For many people, engineering research conjures up images of projects on a grand scale—a bridge spanning a breathtaking river chasm or a vehicle hurtling through limitless outer space. Few of us imagine engineers charting the inner workings of the human body. But, that is the focus of the newest department in the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the Fischell Department of Bioen-gineering. The department was established through a $30 million gift from University of Maryland alumnus Robert E. Fischell, with an additional $1 million gift from Fischell’s three sons, David, Scott and Tim.

The bioengineering department represents a tremendous opportunity for students and faculty, says Clark School Dean and Professor Nariman Favardin: “Some of the most exciting, unsolved problems today are at the boundary between traditional engineering disciplines and biological sciences.” Here, researchers are applying the quantitative systems approach of engineering to the study of cells, subcellular systems and systems of cells.

It is critically needed work. “In order for the next generation of biomedical devices to perform more efficiently and effectively, there must be a close interaction between the engineering and human physiology,” states William E. Bentley, Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor and bioengineering department chair. Research conducted by faculty and students will ultimately contribute to the development of better tools and techniques for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of disease.

The Clark School took the first step toward creating the department with the establishment of a graduate program in bioengineering (M.S. and Ph.D.) in 2002. Advising students were faculty from a dozen academic areas, all of them engaged in bioengineering research. Now, with well-funded ambition, the Clark School is poised for leadership in the bioengineering field.

Robert E. Fischell M.S. ’53, Hon. Ph.D. ’96 is a scientist, inventor and entrepreneur whose innovative medical devices have improved the quality of life for millions of people. Fischell’s $30 million gift to the Clark School, one of the three largest contributions ever received by the University of Maryland, is the latest entry in his continuing support. In addition to a $1.5 million gift establishing the Fischell Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering, he has contributed to the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences for the Board of Visitors Distinguished Scientist Award/Honorarium and the Robert E. Fischell Lecture, and general operating support for the physics department. In the College of Arts and Humanities, he established the Fischell Associate Artist Fund. His other gifts have supported university-wide endeavors—including the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Athletic Facilities Renovation Fund, the Terrapin Club and the William E. Kirwan Prizes.

It Begins with Faculty

The bioengineering department’s focus on applied research and cross-disciplinary collaboration is helping to attract some of the brightest young minds in the field. Members of the department are working in research areas fundamental to modern medical practice, including cardiovascular mechanics, cellular and metabolic engineering, and nanobiotechnology. John Fisher, assistant professor of bioengineering, heads up the department’s Biomaterials Laboratory. Fisher is a recent recipient of a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Award, which he is using to further groundbreaking studies in cell signaling (communication) within engineered cells. This knowledge will contribute to his research in the development of techniques for the replacement of bone and cartilage lost due to injury or disease. A polymeric biomaterial for tissue transplants developed by Fisher and students in his lab recently received a university innovation award and has a U.S. patent pending.

Enrollment in the graduate bioengineering program now totals 33; with about 30 more students involved in the new undergraduate program that began this fall. Among the department’s outstanding students is Matthew Dowling, the recipient of the 2005 Fischell Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering. The fellowship is awarded annually and supports a full-time doctoral student who is working to develop a new medical device or system. Dowling is exploring the use of nano-sized molecular containers to improve the system of drug delivery in treating cancer. After a year of study and research, he appears to be on track for his long-term goal of biotechnology entrepreneurship.

Everything in Place

The school’s location—close to federal health care agencies, biotechnology firms and the university system’s medical, dental and pharmacy schools—has also promoted collaborative scholarship. An ongoing partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will further foster student research and faculty exchanges.

Next summer, the department is planning to move into a new $8.5 million, 6,000-sq.-ft. addition to the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, partially funded by the Fischell gift. The new facility will accommodate the program’s short-term needs, but within four years, the Clark School hopes to construct a new building for the bioengineering department and the Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, a separate entity that will take shape as the department grows.

“Once we have a building, we’ll take another step forward,” predicts department chair Bentley. “We will be able to hire additional faculty—people who bridge engineering with the clinical environment such as Maryland’s medical, dental and pharmacy schools—and to create a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program, giving students a wide range of research opportunities.”

Only the Beginning

“Right now, the bioengineering faculty is composed of very dynamic, very productive people, but this is just the beginning. Keep watching us,” Nariman Favardin asserts. “We are building one of the strongest bioengineering departments in the country.”

The beneficiaries of this brain trust will be people everywhere, according to the dean. “Through the work of faculty and students—work that results in improved medical treatment, enhanced quality of life and reduced costs—our bioengineering department can make a substantive contribution to health care in the nation and in the world.” TERP

Current Research in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering

• Adam Hsieh is studying the response by intervertebral disc cells to mechanical and biological stimuli, preliminary steps in the development of preventative and therapeutic techniques to treat spinal disc degeneration. • Peter Kofinas is working on the development of molecularly imprinted polymers that can be used as virus sensors with potential applications in areas that include gene therapy and homeland security.

• Helim Aranda-Espinoza is investigating the mechanisms by which cells adhere, spread and crawl over adhesive strata, focusing on cells involved in cardiovascular disease, with potential in the diagnosis and prevention of arteriosclerosis.

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