Biomedical engineering

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Neural interfaces

Long-lived implants, movement with sensory feedback, and speech communication through brain signals.

3 problems

Problems in this collection

9 problems

Reading long, previously unknown proteins requires recognizing their chemical letters in order. Short-peptide identification is advancing; combining length, accuracy, speed and modified-letter recognition remains a demanding device target.

Human-scale organ cryopreservation

Rat kidneys have worked after cryogenic storage. Extending that success to a human-sized whole organ requires safe protective chemicals, ice-free cooling and uniform warming, followed by a demanding test of recovered function.

Implantable bioartificial kidney

A compact implanted device could combine blood filtration with living kidney cells. Can it provide enough continuous function to replace dialysis safely for long periods?

Small-diameter vascular grafts

Can a readily available artificial small artery remain open and remodel safely for long-term human use?

Noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring

Can a skin-worn sensor track glucose reliably over everyday life without repeated invasive calibration?

Wearable cardiac ultrasound

Wearable ultrasound can track deep tissues. How can heart measurements stay calibrated when a flexible array bends and its contact changes?

Deep-tissue sound printing

Sound can form injected materials inside tissue. How can a printer keep its pattern in the right place as deep tissue moves?

Implantable bioartificial pancreas

An implant can shelter insulin-producing cells and even generate oxygen for them. Can one retrievable device deliver a useful endocrine response at human scale while keeping its cells contained?

Microfluidic artificial lungs

Tiny blood channels can exchange enough oxygen to support a premature infant in a bench test. Can the complete device keep those channels open and compatible with blood during prolonged use?

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