Winter 2015 | Spring 2016 Volume 4 Issue 1

Message from the Chair Zhen Gu Named One of 35 The UNC/NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Innovators Under 35 by Engineering is now 18 months into its five year MIT Technology Review strategic plan, and I could not be more eager to share our accomplishments thus far with you. Our Joint BME Assistant Professor three Strategic Priorities—creating a transformative Dr. Zhen Gu was named in MIT inter-institutional model, enabling global impact, and Technology Review’s 2015 list of securing resources to enable strategy—have been a 35 Innovators Under 35. This list great success and I am proud to say that BME has of innovators features inspiring and met or exceeded the implementation and initiation creative people who are creating of each of these goals. important emerging technologies. The selection process involves In particular, the hiring of six new faculty members- nominations from the public, MIT Drs. Ashley Brown, Michael Daniele, Jason Franz, Technology Review editors, and Donald Freytes, Xiaogang Hu, and Shumin Wang- has bolstered our first two international partners who publish priorities. Each of these new faculty members have enhanced our collaborative Innovators Under 35 lists in their model and conduct promising research that will undoubtedly lead to positive regions. Editors trim the list down global impacts. We are also currently conducting searches for a further six to 80 people, who then submit faculty to join our department in the fields of Rehabilitation Engineering, descriptions of their work and letters Pharmacoenginneering, Regenerative Medicine, and Medical Devices. These of reference. Outside judges rate additions have and will continue to allow us to develop our world-class standing. the finalists on the originality and We have also created and filled three new administrative positions that will impact of their work, then editors support our third priority of securing resources to enable our department to choose the final group of 35. continue to grow in size and excellence. Kyle Gray has joined as our Director of Development; Cheri Simpson as Director of Departmental Initiatives; and Preston Linn as our Academic-Industry Coordinator. These three are responsible for the development of our Joint Department through external funding, strategic partnerships, and internal projects. The Joint Department timeline is advancing smoothly. We are about to hit a milestone for our undergraduate program: in May of this year, our first group of students will graduate with a joint bachelors’ degree. This has been a primary objective that affords students unprecedented access to two Dr. Gu was selected as a result of world-class institutions and the opportunities therein. Our ongoing initiative his promising work with his insulin to develop a robust and organized industry internship/co-op program is just delivery patch. The patch is small one example of experience that our students gain through participating in a and covered with more than 100 Joint Department. In another exciting turn of events, the US News and World microneedles. The needles have Report has begun listing our program as a Joint UNC/NC State venture, rather tiny sacs filled with insulin and an than two separate institutional programs. After working for more than 10 enzyme, while the sac is permeable years to make this long overdue change, I hope for it to be a paving stone for enough to allow glucose inside. The what is to come. In future issues I look forward to reporting the achievement enzyme converts the glucose to an of many exciting milestones for all three of our Strategic Priorities. The Joint acid that makes the sac open and Department’s current success is certainly the result of the hard work of many release the insulin when sugar is too talented people and I invite you to explore their recent achievements that are high. Testing thus far has focused highlighted in this issue. on mice, but soon Dr. Gu will begin Nancy Allbritton, Ph.D., M.D., Professor & Chair testing his patch on pigs, whose Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, UNC & NC State skin is more similar to humans. Eventually he hopes to create a patch that can be replaced every The Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering two to three days and control blood has a new website! Check it out at: sugar without much pain or effort. The image above was also included www.bme.unc.edu or www.bme.ncsu.edu in Science Magazine’s list of top 10 images of 2015.

