Oct. 01, 2020 A biomedical engineering research team has been awarded $135,000 from the National Science Foundation to use "organ-on-a-chip" technology to study long-term impacts of traumatic brain injury and neurological diseases. The funding comes as sub-award from Nanomatronix, a Fayetteville-based company that uses nanotechnology, microelectronics, and biotechnology to provide solutions to the healthcare, defense and aerospace industries. The University of Arkansas team i

May. 28, 2020 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With funding from the National Institutes of Health, University of Arkansas researchers hope to develop the first therapeutic drug that can regenerate heart tissue. The lesion-seeking biological drug, released through stent placement, could treat coronary blockages and prevent heart failure. “Currently, there are no viable therapeutics available on the market that can promote regeneration of the heart to prevent myocardial infarction, or hea

Apr. 22, 2020 A two-year, $300,000 Department of Defense Discovery Award will enable an interdisciplinary research team to integrate patient-specific cardiac cells on a chip that could lead to testing of therapeutic drugs for treating mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondrial diseases arise as a result of defects in mitochondria, which are the energy powerhouses of cells. Mitochondrial disease is difficult to diagnose because it affects each individual differently. There are no c

Dec. 03, 2018 Biomedical engineering doctoral student Ishita Tandon has earned a predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association to support her research into a cardiovascular disease that impacts 2.5 percent of Americans. The fellowship will support Tandon's research into calcific aortic valve disease — the formation of calcific lesions in the aortic heart valve. Tandon is working to identify an early detection method for the disease, because current technology usu

May. 30, 2018 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two biomedical engineering professors at the University of Arkansas have been awarded $375,000 from the National Science Foundation to study how repeated injuries over time impact the human brain. Associate professors Kartik Balachandran and Jeffrey Wolchok in the College of Engineering received the grant as part of a three-year project to investigate what happens to the brain when it receives multiple non-severe injuries, such as concussion

May. 16, 2018 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Master's student Jessica Perez has been awarded a Diversity Travel Award to attend the 2018 World Congress of Biomechanics in Dublin, Ireland. Perez, a former Honors College Bodenhamer Fellow and current graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was also selected as a finalist for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers-Bioengineering Division (ASME-BED) in the M.S. Level Student Paper Competition in the category "Ca

Apr. 05, 2018 Morten Jensen, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Kartik Balachandran, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, have each received a $154,000 Institutional Research Enhancement Award (AIREA) grant from the American Heart Association. The money will be used to fund projects that will further their respective research on the human heart. Jensen's project, titled "Optimizing Treatment of Coronary Bifurcation Lesions," is a collaboration with B

Sep. 20, 2017 A traumatic brain injury is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. The severity of such an injury may range from mild to severe. At least 2 percent of the U.S. population has been disabled by traumatic brain injuries, including thousands of military veterans. Nasya Sturdivant, a doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, hopes her research can improve the treatme

Nov. 22, 2016 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A team of biomedical engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have identified a cause of fluid swelling of the brain, or cellular edema,that occurs during a concussion. The researchers discovered that pre-treating the cells with an existing, FDA-approved drug used for epilepsy and altitude sickness reduces the expression of a specific protein that causes swelling. Their findings were published in a recent issue of Nature’s Scien

Sep. 26, 2016 On Friday, Sept. 9, three graduate students in biomedical engineering each stood for 20 minutes before a room full of their peers and professors. The students—Ishita Tandon, Jakob Hockman, and Xiaoquan Sun—were asked to describe their research on the chalk/whiteboard using minimal powerpoint slides, and field whatever questions arose from their audience on the fly. If this sounds a little nerve-wracking, that's precisely the point — these presentations are part

Jul 12, 2016 Several engineering professors presented research at the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference in Maryland's National Harbor from June 29 to July 2. Timothy Muldoon, Narasimhan Rajaram, Kyle Quinn, and Jeffrey Wolchok, all assistant professors of biomedical engineering, presented research on the conference's theme, "Impact of Biomechanics on Healthcare." The conference included plenary lectures, symposia and workshops on the topics of c

May. 02, 2016 On Wednesday, April 28, the College of Engineering held its annual faculty awards reception at University House. Five awards were given at the event. "The purpose of this event was to celebrate the hard work and great achievements of our faculty," said engineering dean John English. "These individuals have really gone above and beyond in their dedication to students and to research, and it felt good to let them know they're appreciated." At the reception, Englis

Mar. 04, 2016 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Chancellor Joe Steinmetz said Tuesday at a showcase of the University of Arkansas’ brain and neuroscience research that future advancements in finding out how the brain works will rely on interdisciplinary collaboration. “When I started as a faculty member at Indiana University in the 1980s I basically worked alone,” Steinmetz said. “The brain is even more complicated than we imagined it would be 30 years ago. There are so many levels of neu

Aug. 28, 2015 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Biosciences Institute has awarded University of Arkansas researchers grants for 39 science and technology research projects for fiscal year 2016. The institute is a partnership of scientists at five research institutions across Arkansas, including the state’s flagship university in Fayetteville, with a focus on supporting biomedical research and agricultural research with medical implications. The fiscal 2016 grants at the U of

May. 19, 2015 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Four University of Arkansas juniors have been named recipients of three of the most prestigious undergraduate awards in the country: the Harry S. Truman S. Scholarship, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, and the Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall Scholarship. Universities may nominate four students for the Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding students in math, science and engineering who are planning to pursue a career in resea

May. 11, 2015 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ailon Haileyesus, a junior honors biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas, has been named a 2015 Harvard-Amgen Scholar. The program will allow Haileyesus to spend the summer conducting in-depth research in the field of biotechnology at Harvard University. “That Ailon Haileyesus has been chosen as a Harvard-Amgen speaks volumes about the caliber of our students and their partnerships with talen

Feb. 26, 2015 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Kartik Balachandran, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas, has received a $500,000 Faculty Early Career Development Program award from the National Science Foundation to further his research in heart valve disease. Balachandran’s research focuses on understanding the multi-scale relationship between structure, architecture and mechanics related to the biological behavior of cells and tissues in disease

Sep. 26, 2014 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Biomedical engineering professors at the University of Arkansas have received a three-year, $395,722 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how brain cells respond to traumatic injury. Assistant professors Jeffrey Wolchok and Kartik Balachandran and their team are trying to determine if neuron-supporting cells known as astrocytes create a degenerative extracellular environment after traumatic injuries. The researchers developed

May. 08, 2014 The College of Engineering recognized outstanding faculty and staff members at a collegewide meeting on Friday, May 2. Linda Pate, departmental administrative manager for the department of biological and agricultural engineering, received both the Employee of the Semester and the Employee of the Year awards. Each engineering department also presented Outstanding Teacher, Outstanding Researcher and Outstanding Service to Students awards to members of its faculty.

Oct. 02, 2013 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Women’s Giving Circle recently awarded a record $130,000 to nine University of Arkansas programs. The group has provided more than $750,000 in support to the campus community since its creation in 2002. The Women’s Giving Circle also surpassed Chancellor G. David Gearhart’s 2012 challenge to increase membership to 100 by reaching 104 members on Sept.1. The Women’s Giving Circle is made up of alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the univ