COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTING, DEPARTMENT OF
2021 ANNUAL REPORT
I
years of innovation TABLE OF CONTENTS
Remembering Michael Buschmann................................................................................ 3 RESEARCH IMPACT.......................................................................................................... 4
Mason Researchers Study Risk Factors of Brain Aneurysm.......................................... 7 NIH Grants Lead to New Understanding of Aneurysms................................................. 9 Bioengineering Research Featured in Scientific Journal Nature.................................. 10 Bioengineers and Biologists Team Up to Battle Cancer Cells..................................... 13 All Eyes on Machine Learning...................................................................................... 14 Multi-disciplinary Teams Develop Non-invasive Tools................................................. 17 Mason Bioengineering Team Creates Startup AexeRNA Therapeutics....................... 18 List of Grants................................................................................................................. 21 EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES............................................................................................ 23
New Teaching Lab in Tissue Engineering (Cell Culture).............................................. 24 Trainee Program Crosses Boundaries to Offer Diverse Learning................................ 24 Solving Medical Problems Through Clinical Immersion............................................... 26 Bioengineering Student Wins Prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship...................... 27 2021 Katona Scholarship Recipient Awarded.............................................................. 28 OUTSTANDING FACULTY ................................................................................................ 29
From Google X to Mason’s New ImPoWer Lab............................................................. 30 K99 Recipient Brings Neuroengineering Research to Mason...................................... 30 Department Celebrates a Decade of Achievement ..................................................... 33 Primary Faculty............................................................................................................. 34 Department Staff........................................................................................................... 35 Alliance Members......................................................................................................... 35
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Remembering Michael Buschmann The George Mason University
Buschmann came to Mason with
Michael Buschmann, as a brilliant
a bioengineering professor in
community remembers our chair,
mind and translational researcher with a gentle spirit and a burning love for jazz.
Buschmann, who passed away in early March, had been an
Eminent Scholar and the Chair of the Bioengineering Department within Mason’s College of
Engineering and Computing since his arrival at Mason in 2017.
“In 2017, the department was
only in its fifth year of existence,” recalled Ken Ball, the dean of
the College of Engineering and Computing. “While it got off
to a successful start, it was a
young department that needed a
strong and well-respected leader to take it to the next level and to build its research program
commensurate with that of an
R1 research university. Mike did
exactly what we had hoped—he
Computing, after having spent
the previous 20 years at École Polytechnique in Montreal.
Professor Siddhartha Sikdar remembers Buschmann as a
beloved colleague, friend, and mentor. “Mike was a dynamic
and visionary leader who was an inspiration to everyone around
him,” says Sikdar. “He had a unique
technology would make mRNA
vaccines less costly, with fewer side effects, and more readily available worldwide.
“Mike was a true intellectual,” said Ball, who also remembered Buschmann for being an outstanding mentor for many junior faculty and students alike. “There are many very intelligent people in academia, but Mike had a brilliant mind. He was able to see connections between different research topics and results that were not apparent to almost every other researcher.” But it was not all work with
at the same time. In less than five
departmental culture led him to
be incredibly efficient and inclusive years, he led a complete overhaul
of the BS, MS, and PhD programs, assembled a highly engaged
external advisory community (the
Alliance), recruited four outstanding new faculty members, and started
many other exciting initiatives both
within the department as well as at the university level.”
collaboration and collegiality within
recently, he had formed the start-
teaching at the forefront.”
applications to the company. The
leadership style and managed to
But it was his passion for research
the department, with students and
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the College of Engineering and
established a strong research
culture while building a high level of
Michael Buschmann (back row third from right) with his team and scientific collaborators have developed improved technology that could help make COVID-19 vaccines better and more readily available.
his wife, Caroline Hoemann,
the commercial rights of four patent
that drove Buschmann most. Most up AexeRNA Therapeutics Inc.,
him. His interest in forming a
start monthly happy hours that
brought the bioengineering faculty and staff closer together. These happy hours continued virtually during the pandemic and were critical in maintaining morale. “As well as being a brilliant
researcher, Mike was a jazz
aficionado, a wine connoisseur
and a passionate hockey fan. His impact will be felt for many years
to come. He will be sorely missed,” says Sikdar.
in partnership with the university’s
This annual report is a tribute to
He and his team had licensed
this annual report to him.
Office of Technology Transfer.
Mike’s life and work. We dedicate
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Research Impact
Our faculty make an impact through publications in high-quality journals, and they translate their findings and technologies to clinicians and commercialization partners.
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The localized enlargement of arteries in the brain, known as cerebral aneurysms, can have devastating consequences. Professor Juan Cebral and his
Mason Researchers Study Risk Factors of Brain Aneurysms
team are studying major risk factors
Mason faculty are also working with
an aneurysm and whether a bleb
for aneurysms and how to identify
Cebral, including Martin Slawaski
has a thick or thin wall could help
high-risk patients who need prompt
from the College of Engineering
determine the condition’s severity.
and aggressive treatments.
and Computing, Rainald Lohner from the College of Science,
“The conclusion here is that not
This study, funded by the National
and Fernando Mut from the
all blebs are the same: Some
Institute of Neurological Disorders
Computational Hemodynamics
are more dangerous than others,
and Stroke, includes clinical
Lab, which Cebral leads.
and flow conditions may help us
and research investigators from
recognize which aneurysms need
the University of Pittsburgh,
Cebral and his team are
Northwell Hospital in New York,
specifically focusing on
Allegheny General Hospital, the
aneurysms with blebs, which
Cebral is hopeful that the research
University of Illinois at Chicago
are secondary swellings found
findings contribute to progression
Medical Center, Helsinki University
in weakened sections of the
in how aneurysms and blebs are
Hospital, Tampere University
aneurysm walls. Tearing of the
currently evaluated and treated.