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REGENERATION | eMICRODEVICES | PHARMACOENGINEERING | IMAGING | REHABILITATION Feasibility and Safety of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound ATP-Responsive Drug Delivery Systems. Sun W, Gu Z. Publications in the Distal Limb of Six Horses. Seiler GS, Campbell N, Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2016 Jan 8. [Epub ahead of print] Single-cell functional analysis of parathyroid adenomas Nixon B, Tsuruta JK, Dayton PA, Jennings S, Redding WR, PMID: 26745457 reveals distinct classes of calcium sensing behaviour in Lustgarten M. Vet Radiol Ultrasound. 2016 Jan 14. doi: primary hyperparathyroidism. Koh J, Hogue JA, Wang Y, 10.1111/vru.12333. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 26765518 Nanomedicine: Anticancer Platelet-Mimicking DiSalvo M, Allbritton NL, Shi Y, Olson JA Jr, Sosa JA. J Cell Nanovehicles (Adv. Mater. 44/2015). Hu Q, Sun W, Qian C, Mol Med. 2016 Feb;20(2):351-359. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12732. Activity of somatosensory-responsive neurons in high Wang C, Bomba HN, Gu Z. Adv Mater. 2015 Nov;27(44):7014. Epub 2015 Dec 5. PMID: 26638194 subdivisions of SI cortex during locomotion. Favorov doi: 10.1002/adma.201570298. PMID: 26634324 OV, Nilaweera WU, Miasnikov AA, Beloozerova IN. J Array-Based Platform To Select, Release, and Capture Neurosci. 2015 May 20;35(20):7763-76. doi: 10.1523/ Prediction of standard-dose brain PET image by using Epstein-Barr Virus-Infected Cells Based on Intercellular JNEUROSCI.3545-14.2015.PMID: 2599546 MRI and low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET images. Kang J, Adhesion. Attayek PJ, Hunsucker SA, Wang Y, Sims CE, Gao Y, Shi F, Lalush DS, Lin W, Shen D. Med Phys. 2015 Impact of guidance documents on translational large Sep;42(9):5301-9. doi: 10.1118/1.4928400 Armistead PM, Allbritton NL. Anal Chem. 2015 Dec animal studies of cartilage repair. Pfeifer CG, Fisher 15;87(24):12281-9. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b03579. Transformable liquid-metal nanomedicine. Lu Y, Hu Q, Epub 2015 Nov 23. PMID: 26558605 MB, Carey JL, Mauck RL. Sci Transl Med. 2015 Oct 21;7(310):310re9. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aac7019. PMID: Lin Y, Pacardo DB, Wang C, Sun W, Ligler FS, Dickey MD, 26491080 Gu Z. Nat Commun. 2015 Dec 2;6:10066. doi: 10.1038/ Separation of peptide fragments of a protein kinase C ncomms10066. PMID: 26625944 substrate fused to a β-hairpin by capillary electrophoresis Design, fabrication and characterization of a bi-frequency Zigoneanu IG, Sims CE, Allbritton NL. Anal Bioanal Chem. co-linear array. Wang Z, Li S, Czernuszewicz T, Gallippi Cancer: a global concern that demands new detection 2015 Dec;407(30):8999-9008. doi: 10.1007/s00216-015- C, Liu R, Geng X, Jiang X. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr technologies. Soper SA, Rasooly A. Analyst. 2016 Jan 9065-8. Epub 2015 Oct 1. PMID: 26427499 Freq Control. 2015 Dec 4. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 4;141(2):367-70. doi: 10.1039/c5an90101d. No abstract available. PMID: 26688866 Osteoprotegerin is an effective countermeasure for 26661069 spaceflight-induced bone loss in mice. Lloyd SA, Morony Experimental Validation of ARFI Surveillance of Microfluidics for the detection of minimal residual disease SE, Ferguson VL, Simske SJ, Stodieck LS, Warmington KS, Subcutaneous Hemorrhage (ASSH) Using Calibrated in acute myeloid leukemia patients using circulating Livingston EW, Lacey DL, Kostenuik PJ, Bateman TA. Bone. Infusions in a Tissue-Mimicking Model and Dogs. Geist leukemic cells selected from blood. Jackson JM, Taylor JB, 2015 Dec;81:562-72. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2015.08.021. RE, DuBois CH, Nichols TC, Caughey MC, Merricks EP, Witek MA, Hunsucker SA, Waugh JP, Fedoriw Y, Shea TC, Epub 2015 Aug 28. PMID: 2631890 Raymer R, Gallippi CM. Ultrason Imaging. 2015 Nov 27. pii: Soper SA, Armistead PM. Analyst. 2016 Jan 4;141(2):640- 51. doi: 10.1039/c5an01836f. PMID: 2652341 Chondroitin Sulfate Glycosaminoglycan Hydrogels Create 0161734615617940. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 26614530 Endogenous Niches for Neural Stem Cells. Karumbaiah Tumor Microenvironment-Mediated Construction and Passive microfluidic chamber for long-term imaging of L, Enam SF, Brown AC, Saxena T, Betancur MI, Barker Deconstruction of Extracellular Drug-Delivery Depots Hu axon guidance in response to soluble gradients. Taylor TH, Bellamkonda RV. Bioconjug Chem. 2015 Dec Q, Sun W, Lu Y, Bomba HN, Ye Y, Jiang T, Isaacson AJ, Gu AM, Menon S, Gupton SL. Lab on a chip. 2015; 15(13):2781- 16;26(12):2336-49. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00397. Z. Nano Lett. 2016 Jan 19. [Epub ahead of print} PMID: 9. NIHMSID: NIHMS696357 PubMed [journal] PMID: Epub 2015 Oct 20. PMID: 26440046 26785163 26000554 Cryopreservation of neonatal cardiomyocytes. Elastic drug delivery: could treatments be triggered Altered tactile processing in children with autism spectrum Vandergriff AC, Hensley MT, Cheng K. Methods Mol Biol. by patient movement? Zhang Y, Yu J, Zhu Y, Gu Z. disorder. Tavassoli T, Bellesheim K, Tommerdahl M, 2015;1299:153-60. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2572-8_12. Nanomedicine (Lond). 2016 Jan 19. [Epub ahead of print] Holden JM, Kolevzon A, Buxbaum JD. Autism Res. 2015 PMID: 25836582 PMID: 26783932 Nov 16. doi: 10.1002/aur.1563. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 26568449 Targeted Transthoracic Acoustic Activation of Systemically Photo-Cross-Linked Scaffold with Kartogenin- Administered Nanodroplets to Detect Myocardial Perfusion Encapsulated Nanoparticles for Cartilage Regeneration Stimulating somatosensory psychophysics: a double-blind, Abnormalities. Porter TR, Arena C, Sayyed S, Lof J, High RR, Shi D, Xu X, Ye Y, Song K, Cheng Y, Di J, Hu Q, Li J, Ju sham-controlled study of the neurobiological mechanisms Xie F, Dayton PA. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2016 Jan;9(1). H, Jiang Q, Gu Z. ACS Nano. 2016 Jan 26;10(1):1292-9. of tDCS. Hanley CJ, Tommerdahl M, McGonigle DJ. pii: e003770. doi: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.115.003770. PMID: doi: 10.1021/acsnano.5b06663. Epub 2016 Jan 12. PMID: Front Cell Neurosci. 2015 Oct 7;9:400. doi: 10.3389/ 26712160 26757419 fncel.2015.00400. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26500499

