BU Engineer

The Promise of bioMEMS

by Cheryl Balian

Everything that’s old is new again. The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the College of Engineering is one of the oldest and most respected biomedical engineering programs in the country, and BME has served as a model for developing programs nationwide since its 1966 inception.

What’s new is the bustle of activity surrounding an exciting, historic grant bestowed upon Boston University to enhance and expand its biomedical engineering programs. Last year, BU was awarded $14 million by the Whitaker Foundation, a Virginia-based organization dedicated to training the next generation of biomedical engineers and encouraging them to cultivate groundbreaking research. The Leadership Award has been matched by an $18 million commitment from the University, and the combined funding over the next five years will be used to build a world-class biomedical program. A dozen new faculty will be hired in the next few years, and cutting-edge biomedical research and education will be amplified. The award is only the third Leadership Grant in the Whitaker Foundation’s 26-year existence, and it’s also one of the largest grants in BU’s history.

It is no surprise that the halls of ENG are buzzing these days, as new biomed lab blueprints are being tweaked and BME’s curriculum undergoes the process of being revamped. But the most newsworthy development of late is that two of the nation’s most rapidly emerging biomed stars have arrived in Boston as the first Whitaker faculty hires. Associate Professor Tejal Desai and Assistant Professor Joe Tien recently moved into their offices overlooking the Charles River Campus, and they have brought their solid research credentials in the area of bio-microelectromechanical devices (bioMEMS) with them.

BioMEMS are devices that incorporate biological materials with microfabricated structures. Examples of bioMEMS include encapsulated cells for drug delivery, microfluidic devices for analysis of blood, and microarrays of proteins and cells for high-throughput drug screening. BioMEMS use microfabrication (a suite of technologies invented to make computer chips) to exert unprecedented control over the location and behavior of cells and other soft materials at the micrometer scale. By enabling scientists and engineers to literally program the behavior of a living cell, bioMEMS promise to revolutionize the practice of tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensing, and sample analysis.

Two’s a Charm

Tien’s and Desai’s side-by-side offices display all the telltale signs of “just moved in.” Unpacked boxes are stacked high against bare walls. But while both say they are still in the process of setting up shop, Tien and Desai take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to discuss their reasons for coming to BU, their new professorial roles at BME, and what they hope to focus on and accomplish as Whitaker hires. In conversation, it’s obvious that there is a synergy between the two.

“What drew me here is BME’s independence,” says Tien. “There’s freedom to debate and freedom to excel, and I’ve noticed that people who are already at ENG conduct innovative work in a non-traditional way.” Desai enthusiastically concurs. “Other institutions tend to focus on a set area of projects,” she says. “At BME we’ll be able to explore non-traditional ideas not normally pursued elsewhere, because there’s not a rigid process. ENG allows researchers to take a variety of approaches toward a solution, and that freedom draws top students and faculty, which further strengthens the school.”

Desai and Tien are widely considered two of the best and brightest bioMEMS scientists in the country. Desai, who received her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1998, was a nationally regarded assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois in Chicago before she accepted ENG’s offer. Some of her students will be following her to BU this fall, so they can continue working with her as she develops landmark biomedical applications. She has published more than 30 papers, chaired and organized several conferences, and earned a spot on MIT Technology Review’s list of top 100 young innovators.

One of Desai’s initial projects will focus on drug deliveries. “The goal is to discover new methods for delivering protein or peptide therapeutics,” she says. Desai has already made real strides in eliminating the need for diabetics to inject themselves daily with insulin-filled needles. She has patented techniques for fabricating two-millimeter-by-two-millimeter microcapsules with thousands of tiny, nanoscale holes that would be implanted in the abdomen of diabetics. These capsules, which are currently being tested in rats, are perforated with extremely small holes that allow insulin to flow out, while antibodies, which are too large to enter the holes, would be prevented from entering and attacking the foreign cells.

Tien is an accomplished engineer who received a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard in 1999. He has great interest in bioMEMS, especially pertaining to tissue engineering. He and a group of researchers will focus on the fabrication of artificial tissues through control of the cellular microenvironment. “It’s about creating living organs to put back into the body,” he says. “It could be as simple as implanting material or discovering a new polymer.” His current work also looks at the location and timing of cell interactions that regulate cell behavior. Tien uses techniques adapted from molecular biology, surface chemistry, materials science, and microelectronics, and he develops new technologies in-house as needed to fabricate organized cell cultures. In fact, the former National Merit Scholar and National Science Foundation Fellow has patented two biomedical techniques in this area. Despite Tien’s and Desai’s passion for biomed, neither of them plans to focus solely on the bioMEMS area.

