BIOFLUID AND BIOTRANSPORT LABORATORY
AND
BIOINNOVATION
Biofluid Mechanics and Biotransport
We investigate the interrelationships between fluid mechanical and physicochemical phenomena and the associated biological behavior of physiological systems.
Our research involves investigations of the pulmonary system, with the goal of developing improved therapies for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and the prevention of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI).
These integrated studies bring together basic and applied scientists (including computational scientists), device developers and physicians to study problems of high clinical importance.
Interdisciplinary PhD Program in BioInnovation
Graduate education in the sciences and engineering rarely offers the training and experiences necessary to fully prepare graduates to enter directly into non-academic research and leadership positions. We challenge this paradigm by creating an interdisciplinary PhD program in bioinnovation that cultivates our trainee’s abilities to develop clinically relevant biomedical technologies and devices leading to commercial products. This program couples research with entrepreneurship to develop graduates who can lead the creation of innovative and cost-effective solutions to complex biomedical problems.
Trainees complete a bioinnovation curriculum that includes courses in entrepreneurship, marketing and intellectual property, and an FDA internship where they will learn device regulation and establish non-academic research collaborations. Business plans are developed with colleagues in Tulane’s schools of Business, Law and Medicine. Research projects generally center on drug delivery with application in regenerative medicine, biosensors or therapeutic materials.
This project provides exceptional opportunities to a wide variety of students. Current NSF IGERT fellows learn first-hand about entrepreneurship, intellectual property and regulation. Teamwork interactions educate non-scientists about transformational research approaches. The development of new technologies and devices will expand economic development and reinforce the burgeoning biomedical industry of the New Orleans region.
