Syracuse Engineer Spring 2017 - Biomedical & Chemical Engineering

REPAIRING BONES WITH 3D PRINTING

M

etallic implants—widely used clinically to replace diseased or damaged bone tissue—are not biodegradable and stay in the human body until removed surgically. The implants may also have problems with corrosion and could cause a negative reaction with the immune system. As a result, new polymer-based biodegradable implants are being developed to provide a needed alternative to metal.

A NEW FOCUS ON STEM CELLS

“They will produce more and more bone and fill the whole gap, and you won’t be able to identify between what is the surrounding bone and the new bone created by the cells.”

Ultimately, the goal of Soman’s research would be the ability to fit patients with polymer-cellular bone implants. It might be especially beneficial for children, since the implants would allow for growth, unlike metallic implants.

Inspired by the structure of natural bone that provides a porous load-bearing scaffold to house soft biological cells, Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team are using 3D printing to create polymer scaffolding that can be filled with bone-forming human cells.

A

“Modern medical advances are helping people live longer, healthier lives. Scientists and biomedical engineers at Syracuse University, and around the world, are 21st-century heroes. We are fortunate to be part of this exciting and challenging research laboratory,” said Nappi. “Carol and I look forward to the breakthroughs the STEM Lab may discover and the promise it brings to humankind.”

Gifts to our College allow us to further prepare our students in ways that will differentiate them in the competitive marketplace and magnify the value of a Syracuse University engineering and computer science degree. Gifts will also support specific initiatives aimed at positioning our College as a leading model for contemporary engineering and computer science education, as presented in our Transforming Our Future plan at eng-cs.syr.edu/transformation.

With your help, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Please consider making your gift today at eng-cs.syr.edu/givenow.

M

ost people know someone with a hip or knee implant.

These artificial joints are made up of metals and polymers known as biomaterials, which are essentially materials that can be safely introduced to the human body.

B

acteria may be small, but the effect they have on us is anything but minor. Bacteria are often associated with illness and disease, but in reality, most do us more good than harm. Although certain bacteria can wreak havoc on your health, many are important for your survival. In fact, the microbes in our body outnumber our own cells.

We share these accomplishments with you because you are a part of us. As an alumnus or a friend of this Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, you have contributed to our shared success by your very association. A great many of you have also generously helped fund the endeavors highlighted within this newsletter.

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK @ENGINEERINGSU @ENGINEERINGSU CONNECT WITH US ENG-CS.SYR.EDU

Biomedical & Chemical Engineering

RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP A NEW CATEGORY OF BIOMATERIALS

SEVEN UNDERGRADS TEAM UP TO PUBLISH BACTERIA RESEARCH

YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOUR COLLEGE, YOUR SUCCESS

Department of

Assistant Professor Zhen Ma joined the College of Engineering and Computer Science as the Samuel and Carol Nappi Research Scholar and lead researcher in the newly established System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis Lab. “I see pluripotent stem cells as the future of medicine,” said Ma. “The next big step for human biology is going to come through work in this field.”

The polymer component used in this work is called PCL, a Food and Drug Administration-approved biomaterial.

“With 3D printing, you can basically put this in and forget about it because the structural PCL polymer will degrade in about a year and the cells stuck between the PCL logpiles remain,” says Soman, who received departmental funding for the research.

PAID

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SYRACUSE NY

Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Syracuse, NY 13244-1240

$1 million investment by Syracuse University Trustee Samuel G. Nappi and his wife, Carol, has established a leading edge stem cell research laboratory in the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute. Dubbed the System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis (STEM) Lab, it will support the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering’s efforts to improve, extend, and enhance the lives of millions throughout the world.

Rehabilitative and regenerative engineering is one of the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s top research areas.

Rewritable adult cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells, are cells that have the ability to morph into brain cells, liver cells, heart cells—indeed, any cell in the human body.

The polymer scaffold provides the initial support structure, while human cells eventually fill in and develop into bone, replacing the polymer that slowly degrades, providing a more natural replacement for the bone.

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

In Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, a team of seven undergraduate researchers and graduate student Huilin Ma in Assistant Professor Shikha Nangia’s research group have published research in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation identifying the diverse properties of eight bacteria species’ membranes, including the harmful (e.g., pertussis, chlamydia, and salmonella) and the beneficial (e.g., E coli and H pylori).

Perhaps the most notable element of this research is that it was conducted by undergraduate students over the course of 10 weeks last summer.

Nangia says, “By studying the outer membranes of these eight bacterial species, we’re hoping to identify similarities, differences,

“This was an excellent opportunity to learn about different forms of bacteria using computational modeling,” says Aliza Khan ’17.

and vulnerabilities. Our research contributes to the broader scientific community’s understanding of this topic where it can be used to exploit these properties with a new class of therapeutics.”

In a new research project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Biomaterials program, Professors Jay Henderson and Ian Hosein, and Bucknell’s Patrick Mather, will create a new category of biomaterials. These new biomaterials will not only have specific properties that human cells and tissues respond to, but will also be smart and capable of responding to the presence of the cells and tissues. By studying the back-and-forth interaction between the material and the cells and tissues, the team will develop a new understanding of how cells and tissues work and how materials can be used to control them.

Henderson says, “Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have been developed to assay or control biological systems, but the potential of these biomaterials may be largely untapped. Integrating stimuliresponsive biomaterials with biological systems to create hybrid feedback systems will provide new insight into phenomena at the interface of synthetic and living systems.”

A BETTER WAY TO FARM ALGAE Improving the growth of microalgae could have big implications for producing biofuels and valuable chemicals.

S Henderson, Hosein, Mather, and their teams of student researchers will create these new stimuli-responsive shape-memory polymers and study them in innovative synthetic/living feedback systems with three main objectives—to tune cytocompatible shape-memory polymers for photo-thermal stimulation; to develop and understand enzyme-responsive shape-memory polymers; and to study synthetic and living feedback systems. This work will lead to novel material designs and enable the discovery of new material phenomena.

cientists have long known of the potential of microalgae to aid in the production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals. However, the difficulty and significant cost of growing microalgae have in some ways stalled further development of this promising technology. Bendy Estime G’17, has devoted his research to this area and developed a new technology for energy-efficient cultivation and harvesting of microalgae.

Estime’s research was published as a peer-reviewed article in Scientific Reports on January 19. He and his research advisors, Distinguished Professor Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, chair of the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren, have secured a provisional patent for the technology.

SPRING 2017

Estime developed a new medium to culture and harvest microalgae using relatively small variations in temperature. It allows for more light to reach the algae in a container and reduces the amount of time and energy required to separate the algae from the broth it is grown in.

“The industrial applications of this system are appealing,” Estime says. “This system would harvest microalgae 10 times faster than traditional systems and in an energy-efficient fashion.”

“This study presents a novel method to harvest algae and other cells with low cost, which has potential applications in multiple fields,” said Ren. “It makes it more realistic for researchers to pursue microalgae as a solution.”

