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  • January 2017: NSF I-Corps grant

    We successfully passed the final interview with NSF I-Corps Program Directors and submitted the full proposal to this Program on the potential customer discovery for our potentially disruptive technology referred to as "acoustic tweezing elastometry". Our project will most likely be funded by the NSF I-Corps Program. Our I-Corps team (Asis Lopez, Kevin Luo, Drew Mouton, and Dr. Damir Khismatullin) plan to participate in the Spring Cohort #2 - its kickoff session is in Boston on April 3-5, 2017.

  • November 2016: undergraduate student funding

    Most of undergraduate and 5th year Master's students in Dr. Khismatullin's lab have been funded by Tulane University undergraduate research grants. Emma Bortz's research is supported by grants from the CELT, Lurcy Program, and Newcomb College Institute. Funding for Monica Kala's research project comes from the Lurcy Program and Newcomb College Institute. Ardian Jones's and Bridget Daugherty's research funded by the CELT and Newcomb College Institute, respectively. Finally, Gray Halliburton's project is supported by the Lurcy grant. We thank all these organizations for their continuing support of our lab.

  • October 2016: We are the most diverse lab on campus

    The photo of our lab won the 2016 International Education Week Photo Contest. We are now officially the most diverse lab at Tulane. Thank you, Nithya, for organizing this photo-shoot and presenting us at the contest!

  • October 2016: BMES Meeting

    Our lab had two platform and three poster presentations at the 2016 BMES Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 5-8. Dr. Khismatullin together with Dr. Song Li (UCLA) organized the first BMES International Forum at this conference. This event that brought together highly ranked officials from BMES and bioengineering societies abroad (Canada, Australia and New Zealand, China, and South Korea) was very successful and sparked a lot of interest among BMES attendees and international visitors in organizing international minisymposia and sessions devoted to cooperation between the United States and other countries in biomedical engineering research and education.

  • August 2016: NSF/FDA grant

    Dr. Khismatullin has awarded a NSF/FDA Scholar-in-Residence grant. This grant will support Asis Lopez and Dr. Khismatullin's collaborative research with Dr. Myers at FDA as well the computational work in Dr. Khismatullin's lab on development of the predictive computational model for blood vessel rupture by high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound and microbubbles.

  • July 2016: Sabbatical visit at MIT

    Dr. Khismatullin has visited Dr. Roger Kamm's laboratory at MIT Mechanical Enhgineering and Biological Engineering from May to July, 2016. This visit has been supported by the LINK award from the Louisiana Board of Regents. Dr. Khismatullin established collaboration with Dr. Kamm and his coworkers with a goal to extend the VECAM-Active computational platform to modeling tumor vasculogenesis and cancer cell migration during metastasis. The computational data produced as a result of this collaborative work led to fascinating modeling data on chemotactic and haptotactic migration of cancer cells and lumen formation during active deformation and coalesence of endothelial cells.

  • June 2016: Student graduation

    Hakm Murad and Radhika Josi have sucessfully defended their Master's theses and graduated with both B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tulane Biomedical Engineering. Congratulations and many thanks for your hard work during all the years you worked in Dr. Khismatullin's laboratory! Radhika left the lab and we all wish her best in her future endeavors. Hakm continues to work in the lab, now as a Ph.D. student. He has received a Louisiana Board of Regents Graduate Research Fellowship. We all are happy for how much Hakm achieved and look forward to even greater achievements from him! In addition to Hakm, Vivien Yu has become a Ph.D. student in the laboratory. Her research will be supported by Drs. Woods and Khismatullin's NIH grant (see below). Congratulations to Vivien!

  • May 2016: Sabbatical visit at UCLA

    Dr. Khismatullin has visited Dr. Di Carlo laboratory at UCLA Bioengineering from February to May, 2016 to develop a computational algorithm for haptotactic spreading and contraction of a living cell. This algorithm is a part of VECAM-Active, a custom computational platform for fully three-dimensional modeling of motile cells. VECAM-Active has been shown to realistically simulate macrophage spreading and contraction on a patterned substrate, when compared with recent experimental data from Dr. Di Carlo's lab.

