BME Year in Review

Lori Setton Dear colleagues,

It’s my favorite time of year when we look back at how far we’ve come and how much we’ve achieved in WashU BME. Our mission is firmly focused on impacting human health, as you’ll see from our stories of faculty and trainee success in translating devices for stroke rehabilitation and neurostimulation and cellular therapies for treating diabetes. These advances illustrate the deep partnerships we’ve formed with our top-ranked School of Medicine and our St. Louis entrepreneurial community.

As we celebrate the accomplishments of this past year, we look forward to 2022 and moving into exciting new directions that include societal impacts of engineering, women’s health technologies and imaging science.

Keep watching as WashU BME broadens research excellence, supports community engagement and facilitates innovation as we transition into the new year.

Lori A. Setton
Professor and Chair

Research

Stroke-recovery device using brain-computer interface receives FDA market authorization

Innovative multidisciplinary research led by Dan Moran, professor of biomedical engineering, and Eric Leuthardt, MD, affiliate faculty member, led to the development of the 'breakthrough' device.

Diabetes reversed in mice with genetically edited stem cells derived from patients

Jeffrey R. Millman, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and medicine, helped develop the nanofiber device that allows insulin to be released while defending against immune cells.

New tool activates deep brain neurons by combining ultrasound, genetics

The research, led by Hong Chen, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is the first work to show that sonothermogenetics can control behavior by stimulating a specific target deep in the brain.

Shape of virus may determine RSV infection outcomes

The lab of Michael Vahey, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is investigating the shape-shifting protein in the common respiratory virus.

A new way to deliver vaccines to the elderly without inflammation

Jai Rudra, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, will use nanofibers to develop new vaccines that do not require adjuvants.

Awards and funding

Potential mechanical triggers behind inherited heart disease focus of new study

Nathaniel Huebsch, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, received nearly $2 million NIH grant to study the impact of blood pressure on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

NIH awards $3.1 million grant for Washington University, St. Jude ALS

Rohit Pappu, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, received funds to study RNA-binding proteins that are mutated in patients with familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Personalized medicine for lung cancer gets closer look

The latest NIH grant received by Abhinav Jha, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is another step toward early prediction of therapy response in patients with lung cancer.

‘Unprecedented opportunity’ to understand neurovascular recovery after stroke

Song Hu, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and a team of researchers from WashU will study how the brain recovers from ischemic stroke with a $3.12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Student news

BME internship program supports students, startups in St. Louis

The St. Louis Internship Program for Biomedical Engineers offers students hands-on engineering experience at local companies.

Engineering startup takes first place at Skandalaris Venture Competition

Founded by Joe Beggs, a 2020 graduate of McKelvey Engineering, HIVE Medical won $10,000 and plans to submit its device to the FDA for regulatory clearance.

Doctoral student Mitchell wins AWF Student Award

Shannon Mitchell, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was honored for her service and research efforts that benefit women and gender minorities.

Doctoral student Bandres wins American Society of Neurorehabilitation Diversity Fellowship

Maria Bandres, a doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, studies spinal physiology and neurorehabilitation after spinal cord injury

McKelvey Engineering students, alumni win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Four biomedical engineering alumni and one current doctoral student have received awards and recognition through the prestigious fellowships.

Department news

New faculty to join McKelvey School of Engineering in 2021-2022

Four McKelvey Engineering faculty receive LEAP awards

BME by the numbers

$ 11.1 M

in research awards
(FY2021, OVCR report)

100 +

affiliate faculty members from across the university

No. 14

U.S. News & World Report ranking for graduate programs

McKelvey School of Engineering

engineering.washu.edu