Tag: Biomedical Engineering

Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao
Biomedical Engineering

I received my Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Tech with the thesis titled “A 3D Biomimetic Scaffold using Electrospinning for Tissue Engineering Applications”. Under the guidance of Dr. Smitha Rao, I have continued my research effort in the field of tissue regeneration focusing on biophysical cues in the micro- and nano- scale that impact tissue growth. Tissue regeneration is a complex process that involves a myriad of biological pathways working in tandem. When this harmony is disturbed, it leads to complications which can be fatal. The healing of wounds caused by diabetic foot ulcer is one such disease that prevents complete healing, and involves time-consuming and expensive rehabilitation. My research focuses on identifying the biophysical cues involved in tissue regeneration for wound healing applications and developing a bandage that accelerates the wound healing process using the native cells of the body. The bandage functions by mimicking the physical characteristics of local tissues providing a framework for the cells to attach and proliferate thereby closing the wound.

I look forward to utilizing this opportunity to develop improved scaffolds and enable technologies to enhance our understanding of the various signaling pathways involved in wound healing. I will continue to identify commercial applications and develop my skills both as a researcher and an entrepreneur. The PHF assistantship will be invaluable in my pursuit. I want to thank the Portage Health Foundation, the department of biomedical engineering at Michigan Tech and my advisor Dr. Rao for the help, support and guidance.

Srinivas Kannan
Biomedical Engineering

I began my doctoral research in the Fall of 2016 in the Biomedical Microdevices lab under the guidance of Dr. Smitha Rao. My research is focused on breast cancer and understanding breast cancer cell metastasis using a microfluidic platform. The compromised metabolic processes in breast cancers impact the local tumor environment. This is supported by the enhanced uptake of fructose and expression of GLUT5 (fructose specific transporter membrane proteins) in breast cancer cells compared to healthy cells. The overall objective is to better understand the nutrient microenvironment and impact from the nutrients available in the body on breast cancer, to improve cancer detection and/or therapy. Towards this end, I have contributed by testing the GLUT5 specific fluorescent fructose mimics (ManCou probes) developed in Dr. Tanasova’s lab. My doctoral work also includes developing a three-dimensional in vitro model for understanding cancer microenvironment and metabolic differences, differential uptake of fructose among breast cancer phenotypes and develop a platform for cancer diagnostics.

I thank the Portage Health Foundation for awarding me the assistantship and the department of Biomedical engineering at Michigan tech for the financial support. I am grateful for the continued guidance from my advisor Dr. Smitha Rao and my co-advisor Dr. Marina Tanasova.

David Rosen
Biomedical Engineering

I started my graduate study in the spring of 2015, which was the semester after finishing my undergraduate study at Michigan Tech.  Early on in my undergraduate study, I became fascinated with the general topic of biomechanics and the technologies associated with it. This fascination is what drew me to pursue graduate level research in Dr. Jingfeng Jiang’s lab. There I focus on a medical ultrasound technology called elastography, an imaging technique used to assess soft tissue elasticity in vivo.  I am particularly interested in understanding how the complicated mechanics of soft tissue manifest in elastography measurements and what that can tell us about how best to use elastography to characterize various disease states in soft tissue.

The opportunity to pursue this line of research for my graduate study has been a privilege. I am immensely grateful for the support that the Portage Health Foundation has provided me in this pursuit.

Anindya Majumdar
Biomedical Engineering

I am a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engg. at MTU.  Water and biological tissues act as excellent sources of optical scatterers, and thus give rise to fascinating optical phenomena. My research focuses on ways to make use of these phenomena (specifically, speckles and phase singularities) for novel ways of imaging and analyzing motion in biophysical systems. Outside of work, my time is spent exploring the beauty of the U.P. and the surrounding areas, as well as trying out the excellent variety of student organizations at Michigan Tech.