Research
-
Plentiful human protein better carrier for gene therapy in tumors
Powerful molecules can hitch rides on a plentiful human protein and signal tumors to self-destruct, a team of Vanderbilt University engineers found. Their research gives oncologists a better shot at overcoming the problems of drug resistance, toxicity to patients and a host of other barriers to consistently achieving successful gene… Read MoreJul. 24, 2017
-
Engineer’s ultrathin device harvests electricity from human motion
Imagine slipping into a jacket, shirt or skirt that powers your cell phone, fitness tracker and other personal electronic devices as you walk, wave and even when you are sitting down. A new, ultrathin energy harvesting system developed at Vanderbilt University’s Nanomaterials and Energy Devices… Read MoreJul. 21, 2017
-
Engineering faculty lead 3 new TIPs projects that tackle big challenges
Build and use microscope systems that do not exist commercially to unlock deeper insights in biomedicine. Design and develop a space-based platform to study Earth’s evolving ecology from an elevated vantage point. Create a research hub for development and testing of durable, sustainable infrastructure materials. All big ideas with widespread… Read MoreJul. 20, 2017
-
BME study shows software helps surgeons find liver tumors, avoid blood vessels
Michael Miga (John Russell / Vanderbilt) The liver is a particularly squishy, slippery organ, prone to shifting both deadly tumors and life-preserving blood vessels by inches between the time they’re discovered on a CT scan and when the patient is lying on an operating room table. Surgeons can swab the exposed liver lightly… Read MoreJul. 17, 2017
-
BME team develops device to remove ICU alarm noise, improve patient sleep
The ICU is no place to get good rest, as anyone who has worked, visited or stayed in one knows. Alarms designed to alert clinicians disrupt patient sleep, adding to their stress and disorientation. The alarms are shrill, frequent and often false. What if an in-ear device could block a… Read MoreJul. 1, 2017
-
Tiny circuit boards stay operational in warm water, dissolve when cooled
Building transient electronics is usually about doing something to make them stop working: blast them with light, soak them with acid, dunk them in water. Professor Leon Bellan’s idea is to dissolve them with neglect: Stop applying heat, and they come apart. Using silver nanowires embedded in a polymer that… Read MoreJun. 26, 2017
-
Three engineering faculty proposals earn Discovery Grants
Vanderbilt University’s Office of the Provost has recognized three engineering faculty proposals with Discovery Grants, one of Vanderbilt’s primary means of investing in advancing the discovery of knowledge in its core disciplines and strengthening the university’s scholarly profile. A total of 13 faculty proposals have… Read MoreJun. 22, 2017
-
A cap full of coffee can improve nose, throat surgery
Imagine plopping six cups of coffee grounds on the heads of patients just before they are wheeled into the operating room to have nose or throat surgery? In essence, that is what a team of Vanderbilt University engineers are proposing in an effort to improve the reliability of… Read MoreJun. 20, 2017
-
Zelik receives two major young investigator awards for biomechanics work
Karl Zelik, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received top awards from the International Society of Biomechanics and the American Society of Biomechanics for early career research. Both awards recognize Zelik’s body of work on improving and unifying the understanding of human locomotion, and translating this understanding to advances… Read MoreJun. 15, 2017
-
Arthritis drug could be first to stop heart valve calcification
The first drug to treat calcification of heart valves may be one originally designed for rheumatoid arthritis. Today in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, Vanderbilt University researchers published findings that the drug – a monoclonal antibody known as SYN0012 – shows promise in keeping heart valve leaflets… Read MoreJun. 13, 2017