NEW FACULTY

DEVELOPING TECH TO INCREASE SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY

USING 3D PRINTING TO ENGINEER MODEL BLOOD VESSELS

C

reating model blood vessels to aid in the study of diseases, such as strokes, can be complicated, costly, and timeconsuming. And the results may not always be truly representative of a human vessel.

A small improvement in collecting sunlight can mean big things for solar power.

Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team have engineered a new method to create model blood vessels that are more efficient, less expensive, and more exact.

T

here are currently 31.6 gigawatts of total installed solar capacity in the United States, enough to power 6.2 million American homes. With a nationwide movement toward developing clean energy, vast potential exists in the field.

Soman and his team are creating vascular channels using 3D printing-enabled casting.

A new technology, developed by Assistant Professor Ian Hosein, promises to increase the efficiency of solar cells by five percent.

That can provide enough energy to power 55,000 more homes.

Standard solar cells have metal fingers or grids—also called top contacts—that connect the active material to the rest of the cell.

These contacts are made of metal and are very reflective. The contacts cover a certain portion of the active surface of the solar cell, and light that would otherwise hit the solar cell hits the contact and is reflected or scattered. This is called shading loss, or reflective loss, and accounts for an eight to 10 percent loss in the total amount of energy collected.

“Collecting some of that back is significant,” said Hosein. “We are looking at how we can redirect light so it is not scattered off these reflective fingers and lost.”

Most solar cells are coated with clear plastics to protect them from the weather. Currently, most cells are processed with a uniform coating. Hosein and his team developed a new coating that contains triangular prisms. These prisms, made out of air, overlay the contacts and reflect light back into the cell.

“We show in our work that we can widen the solar cell’s collection range. The percentage of light collected over the span of a day, or the span of a year, is more than if this prism structure wasn’t there,” said Hosein.

Gurdip Singh Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Programs Ph.D. Stony Brook University Elevating the prominence of the College’s research activities, fostering interdisciplinary and translational research, directing funds and support for collaborations, and developing research infrastructure and expertise.

Douglas Yung Assistant Professor Bioengineering Undergraduate Program Director Ph.D. California Institute of Technology MEMS and microfluidics, biosensor development, microbial engineering, and astrobiology.

Zhen Ma Assistant Professor Samuel & Carol Nappi Research Scholar Ph.D. Clemson University Developmental biology and tissue morphogenesis, cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and stem cell engineering.

Bioengineering senior Andrew Ramos ’17 didn’t see any reason to wait until he graduated to contribute to a healthier world.

Ren has been with the College for 11 years and is also currently serving as the interim director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute and the chemical engineering graduate program director.

In his Biofilm Engineering Lab, Ren and his team study the mechanisms of biofilm-associated resistance to antimicrobials,

engineer smart surfaces and biomaterials to control microbial biofilm formation, and develop new strategies and inhibitors to kill biofilm and dormant bacterial cells more effectively.

The Stevenson Endowed Professorship was established thanks to the generous support of Life Trustee Ann M. Stevenson ’52 and the late Trustee Emeritus Milton F. Stevenson III ’53.

“We can use 3D printing to create the mold and use that mold to cast whatever gel and cells in whatever shape we want,” Soman says.

An important breakthrough is the ability to establish multiple cell layers in the channels. “Typically, when these microfluidic vascular chips are made, they only have one layer of cells,” Soman says. “But blood vessels inside the body are made up of three to four different cell types. The innermost cells, endothelial cells, are the ones that come in contact with blood, but the other layers of cells assist those inner cells.”

21 298 # of Faculty

# of Undergraduate Students

67

51

# of Master’s Students

# of Ph.D. Students

Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering

Catalysis & Reaction Engineering

Complex Fluids, Soft Condensed Matter & Rheology

Molecular Biotechnology

Multiple Phase Systems

Multiscale Modeling & Simulation

Nanotechnology

Rehabilitative & Regenerative Engineering

Sustainable Energy Production

Degrees Awarded May 2015–2016

MAKING SURFACES LESS VULNERABLE TO DISEASECAUSING BACTERIA

63 40

Undergraduate

Graduate

8

Ph.D.

M

An Engineer for Global Health: Andrew Ramos ’17

Dacheng Ren Professorship Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Dacheng Ren has been named the Stevenson Endowed Professor.

To engineer something more complex, a mold must be cast to create the exact shape of the blood vessel.

RESEARCH AREAS

icrobes, specifically disease-causing bacteria, can cause all sorts of havoc when they take hold on surfaces.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria, which include MRSA and superbugs, are difficult to treat and can gain a foothold in such places as medical settings.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

“Most of the approaches to create blood vessels have been to mix a hydrogel with cells and relevant growth factors—the idea being that the cells and growth factors will automatically know to form microvessels,” says Soman, who is a member of the Syracuse

Biomaterials Institute. “They do form networks and blood vessels, but they are randomly formed and don’t connect with each other.”

FACTS AND STATS

Ramos came to Syracuse University as a self-described “shy freshman” who was unsure about who he was or where he was headed. In his time at Syracuse he has become an extremely active, outgoing scholar and student leader.

One of those opportunities arose when a student chapter of Engineering World Health (EWH) was established in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. EWH is a global organization with a mission to improve the delivery of health care in the developing world. Ramos served as president of the organization.

He says, “I’m a huge believer in providing things to people that don’t have them. Discovering that I have an opportunity to contribute at the international level was a powerful thing, so I became passionate about investing my time and energy in this organization.”

Under Ramos’ leadership, EWH hosted bioinstrumentation workshops where students assemble optical heart rate monitors and electrocardiogram simulators. When complete, the devices are sent back to EWH headquarters and are distributed to developing countries.

“Microbes like to attach to surfaces,” Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren says. “Basically anywhere you have water, you could have a so-called biofilm—a cluster of microbial cells that stick together.”

In a recent study, Ren and his team of researchers collaborated with the lab of Associate Professor James Henderson and discovered that the use of shape-memory polymers with topographic patterns as surfaces effectively reduces the adhesion of microbes and can remove up to 99.9 percent of attached cells.

Researchers in the field are looking at how to engineer a material or a surface to be less vulnerable to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation—making it less welcome to them. Earlier published work by Ren’s group showed that engineering surface topography could be impactful.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Megan Cucci ’96, Chemical Engineering “We begin this application with a temporary shape, so we have some success in reducing adhesion. But bacterial cells can still attach to it over time and grow biofilms and, at that point, the initial topography has lost its function,” says Ren. “However, then we can trigger the change of surface topography within minutes. If you have a microscope, you can see the cells come off in front of your eyes.”

Megan Cucci ’96 has strong ties to two of the most notable institutions in New York State—Syracuse University and Kodak.

During her time as a chemical engineering undergrad in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Cucci completed her co-op with Kodak. The opportunity laid the groundwork for a full-time position in Kodak’s Research Labs supporting motion picture film after graduation.

Today, Cucci is Kodak’s director of product management for micro 3D printing, having built a successful career exclusively within the well-known company.

“Some of my first roles at Kodak were in traditional film, which is actually a chemical engineer’s dream. There was a lot of room for experimentation to optimize the formulation of products. It has chemical engineer written all over it.”