Hospital in Finland, Inova Fairfax
wall, or a rupture, is more likely
Hospital, Jikei University, and
to occur when blebs are present.
“Our goal is to help identify patients
Geneva University Hospital. These
These ruptures cause cerebral
who need rapid treatment and
collaborators have assembled a
hemorrhages, leading to serious
those whose diagnosis may not
database of approximately 3,000
health complications or death.
be as threatening,” says Cebral.
aneurysms and have recently
immediate treatment.”
“Understanding that not all
published three articles that have
The research team found two
aneurysms and blebs are the same
led to continued support from the
notable clinical characteristics
is important because we should not
National Institutes of Health.
among patients diagnosed with
assign the same risk level or care
brain aneurysms: patients with
plans to all patients.
blebs are more likely to have dental problems, such as periodontitis and other dental infections, and women who are undergoing hormone replacement therapy tend to have Professor Juan Cebral is hopeful that his research findings will contribute to progression in how aneurysms and blebs are evaluated and treated.
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fewer blebs. They also discovered that the way the blood flows inside 7
NIH Grants Lead to New Understanding of Aneurysms
wall, their potential link to bacterial infiltration through dental infections, and how these sub-structures affect the vulnerability of the aneurysm and its propensity to rupture. Juan R. Cebral also received another $2.9 million grant. Entitled “Bridging the Gap from Hemodynamic Stress to Intracranial Aneurysm Instability,” this project uses a novel technology developed at the University of
A team led by Juan R. Cebral and
California, Los Angeles, to study
Anne M. Robertson (University
the responses of endothelial cells
of Pittsburgh) was awarded a $3.1
to adverse hemodynamic flow
million grant from the National
conditions in cerebral aneurysms.
Institute of Neurological Disorders
This method uses in-vitro patient-
and Stroke of the National Institutes
specific vascular models combined
of Health. “Improving Cerebral
with in-silico models and clinical
Aneurysm Risk Assessment
and tissue data.
through Understanding Wall Vulnerability and Failure Modes” that focuses on understanding the formation of blebs or secondary outpouchings in the aneurysm
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authored by bioengineering Professor Giorgio Ascoli appeared as the cover articles in the first issue of the October 2021 edition of the scientific journal Nature.
of the motor cortex—the area of
for movement in the mammalian
the mammalian brain that controls
brain. In this study, Ascoli is the
The thrust of Ascoli’s research
movement. The publication is the
first senior corresponding author
involves developing technologies
initial product of the Brain Initiative
of a large collaborative team that
and models to investigate neural
Cell Census Network (BICCN).
includes Mason doctoral graduate
circuits from molecular to whole-
BRAIN CENSUS
A comprehensive cell atlas of the mammalian motor cortex City heat Urban governance must account for rising temperatures
Contrast adjustment Plasmonic microscope slides add colour to tissue samples
Accessible science Reflections on how to make research and results more inclusive
Vol. 598, No. 7879 nature.com
Two research publications
Bioengineering Research Featured in Scientific Journal Nature
The international journal of science / 7 October 2021
Manju Attili (now a lead data
brain scales. These technologies
“The overarching goal of the
scientist at MITRE Corporation),
have implications for a better
BICCN is to leverage these
Research Associate Professor
understanding of brain functions
technologies to generate an
Diek Wheeler, and colleagues
and brain diseases.
open-access reference brain cell
from Massachusetts Institute of
atlas that integrates molecular,
Technology, the University of
“The brain is the most complex
spatial, morphological,
Pennsylvania, Duke University, and
object in the universe; it’s the seat
connectional, and functional
the University of California, Los
of our inner lives and by far the
data for describing cell types in
Angeles, among other institutions.
most intelligent machine we know.
mouse, human, and non-human
Mapping all cell types in the brain
primates,” says Ascoli.
amounts to establishing a ‘parts
Bioengineering department chair Michael Buschmann predicted
list’ which is an essential step in
Much like a population census
even more innovative applications
reverse-engineering the functional
that defines the characteristics
for the research. “The molecular
circuit blueprint,” says Ascoli.
of a group of people and informs
and anatomical neuron atlas of
decisions, cell census information
the motor cortex that Giorgio and
The Nature article, “A multi-
aligned across species will be
colleagues assembled provides
modal cell census and atlas of
valuable for making rational choices
a rigorous ground zero for a
the mammalian primary motor
about the best models for each
myriad of applications in brain-
cortex,” discusses the methods
disease and therapeutic targets.
machine interfaces, biologically-
and techniques used to generate
inspired robotic controllers,
a systematic, multi-modal strategy
The companion article “Cellular
active prosthetics, and artificial
that can be extended to the whole
anatomy of the mouse primary
intelligence.”
brain. The article reports on the
motor cortex” characterizes, in
creation of a cell census and atlas
detail, the connectivity architecture of the network of nerve cells making up the command center
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Two of Professor Giorgio Ascoli’s research publications appeared as the cover articles in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.
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questions that need to be answered
Bioengineers and Biologists Team Up to Battle Cancer Cells
these engineering solutions.
On the biology side, Veneziano and
are trying to target, and use
protein’s complex. When a body
rigid nanoscale objects that would
Bioengineers—like Remi
Veneziano—find solutions to some of the world’s grand problems. But sometimes, it takes collaboration with scientists to investigate the to properly apply and maximize
Veneziano, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Computing, is partnering with
Amanda Haymond, a research
assistant professor in the School
of Systems Biology, to apply DNA nanotechnology to create a drug
that boosts the immune response to fight breast cancer.
Haymond are targeting a specific is infected with cancer, a protein
called IL-33 will signal the immune system to flood the cancerous
area with immune cells to combat cancer and stop further damage.
