This CAREER award will lead to the development of a high-throughput functional microfluidic platform and unique cellular constructs such that dynamic readouts of signaling associated with cell death pathways such as apoptosis can be investigated. The work combines advances in engineering such as BioMEMS with current knowledge in molecular and cell biology and pharmacology. This platform will be used to examine the mechanism of action of anticancer drugs, and ultimately be used in rapid drug screening. The research will lead to a reduction in time to development of new drugs, not just for cancer, but potentially for a variety of diseases.
The educational goals of this award, to enhance research opportunities and increase the number of students from underrepresented groups entering the professional workforce of biotechnology and bioengineering, will be achieved by (i) offering summer research experiences to high school students; (ii) increasing the retention of undergraduate engineering students; (iii) reaching out to industry to promote recruitment of biomedical engineering (BME) graduates; and (iv) enhancing the BME students' competitiveness in the job market of biotech/bioengineering by incorporating up-to-date biotechnologies into the CCNY BME curriculum and providing undergraduate research opportunities. For high school students, the research experiences will build their scientific knowledge and encourage them to pursue the BME major.