REPAIRING BONES WITH 3D PRINTING

M

etallic implants—widely used clinically to replace diseased or damaged bone tissue—are not biodegradable and stay in the human body until removed surgically. The implants may also have problems with corrosion and could cause a negative reaction with the immune system. As a result, new polymer-based biodegradable implants are being developed to provide a needed alternative to metal.

A NEW FOCUS ON STEM CELLS

“They will produce more and more bone and fill the whole gap, and you won’t be able to identify between what is the surrounding bone and the new bone created by the cells.”

Ultimately, the goal of Soman’s research would be the ability to fit patients with polymer-cellular bone implants. It might be especially beneficial for children, since the implants would allow for growth, unlike metallic implants.

Inspired by the structure of natural bone that provides a porous load-bearing scaffold to house soft biological cells, Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team are using 3D printing to create polymer scaffolding that can be filled with bone-forming human cells.

A

“Modern medical advances are helping people live longer, healthier lives. Scientists and biomedical engineers at Syracuse University, and around the world, are 21st-century heroes. We are fortunate to be part of this exciting and challenging research laboratory,” said Nappi. “Carol and I look forward to the breakthroughs the STEM Lab may discover and the promise it brings to humankind.”

Gifts to our College allow us to further prepare our students in ways that will differentiate them in the competitive marketplace and magnify the value of a Syracuse University engineering and computer science degree. Gifts will also support specific initiatives aimed at positioning our College as a leading model for contemporary engineering and computer science education, as presented in our Transforming Our Future plan at eng-cs.syr.edu/transformation.

With your help, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Please consider making your gift today at eng-cs.syr.edu/givenow.

M

ost people know someone with a hip or knee implant.

These artificial joints are made up of metals and polymers known as biomaterials, which are essentially materials that can be safely introduced to the human body.

B

acteria may be small, but the effect they have on us is anything but minor. Bacteria are often associated with illness and disease, but in reality, most do us more good than harm. Although certain bacteria can wreak havoc on your health, many are important for your survival. In fact, the microbes in our body outnumber our own cells.

We share these accomplishments with you because you are a part of us. As an alumnus or a friend of this Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, you have contributed to our shared success by your very association. A great many of you have also generously helped fund the endeavors highlighted within this newsletter.

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK @ENGINEERINGSU @ENGINEERINGSU CONNECT WITH US ENG-CS.SYR.EDU

Biomedical & Chemical Engineering

RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP A NEW CATEGORY OF BIOMATERIALS

SEVEN UNDERGRADS TEAM UP TO PUBLISH BACTERIA RESEARCH

YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOUR COLLEGE, YOUR SUCCESS

Department of

Assistant Professor Zhen Ma joined the College of Engineering and Computer Science as the Samuel and Carol Nappi Research Scholar and lead researcher in the newly established System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis Lab. “I see pluripotent stem cells as the future of medicine,” said Ma. “The next big step for human biology is going to come through work in this field.”

The polymer component used in this work is called PCL, a Food and Drug Administration-approved biomaterial.

“With 3D printing, you can basically put this in and forget about it because the structural PCL polymer will degrade in about a year and the cells stuck between the PCL logpiles remain,” says Soman, who received departmental funding for the research.

PAID

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SYRACUSE NY

Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Syracuse, NY 13244-1240

$1 million investment by Syracuse University Trustee Samuel G. Nappi and his wife, Carol, has established a leading edge stem cell research laboratory in the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute. Dubbed the System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis (STEM) Lab, it will support the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering’s efforts to improve, extend, and enhance the lives of millions throughout the world.

Rehabilitative and regenerative engineering is one of the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s top research areas.

Rewritable adult cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells, are cells that have the ability to morph into brain cells, liver cells, heart cells—indeed, any cell in the human body.

The polymer scaffold provides the initial support structure, while human cells eventually fill in and develop into bone, replacing the polymer that slowly degrades, providing a more natural replacement for the bone.

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

In Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, a team of seven undergraduate researchers and graduate student Huilin Ma in Assistant Professor Shikha Nangia’s research group have published research in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation identifying the diverse properties of eight bacteria species’ membranes, including the harmful (e.g., pertussis, chlamydia, and salmonella) and the beneficial (e.g., E coli and H pylori).

Perhaps the most notable element of this research is that it was conducted by undergraduate students over the course of 10 weeks last summer.

Nangia says, “By studying the outer membranes of these eight bacterial species, we’re hoping to identify similarities, differences,

“This was an excellent opportunity to learn about different forms of bacteria using computational modeling,” says Aliza Khan ’17.

and vulnerabilities. Our research contributes to the broader scientific community’s understanding of this topic where it can be used to exploit these properties with a new class of therapeutics.”

In a new research project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Biomaterials program, Professors Jay Henderson and Ian Hosein, and Bucknell’s Patrick Mather, will create a new category of biomaterials. These new biomaterials will not only have specific properties that human cells and tissues respond to, but will also be smart and capable of responding to the presence of the cells and tissues. By studying the back-and-forth interaction between the material and the cells and tissues, the team will develop a new understanding of how cells and tissues work and how materials can be used to control them.

Henderson says, “Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have been developed to assay or control biological systems, but the potential of these biomaterials may be largely untapped. Integrating stimuliresponsive biomaterials with biological systems to create hybrid feedback systems will provide new insight into phenomena at the interface of synthetic and living systems.”

A BETTER WAY TO FARM ALGAE Improving the growth of microalgae could have big implications for producing biofuels and valuable chemicals.

S Henderson, Hosein, Mather, and their teams of student researchers will create these new stimuli-responsive shape-memory polymers and study them in innovative synthetic/living feedback systems with three main objectives—to tune cytocompatible shape-memory polymers for photo-thermal stimulation; to develop and understand enzyme-responsive shape-memory polymers; and to study synthetic and living feedback systems. This work will lead to novel material designs and enable the discovery of new material phenomena.

cientists have long known of the potential of microalgae to aid in the production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals. However, the difficulty and significant cost of growing microalgae have in some ways stalled further development of this promising technology. Bendy Estime G’17, has devoted his research to this area and developed a new technology for energy-efficient cultivation and harvesting of microalgae.

Estime’s research was published as a peer-reviewed article in Scientific Reports on January 19. He and his research advisors, Distinguished Professor Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, chair of the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren, have secured a provisional patent for the technology.

SPRING 2017

Estime developed a new medium to culture and harvest microalgae using relatively small variations in temperature. It allows for more light to reach the algae in a container and reduces the amount of time and energy required to separate the algae from the broth it is grown in.

“The industrial applications of this system are appealing,” Estime says. “This system would harvest microalgae 10 times faster than traditional systems and in an energy-efficient fashion.”

“This study presents a novel method to harvest algae and other cells with low cost, which has potential applications in multiple fields,” said Ren. “It makes it more realistic for researchers to pursue microalgae as a solution.”

NEW FACULTY

DEVELOPING TECH TO INCREASE SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY

USING 3D PRINTING TO ENGINEER MODEL BLOOD VESSELS

C

reating model blood vessels to aid in the study of diseases, such as strokes, can be complicated, costly, and timeconsuming. And the results may not always be truly representative of a human vessel.

