Dr. Jiang Zhe, at left, and Dr. Ge (Christie) Zhang, have been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for their research project titled “A high throughput platform for rapid single cell surface mapping.” The grant was awarded on scientific merit for three years, beginning June 1, 2019, and will total $373,373.
This is the team’s third NSF Funded project since 2013.
Zhe is a professor with appointments in both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Zhang is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The objective of the research is to see how, at a cellular level, electrical stimulation changes a cell’s function and response. This knowledge will allow physicians to design individual treatment plans for patients who are receiving electrical stimulation therapy.
Take people experiencing cardiac arrest, for example. The outcomes learned from the research could potentially help someone receive the exact amplitude, duration, and frequency of a defibrillator to recharge a person’s heart. Other clinical applications include improving the outcomes of patients receiving Deep Brain Stimulation, a treatment used for people living with neurological disorders.
Zhe will design and build a biomedical device that will allow the team to precisely apply specific electrical signal to single cells and detect their electrical property, while Zhang will explore the responses of the studied cells triggered by electrical stimulation.
“This project is a great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to receive hands-on, multidisciplinary training in biomedical and mechanical engineering in state-of-the-art lab using advanced biotechnology,” said Dr. Zhe and Zhang.
Congratulations Dr. Zhe and Dr. Zhang!