Duke BME Magazine
The Research Issue | Fall 2019
From the Chair
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Good work is rarely accomplished alone. For me, the 2019 Engineering Biology for Medicine conference served as an energizing reminder that breakthrough discoveries often emerge due to collaborations at the intersection of engineering, biology and medicine.
It was wonderful to welcome colleagues from schools as far-flung as Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Hopkins, MIT, UCSF, Yale, and ETH Zurich to Duke BME for the May 2019 conference, which was co-sponsored by Nature Medicine and Nature Biomedical Engineering.
With sessions covering topics that spanned mechanobiology, synthetic and systems biology and immune engineering, this event was a wonderful opportunity for leading researchers to highlight successful research, and discuss how their work could solve long-standing problems within the biomedical field.
I was thrilled to have several Duke BME faculty among the speakers presenting their own work and introducing sessions. In our newest issue of the Duke BME Magazine, we take a deeper look at their impressive research, with stories about researchers using lab-on-a-chip technologies to study diverse diseases, work in the emerging field of mechanobiology, novel approaches to mapping the human brain, and features about work at the intersection of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Our faculty are just one of the reasons Duke BME is consistently ranked among the best biomedical engineering programs in the United States, and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to highlight what is just a small fraction of their excellent research. Duke BME has blazed an exciting trail in the last fifty years, and I know there is more innovative work on the horizon.
Ashutosh Chilkoti
Chair
Duke Biomedical Engineering
Engineering Biology for Medicine Inaugural Conference Held at Duke
When Ashutosh Chilkoti took over as chair of Duke University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, one of his goals was to host a specialized conference for biomedical engineers in partnership with a high-impact research journal.
Zooming in on Neuronal Behavior
There are more than 86 billion neurons in the brain.
Big Ideas on a Small Surface
Several small slides sit in an incubator in Shyni Varghese’s lab at Duke University, where they are connected to an assortment of machines via a network of delicate clear tubes.
The Evolution of Genetic Engineering
Charles Gersbach, the Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, leads a lab that is centered on developing and applying genome engineering tools––most notably CRISPR-based technology.
Past Issues
Spring 2019
Making the Next Wave of Imaging Tools for Cancer Diagnosis
With a joint appointment in the departments of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering, Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell uses her position as an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University to push the boundaries of medical imaging.
Engineering Solutions to Foodborne Illness
Romaine lettuce. Ground beef. Eggs. Chicken. Turkey. The list of foodborne illness outbreaks in 2018 was so long it mirrored a grocery list and made eating some of your favorite meals seem like a risky activity.
Oh, the Places Grads Go
Like many PhD students in Duke University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erika Moore wasn’t entirely settled on what career to pursue after graduation.
Personalizing the Master's Degree
Leah Machlin didn’t expect to be working in an old tobacco factory in downtown Durham after graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering.
Fall 2018
A Year of Real-World Design
Every engineer knows that the design process is not a straightforward one.
A Path for Post-Grad Success
At the end of each academic year, Marc Sommer, the director of undergraduate studies, and Elizabeth (Libby) Bucholz, the associate director of undergraduate studies, organize a town hall for graduating seniors from Duke University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.
From Cell Cultures to Mass Markets
"These are not projects you can start the night before they are due."
Design on a Global Scale
Today, nearly 60 percent of babies develop jaundice in the days after their birth. Caused by a buildup of bilirupin in the blood, the disorder is characterized by a yellowing of the skin and eyes, and if left untreated, can lead to brain damage in newborns.
Spring 2018
An Old Space for New Ideas
Update: In May 2019, BRiDGE became the Breakthrough Research Initiative to Develop Global Entrepreneurs. Visit the BRiDGE webpage »
Innovative Scholars
Charlie Gersbach: Launching a Platform for Genomics-Based Drug Development
A New Class of Entrepreneur
The Undergraduate Entrepreneur: Samuel Fox’s Student-Project- Turned-Startup Improves Patient Mobility
Fall 2017
Engineering a New Narrative
In the bustling neighborhoods in Lima, Peru, it’s common to see bright pink trailers parked by the side of the road.
Collaborating Across Continents
In hospitals with plenty of resources, infants in the neonatal ward are connected to separate oxygen tanks where the gas flow is carefully regulated, ensuring that they receive proper oxygen therapy for any breathing problems they may have.
Five Days of Fieldwork
The generator that powers the Redemption Clinic doesn’t click on until 10:30 in the morning, but this delay doesn’t slow the crowd of patients who fill the health care center before 8 a.m.