Bioengineering | Penn Today

rendering of an antibody about to go through the membrane of a cell

An easier way of sneaking antibodies into cells

Penn Engineers have found a plug-and-play solution that makes antibodies compatible with the delivery vehicles commonly used to ferry nucleic acids through the membrane of a cell without damaging either.

Researchers explore spinal discs’ early response to injury

Researchers may have found a way to press pause on spinal disc injuries, giving doctors more time to treat them before worse issues develop.

Engineers solve the paradox of why tissue gets stiffer when compressed

Tissue gets stiffer when it’s compressed. That stiffening response is a long-standing biomedical paradox, as common sense dictates that when you push the ends of a string together, it loosens tension, rather than increasing it. New research explains the mechanical interplay between that fiber network and the cells it contains.

an abstract depiction of a brain in multi-colors

A model for brain activity during brain stimulation therapy

Combined with data from other stimulation experiments , these models could help researchers determine the specific patterns of brain activity to target for improving memory.

from top left to bottom right, scene from the film The Matrix with Neo and Morpheus plugged into machines while laying back in chairs; Professor X wearing Cerebro, a person wearing a cap covered in electrodes while watching a computer screen with dots, and a person wearing glasses leaning back in a chair wearing a cap with electrodes

Brain-machine interfaces: Villainous gadgets or tools for next-gen superheroes?

A Q&A with neuroscientist Konrad Kording on how connections between minds and machines are portrayed in popular culture, and what the future holds for this reality-defying technology.

Paddlers in bright red boats on the water, smiling and posing for the camera.

Dragon boating, on the world stage

Computer and information science doctoral student Barry Slaff trains six days a week for dragon boating on the Schuylkill River, and is headed to Thailand to compete in the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships.

Training the next generation of globally minded researchers

As part of the Research and Education in Active Coatings Technologies for the Human Habitat program, students conduct fundamental research on materials that can improve lives while engaging in international collaborations and educational activities.

a line of cylinders with used water filters on a bench outside

How to make a better water filter? Turn it inside out

Penn engineers describe a novel approach for making antimicrobial nanoscale water filters while demonstrating new approaches that can be used to develop a broad range of materials.

A smiling person sits as one person touches his closed hand, another looks at part of a robotic device, and a third looks on at a laptop on a table in a medical room.

Sun, sand, and medical rehab robots

As part of a new interdisciplinary Penn Global Seminar, 16 undergraduates traveled to Jamaica to test and refine robotic rehabilitation devices for patients in need.

Rendering of a 3D printed medical device resembling scissor handles with a medical device extending from the shears.

Three-dimensional printing turns fiction into medical reality

One of its most significant impacts in health care is in the area of “traditional prototyping”—the process leading to designing medical devices.

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