Combining science and engineering research for the life sciences

Author: Alice McBride

A person's hands holding two samples in a lab.

Unprecedented focus at Notre Dame paves the way for transformative discoveries and new therapeutics

What does a urinary catheter have in common with a pair of new shoes? Why add a robot arm to a mass spectrometry lab? How can petri dishes on the International Space Station further cancer research?

These questions are related to the work of three Notre Dame researchers — Ana Lidia Flores-Mireles, the Janet C. and Jeffrey A. Hawk Collegiate Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; Matthew Champion, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry; and Meenal Datta, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering — and represent a tiny sampling of the biomedical research taking place at Notre Dame and beyond.

In the spirit of the University’s recently launched Bioengineering and Life Sciences Initiative (BELS), these researchers draw on a multidisciplinary mindset to make discoveries and create new tools in fields related to biomedicine — ultimately aiming to improve the health and well-being of people globally.

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Originally published by Alice McBride at science.nd.edu on November 15, 2024.