A small improvement in collecting sunlight can mean big things for solar power.

Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team have engineered a new method to create model blood vessels that are more efficient, less expensive, and more exact.

T

here are currently 31.6 gigawatts of total installed solar capacity in the United States, enough to power 6.2 million American homes. With a nationwide movement toward developing clean energy, vast potential exists in the field.

Soman and his team are creating vascular channels using 3D printing-enabled casting.

A new technology, developed by Assistant Professor Ian Hosein, promises to increase the efficiency of solar cells by five percent.

That can provide enough energy to power 55,000 more homes.

Standard solar cells have metal fingers or grids—also called top contacts—that connect the active material to the rest of the cell.

These contacts are made of metal and are very reflective. The contacts cover a certain portion of the active surface of the solar cell, and light that would otherwise hit the solar cell hits the contact and is reflected or scattered. This is called shading loss, or reflective loss, and accounts for an eight to 10 percent loss in the total amount of energy collected.

“Collecting some of that back is significant,” said Hosein. “We are looking at how we can redirect light so it is not scattered off these reflective fingers and lost.”

Most solar cells are coated with clear plastics to protect them from the weather. Currently, most cells are processed with a uniform coating. Hosein and his team developed a new coating that contains triangular prisms. These prisms, made out of air, overlay the contacts and reflect light back into the cell.

“We show in our work that we can widen the solar cell’s collection range. The percentage of light collected over the span of a day, or the span of a year, is more than if this prism structure wasn’t there,” said Hosein.

Gurdip Singh Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Programs Ph.D. Stony Brook University Elevating the prominence of the College’s research activities, fostering interdisciplinary and translational research, directing funds and support for collaborations, and developing research infrastructure and expertise.

Douglas Yung Assistant Professor Bioengineering Undergraduate Program Director Ph.D. California Institute of Technology MEMS and microfluidics, biosensor development, microbial engineering, and astrobiology.

Zhen Ma Assistant Professor Samuel & Carol Nappi Research Scholar Ph.D. Clemson University Developmental biology and tissue morphogenesis, cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and stem cell engineering.

Bioengineering senior Andrew Ramos ’17 didn’t see any reason to wait until he graduated to contribute to a healthier world.

Ren has been with the College for 11 years and is also currently serving as the interim director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute and the chemical engineering graduate program director.

In his Biofilm Engineering Lab, Ren and his team study the mechanisms of biofilm-associated resistance to antimicrobials,

engineer smart surfaces and biomaterials to control microbial biofilm formation, and develop new strategies and inhibitors to kill biofilm and dormant bacterial cells more effectively.

The Stevenson Endowed Professorship was established thanks to the generous support of Life Trustee Ann M. Stevenson ’52 and the late Trustee Emeritus Milton F. Stevenson III ’53.

“We can use 3D printing to create the mold and use that mold to cast whatever gel and cells in whatever shape we want,” Soman says.

An important breakthrough is the ability to establish multiple cell layers in the channels. “Typically, when these microfluidic vascular chips are made, they only have one layer of cells,” Soman says. “But blood vessels inside the body are made up of three to four different cell types. The innermost cells, endothelial cells, are the ones that come in contact with blood, but the other layers of cells assist those inner cells.”

21 298 # of Faculty

# of Undergraduate Students

67

51

# of Master’s Students

# of Ph.D. Students

Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering

Catalysis & Reaction Engineering

Complex Fluids, Soft Condensed Matter & Rheology

Molecular Biotechnology

Multiple Phase Systems

Multiscale Modeling & Simulation

Nanotechnology

Rehabilitative & Regenerative Engineering

Sustainable Energy Production

Degrees Awarded May 2015–2016

MAKING SURFACES LESS VULNERABLE TO DISEASECAUSING BACTERIA

63 40

Undergraduate

Graduate

8

Ph.D.

M

An Engineer for Global Health: Andrew Ramos ’17

Dacheng Ren Professorship Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Dacheng Ren has been named the Stevenson Endowed Professor.

To engineer something more complex, a mold must be cast to create the exact shape of the blood vessel.

RESEARCH AREAS

icrobes, specifically disease-causing bacteria, can cause all sorts of havoc when they take hold on surfaces.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria, which include MRSA and superbugs, are difficult to treat and can gain a foothold in such places as medical settings.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

“Most of the approaches to create blood vessels have been to mix a hydrogel with cells and relevant growth factors—the idea being that the cells and growth factors will automatically know to form microvessels,” says Soman, who is a member of the Syracuse

Biomaterials Institute. “They do form networks and blood vessels, but they are randomly formed and don’t connect with each other.”

FACTS AND STATS

Ramos came to Syracuse University as a self-described “shy freshman” who was unsure about who he was or where he was headed. In his time at Syracuse he has become an extremely active, outgoing scholar and student leader.

One of those opportunities arose when a student chapter of Engineering World Health (EWH) was established in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. EWH is a global organization with a mission to improve the delivery of health care in the developing world. Ramos served as president of the organization.

He says, “I’m a huge believer in providing things to people that don’t have them. Discovering that I have an opportunity to contribute at the international level was a powerful thing, so I became passionate about investing my time and energy in this organization.”

Under Ramos’ leadership, EWH hosted bioinstrumentation workshops where students assemble optical heart rate monitors and electrocardiogram simulators. When complete, the devices are sent back to EWH headquarters and are distributed to developing countries.

“Microbes like to attach to surfaces,” Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren says. “Basically anywhere you have water, you could have a so-called biofilm—a cluster of microbial cells that stick together.”

In a recent study, Ren and his team of researchers collaborated with the lab of Associate Professor James Henderson and discovered that the use of shape-memory polymers with topographic patterns as surfaces effectively reduces the adhesion of microbes and can remove up to 99.9 percent of attached cells.

Researchers in the field are looking at how to engineer a material or a surface to be less vulnerable to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation—making it less welcome to them. Earlier published work by Ren’s group showed that engineering surface topography could be impactful.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Megan Cucci ’96, Chemical Engineering “We begin this application with a temporary shape, so we have some success in reducing adhesion. But bacterial cells can still attach to it over time and grow biofilms and, at that point, the initial topography has lost its function,” says Ren. “However, then we can trigger the change of surface topography within minutes. If you have a microscope, you can see the cells come off in front of your eyes.”

Megan Cucci ’96 has strong ties to two of the most notable institutions in New York State—Syracuse University and Kodak.

During her time as a chemical engineering undergrad in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Cucci completed her co-op with Kodak. The opportunity laid the groundwork for a full-time position in Kodak’s Research Labs supporting motion picture film after graduation.

Today, Cucci is Kodak’s director of product management for micro 3D printing, having built a successful career exclusively within the well-known company.

“Some of my first roles at Kodak were in traditional film, which is actually a chemical engineer’s dream. There was a lot of room for experimentation to optimize the formulation of products. It has chemical engineer written all over it.”

