2025 Projects
Here is a look at projects for the upcoming year.
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Henderson
Title: 4D Printing of Shape-Memory Polymers
Project Description: Manufacturing with shape-memory polymers (SMPs) has enabled paradigm-shifting advances across diverse fields through the creation of devices possessing spatially varying material functionality that cannot be achieved by any current approach. Yet gaps in fundamental understanding at the interface of materials processing and materials science currently impede progress. To address limitations and transcend the domains involved, the Henderson Lab is studying fundamental materials processing and science to achieve new approaches for fabrication of fully 3D, solid or porous devices with uniform or spatially varying functionality from individual, rather than composite, SMPs using off-the-shelf 3D printers (Figure). In this project, the REU student will perform interdisciplinary experimentation to study these approaches.
Role of REU Student in the Project: The REU student will learn a combination of shape-memory polymer synthesis, fabrication, analysis, and application. Methods and techniques that may be used in the student project include polymer synthesis, quantitative materials analysis, cell culture, and cell imaging and biochemical analysis. The specific details of the project will be tailored to the student’s background and professional goals. REU student participants with backgrounds in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, or related disciplines will gain increased breadth and depth in their understanding of topics highly relevant to their core academic field of study.
James Henderson, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website
Jain
Title: Macrophage Targeting Drug Delivery Systems
Project Description: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading degenerative joint disease marked by persistent low grade chronic inflammation and no approved therapies to slow down progression. Despite emerging role of synovial macrophage mediated inflammation in OA pathogenesis, precise therapeutic targeting of macrophages remains challenging. Macrophage targeting approaches can potentially remodel inflammation in OA, but unbiased elimination of all macrophages in the joint is detrimental. The goal of this project is to design a drug delivery system for efficient targeting and phenotype modulation of pro-inflammatory macrophage sub-types and restore the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immune signals in the joint. The proposed studies will establish design rules for polymeric nanoparticles which can selectively target inflammation promoting macrophage sub-type (M1), modulate their phenotype to restore balance between M1, inflammation promoting and M2 repair promoting macrophages in chronic and low-grade inflammatory diseases such as OA.
Role of REU student in the project: The REU student will be responsible for fabrication and characterization of biodegradable PEG and PLGA nanoparticle alongside a graduate student. The student will encapsulate and evaluate release rate of the two biomolecules from a combination of nanoparticles as well as characterize their cell uptake. The optimized preparation will be used for modulation of macrophage behavior.
Era Jain, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website: https://jainlab.syracuse.edu/
Joseph
Title: Evaluating the diffusion of bacteria-derived nanoparticles in mucus
Project Description: Infection and inflammation of the female reproductive tract affects millions of women each year and many underlying conditions have no effective cure. One major barrier to therapeutic delivery is cervicovaginal mucus, which prevents the diffusion of drug molecules to their cellular targets. Bacterial extracellular vesicles (nanoparticles derived from vaginal bacteria) may be naturally suited for diffusive transport through the mucus barrier. In this project, we will compare the diffusivity of bacterial extracellular vesicles and polymeric nanoparticles in a mucus model. This project will involve training in nanoparticle formulation, confocal microscopy, and multiple particle tracking (computational analysis).
Andrea Joseph, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website
Ma
Title: Using Machine Learning to Predict Drug Toxicity in Cardiac Organoids
Project Description: Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and developing safer drugs requires better models for testing their effects on the heart. Cardiac organoids are miniature, lab-grown heart-like tissues that mimic key features of human heart function. These organoids allow us to study how the heart responds to different drugs in a more physiologically relevant way than traditional 2D cell cultures. However, analyzing the vast amount of beating and structural data from organoids manually is time-consuming and inefficient. In this project, we develop an ML-based framework to automatically analyze beating patterns and structural changes in cardiac organoids. The ML model then processes this data to identify subtle changes caused by different drugs, helping predict potential toxicity before clinical trials. By combining bioengineering, artificial intelligence, and stem cell technology, this project advances drug screening methods and provides a more accurate, human-relevant model for studying heart disease.
Zhen Ma, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website: myheart.syr.edu
Movileanu
Title: Single-Molecule Detection of Proteins using Engineered Nanopores.
Project Description: This project is aimed at designing, developing, optimizing, and validating bioinspired pore-based nanostructures for detecting proteins at single-molecule precision. These studies will involve techniques of protein engineering and high-resolution electrical recordings through single biological nanopores.