  • April 2016: NIH R01 funding

    Drs. Woods (Tulane Physiology) and Khismatullin have received a R01 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH to investigage the molecular mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerotic plaque development in patients with diabetes. Dr. Khismatullin's role in this project is to study endothelial dysfunction and monocyte-endothelium adhesion caused by mediators present in microparticles released from diabetic smooth muscle cells. This study involves experiments with the Bioflux 200 microfluidic shear flow system installed in Dr. Khismatullin's lab.

  • November 2015: BMES International Committee

    Dr. Khismatullin is a new Chair of the International Committee of the Biomedical Engineering Society. He will lead BMES efforts in establishing cooperation with biomedical engineering organizations worldwide.

  • November 2015: Even more student funding

    Gray and Radhika have been awarded a Lurcy grant and a grant from the Newcomb College institute of Tulane University, respectively. Congratulations!

  • October 2015: BMES meeting

    Many students in our laboratory attended and presented their work at the 2015 Annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society in Tampa, Florida. We had a total of 8 presentations.

  • September 2015: More student funding

    Hakm, Radhika and Aut have received Lurcy and Dean's grants for their research projects. Congratulations!

  • September 2015: Altria fellowship

    Kevin Luo has been awarded a Altria graduate fellowship in 2016 to measure changes in blood coagulation in smokers. This study will be done using our patented acoustic tweezing method. Congratulations!

  • June 2015: Our lab in the 2015-2016 AY

    We have a lot of changes in the lab personnel. Three new Ph.D. students will join our lab this year - Scott Hymel, Nithya Kasireddy, and Asis Lopez. Scott will conduct computational studies of blood cell migration and blood flow in bifuracting vessels. Nithya is coming from India. She will develop computational models of blood coagulation during acoustic levitation (NSF-funded project). Asis is a Ph.D. student in the Tulane Bioinnovation Program. He will study the effect of focused ultrasound on axon regeneration in the CNS. Additionally, Hakm Murad and Radhika Josi are now 5th year M.S. students. Hakm will continue his research on focused ultrasound-based anti-cancer therapy. Radhika's project is to investigate in vitro the effects of mast cell-macrophage interactions on endothelial dysfunction and monocyte adhesion. Finally, two undergraduate students will conduct their junior/senior research projects in the lab. Gray Halliburton will investigate the reduction of the metastatic potential of liver cancer cells after focused ultrasound treatment and Aut Singhchinsuk will conduct in vitro experiments on platelet adhesion to vascular endothelium exposed to the chemicals released as a result of mast cell-macrophage interactions. All together, there will be 10 students (4 Ph.D., 4 M.S., and 2 undergraduate) in the lab in the 2015-2016 AY.

  • May 2015: Sabrina is in the University of Michigan

    Sabrina Lynch, a member of our laboratory since her freshmen year, has moved to the University of Michigan, as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She will continue her research on blood flow, platelets and coagulation in the laboratory of Dr. Alberto Figueroa. She is a recipient of NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and has been interviewed in and admitted to several high-rank universities, such as Georgia Tech, Rice University, and Boston University. Sabrina, we all will miss you. Thank you for your great work in the lab and good luck for your new job!

  • April 2015: Undergraduate awards

    Hakm Murad has received a couple of Tulane BME undergraduate awards in 2015 - Nissim Nathan Cohen Award (graduating senior who has contributed most to his class, to his school, and to his profession) and Joyous & William C. Van Buskirk Scholarship Award (outstanding rising 5th year M.S. student). Both Hakm and Sabrina were members of the team who won the first place at the BME Team Design show - they are recipients of the 2015 Kenneth H. Kuhn, Sr. Memorial Award. Congratulations!

