bio research udel

Program Educational Goals:

Program description: Designed for students desiring a deeper understanding of biological phenomena with the freedom to select their courses of interest.

• Goal 1: Demonstrate knowledge of major Biology core concepts.
• Goal 2: Understand and apply the process of science, including experimental design, data analysis and interpretation.
• Goal 3: Use critical thinking and quantitative reasoning for analysis and evaluation.
• Goal 4: Demonstrate written and oral skills for communicating scientific ideas.
• Goal 5: Gain skills to work independently and collaboratively.
• Program-specific goal: Develop a deeper OR broader understanding of Biology in area(s) of interest selected by the student.

Four Year Plan

Please refer to the Four-Year Plan for departmental recommended path toward graduation.     

University Requirements:

• ENGL 110 - First-Year Writing    (C- minimum)
• First Year Seminar (FYS)    (0-4 credits)
• Discovery Learning Experience (DLE)    (three credits)
• Multicultural Requirement    (three credits)
• Creative Arts and Humanities    (three credits)
• History and Cultural Change    (three credits)
• Social and Behavioral Sciences    (three credits)
• Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Technology    (three credits)
• Capstone Experience    

College Requirements:

Second writing requirement:.

A Second Writing Requirement    approved by the College of Arts and Sciences. This course must be taken after completion of 60 credit hours, completed with a minimum grade of C-, and the section enrolled must be designated as satisfying the requirement in the academic term completed.

Foreign Language:

• Students with four or more years of high school work in a single foreign language, or who have gained proficiency in a foreign language by other means, may attempt to fulfill the requirement in that language by taking an exemption examination    through the Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department.

College of Arts and Sciences Breadth Requirements:

The College Breadth Requirements are taken in addition to the University Breadth Requirement. Up to three credits from each of the University Breadth Requirement categories may be used to simultaneously satisfy these College of Arts and Sciences Breadth Requirements. College Breadth courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C-.

A total of 21 credits from Groups A, B, and C is required with a minimum of six credits in each group. The six credits from each group could be from the same area.

• Group A: Creative Arts and Humanities    
• Group B: History and Cultural Change    
• Group C: Social and Behavioral Sciences    

Major Requirements:

Minimum grade C- required in all BISC courses for a total of at least 43 credits in Biological Sciences.

Biology courses (other than BISC 100   ) at the 100-level may not be counted toward these degrees.  BISC276 does not count towards this degree.

• BISC 207 - Introductory Biology I Credit(s): 4
• BISC 208 - Introductory Biology II Credit(s): 4
• BISC 303 - Concepts in Genetics and Molecular Biology Credit(s): 3

Two of the following:

• BISC 300 - Introduction to Microbiology Credit(s): 4
• BISC 302 - General Ecology Credit(s): 3
• BISC 305 - Cell Biology Credit(s): 3
• BISC 306 - General Physiology Credit(s): 3
• BISC 401 - Molecular Biology of the Cell Credit(s): 3
• BISC 495 - Evolution Credit(s): 3

Experimental biology:

An experimental lab course from the Approved list of Experimental Lab courses   .

Literature-based Biology:

A literature-based course chosen from the approved list   .

Biology Electives:

Biology electives at the 300-level or above to total 43 credit hours in Biological Sciences. BISC 100   , BISC 207   , and BISC 208    count towards the total of 43 credits needed for the major. Nine of the 43 credits may come from a list of approved courses from other academic units    (minimum grade C-). Up to four credits of research or independent study ( BISC 366   , BISC 466   , or BISC 468   ) or six credits of thesis (either BISC 451    and BISC 452    or UNIV 401    and UNIV 402   ) may be counted toward the 43 credits.

Related Coursework:

Two semesters of General Chemistry, two semesters of Organic Chemistry with laboratory and one semester of Biochemisty are required. Students may choose from the following options.

