![Shana Kelley](../../../images/shana-kelley-thumbnail.jpg)
2023 News
![Shana Kelley](../../../images/shana-kelley-thumbnail.jpg)
![Guillermo Ameer](../../../images/guillermo-ameer-portrait-square.jpg)
Ameer elected a Biomaterials Science and Engineering Fellow
![Evangelos Kiskinis](../../../images/evangelos-kiskinis-thumbnail2.jpg)
Studies identify novel underpinnings of genetic ALS
![Cells supported by an oxygenation device](../../../images/rivnay-oxygenated-cells-thumbnail.png)
A breath of fresh air keeps drug-producing cells alive longer
![Synthetic melanin being applied to inflamed skin](../../../images/super-melanin-thumbnail.jpg)
‘Super melanin’ heals skin injuries from sunburn, chemical burns
![Cara Smith](../../../images/cara-smith_thumbnail.jpg)
Meet the Researchers: Cara Smith
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Developing new approaches for spinal cord injury
Northwestern researchers led by SQI director Samuel Stupp have developed a molecular “scaffold” capable of enhancing electrical activity and growth in neurons, which may prove useful in treating spinal cord injuries. The scaffolds were composed of a novel nanofiber that mimics the bioactivity of the protein netrin-1 and sustainably delivers signals to neurons over long periods of time.
SQI members Evangelos Kiskinis and Zaida Alvarez were coauthors of the paper, which was published in ACS Nano.
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Identifying molecular culprits underlying organ rejection
A research team including SQI member Zheng Jenny Zhang has identified how the immune system can regulate organ rejection in mice, which may prove useful for improving transplant tolerance in humans.
The findings suggest that priming T-cells of transplant recipients with repeated injections of antigens from their organ donor may help the recipient’s body avoid organ rejection resulting from infection. The results of the study also identify donor MHC class II as a problematic antigen that may be a cause of rejection after severe infections.
![Nathan Gianneschi](../../../images/nathan-gianneschi-thumbnail.jpg)
Protein-like polymers illuminate the path to macular degeneration treatment
![Guillermo Ameer](../../../images/guillermo-ameer-portrait-square.jpg)
Ameer wins BMES medal for translational bioengineering
![Drug-producing implant](../../../images/cancer-treating-implant-thumbnail.jpg)
Small, implantable device could sense and treat cancer
![Guillermo Ameer](../../../images/guillermo-ameer-portrait-square.jpg)
Ameer wins Excellence in Biomaterials Science Award
![Neurons](../../../images/kiskinis-als-gene-thumbnail.jpg)
‘New’ ALS gene destabilizes neuron’s structure and chokes off its nucleus
![Student making biomaterials out of alginate](../../../images/nslc-tours-2023-thumbnail.jpg)
SQI hosts high school students interested in medicine
![Shana Kelley](../../../images/shana-kelley-thumbnail.jpg)
New DNA identification approach could improve monitoring for chronic diseases
![Zheng Jenny Zhang](../../../images/jenny-zhang-thumbnail.jpg)
Meet the Faculty: Zheng Jenny Zhang
![Susan Quaggin](../../../images/quaggin-thumbnail.jpg)
Quaggin named new chair of Medicine
![Panelists speaking about biomedical science](../../../images/inauguration-panel-thumbnail.jpg)
What does the new frontier in biomedicine look like?
![American Academy of Arts and Sciences logo](../2018/sqi-small-logo.png)
Three SQI members elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
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New therapy harnesses patients’ blood cells to fight tumors
Researchers led by SQI member Shana Kelley have discovered it is possible to isolate a tumor’s attack cells non-invasively from blood, rather than from tumors. The approach is fast, cost-effective and could be used to treat a variety of cancers.
![Aptamers](../../../images/aptamers-thumbnail.jpg)
Plastic transistor amplifies biochemical sensing signal
![](../../../images/shana-kelley-thumbnail.jpg)
Kelley to lead new biomedical research hub
SQI member Shana Kelley has been selected as president of a new biomedical research hub in Chicago funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). CZI will invest $250 million over a decade into the biohub, which will bring together scientists from three Illinois universities to develop tiny sensors that measure biological processes in human tissues. The work is expected to provide new insights into inflammation and how it contributes to disease.
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Stupp awarded Bauerman Medal
SQI director Samuel Stupp has been awarded the Bauerman Medal from the Materials Department at Imperial College London. The medal and accompanying prize lecture highlight advances in materials science and engineering. Stupp’s lecture, Frontiers in Supramolecular Design of Materials, will be delivered on March 15.
![Randy Atwal](../../../images/randy-atwal-thumbnail.jpg)
Meet the Researchers: Randy Atwal
![vertical electrochemical transistor](../../../images/electrochemical-transistor-thumbnail.jpg)
Vertical electrochemical transistor pushes wearable electronics forward
![](../../../images/neurons-thumbnail.jpg)
Mature ‘lab grown’ neurons hold promise for neurodegenerative disease
Researchers led by SQI members Evangelos Kiskinis and Samuel Stupp have created the first highly mature neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a feat that opens new opportunities for medical research and potential transplantation therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries.
Not only were the enriched neurons more mature, they also demonstrated enhanced signaling capabilities and greater branching ability, which is required for neurons to make synaptic contact with one another. And, unlike typical stem cell-derived neurons which tend to clump together, these neurons did not aggregate, making them less challenging to maintain.
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