Partners

Clinical partnerships tie our research endeavors to community needs and solutions. We work full-time on innovations to address the challenges facing society to improve the human condition.

Our strong network of partners—hospitals and healthcare organizations, both locally and globally—offers our students access to top physicians and researchers, and hands-on training. Whether students choose to pursue medical school or join industry after graduation, this early exposure is invaluable.

We have ongoing projects in our core areas of neural engineering and rehabilitation; biomedical imaging and instrumentation; and tissue engineering and synthetic biology.

Our use-inspired collaborations are helping to advance technology and drive solutions.

Further your experience by taking advantage of our strong partnerships including:

• Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for Health Care
• Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
• Banner Health System
• Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center
• Sun Health
• Core Institute
• Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
• Phoenix Children’s Hospital
• ASU’s Biodesign Institute

Our goal

“One goal of biomedical engineering today is fulfilling the promise of personalized medicine. Doctors have long recognized that individuals differ in their susceptibility to disease and their response to treatments, but medical technologies have generally been offered as “one size fits all.” Recent cataloging of the human genetic endowment, and deeper understanding of the body’s complement of proteins and their biochemical interactions, offer the prospect of identifying the specific factors that determine sickness and wellness in any individual.”

–National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges

Research themes

Bioimaging

Our imaging faculty work on developing new imaging techniques and contrast agents that target specific pathologies, creating translational imaging technologies, and using novel MRI phase mapping methods to measure tissue electrical properties. They collaborate closely with local medical centers across Phoenix, the Magnetic Resonance Research Center at ASU, and the Keller Center for Imaging Innovation at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Biosensors and Bioinstrumentation

Our biosensing and bioinstrumentation faculty focus their attention on research diagnostics for monitoring human and environmental health. They build microelectromechanical systems for better neural signal recording and drug delivery, and devices for interacting in real time with biological systems.

Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering

Our molecular, cellular and tissue engineering faculty focus on novel biomaterials for rebuilding damaged tissue, molecular and cellular therapies, and localized drug delivery systems for hard-to-treat cancers.

Neural Rehabilitation Engineering

Our neural faculty work on modeling and simulation of neural systems to gain insight into neural function, neural signal acquisition and analysis, and the development of specialized technology to evaluate and treat individuals with neural and biomechanical pathologies.

Synthetic Biology and Systems Bioengineering

The field of synthetic and systems bioengineering is based on the premise that living systems are modular, and thus, able to be engineered. This idea has spurred a new movement that has made a substantial impact on molecular and cell biology. In regard to basic research, synthetic and systems biology takes inspiration from the philosophical reflections of Feynman, i.e., “what I cannot create, I do not understand.” In SBHSE, we design genetically encoded information and cell micro environments to gain a deeper understanding of living things as well as to generate useful products, such as advanced medical treatments. Here, you will find research and coursework in engineered gene networks, policy and governance, biological network modeling, and biomaterials for multicellular systems.