“I have an interest in examining basic questions in biology, because it relates to micro-and nano-biosystems,” Tien says. “We will use those micro-and nano-based tools in our research of a wider array of areas, like the construction of structures.”

Moving Forward

“Part of the excitement of this program is that there will be an integrated center, like the lab and cleanroom, all within the biomedical engineering facility,” says Desai. “It’s going to make it so easy for us to conduct our type of research.” Currently, a state-of-the-art suite of labs totaling 5,000 square feet is being configured just down the hall from Tien’s and Desai’s offices. The new suite of labs will be used by various departments at BU.

Tien and Desai share the added goal of spinning new bioMEMS applications off to the private sector to benefit the medical community and mankind at large. In fact, the benefits of the Leadership award will have positive reverberations across BU’s campus and across the world. The interdisciplinary effort combines computer science, chemistry, biology, the Photonics Center, the Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing Innovation, various engineering labs, and ENG’s growing programs in gene research and bioinformatics. An arm of the program will be integrated into the Medical School, and three of the twelve faculty positions are committed to MED.

Meanwhile, back at ENG, Tien and Desai say they knew of each other professionally before they joined BU, but they never had an opportunity to collaborate. Both are spirited, unpretentious, and enjoy an easy rapport with one another. At times, they even finish each other’s sentences. When Tien said, “There are very few biomed departments in academia as focused on micro- and nano-technologies as BU,” Desai finished off the sentiment by adding, “And as committed!”

Since the professors arrived at ENG in January, they have delved into revamping the undergraduate and graduate bioMEMS curriculum. They will both have undergraduate students working on research projects this summer, with graduate students expected to start this fall. “We’re just at the beginning stages,” Desai says. “We hope that the Whitaker Leadership Program at BU will become a nucleus of excellence in micro-and nano-biosystems.”