Matthew Fisher Co-Authors Paper Dr. Helen Huang Selected for NC State’s in Science Translational Medicine University Faculty Scholars Program BME faculty Matt Fisher is co-author on a paper published in Dr. Helen Huang was Science Translational Medicine on October 21, 2015. Work selected as a member for this paper was initiated at the University of Pennsylvania of NC State’s 2015-2016 when Dr. Fisher was a Postdoctoral Fellow, and continued University Faculty Scholars. after he joined the Joint Department of BME at UNC and Dr. Huang will carry the title NC State. The lead author on the paper, Dr. Robert Mauck, of University Faculty Scholar PhD, is an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and for five years, and will Bioengineering and Director of Penn’s McKay Orthopaedic receive a $10,000 annual Research Laboratory. Dr. Mauck was Dr. Fisher’s postdoctoral supplement. Dr. Huang, mentor during his time at the University of Pennsylvania. along with the other Faculty Scholars, will be honored at Regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration have published documents outlining best a reception in March 2016. practices for study design and execution, as well as The University Faculty Scholars Program was established appropriate metrics for data analysis. Using a systemic in 2012 by Chancellor Woodson to recognize emerging review of more than 100 publications stretching two academic leaders at NC State. Faculty members must meet decades, this group found that the availability of best eligibility requirements and be nominated by their college. practices documents has little effect on researchers, and Dr. Huang has been an Associate Professor with the Joint in fact observed no correlation between the increase of BME Department since 2013. She is also the Director of the researchers’ overall adherence to best practices documents Rehabilitation Engineering Core at NC State University. and with the publication of guidance documents.

