The main research thrusts of the Nano-Omic-Bio-Engineering-Lab (NOBEL) are in 1) muscle stem cell biology and muscle regeneration (myogenic lineage progression, cellular communication networks, cell-based therapies, factors in the stem cell niche), 2) cellular reprogramming and cell-fate plasticity (transcriptional and epigenetic factors, microenvironment interactions, chromatin memory), and 3) micro/nanodevices for interacting with and manipulating single cells and molecules.

In the Bailey Lab, we are developing low cost, robust, and simple-to-use microfluidic tools for miniaturized chemical and biochemical analysis. We are currently engineering a microfluidic platform for epigenetic profiling.

We are interested in the early development of neuronal lineages from the embryonic neural crest; which appears transiently during development and is a source of peripheral nervous system neurons, among many other cell types. We use specific monoclonal antibodies and no-flow cytometry to isolate neural crest subpopulations. We also study the role of the neurofibromatosis I gene (a tumor suppressor gene) in neural crest development and neuronal/melanocyte/Schwann cell lineage specification and apoptosis, using mouse embryonic stem cells. An additional line of research examines the role of the embryonic hindbrain, periotic mesenchyme, and neural crest in shaping inner ear development and the roles of transcription factor and growth factor genes (e.g. BMPs) and their antagonists, such as Noggin, Chordin, and DAN, in axis formation and development of the embryonic otocyst.

The Burke Laboratory research effort is concentrated in three main areas: (1) the analysis of the stability of gene expression during mammalian aging, (2) quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of complex, mulitgenic traits in the laboratory mouse, and (3) the development of engineering systems for microfluidic analysis.

We are a research group focusing in the advancement and proliferation of microfluidic technology by developing baseline technology and creating new and exciting applications using microfluidics. These applications include biochemical separations, field-enhanced separations, microfabricated chemical analysis systems, and DNA genotyping and sequencing.

We are developing Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) to address fundamental questions in neuroscience and clinical needs in the medical field.

Our research goal is to use knowledge of the cellular inflammatory response and blood flow dynamics to design bio-functionalized particles for targeted drug delivery and imaging. Due to their high specific interaction with their counter-receptors and their carefully regulated expression (limit to inflammation), leukocyte-endothelium adhesion molecules (LECAM) are attractive molecules for vascular targeting in human diseases in which inflammation plays a role.

Prof. Fan’s research focuses on using various micro/nano photonic devices, such as high quality optical resonators, photonic crystals, optical fibers, and nanoparticles, for sensitive detection of biological markers in body fluids (like blood, saliva, or breath) and in exhaled breath that indicate the occurrence of various diseases such as cancers. These devices can also be field-deployed to rapidly identify biological or chemical threats, and to monitor the chemical levels that reflect the environmental changes. Professor Fan is also interested in bio-inspired photonic devices, where biological processes such as enzymatic cleavage and DNA hybridization are employed to control and manipulate light. In addition, Professor Fan is working on translating lab research into commercial products that can benefit the whole society.

Our group's interests lie at the nexus of micro/nanoengineering, biophysics, biology, and biotechnology. In the coming years, we will focus on developing integrated systems for high throughput quantitative micro/nanoscale analysis of molecular and cellular functions. More specifically, we will develop integrated techniques to investigate biomolecules confined in micro/nanofluidic environments.

Our laboratory’s main goal is to explore the potential of novel methods for growth factor delivery, such as gene therapy, for restoring periodontal tissue lost due to oral disease. Working with investigators at the College of Engineering, we are able to immobilize PDGF and BMP adenoviral vectors onto various biomaterials for soft tissue and bone regeneration in vivo.

Our group's research is on reactions at interfaces and developing microfluidic MEMS devices for biosynthesis and genetic diagnosis. Currently, the largest effort in my group is devoted towards making "biochips" or DNA and peptide chips for gene expression, SNP detection and drug-protein interactions. We are into our third generation DNA chips and microfluidic reactor systems. Our patented technology allows massively parallel synthesis of DNA oligomers and peptides on silicon/glass and plastic chips. In terms of application, we are focusing on diagnostic applications in the area of water and food safety as well as medical diagnostics.

Our group is interested in nanoelectronic devices, nanofabrication technology, and applications in optical and magnetic devices.

Our primary goal is to develop nanoscale analytical techniques and explore their use in the measurement of neurotransmitters and hormones both in vivo and at the single cell level. This goal requires development of techniques capable of measuring zeptomole (10-21 mole) quantities in chemically complex nanoliter samples.

Our research interests lie in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microscale thermal engineering and design, heat transfer in micro/nano structures, semiconductor processing for micromechanical structure fabrication, microfluidic devices, sensors, and actuators.

Our research interests lie in surface engineering, advanced polymers, biomimetic materials, engineered microenvironments, and nano-scale self-assembly.

Our research focuses on creation of engineered musculoskeletal tissue with functional myotendinous (MTJ) and neuromuscular (NMJ) junctions.

Our research focuses on the rheology of complex fluids. Through rheological experiments, theory, and computer simulations, we are trying to work out the relationship between the structure of complex fluids and their rheology. Such knowledge is valuable in the optimal design of such fluids for applications in the polymer, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries. Of particular interest at present are branched polymer melts, surfactant solutions, and biopolymers.

The vision of the Bioplasmonics Group is to develop precision technologies to improve human health. We develop new spatially and temporally resolved technologies for imaging and control within single cells beyond the diffraction limit. We envision that high resolution combined with high-throughput omics (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) will revolutionize precision medicine and health.

