U-M BME: Biomedical Engineering

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating chronic disease characterized by progressive scarring of the lungs. Available treatments can slow the decline in lung function, but they cannot reverse the damage or restore healthy tissue. Because IPF is often diagnosed only after substantial scarring has occurred, researchers are seeking a better understanding of the cellular events that initiate and perpetuate the disease.

A new study published in Advanced Science, led by Dr. Brendon Baker, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, examines a long-understudied participant in this process: the lung’s extensive network of blood vessels.

Read more: https://bme.umich.edu/2026/06/18/following-the-fibers-uncovering-a-vascular-clue-in-lung-fibrosis/

Be sure to submit your RSVP to attend the "Engineering in Cardiovascular Medicine Workshop" as soon as possible. The deadline to express interest in presenting is June 30.

The following keynote speakers will be featured: Christopher Chen, MD, Ph.D; Naomi Chesler, Ph.D.; Elazer Edelman, MD, Ph.D.; and Igor Efimov, Ph.D.

This event is scheduled for August 6-7 (Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) in Palmer Commons and is co-sponsored by U-M Biomedical Engineering, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and U-M Cardiac Surgery, with additional participation and support from the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Cellular Metamaterials (CELL-MET). Watch for more detailed agenda information in coming weeks.

RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZDwLsuWQh26Le8wFTJ1HLiyUQDiI8eh1bv759AvuPWatdpA/viewform?usp=header

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year grant expected to total approximately $2.5 million to U-M researchers, with an aim to engineer precision biomaterials to track, recruit, and study specialized immune cells. The project is a collaborative effort featuring Aaron Morris, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, and co-investigator James Moon, the J.G. Searle Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, and Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering.

Funded through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), these foundational tools will initially be used to monitor and evaluate treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS) models, with long-term potential to transform how clinicians track therapies for other autoimmune conditions, cancers, and vaccines.

Read more: https://bme.umich.edu/2026/06/15/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-autoimmunity-u-m-bme-researchers-awarded-2-5m-nih-grant-to-track-immune-cell-behavior/

Congratulations to James Weiland, Professor, Biomedical Engineering, and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, for receiving the Endowment for Basic Sciences (EBS) 2026 Teaching Award, representing BME, and to Yike Liu, who received the EBS Research Staff Award for BME, during an awards ceremony on May 27. Liu was nominated by Tim Bruns, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, and Associate Department Chair of Graduate Programs.

EBS refers to the Endowment for Basic Sciences. It is a cooperative program for the nine U-M Medical School basic science departments, which funds research initiatives, supports faculty recruitment, and issues annual awards such as the EBS Teaching and Research Staff Awards.

Read more: https://bme.umich.edu/2026/06/11/bme-faculty-research-staff-honored-with-2026-ebs-awards/

In a new study, researchers at the University of Michigan Department of Biomedical Engineering (U-M BME) have harnessed machine learning to successfully predict the metabolic inner workings of nearly 1,000 different cancer cell lines, creating a roadmap that could lead to highly tailored, synergistic combination therapies.

To understand how cancer cells control their metabolism, the U-M research team looked beyond just DNA. They utilized “multiomics”—an approach that examines multiple layers of biological data simultaneously.

Read more: https://bme.umich.edu/2026/06/11/u-m-bme-researchers-create-an-8d-model-of-cancer-metabolism/

Heart failure is an escalating global health crisis, accounting for nearly 18 million deaths annually and costing the U.S. healthcare system approximately $400 billion each year. When a patient suffers a myocardial infarction (i.e. heart attack), the resulting oxygen deprivation leads to the permanent death of heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes.

Because cardiomyocytes cannot multiply and there is no stem cell population that can make new cardiomyocytes, the heart heals with rigid scar tissue where the injury occurred. This permanent structural alteration impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively, frequently culminating in progressive heart failure.

While current medical therapies can slow the decline, heart transplantation remains the only definitive cure for end-stage heart failure—an option severely bottlenecked by donor organ shortages. To address this clinical gap, researchers at the University of Michigan Department of Biomedical Engineering (U-M BME) are working to engineer functional, living cardiac tissue grafts that can restore heart function.

Progress in this effort has been reported in Advanced Functional Materials from the laboratory of Brendon Baker, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering by building upon research led by a former graduate student, BME Ph.D. candidate Maggie Jewett. She has dedicated her doctoral thesis work to overcoming a historical limitation in cardiac tissue engineering: tissue scale-up while maintaining the high degree of organization to the myocardium.

Read more: https://bme.umich.edu/2026/06/08/building-a-better-heart-patch-fiber-by-fiber/

The Engineering in Cardiovascular Medicine Workshop is a joint venture among partners in Michigan Medicine (Cardiac Surgery, Cardiovascular Medicine) and the College of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) aiming to bring together P*s and trainees from the University of Michigan and beyond to share translational cardiovascular research.

The two-day event will be geared towards delivering high quality presentations, poster presentations, workshop-wide activities for engagement and networking, as well as focused sessions on building bridges between clinical and engineering trainees. This structure is designed to catalyze cross-disciplinary dialogue across engineering, clinical cardiology, and translational research.

“Engineering in Cardiovascular Medicine” is scheduled for August 6-7 (Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) in Palmer Commons. It is co-sponsored by U-M Biomedical Engineering, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and U-M Cardiac Surgery, with additional participation and support from the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Cellular Metamaterials (CELL-MET).

RSVP today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZDwLsuWQh26Le8wFTJ1HLiyUQDiI8eh1bv759AvuPWatdpA/viewform

About 200 attendees gathered at NCRC for a day of student research presentations, awards and the annual Glenn V. Edmonson Lecture on May 13, featuring Carnegie Mellon’s Adam Feinberg, Ph.D.

Intended to build the BME community across campus, the annual symposium provides a forum for faculty and students, along with collaborators, to present current research progress and discuss future research opportunities at the interface of engineering and medicine. This year’s event featured a mix of faculty and student research talks, poster presentations, networking opportunities, and recognition of outstanding student achievement.

Read more: https://bme.umich.edu/2026/05/15/2026-bme-symposium-with-glenn-v-edmonson-lecture-highlights-research-and-community-across-campus/

Thanks to everyone who dodged the raindrops and participated in Saturday’s BME 5K. This event, sponsored by the BME Graduate Student Council and the BME Culture & Community Committee, was an opportunity to encourage exercise while building social interaction. About 50 faculty, staff and students enjoyed fitness, fellowship and food during the event. Congratulations to all of our participants, and thanks to everyone who worked to make this activity happen.

Welcome to attendees at today’s BME Symposium with Glenn V. Edmonson Lecture. We have a full slate of speakers highlighting their research.