 2020

Research in mice shows efficacy for multiple sclerosis. Nanoparticles continue to find wider use in medical treatments in everything from drug delivery to diagnosing disease. In nearly every case, these ultrafine particles are delivered to patients via injection or through an IV. Biomedical engineers at the University of Michigan are exploring how nanoparticles that are […]

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Undergrads awarded by NASA, European Space Agency for project predicting COVID hotspots

November 11, 2020

The team earned the Best Use of Science award at the NASA Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge for their machine learning model that can predict hotspots for COVID outbreaks Five undergrad students majoring in computer science and biomedical engineering were recognized at a global 48-hour hackathon hosted by NASA to tackle the many challenges surrounding the […]

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Researchers Argue for a More Systematic Use of Mathematical Models To Study Neurotechnologies

November 10, 2020

Study calls into question rush to use brain stimulation technology to treat Parkinson’s and pain disorders. Electrical stimulation or neurostimulation technologies work for treating a wide range of neurological disorders, like chronic pain and Parkinson’s disease. In these technologies, electrical pulses are delivered from electrodes placed inside the brain or outside the skin to generate […]

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Lab-on-a-chip offers faster means of identifying best plasma donors in COVID fight

October 1, 2020

University of Michigan collaboration with Hackensack Meridian CDI offers new pathway to identify antibodies. A new, portable lab-on-a-chip used by University of Michigan researchers can identify the presence of COVID-19 antibodies in blood with greater speed and efficiency than the current standard “enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay” or ELISA technology. With assistance from U-M startup Optofluidic Bioassay and Hackensack Meridian […]

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New treatments for deadly lung disease could be revealed by 3D modeling

September 11, 2020

Traditional 2D research may rule out better treatment options. A 3D bioengineered model of lung tissue built by University of Michigan researchers is poking holes in decades worth of flat, Petri dish observations into how the deadly disease pulmonary fibrosis progresses.  The causes of pulmonary fibrosis are not fully understood, but the condition is marked […]

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Brain interface pioneers find meaningful signal in the grey matter noise

July 28, 2020

by Dan Newman, Michigan Robotics Institute By tuning into a subset of brain waves, University of Michigan researchers have dramatically reduced the power requirements of neural interfaces while improving their accuracy. This discovery could lead to long-lasting brain implants that can both treat neurological diseases and enable mind-controlled prosthetics and machines. The team, led by Cynthia […]

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Improving Flexible Neural Probe Delivery Published in Nature: Microsystems & Nanoengineering

July 9, 2020

BME Prof. Tim Bruns, Affiliated Faculty members Euisik Yoon and John Seymour and their labs have developed a novel diamond shuttle to deliver a flexible neural probe that reduces surrounding tissue compression and blood vessel damage. The collaboration between faculty and students in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering included BME PhD student […]

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Study Suggests Method to Starve Pancreatic Cancer Cells

July 6, 2020

Rather than attacking cancer cells directly, new cell-model research probes weaknesses in pancreatic cancer’s interactions with other cells to obtain nutrients needed for tumor growth. A University of Michigan-led study is shedding new light on the way pancreatic cancer cells turn nearby connective tissue cells into co-conspirators in their deadly growth. The findings, which appear in Nature […]

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How rod-shaped particles might distract an out-of-control immune response

June 18, 2020

When white blood cells don’t know when to stop, an injection of rod-shaped particles may draw them away from a site of excessive inflammation. A 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 […]

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Supporting our Community: Black Lives Matter

June 5, 2020

U-M BME Chair Lonnie Shea shared the following message with the BME community on June 4, 2020, about standing up to racism and supporting the Black community. To All Members of the BME Community: Given the events of the past weeks, we wanted to reach out to our UM BME community.  Like most of you, […]

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Five BME Core Faculty and Five Affiliated/Associated Faculty Promoted

May 22, 2020

The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a number of faculty promotions at their May meeting yesterday, including five core Biomedical Engineering faculty and five affiliated/associated Biomedical Engineering faculty. Core BME Faculty: Rhima M. Coleman, associate professor of biomedical engineering, with tenure, College of Engineering and Medical School; associate professor of mechanical engineering, without […]

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Improved neural probe can pose precise questions without losing parts of the answers