General Chemistry:

Eight credits from the following:

• CHEM 103 - General Chemistry Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 133 - General Chemistry Laboratory Credit(s): 1
• CHEM 104 - General Chemistry Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 134 - General Chemistry Laboratory Credit(s): 1

Organic Chemistry with Lab:

Take one of the following two sequences:

Sequence I:

• CHEM 321 - Organic Chemistry I Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 325 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I Credit(s): 1
• CHEM 322 - Organic Chemistry II Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 326 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory II Credit(s): 1

Sequence II:

• CHEM 331 - Organic Chemistry Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 333 - Organic Chemistry Majors Laboratory I Credit(s): 1-2
• CHEM 332 - Organic Chemistry Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 334 - Organic Chemistry Majors Laboratory II Credit(s): 2

Biochemistry:

One of the following:

• CHEM 214 - Elementary Biochemistry Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 342 - Introduction to Biochemistry and Chemical Biology Credit(s): 3
• CHEM 527 - Introductory Biochemistry
• CHEM 641 - Biochemistry
• PHYS 201 - Introductory Physics I Credit(s): 3
• PHYS 221 - Introductory Physics Laboratory I Credit(s): 1
• PHYS 207 - Fundamentals of Physics I Credit(s): 3
• PHYS 227 - Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory I Credit(s): 1
• PHYS 202 - Introductory Physics II Credit(s): 3
• PHYS 222 - Introductory Physics Laboratory II Credit(s): 1
• PHYS 208 - Fundamentals of Physics II Credit(s): 3
• PHYS 228 - Fundamentials of Physics Laboratory II Credit(s): 1

Mathematics:

Choose one of the following options:

• MATH 221 - Calculus I Credit(s): 3
• MATH 232 - Integrated Calculus IB Credit(s): 3
• MATH 241 - Analytic Geometry and Calculus A Credit(s): 4

Statistics:

• STAT 200 - Basic Statistical Practice Credit(s): 3
• BISC 643 - Biological Data Analysis*

*BISC 643: D- grade requirement to fulfill this requirement; C- to count as BISC credit.

After required courses are completed, sufficient elective credits must be taken to meet the minimum credit requirement for the degree.

Credits to Total a Minimum of 124

Last revised for 2023-2024 academic year.

VELIA M. FOWLER, Ph.D.

Professor and chair, biological sciences.

Phone : (302) 831-4296 Fax : (302) 831-2281 Email : [email protected] Office : 118 Wolf Hall Lab : 341 Wolf Hall Address : Department of Biological Sciences 105 The Green,118 Wolf Hall Newark, DE 19716

B.A. Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 1974 Ph.D . Harvard University, Cambridge, MA National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, 1980 Postdoctoral  Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1980-1984 Assistant Professor Harvard Medical School, 1984-87 Assistant, Associate and Full Professor The Scripps Research Institute,1987-2019 Chair and Professor University of Delaware, 2019-present

Read more about Dr. Fowler from her interview in Cytoskeleton .

Lab Members

Sepideh Cheheltani

Phd candidate, biological sciences.

Sepideh is a third year PhD/MBA dual degree graduate student. She holds a bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology from Alzahra University and a Master of Science degree in Cell Biology from Villanova University. She is currently studying the role of Cap2, an actin cytoskeleton regulatory protein, in biomechanical properties of the ocular lens.

Megan Coffin

Lab manager, fowler lab.

Megan obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science with a minor in Biology from the University of Delaware.  Along with managing the lab, she also is investigating the role of F-actin in human erythroblast enucleation.  

Dimitri Diaz

Phd student, biological sciences.

Dimitri is a PhD student from Hampton, Virginia,  and has completed a Bachelors of Arts in Biology and Classics at the University of Virginia. In the Fowler Lab, he is currently investigating the role of Tensin 1, an actin-binding protein, in the enucleation of human erythroblasts during erythropoiesis.

