Cancer bioengineering

biomaterials after thermal manipulations

Thermally manipulating biomaterials

The Bischof group studies the thermophysical and biological changes within biomaterials after thermal manipulations. For example, they’re using nanoparticles to rewarm preserved tissues and organs and developing energy-based technologies to improve cancer immunotherapies.

biomedical image showcasing the mucosal area.

Engineering the immune response

The Hartwell Immunoengineering Lab uses biomolecular engineering, drug delivery, and immunology to develop molecular vaccines and immunotherapies that direct the immune response towards activation or tolerance by targeting specific cells and tissues, with a focus on the mucosal immune system.

pluripotent stem cells

Engineering stem cell-derived immunotherapies

The Khalil group uses pluripotent stem cells and genetic engineering to study immune mechanisms in cancer and chronic diseases. By examining pathways that regulate immune cell functions, the lab seeks to create next-generation and transformative cell-based therapeutic strategies and enhance patient outcomes.

Biomedical scan to understand cell behavior

How cellular functions go awry

The Odde Lab aims to understand basic cellular functions in the context of diseases such as brain cancer and Alzheimer's. The team develops physics-based models that predict cell behavior, then use computer simulation and live cell imaging to identify potential therapeutic strategies.

tumor microenvironment

Bioengineering cancer therapies

Paolo Provenzano’s lab is developing new ways to combat cancer. Approaches include re-engineering tumor microenvironments to remove tumor-promoting cues, enhancing drug delivery, promoting anti-tumor immune responses, and developing next-generation cell-based therapies.

cellular biology

Understanding protein networks

The Sarkar laboratory uses biomolecular and cellular engineering approaches to elucidate how protein networks drive health-related processes at the cellular level. The group also uses such knowledge to intervene in dysregulated networks in disease and to create cellular therapeutics with new functionalities.

device that replicate human diseases

Microphysiologic systems to study disease

The Living Devices Lab is focused on building benchtop systems that mimic human disease outside the human body. We use microfluidics and microfabrication to create engineered tissues in which we control biological components and transport processes at the length scale that is relevant to physiology and pathology.

Research from our graduate faculty

Breast cancer cells expressing a tumor suppressor protein

Understanding cell signaling networks

The Batchelor lab combines computational and experimental approaches to understand the regulation and function of cell signaling pathways related to cancer development and progression. The group develops methods to manipulate cell signaling events to restore proper functions in pathological conditions.

Imaging of human brain cerebral metabolic rates

Quantitative imaging of brain energy metabolism

Wei Chen’s lab has developed a variety of X-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging methodologies and advanced radiofrequency coil technologies for noninvasively studying cellular metabolism, bioenergetics, function and dysfunction of the brain and other organs at ultrahigh field.

concept of point spread function engineering

Quantitative virus and cancer imaging

Louis Mansky’s research group is addressing questions involving macromolecular assemblies important in virus and cancer pathobiology with quantitative fluorescence, electron imaging techniques, and large data informatics. 

phage display and impact on therapeutic efficacy

Peptide-guided drug delivery

Hongbo Pang's lab utilizes phage display to rapidly identify novel disease-seeking peptides. These peptides can function as "GPS" to navigate drugs more selectively to disease sites in vivo, thus improving the therapeutic efficacy and safety. 

cancer cells

Cancer Bioengineering Initiative

The Cancer Bioengineering Initiative infuses engineering into cancer clinical trials so more trials lead to cancer treatments. Leaders include Biomedical Engineering faculty members David Odde, Paolo Provenzano, and David Wood.

More about the Cancer Bioengineering Initiative