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2015-2016 Abrams Scholars Winners Announced 2015-2016 This year’s group of thirteen Abrams Scholars was selected from a very strong applicant Abrams Scholars pool of 35 BME undergraduates interested in undertaking guided laboratory research to Brinnae Bent enhance their undergraduate education. Mehdi Hamouda Abrams Scholars are outstanding BME Veronica Lavelle undergraduate students who are selected Austin Murray to receive a stipend to conduct hands-on Pranav Nishadham laboratory research projects. These projects Jeremy Nortey are conceived and designed by the students with Kathryn Ozgun the guidance of a faculty mentor. The Abrams Samuel Parker Scholars program honors C. Frank Abrams, Jr., Hope Piercy a BME and BAE emeritus faculty member. Dr. Sri Pinnamaraju Abrams led the development of the first courses Heather Stokes in Biomedical Engineering at NC State and was instrumental in the founding of NC State’s Kendall Wiggins BME Department, the creation of the joint UNC-CH/NC State graduate program, and Grace Wright ultimately the launch of the UNC-CH/NC State Joint BME Department. He was the Joint Department’s first senior design instructor as well as the first Director of Graduate Studies.

2016 Lucas Scholars Announced 2016 Lucas Scholars Joint BME is proud to announce the 2016 Lucas Scholars. This year’s Lucas Scholars came from Franklin Blum an outstanding pool of nominees. Lucas Scholars mentored by Dr. Shawn Gomez receive financial support to conduct independent Katherine Driscoll (pictured) research during the summer semesters. BME mentored by Dr. Nancy Allbritton is especially grateful to Dr. Carol Lucas for her inspiration and support of this program. The Shane King Lucas Scholars Program was named to honor mentored by Dr. Paul Dayton her contribution to the Biomedical Engineering Department as the founding chair, as well as Mike Lebhar (pictured) to recognize her contributions to the field of biomedical engineering. mentored by Dr. Nancy Allbritton When the funds for the Lucas Scholars program were cut, her generosity allowed it to continue, once again demonstrating why she is a person we Davis Ranson choose to honor. BME is also grateful to the mentors who have agreed mentored by Dr. Caterina Gallippi to host a scholar in their lab this summer. Without their mentorship, this program would not be successful.

UNC/NC State Joint BME Department Senior Design Program Recognized in Media The Joint BME Department’s Senior Design program was featured in both the online and print editions of the January 2016 IEEE Pulse, the magazine of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. The article, titled “Teaching the Real World: The UNC-NCSU BME Design Symposium,” describes how students are organized into teams that shadow doctors and health care professionals to find unmet needs. Each team identifies a top need, which is developed into a prototype product with a business model. Although the program has been in existence since 2000, BME Associate Professor of the Practice Andrew DiMeo took over leadership of the program in 2006 and molded it into its current state. Approximately 500 BME students have participated in the program since 2006. Major health care providers participating in the program include WakeMed health and Hospitals, UNC Health Care, Rex Hospital, and Duke Neurosurgery. Other participating organizations include the NCSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Wake County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Carolina Air Care, and Raleigh Orthopedics. Several Senior Design student teams have pursued their own companies to market products based on their team’s project. The IEEE Pulse article mentions Augment Medical, a start-up focused on delivering a market-ready platform of devices that gives persons with disabilities the ability to alert a clinician or family member about a medical issue. Augment Medical began as Senior Design team PatientLink, and was founded by Tim Martin while a graduate student at NC State. Novocore Medical Solutions was founded in 2013 and originated as a senior design team who developed a rapid chilling device used by EMS first responders to cool saline during the infusion process, thus inducing therapeutic hypothermia. For more information about Joint BME’s Senior Design program, please contact Andrew DiMeo at [email protected].