Sadia Islam

Sadia T Islam is a 5 th  year PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences (Concentration: Molecular Biology & Genetics). Sadia earned her B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she completed her honor’s thesis project on the role of environmental pollutants in zebrafish pancreas development. Currently, her PhD project focuses on the role of non-muscle myosin IIA in mouse ocular lens epithelial cell differentiation and morphogenesis.

Heather Malino

Phd student, biomedical engineering.

Heather is a 2 nd year PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering department.  In the Fowler lab, Heather is studying the biomechanical properties of the ocular lens. Stiffening of the lens during aging has been shown to contribute to presbyopia, or far-sightedness.  Heather is using dynamic mechanical analysis and other techniques to better understand the intrinsic material properties of the lens across species which is key to our understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of lens development. 

Undergraduate Researchers

Jack Mason Heather Boliver Marin Herrick Maria Chihuahua-Perez

Synthetic Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

About the program

At the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering summer research experience program, students will have the opportunity to work alongside current graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, peers and faculty mentors. Our professional development workshops are geared towards providing hands-on research experiences and experimentation to prepare you for future research careers such as industry, academia, and government. While in the program, you will also participate in multiple research seminars, social activities, plus, earn a summer stipend of $6.5k*.

At the end of the program, all participants will have the opportunity to present their work in the form of a poster at an interdisciplinary research symposium.

Program Duration

Potential and past research topics.

• Discovery and engineering of plastic degrading enzymes
• Viral like particles as platforms for vaccine development
• Novel DNA endonucleases as tools for gene therapy
• Microbial strain development for renewable biofuels

Potential faculty mentors

Kevin V. Solomon

Associate Professor

Mark A. Blenner

Thomas & Kipp Gutshall Career Development Associate Professor

Wilfred Chen

Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering

Aditya M. Kunjapur

Assistant Professor

Eleftherios T. Papoutsakis

Unidel Eugene DuPont Chair Professor

Jesus Beltran

Assistant Professor of Plant and Synthetic Biology

Eligibility

• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident , and/or U.S. national .
• Be an undergraduate . If you have not graduated by the program end date, you are eligible.
• All majors are eligible given your academic and career interest in related subject matter. We prioritize diversity of majors and interests.
• Be available from June 3, 2024 – August 9, 2024 .

No prior research experience is required. We look for students with and without experience .

How to Apply

• Transcripts (unofficial transcripts are accepted)
• One reference
• A 250 word personal statement describing any past research experiences (or why you want to pursue research), why you are interested in synthetic biology, and how this research might impact your future goals
• Basic personal and educational background
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​Discover a future in

Chemistry & biochemistry.

Vi​sit​ Apply

​ The UD Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers a diverse and innovative program that is dedicated to equipping the next generation of chemists, scientists, engineers, thinkers and educators with the tools they will need to tackle 21st century challenges. Emphasizing fundamental research with applications to human health, energy, material culture and the environment, the department leverages a molecular perspective to deepen the understanding of and provide solutions to critical challenges facing our global society. In addition to the department’s four state-of-the-art chemical instrumentation laboratories, faculty and students perform collaborative research with others across the University, including the UD Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, the UD Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the Delaware Environmental Institute. The department hosts the NIH-funded Chemistry-Biology Interface Program, a unique pre-doctoral training program that provides an interdisciplinary education to graduate students, and the NIH-funded Center for Biomedical Research Excellence on Molecular Design of Advanced Biomaterials.​

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Chemistry (B.A./B.S.)

Biochemistry (B.S.)

Chemistry Education (B.A.)

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Two-For-One Learning Experience​

The Integrated Biology and Chemistry (iBC) course series provides students with the unique opportunity to study the two sciences simultaneously​ in  both introductory   courses and labs over two semesters. Research done by UD's Interdisciplinary Science Learning Laboratories (ISLL) has shown that students who have taken interdisciplinary courses in chemistry and biology experience increased success and retention in successive advanced-level courses such as organic chemistry compared to counterparts who experienced more traditional teaching methods.​

​Read the UDaily article​

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Piezoelectric Fibers

Article by Erica K. Brockmeier Portrait by Kathy F. Atkinson; all others submitted by researchers May 06, 2024

UD engineers are the lead inventors on a new patent for making piezoelectric devices, such as sensors and actuators, using Nodax®, a biodegradable, bio-based polymer.

