Im drawing you a picture, and its going to be a surprise.

Temple University Security Officer Gary Price was all ears when he was told that by Venkata Pallavi Aakarapu, a senior bioengineering student who also has a passion for drawing.

We have been having weekly conversations and one day, she started showing me all these different drawings she created, incredible stuff, Price said. The content, the accuracy, the coloring and the shading. It was all incredible.

For more than a year, Aakarapu would stop in weekly to DPS headquarters, located at 1101 W. Montgomery Ave., where they would both offer each other friendly conversation from Prices security desk.

She said that Price had been a great mentor of hers and helped her navigate situations with friends and classes. And for Price, well, its his job to help.

Whenever she had a problem, I did my best to give her honest advice, he said.

She appreciated his help so much that she was determined to draw something he could hold onto after she graduates.

I do pen and ink, so mostly illustrations, she said. Now that Im finishing up my collegiate career, I wanted to leave something for the university.

Aakarapus passion for art began at age 4 and grew over the years, especially during her time at Temple between studying for her rigorous classes and taking multiple labs. Diving into her artwork was an escape from it all.

I would love to be an animator, like to make shows or movies, if I wasnt studying bioengineering, she said.

The security officers, police officers and everyone who makes up the Department of Public Safety have been helpful and have made me feel safe. So I wanted to give this as a gift to them.

Price didnt know what the picture would encompass, other than knowing it would be an incredible piece of art.

Soon enough, when she showed me the picture, it made me think about how much time it took, how much thought it took to put it on paper, because it was just so accurate, Price said.

Aakarapu said the picture is for all of DPS to thank them for their service.

Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin plans to hang the photo in the lobby of DPS headquarters for years to come.

Its students like Venkata that remind us of why we are proud to serve the Temple community, Griffin said. Her thank you and her picture will be remembered here for a long time.

This was just her way of thanking us, Price said. It made me really really proud. It made me feel special to be a part of that. It really did.

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Temple University bioengineering student shows appreciation for DPS through art - Temple University News

In living cells, molecules can come together through a dynamic, transient process, forming droplets that hold the components needed for a specific job.

Once they come together, these molecular assemblies can break down nutrients, send signals to neighboring cells, or turn on stress responses.

Jerelle Joseph seeks to uncover the rules behind the formation and evolution of these droplets, known as biomolecular condensates.

These membraneless structures are liquid-like. They exhibit characteristics like flowing, dripping, and fusing, and form by phase] separation like oil droplets in water, said Joseph, who joined Princeton in January 2023 as an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering.

What makes them very exciting, both to study and potentially to engineer, said Joseph, is that they have vast functions and implications for health and disease.

Josephs team uses computer simulations to examine the formation of biomolecular condensates droplets that contain hundreds of protein molecules, and sometimes DNA or RNA, and play roles in regulating growth, metabolism, and more.

Researchers understanding of biomolecular condensates has come a long way since Princeton professor Clifford Brangwynne and others first described the emergence of these cellular compartments nearly 15 years ago. Still, many questions remain about the conditions that drive condensates to form, and how they change over time.

If we can understand how condensates form and are regulated, we can engineer them, said Joseph. Essentially, we want to reverse-engineer condensates to find out how they come about. And also, forward-engineer them to create new functionalities within cells or to prevent unwanted functions, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. Joseph is also excited by the possibility of engineering plant metabolism for sustainable food production.

But before these applications can come to fruition, Joseph and her team must develop computational models that are accurate enough to faithfully represent organization within living cells, yet efficient enough to run on todays computers.

A growing body of experimental data on how condensates form and change is crucial to grounding her teams models, said Joseph. Her postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge included developing simulations to predict the phase separation of proteins, achieving a new degree of accuracy.

Now, we want to be able to describe a wider breadth of proteins as well as nucleic acids that undergo phase separation such as RNA. So, we need to be able to augment and enhance our approaches to better describe more complex systems, she said.