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Recent Achievements Dr. Jason Franz Awarded 2015 ASB Young Investigator Award in the Department Joint BME faculty member Jason Franz was selected as the recipient of the 2015 American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) BME graduate student Kent Gordon Young Investigator Award. This received Chancellor’s Doctoral annual award recognizes the early Scholarship Candidacy Award from UNC achievements of an investigator Chapel Hill Graduate School’s Initiative in the field of biomechanics, and for Minority Excellence was announced at the ASB Annual Meeting held August 5-9 in Columbus, OH. The ASB has a membership Ashley Johnson awarded Graduate of over 600 academic researchers, Education Advancement Board Impact clinicians, scientists, students, and Award from UNC Chapel Hill industry members working to solve basic and applied problems in the realm of biomechanics and to improve understanding of the workings of BME faculty Dr. Zhen Gu selected as biological systems. In a special award a 2015 CMBE Young Innovator by the session, Dr. Franz presented an invited talk titled “Achilles tendon Biomedical Engineering Society deformations and the age-related reduction in plantarflexor performance in walking.”

Recent BME graduate Scott Vu Featured Dr. Franz joined the Joint BME Department as an Assistant in NC State News: “Student Project Professor in July 2015. He is also the Director of the Applied Biomechanics Laboratory at UNC Chapel Hill. Evolves Into New Tool for the Biotech Industry,” featuring his work with RiboScan™ and his spinout company Fran Ligler Receives 2015 Carl Kohrt RiboWiz Distinguished Alumni Award Joint BME Faculty member Fran Ligler BME faculty Dr. Zhen Gu accepted was selected as the recipient of the to fourth year of Academic Career 2015 Carl Kohrt Distinguished Alumni Leadership Academy in Medicine Award by the Furman University Alumni Board of Directors. This award is given in recognition of significant professional and personal accomplishments and will BME faculty Dr. Helen Huang selected be presented to Dr. Ligler at Furman’s to participate in NAE’s 2015 US Frontiers annual awards gala on April 2, 2016. of Engineers Symposium Dr. Ligler is a Lampe Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering. BME faculty Dr. Matt Fisher selected She holds a BS in Biology-Chemistry from Furman to participate as Young Investigator University, as well as a D.Phil. in Biochemistry and a in AAOS/ORS Biologic Treatment D.Sc., both from Oxford University. Dr. Ligler was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005 and is of Orthopaedic Injuries Research a Councillor on the Council of the National Academy Symposium of Engineering (2014-2017). She is an elected Fellow in SPIE, AIMBE, and AAAS. Her research interests include biomedical microdevices, regenerative medicine, microfluidics, tissue on chip, optical analytical devices, biosensors, and nanotechnology.