Our research centers on the application of chemical engineering principles to the study of fundamental problems in biology and medicine. In particular, we focus on the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms a cell uses to sense, respond to, and interact with its environment. This communication between cells and their surroundings is critical not only to normal mammalian cell function but also to the detection of foreign invaders (immunology) and the response to drugs (pharmacology). An ability to quantitatively understand and manipulate these mechanisms is thus crucial to many areas of modern biotechnology.

Research in the Liu lab lies at the interface of biology and engineering. We are fascinated by cellular dynamics and mechanics, particularly during cell migration and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We explore biological signal processing at the membrane using both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

The Luker lab studies functions of cell signaling in primary and metastatic cancer. Our multidisciplinary group combines expertise in medicine, biology, and engineering to uncover the mechanisms by which biochemical events in the tumor microenvironment, including chemokine signaling, metabolic regulation, and extracellular matrix interactions regulate the disease progression and response to therapy.

Our lab has been studying Lac repressor-mediated DNA looping as a model system for understanding biomechanical gene regulation. Our thinking about gene regulation is dominated by biochemistry, yet the DNA containing our genes is a polymeric molecule whose mechanical properties need to be carefully considered. For certain regulatory processes such as DNA looping, that require contortions of the DNA, the mechanics might actively participate in controlling expression.

Our research interests are in the areas of bioanalytical chemistry, electrochemical and optical sensors, novel nitric oxide releasing/generating biomaterials, and immunoassays.

Dr. Nagrath’s research goal is to bring the next generation of engineering tools to patient care, especially in cancer. Her major focus of research is to develop advanced MEMS tools for understanding cell trafficking in cancer through isolation, characterization and study of circulating cell in peripheral blood of cancer patients.

My lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms that define how the combinatorial logic of histone modifications and its dynamic interactions with histone binding proteins encodes stable and heritable patterns of gene expression. We take a multidisciplinary perspective that synthesizes genetics, biochemistry and biophysical approaches to capture cellular processes across different spatial and temporal regimes.

Our research is concerned with two broad areas: 1) The role of ion channels and membrane excitability in the control of insulin exocytosis from pancreatic islets of Langerhans in health and disease, and 2) the cellular and molecular mechanisms which lead to synaptic dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Techniques used in our research include patch clamp electrophysiology, intracellular free [Ca2+] measurements, PCR and RT-PCR, western blotting, FRET, immunocytochemistry, mathematical modeling, cell culture, confocal microscopy, gene transfection (including using adenovirus approaches) and secretion measurements.

Composed of a dynamic, interdisciplinary team of scientists, the Sherman laboratory studies the biosynthesis of natural products from microbes that include cyanobacteria, actinomycetes, and myxobacteria. We are inspired by natural products from both terrestrial and marine organisms and seek to better understand their origins using a set of tools that includes molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, and bioorganic chemistry.

In our research, we aim to create artificial constructs that direct tissue regeneration and restore biological function, employing methods from engineering, materials, chemistry, and life sciences. To achieve this, we use natural hydrogels and multifunctional synthetic hydrophilic polymers. Three main application realms of our research are reproductive biology, toxicology, and cancer.

Our research interests are in the area of complex fluids – soft materials with properties intermediate between fluids and solids. Our group has applied new 3D confocal microscopy methods to generate discoveries in nanocolloidal assembly, colloidal gelation, and the biomechanics of bacterial biofilms.  Our work has also included discovery of a universal scaling for polymer scission in turbulence that identifies the limits that scission imposes on turbulent drag reduction.  Other research interests have included the rheology of polymer nanocomposites, the microrheology of complex fluids, and the microfluidic synthesis of anisotropic particles.

Our laboratory focuses on how cells interact with the 3D protein matrix around them, and how these interactions can be used to develop better biomaterials and engineered tissues. The biologically-derived proteins collagen and fibrin are of particular interest, due to their role as structural proteins in tissues and the range of effects that these polymers can have on cell function. We are developing composite biomaterials that combine the structural and biochemical features of these polymers, and which also incorporate other proteins that direct cell function.

Non-coding ribonucleic acid (RNA) has recently been found to be the key component, often capable of enzymatic action, in a multitude of essential cellular processes, such as gene regulation - through processes including RNA interference and riboswitching, translation, and splicing. RNA thus is increasingly finding important applications in modern biotechnology and medicine, for example as biosensor and gene therapeutic agent. Our research explores the world of such catalytic RNAs, or "ribozymes", as well as other non-protein coding RNAs by using single-molecule and bulk-solution biochemical and biophysical tools. We work on fascinating biological catalysts at the interface of Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.

Dr. Ward’s research interests span the field of critical illness and injury ranging from combat casualty care to the intensive care unit. His approach is to develop and leverage broad platform technologies capable of use throughout all echelons of care of the critically ill and injured as well as in all age groups.

Our group focuses on creating self-contained microsystems that combine and process natural signals as well as electrical signals on a single chip platform by integrating new MEMS/nano structures with low-power, wireless VLSI circuits and systems.

The assessment of human exposure to complex mixtures of natural and anthropogenic chemicals ranks among the most important global environmental health challenges. Our ability to meet evolving needs in this area relies critically on innovations in exposure science and technology. Advances that facilitate accurate, high-resolution measurements are integral to mankind's efforts to unravel the intricate relationships between exposure and the risks of adverse health effects, and to minimize such risks.Professor Zellers' research and teaching interests lies at the intersection of Environmental Health Science, Chemistry, and Engineering. His work deals with the fundamental and applied aspects of exposure science and technology and contributes to the broad goal of developing the means to quantitatively analyze complex chemical mixtures of arbitrary composition in field settings.