Bioengineering | Penn Today

Image of two plants and four examples of enzyme applications: denim biowashing, bioscouring, fruit juice clarification, and stain removal.

Everyday enzymes, now grown in plants

Myriad industrial processes rely on enzymes, from making orange juice to manufacturing denim jeans. Research emerging from the School of Dental Medicine is transforming how these enzymes get made.

closeup of cell proteins isolated in an environment on a black background

Cells control their own fate by manipulating their environment

Muscle, blood, brain, and skin cells are different from one another, but they all share the same DNA. Stem cells’ transformation into specialized cells is controlled through various signals from their surroundings. A study suggests that cells may have more control over their fate than previously thought.

cell phone camera capturing an image at the Issadore Lab

Engineers can detect ultra rare proteins using a cellphone camera

An innovative strobing system allows individual markers to be differentiated from their neighbors, allowing an accurate count, even in the ultra-low concentrations associated with hard-to-diagnose conditions.

By the Numbers

By the Numbers: Pennovation Works’ ascendant 2018

In its second year, Pennovation Works, a strategic blend of offices, labs, and production space that pushes for the advancement of knowledge and economic development, continued to move the needle on activating its space as an innovation destination.

Treating spinal pain with ‘engineered living tissue’ moves closer to reality

A multidisciplinary team at Penn successfully demonstrated the feasibility of an innovative new disc replacement made of living material.

Seven Penn researchers receive NIH Director Awards

Seven researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and School of Engineering and Applied Science are to receive National Institutes of Health Director Awards, highly competitive grants to support innovative biomedical research.

Orthopaedic implants for the future

The hardware that hold orthopaedic implants together must have some give in order to accommodate physiology. At the Biedermann Lab for Orthopaedic Research, specialists are studying and designing the hardwares’ minutiae to improve upon the intricacies of setting a broken bone in place.

Harnessing DNA tricks to boost nanosensors

Researchers have found a way to increase the sensitivity of graphene sensors using a trick of DNA engineering. The sensors might one day be used to monitor and treat HIV.

Bringing health innovation to life

The Penn Center for Health, Devices and Technology weds health care professionals with visionary ideas and the technological know-how to build innovative medical devices.

A faster way to make drug microparticles

Penn Engineers have developed a liquid assembly line process that controls flow rates to produce particles of a consistent size at a thousand times the speed.

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