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BME Welcomes Director of Introducing BME Development Departmental Initiatives, Director, Kyle Gray Dr. Cheri Simpson The Joint Department of BME is pleased to announce Kyle The Joint Department of Gray as the new development Biomedical Engineering is director. Kyle brings a fifteen- excited to announce Dr. Cheri year background in higher Simpson as the founding education development Director of Departmental and communications, most Initiatives. Cheri will work recently as the Director across UNC and NC State, of Development and with a physical role at both Communications for UNC Universities. In her new Chapel Hill’s Department of role, Cheri will be responsible Allied Health Sciences at the for providing high level School of Medicine. management of all aspects of departmental strategic initiatives, organizational partnerships, “As a mission-driven and team-focused and academic missions. Cheri joined the professional, my approach to securing department in early 2015 and has contributed financial commitments from individuals, in a myriad of ways; she will continue to lend private foundations, corporations, affiliated her expertise to our department’s strategic organizations, and other stakeholders has efforts. been successful due in large part to my ability develop trust-based relationships with faculty Cheri brings over twenty-one years of and staff to creatively identify, cultivate, solicit, experience in higher education administration, and acquire new annual and major gift donors— business, and policy to the role. Most recently, and then carefully stewarding these donors,” Cheri maintained a dual role as Director of said Gray. “I’m excited about the opportunity to Corporate Relations and Associate Director for work with UNC/NC State BME’s talented faculty the Center for Research and Consulting for a and staff to build a comprehensive development higher education association in Washington, program that advances the Department’s DC. As indicated by the CEO of the association, ambitious goals for the future.” Cheri’s contributions were invaluable to the During Kyle’s tenure with UNC Allied Health development and refinement of a corporate Sciences, the Department significantly increased relations architecture that provided strategic development activity (cultivation, stewardship, partnerships and critical financial resources for and solicitations) that has resulted in tripling the the association, while simultaneously playing AHS donor base and an increase in cumulative a pivotal role in leading and strengthening the donations to over $10 million from 2006 to association’s research contributions to the field. 2015. Previously, he served as the Assistant Dean for Development and Communications at Cheri previously worked as an instructor, UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Government from research assistant, and event planner at the 2001 to 2005, where he launched and managed University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and taught the Friends of the Institute of Government undergraduate students at the University of Program to increase public and private financial Nevada, Reno. She earned a B.S. in Business support for the school. Earlier in his career, Administration and an MBA with a Graduate Kyle served as a career specialist for the Boston Certificate in International Business from Private Industry Council at the Boston Latin Southern New Hampshire University; an MA School and as a senior program instructor for in Political Science from the University of the Close-Up Foundation in Washington, DC. He Nevada, Reno, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education holds an M.A. in Public Administration from the Administration from the University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ann Arbor. B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Urban Studies from The Colorado College.

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REGENERATION | eMICRODEVICES | PHARMACOENGINEERING | IMAGING | REHABILITATION Faculty in the News Ke Cheng Featured in NC State News for Work With Lung Stem Cells Dr. Ke Cheng, Associate Professor of Regenerative Medicine at NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Joint BME Department, was featured in an NC State press release for his work with lung stem cells. He and his colleagues have developed a rapid, simple method to generate large numbers of lung stem cells for use in disease treatment. In this pilot program, the research team has shown that their method of harvesting and growing a patient’s own lung stem cells shows promise in mice for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Cheng used a multicellular spheroid method to harvest and grow lung stem cells. A spheroid is a three-dimensional cellular structure that is typically used to culture cancer cells or embryonic stem cells for experimentation and research. In the spheroid, the cells of interest (in this case lung stem cells) are at the center, and surrounded by layers of supporting cells. In a small trial, Cheng and his graduate students tested the spheroid-cultured lung stem cells on mice with IPF. The mice receiving the stem cell transplant showed decreases in inflammation and fibrosis. The next step will be to see if lung stem cells can be harvested and grown from biopsied tissues of IPF patients, which would provide human IPF patients with an improved treatment method. Helen Huang’s Group Featured Greg Sawicki Featured in Eurekalert in NSF Science Now Article The work of BME’s Rehabilitation Engineering BME faculty Greg Sawicki, as well Temple Center Director Helen Huang and her researchers University postdoctoral researcher Ben Robertson, Fan Zhang and Ming Liu is featured in Episode 29 were recently featured in Eurekalert for their of NSF Science Now. The Huang group’s studies research with human locomotion and their article, regarding the impact of powered prosthetic failures “Unconstrained muscle-tendon workloops indicate on amputees is the first of four NSF funded projects resonance tuning as a mechanism for elastic limb highlighted in the six minute video report. The team behavior during terrestrial locomotion,” published is developing technology that translates electrical in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. signals in human muscles into user intent that further controls powered prosthetic limbs. “This Is What Science Looks Like at NC “Nano-terminators:” Nontoxic Liquid-Metal State” Article Features Post by Dr. Ashley Nanomedicine Targets Cancer Cells Brown, Recent Recipient of RISF Award BME Assistant Professor Zhen Gu and his team of researchers at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill have BME Assistant Professor Ashley Brown posted for NC developed a drug delivery technique using liquid- State’s ongoing news series, “This Is What Science metal nanomedicine to safely target and ultimately Looks Like at NC State” in January 2016. The article eliminate cancerous cells. These injectible non- highlights features of her professional career and her toxic “nano-terminators” are expected to increase latest research, as well as a few personal snippets. efficacy of cancer drugs. In this great article she includes some features of The Gu team’s results are presented in a paper her professional career and her latest research, as titled “Transformable Liquid-Metal Nanomedicine,” well as a few personal snippets. published online on December 2, 2015 in Nature Communications. The research has already been Dr. Brown has also been recognized in the news for featured in several major news reports, including receiving a Research and Innovation Seed Funding Popular Science, Science Daily, and Independent. (RISF) grant from NC State for her project titled Lead author on the paper is Yue Le, a PhD student “Development of Wound Targeting Particles for in Gu’s lab. Co-authors include Quanyin Hu, Yiliang Theranostic Applications.” The RISF program was Lin, Dennis Pacardo, Chao Wang, Wujin Sun, Fran created to assist NC State researchers in developing Ligler, and Zhen Gu (corresponding author) of the innovative interdisciplinary programs with strong Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC potential for significant future support from State and UNC- Chapel Hill; and Michael Dickey government agencies, corporations, and industrial of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular consortia or foundations. Engineering at NC State.