Molecular Modalities Comprised of DNA-Origami and Interfering
a grant of nearly $530,000 from the National Institutes of Health’s Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies program, which funds explicitly creative technologies for cancer
detection or treatment. “There are two big things we are trying to do
with this work, one is to answer a
biological question, and the other is to provide a proof of concept for a
new drug modality,” says Haymond.
organization as the protein to
target multiple sites of the protein simultaneously,” says Veneziano. The drugs they are developing,
33 can recruit a number of other
that will prevent the proteins from
cancer context, the flood of IL-
are activated by binding to IL-33 and tamp down on the immune response,” says Haymond.
Peptides as Inhibitors of ProteinProtein Interactions” received
have the same dimensions and
“However, in a chronic inflammatory
cell types, including MDSCs, that Their work entitled “New Hybrid
DNA nanotechnology to build
The influx of suppressive immune cells can be detrimental as the
body stops fighting the cancer.
In addition, the protein structure
created from the interaction of IL-33 and MDSCs is quite large, which makes it difficult to target with
conventional small molecule drugs. This is where Veneziano’s work
in DNA nanotechnology comes in. “With the technology we are
developing, instead of testing multiple drug combinations
therefore, will act as adaptors
interacting together. Veneziano’s
nanotechnology research makes it
possible to precisely target multiple
sites on these proteins concurrently to increase the success of their
drug. So, instead of using three
separate drugs that possibly won’t
work in tandem properly to prevent this immune response, Haymond and Veneziano are developing a
new drug modality that is designed with the exact target in mind.
Veneziano is hopeful that this process could be completely
automated, making it easier to target certain proteins to combat different types of cancer and diseases.
for efficiency, we can take into consideration the structural
parameters of the protein we 12
Assistant Professor Remi Veneziano uses DNA nanotechnology to combat different types of cancer and diseases.
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Associate Professor Qi Wei is helping to develop a data-driven computer model of the eye for diagnosing and treating strabismus.
The human eye may soon see faster diagnosis with machine learning, or AI. Through algorithms, AI can potentially assess eye alignment problems quickly, resulting in better treatment of
All Eyes on Machine Learning There is also the chance of error
double vision.
with AI, and a diagnosis that’s not perfectly accurate.
This is a recent finding from a $1.8 million research grant funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The use of machine learning was
Qi Wei, an associate professor in
further demonstrated at the annual
the Department of Bioengineering
American Association for Pediatric
at George Mason University, is
Opthamology and Strabismus
one of four principal investigators
conference in March in Scottsdale,
researching treatments for
Arizona. Along with Wei, Joseph
strabismus and double vision
Although there is promise, it’s not
Demer, professor of pediatric
through the grant.
necessarily an easy or immediate
ophthalmology and professor
fix, says Wei. Usually, machine
of neurology at the University
Wei is helping to develop a data-
learning models work better when
of California, Los Angeles
driven computer model of the
trained by more data. MRI is still the
participated in a diagnostic show-
eye for diagnosing and treating
gold standard to confirm specific
down where patient strabismus
strabismus. Applying machine
causes of strabismus, but this
cases were presented. Over 100
learning is an exciting new
evaluation is not routinely obtained
ophthalmologists from around the
development, she says.
in most strabismic patients.
world were invited to compare their diagnosis to the AI diagnosis
“From an engineering perspective,
“When it comes to imaging,
in real time. Then the true reveal
the use of machine learning
most eye doctors do not
from a high-performance MRI scan
leverages and integrates data on
prescribe MRI for their patients
was disclosed.
a higher level,” says Wei. “It could
before strabismus surgery,
become a tool or platform to help
sometimes because of the cost
“We hope this was a fun and
physicians diagnose eye problems.”
of the imaging,” says Wei. “While
hands-on approach to test the AI
the machine learning method for
theory and receive feedback from
interpreting office measurements
experts in the field,” says Wei.
of eye alignment is not expensive, the MRI machine is.” 14
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Associate Professor of
bioengineering Parag Chitnis’ recent grants seem unrelated,
but they share a common theme. Chitnis leads multidisciplinary
teams that create non-invasive
technologies for imaging, sensing, and modulating physiological
Multi-disciplinary Teams Develop Non-invasive Tools
function. Two of Chitnis’ latest
Ultimately, techniques developed
Once again, the technology
of the latest advances in the field.
studies that will provide insights
studying brain activity, it seeks
In the first grant, Chitnis,
neurodegenerative diseases.
Cressman received $498,000 from
The second grant entitled “Training
grants span the depth and breadth
Remi Veneziano, and John R.
the National Science Foundation’s Biophotonics program. The grant entitled “New class of DNA-
templated near-infrared voltagereporter for deep-brain imaging”
will allow scientists to study mouse and rat brains at the cellular level without damaging or injuring the brain tissue of the animals.
in this research will lead to new into neurological function and
and recovery augmented with ultrasound myography and
assessment (TRAUMA) using a flexible ultrasound-imaging
patch” aims to develop innovative
flexible ultrasound transducers that are powered using miniaturized
electronics for dynamic imaging
of muscle function during physical
activity and rehabilitation exercises.
The project will develop novel DNA-
In this grant, Chitnis and his
with near-infrared dyes that change
Sikdar, from the Department of
changes in cell-membrane voltage.
from the Mechanical Engineering
rodent brains, these nanoparticles
from DoD’s RESTORE program to
of neuronal signaling in deep-
of biomedical ultrasound,
critical gap in current technology.
and machine learning that aims to
based nanoparticles integrated
team of Qi Wei, Siddhartha
their color spectrum in response to
Bioengineering, and Pilgyu Kang
Chitnis says that when delivered to
Department received a $499K
will enable noninvasive imaging
fund the work at the intersection
brain structures, which is a
biomechanics, material sciences,
is non-invasive, but instead of
to observe and measure muscle
function and recovery while people are performing various activities. “The technology has many applications,” says Chitnis, “the bio-feedback provided by these sensors can help improve rehabilitation therapy for stroke patients, it can also aid in recovery of military personnel or athletes after they suffer from musculoskeletal injury or improve physical performance.”
develop a new class of wearable ultrasound patches.
