biobots – Miniature Brain Machinery

May 20, 2020May 20, 2020

Collin Kaufman Develops Spinobot

MBM Trainee Collin Kaufman has recently explanted an intact rat’s spinal cord into a biobot with a 3-D muscle system made of engineered tissue. The biological-robot hybrid could pave the way to major medical advances.

“When we looked more deeply …

July 10, 2018July 10, 2018

MBM Trainees Teach Girls About Biobots

This summer, MBM trainees Lauren Grant and Gelson Pagan-Diaz participated in Girls’ Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (GAMES) Camp, an Illinois-based program designed to give academically talented high school girls an opportunity to explore engineering and scientific fields. …

Discoveries relevant to our brains, which influence and control such a wide range of actions, emotions, and thoughts, have relied on two complimentary approaches: cognitive and behavior studies and brain cell and tissue biology studies. Our research traineeship program utilizing miniature brain machinery, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), combines these two paradigms to train the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce to advance discovery. Our students are recruited from neuroscience, cell and developmental biology, molecular and integrative physiology, chemistry, chemical and biomolecular engineering, bioengineering, electrical and computer engineering, and psychology to foster a culture of innovation and translational research, and will significantly impact efforts to understand and control brain activities ongoing at other institutions.