News

Peptides by Lunchtime: Developing a Drug to Fight Diabetes and Obesity in Veterans

Syracuse University has a long history of supporting the nation’s veterans, dating back to 1944. Then-Chancellor William P. Tolley helped draft the G.I. Bill, instrumental in helping millions of veterans through the years pursue an education or training. In 1946, Chancellor Tolley announced Syracuse’s “uniform admissions program,” which ensured all military personnel admission to Syracuse upon return from war. Continuing this legacy of veteran support, one faculty member’s medical research in the College of Arts and Sciences today is helping those who served. Continue Reading

Catheters Get Smarter With New Engineering Design from Syracuse University Faculty

Each year, more than 75 million urinary catheters are used in the United States to help patients who cannot control urination due to medical complications. Unfortunately, the catheters are prone to colonization by bacterial and fungal pathogens. If not addressed, this can lead to catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) that are antibiotic resistant and cause 13,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. To address the challenge of CAUTI,  College of Engineering and Computer Science professors Dacheng Ren, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering; Teng Zhang, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Huan Gu, research assistant professor, started investigating if they could engineer smart anti-fouling catheters that would reduce microbial attachment and related infections. Continue Reading

Professor Qin Collaborates with MIT to Study Fatigue Resistant Hydrogels

For years, scientists have been interested in the potential of hydrogels in biomedical and engineering applications. Hydrogels often contain more than 90 percent water and a small percentage of synthetic polymer and are used in a variety of uses from medical electrodes, tissue engineering and dressings for hard to heal wounds.

“It is an interesting material since it is synthetic but can be bio-compatible since it is mostly water,” says Zhao Qin, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “In particular, hydrogels are attractive for biomedical applications.” Continue Reading

M. Lisa Manning Named William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Physics, and awarded a three-year Simons Foundation grant

M. Lisa Manning, professor of physics and founding director of BioInspired Syracuse: Institute for Material and Living Systems, has been named the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Physics. This highly selective professorship was established in 1971 by a grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr., Charitable Trust. It honors the memory of Kenan, Jr., who devoted a lifetime to the advancement of higher education. Continue Reading

Professor Liviu Movileanu and Avinash Thakur Ph.D. presented their research on molecular “fishing”

Like finding a needle in a haystack, Liviu Movileanu can find a single molecule in blood. The new technology, developed by Movileanu and Avinash Thakur, has wide‐ranging applications from diagnostic tests to drug discovery. Liviu Movileanu, physics professor in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Avinash Thakur, a recent doctoral graduate, presented their research at the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society on February 17 in San Diego, California. Continue Reading

Syracuse University and UC Berkeley Researchers Team Up to Develop 3D Human Heart Model Showing How Cardiac Cells Fail to Adapt to a Pathological Mechanical Environment

To better understand heart diseases, doctors and scientists are constantly trying to understand how cardiac tissue in the human heart is affected by its changing environment. Specifically, researchers have wanted to better understand how cardiac cells adjust themselves depending on the mechanical environment of the heart they are inside of. Some cardiac tissues adjust to the heterogeneous tissue mechanical environments, but studying this process is very difficult. Studying cardiac tissue inside a living person is extremely invasive and current cardiac tissue models outside the body often fail to demonstrate how cardiac cells adapt to the non-uniform changes. Continue Reading

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Zhen Ma Receives NSF CAREER Award

Scientists have long known that some people have stronger heart muscles than others and there are multiple factors that can contribute to heart muscle strength in adults including exercise, genetics and diet. Even with all we know, there are still many questions about the factors that influence the development of shape and function of a heart as an embryo forms—questions that Zhen Ma, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and his research team hope to answer. Continue Reading

Physics Professor Alison Patteson Uncovers ‘Cage’ of Proteins

Imagine you are reading a book and as you turn the page you suddenly feel a sharp pain from your finger – you have a papercut. You will probably just put on a Band-Aid™ and continue reading. Little do you know that your body has already gone into repair mode. Cells called fibroblasts are rushing to the wound site to begin the healing process. It’s a difficult journey for the cells as they pass through areas of dense tissue, but luckily the fibroblast cells have a form of protection called vimentin. New functions of this cage-like network within the cell were recently discovered by a team of scholars that included Alison Patteson, assistant professor of physics in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). Continue Reading

Physics Department Earns Honors, Embodies Syracuse University’s Research Prowess

Two Syracuse University physicists have been named fellows of the American Physical Society (APS), the latest professional recognition highlighting the increasing visibility of the department’s faculty and research. Lisa Manning, professor of physics and founding director of the BioInspired Institute, and Christian Santangelo, professor of physics, earned the honor, given to just half of 1 percent of the professional organization’s membership. In addition, Jennifer Ross, professor of physics, was named an APS Fellow last year. The three are among 23 Syracuse APS Fellows since 1949. Continue Reading