Associate Professor Parag Chitnis leads multidisciplinary teams that create non-invasive technologies for imaging, sensing, and modulating physiological function. Two of Chitnis’ latest grants span the depth and breadth of the advances in the field.
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Mason Bioengineering Team Creates Startup AexeRNA Therapeutics George Mason University
company. The patents address
Buschmann and a team of
related to novel lipid molecules
bioengineering Professor Michael scientific collaborators have
devised improved lipid nanoparticle technologies to deliver mRNA that could make mRNA vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccines less costly, with fewer side-effects,
and more available worldwide. Vaccines with mRNA use lipid
nanoparticles (LNPs) to protect the mRNA and facilitate the
immune system’s response to
protect people against infection
by viruses. This technology has
flattened the COVID-19 curve in Western industrialized nations,
but the vaccine will need to evolve to reduce side effects and permit
worldwide vaccination to eradicate the disease.
Working with Mason’s Office of
Tech Transfer (OTT) to form the start-up AexeRNA Therapeutics Inc., Buschmann and his team
have licensed the commercial rights of four patent applications to the
two major LNP technology issues and novel methods of LNP manufacturing.
“Our solutions seek to make the
vaccine more efficient, less costly, and decrease its adverse effects,” said Buschmann, the chair of the
marketplace,” said Hina Mehta, former director of the office.
The investigators see tremendous
potential for mRNA and vaccines as they may hold the keys to unlocking the technology to fight variants of
COVID, influenza, HIV, and many other viral pathogens.
Bioengineering Department within
Buschmann, Mikell Paige from
and Computing.
and Biochemistry within Mason’s
Mason’s College of Engineering
By modifying the structure and composition of the LNPs, the researchers were able to make the vaccine more efficient, less toxic, and easier to make,
the Department of Chemistry
College of Science, and Drew
Weissman, Professor of Medicine
at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are the scientific founders of the
spin-off. The group also includes
They look forward to now sharing
associate Suman Alishetty,
fight against a global pandemic that has killed millions of people around the world. The current success of mRNA vaccines also paves the way for their use in many other infectious diseases.
A team led by Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioengineering, Michael Buschmann, was awarded a $1.5 MILLION grant from Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The grant, entitled “Manufacturing and Characterization of Potent mRNA Lipid Nanoparticle Vaccines at Multiple Scales,” increases the delivery efficiency of mRNA. In the project, the team plans to develop and test these methods at several manufacturing scales.
aexeRNA
a quantum leap for mRNA therapeutics
Mason-University of Pennsylvania
handle, and distribute.
their discovery and helping in the
$1.5M Food and Drug Administration Grant Expands mRNA Capabilities
Mason postdoctoral research
PhD student Manuel Carrasco, University of Pennsylvania
postdoctoral research associate
Mohamad Alameh, and venture
capitalist and intellectual property lawyer Thomas Axel Haag.
“OTT ensures the protection of the
intellectual property and works with start-ups like AexeRNA to bring the scientific discoveries to the
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List of Grants
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PI
Title
Sponsor
Ascoli, Giorgio
Cytoskeletal Shape Develop
Ascoli, Giorgio
Award Amount
Start Date
End Date
Georgia State University
7/1/19
6/30/24
$372,231
Neuronal Morphology Renewal
US Department of Health and Human Services
5/1/20
4/30/25
$737,900
Ascoli, Giorgio
Cell Types of Mouse Brain
University of California at Los Angeles
7/15/20
5/31/22
$985,066
Ascoli, Giorgio
Neuronal Projections
US Department of Health and Human Services
9/15/21
9/14/24
$1,287,090
Bray, Laurence
Life Stem Eager
National Science Foundation
9/1/18
7/31/21
$299,951
Buschmann, Michael
Clinical Immersion
US Department of Health and Human Services
8/19/20
5/31/25
$43,200
Buschmann, Michael
Clinical Immersion/PS
US Department of Health and Human Services
8/19/20
5/31/25
$36,000
Buschmann, Michael
Manufacturing mRNA LNP Vaccines
Food and Drug Administration
9/15/21
8/31/24
$498,998
Buschmann, Michael
Lipid Nanoparticle Development
AexeRNA Therapeutics, LLC
8/1/21
7/31/22
$250,000
Cebral, Juan Raul
ComputationFlowDiverYear10
Mayo Clinic
9/1/20
8/31/21
$115,000
Cebral, Juan Raul
Cerebral Aneurysm Risk
University Of Pittsburgh
5/2/21
4/30/26
$164,490
Cebral, Juan Raul
Cerebral Aneurysms
Philips Medical Systems North America
10/1/13
11/30/21
$50,000
Cebral, Juan Raul
Neuroscience Aneurysm Research
George Mason Univ Foundation
3/15/18
3/14/22
$101,000
Cebral, Juan Raul
Bridging the Gap
University of California at Los Angeles
7/1/21
4/30/22
$85,283
Chitnis, Parag
TRAUMAS Ultrasound
Columbia University
2/21/20
6/20/22
$548,051
Chitnis, Parag
Ultrasound Imaging Patch
Department of Defense
3/15/21
3/14/24
$499,977
Chitnis, Parag
Deep-Brain Imaging
National Science Foundation
9/1/21
8/31/24
$498,166
Chitnis, Parag
CASBBI Summer
George Mason University
6/1/19
6/30/21
$5,000
Chitnis, Parag
Muscle Injury and Recovery
Inova Healthcare
7/1/19
12/31/22
$87,558
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Synergy/Collab/Fatigue
National Science Foundation
1/1/17
12/31/21
$399,931
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Synergy/Collab/FatiguePS
National Science Foundation
1/1/17
12/31/21
$16,000
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Carotid Stenosis 2017-2018
Dept of Veterans Affairs
10/1/17
9/30/21
$319,447
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Transdisciplinary Grad Training
National Science Foundation
9/1/19
8/31/24
$2,999,928
Sikdar, Siddhartha
OpenData Sharing Platform
National Science Foundation
9/1/19
8/31/22
$199,962
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Sonomyographic Prosthetics
US Department of Health and Human Services
2/1/20
1/31/25
$1,469,397
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Prosthetic Control System
US Department of Defense
9/15/20
9/14/24
$1,490,735
Sikdar, Siddhartha
Wearable Ultrasound
Center for Innovative Technology
6/17/19
1/16/22
$98,456
Veneziano, Remi
Exosomes on a Chip
US Department of Health and Human Services
1/23/18
12/31/21
$429,695
Veneziano, Remi
DNA-NP Antigen Presentation
