Category: News

Graduate Research Assistant Needed for the Biofluids Lab

Biofluids Lab

Position is Closed

The Biofluids Laboratory at the Biomedical Engineering Department of Michigan Technological University (Houghton, Michigan) has an opening for a graduate research assistant (PhD) starting January 2021.

The candidate will contribute to:

  • The design and implementation of cardiovascular devices.
  • Conducting experimental and computational studies on various congenital and adult cardiovascular models.
  • Image reconstruction and processing by using and expanding existing tools and development of novel methodologies.

Applicants should hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.

To apply, please submit applications here. In addition, send a copy of your CV and the contact information of three references to Dr. Hoda Hatoum (hhatoum@mtu.edu). Review of applications will begin immediately.

NSF Funding for Antiviral Application

Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee (BioMed/HRI) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $80,586 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is entitled, “Biomimetic Redox Chemistry for Antiviral Application.” Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) is the Co-PI on this three year project.

Extract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be used to disinfect a wide range of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. ROS is an attractive disinfectant as it decomposes into non-toxic degradation products (water and oxygen). However, ROS is highly reactive and can be hazardous to store and transport. This project aims at utilizing a unique chemistry found in mussel adhesive proteins to create a portable biomaterial that can be activated to generate ROS.

Read more at the National Science Foundation.

Bruce Lee Group Publishes on Antimicrobial Biomaterials

Chemical Engineering Journal cover.

Bruce Lee (BioMed), post doctoral researcher Bo Liu (BioMed), graduate student Zhongian Zhang (BioMed), undergraduate student James Roland (BioMed) and collaborator Chao Zhao (Changzhou University) co-authored “Antimicrobial property of halogenated catechols,” published in Chemical Engineering Journal.

This paper demonstrated that the adhesive molecule found in mussel adhesive proteins can be chemically modified to prepare antimicrobial biomaterials that are effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.126340

Biomedical Engineering Graduates Spring 2020

Procession and audience in during commencement.
BME Chair Sean Kirkpatrick (center) attends the previous commencement in support of our graduates.

See BME Student Awards 2020

Graduate Students

  1. Bule, Stephanie
  2. Chandurkar, Mohanish (Graduated w/MS continuing PhD)
  3. Jia, Wenkai
  4. Kord Forooshani, Pegah
  5. Langfoss, Claire S.
  6. Nagam Hanumantharao, Samerender
  7. Pinnaratip, Rattapol
  8. Polega, Elizabeth A.
  9. Que, Carolynn A.
  10. Sandy, Lauren A.
  11. Sunderland, Kevin William
  12. Tyo, Ariana G. (Graduated w/MS continuing PhD)

Undergraduate Students

  1. Al Dulaim, Ahmed H.
  2. Atkin, David T.
  3. Bartkowiak, Sarah J.
  4. Biolchini, Clare F.
  5. Black, Sarah L.
  6. Brandmire, Adam M.
  7. Caspers, Kiaya M.
  8. Chica Toro, Juan Felipe F.
  9. Colaianne, Matthew B.
  10. Creamer, Olivia A.
  11. Daniels, Becky S.
  12. Demaree, Olivia A.
  13. Dertinger, Samantha C.
  14. Fetner, Alex R.
  15. Fournier, Tristan N.
  16. Geschke, Josh E.
  17. Golden, Nick R.
  18. Ha, Tony
  19. Halanski, Nathan
  20. Hill, McKenzie P.
  21. Jackels, Mariah J.
  22. Johnson, Colin M.
  23. Kautzer, Amanda R.
  24. Kostenko, Evan M.
  25. Kugler, Lydia C.
  26. Lasky, Taylor M.
  27. Leithauser, North O.
  28. Lemay, Kelsey F.
  29. Lindquist, Ellen M.
  30. Lohrenz, Gabrielle X.
  31. Marche, Marie
  32. Mills, Ian R.
  33. Ping, Rachel C.
  34. Piotrowski, Ryann E.
  35. Roland, James D.
  36. Schneider, Karl L.
  37. Steupert, Juergen C.
  38. Thomas, Melanie M.
  39. Tuomi, Jacob M.
  40. Turowski, Nicholas A.
  41. Vogl, Brennan J.
  42. Wang, Katherine
  43. Weaver, Jeremy M.

