Dipanjan Pan
205 Hallowell Building
Membrane research moves forward with additional five years of NSF funding
Q&A with Andrew Zydney, director of the Membrane Applications, Science and Technology Center
By Mariah R. Lucas
Dual-energy harvesting device could power future wireless medical implants
By Matthew Carroll
Implantable biomedical devices — like pacemakers, insulin pumps and neurostimulators — are becoming smaller and utilizing wireless technology, but hurdles remain for powering the next-generation implants. A new wireless charging device developed by Penn State scientists could dramatically improve powering capability for implants while still being safe for our bodies, the researchers said.
Novel hydrogel finds new aptamers, or ‘chemical antibodies,’ in days
By Tim Schley
One double-helix strand of DNA could extend six feet, but it is so tightly coiled that it packs an entire sequence of nucleotides into the tiny nucleus of a cell. If that same DNA was instead split into two strands and divided into many, many short pieces, it would become trillions of uniquely folded 3D molecular structures, capable of bonding to and possibly manipulating specifically shaped molecules — if they’re the perfect fit.
Tiny bubbles could reveal immune cell secrets and improve treatments
Penn State researchers develop novel bubble-based technique to watch immune cells at work
By Jamie Oberdick
Soft tissue restoration, blood vessel formation focus of $3M grant
By Mariah R. Lucas
The ability to regenerate and pattern blood vessels, the literal lifelines extending deep into soft tissues, remains an elusive milestone in regenerative medicine. Known as tissue revascularization, stimulating blood vessel growth and pattern formation in damaged or diseased tissues could accelerate the field of regenerative medicine, according to Penn State researchers.
Penn State researchers use ultrasound to control orientation of small particles
By Sarah Small
Acoustic waves may be able to control how particles sort themselves. While researchers have been able to separate particles based on their shape — for example, bacteria from other cells — for years, the ability to control their movement has remained a largely unsolved problem, until now. Using ultrasound technology and a nozzle, Penn State researchers have separated, controlled and ejected different particles based on their shape and various properties.
New wireless, rechargeable battery research aims to reduce surgical risks
By Jennifer Matthews
Researchers at Penn State are designing a new wireless rechargeable battery for biomedical electronics, such as cardiac pacemakers, that will allow them to be charged and managed without the need for invasive surgery.
Improved, self-healing medical sensor responds to temperature, adapts to skin
By Sarah Small
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For wearable electronics to live up to their promise for health care monitoring, they need to do at least two things: transform from rigid to soft to accommodate changing structural needs, and heal their own normal wear-and-tear. With the help of liquid metal and specialized polymers, researchers have developed sensors that can do both.