Every year, more than  400 million tons of plastic are manufactured, including single-use items such as shopping bags and drinking cups. Because these materials can reach the environment without degrading for a long time, researchers and companies are looking for materials that offer similar physical properties as conventional plastics but will quickly biodegrade and won’t cause harm to plants and animals.

A polymer invented, designed, and chemically synthesized by Isao Noda, an affiliated professor with the  Department of Materials Science and Engineering in  UD’s College of Engineering , is one such alternative material that is bio-based and biodegradable. Since then, and enabled by an ongoing collaboration with  John Rabolt , the Karl W. and Renate Böer Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, this polymer was found to have surprisingly high piezoelectric properties, meaning that it’s capable of producing electricity when bent or deformed.  

Now, the UD-based research team has been awarded a U.S. patent for the use of this innovative material to produce piezoelectric devices. Along with patents already awarded in several other countries, this achievement paves the way for a wide range of potential applications and commercialization opportunities.

Making naturally occurring polymers at industrial scale

While working as an industrial scientist at Procter & Gamble, Noda was tasked with finding a new type of biodegradable material for disposable diapers and packages. He started looking into a class of polymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA for short), a type of naturally occurring polyester made by bacteria and other microorganisms and plants. The problem, Noda explained, was that the PHAs that were known at the time were too hard and brittle to be useful in most practical applications. 

“I was doing a lot of spectroscopic characterization, and realized that we should be able to find bacteria that could modify PHA’s molecular structure in a particular way,” explained Noda, referring to the chain length of the polymer’s alkyl side group. “These branches can be methyl or ethyl, which cannot easily be melted or processed. But, when you extend this branch to three carbons, i.e., propyl, or even longer, suddenly the material is able to be more easily processed and becomes a ductile, tough, and useful polymer.”

This biodegradable polymer, with the trade name Nodax®, is manufactured today at industrial scale by  Danimer Scientific , a biotechnology company focused on creating sustainable alternative materials to replace conventional plastics. UD also has an ongoing partnership with Danimer, who supported the recent patent application efforts.

In contrast to how standard plastics are fabricated, Nodax® is made in large tanks by bacteria using plant-based feedstocks. The formulated Nodax® polymers are then purchased by other companies to make a variety of end use products, with biodegradation rates similar to that of cellulose or food waste.

“Danimer Scientific has pioneered the commercial production of naturally occurring PHAs, offering renewable and fully certified biodegradable and compostable materials for many different food service and packaging applications, such as straws, cutlery, paper coatings, coffee pods and flexible films,” said Keith A. Edwards, vice president of business development at Danimer.

Discovering new properties through fundamental research

But the work didn’t stop once Nodax® biopolymers were being produced at scale. After giving an invited talk at UD in 2012, Noda met with long-time colleague Rabolt and decided to transfer some of the material he’d accumulated over the years to support new avenues of fundamental research. Noda, who also served as the Danimer Scientific senior vice president from 2013 until 2019 and still sits on its Board of Directors, joined UD as an affiliated faculty member in 2012.

With efforts led by Ph.D. alumni Liang Gong (now at 3M), Brian Sobieski (now at FXI), Changhao Liu (now at A123 systems), and materials science and engineering research professor Bruce Chase, in addition to Noda and Rabolt, the UD-based research team discovered even more unique properties of PHAs. This included the discovery that one of the material’s forms was highly piezoelectric, meaning that it holds an electrical charge after a mechanical force is applied.

“It was a great collaboration—we had chemists, rheologists, physicists, the right mix of skillsets to be able to understand and do different things with this unique material,” said Rabolt.

