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Primary research areas in Bioengineering
Research in bioengineering is highly interdisciplinary, involving faculty and researchers that span academic departments, schools, and hospitals.
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering plays a critical role in supporting such efforts.
Biomechanics
Areas of Focus
- At the microscopic level, connecting structure to function through studies of interaction forces among proteins, the rheology of the cytoskeleton, and the morphology of tissue growth
- At the macroscopic scale, understanding animal locomotion and human manipulation
- Applying the principles of fluid mechanics to the problems in water transport in plants and the semicircular canals in humans
Researchers
Cell and Tissue Engineering
Areas of Focus
- Understanding the properties of individual cells, the material constituents of cells, and the assemblies of cells
- Application of these techniques includes studies of cardiac electromechanical coupling and the development of new drug delivery systems
Researchers
Instrumentation and Imaging
- Tool building for micro- and nano-scale fabrication
- NMR
- Microscopy
- Techniques for image-guided surgery
Researchers
Areas of Focus
- Understanding and modeling the nonlinear coding strategies employed by neural ensembles in the various pathways of the brain
- Extracellular recording systems permit the monitoring of ensemble neural activity in the somatosensory and visual systems in response to computer-controlled sensory stimuli
- Understanding and modeling the brain's motor control system and how the brain learns new motor skills, especially in patients with neurological disorders