REPAIRING BONES WITH 3D PRINTING

M

etallic implants—widely used clinically to replace diseased or damaged bone tissue—are not biodegradable and stay in the human body until removed surgically. The implants may also have problems with corrosion and could cause a negative reaction with the immune system. As a result, new polymer-based biodegradable implants are being developed to provide a needed alternative to metal.

A NEW FOCUS ON STEM CELLS

“They will produce more and more bone and fill the whole gap, and you won’t be able to identify between what is the surrounding bone and the new bone created by the cells.”

Ultimately, the goal of Soman’s research would be the ability to fit patients with polymer-cellular bone implants. It might be especially beneficial for children, since the implants would allow for growth, unlike metallic implants.

Inspired by the structure of natural bone that provides a porous load-bearing scaffold to house soft biological cells, Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team are using 3D printing to create polymer scaffolding that can be filled with bone-forming human cells.

A

“Modern medical advances are helping people live longer, healthier lives. Scientists and biomedical engineers at Syracuse University, and around the world, are 21st-century heroes. We are fortunate to be part of this exciting and challenging research laboratory,” said Nappi. “Carol and I look forward to the breakthroughs the STEM Lab may discover and the promise it brings to humankind.”

Gifts to our College allow us to further prepare our students in ways that will differentiate them in the competitive marketplace and magnify the value of a Syracuse University engineering and computer science degree. Gifts will also support specific initiatives aimed at positioning our College as a leading model for contemporary engineering and computer science education, as presented in our Transforming Our Future plan at eng-cs.syr.edu/transformation.

With your help, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Please consider making your gift today at eng-cs.syr.edu/givenow.

M

ost people know someone with a hip or knee implant.

These artificial joints are made up of metals and polymers known as biomaterials, which are essentially materials that can be safely introduced to the human body.

B

acteria may be small, but the effect they have on us is anything but minor. Bacteria are often associated with illness and disease, but in reality, most do us more good than harm. Although certain bacteria can wreak havoc on your health, many are important for your survival. In fact, the microbes in our body outnumber our own cells.

We share these accomplishments with you because you are a part of us. As an alumnus or a friend of this Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, you have contributed to our shared success by your very association. A great many of you have also generously helped fund the endeavors highlighted within this newsletter.

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK @ENGINEERINGSU @ENGINEERINGSU CONNECT WITH US ENG-CS.SYR.EDU

Biomedical & Chemical Engineering

RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP A NEW CATEGORY OF BIOMATERIALS

SEVEN UNDERGRADS TEAM UP TO PUBLISH BACTERIA RESEARCH

YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOUR COLLEGE, YOUR SUCCESS

Department of

Assistant Professor Zhen Ma joined the College of Engineering and Computer Science as the Samuel and Carol Nappi Research Scholar and lead researcher in the newly established System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis Lab. “I see pluripotent stem cells as the future of medicine,” said Ma. “The next big step for human biology is going to come through work in this field.”

The polymer component used in this work is called PCL, a Food and Drug Administration-approved biomaterial.

“With 3D printing, you can basically put this in and forget about it because the structural PCL polymer will degrade in about a year and the cells stuck between the PCL logpiles remain,” says Soman, who received departmental funding for the research.

PAID

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SYRACUSE NY

Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Syracuse, NY 13244-1240

$1 million investment by Syracuse University Trustee Samuel G. Nappi and his wife, Carol, has established a leading edge stem cell research laboratory in the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute. Dubbed the System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis (STEM) Lab, it will support the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering’s efforts to improve, extend, and enhance the lives of millions throughout the world.

Rehabilitative and regenerative engineering is one of the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s top research areas.

Rewritable adult cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells, are cells that have the ability to morph into brain cells, liver cells, heart cells—indeed, any cell in the human body.

The polymer scaffold provides the initial support structure, while human cells eventually fill in and develop into bone, replacing the polymer that slowly degrades, providing a more natural replacement for the bone.

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

In Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, a team of seven undergraduate researchers and graduate student Huilin Ma in Assistant Professor Shikha Nangia’s research group have published research in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation identifying the diverse properties of eight bacteria species’ membranes, including the harmful (e.g., pertussis, chlamydia, and salmonella) and the beneficial (e.g., E coli and H pylori).

Perhaps the most notable element of this research is that it was conducted by undergraduate students over the course of 10 weeks last summer.

Nangia says, “By studying the outer membranes of these eight bacterial species, we’re hoping to identify similarities, differences,

“This was an excellent opportunity to learn about different forms of bacteria using computational modeling,” says Aliza Khan ’17.

and vulnerabilities. Our research contributes to the broader scientific community’s understanding of this topic where it can be used to exploit these properties with a new class of therapeutics.”

In a new research project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Biomaterials program, Professors Jay Henderson and Ian Hosein, and Bucknell’s Patrick Mather, will create a new category of biomaterials. These new biomaterials will not only have specific properties that human cells and tissues respond to, but will also be smart and capable of responding to the presence of the cells and tissues. By studying the back-and-forth interaction between the material and the cells and tissues, the team will develop a new understanding of how cells and tissues work and how materials can be used to control them.

Henderson says, “Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have been developed to assay or control biological systems, but the potential of these biomaterials may be largely untapped. Integrating stimuliresponsive biomaterials with biological systems to create hybrid feedback systems will provide new insight into phenomena at the interface of synthetic and living systems.”

A BETTER WAY TO FARM ALGAE Improving the growth of microalgae could have big implications for producing biofuels and valuable chemicals.

S Henderson, Hosein, Mather, and their teams of student researchers will create these new stimuli-responsive shape-memory polymers and study them in innovative synthetic/living feedback systems with three main objectives—to tune cytocompatible shape-memory polymers for photo-thermal stimulation; to develop and understand enzyme-responsive shape-memory polymers; and to study synthetic and living feedback systems. This work will lead to novel material designs and enable the discovery of new material phenomena.

cientists have long known of the potential of microalgae to aid in the production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals. However, the difficulty and significant cost of growing microalgae have in some ways stalled further development of this promising technology. Bendy Estime G’17, has devoted his research to this area and developed a new technology for energy-efficient cultivation and harvesting of microalgae.

Estime’s research was published as a peer-reviewed article in Scientific Reports on January 19. He and his research advisors, Distinguished Professor Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, chair of the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren, have secured a provisional patent for the technology.

SPRING 2017

Estime developed a new medium to culture and harvest microalgae using relatively small variations in temperature. It allows for more light to reach the algae in a container and reduces the amount of time and energy required to separate the algae from the broth it is grown in.

“The industrial applications of this system are appealing,” Estime says. “This system would harvest microalgae 10 times faster than traditional systems and in an energy-efficient fashion.”

“This study presents a novel method to harvest algae and other cells with low cost, which has potential applications in multiple fields,” said Ren. “It makes it more realistic for researchers to pursue microalgae as a solution.”

NEW FACULTY

DEVELOPING TECH TO INCREASE SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY

USING 3D PRINTING TO ENGINEER MODEL BLOOD VESSELS

C

reating model blood vessels to aid in the study of diseases, such as strokes, can be complicated, costly, and timeconsuming. And the results may not always be truly representative of a human vessel.