The Promise of bioMEMS by Cheryl Balian Everything that’s old is new again. The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the College of Engineering is one of the oldest and most respected biomedical engineering programs in the country, and BME has served as a model for developing programs nationwide since its 1966 inception. What’s new is the bustle of activity surrounding an exciting, historic grant bestowed upon Boston University to enhance and expand its biomedical engineering programs. Last year, BU was awarded $14 million by the Whitaker Foundation, a Virginia-based organization dedicated to training the next generation of biomedical engineers and encouraging them to cultivate groundbreaking research. The Leadership Award has been matched by an $18 million commitment from the University, and the combined funding over the next five years will be used to build a world-class biomedical program. A dozen new faculty will be hired in the next few years, and cutting-edge biomedical research and education will be amplified. The award is only the third Leadership Grant in the Whitaker Foundation’s 26-year existence, and it’s also one of the largest grants in BU’s history. It is no surprise that the halls of ENG are buzzing these days, as new biomed lab blueprints are being tweaked and BME’s curriculum undergoes the process of being revamped. But the most newsworthy development of late is that two of the nation’s most rapidly emerging biomed stars have arrived in Boston as the first Whitaker faculty hires. Associate Professor Tejal Desai and Assistant Professor Joe Tien recently moved into their offices overlooking the Charles River Campus, and they have brought their solid research credentials in the area of bio-microelectromechanical devices (bioMEMS) with them. BioMEMS are devices that incorporate biological materials with microfabricated structures. Examples of bioMEMS include encapsulated cells for drug delivery, microfluidic devices for analysis of blood, and microarrays of proteins and cells for high-throughput drug screening. BioMEMS use microfabrication (a suite of technologies invented to make computer chips) to exert unprecedented control over the location and behavior of cells and other soft materials at the micrometer scale. By enabling scientists and engineers to literally program the behavior of a living cell, bioMEMS promise to revolutionize the practice of tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensing, and sample analysis. Two’s a Charm Tien’s and Desai’s side-by-side offices display all the telltale signs of “just moved in.” Unpacked boxes are stacked high against bare walls. But while both say they are still in the process of setting up shop, Tien and Desai take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to discuss their reasons for coming to BU, their new professorial roles at BME, and what they hope to focus on and accomplish as Whitaker hires. In conversation, it’s obvious that there is a synergy between the two. “What drew me here is BME’s independence,” says Tien. “There’s freedom to debate and freedom to excel, and I’ve noticed that people who are already at ENG conduct innovative work in a non-traditional way.” Desai enthusiastically concurs. “Other institutions tend to focus on a set area of projects,” she says. “At BME we’ll be able to explore non-traditional ideas not normally pursued elsewhere, because there’s not a rigid process. ENG allows researchers to take a variety of approaches toward a solution, and that freedom draws top students and faculty, which further strengthens the school.” Desai and Tien are widely considered two of the best and brightest bioMEMS scientists in the country. Desai, who received her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1998, was a nationally regarded assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois in Chicago before she accepted ENG’s offer. Some of her students will be following her to BU this fall, so they can continue working with her as she develops landmark biomedical applications. She has published more than 30 papers, chaired and organized several conferences, and earned a spot on MIT Technology Review’s list of top 100 young innovators. One of Desai’s initial projects will focus on drug deliveries. “The goal is to discover new methods for delivering protein or peptide therapeutics,” she says. Desai has already made real strides in eliminating the need for diabetics to inject themselves daily with insulin-filled needles. She has patented techniques for fabricating two-millimeter-by-two-millimeter microcapsules with thousands of tiny, nanoscale holes that would be implanted in the abdomen of diabetics. These capsules, which are currently being tested in rats, are perforated with extremely small holes that allow insulin to flow out, while antibodies, which are too large to enter the holes, would be prevented from entering and attacking the foreign cells. Tien is an accomplished engineer who received a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard in 1999. He has great interest in bioMEMS, especially pertaining to tissue engineering. He and a group of researchers will focus on the fabrication of artificial tissues through control of the cellular microenvironment. “It’s about creating living organs to put back into the body,” he says. “It could be as simple as implanting material or discovering a new polymer.” His current work also looks at the location and timing of cell interactions that regulate cell behavior. Tien uses techniques adapted from molecular biology, surface chemistry, materials science, and microelectronics, and he develops new technologies in-house as needed to fabricate organized cell cultures. In fact, the former National Merit Scholar and National Science Foundation Fellow has patented two biomedical techniques in this area. Despite Tien’s and Desai’s passion for biomed, neither of them plans to focus solely on the bioMEMS area. “I have an interest in examining basic questions in biology, because it relates to micro-and nano-biosystems,” Tien says. “We will use those micro-and nano-based tools in our research of a wider array of areas, like the construction of structures.” Moving Forward “Part of the excitement of this program is that there will be an integrated center, like the lab and cleanroom, all within the biomedical engineering facility,” says Desai. “It’s going to make it so easy for us to conduct our type of research.” Currently, a state-of-the-art suite of labs totaling 5,000 square feet is being configured just down the hall from Tien’s and Desai’s offices. The new suite of labs will be used by various departments at BU. Tien and Desai share the added goal of spinning new bioMEMS applications off to the private sector to benefit the medical community and mankind at large. In fact, the benefits of the Leadership award will have positive reverberations across BU’s campus and across the world. The interdisciplinary effort combines computer science, chemistry, biology, the Photonics Center, the Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing Innovation, various engineering labs, and ENG’s growing programs in gene research and bioinformatics. An arm of the program will be integrated into the Medical School, and three of the twelve faculty positions are committed to MED. Meanwhile, back at ENG, Tien and Desai say they knew of each other professionally before they joined BU, but they never had an opportunity to collaborate. Both are spirited, unpretentious, and enjoy an easy rapport with one another. At times, they even finish each other’s sentences. When Tien said, “There are very few biomed departments in academia as focused on micro- and nano-technologies as BU,” Desai finished off the sentiment by adding, “And as committed!” Since the professors arrived at ENG in January, they have delved into revamping the undergraduate and graduate bioMEMS curriculum. They will both have undergraduate students working on research projects this summer, with graduate students expected to start this fall. “We’re just at the beginning stages,” Desai says. “We hope that the Whitaker Leadership Program at BU will become a nucleus of excellence in micro-and nano-biosystems.”
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