Author: McKelvey School of Engineering News

WashU Expert: Synthetic torpor has potential to redefine medicine

Nature is often the best model for science. For nearly a century, scientists have been trying to recreate the ability of some mammals and birds to survive extreme environmental conditions for brief or extended periods by going into torpor, when their body temperature and metabolic rate drop, allowing them to preserve energy and heat. Taking […]

Chen elected Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America

Hong Chen, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering and of neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine, has been elected a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). The association’s fellows are individuals who have made significant advances in the field of acoustics. Chen was elected for her contributions […]

Myosin makes the moves to keep cell processes humming along

Biomolecular condensates are distinct molecular communities made of DNA, RNA and proteins that “condense” molecules to key locations inside cells. Intense efforts have focused on uncovering the numerous ways in which condensation is controlled, modulated and regulated inside cells. In research published May 23 in Science Advances, biomedical scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and […]

Genetic mutations in potassium ion channel target of new drug development

Ion channels are involved in almost everything our body does, from regular heartbeats to muscle function to allowing communication within the body. When something goes awry in the ion channels, it can have devastating effects on the body. Jianmin Cui, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in […]

Engineering better sleep

Clock on a wood surface with sunrise behind green-leaf woody space.

Complex biological networks control a range of functions in the human body from metabolic processes to the sleep cycle. Though scientists have ever-increasing volumes of data about the effects these complex systems produce, fully describing them mathematically has proven difficult. Without a firm understanding, effective interventions continue to be elusive, leaving more than 50 million […]

Bayly to step down as chair of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Philip V. Bayly, PhD, the Lee Hunter Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science (MEMS) since 2008, will step down as chair at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. He will remain on the faculty and continue his research on biomechanics from cell motility to traumatic brain injury. […]

New technology allows researchers to precisely, flexibly modulate brain

Human brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, involve damage in more than one region of the brain, requiring technology that could precisely and flexibly address all affected regions simultaneously. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a noninvasive technology combining a holographic acoustic device with genetic engineering that allows them to precisely target […]

Focused ultrasound technique gets quality assurance protocol

For the past several years, Washington University in St. Louis researchers have been using focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles to target an opening in the tough, protective blood-brain barrier to deliver drugs or retrieve biomarkers. To ensure that the fast-developing technology functions safely and consistently, Hong Chen, PhD, and her team, including first author and […]

Pappu installed as Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Rohit V. Pappu, PhD, an internationally renowned researcher in biomolecular condensates and intrinsically disordered proteins, was installed Oct. 9 as the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Pappu is a professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Center for Biomolecular Condensates at the McKelvey School of […]

NIH funds study of ultrasound with genetics to treat brain disorders

Researchers have developed methods to study and manipulate areas of the brain, though many of those methods are restricted by the limited depth that light can reach within the brain. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis plans to overcome that limitation by integrating ultrasound with genetics to precisely modify neurons in the […]

Air monitor can detect COVID-19 virus variants in about 5 minutes

Now that the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, scientists are looking at ways to surveil indoor environments in real time for viruses. By combining recent advances in aerosol sampling technology and an ultrasensitive biosensing technique, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a real-time monitor that can detect any of […]

Pappu to explore ways in which charge contributes to diverse states of proteins

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are defined by structural diversity, and the determinants of this diversity are an important area of biophysical investigation. IDPs are involved in a range of important biological processes, including cell signaling and regulation, that allow healthy cells to respond to environmental factors appropriately, but they are also associated with human diseases […]

High-tech imaging focuses on oxygen metabolism in newborn brain

Our brains consume huge amounts of energy and rely on oxygen supplied by blood vessels. When the brains of infants are deprived of oxygen for any reason, it can lead to brain injury that causes cerebral palsy, epilepsy or cognitive impairment. Song Hu, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering […]

Study into potassium channels reveals novel mechanism behind epilepsy, drug modulation

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that arises from abnormal electrical activity in the brain leading to seizures. These seizure events can have a variety of causes, including genetic variants in a family of proteins that regulate potassium ions in the brain. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have led an international team to take […]

Wearable ultrasound sensors for human brain in development

A submarine can inadvertently reveal its location because of cavitation, a condition that creates bubbles underwater that burst, then emit sound waves that can be detected by sonar. A team of biomedical engineers at Washington University in St. Louis plans to use the same concept to detect cavitation in human brains that may contribute to […]