US Department of the Army
10/1/21
1/14/22
$314,000
Wei, Qi
Biomechanical Simulation Eye
US Department of Health and Human Services
6/1/19
5/31/23
$1,285,754
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Educational Initiatives The department offers innovative multidisciplinary training, robust research opportunities, extensive lab experiences, and meaningful partnerships with major hospitals, biomedical companies, and research institutes.
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Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions, along with a team of faculty representing four Mason colleges.
PhD student Shriniwas Patwardhan is one of the trainees on the grant.
New Teaching Lab in Tissue Engineering (Cell Culture) A new teaching laboratory has been designed by Professor Caroline Hoemann along with Assistant Professor Remi Veneziano, Melissa Burns and former Mason architect Laura Manno, as part of a new building to be constructed on the SciTech Campus starting in the spring of 2023. The laboratory will be equipped with cell culture, microscopy, molecular biology facilities, and a preparatory room to teach tissue engineering to upper-level undergraduates in the bioengineering concentration of biomaterials and nanomedicine. “This new teaching lab is designed to lead students to understand tissue engineering processes from molecules-to-cells,” says Hoemann. The infrastructure will permit students to learn basic cell culture methods, plasmid DNA purification, gene transfer, cell transfection, reporter gene expression, fluorescence microscopy, quantitative imaging through software interfaces, and 24
enzyme-based detection methods. The laboratory also incorporates good laboratory practices and engineering principles including traceable international standards, quality control, and how to transform signals into quantitative measures.
Trainee Program Crosses Boundaries to Offer Diverse Learning Graduate students from various disciplines spent the academic year 20-21 engaged in multidisciplinary research projects as part of Mason’s firstever National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program. The students explored new ways to enable all individuals to participate in needed and desired life roles and activities, taking on projects related to opioiduse disorders, mental health in school-age children, Parkinson’s disease, accessibility, and reentry into the community following incarceration. The $3 million grant is led by Siddhartha Sikdar, Professor of Bioengineering and Director of the Center for
The program will train the next generation of leaders to take on some of today’s most challenging problems. These complex problems cannot be addressed by one individual or even one discipline. Leaders will need to work together across traditional academic disciplinary boundaries while engaging with stakeholder communities in a mutually beneficial manner. The training involves a team science boot camp, data science workshops, a year-long community-engaged team design project, and professional development. The interdisciplinary program involved 25 graduate students from 12 different graduate programs across the university and nearly 55 community stakeholders. “Working in multidisciplinary teams helped us gain a much deeper understanding of the real problem and freed us from the shackles of having to think within the silos of our science disciplines,” says Shriniwas Patwardhan, a PhD candidate in bioengineering. Patwardhan and his fellow trainees became immersed in community settings to confront the traditional hierarchies between researchers and participants. They teamed up with community stakeholders as full participants in the research process and worked with them to identify challenges and needs, formulate research questions, and engage in participatory design to develop and test solutions.
© UNRWA/Francesco Romagnolo
“I have really enjoyed my experience with the trainees. Integrating patient input into every aspect of research and development is so necessary for success,” says Soania Mathur a physician, as well as a Parkinson’s patient and advocate.
both their motor and non-motor symptoms with their care team. The students sought to empower the patients (with Parkinson’s) in their healthcare decisions by improving communication channels between the patients, their caregivers, and their physicians.
At the conclusion of the traineeship, the students presented their findings to and engaged in conversation with the Mason community, their community partners, and other stakeholders at the first annual program retreat.
People with Parkinson’s typically meet their physician one or two times a year, for 15-20 minutes. “In that short span of time, it is hard for the physician to get a good understanding of their varying symptoms throughout the year,” says Patwardhan, “That is why it would benefit the patients and their physicians greatly if the physician could see data related to their daily states in real-time.”
For the NRT project, Keri Anne Gladhill and her team of Shriniwas Patwardhan and Lindsay Shaffer focused on understanding how people with Parkinson’s track and communicate
A variety of ways to track symptoms, from pen and paper to wearable devices, already exist; however, none of the existing methods allow for reliable, accurate, continuous, and accessible measurements. One approach to solving this problem is to establish a data-rich communication channel between the patients, their caregivers, and their physicians by collecting data about motor and non-motor symptoms. The team members believe that if executed well, they could expand the same process to other chronic conditions and improve health outcomes while enabling mobile health solutions and more. Visit casbbi.gmu.edu/nrt-program to learn more about the NRT program. 25
Solving Medical Problems Through Clinical Immersion In summer 2021, the College of Engineering and Computing’s Department of Bioengineering launched its first clinical immersion program. This academic year, seniors from the program used their observations to design and build solutions to medical problems. The new program, funded by a nearly $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, takes bioengineering students on a six-week clinical immersion experience into major hospitals in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
In the program, students are matched with doctors at either Inova Hospital, Georgetown Hospital, or the Children’s National Medical Center for the summer and identify solutions to clinical problems they observed.
