WPI specializes in three areas of biomedical research: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, and Bioinstrumentation and Signal Processing. Students choose the path that offers the best fit for their career goals and their interests.
Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Several BME researchers at WPI focus on creating biomaterials and engineered tissues for regenerative medicine and drug discovery applications. Research projects include engineered biomaterials for cell delivery and tissue repair (cardiac patches and skeletal muscle regeneration), microtissue models of normal and diseased human tissues (liver, cardiovascular, skeletal muscle and cancer), advanced biomanufacturing of cells, biomolecules, biomaterials, and tissue biofabrication. More recent interdisciplinary work focuses on the use of decellularized plant tissues as biomaterials, and exploring the plant-animal cell interface for the development of advanced biomanufacturing and tissue engineering processes.
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
Biomechanics research at WPI focuses on measuring the effects of mechanical forces on skeletal and soft tissue remodeling, and using imaging data and computational tools to understand these effects in the context of human organ and tissue function. Projects include quantifying the effects of exercise and pathology (aging, injury and non-loading, such as in spinal cord injury) on bone remodeling and mechanics, modeling concussion injury in the brain, and applications of robotics in rehabilitative medicine and image-guided surgery. Mechanobiology research aims to understand the mechanical forces through which cells act on and respond to their environment within normal and diseased tissues (heart valve disease, cardiac repair, cancer).
Bioinstrumenation and Signal Processing
Bioinstrumentation research at WPI focuses on developing sensors for physiological monitoring (pulse oximeters, pressure ulcer sensors). Signal processing research extends to the application of quantitative microscopy and deep learning to identify cell phenotypes associated with health and disease (cancer metastasis, quality assessment for cell manufacturing). Quantitative microscopy and imaging, combined with microfabricated MEMS devices for whole organism studies (C. elegans), are being applied to enable high throughput analysis of neurobiology networks and behavior to model human neurobiology (sleep, autism).