Bioengineering:
The UIC Department of Bioengineering has developed unique resources in this
exciting and growing area. The faculty and staff are at the forefront of the
biomedical field, and our close affiliation with the University of Illinois Medical
Center at Chicago enables us to offer quality support to address your most
challenging projects. This department currently partners with many major
biomedical manufacturers (Abbott, Baxter, Biomet, General Electric and
Siemens, for example) in the Chicago and northwest Indiana areas. This service
offers you the unique opportunity to work on projects by using UIC resources as
an extension of your development activities in a very cost-effective way.
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
The bioengineering department has the capability and resources to provide
industry support in the following interdisciplinary areas.
Cell and tissue engineering
We have developed several systems for studying the effects of mechanical
forces at the cellular level. We have systems to expose cells to transitional fluid
shear stress, laminar fluid shear stress, vibration and ultrasound. These systems
are compatible with one another so that they can be combined to expose cells to
more than one stimulus.
The Laboratory for Biomolecular Imaging has several imaging and testing
systems uniquely integrated to probe and determine molecular, cellular and
physiological responses from nanometer-scale to millimeter-scale. Multiple
biological and physiological tasks can be accomplished, including toxicity tests,
controlled drug release, real-time 3D tumor cell invasion, and tissue functionality.
The multiphoton microscope, one of a few available in the Chicago area, offers
nonlinear optical techniques to scan and image in 3D. In addition, our
mechanical probes (laser optical tweezers and atomic force microscope) are
ideal to elucidate how cells and tissues physically interact with and are controlled
by nano- and micro-scale topological features of an extracellular environment.
Faculty experts:
Michael Cho
Susan McCormick
RESOURCE UIC web link
CELLULAR LABS AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
 Cellular Transitional Flow Shear Stress System
 Cellular Transitional Cylindrical Flow System
 Cellular Vibration Exposure System
 Cellular Ultrasound Treatment System
BIOMOLECULAR IMAGING SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
 Multiphoton microscope
 Confocal microscope
 Nanovid microscope
 Laser optical tweezers
 Atomic force microscope
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics analyzes, interprets and integrates biological data using
computational methods. It addresses challenges arising from high-throughput
molecular technologies in biomedical research, engineering and the
pharmaceutical industry.
Faculty expert:
Jie Liang
RESOURCE UIC web link
LABS AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Awaiting information from Dr. Liang
Chemical, Biomolecular and Nanobioengineering
Our faculty excel in nano, micro and batch processing using nanoparticles, viral,
bacterial and eukaryotic cells that produce and process new and raw materials
for product recovery, development of pharmaceuticals, nano-drug delivery and
environmental protection. They also use applications of principles of
nanotechnology in developing bioengineering processes, systems and products.
These include:
• Biological nanoparticles design and manufacturing
• Drug design, targeting and delivery
• Gene delivery and therapy
• Cancer diagnosis, prevention and treatment research and development through
nanotechnology
Faculty experts:
Andreas Linninger
G. Ali Mansoori
Christos Takoudis
RESOURCE UIC web link
LABS AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Equipment
---Gel permeation, HPLC, GC chromatography (WATERS) - Columns need to
be acquired by user
---Atomic Force Microscopes (tips need to be acquired by user)
---Supercritical fluids screening unit (up to 15,000 psia and 100 Oc)
---Ebuliometer
---pH Meter
---Microelectrophoresis – Zetha Meter
---Viscometers
---Potentiometers
---Nano/Micro Laser Particle Counter
---Calorimeters
---Interfacial Tensiometers
---Microscope
Software
---Supercritical fluid/liquid solubility prediction
---Heavy organics deposition from petroleum fluids
---Phase equilibrium prediction of multicomponent mixtures: ionic and liquid
metals solutions, colloidal solutions, petroleum fluids, polymer solutions and
miscibility.
Neural engineering
The Laboratory of Neurotronic Communication specializes in information transfer
between living neural systems and electronics, for monitoring or inducing neural
activity, especially in the vision and olfaction sensory systems. We use traditional
and novel electrophysiological techniques to evaluate animal models of disease,
investigate novel therapeutic approaches, and exploit properties of living systems
for sensor applications. We have expertise with in vivo and in vitro stimulation /
recording protocols.
Faculty experts:
John Hetling
David Schneeweis
RESOURCE UIC web link
LABS AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
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Electrophysiology of the eye (electroretinography, single-cell recording)
Ocular surgery, intraocular injection for pharmacology studies
Electrical stimulation of the retina / ocular tissues in vivo
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Multielectrode array for cell culture / tissue recording and stimulation in
vitro
Instrumentation development (analog electronics, microfabrication)
Finite element modeling of bioelectric tissue and hybrid neural systems
(QuickField, ANSYS, NEURON)
Culture of olfactory receptor neurons
Fluorescence microscopy
CONTACT INFO
Ralph Pini
UIC Engineering Corporate Relations Office