“We are providing an enriched real-world environment for students to work in and develop their network of colleagues with complementary skill sets,” says Michael Buschmann, chair of the department.
Then, throughout the year, they are advised by a clinical mentor from one of the hospitals, a faculty advisor in the Department of Bioengineering, an advisor from either the School of Nursing, the health administration program, or the health informatics program at Mason, and an industry advisor from the Mason Bioengineering Alliance.
Due to the pandemic, the program was scaled down and was offered as a hybrid experience in 2021. Seven students participated in this experience at Inova Hospital and Georgetown University. Senior Natai Jinfessa spent his summer doing a virtual immersion with Stanley Fricke, director of medical physics at Georgetown University. “We talked a lot about the functionalities of MRIs and
X-Ray technologies,” says Jinfessa. He learned about machine operator and patient safety issues and analyzed potential solutions for marketability, feasibility, and impact in the medical field. At the start of the fall semester, Jinfessa and other students who completed the clinical immersion program presented their findings to their classmates and formed their teams. “Our project is to design an MRI-compatible temperature monitoring system for the eyes,” says Jinfessa. “In MRI machines, radio frequency deposition can cause tattooed skin to heat up. On other parts of the body, there are simple solutions like placing an ice pack, but the eyes don’t have such solution.” The monitoring system would let the MRI operator know when the eyes are heating up to dangerous levels and warn them before possible injuries to the eyes can occur. “When I first heard about it, the program seemed like a great opportunity. I’m happy I did it,” says Jinfessa.
Bioengineering Student Wins Prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship When George Mason Bioengineering undergrad Medhini Sosale was a child, she loved trivia and had a curiosity about everything around her. This knack for questioning her world led her to pursue a career in STEM research, and more recently, win the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.
MRI located in the Peterson Life Sciences Building on the Fairfax Campus.
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The scholarship is one of the highest rewards in the U.S. for undergrad students interested
Medhini Sosale won the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, one of the highest awards for undergraduates in the U.S.
in developing STEM research careers, with winners receiving up to $7,500 annually. Sosale sees her win as not only helping her towards her career goals, but financially freeing up her time to delve into research more fully. “I don’t really personally know many people who have pursued PhDs,” says Sosale. “This scholarship offers a big community network of recent scholars and I’m excited to draw from this network, for general career advice and advice about graduate school.” She says being inquisitive probably played a part for her in going after the scholarship. The application process has several steps, and Sosale made sure to start early and find out every detail she could about what she needed to submit. Although the application required one research essay, Sosale wrote two. She then worked with Karen
Lee, her scholarship mentor, and other members in the Mason Office of Fellowships to decide which essay would work best. Her essay on the research project, Modelling Cerebral Blood Flow to Optimize Ischemic Stroke Treatment was the winning choice. The project focuses on studying the effects of various factors on ischemic stroke treatment. She also previously worked on a project with Parag Chitnis, Assistant Professor in Bioengineering, to develop a 3-D cell model that examines the barrier between the brain and the blood stream. “I am very grateful to now be a Goldwater scholar,” says Sosale. “It definitely wasn’t a one - person process. There were a lot of people behind the scenes that helped me get here and I want to thank each and every one of them.”
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Outstanding Faculty Our faculty members are internationally recognized
leaders. Their knowledge and experience in the many From left: Peter Katona, Inas Zabin, and Department Chair Michael Buschmann stand in the hallway of the Peterson Life Sciences Building.
2021 Katona Scholarship Recipient Awarded Recognizing and motivating bioengineering students to help the community in the field of bioengineering is a big part of what the Katona Scholarship for Excellence in Bioengineering is about, according to Claudia Borke, advisor for the bioengineering department at Mason. “This is a scholarship that recognizes not only bioengineering excellence but looks at the student holistically,” says Borke. Named for Peter Katona, founder of the bioengineering program at Mason, the scholarship awarded
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fields of biomedical engineering, guide students and help partners advance their research and development.
$1,000 to 2021 winner Inas Zabin, a Mason senior whose education combines bioengineering with a concentration in pre-health. “Winning the scholarship gave me the little bit of extra push that I needed, and I’m very grateful,” says Zabin. “There are so many qualified people in the bioengineering department. But if you’re thinking of applying for the scholarship, just go for it.” According to Katona, the students selected for the scholarship show exceptional promise to engage in a successful bioengineering career, which in turn helps society. “We certainly look at GPA, and it’s a part of the criteria for the scholarship, but it’s not all we see,” says Katona. “We also look at a
student’s leadership skills and how they have tried to enhance their skills outside of the classroom.” Showing an initiative to help other students is also an example of leadership that is a welcome asset for a potential scholarship winner, says Katona. “We have had some excellent applicants, and we are delighted that we can do this for our bioengineering students showing exceptional promise,” he says. The Katona Scholarship for Excellence in Bioengineering began in 2015 and is awarded to bioengineering seniors at Mason who show excellence across their academic performance, leadership initiatives, and career aspirations that aim to support society at large. 29
Assistant Professor Quentin Sanders directs the new ImPoWeR Lab. His team’s research seeks to develop rehabilitation robotic and prosthetic devices.