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BME Faculty Awarded NIH Transformative Research Grants

A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and NC State University received a $5.3 million, five-year Transformative Research (R01) Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create fully functioning versions of the human gut that fit on a chip the size of a dime. The team includes Joint BME core faculty Nancy Allbritton, MD, PhD, and Shawn Gomez, EngScD; as well as BME affiliates Scott Bultman, PhD, and Scott Magness, PhD. Their project received one of four awards within the High Risk, High Reward Research program, and is part of the NIH Common Fund. The Transformative Research Award promotes interdisciplinary approaches, and is open to investigators proposing research that could potentially change or challenge existing paradigms. The proposal, entitled “Development of Human Intestinal Simulacra,” aims to develop a state-of-the-art microfabricated platform to create a functional, in vitro replica, i.e. simulacrum, of the human colonic epithelium and its associated microbiome. This new technology will be used to perform novel studies and hypothesis testing of intestinal physiology that cannot currently be performed.

Matthew Fisher and Lauren Schnabel Receive RISF Award from NC State BME Assistant Professor Matt Fisher and NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Assistant Professor Lauren Schnabel were awarded a Research and Innovation Seed Funding grant from NC State for their project titled “Effect of 3D culture and inflammatory conditions on equine mesenchymal stem immunophenotype and secretome stability – A Pilot Study.” In this proposal, the PIs aim to counter the immune rejection that occurs with allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), banked from donors. They hope to accomplish this by modulating the immunogenicity of equine MSCs through in-vitro culture. This pilot study will analyze both the immunophenotype and secretome (what the cells release) of equine MSCs obtained from a unique herd of horses developed for studying the immunogenicity of cells. These important initial studies will facilitate a budding collaboration between the PIs and will provide the necessary preliminary data for future grant submissions.

Elastic Drug Delivery Technology Releases Drugs When Stretched

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a drug delivery technology that consists of an elastic patch that can be applied to the skin and will release drugs whenever the patch is stretched. For example, if applied to the elbow, the patch would release a drug when the elbow bends and stretches the patch. “This could be used to release painkillers whenever a patient with arthritic knees goes for a walk, or to release antibacterial drugs gradually as people move around over the course of a day,” says Zhen Gu, co-senior author of a paper describing the work and an assistant professor in the joint biomedical engineering program at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. The technology consists of an elastic film that is studded with biocompatible microcapsules. These microcapsules, in turn, are packed with nanoparticles that can be filled with drugs. Here’s how it works: The microcapsules stick halfway out of the film, on the side of the film that touches a patient’s skin. The drugs leak slowly out of the nanoparticles and are stored in the microcapsules. When the elastic film is stretched, it also stretches the microcapsules – enlarging the surface area of the microcapsule and effectively squeezing some of the stored drug out onto the patient’s skin, where it can be absorbed.