  • April 2015: Undergraduate student funding

    Hakm Murad and Gray Halliburton has received grants from the Newcomb-Tulane College of Tulane University (Lurcy program) that will support their experimental investigation of the use of focused ultrasound as an adjuvant anti-cancer therapy. Congratulations!

  • March 2015: Hakm will give an oral presentation at IUPESM 2015

    Hakm's abstract entitled "Focused ultrasound-triggered release of sorafenib from temperature sensitive liposomes for treating renal cell carcinoma" has been selected for oral presentation at the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering in Toronto, Canada in June 2015.

  • March 2015: Undergraduate student funding

    Radhika Josi has received a grant from the Newcomb College institute of Tulane University to conduct experiments on migration of oxLDL-treated mast cells and mast cell-macrophage interactions. Congratulations!

  • February 2015: Carol's paper in PLoS ONE

    Carol's research manuscript on co-activation of macrophages and mast cells by oxLDL and its contribution to endothelial dysfunction and monocyte adhesion in atherogenesis has been accepted for publication in PLoS One.

  • November 2014: More undergraduate student funding

    Hakm Murad and Zhongyi (Vince) Sheng have received grants from the Tulane Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching for the projects on 1) the development of the microfluidic system to study the effect of focused ultrasound therapy on the metastatic potential of prostate cancer cells and 2) computational modeling of cell deformation in cross-flow micro-channels (collaborative work with Dr. Di Carlo, UCLA), respectively. Sabrina Lynch and Radhika Josi has received grants from Newcomb College Insitute of Tulane University to investigate platelet-breast cancer cell interactions and endothelial dysfunction caused by oxLDL-activated tissue-resident cells, respectively. Congratulations!

  • September 2014: Undergraduate student funding

    Sabrina Lynch, Radhika Josi, and Hakm Murad have received grants from the Lurcy program of the Newcomb-Tulane College. Their projects are 1) to investigate the interactions of platelet-like microparticles with breast cancer cells of different metastatic potential; 2) to study the interplay between macrophages and mast cells in early atherogenesis; and 3) to study how focused ultrasound changes the aggressiveness of prostate cancer cells, respectively. Congratulations!

  • September 2014: Invited talks

    Dr. Khismatullin has presented two invited plenary talks: about computational modeling of active cell migration at the Mathematics of the Cell workshop in Banff, Canada and about "Integrative Learning in Biomedical Engineering Education" at the 2014 ASEE Midwest Conference in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

  • July 2014: NSF grant

    Dr. Khismatullin, together with Dr. Holt (Boston U.), has been awarded a grant from National Science Foundation to develop and experimentally validate novel rheological models for reactive biological materials. This grant will start on November 1st, 2014 and will support one graduate student and summer work of two undegraduate students.

  • June 2014: Hongzhi is in UCSD

    Dr. Hongzhi Lan, who was a graduate student and then a postdoctoral researcher in our lab, will begin his new postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Dr. Alison Marsden (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California - San Diego) on August 1st. Congratulations and good luck on your new job, Hongzhi!

  • April 2014: Tenure

    Dr. Khismatullin has been awarded tenure at Tulane University. He will become Associated Professor of Biomedical Engineering with tenure on July 1st, 2014.

  • April 2014: Success of the 2014 ASEE-GSW Conference

    Dr. Khismatullin was the chair of the 2014 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Gulf Southwest (GSW) Section Conference that was held in Omni Royal Orleans hotel, one of the premier French Quarter hotels, on April 2-4. The theme of the conference was Interactive Learning in Engineering Education. Its program featured many excellent talks and workshops that introduced the audience to innovative teaching approached. We reached the highest number of attendees (122) when compared with prior ASEE-GSW Conferences. Many attendees were very happy with the organization of the conference and mentioned the conference was the best regional meeting they ever attended. This success would be impossible without hard work of the conference staff, the program and logistics committees, and, of course, members of our laboratory. Hongzhi, You, Hakm, Sabrina, Scott, Jake, and Dylan - thank you for your help! Dr. Khismatullin will be the Chair of the ASEE-GSW Section starting June of this year and will focus its efforts on improving the image of the section and increasing its membership.

