The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University

ASU research team working to decode TB

The Biodesign Institute — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:11:09 -0700

Thousands of new cases of tuberculosis are reported in the United States every year, making the disease an enduring menace. Three ASU researchers are among those trying to decipher the origins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria responsible for TB. They are making strides to establish a credible evolutionary timeline to better understand the disease.

Grant to Advance Supercomputing for Human Health

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:37:13 -0700

ASU, TGen to co-develop supercomputing system, tools aimed at molecular identification of numerous diseases

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.99 million grant to the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) to enhance its supercomputing capabilities. The project aligns TGen with Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering and Biodesign Institute to build a scalable supercomputing system and develop various computational and statistical tools that address complex biomedical questions.

Local teachers and students participate in Arizona’s largest summer high school bioscience internship program

The Biodesign Institute — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:11:58 -0700

While many of their peers were off enjoying summer holiday, 58 talented and dedicated Valley high school students and teachers engaged in solving real-world problems alongside Biodesign Institute scientists as part of Arizona’s largest high school bioscience internship program at Arizona State University.

Arntzen to give lecture at the American Phytopathological Society

The Biodesign Institute — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:43:15 -0700

Global initiatives to improve human health will need more than scientific innovation— securing safe and affordable food and water systems are just as critical to long-term success. These issues will be among the topics discussed at this year’s special two-day plenary session of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), “Agriculture, Food Security and Public Health: Global Issues – Global Solutions.”

Arizona State University announces new initiative leveraging intellectual fusion to revolutionize university research

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:06:50 -0700

George Poste appointed to lead effort

Arizona State University President Michael Crow has announced a major new initiative that will revolutionize academic research through the innovative convergence of science, engineering, social sciences and computing. The effort will build on intellectual principles of success pioneered by ASU’s Biodesign Institute.

Can microorganisms be a solution to the world's energy problems?

The Biodesign Institute — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:39:36 -0700

Microorganisms once reigned supreme on the Earth, thriving by filling every nook and cranny of the environment billions of years before humans first arrived on the scene. Now, this ability of microorganisms to grow from an almost infinite variety of food sources may play a significant role in bailing out society from its current energy crisis, according to the Biodesign Institute’s Bruce Rittmann, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, and Rolf Halden.

From friend to foe: Researchers use salmonella as a way to administer vaccines in the body

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:38:43 -0700

Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have made a major step forward in their work to develop a biologically engineered organism that can effectively deliver an antigen in the body. The researchers report that they have been able to use live salmonella bacterium as the containment/delivery method for an antigen.

Biodesign collaborative mettle leads to new SARS vaccine project

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:56:28 -0700

Zhong Huang, Brenda Hogue to make SARS vaccine candidates in tobacco plants

Biodesign Institute research assistant professor Zhong Huang recently received funding to lead a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) vaccine project from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.

ASU Leads the Nation with Largest University Solar Installation

The Biodesign Institute — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:50:03 -0700

Arizona State University has awarded energy contracts to Honeywell Building Systems, Independent Energy Group and SolEquity to install two megawatts of solar electric modules on approximately 135,000 square feet of building rooftop space and some parking structures on its Tempe campus. The installation will begin in August 2008 with completion scheduled for December 2008.

Biodesign Institute appoints finance planning director

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:49:31 -0700

Biodesign has named Stephen R. Saunders, MBA, director of planning and control for sponsored projects.

Partnership for Personalized Medicine enters international collaboration with Government of Luxembourg to accelerate lung cancer research

The Biodesign Institute — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:15:16 -0700

Biodesign Institute, TGen, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center to drive health care innovation in the U.S. and overseas

The Partnership for Personalized Medicine, formed last fall with funding support from the Virgina G. Piper Charitable Trust and Flinn Foundation, will explore the development of novel diagnostics for lung cancer.

Biodesign’s Rittmann offers fresh perspectives on society’s energy challenge

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:07:37 -0700

ASU expert touts solar-based bioenergy technologies as best approach

For Bruce Rittmann, the threat of global warming also presents a significant opportunity for innovation and fresh solutions to today’s energy challenges. Rittmann sees a vast untapped potential of using microbes in service to society to meet our energy challenges.

Supercomputing experts help Myanmar relief efforts

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:45:29 -0700

Project exemplifies goals of proposed university-led consortium to serve humanitarian aid organizations worldwide

Arizona State University is using its supercomputing capabilities to aid humanitarian organizations attempting to provide disaster relief to victims of Cyclone Nargis that hit the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar on May 2. ASU’s High Performance Computing Initiative (HPCI), a part of the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, has established a Web site to provide aid organizations with up-to-date satellite images of conditions on the ground in Myanmar.