From Google X to Mason’s New ImPoWer Lab Assistant Professor Quentin Sanders holds a joint appointment in the bioengineering and the mechanical engineering departments. He received his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2015, and his Master’s and PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Irvine in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Prior to joining the Department of Bioengineering, Sanders spent a year working at X, the moonshot factory (formerly Google X). He also conducted research as a post-doctoral scholar in the joint biomedical engineering program between the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. His 30
research focuses on developing expertise in intelligent assistive technology, neuromuscular control, wearable sensor technology, and rehabilitation robotics to evaluate and restore sensory motor function either through retraining or assistance. Sanders says he has always had a passion for tinkering, building things, and understanding how things worked. “As I got older, my passion for robotics grew when I saw the type of helpful impact robotics could have on people’s lives,” he says. At Mason, Sanders will extend his robotics research as he directs the new ImPoWeR Lab. The lab’s research team will seek to develop innovative and globally relevant rehabilitation robotic and prosthetic devices to enhance the quality of life of individuals who have experienced a neurological injury or amputation.
our mechanistic understanding of memory circuits and neural coding with the ultimate goal to support the development of better treatment options for neurological disorders. This research is supported by a K99/R00 Career Transition Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health entitled “The Role of Sensory Inputs and Cholinergic Modulation for the Coding of Location and Movement Speed in the Entorhinal Cortex.”
study of microglia and their role in Alzheimer’s disease. He continued this inquiry in his PhD thesis in the Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Lab in Bonn, Germany, studying neuronal ensembles and neural engrams, and their modulation by the neuromodulator acetylcholine. After finishing his PhD thesis, he joined the laboratory of Michael E. Hasselmo in Boston, Massachusetts, where he continued his experimental and computational work on the cholinergic role in memory.
Dannenberg received his education in Germany, where his interest in neuroscience and memory led him to pursue the
To further advance our mechanistic understanding of memory circuits in the brain, his Spatial Cognition lab at Mason uses chronic implants
of microwires and fiber optic implants in freely behaving rodents to monitor, probe, and manipulate the activity of neurons and neural circuits. Researchers in his lab also use deep learning tools and deep neural networks to analyze neural activity and rodent behavior in the context of spatial navigation, and use signal processing techniques to study the temporal dynamics of electrophysiological and neuromodulatory activity in the brain. This research aims to understand neural mechanisms of spatial memory and memoryguided navigation, fundamental cognitive processes that are often impaired in various neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
K99 Recipient Brings Neuroengineering Research to Mason Holger Dannenberg joined the Department of Bioengineering and the Interdisciplinary Program for Neuroscience in 2021 to build the Spatial Cognition lab within the Neurotechnology and Computational Neuroscience Pillar of the department. The Spatial Cognition lab uses a combination of experimental and computational techniques to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the coding of spatial memory and spatial navigation in rodents as model organisms. Dannenberg’s area of expertise includes electrophysiology, optogenetics, single unit recordings, and fiber photometry in freely behaving rodents. The lab’s research vision is to advance
Assistant Professor Holger Dannenberg (on right) with students in the Spatial Cognition lab.
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years of innovation Department Celebrates a Decade of Achievement
Joseph Pancrazio, founding
The day also included a student
director of the Bioengineering
poster session, PhD student
Program in 2009 and founding
award presentations, a symposium
More than 100 faculty, staff,
chair of the Bioengineering
on the future of Biomedical
students, and guests celebrated
Department in 2011, a role he
Education research, and a talk
10 years of the George Mason
held until 2015, says that he was
from invited speaker Robert
College of Engineering and
confident in success upon his
Satcher, a bioengineer, surgeon,
Computing Bioengineering
arrival. “I was excited about what
astronaut, and associate professor
Department on April 4. Notable
was going on. I found exceptional,
at the University of Texas MD
players from the department’s
energetic, and optimistic faculty
Anderson Cancer.
founding were among the
about what was going to be built,”
assembled.
he says. “And that’s what we have here today - the faculty that came,
Peter Katona was a faculty
they came to build something.”
of Electrical and Computer
Pancrazio was instrumental
Engineering at Mason in the late
in overseeing the transition to
2000s, when he was instrumental
department status, recognizing
in establishing the department.
the institution’s culture as part of
Katona says that as he worked
this success. “It’s only now that
across the university, talking to
I recognize how unusual it is in
deans and faculty in the sciences,
academia to have a department
he discovered a tremendous
host a growing and emerging
amount of interest in launching a
program with the idea that
bioengineering program at Mason.
you’re going to have to love it
And further, “I was told that this is a
long enough to learn to let it go.
place where you do things first and
And to do so with the grace and
ask for permission later.”
collegiality that they did.”
member in the Department
Shani Ross, associate chair,
discussed the future of the program, noting developments such as more
The celebration was held
in honor of Mike Buschmann,
who was department chair until his untimely death in March.
“Mike was extremely valued as a colleague and he was extremely respected,” says CEC dean Ken Ball. “He made contributions throughout the entire university. Among the senior leadership team of the college, Mike was a valuable contributor, did a tremendous amount, and was a leader among his peers. Mike defined the vision and mission of the department, establishing our four research pillars. For a department that’s 10 years old, we’re in a great place, thanks to Mike.”
