Memphis BME Research

Research Areas

We have 12 nationally- and internationally-recognized faculty with their primary appointments in Biomedical Engineering (7 on the UofM campus and 5 on the UTHSC campus). In addition to teaching and inspiring students to explore and discover new ways to keep people healthy, our faculty are known for their shared passion for and contributions to science and engineering. Our faculty are currently conducting highly regarded and innovative research in the primary areas of Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Bioelectricity, and Medical Imaging; the following describes the various faculty labs and research interests in these areas:

Biomaterials (Tissue Engineering/Regenerative Medicine and Drug Delivery)

Dr. Bumgardner, Dr. Bowlin, Dr. Jennings, Dr. Hongsik Cho (UTHSC)

The multidisciplinary Biomaterials Applications of Memphis (BAM) Laboratory at the University of Memphis-University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) involves UofM faculty in chemistry, physics and biology, and UTHSC faculty in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry. BAM laboratory develops, charaterizes and evaluates biomaterials for biomedical implants, coatings, tissue engineering and drug delivery. Led by Dr. Joel D. Bumgardner, the lab has established world-recognized expertise in chitosan-based materials.

The Tissue Template Engineering and Regeneration Laboratory is focused on developing and evaluating electrospun biomaterials for tissue engineering of new tissues and organs. The lab is led by Dr. Gary L. Bowlin in conjunction with Dr. Marko Radic, immunology professor at University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

The Dr. J. Amber Jennings Laboratory engineers biomaterials that promote healing and regeneration, with research focusing on prevention and treatment of implant-associated infection. Dr. J. Amber Jennings has also established several industry-academia partnerships to evaluate antimicrobial materials and their biocompatibility.

Biomechanics (Movement Science/Rehabilitation and Biomedical Devices)

Dr. Williams, Dr. Gaidulis, Dr. DiAngelo (UTHSC), Dr. Mihalko (UTHSC)

The research activities conducted in the laboratories of Dr. John Williams cover biomechanics from the whole body down to the cellular and subcellular level. The laboratories include equipment to prepare bone and cartilage specimens for mechanical testing or histology; laser scanning and Microscribe 3D coordinate measurement machine (CMM) for digitizing bones and implants; software for reverse engineering implants, bones as soft tissue structures from optical scans and medical image data; equipment for acquiring 3D human motion kinematics outside or inside a gait lab using XSENS fused sensors, two fixed AMTI 3D force platforms with an instrumented stair case and portable stage, and a BIODEX SYSTEM PRO dynamometer for conducting muscle testing and proprioception; A small high resolution stereolithography printer (Formlabs) can print high resolution models in a variety of materials from soft pliable, biocompatible, to rigid and strong enough for actual use as a final product. Current research includes developing multiscale finite element models of joints with poroelastic and hyperelastic material properties with a focus on growth plate mechanobiology studies.

Dr. Gaidulis's research includes structural heart biomechanics, patient-specific predictive computational modeling, surgical and transcatheter repair of valvular heart disease, turbulent blood flow, and risk assessment of cardiac events.

Bioelectricity (Neurological and Cardiac Electrophysiology)

Dr. Curry, Dr. Parthasarathi (UTHSC), Dr. Bhattacharya (UTHSC)

Dr. Curry's research focuses on cardiac and neural electrophysiology, applying computational models and biologic experiments to investigate electrical activity in the heart and brain. Current projects include:

Optimizing atrial defibrillation using physiologically realistic computational models.
Studying dynamic reorganization in cortical networks following amputation and deafferentation in rodent models.

Dr. Curry collaborates with neuroscientists, neurologists, and engineers to explore rapid and delayed functional changes in cortical networks after permanent or transient forelimb deafferentation. Computational studies have also developed anatomically realistic models for cardiac defibrillation, lowering energy requirements for both implantable and external devices. More recent work includes simulating transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in human models, with future efforts directed at creating patient-specific and pathophysiological models to optimize TMS parameters.

Medical Imaging

Dr. Herickhoff

The Medical Ultrasound Imaging & Instrumentation Innovations Lab develops novel transducers and approaches to ultrasound imaging (and therapy) for many clinical applications. Led by Dr. Carl Herickhoff, the lab's mission is to develop and translate new medical ultrasound technologies to help improve human health, training and working in both fundamental and applied ultrasound engineering topics.

Research Collaborations

Our faculty collaborate extensively with other faculty within the Herff College of Engineering, across other UofM colleges and departments (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Health Sciences, Math, Physics, and Psychology) and with many units at UTHSC (e.g., School of Dentistry, Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Anatomy & Neurobiology, Neurology, and Microbiology, Immunology & Biochemistry). In addition, collaborations extend to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, the Memphis Veterans Administration Hospital, West Cancer Clinic, and over 50 medical device and biotech companies, including Medtronic, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Microport Orthopedics, Olympus Surgical Technologies, Bionova, Bioventus, and SweetBio.

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