NIH Funded Wound Healing Project

Rupak Rajachar
Rupak Rajachar

Rupak Rajachar (BioMed) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $400,343 research and development grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The project is entitled, “Targeted ROS Releasing PEG-Fibrin Composite Adhesive-Hydrogel to Control Matrix Modulation as a Wound Healing and Tissue Engineering Support.”

Bruce Lee (BioMed) is the Co-PI on this potential three-year project.

By Sponsored Programs.

Diabetic Wound Repair Project Funding for Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee (BioMed) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $434,993 research and development grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The project is entitled, “Multifunctional Nanocomposite Bioadhesive for Diabetic Wound Repair.” Xiaoqing Tang (BioSci) and Rupak Rajachar (BioMed) are Co-PI’s on this potential three-year project.

Lee is also the principal investigator on a project that has received a $102,779 research and development from the Office of Naval Research. The project is entitled, “Electro-Responsive Underwater Adhesive Based on Mussel Adhesive Chemistry.”

This is a potential three-year project totaling $524,995.

By Sponsored Programs.

Researchers Attend Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society

Adhesion Society Meeting Graphic

Rupak Rajachar (BioMed), Bruce Lee (BioMed), Ariana Tyo (BioMed) and Saleh Akram Bhuiyan (BioMed) attended the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society in Charleston, South Carolina.

Rajachar chaired a session entitled “Biomedical Adhesion.” Lee gave an oral presentation entitled “Tuning the ROS Release from Catechol-containing Bioadhesive.”

Tyo gave an oral presentation entitled “Adhesive Antimicrobial Polydopamine Surface Coatings to Prevent Biofilm Formation on Stainless Steel.” The content of this talk was recently published in Frontiers in Chemistry.

Bhuiyan was a finalist for the Peebles Award for Graduate Student Research in Adhesion Science and gave an oral presentation entitled “In Situ Deactivation of Catechol-Containing Adhesive using Electrochemistry.” The content of this talk was recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and was highlighted in the Michigan Tech News.

The meeting was February 23-26, 2020.

Bruce Lee Publishes a Study of a Multifunctional Microgel

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces cover.

Bruce Lee (BioMed) published a paper titled “Iron Magnetic Nanoparticle-Induced ROS Generation from Catechol-Containing Microgel for Environmental and Biomedical Applications” in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The coauthors are graduate student Zhongtian Zhang (BioMed), undergraduate student Max Reaume (BioMed), postdoctoral researcher Bo Liu (BioMed) and collaborators Chao Zhou and Min Wu from Changzhou University and Guangdong University of Technology, respectively.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b19726

This article is part of the Advances in Biocidal Materials and Interfaces special issue.

Extract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can degrade organic compounds and function as a broad-spectrum disinfectant. Here, dopamine methacrylamide (DMA) was used to prepare catechol-containing microgels, which can release ROS via metal-catechol interaction. A combination of the microgel and iron magnetic nanoparticle (FeMNP) significantly reduced the concentration of four organic dyes (Alizarin Red S, Rhodamine B, Crystal Violet, and Malachite Green) and an antibiotic drug, ciprofloxacin, dissolved in solution.

Additionally, catechol chelates heavy metal ions, resulting in their removal from solution and repurposed these metal ions for dye degradation.

This multifunctional microgel can potentially be used for environmental applications for the removal of organic pollutants and heavy metal ions from wastewater, as well as reducing bacterial infection in biomedical applications.

Bruce Lee Publishes in Chemical Society Reviews

Bruce Lee (BioMed) published a review article in Chemical Society Reviews entitled “Catechol-functionalized hydrogels: biomimetic design, adhesion mechanism, and biomedical applications.”

Chemical Society Reviews is the Royal Society of Chemistry’s leading reviews journal and publishes high-impact articles at the forefront of the chemical sciences. (Impact Factor: 40.443)

https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CS00285E

This review compiles state-of-the-art examples and details progress in the design and development of adhesive hydrogel materials based on mussel-inspired catechol chemistry. From a fundamental perspective, two main aspects have been examined: the role of water in undermining adhesion in hydrogels and the adhesive mechanism involving catechol-containing adhesives and coatings.

Read more…