The paper, “Stretch-Triggered Drug Delivery from Wearable Elastomers Containing Therapeutic Depots,” is published online in the journal ACS Nano. Co-authors include Yanqi Ye and Jicheng Yu of the Joint BME program, and Zheng Cui and Tushar Ghosh of NC State. The work was supported by the American Diabetes Association, a pilot grant from UNC Chapel Hill’s NC TraCS Institute, and by the National Science Foundation through the ASSIST Engineering Research Center at NC State.

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BME Participates in Cross-Disciplinary BME Faculty Publish Article: Collaboration Workshops Through NC TraCS Auto-Tuning Powered Prosthetics Earlier this year, the NC TraCS Team Science Resource hosted a workshop entitled “Engineering Solutions to Joint BME professor Dr. Helen Huang, Health Problems,” with the goal of connecting engineers along with collaborators Dustin Crouch, and clinicians to foster research relationships and Ming Liu, Gregory Sawicki, and Ding develop feasible future projects. Attendees submitted Wang, published “A Cyber Expert System need statements for discussion in working groups, for Auto-Tuning Powered Prosthesis then brainstormed possible solutions and committed Impedance Control Parameters” in Annals to continued collaboration. A second workshop was of Biomedical Engineering. A patient’s held at the School of Nursing, entitled “Engineering a powered prosthetic has to be customized New Wave of Nursing Science.” This workshop brought to account for the individual’s physical together engineers and practitioners in nursing to condition, the team states. This fine tuning introduce need statements and project ideas. These is typically done by a prosthetist, and the successful events were sponsored by the Joint prosthetist needs to re-tune the prosthetic Department of Biomedical Engineering, as well as to account for the patient’s physical The North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences changes. The research team has developed Institute and The NSF Nanosystems Engineering a tuning algorithm for incorporation in the Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems software of any powered prosthesis. The of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST); algorithm automatically tunes the amount with collaboration from RTI International and North of power the prosthetic needs in order for Carolina A&T State University. the individual to walk comfortably.

ALUMNI, FANS, & FRIENDS College of Engineering, UNC-Chapel and promising companies that will Hill’s School of Medicine, and UNC serve to keep NC competitive on Chapel Hill’s College of Arts and a national and international scale. The Joint UNC/NC State BME Sciences. The joining of these units With your help, our department Department wants to know what gives us a significant competitive can become a startup powerhouse, is happening with friends of the advantage. Your funding ensures making BME a great place to invest. department, anyone excited about our continued pursuit of strategic the work we are accomplishing, and initiatives education and technology Click below to give to the most especially our alumni. We also advancement in North Carolina. Biomedical Engineering would be pleased to keep or add Education & Research Fund: you to this Newsletter’s e-mailing Education: The field of biomedical list. We encourage all fans, friends, engineering is at the cutting edge and alumni to send in your personal of modern technology. Gifts have a or professional news and milestones direct impact on students by allowing Give through UNC’s and to keep us updated with any BME to access the latest and most School of Medicine address changes (mail and email). relevant educational materials. -- To do so simply email your significant Funding also enables us to attract items to: the best and brightest educators and Give through UNC’s [email protected] students and to provide students with College of Arts and Sciences support throughout their education. GIVE TO BIOMEDICAL Give through NC State’s ENGINEERING Technology: Advances in non- College of Engineering invasive medical imaging, point- The Joint UNC/NC State BME of-care diagnostics, rehabilitation (Select BME Enhancement Fund) Department seeks your help in medicine, and most recently, medical investing in North Carolina’s students, therapeutics have all come about as a All gifts play an important and tangible technical advances, and innovative result of this collaboration between the role in our department. We appreciate entrepreneurship. BME plays a vital State’s premier academic institutions. your support and commitment role in shaping the research leaders BME has made exceptional progress to providing the best Biomedical of tomorrow and producing the next since its inception in 2003, even in Engineering education, research generation of medical improvements. the face of significant budget cuts and entrepreneurial opportunities in This program is particularly over the past 5 years. In spite of these North Carolina. important to North Carolina as it curtailed resources, the Department forms a bridge between three of the produces well-trained biomedical state’s greatest assets: NC State’s engineers, cutting edge technologies

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