Heart and Brain Researchers Unveil Tool for Studying Cellular Electrical Activity
June 30, 2026 | Categories: Research |ISCRM researchers who study the heart and the brain have shown that embedding an optical sensor in genetically engineered stem cells can be used to measure electrical activity in cardiomyocytes and neurons. Read More
Friendship Forged in Community Leads to Collaborative Cancer Research
June 4, 2026 | Categories: Research, Uncategorized |ISCRM faculty member Thelma Escobar reunites with a long-time friend to map how certain cancer-causing viruses rewire a cell's genes and metabolism during infection and identify possible targets to slow or stop viral replication. Read More
NIH-Funded Team Led by Berndt Lab Aims to Supercharge Protein Sensor Engineering
April 2, 2026 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research |An $11 million multi-institutional grant from the NIH BRAIN Initiative will enable Berndt Lab engineer new red calcium and neuromodulator sensors, giving scientists much more powerful tools to study brain function and neurological disease. Read More
Stevens Lab Reconstructs Human Liver Tissue Cell Architecture in 3D
March 6, 2026 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research |ISCRM faculty member Kelly Stevens is the senior author of a study, published in Science Advances, that unveils 3D reconstructions of human liver tissue offering unprecedented detail at the cellular level. Read More
ISCRM Researchers Use AI-Designed Protein to Produce More Mineralized Enamel
March 2, 2026 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research |ISCRM researchers have shown that an AI-designed signaling protein (known as a ligand) can be used to mature ameloblasts capable of secreting more mineralized enamel, representing another important step forward for regenerative dentistry. Read More
Harnessing Early Progenitors to Grow Healthy Kidney Tissue Inside the Body
February 18, 2026 | Categories: Research |The Freedman Lab used a single pool of stem cells to generate multiple cell types crucial for kidney function and showed it may be more effective to kickstart this process in vivo instead of engineering tissue outside the body for transplantation. Read More
Scientific Exchange Fosters Cross-Institute Collaboration
February 3, 2026 | Categories: Research |In late January, nearly 60 researchers from ISCRM and the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute gathered to foster collaborations aimed at accelerating disease research through improved modeling technologies. Read More
Pairing Biomaterials and Designed Protein Technologies Offers Scientists Increased Control of Intracellular Processes
December 12, 2025 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research |The use of computational protein engineering technology to engineer transient, membrane-less organelles inside living cells is the subject of a new study led by the DeForest Research Group in collaboration with the Baker Lab. Read More
Helper or Culprit: Re-Examining the Role of Fibroblasts in Dilated Cardiomyopathy
September 11, 2025 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research, Uncategorized |In a paper published in Science, a multidisciplinary ISCRM research team of biologists, engineers, and physicians shows that fibroblasts, often thought of as helpers, may weaken the heart by causing a harmful cycle of stiffening and scarring. Read More
Key Upgrade to Protective Cell Delivery System Offers Greater Control with Light
August 27, 2025 | Categories: Core Faculty, Research |The DeForest Research Group unveils a new tool, known as PhoCoil, that protects injected cells as they travel to their destination and gives scientists greater control over them once they arrive. Read More