Biomedical Engineering

A new peer-reviewed study shows that a back-relieving exosuit originally developed at Vanderbilt University and then commercialized by spin-off company HeroWear can simultaneously increase lifting endurance and reduce injury risk. This has important implications for the future of workplace safety and for workers in civilian and defense sectors. The results… Read More

Wellington Pham has been named a National Academy of Inventors Fellow, the highest professional distinction awarded solely to academic inventors. The NAI announced today the election of 170 exceptional inventors from 135 research universities, governmental and non-profit research institutions worldwide into the 2024 Class of Fellows. Fellows… Read More

Surgeons at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have successfully completed the first-in-human clinical trial of a surgical robotic device developed by a Vanderbilt engineer to advance precision and control when removing kidney stones. The device is the first-known independently steerable kidney stone retrieval device, enabling more effective maneuvering… Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an awardee of the Sprint for Women’s Health, an initiative to address critical unmet challenges in women’s health, champion transformative innovations and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. VUMC will receive $3.3… Read More

A recent study by a team of researchers at Vanderbilt University found that response to radiation therapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)—one of the most aggressive forms of the disease—may contribute to tumor recurrence. Marjan Rafat Marjan Rafat, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, explained that radiation… Read More

Fireflies, glowworms, jellyfish and some types of plankton have a special glow that scientists, especially over the past decade, have discovered how to harness. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is part of the burgeoning field of molecular imaging that aims to “see” not just anatomy, but specific molecular or cellular processes. Light… Read More

Eleven clinical centers in the United States have been selected to participate in a national study with the potential to improve brain health and psychosocial function in children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). The Vanderbilt University Medical Center study arm, which received a $1.8 million, five-year National Institutes of Health… Read More

Nearly 72% of the world’s population have received the injectable vaccines to fight COVID-19, but they must take a booster injection every year or more frequently. A team of researchers led by Krishnendu Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor at… Read More

A team of Vanderbilt researchers has released a new benchmarking study that aims to assist scientists in selecting the most effective methods for analyzing spatial transcriptomics (ST) data. The study led by Xin Maizie Zhou, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and computer science, evaluates computational tools in spatial transcriptomics… Read More

A team of Vanderbilt researchers has developed a novel tool in the detection and analysis of structural variants (SVs) in human genomes that could potentially transform genomic analysis and precision medicine. The research was recently published in Nature Communications. Structural variants (SVs) – which include deletions, insertions, translocations, duplications,… Read More