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Simulations reveal workings of droplets that underlie life's functions- Princeton Engineering - Engineering at Princeton University

The snapshot

3DBioFibR Inc. formed three and a half years ago, spun out of research conducted in Dalhousies School of Biomedical Engineering with support from Dal Innovates. The companys technology, a bold new approach to tissue engineering, is making it a go-to in the burgeoning medical research sector.

3DBioFibRs technology has its roots in the work of Dr. John Frampton, Dalhousies Canada Research Chair in Cellular, Biomaterial and Matrix Interaction. Dr. Frampton invented a technique for manufacturing protein fibres used as scaffolding to build cellular structures. Like the rebar in a concrete building, the fibers provide an underlying framework that cells latch onto to artificially manufacture structures for use in the human body.

His initial protein fibers were encouraging but they didnt contain enough collagen to be clinically successful. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. Dr. Frampton knew that incorporating it in his fibers would allow him to vastly improve how cells bond to them.

Collagen fiber being made. (Photo provided)

He recruited fellow Dal researcher Dr. Laurent Kreplak and graduate student Gurkaran Chowdhry to pursue the idea. Together the team built on Dr. Framptons fiber creation technique to finetune it and were incredibly successful upping the collagen content from two per cent to 100. Moreover, they developed the first fully automated manufacturing system to produce collagen fibers, laying the groundwork for translation to a commercial system.

The innovation meant their new material could become extremely useful in supporting the creation of biomedical structures such as nerves and the c-shaped pieces of cartilage that cushion joints, among many other potential applications.

A close-up look at a scaffold of collagen fibers. (Provided photo)

The goal is for it to act like a structural support for living things to attach to and grow on, Chowdhry explains. It was something that had potential. The next challenge became, can we do it at scale to actually service an industry?

In other words, how would they turn this novel medical technology into a company?

For Chowdhry, that broad question was answered in part with the help of two Dal Innovates programs, now known as Lab2Market Discover and Lab2Market Launch.

My undergrad was in physics, my master's was in physics, so business strategy is not something I had a lot of exposure to. The last business course I took was Grade 11 accounting. So, it was nice to wrap my head around those ideas, he says. It was really helpful to learn how to conduct a customer discovery interview and really understand what your customer's needs are, he says.

He says 3D BioFibR also benefited from its participation in Creative Destruction Lab Atlantic, an objectives-based program for massively scalable, science- and technology-based companies hosted at Dalhousie. Chowdhry and the team learned how to pitch the company, secured an investor, and received advice on everything from strategy to IP to product development and marketing.

It provided a way to pressure test things in a safe environment, he explains. It's a room full of people who've been there, done that. You consistently get your assumptions tested and get feedback from people who have a pedigree.

As a result of that advice, 3DBioFibR has positioned itself as a biomaterial manufacturing company that can supply many different biomedical customers.

Chowdhry uses the examples of Gore-Tex and Intel to explain his companys strategy. Gore-Tex does not make clothing, but its material is used by many other companies to produce everything from gloves to boots. Intel doesnt make computers but its chips power countless PCs. Likewise, 3DBioFibRs collagen fibres can potentially be used by an array of biotech manufacturers.

In June 2023, in a significant step forward, the company signed a development deal with ReNerve, an Australian biotech outfit. 3DBioFibR has developed a prototype for ReNerve that will hopefully pending tests be used to help drive nerve regeneration. 3DBioFibRs collagen fibres would act as a cell migration highway in bridging severed nerves.

With our technology, we can make these collagen fibres at scale, with over 3,600 times the throughput of any competing technologies, Chowdhry notes. We can do 1,000 metres a second. And we can match the structure of native collagen so that cells can recognize and attach to the material in the way that they do in the body. The tissue engineering industry is all about creating these tissue constructs that can be eventually implanted into a human being.

According to Chowdhry, the tissue engineering industry is a $26-billion market, with companies and researchers pursuing applications spanning hair follicle regeneration, orthopedics, meniscus repair, and corneal, liver, and heart tissues, and even artificial ears.