A small improvement in collecting sunlight can mean big things for solar power.

Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team have engineered a new method to create model blood vessels that are more efficient, less expensive, and more exact.

T

here are currently 31.6 gigawatts of total installed solar capacity in the United States, enough to power 6.2 million American homes. With a nationwide movement toward developing clean energy, vast potential exists in the field.

Soman and his team are creating vascular channels using 3D printing-enabled casting.

A new technology, developed by Assistant Professor Ian Hosein, promises to increase the efficiency of solar cells by five percent.

That can provide enough energy to power 55,000 more homes.

Standard solar cells have metal fingers or grids—also called top contacts—that connect the active material to the rest of the cell.

These contacts are made of metal and are very reflective. The contacts cover a certain portion of the active surface of the solar cell, and light that would otherwise hit the solar cell hits the contact and is reflected or scattered. This is called shading loss, or reflective loss, and accounts for an eight to 10 percent loss in the total amount of energy collected.

“Collecting some of that back is significant,” said Hosein. “We are looking at how we can redirect light so it is not scattered off these reflective fingers and lost.”

Most solar cells are coated with clear plastics to protect them from the weather. Currently, most cells are processed with a uniform coating. Hosein and his team developed a new coating that contains triangular prisms. These prisms, made out of air, overlay the contacts and reflect light back into the cell.

“We show in our work that we can widen the solar cell’s collection range. The percentage of light collected over the span of a day, or the span of a year, is more than if this prism structure wasn’t there,” said Hosein.

Gurdip Singh Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Programs Ph.D. Stony Brook University Elevating the prominence of the College’s research activities, fostering interdisciplinary and translational research, directing funds and support for collaborations, and developing research infrastructure and expertise.

Douglas Yung Assistant Professor Bioengineering Undergraduate Program Director Ph.D. California Institute of Technology MEMS and microfluidics, biosensor development, microbial engineering, and astrobiology.

Zhen Ma Assistant Professor Samuel & Carol Nappi Research Scholar Ph.D. Clemson University Developmental biology and tissue morphogenesis, cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and stem cell engineering.

Bioengineering senior Andrew Ramos ’17 didn’t see any reason to wait until he graduated to contribute to a healthier world.

Ren has been with the College for 11 years and is also currently serving as the interim director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute and the chemical engineering graduate program director.

In his Biofilm Engineering Lab, Ren and his team study the mechanisms of biofilm-associated resistance to antimicrobials,

engineer smart surfaces and biomaterials to control microbial biofilm formation, and develop new strategies and inhibitors to kill biofilm and dormant bacterial cells more effectively.

The Stevenson Endowed Professorship was established thanks to the generous support of Life Trustee Ann M. Stevenson ’52 and the late Trustee Emeritus Milton F. Stevenson III ’53.

“We can use 3D printing to create the mold and use that mold to cast whatever gel and cells in whatever shape we want,” Soman says.

An important breakthrough is the ability to establish multiple cell layers in the channels. “Typically, when these microfluidic vascular chips are made, they only have one layer of cells,” Soman says. “But blood vessels inside the body are made up of three to four different cell types. The innermost cells, endothelial cells, are the ones that come in contact with blood, but the other layers of cells assist those inner cells.”

21 298 # of Faculty

# of Undergraduate Students

67

51

# of Master’s Students

# of Ph.D. Students

Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering

Catalysis & Reaction Engineering

Complex Fluids, Soft Condensed Matter & Rheology

Molecular Biotechnology

Multiple Phase Systems

Multiscale Modeling & Simulation

Nanotechnology

Rehabilitative & Regenerative Engineering

Sustainable Energy Production

Degrees Awarded May 2015–2016

MAKING SURFACES LESS VULNERABLE TO DISEASECAUSING BACTERIA

63 40

Undergraduate

Graduate

8

Ph.D.

M

An Engineer for Global Health: Andrew Ramos ’17

Dacheng Ren Professorship Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Dacheng Ren has been named the Stevenson Endowed Professor.

To engineer something more complex, a mold must be cast to create the exact shape of the blood vessel.

RESEARCH AREAS

icrobes, specifically disease-causing bacteria, can cause all sorts of havoc when they take hold on surfaces.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria, which include MRSA and superbugs, are difficult to treat and can gain a foothold in such places as medical settings.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

“Most of the approaches to create blood vessels have been to mix a hydrogel with cells and relevant growth factors—the idea being that the cells and growth factors will automatically know to form microvessels,” says Soman, who is a member of the Syracuse

Biomaterials Institute. “They do form networks and blood vessels, but they are randomly formed and don’t connect with each other.”

FACTS AND STATS

Ramos came to Syracuse University as a self-described “shy freshman” who was unsure about who he was or where he was headed. In his time at Syracuse he has become an extremely active, outgoing scholar and student leader.

One of those opportunities arose when a student chapter of Engineering World Health (EWH) was established in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. EWH is a global organization with a mission to improve the delivery of health care in the developing world. Ramos served as president of the organization.

He says, “I’m a huge believer in providing things to people that don’t have them. Discovering that I have an opportunity to contribute at the international level was a powerful thing, so I became passionate about investing my time and energy in this organization.”

Under Ramos’ leadership, EWH hosted bioinstrumentation workshops where students assemble optical heart rate monitors and electrocardiogram simulators. When complete, the devices are sent back to EWH headquarters and are distributed to developing countries.

“Microbes like to attach to surfaces,” Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren says. “Basically anywhere you have water, you could have a so-called biofilm—a cluster of microbial cells that stick together.”

In a recent study, Ren and his team of researchers collaborated with the lab of Associate Professor James Henderson and discovered that the use of shape-memory polymers with topographic patterns as surfaces effectively reduces the adhesion of microbes and can remove up to 99.9 percent of attached cells.

Researchers in the field are looking at how to engineer a material or a surface to be less vulnerable to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation—making it less welcome to them. Earlier published work by Ren’s group showed that engineering surface topography could be impactful.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Megan Cucci ’96, Chemical Engineering “We begin this application with a temporary shape, so we have some success in reducing adhesion. But bacterial cells can still attach to it over time and grow biofilms and, at that point, the initial topography has lost its function,” says Ren. “However, then we can trigger the change of surface topography within minutes. If you have a microscope, you can see the cells come off in front of your eyes.”

Megan Cucci ’96 has strong ties to two of the most notable institutions in New York State—Syracuse University and Kodak.

During her time as a chemical engineering undergrad in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Cucci completed her co-op with Kodak. The opportunity laid the groundwork for a full-time position in Kodak’s Research Labs supporting motion picture film after graduation.

Today, Cucci is Kodak’s director of product management for micro 3D printing, having built a successful career exclusively within the well-known company.

“Some of my first roles at Kodak were in traditional film, which is actually a chemical engineer’s dream. There was a lot of room for experimentation to optimize the formulation of products. It has chemical engineer written all over it.”

