PhD alumni Lily Peng (2012) and Kate Rosenbluth (2009) have been named to the 2020 Fortune Magazine “40 Under 40”, an annual list of 40 young professionals of exceptional talent and influence in their fields. Peng, now Product Manager at Google Health, aims to bring health care to the masses through the use of artificial intelligence. She has personally designed algorithms including the firm’s diabetes-related eye disease detection program. Rosenbluth, Founder and CEO of Cala Health, has designed an FDA-cleared wrist device that eases hand tremors for the 7 million Americans who suffer from essential tremors.
Sanjay Kumar named AAAS Fellow
Congratulations Professor Sanjay Kumar, named to the 2020 class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Kumar was recognized for his “distinguished contributions to the field of bioengineering, particularly the development of biomaterial and single-cell technologies to investigate mechanobiological signaling in health and disease.”
Time’s Best Inventions of 2020: Pivot Bio PROVEN
PROVEN, the world’s first microbial biofertilizer for cereal crops, has been named one of the 100 Best Inventions of 2020 by Time Magazine. Developed by PivotBio, a BioE spinout company founded by Karsten Temme, PhD 2010, the product replaces synthetic solutions with nitrogen-fixing microbes, which capture nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form that plants can use.
Congratulations Prof Vandsburger, new Guertin Chair
Congratulations to Associate Professor Moriel Vandsburger, the first holder of our new Timothy and Karen Guertin Chair in Bioengineering. Timothy Guertin (B.S. alum, EECS) is the former Chief Executive Officer of Varian Medical Systems, a member of the Board of Directors at Teradyne Inc., and Chair of the Global Access to Cancer Care foundation, which works to expand the availability of modern cancer care in developing countries. The Guertins are passionate supporters of biomedical research and global access to quality healthcare, and have endowed this faculty chair to provide additional support to an early career professor pursuing promising research.
Creativity still shines through remote learning
Despite physical separation, our students and faculty are finding new ways to pursue collaboration, team projects, and hands-on education. Our BioE 192 Senior Capstone Design course is one of the innovative efforts featured for their ability to pivot to remote learning.
FDA authorizes first rapid at-home covid-19 test, made by Lucira
On Tuesday the first rapid, at-home COVID-19 test was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. The test, made by BioE-founded company Lucira, uses their loop mediated amplification reaction process, a molecular nucleic acid amplification technology, in a battery-powered standalone unit. Rather than detecting antibodies, their test is designed to detect whether an individual is shedding the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The company was developing this technology for an at-home influenza test before rapidly pivoting to address COVID-19. Lucira is led by Debkishore Mitra (PhD 2013), who founded the company with John Waldeisen (PhD 2012).
CRISPR-Chip: from the Cover of Nature BME in June 2019 to a product in June 2020
Former BioE postdoc Kiana Aran, now professor at KGI, explains the one-year journey of the CRISPR-Chip from academic publication in June 2019 to a flourishing product in 2020. Berkeley bioengineers, including professors Niren Murthy and Irina Conboy, co-authored the original research.
Terry Johnson weighs in on online cheating
Professor Terry Johnson, also Faculty Director of the Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning, joined the San Francisco Chronicle’s discussion of cheating during remote education.
Can microbes save us from global warming?
Adam Arkin explains the latest research in synthetic and systems biology on the Science is Fun! podcast.