hands-on experiences for students; enrichments of senior design; new industry-focused courses; internship experiences; and increased student recruitment efforts. 32
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Primary Faculty AY 2021-22 Our faculty members—who combine practical experience with in-depth scholarly studies—instruct students, guide them, and make them partners in advanced research projects. For more information go to bioengineering. gmu.edu/people/primary-faculty
Giorgio Ascoli Professor Research Interests: Neuroinformatics and Data-Driven Brain Simulations
Kim Blackwell Professor Research Interests: Mechanisms of Memory Storage in Neurons
Laurence Bray Associate Professor Research Interests: Computational Neuroscience
Juan Cebral Professor Research Interests: Image-based Computational Modeling of Blood Flows, Cerebral Aneurysms, Stroke
Parag Chitnis Associate Professor Research Interests: Wearable Sensors, Focused Ultrasound, Photo Acoustic Imaging, Drug Delivery
Holger Dannenberg Assistant Professor Research Interests: Spatial Cognition and Neuroengineering
Caroline Hoemann Professor Research Interests: Biomaterials and Nanomedicine
Eugene Kim Term Assistant Professor Research Interests: Engineering Education, Synthetic Biology, Bioadhesive Materials
Nathalia Peixoto Associate Professor Research Interests: Neurotechnology and Computational Neuroscience
Shani Ross Assistant Professor and Associate Chair Research Interests: Neural Engineering
Quentin Sanders Assistant Professor Research Interests: Neuromuscular Control, Intelligent Assistive Technology, Wearable Sensor Technology, Rehabilitation Robotics
Remi Veneziano Assistant Professor Research Interests: DNA Nanotechnology
Qi Wei Associate Professor Research Interests: Computational Biomedical Engineering
Department Staff AY 2021-22
Claudia Borke Academic Advisor and Success Coach
Terry McGowan Fiscal Coordinator
Carol McHugh Academic Program Assistant Michael Buschmann Professor and Chair Research Interests: Messenger mRNA Nanotherapeutics
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Vasiliki Ikonomidou Associate Professor Research Interests: Computational Biomedical Engineering
Siddhartha Sikdar Professor Research Interests: Biomedical Imaging and Devices
Amal Nadel Fiscal Coordinator
Randy Warren Lab Manager Adjunct Faculty
Carolyn Wilson Internship Coordinator Adjunct Faculty
Bioengineering Alliance Supports Our Mission The Mason Bioengineering Alliance is a distinguished group of accomplished individuals from our biomedical and health sciences community. The alliance serves as the critical industry and institutional advisor to the department’s activities and programs. Members play a key role in advising and planning new courses in biomanufacturing, biomedical robotics, and digital health. They link our department to industry and commercialization by sponsoring workshops in university startups, financing, and intellectual property. The board is composed of 33 members:
Alliance Members AY 2021-22
Charles Anamelechi Manager Deloitte Consulting, LLP Strategy & Operations Arlington, Virginia
Jeff Arndt Senior System Engineering KBR, Inc. Chantilly, Virginia
Krishna Balakrishnan Senior Technology Transfer Manager National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), NIH Rockville, Maryland
Peter Basser Senior Investigator, Intramural Research Program (IRP), NIH Head, Section on Quantitative Imaging and Tissue Sciences (SQITS), Associate Scientific Director (ASD), Division of Imaging, Behavior and Genomic Integrity (DIBGI), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bethesda, Maryland
Robert Caldwell President & CEO Strategic Health Solutions, LLC Washington, D.C.
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Vizma Carver Founder & CEO Carver Global Health Group LLC
Jeff Conroy CEO Embody Inc. Norfolk, Virginia
Kevin Cleary Scientific Lead, The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation Children’s National Medical Center Washington, D.C.
John F. Deeken Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Senior Vice President, Professor of Medicine Inova Fairfax Hospital, Inova Health System, University of Virginia Fairfax, Virginia
Ross Dunlap CEO Ceres Nanosciences, Inc. Manassas, Virginia
Steve Hoang Head of Computational Biology Hemoshear Therapeutics Charlottesville, Virginia
Neal Koller Chairman and CEO Alphyn Biologics, LLC Annapolis, Maryland
Roland Probst Founder & Chief Innovation Officer ACUITYnano, LLC Rockville, Maryland
Marinka Tellier Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer Blue Lake Biotechnology Alexandria, VA
Arthur L. Edge III Associate Director Global Technical Operations AstraZeneca
Richard Hughen CEO Linshom Annapolis, Maryland
R. Prakash Kolli CEO and Founder Blue Point Materials Research, LLC Herndon, VA
Steven Roberts Research Scientist Geneva Foundation/USUHS Rockville, Maryland
Eric Vollmecke Deputy Director, Rapid Prototyping Research Center George Mason Volgenau School of Engineering Fairfax, Virginia
Stanley Thomas Fricke Director of Medical Physics, Department of Radiology Georgetown University CEO, HyperMC2, LLC Washington, D.C.
Praduman Jain Founder and CEO Vibrent Health Fairfax, Virginia
John Newby CEO VirginiaBio Richmond, Virginia
Mahesh B. Shenai Clinical Director of Inova Neurosurgery Director of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery Inova Hospital Fairfax, Virginia
Erin O. Johnson Executive Director, Operations, Vaccines Expansion Merck Elkton, Virginia
Nnamdi Nwachukwu Vice President, Regulatory Science & Quality Operations RRD International, LLC Rockville, Maryland
Thomas Haag Managing Partner Linden Lake Venture Capital Bethesda, Maryland
David J. Hamilton Neuroscientist Intelligent Mission Consulting Services (IMCS)
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Christopher Juncosa Consultant, Juncosa Consulting Tampa, Florida
Todd Pantezzi Chief Strategy Officer Customer Value Partners Fairfax, VA,
Morgan Sisk Modeling & Simulation Engineer Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) McLean, Virginia
Irving Weinberg President Weinberg Medical Physics, Inc. Rockville, Maryland
Chris Wimmer Executive Vice President SPGlobal Chantilly, Virginia
For a full listing of department personnel including adjuncts and affiliates go to bioengineering. gmu.edu/people Michael Tarlov Chief, Biomolecular Measurement Division National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland
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