Liviu Movileanu, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Physics. Website: http://lmovilea.expressions.syr.edu
Nangia
Title: Treating Alzheimer’s and Disease using Computational Modeling Approaches.
Project Description: Finding pathways across biological barriers for delivering life-saving drugs is entering a new era with the rapid advancement of computational resources. Our research group focuses on developing simulation methods to elucidate the interfacial phenomenon associated with biological barriers that play a role in life-threatening diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and chronic infections. Our goal is to influence this experimentally dominated research field by providing mechanistic, structural, and molecular insights into the barrier functions that were computationally unattainable before our work. In the past few years, we have made breakthroughs in understanding the molecular architecture of the blood-brain barrier and developed strategies to enhance the barrier’s permeability for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. In the summer, we will perform simulations to investigate the blood-brain barrier and provide a perspective on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Shikha Nangia, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Director, NSF Site: Interactive Biomaterials REU Program. Website: https://multiscale.syr.edu/
Ren
Title: Self-Defensive Biomaterials Based on Bioinspired Design
Project Description: In the innate immune system of mammalians, beating cilia of epithelial cells and the attached mucin proteins prevent the colonization of microbial pathogens. Abiotic biomaterials of medical implants lack such protection and thus are susceptible to microbial colonization, leading to biofilm formation and persistent infections with high-level antibiotic tolerance. To address this challenge, we developed a new strategy of biofilm control by magnetically driven oscillation of micron-sized pillars with mucin coating on biomaterials. The REU student will join the team to further engineer this system. This project will provide a training on biomaterials, microbiology, and imaging.
Dacheng Ren, Stevenson Endowed Professor Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website: https://renlab.syr.edu/
Wu
Title: Design of nanoparticles for protein delivery to CD4+ T cells
Project Description: Immune system plays crucial role in human health and diseases. The dysregulation of immunity drives the pathogenesis of numerous human conditions, including cancer and autoimmunity. CD4+ T cells, one of the main effector cell populations, are responsible for carrying out far-reaching cellular immune functions that regulates both cellular immunity and humoral immunity. Our team propose to modulate CD4+ T cell functions as a mean to control immune responses for the treatment of various conditions. This REU project will focus on developing nanoparticles that carry protein cargos with the capability of targeted delivery to CD4+ T cells. This project will provide opportunities for trainee to gain initial knowledge of nanoparticle manufacturing, protein encapsulation and characterization, in addition to in vitro biological assays to determine the effectiveness of the obtained particles.
Yaoying Wu, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website: https://immune-engineering.team/
Zeng
Title: pH-Responsive Polymers for Lysosomal pH Modulation
Project Description: Lysosomes are essential for cellular waste degradation and recycling, relying on their acidic environment for proper function. This project focuses on designing pH-responsive polymers that enhance lysosomal activity. The student will synthesize and characterize these polymers, examine their formation into nanoparticles, and evaluate their functional effects in cells. Through this work, the student will gain hands-on experience in polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, and cell-based assays.
Jialiu Zeng, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. https://www.lo-zeng-labs.com/
Zheng
Title: Bioinformatic Analysis of Single-Cell Sequencing Date from Human Embryoids
Project Description: Human embryoids are 3D cell cultures that mimic some aspects of early human embryo development, grown from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) by scientists. They are used to explore early human development, inherited diseases, and effects of drugs. Embryoids are not embryos—they lack certain structures and complexities of a fully developed embryo. It is a fascinating area of study that helps bridge the gap between basic biology and medical applications. Our lab has pioneered the development of in vitro models of human embryogenesis (microfluidic embryoid) using stem cells and microfluidics with superior efficiency and controllability (Figure. 5). This microfluidic device, made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), contains three parallel channels, partitioned by supporting posts. Gel contraction during gelation leads to formation of concave gel pockets between adjacent posts. hPSCs are injected into the cell loading channel before the device is manually tilted by 90°. Gravitational force directs the cells to settle into gel pockets to from clusters. Then Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4, 50 ng mL-1) is supplemented into the induction channel, after 36 hours of stimulation, the cell cluster develops into an asymmetric structure with squamous TFAP2A+ amniotic cells at the pole directly exposed to BMP4 and BRACHURAY+ (or T+, a primitive streak marker) cells at the opposite pole, resembling amnion-epiblast patterning in the pre-gastrulation human embryo. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a cutting-edge molecular biology technique that allows scientists to analyze the gene expression profile of individual cells. In human embryoid research, scRNA-seq is crucial due to the diverse cell populations.
Yi Zheng, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering. Website: https://yzheng.syr.edu/