3DBioFibRs product ready for market. (Provided photo)

Essentially the industry is trying to create implantable lab-grown tissue to put into a human for every potential condition, he explains. Anything in your body you can think of, there's at least one group working on creating it with implantable tissue.

According to Chowdhry, 3DBioFibRs technology is agnostic in terms of the tissue types it can pair with; it could potentially be used throughout the industry.

3DBioFibR now has 12 employees and manufactures its collagen fibre at its facility in The Labs by Invest Nova Scotia on Dalhousie campus. The company has raised three rounds of funding totalling $3.7 million and plans to pursue a Series A round in 2024.

We think our biomaterial will enable many new technologies to get to the next stage. So, the goal is to stay hyper-focused on improving production, quality, and efficiency, and by doing so, make the biggest impact across tissue engineering, Chowdhry concludes. Our fibres will hopefully help these technologies get closer to the clinic that's really the goal of the business.

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Where Ideas Meet Impact: How Dal researchers spun a bioengineering discovery into a medical industry innovation - Dal News

[Photo credit: CALTECH]

Caltechs Women in Biology and Biological Engineering (WiBBE) group will mark the Lunar New Year on Thursday, Feb. 8, with a talk on Working Women in Ancient China at the Chen 130 seminar room from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The event, the first in-person Lunar New Year celebration in over two years, is spearheaded by WiBBE member Dr. Wen Chen, a scientific curator for Caltechs WormBase project.

The original idea of crafting talks about Chinese culture came when I watched Shen Yun (Performing Arts), Chen said. They always have dance dramas about Chinese historical stories. These fascinating legends like Mulan and Monkey King, through dance and music, bring great hope and inspiration to audiences.

Chen, who holds a Ph.D. from Caltechs Sternberg Lab, has been with the WormBase project since 2000 and is known for her dedication to sharing insights on Chinese culture, history, and society. She has been working to bridge Eastern and Western cultures, and that is evident in her work, which draws from her lifelong interest in traditional Chinese art. For her, events like the Lunar New Year celebration serve not only to educate but also to foster community among WiBBE members and beyond.

Thursdays event can help clear up some mistaken ideas about the role of women in society, Dr. Chen said.

We often face this notion from society that traditional women do not work; at the same time, there is also a prejudice against housewives, she said. I published a blog article about working women in ancient China a couple of years ago. It was fascinating to read about the personal lives of so many brilliant women. They gained knowledge from family education and served society with their talent, thus leaving their names in history. I saw wisdom and harmony in them, which are timeless qualities that can help us in modern society.

While Chen is used to organizing virtual events over the last two years, she is excited about doing this talk in person, especially with most research groups having limited communication with other groups, usually only through scientific meetings.

I hope this in-person event can bring WiBBE members together in a setting outside of science, she said. People may not have a connection in science, but they can form a bond through their interests or specific topics. That is how WiBBE builds a community for our members to encourage and support each other.

Each year, Chen presents a Lunar New Year talk at Caltech. Her past presentations include The Science of Tea Making last year, Chinese Medicine & Meditation in 2022, and Traditional Chinese Attire in 2021.

As a scientist, I need to read complicated cutting-edge literature and present scientific concepts to researchers clearly and concisely, she explained. Now I apply my unique advantage in explaining some traditional concepts in languages that make sense to the Caltech community.

One of the things Chen hopes to achieve with her talks is bring attention to the fact that many in the West do not hear much about China from the people there; most of their information comes from the Chinese government, she said.

As an independent speaker, I want to be the voice of the voiceless, not only for human rights in China but also for the Chinese history that was censored and distorted in the textbooks controlled by the Chinese government, she said. Chinese Americans are in the middle of the geopolitical conflict between China and the U.S. I hope my activism at Caltech can help the community distinguish Chinese people from the Chinese Communist Party. That is the only way for Chinese Americans, like me and my children, to be part of American society while preserving our heritage.

