"My interests took a path of their own," says Marcus Deloney, reflecting on what inspired his educational and career paths. The UC Davis graduate-turned-research scientist currently invests his time and considerable scientific skills helping others by researching new treatments for chronic illnesses.
Extracellular vesicles, or EVs, are nanoparticles released by every known cell and relay important messages across the human body — but how they exactly function is not well understood. Professors at the University of California, Davis, seek to change that.
I saw how instrumental engineering methods were to creating cost-effective, novel scientific studies and wanted to apply those methods to my own research. I had an amazing experience at UC Davis as an undergraduate anthropology major, so I knew I wanted to return to Davis for my doctoral program.
I was inspired to study engineering by my high school calculus teacher, who recognized my knack for problem-solving and suggested I look into the field when applying to colleges. I was also very interested in medicine and pharmacology, which led me to apply for biomedical engineering (BME) programs to get a blend of the engineering mindset with the medical aspects and applications.
Much like a fresh set of eyes, a small pen-shaped device is showing surgeons a more accurate way to treat cancer and heart disease. The device uses new technology developed at UC Davis to scan and illuminate unhealthy tissue in real time so it can be removed.
Just as the Department of Biomedical Engineering takes a holistic approach to health research, so too is their approach to improving the health of the culture within the department.
In 2020, the department created the Health, Equity and Wellness Committee.
Biomedical engineers at the University of California, Davis, have created semi-living “cyborg cells.” Retaining the capabilities of living cells, but unable to replicate, the cyborg cells could have a wide range of applications, from producing therapeutic drugs to cleaning up pollution.
A groundbreaking approach to treating spina bifida in developing babies combining fetal surgery with stem cells at UC Davis Health received research assistance from Biomedical Engineering Professor Aijun Wang.
Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Randy Carney has received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development, or NSF CAREER, Award.
The CAREER program offers the foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models and lead advances in the mission of their department.
Alzheimer’s is a disease without a clear diagnostic test nor a cure. However, researchers are developing new techniques and methods every day and in Professor Aijun Wang’s Lab at UC Davis, Biomedical Engineering graduate students Leora Goldbloom-Helzner and David Wang are exploring potential diagnoses and treatments for Alzheimer’s patients using extracellular vesicles.
