Research | Biomedical Engineering

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NIH Awards $2.3M to ‘Detangle’ Complexity of Extracellular Vesicles

by Matt Marcure
March 15, 2023

Extracellular vesicles, or EVs, are nanoparticles released by every known cell and relay important messages across the human body — but how they exactly function is not well understood. Professors at the University of California, Davis, seek to change that.

Three people in a lab with gloves on touching different color cables

Lighting up cancer and heart disease

by Ashley Han, UC Davis DEVAR
March 01, 2023

Much like a fresh set of eyes, a small pen-shaped device is showing surgeons a more accurate way to treat cancer and heart disease. The device uses new technology developed at UC Davis to scan and illuminate unhealthy tissue in real time so it can be removed.

Blue rounded cylinders against a yellow/orange background.

Cyborg Cells Could Be Tools for Health and Environment

by Andy Fell, UC Davis
January 18, 2023

Biomedical engineers at the University of California, Davis, have created semi-living “cyborg cells.” Retaining the capabilities of living cells, but unable to replicate, the cyborg cells could have a wide range of applications, from producing therapeutic drugs to cleaning up pollution.

Biomedical Engineering Professor Aijun Wang Part of Groundbreaking Fetal Spina Bifida Treatment

by College of Engineering Communications
January 11, 2023

A groundbreaking approach to treating spina bifida in developing babies combining fetal surgery with stem cells at UC Davis Health received research assistance from Biomedical Engineering Professor Aijun Wang.

Person in blue lab coat and other PPE in lab

Randy Carney Receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award

by Matt Murphy
January 10, 2023

Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Randy Carney has received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development, or NSF CAREER, Award. The CAREER program offers the foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models and lead advances in the mission of their department.

Biomedical Engineering graduate students Leora Goldbloom-Helzner and David Wang in a laboratory with PPE on handling samples and lab equipment

Expanding Alzheimer’s Diagnostics and Treatments with Extracellular Vesicles

by Lauren Ward
December 14, 2022

Alzheimer’s is a disease without a clear diagnostic test nor a cure. However, researchers are developing new techniques and methods every day and in Professor Aijun Wang’s Lab at UC Davis, Biomedical Engineering graduate students Leora Goldbloom-Helzner and David Wang are exploring potential diagnoses and treatments for Alzheimer’s patients using extracellular vesicles.

Ultra-Low Dose Total Body PET/CT Effective for Evaluating Arthritis

by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI)
October 12, 2022

Research

Total body PET/CT scans can successfully visualize systemic joint involvement in patients with autoimmune arthritis, according to new first-in-human research published in the October issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The total body PET/CT scans showed high agreement with standard joint-by-joint rheumatological evaluation and a moderate to strong correlation with rheumatological outcome measures.

Symposium at UC Davis showcases range of medical applications for light-based technologies

by Lisa Howard
October 05, 2022

Research

The National Center for Interventional Biophotonic Technologies (NCIBT), part of a national network of engineers and clinician-scientists, hosted its inaugural symposium on the Davis campus on September 29 and 30.

The Operating Room of the Future

by Sarah Colwell
September 23, 2022

As medical technology keeps advancing, one thing is clear: AI-controlled machines are just as good, if not better, than humans at certain medical tasks, such as detecting cancerous abnormalities. UC Davis’ Department of Biomedical Engineering is at the forefront of these AI-informed medical diagnosis innovations because of the work of Professor Laura Marcu.

“Trailblazer” Audrey Fan Recognized for Project to Understand Oxygen Metabolism in the Brain

by Sarah Colwell
September 20, 2022

Audrey Fan, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and neurology, was recently awarded a Trailblazer R21 Award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to pursue creating non-invasive, accessible MRI scans that show oxygen usage in the human brain.