Feb. 27, 2026 Kartik Balachandran, a professor of biomedical engineering and associate dean for research at the University of Arkansas, has been named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. He joins members from around the world who will be formally inducted into the academy, known as the NAI, at the 15th annual meeting to be held in June of 2026. “It is truly an honor to be inducted as a senior member of the NAI,” Balachandran said. “I give credit to all my m

Dec. 17, 2025 Lexi Applequist, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. researcher at the University of Arkansas and cofounder and CEO of Humimic Biosystems, has earned a spot on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Science list for 2026 — a recognition that underscores her groundbreaking work in revolutionizing how drugs are tested before reaching patients. "Being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 is incredibly meaningful not only as a personal milestone, but because it represents recognition

Nov. 11, 2025 The University of Arkansas wrapped up another successful summer of undergraduate research in August, as 86 students from across the nation completed intensive 10-week research experiences through the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. This opportunity, designed to immerse undergraduate students in cutting-edge STEM research alongside faculty mentors, concluded with a public poster fair where participants presented thei

Jul. 21, 2025 Kartik Balachandran, a professor of biomedical engineering, has been named interim associate dean for research in the College of Engineering. He began his new duties July 16. Balachandran joined the U of A in 2012, immediately after a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. He began his studies in mechanical engineering but transitioned to biomedical engineering in graduate school because of his interest in translational research and biomedical devices th

Apr. 30, 2025 STARKVILLE – Before pharmaceutical drugs are tested on human subjects, they are tested on human cells in petri dishes. These dishes are usually glass or plastic and not even slightly representative of the human body, which creates an expensive problem that Humimic Biosystems Co-founder and CEO Lexi Applequist and her team are trying to solve. “Because we don’t have very good models to study on in a lab setting before we put things into humans, we see about 90% o

Jan. 15, 2025 A student startup focused on commercializing platforms that mimic human organs won $2,000 at the Seed Funding Pitch Competition. Humimic Biosystems, which formed in 2023 as a spinoff company from U of A's Mechanobiology and Soft Materials Laboratory, is focused on developing models that mimic human organs — including the heart, lungs and brain — for wide-ranging applications, according to Lexi Applequist, the company's co-founder and CEO. Applequist said that

Oct. 29, 2024 The U.S. Department of Defense awarded just under $514,000 to an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the U of A to study the efficacy of “self-delivering” gene editors in the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, or DMD. DMD results from a mutation in the dystrophin gene and is one of the most severe inherited muscular dystrophies, leading to deterioration of the muscle fibers. Presently, there is no cure, but advances in treatment have helped patients

Sep. 09, 2024 Ten students have been named Graduate Entrepreneurial Fellows, the most since the program launched in 2021, and they will be pursuing intensive entrepreneurial training across diverse industries, including biomedical engineering, food science, information systems and finance. Led by the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the fellowship program is intended to support promising graduate students from all disciplines in the pursuit of scalable, technology-

Jul. 11, 2024 The Department of Biomedical Engineering Community and Student Engagement Committee organized the first "Biomed ENGAGE" conference earlier this summer to provide graduate students an opportunity to engage with the public and present their research in an open public forum. Held at the Fayetteville Public Library, the conference showcased a range of topics from regenerative medicine, genome engineering, neural engineering, biomedical imaging, machine learning and

Jun. 03, 2024 Three U of A graduate students — Lexi Applequist, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering; Kayla Ford, a doctoral student in clinical psychology; and Eva Stephani Caroline, a doctoral student in public policy — recently won prestigious awards from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Applequist and Ford won the $25,000 Scholar Award from the organization, while Caroline won the $5,000 International Peace Scholarship. The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded Jan. 21, 1869, at Iowa

Oct. 30, 2023 The Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC) will host Kartik Balachandran, professor of biomedical engineering in the U of A College of Engineering, who will discuss how metrics derived via multiphoton microscopy correlate with early progression of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) at 12:55 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, in the Bell Engineering Center, room 2267. Abstract: Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) represents the most prevalent form of valv

Oct. 20, 2023 Kartik Balchandran began as a mechanical engineer but transitioned into biomedical engineering in graduate school. "For most people who start as mechanical engineers," he explains, "they do it because they like building tools to solve problems. In biomedical engineering, I saw you could build tools to solve problems in health and healthcare. I saw that I could have a real and tangible impact on patients' lives, on the devices they use and on biomedical science i

May. 03, 2023 Four U of A students and three recent alumni have been selected to receive Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation. The highly competitive award, considered one of the nation’s top academic honors, is given to students pursuing graduate studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields and recognizes academic excellence and the potential that each student will make to their field and to society at large. According to t

Dec. 16, 2022 Nanomatronix, a local startup company that develops nanotechnology, microelectronics and biotechnology to provide solutions for the healthcare, energy and defense industries, has been awarded a $1.1 million Small Business Innovation and Research Phase II Award from the Department of Defense. This award builds on a previous award from the department. The purpose of the award is to continue development of the Advanced Microphysiological Brain Injury Technology (or

Oct. 04, 2022 Short Talks from the Hill is now available wherever you get your podcasts. Download episodes and listen anywhere, anytime. This month's Short Talks from the Hill features Kartik Balachandran, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Balachandran describes how microphysiological systems, also known as organs-on-chips, are revolutionizing the study of human health and disease. Balachandran's research is focused on developing microphysiol

Jul. 06, 2022 When it comes to achieving success, Kartik Balachandran takes an unorthodox view: “Fail fast, fail cheap.” As an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas, Balachandran specializes in building microphysiological systems -- 3D organ constructs engineered from human cells and tissues that mimic critical human functions. Informally referred to as “organs-on-chips” – and not the kind you use to swab up salsa – these chips are measur

Apr. 15, 2022 The Department of Defense awarded $297,831 to Kartik Balachandran, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the U of A, to study the effects of particulate matter pollution on the nasal airway and lung interface. Balachandran will create the first in vitro benchtop system to incorporate both the upper and lower respiratory systems into a single model. Over the two-year term of the grant, Balachandran will create and validate a novel airway-lung-on-a-chip

Mar. 24, 2022 The National Institute of Health awarded $436,642 to associate professor of biomedical engineering, Kartik Balachandran, to study the downstream effects of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on the aortic valve. Specifically, Balachandran hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship between the infection and heart valve pathology. Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, known as SARS-COV-2, is the virus that causes COVID-19,

Nov. 09, 2021 A University of Arkansas researcher has received funding to continue work with a local business to develop and commercialize a brain chip that could foster a better understanding of traumatic brain injury and help patients recover. The chip, named the Advanced Microphysiological Brain Injury Technology (AMBIT) Platform, will allow for improved understanding of this devastating injury. Kartik Balachandran, associate professor of biomedical engineering, will recei

Apr. 16, 2021 Asya Ozkizilcik, a Post-Doctoral Fellow for the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has received an American Heart Association fellowship. The postdoctoral fellowship will span over a two year duration in the amount of $136,000 to support a project regarding developing novel prosthetic replacement materials for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD)— a condition in which calcium-rich nodules form on the aortic valve. Currently, the main treatment options for CAV