She also hopes that the Lunar New Year event will become a cherished tradition at Caltech. She plans to continue engaging and educating the community on Chinese culture, and is encouraging suggestions for future topics.

That is something I want to hear from the audience this year, Chen said. People can also email me their suggestions for future topics. I am interested in crafting a talk about how ancient Chinese solved conflicts because there was so much courage, wisdom, and compassion demonstrated in some historical records.

The Lunar New Year talk is open to all members of the Caltech community and beyond. Light refreshments will be served between 2:30 pm and 2:45 pm, with the talk following.

For more information and to RSVP for the event, visitwww.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/calendar/working-women-in-ancient-china-1.

Dr. Wen Chens email iswenchenspeaker@gmail.com.

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Caltech's Women in Biology and Biological Engineering Group To Celebrate First In-Person Lunar New Year In Over ... - Pasadena Now

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Tejal A. Desai, an accomplished biomedical engineer and dean of the Brown University School of Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering as a member of its 2024 class.

The academy cited Desais distinguished contributions to engineering for nanofabricated materials to control biologics delivery, and leadership in the fields of nanotechnology and regenerative medicine. Membership in the National Academy of Engineering is considered one of the highest professional honors for an engineer, and her selection brings the number of current Brown faculty members in the academy to six.

I am deeply honored by this recognition and am grateful for all my colleagues and trainees who have supported me over my career,Desai said.

Desai is one of 114 new members and 21 international members elected to the academys Class of 2024.

I am thrilled for Tejals election into the National Academy of Engineering, said Francis J. Doyle III, Browns provost and a fellow member of the academy. As a biomedical engineer and academic leader, Tejals work is essential as Brown endeavors to address societys most pressing public health and treatment challenges. This is a well-deserved honor that showcases the incredible expertise we have in our faculty and the outstanding contributions Tejal has made to her field.

Desai began her tenure as dean of engineering at Brown in September 2022. An accomplished biomedical engineer and academic leader, she conducts research that spans multiple disciplines, including materials engineering, cell biology, tissue engineering and pharmacological delivery systems to develop new therapeutic interventions for disease. She seeks to design new platforms, enabled by advances in micro and nanotechnology, to overcome existing challenges in therapeutic delivery.

With more than 260 peer-reviewed articles and patents, Desais research has earned her numerous recognitions including Technology Reviews Top 100 Young Innovators, Popular Sciences Brilliant 10 and the Dawson Biotechnology Award. She served as president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering from 2020 to 2022, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015 and to the National Academy of Inventors in 2019. Desai recently delivered the 2023 Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting the highest honor the organization can bestow upon an individual who has demonstrated impactful leadership and accomplishments in biomedical engineering science and practice.

Desai earned her undergraduate degree from Brown University in biomedical engineering in 1994, and was awarded a Ph.D. in bioengineering jointly from the University of California San Francisco and the University of California Berkeley in 1998.

Prior to her return to Brown in 2022, she was a professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF, and a professor in residence in the Department of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley. She served as director of the National Institutes of Health training grant for the joint UCSF/UCB graduate program in bioengineering for more than 15 years, and as founding director of the UCSF/UCB masters program in translational medicine. She was also chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF from 2014 to 2021 and the inaugural director of the UCSF Engineering and Applied Sciences Initiative, known as HIVE (Health Innovation Via Engineering).

Desai is a vocal advocate for education and outreach to members of groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields. Her work to break down institutional barriers to equity and cultivate a climate of inclusion has earned numerous honors, including the AWIS Judith Poole Award in Mentorship, the 2021 UCSF Chancellors Award for the Advancement of Women, and the 2022 Controlled Release Woman in Science Award. As president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, she led advocacy efforts for increased scientific funding and addressing workforce disparities in science and engineering.

With her election to the Class of 2024, Desai became the 19th current or former Brown engineering faculty member and the 23rd Brown engineering graduate elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

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Brown engineering dean Tejal Desai elected to the National Academy of Engineering - Brown University