NEW FACULTY

DEVELOPING TECH TO INCREASE SOLAR CELL EFFICIENCY

USING 3D PRINTING TO ENGINEER MODEL BLOOD VESSELS

C

reating model blood vessels to aid in the study of diseases, such as strokes, can be complicated, costly, and timeconsuming. And the results may not always be truly representative of a human vessel.

A small improvement in collecting sunlight can mean big things for solar power.

Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team have engineered a new method to create model blood vessels that are more efficient, less expensive, and more exact.

T

here are currently 31.6 gigawatts of total installed solar capacity in the United States, enough to power 6.2 million American homes. With a nationwide movement toward developing clean energy, vast potential exists in the field.

Soman and his team are creating vascular channels using 3D printing-enabled casting.

A new technology, developed by Assistant Professor Ian Hosein, promises to increase the efficiency of solar cells by five percent.

That can provide enough energy to power 55,000 more homes.

Standard solar cells have metal fingers or grids—also called top contacts—that connect the active material to the rest of the cell.

These contacts are made of metal and are very reflective. The contacts cover a certain portion of the active surface of the solar cell, and light that would otherwise hit the solar cell hits the contact and is reflected or scattered. This is called shading loss, or reflective loss, and accounts for an eight to 10 percent loss in the total amount of energy collected.

“Collecting some of that back is significant,” said Hosein. “We are looking at how we can redirect light so it is not scattered off these reflective fingers and lost.”

Most solar cells are coated with clear plastics to protect them from the weather. Currently, most cells are processed with a uniform coating. Hosein and his team developed a new coating that contains triangular prisms. These prisms, made out of air, overlay the contacts and reflect light back into the cell.

“We show in our work that we can widen the solar cell’s collection range. The percentage of light collected over the span of a day, or the span of a year, is more than if this prism structure wasn’t there,” said Hosein.

Gurdip Singh Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Programs Ph.D. Stony Brook University Elevating the prominence of the College’s research activities, fostering interdisciplinary and translational research, directing funds and support for collaborations, and developing research infrastructure and expertise.

Douglas Yung Assistant Professor Bioengineering Undergraduate Program Director Ph.D. California Institute of Technology MEMS and microfluidics, biosensor development, microbial engineering, and astrobiology.

Zhen Ma Assistant Professor Samuel & Carol Nappi Research Scholar Ph.D. Clemson University Developmental biology and tissue morphogenesis, cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and stem cell engineering.

Bioengineering senior Andrew Ramos ’17 didn’t see any reason to wait until he graduated to contribute to a healthier world.

Ren has been with the College for 11 years and is also currently serving as the interim director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute and the chemical engineering graduate program director.

In his Biofilm Engineering Lab, Ren and his team study the mechanisms of biofilm-associated resistance to antimicrobials,

engineer smart surfaces and biomaterials to control microbial biofilm formation, and develop new strategies and inhibitors to kill biofilm and dormant bacterial cells more effectively.

The Stevenson Endowed Professorship was established thanks to the generous support of Life Trustee Ann M. Stevenson ’52 and the late Trustee Emeritus Milton F. Stevenson III ’53.

“We can use 3D printing to create the mold and use that mold to cast whatever gel and cells in whatever shape we want,” Soman says.

An important breakthrough is the ability to establish multiple cell layers in the channels. “Typically, when these microfluidic vascular chips are made, they only have one layer of cells,” Soman says. “But blood vessels inside the body are made up of three to four different cell types. The innermost cells, endothelial cells, are the ones that come in contact with blood, but the other layers of cells assist those inner cells.”

21 298 # of Faculty

# of Undergraduate Students

67

51

# of Master’s Students

# of Ph.D. Students

Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering

Catalysis & Reaction Engineering

Complex Fluids, Soft Condensed Matter & Rheology

Molecular Biotechnology

Multiple Phase Systems

Multiscale Modeling & Simulation

Nanotechnology

Rehabilitative & Regenerative Engineering

Sustainable Energy Production

Degrees Awarded May 2015–2016

MAKING SURFACES LESS VULNERABLE TO DISEASECAUSING BACTERIA

63 40

Undergraduate

Graduate

8

Ph.D.

M

An Engineer for Global Health: Andrew Ramos ’17

Dacheng Ren Professorship Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Dacheng Ren has been named the Stevenson Endowed Professor.

To engineer something more complex, a mold must be cast to create the exact shape of the blood vessel.

RESEARCH AREAS

icrobes, specifically disease-causing bacteria, can cause all sorts of havoc when they take hold on surfaces.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria, which include MRSA and superbugs, are difficult to treat and can gain a foothold in such places as medical settings.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

“Most of the approaches to create blood vessels have been to mix a hydrogel with cells and relevant growth factors—the idea being that the cells and growth factors will automatically know to form microvessels,” says Soman, who is a member of the Syracuse

Biomaterials Institute. “They do form networks and blood vessels, but they are randomly formed and don’t connect with each other.”

FACTS AND STATS

Ramos came to Syracuse University as a self-described “shy freshman” who was unsure about who he was or where he was headed. In his time at Syracuse he has become an extremely active, outgoing scholar and student leader.

One of those opportunities arose when a student chapter of Engineering World Health (EWH) was established in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. EWH is a global organization with a mission to improve the delivery of health care in the developing world. Ramos served as president of the organization.

He says, “I’m a huge believer in providing things to people that don’t have them. Discovering that I have an opportunity to contribute at the international level was a powerful thing, so I became passionate about investing my time and energy in this organization.”

Under Ramos’ leadership, EWH hosted bioinstrumentation workshops where students assemble optical heart rate monitors and electrocardiogram simulators. When complete, the devices are sent back to EWH headquarters and are distributed to developing countries.

“Microbes like to attach to surfaces,” Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren says. “Basically anywhere you have water, you could have a so-called biofilm—a cluster of microbial cells that stick together.”

In a recent study, Ren and his team of researchers collaborated with the lab of Associate Professor James Henderson and discovered that the use of shape-memory polymers with topographic patterns as surfaces effectively reduces the adhesion of microbes and can remove up to 99.9 percent of attached cells.

Researchers in the field are looking at how to engineer a material or a surface to be less vulnerable to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation—making it less welcome to them. Earlier published work by Ren’s group showed that engineering surface topography could be impactful.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Megan Cucci ’96, Chemical Engineering “We begin this application with a temporary shape, so we have some success in reducing adhesion. But bacterial cells can still attach to it over time and grow biofilms and, at that point, the initial topography has lost its function,” says Ren. “However, then we can trigger the change of surface topography within minutes. If you have a microscope, you can see the cells come off in front of your eyes.”

Megan Cucci ’96 has strong ties to two of the most notable institutions in New York State—Syracuse University and Kodak.

During her time as a chemical engineering undergrad in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Cucci completed her co-op with Kodak. The opportunity laid the groundwork for a full-time position in Kodak’s Research Labs supporting motion picture film after graduation.

Today, Cucci is Kodak’s director of product management for micro 3D printing, having built a successful career exclusively within the well-known company.

“Some of my first roles at Kodak were in traditional film, which is actually a chemical engineer’s dream. There was a lot of room for experimentation to optimize the formulation of products. It has chemical engineer written all over it.”

