Biomaterials

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

Nicholas Peppas, professor of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, surgery and pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin and a pioneer in biomaterials and drug delivery systems, will deliver the John R. and Donna S. Hall Engineering Lecture Tuesday, March 21, at 4 p.m. in the Vanderbilt School of… Read More

AAUW programs aim to tackle barriers women face in education Graduate student Katherine Russo has been awarded a 2020-2021 fellowship from the American Association of University Women. The AAUW awards grants and fellowships to scholars who pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and… Read More

An expert in tissue engineering who recently received the prestigious NIH Director’s Pioneer Award will deliver a public talk Nov. 18 about lessons learned from biomaterials used in orthopedics and plastic surgery. Jennifer Elisseeff is the fall 2019 speaker in The John R. and Donna S. Hall Engineering Lecture Series. Read More

John Wikswo with image of the I-Wire heart-on-a-chip device projected behind him. (Joe Howell / Vanderbilt) The human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. Now scientists at Vanderbilt University have created a three-dimensional organ-on-a-chip that can mimic the heart’s amazing biomechanical properties. Read More

  Microphotograph of a chick embryo clearly shows the U-shaped tube from which the heart develops. At this stage of heart is the size of a comma on a printed page. (M.K. Sewell-Loftin / Vanderbilt) To develop correctly, baby hearts need rhythm…even before they have blood to pump. “We… Read More