News

BioInspired Awards Two Cross-Institutional Project Grants

Syracuse University’s BioInspired Institute has awarded a new round of intramural grants to two interdisciplinary, cross-institutional research projects.

One project looks at how polar fungi physically adapt to survive in extreme climate environments. Its researchers are working to determine how the fungi copy and transfer DNA code at the genetic, molecular, biophysical, cellular and organismal levels.

The second project examines how shape-memory polymers react to both synthetic and biological stimuli and how various treatments affect the materials’ makeup and characteristics. The research team is studying the processes organisms use to successfully adjust their molecular structure to overcome energetic barriers. Continue Reading

‘Fishing’ for Biomarkers

While a popular hobby for many, fishing is also a pastime full of uncertainty. Each time you have something on the line, you can never be completely sure what type of fish you’ve hooked until you pull it out of the water. In a similar way, scientists “fishing” for biomarkers—molecules whose health care applications include signaling for the presence of cancer—in such biofluids as blood can also encounter unpredictability. Finding a specific protein biomarker in a pool of thousands is like trying to catch a particular fish species in the vast ocean.

Luckily, a team of researchers from the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), SUNY Upstate Medical University, Ichor Therapeutics and Clarkson University have devised a tiny, nano-sized sensor capable of detecting protein biomarkers in a sample at single-molecule precision. Fittingly coined as “hook and bait,” a tiny protein binder fuses to a small hole created in the membrane of a cell—known as a nanopore—which allows ionic solution to flow through it. When the sensor recognizes a targeted molecule, the ionic flow changes. This change in flow serves as the signal from the sensor that the biomarker has been found.

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Heidi Hehnly and Renée Crown University Honors Program presents ‘The Value of Beauty and Beauty in Science’

Is there beauty in science? What insights can arise from viewing scientific theories through a lens of beauty? How does such perspective bring value to individuals and society?

These are among the interdisciplinary questions to be explored at the Renée Crown University Honors Program inaugural symposium, “The Value of Beauty and Beauty in Science.” On Tuesday, April 4, a panel will engage in discussion from 2 to 4:40 p.m. in 214 Slocum Hall, followed by a reception from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. at the Syracuse University Art Museum in the Shaffer Art Building. Continue Reading

Engineered Magic: Wooden Seed Carriers Mimic the Behavior of Self-Burying Seeds

Before a seed can grow into a tree, flower or plant, it needs to successfully implant itself in soil – a delicate and complex process. Seeds need to be able to take root and then remain protected from hungry birds and harsh environmental conditions. For the Erodium flower to implant a seed, its stalk forms a tightly wound, seed-carrying body with a long, curved tail at the top. When it begins to unwind, the twisting tail engages with the ground, causing the seed carrier to push itself upright. Further unwinding creates torque to drill down into the ground, burying the seed.

Inspired by Erodium’s magic, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Teng Zhang worked with Lining Yao from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and a team of collaborators to engineer a biodegradable seed carrier referred to as E-seed. Continue Reading

Alison Patteson Named Cottrell Scholar

College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Professor Alison Patteson has been recognized with a 2023 Cottrell Scholar award, a prestigious national honor that ranks her among the country’s best faculty researchers and teachers from the fields of astronomy, chemistry and physics. A faculty member at Syracuse University since 2018 and a member of the BioInspired Institute, Patteson researches cell migration and how cells navigate and respond to their environment.

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