  • December 2013: Hongzhi Lan, Ph.D.

    Hongzhi successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on December 18. Congratulations on this important achievement!

  • November 2013: Undergraduate student funding

    Sabrina Lynch has received a grant from Newcomb College Institute to study the role of platelets in breast cancer metastasis. Congratulations!

  • October 2013: Undergraduate student funding

    Hakm Murad has received two grants (one from Tulane Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching and another from the Lurcy Program) to build a portable HIFU transducer in the laboratory and conduct prostate cancer ablation experiments with this new device. Congratulations!

  • September 2013: New graduate student in the lab

    Kevin Luo joined our lab as a Ph.D. student. He received his M.S. degree from Arizona State University, where he conducted focused ultrasound research. Kevin will lead experimental biomedical acoustics research in our laboratory. This research is funded by our American Heart Association grant.

  • September 2013: Carol Chen, Ph.D.

    Carol has successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis in June 2013 and is now a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Zongbing You's laboratory at Tulane University School of Medicine. Her postdoctoral project is to investigate the role of IL-17 in prostate cancer. Congratulations!

  • June 2013: Physical Acoustics Committee

    The Executive Council of the Acoustical Society of America has approved Dr. Khismatullin's appointment to the Physical Acoustics Committee from June 2013 to May 2016.

  • June 2013: NSF grant

    Dr. Khismatullin is a Co-Principal Investigator on a grant from National Science Foundation (PI: Noshir Pesika) to develop porous polymeric films with ultra-low coefficient of friction. His role is to conduct computational studies to find the optimal structure of these films.

  • May 2013: AHA grant

    We have received funding from the American Heart Association (AHA) to develop rheological models for whole blood coagulation in liver transplant patients! This grant involves collaboration with Dr. Joseph Buell from Tulane Abdominal Transplant Institute and Dr. R. Glynn Holt from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Boston University.

  • April 2013: First prize at the 2013 Tulane BME Team Design Competition

    Team Easy Breezy 548 (Gisele Calderon, Kelly Smith, Yonatan Kaplan, Carrie Griffith, and Elsie Rodebeck) mentored by Dr. Khismatullin won the first price at 2013 Tulane BME Team Design Show. They developed a prototype of a baby breathing monitor integrated inside an elastic belt that is expected to be worn on the abdomen of an infant. Congrats and thanks to the Team for this cool idea and the prototype development!

  • April 2013: Section Editor of Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models

    Dr. Khismatullin is a co-section editor, together with Dr. Karniadakis (Brown U.), of the issue on "Computational Models of Blood Diseases" for Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models, published by Elsevier.

  • April 2013: BMES Education and International Affiliates Committees

    Dr. Khismatullin has been selected as a member of the Education and International Affiliates Committees of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). He will be involved in the implementation of interactive learning in biomedical engineering education, the organization of BMES-affiliated international conferences and workshops, and the expansion of research collaboration between biomedical engineers in the United States and abroad.

  • April 2013: ASEE GSW Conference in New Orleans

    Dr. Khismatullin is an incoming vice-chair of the American Society for Engineering Education Gulf Southwest (ASEE GSW) Section and an organizer of the 2014 ASEE GSW Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, which will be focused on interactive learning in engineering education.

  • April 2013: Gisele is a Whitaker International Fellow

    Gisele is a recipient of the 2013 Whitaker International Fellows and Scholar Program, which is a funding opportunity for emerging U.S. leaders in biomedical engineering. She will spend a year in the laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Hubbell (EPFL, Switzerland) conducting state-the-art research in tissue engineering. We are truly proud of her!