The Biodesign Institute adds educators to reach teachers and students

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:47:45 -0700

Biodesign has appointed Kenneth Costenson and Lisa Osinga as outreach educators. Together, they bring more than 35 years of teaching and educational administrative experience to the institute.

Anti-bacterial soap bad for the environment

The Biodesign Institute — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:47:52 -0700

ASU Biodesign Institute Researcher Rolf Halden studies soap’s effect on environment and impact on human health

The craze over bacteria-killing soaps is likely causing significant harm to the environment and could potentially impact human health, according to ASU Biodesign Institute researcher Rolf Halden, PhD. Halden is a noted expert in determining where in the environment mass-produced chemicals wind up, their impact on health, and how to remove them from drinking water and agricultural soils.

Rittmann bestowed with top civil engineering society, ASU faculty achievement awards

The Biodesign Institute — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:52:40 -0700

Bruce Rittmann, PhD, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, as well as director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute, is to receive the Simon W. Freese Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Additionally, Rittmann has been selected as this year’s recipient of the ASU Faculty Achievement Award in Defining Edge Research, Natural Sciences/Math.

Lindsay receives Regents' Professor honor

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:40:53 -0700

ASU has announced four new ASU Regents’ Professors for 2008. This year’s honorees include Biodesign’s own Stuart Lindsay, PhD, who has been at ASU for 29 years. Lindsay, a professor in physics and chemistry and the Edward and Nadine Carson Presidential Chair in Physics, specializes in biophysics at the molecular level and scanning probe microscopy.

'Boosting' research to develop world's fastest nanomotor

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:53:51 -0700

In a “major step” toward a practical energy source for powering tomorrow’s nanomachines, researchers at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute report the development of a new generation of tiny nanomotors that are up to 10 times more powerful than existing motors. Just like weekend hot-rodders who tinker with their car engines in the ultimate quest for speed, a research team led by Joseph Wang, who directs the institute’s Center for Biosensors and Bioelectronics, set out to improve on the design of current nanomotors.

Deep sea exploration from the desert

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:45:06 -0700

Fulton Dean and Biodesign researcher Meldrum uses remote sensing to plumb the ocean floor

A key partner in a multi-institutional, deep sea exploration effort is the Center for Ecogenomics, which is based in ASU’s Biodesign Institute and directed by Deirdre Meldrum, dean of the university’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering. Meldrum’s center is developing sensors and other sophisticated devices to make an underwater observation system designed to provide real-time data and measurements to researchers on land.

Cardineau chosen as Centennial Professor

The Biodesign Institute — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:22:15 -0700

Guy Cardineau, a Faculty Fellow in the Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, is one of two ASU faculty members to be named a 2008-2009 Centennial Professor by Associated Students of ASU.

Biodesign's Nickerson Speaks on Capitol Hill

The Biodesign Institute — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:51:19 -0700

Biodesign Institute researcher Cheryl Nickerson recently served as a key witness in a hearing with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, regarding NASA's International Space Station (ISS) Program. Nickerson was part of a prestigious panel that provided testimony expounding on the significance of NASA's ISS Program and its tremendous potential to benefit mankind.

Mayo Clinic, Biodesign Institute collaboration examines link between gut bacteria and obesity

The Biodesign Institute — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:39:42 -0700

Obesity is more than a cosmetic concern, because it increases a person’s risk for developing high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other serious health problems. In the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers from Mayo Clinic Arizona and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University examine the role that bacteria found in the human gastrointestinal tract play in regulating weight and the development of obesity.

Chemical cousin of DNA new nanotechnology building block

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:27:47 -0700

While scientists are fully exploring the promise of DNA nanotechnology, Biodesign Institute scientist John Chaput is working to give researchers brand new materials to aid their designs. Chaput and his research team have made the first self-assembled nanostructures composed entirely of glycerol nucleic acid (GNA)—a synthetic analog of DNA.

Biodesign Institute appoints Mike McLeod to Director of Facility Services

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:53:35 -0700

The Biodesign Institute has appointed Michael McLeod as director of facility services. In this role, he will oversee facility improvements, maintenance, space management, security, and shipping and receiving.

“Healing clays” hold promise in fight against MRSA superbug infections and disease

The Biodesign Institute — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:07:20 -0700

Mud may be coming to a medicine cabinet or pharmacy near you. Scientists from Arizona State University report that minerals from clay promise could provide inexpensive, highly-effective antimicrobials to fight methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections that are moving out of health care settings and into the community. These “superbugs” are increasingly resistant to multiple antibiotics and cause thousands of deaths each year.