REPAIRING BONES WITH 3D PRINTING

M

etallic implants—widely used clinically to replace diseased or damaged bone tissue—are not biodegradable and stay in the human body until removed surgically. The implants may also have problems with corrosion and could cause a negative reaction with the immune system. As a result, new polymer-based biodegradable implants are being developed to provide a needed alternative to metal.

A NEW FOCUS ON STEM CELLS

“They will produce more and more bone and fill the whole gap, and you won’t be able to identify between what is the surrounding bone and the new bone created by the cells.”

Ultimately, the goal of Soman’s research would be the ability to fit patients with polymer-cellular bone implants. It might be especially beneficial for children, since the implants would allow for growth, unlike metallic implants.

Inspired by the structure of natural bone that provides a porous load-bearing scaffold to house soft biological cells, Assistant Professor Pranav Soman and his research team are using 3D printing to create polymer scaffolding that can be filled with bone-forming human cells.

A

“Modern medical advances are helping people live longer, healthier lives. Scientists and biomedical engineers at Syracuse University, and around the world, are 21st-century heroes. We are fortunate to be part of this exciting and challenging research laboratory,” said Nappi. “Carol and I look forward to the breakthroughs the STEM Lab may discover and the promise it brings to humankind.”

Gifts to our College allow us to further prepare our students in ways that will differentiate them in the competitive marketplace and magnify the value of a Syracuse University engineering and computer science degree. Gifts will also support specific initiatives aimed at positioning our College as a leading model for contemporary engineering and computer science education, as presented in our Transforming Our Future plan at eng-cs.syr.edu/transformation.

With your help, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Please consider making your gift today at eng-cs.syr.edu/givenow.

M

ost people know someone with a hip or knee implant.

These artificial joints are made up of metals and polymers known as biomaterials, which are essentially materials that can be safely introduced to the human body.

B

acteria may be small, but the effect they have on us is anything but minor. Bacteria are often associated with illness and disease, but in reality, most do us more good than harm. Although certain bacteria can wreak havoc on your health, many are important for your survival. In fact, the microbes in our body outnumber our own cells.

We share these accomplishments with you because you are a part of us. As an alumnus or a friend of this Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, you have contributed to our shared success by your very association. A great many of you have also generously helped fund the endeavors highlighted within this newsletter.

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK @ENGINEERINGSU @ENGINEERINGSU CONNECT WITH US ENG-CS.SYR.EDU

Biomedical & Chemical Engineering

RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP A NEW CATEGORY OF BIOMATERIALS

SEVEN UNDERGRADS TEAM UP TO PUBLISH BACTERIA RESEARCH

YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOUR COLLEGE, YOUR SUCCESS

Department of

Assistant Professor Zhen Ma joined the College of Engineering and Computer Science as the Samuel and Carol Nappi Research Scholar and lead researcher in the newly established System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis Lab. “I see pluripotent stem cells as the future of medicine,” said Ma. “The next big step for human biology is going to come through work in this field.”

The polymer component used in this work is called PCL, a Food and Drug Administration-approved biomaterial.

“With 3D printing, you can basically put this in and forget about it because the structural PCL polymer will degrade in about a year and the cells stuck between the PCL logpiles remain,” says Soman, who received departmental funding for the research.

PAID

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SYRACUSE NY

Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Syracuse, NY 13244-1240

$1 million investment by Syracuse University Trustee Samuel G. Nappi and his wife, Carol, has established a leading edge stem cell research laboratory in the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute. Dubbed the System Tissue Engineering and Morphogenesis (STEM) Lab, it will support the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering’s efforts to improve, extend, and enhance the lives of millions throughout the world.

Rehabilitative and regenerative engineering is one of the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s top research areas.

Rewritable adult cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells, are cells that have the ability to morph into brain cells, liver cells, heart cells—indeed, any cell in the human body.

The polymer scaffold provides the initial support structure, while human cells eventually fill in and develop into bone, replacing the polymer that slowly degrades, providing a more natural replacement for the bone.

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

In Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, a team of seven undergraduate researchers and graduate student Huilin Ma in Assistant Professor Shikha Nangia’s research group have published research in the Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation identifying the diverse properties of eight bacteria species’ membranes, including the harmful (e.g., pertussis, chlamydia, and salmonella) and the beneficial (e.g., E coli and H pylori).

Perhaps the most notable element of this research is that it was conducted by undergraduate students over the course of 10 weeks last summer.

Nangia says, “By studying the outer membranes of these eight bacterial species, we’re hoping to identify similarities, differences,

“This was an excellent opportunity to learn about different forms of bacteria using computational modeling,” says Aliza Khan ’17.

and vulnerabilities. Our research contributes to the broader scientific community’s understanding of this topic where it can be used to exploit these properties with a new class of therapeutics.”

In a new research project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Biomaterials program, Professors Jay Henderson and Ian Hosein, and Bucknell’s Patrick Mather, will create a new category of biomaterials. These new biomaterials will not only have specific properties that human cells and tissues respond to, but will also be smart and capable of responding to the presence of the cells and tissues. By studying the back-and-forth interaction between the material and the cells and tissues, the team will develop a new understanding of how cells and tissues work and how materials can be used to control them.

Henderson says, “Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have been developed to assay or control biological systems, but the potential of these biomaterials may be largely untapped. Integrating stimuliresponsive biomaterials with biological systems to create hybrid feedback systems will provide new insight into phenomena at the interface of synthetic and living systems.”

A BETTER WAY TO FARM ALGAE Improving the growth of microalgae could have big implications for producing biofuels and valuable chemicals.

S Henderson, Hosein, Mather, and their teams of student researchers will create these new stimuli-responsive shape-memory polymers and study them in innovative synthetic/living feedback systems with three main objectives—to tune cytocompatible shape-memory polymers for photo-thermal stimulation; to develop and understand enzyme-responsive shape-memory polymers; and to study synthetic and living feedback systems. This work will lead to novel material designs and enable the discovery of new material phenomena.

cientists have long known of the potential of microalgae to aid in the production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals. However, the difficulty and significant cost of growing microalgae have in some ways stalled further development of this promising technology. Bendy Estime G’17, has devoted his research to this area and developed a new technology for energy-efficient cultivation and harvesting of microalgae.

Estime’s research was published as a peer-reviewed article in Scientific Reports on January 19. He and his research advisors, Distinguished Professor Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, chair of the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and Stevenson Endowed Professor Dacheng Ren, have secured a provisional patent for the technology.

SPRING 2017

Estime developed a new medium to culture and harvest microalgae using relatively small variations in temperature. It allows for more light to reach the algae in a container and reduces the amount of time and energy required to separate the algae from the broth it is grown in.

“The industrial applications of this system are appealing,” Estime says. “This system would harvest microalgae 10 times faster than traditional systems and in an energy-efficient fashion.”

“This study presents a novel method to harvest algae and other cells with low cost, which has potential applications in multiple fields,” said Ren. “It makes it more realistic for researchers to pursue microalgae as a solution.”