  • February 2013: Team Easy Breezy 548 is in the Beyond Traditional Borders Design Competition

    Team Easy Breezy 548 (Gisele Calderon, Kelly Smith, Yonatan Kaplan, Carrie Griffith, and Elsie Rodebeck) mentored by Dr. Khismatullin will participate in the 2013 Beyond Traditional Borders Undergraduate Design Competition that will be held on campus of Rice Universty on April 5, 2013. The Team develops a novel device to monitor baby breathing.

  • December 2012: Megagrant

    Dr. Khismatullin is one of the key investigators in the Megagrant of the Government of the Russian Federation that supports the Center for Micro- and Nanoscale Dynamics of Dispersed Systems at Bashkir State University (PI: Prof. Iskander Akhatov (NDSU); other investigators: Profs. Nail Gumerov (University of Maryland - College Park) and Claus-Dieter Ohl (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore). Dr. Khismatullin will lead the Computational Bio-Microfluidics Group of the Center.

  • November 2012: Students' Funding

    Sabrina got funding from Newcomb College Institute to study platelet-endothelial cell interactions. This is a remarkable achievement for a sophomore. Sithira and Gisele got the Georges Lurcy grants from Newcomb-Tulane College. These grants will support our research on platelet adhesion, tumor spheroid culture, and breast cancer cell adhesion. Congratulations!

  • October 2012: Modeling Blood Cell Interactions Workshop

    Dr. Khismatullin's proposal on organzing an investigative workshop on Modeling Blood Cell Interactions (MBCI) has been approved by the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS). Drs. Karniadakis (Brown U.) and Konstantopoulos (John Hopkins U.) are co-organizers of the workshop, which will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 5-7, 2013. Click here to access the website of the MBCI workshop.

  • October 2012: Skolkovo Foundation Funding

    Dr. Khismatullin is a member of the international team who has been awarded a grant from Skolkovo Foundation for the project application entitled "The creation of a new treatment for breast cancer on the basis of agents obtained through the neolymphogenesis stimulation and induction". The team leader is Prof. Shamil Gantsev, a prominent Russian oncologist. Other members of the team are Profs. Melody Swartz (EPFL, Switzerland) and Kazuo Umezawa (Keio University and Aichi Medical University, Japan).

  • October 2012: Gisele's Grant

    Gisele got a grant from the Newcomb College Institute to study the interactions between breast cancer cells, dendritic cells, and lymphatic endothelium. Congratulations!

  • October 2012: Carol's Travel Award

    Carol received the BMES Travel Award to present her data on monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium activated by OxLDL and histamine at the 2012 BMES Annual Meeting.

  • September 2012: Newcomb Fellow

    Dr. Khismatullin has been selected as a Newcomb Fellow. The Newcomb Fellows Program of the Tulane University Newcomb College Institute supports "the higher education of women and participates in activities of the Newcomb College Institute that foster faculty-student interaction and research.". Three undergraduate women including a Newcomb Scholar (Gisele Calderon) conduct independent research in our lab.

  • June 2012: New graduate student in the lab

    You Lu is a new Ph.D. student in our lab. He will conduct computational studies of platelet aggregation / disaggregation in microfluidic channels.

  • May 2012: Carol's Teaching Award

    Carol has received the BME Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for her excellent work in the Transport in Cells and Organs class taught by Dr. Khismatullin. Congratulations!

  • April 2012: Second prize at the 2012 Tulane BME Team Design Competition

    Team Tortoise (Andria Civitella, Michelle Garner, Xiao Zhou, and Shishi Wu) mentored by Dr. Khismatullin won the second price at 2012 Tulane BME Team Design Show. They developed the device that allow a wheelchair user to comfortably play a bass guitar without having to support or position the guitar as he/she plays.

  • February 2012: BoR and Tulane Funding

    We have received funding from the Lousisana Board of Regents and the Tulane Provost's Office to develop the HIFU system in the laboratory!