Building Better Tools to Predict Kidney Injury in Kids

March 5, 2024

Dziorny

Children who come into the ICU for any number of reasons may wind up with acute kidney injury, a dangerous condition in which kidneys can no longer filter waste from the blood. If doctors catch the warning signs early, there are several things they can do to prevent acute kidney injury in kids, but it can be difficult to predict which patients are at risk.

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Printing plant-based pharmaceuticals—without plants

February 13, 2024

Ines Drissi Qeytoni in Lab

A multidisciplinary team of 10 undergraduates (including biomedical engineering majors: Ines Drissi Qeytoni, Allie Tay, and Wenqi Di) pioneered new technologies to more efficiently replicate useful chemicals found in plants, including those endangered by Earth’s changing climate. Calling themselves “Team RoSynth,” the students created an affordable 3D-printing system for optimizing production of in-demand, plant-derived drugs and pharmaceuticals.  In November, the team entered their research in the 2023 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, an event in which student-led teams from around the globe compete to solve real-world problems using synthetic biology. Synthetic biology takes advantage of engineering to build biological parts inspired by nature. The Rochester team’s project was nominated for the Best Biomanufacturing Project and Best Hardware and was awarded a gold medal, making them the third most recognized team in the United States. The team competed against 402 teams from six continents.

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Alayna Loiselle receives Orthopaedic Research Society’s Boskey Award

February 3, 2024

ORS - Adele L. Boskey Award: Alayna Loiselle

Congratulations to Dr. Alayna Loiselle on receiving the Orthopaedic Research Society’s Adele L. Boskey, PhD Award for her contributions to musculoskeletal research and mentorship of next-generation scientists. She leads the Loiselle Lab in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research, where her team’s work focuses on defining the fundamental cellular and molecular mediators of tendon homeostasis, tendinopathy development, and the tendon response to injury.  Dr. Loiselle is an associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics, with joint appointments in Biomedical Engineering, and the Pathology & Laboratory departments. She was recognized for this award at the 2024 ORS Annual Meeting on February 4.

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BME Welcomes Dr. Cherice Hill

January 30, 2024

hill_cherice350x500.jpgWe are pleased to announce that as of January 2024, Dr. Cherice Hill has officially joined the faculty of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester. Dr. Hill received a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia, and her MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Virginia Tech, focusing on movement mechanics in diverse populations as they relate to injury and disease risk. She extended her training with a postdoctoral fellowship in the multidisciplinary Clemson-MUSC Bioengineering Program studying temporomandibular joint function, structural and mechanical influences of ligamentous structures, and related health disparities.

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