News

Cardiac Arrhythmia Modeling Minisymposium

February 17, 2021

IEM hosted an online Minisymposium on "Cardiac Arrythmia Modeling" that fostered new research collaborations. Gordon Ho, MD, discussed current clinical methods used to model arrythmias. Nele Vandersickel, PhD, presented her research on cardiac modeling with the network theory. Read the article here. 

Two Health Sensors Unite in One Powerful Gadget

February 17, 2021 

A team at the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors, which includes IEM member Sheng Xu and IEM CMSA director Joseph Wang, has created a stretchy skin patch that is the first wearable device to track heart signals and biochemical levels at the same time. Read the article here. 

Racial Inequity in Grant Funding from the NIH

February 3, 2021 

Grant applications submitted by African-American or Black scientists are less likely to be funded than applications submitted by white PIs, and efforts to narrow this funding gap have not been successful. Read the article here. 

The NIH Racial Funding Disparity Prevents Black Scientists' Success

February 1, 2021 

A nationwide network of Biomedical Engineering women faculty published a Cell article shedding light on the NIH's racial funding disparity and suggesting solutions to this problem. Read the article here. 

$1.2 Million Grant Funds a New Generation of Healthcare Telemanipulation Robots

February 1, 2021 

A multi-campus research group led by Dr. Laurel Riek of UC San Diego has been given the UC MRPI award. The award will fund their work developing advanced telehealth robots to protect healthcare workers and help isolated people connect with their communities. Read more here. 

Bioengineering Diversity Council Winter Town Hall: Women in STEM

January 29, 2021 

The UCSD Bioengineering Diversity Council held a town hall to discuss issues of gender parity in the STEM field. Six female panelists in different stages of their scientific careers shared their experiences, thoughts, and advice. Read more here. 

UC San Diego Alumnus at Helm of Company Behind First At-Home COVID Test 

January 21, 2021

In November 2020, the Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit was the first COVID-19
diagnostic test for self-testing at home to be authorized by the FDA. This accomplishment was led by Erik Engelson, a UC San Diego bioengineering and microbiology alumnus and the CEO of Lucira Health. Read more about Lucira's COVID-19 test and CEO Erik Engelson here.  

COVID-19 Crisis Inspires Undergraduate Ventilator Research Project 

January 4, 2021

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, Professor Ryan Kastner's Research Group (KRG) and PhD student Michael Barrow were eager to do their part. With physician Dr. Shanglei Liu, they created a team of 12 undergraduate engineering and computer science students who are developing a mechnical ventilator. 

Awards Announced for the 2021 Accelerating Innovations to Market Cycle 

December 14, 2020

UC San Diego's Accelerating Innovations to Market (AIM) has awarded a total of $206,000 to five researchers this year, including two researchers affiliated with the Institute of Engineering in Medicine's Center for Medical Device Technology (CMDT): the co-director of CMDT, Frank Talke, and CMDT member Edward Chao. Seed funding in support or this research project were provided by the UC San Diego Galvanizing Engineering in Medicine (GEM) program, a collaborative effort to promote innovation between the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute and the Institute of Engineering in Medicine. Read more about the award winners here. 

FDA Authorizes First COVID-19 Test for Self-Testing at Home 

November 18, 2020

The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is the first COVID-19 diagnostic test for self-testing at home to be authorized by the FDA. The test kit uses self-collected nasal swab tests to provide quick diagnoses at home. This accomplishment was led by UCSD bioengineer Erik Engelson, the CEO of Lucira Health. Read more in the FDA News article here. 

ACTRI Seeks Applicants for SUSTAIN Program 

August 25, 2020

The UCSD Altman Clincal and Translational Research Institute is launching a new program called SUSTAIN (Supporting Under-represented Scholars in Translational and Interdisciplinary Networks). This program seeks to increase the rate of successful resubmission of grants for under-represented minority faculty. For more information about SUSTAIN, view program details here or visit the SUSTAIN website here. 

Roger Tsien invention given approval by US FDA for first-in-man study

May 11, 2020

The FDA has given approval for a first-in-man study of ALM-488, a fluorescent peptide-dye conjugate to illuminate nerves in real time, in patients undergoing Head and Neck Surgery.  Dr. Ryan Orosco, together with collaborators at Stanford and Harvard will lead a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to test ALM-488 at the University California San Diego (UCSD) beginning Q2 2020. 

The technological underpinnings for ALM-488 was co-invented by the late Roger Tsien, PhD (1952-2016), Nobel Laureate Chemistry 2008, Dr. Quyen Nguyen, Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery with support from the Institute of Engineering in Medicine.  Alume Biosciences, a biotechnology company founded by Dr. Nguyen in 2017, has licensed this technology from UCSD for clinical development.  ALM-488 is expected to have broad surgical application due to unique characteristics of binding that are independent of myelin. This allows ALM-488 to highlight multiple types of nerves including motor, sensory, autonomic and degenerated nerves important during reconstructive procedures.

Dr. Valdez-Jasso Was Awarded 2020 Faculty Recipient of the Inclusive Excellence Award

February 28, 2020

Daniela Valdez-Jasso, a professor of bioengineering, was the 2020 faculty recipient of the Inclusive Excellence Award. The 25th annual UC San Diego Inclusive Excellence Awards recognizes faculty, staff, students, departments and organizations who have made outstanding contributions in support of UC San Diego’s commitment to inclusive excellence and diversity. To read more about Dr. Valdez-Jasso  click here. To watch the video presented at the 25th Annual Inclusive Excellence Awards  click here.