May 5, 2020

It will now be possible to study brain activity when timing is important, such as the consolidation of memory. A technique for studying individual circuits in the brains of mice has been hampered because the light needed to stimulate neural activity briefly overwhelms the electrodes “listening” for the response. Now, improved shielding within the neural […]

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Congratulations U-M Biomedical Engineering Graduates

April 30, 2020

U-M Biomedical Engineering would like to congratulate the BME ‘Class of 2020.’ We’re proud to celebrate the accomplishment of all of our graduates. This year we had 100 outstanding Bachelor’s degree graduates, 85 Master’s and SUGS graduates, and 24 Ph.D.s awarded.

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Lab-on-a-chip COVID-19 antibody test could offer rapid, accurate results

April 21, 2020

‘Anyone working on COVID-19 antibody tests can use their reagents in our device’| Medium Read Our campus, like the global community, is contending with COVID-19 and working to adapt to a new normal. Many are rapidly working on solutions. See all COVID-19 developments from University of Michigan Engineering. COVID-19 antibody testing that’s portable, fast, cheap and highly precise—four […]

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Charles Cain, PhD In Memoriam

March 29, 2020

Professor Charles Cain passed away on March 27, 2020, at the age of 77, after three years of fight with prostate cancer. Charles was born to be a scientist and educator. He only wanted to work on new concepts and despised being a follower. His creativity and desire to lead resulted in his pioneering phased […]

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Prof. Zhen Xu Receives Lockhart Memorial Prize from Focused Ultrasound Foundation

March 28, 2020

On March 25, Zhen Xu, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, was awarded the 2019 Andrew J. Lockhart Memorial Prize by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. The $75,000 annual prize is awarded to an investigator to recognize outstanding contributions in advancing cancer treatment using focused ultrasound and the potential for […]

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Covid-19: A guide for the BME Community

March 19, 2020

University of Michigan health professionals have been closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 over the past two months. Our goals are to deliver on our mission while protecting health and safety by minimizing the potential spread of the disease, both within our community and in the broader society. The changes we have implemented follow the […]

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‘It’s like you have a hand again’ An ultra-precise mind-controlled prosthetic

March 4, 2020

In a major advance in mind-controlled prosthetics for amputees, University of Michigan researchers have tapped faint, latent signals from arm nerves and amplified them to enable real-time, intuitive, finger-level control of a robotic hand. Take an interactive multimedia deep dive into the research collaboration that’s powering the unprecedented, intuitive control of next-gen bionics. Read the […]

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Aaron Morris Selected as a TED Fellow University of Michigan Precision Health Scholar and Biomedical Engineering Postdoc to present at TED2020

January 23, 2020

Ann Arbor, MI JANUARY 23, 2020—Aaron Morris, MS, PhD—a 2018 recipient of a Precision Health Scholars Award and a research fellow in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan—has been selected as a TED Fellow. Chosen for his work on tissue-engineered diagnostic sites, Morris joins a class of 20 change-makers from around the world to […]

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How an AI solution can design new tuberculosis drug regimens A new method could replace trial and error drug development

November 21, 2019

With a shortage of new tuberculosis drugs in the pipeline, a software tool from the University of Michigan can predict how current drugs—including unlikely candidates—can be combined in new ways to create more effective treatments. “This could replace our traditional trial-and-error system for drug development that is comparatively slow and expensive,” said Sriram Chandrasekaran, a U-M […]

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Debating Bioethics

November 4, 2019

Bioengineers tend talk a lot about how new technologies work. BME Lecturer Barry Belmont also wants to discuss their implications, and he isn’t the only one.  “It’s one thing to learn the mechanics of gene therapy, for example, like how CRISPR works; it’s another to talk about some of the potential uses and the ethics […]

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Implantable cancer traps could provide earlier diagnosis and help monitor treatment Synthetic scaffolding could detect multiple types of cancers before they start to spread.| Medium Read

October 30, 2019

Invasive procedures to biopsy tissue from cancer-tainted organs could be replaced by simply taking samples from a tiny “decoy” implanted just beneath the skin, University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated in mice. These devices have a knack for attracting cancer cells traveling through the body. In fact, they can even pick up signs that cancer […]

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