This finding led  UD’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP ) to apply for a patent using Nodax® as a biodegradable polymer to make piezoelectric devices in 2019; that patent was allowed and issued earlier this year, with named inventors including Chase, Noda and Rabolt.

“It’s exciting to see the results of this collaboration between the University of Delaware and Danimer Scientific, which has the potential to spark a chain reaction of benefits,” said  Julius Korley , associate vice president of OEIP. “As companies incorporate Nodax® into devices useful to the public, patent royalties will come back to the University to reward our inventors and to further the investment in research and innovation, with our students learning to become innovators along the way.”

Unlocking the potential of a new piezoelectric polymer

The finding that Nodax® has high piezoelectric properties means that it could potentially be used in sensors or actuators. Nodax® could also serve as a possible replacement for polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a common piezoelectric material that is made from  per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) , a class of “forever chemicals” that have been linked to negative health outcomes.

While this material is still in the early developmental stages, the possibilities for further work, in terms of both fundamental research and potential applications, excites Noda. “We want to discover additional properties that haven’t yet been explored, understand how to make the material better and adapt the processing for industrial scales, and overall keep doing fundamental research that will help other companies with their future applications,” he said.

“The fun part is just being able to try different things over time—maybe develop the material’s ferroelectric or pyroelectric capacity, things like that,” added Rabolt. “We're really just at the tip of the iceberg with this new material.”

Danimer has already worked with partners to produce textile fibers using Nodax® to replace conventional materials such as PET and polypropylene. The opportunity to now expand into piezoelectric fiber applications is an exciting development.

“The future of PHAs as a more perfect polymer in many applications is now, and Danimer is again pioneering new biotechnology solutions with great partners like UD,” said Edwards.

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All You Need to Know About Passage Bio (PASG) Rating Upgrade to Buy

Passage Bio, Inc. ( PASG Quick Quote PASG - Free Report ) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). This upgrade primarily reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.

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Google DeepMind’s new AlphaFold can model a much larger slice of biological life

AlphaFold 3 can predict how DNA, RNA, and other molecules interact, further cementing its leading role in drug discovery and research. Who will benefit?

• James O'Donnell archive page

Google DeepMind has released an improved version of its biology prediction tool, AlphaFold, that can predict the structures not only of proteins but of nearly all the elements of biological life.

It’s a development that could help accelerate drug discovery and other scientific research. The tool is currently being used to experiment with identifying everything from resilient crops to new vaccines. 

While the previous model, released in 2020, amazed the research community with its ability to predict proteins structures, researchers have been clamoring for the tool to handle more than just proteins. 

Now, DeepMind says, AlphaFold 3 can predict the structures of DNA, RNA, and molecules like ligands, which are essential to drug discovery. DeepMind says the tool provides a more nuanced and dynamic portrait of molecule interactions than anything previously available. 

“Biology is a dynamic system,” DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told reporters on a call. “Properties of biology emerge through the interactions between different molecules in the cell, and you can think about AlphaFold 3 as our first big sort of step toward [modeling] that.”

AlphaFold 2 helped us better map the human heart , model antimicrobial resistance , and identify the eggs of extinct birds , but we don’t yet know what advances AlphaFold 3 will bring. 

Mohammed AlQuraishi, an assistant professor of systems biology at Columbia University who is unaffiliated with DeepMind, thinks the new version of the model will be even better for drug discovery. “The AlphaFold 2 system only knew about amino acids, so it was of very limited utility for biopharma,” he says. “But now, the system can in principle predict where a drug binds a protein.”

Isomorphic Labs, a drug discovery spinoff of DeepMind, is already using the model for exactly that purpose, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to try to develop new treatments for diseases, according to DeepMind. 

AlQuraishi says the release marks a big leap forward. But there are caveats.

“It makes the system much more general, and in particular for drug discovery purposes (in early-stage research), it’s far more useful now than AlphaFold 2,” he says. But as with most models, the impact of AlphaFold will depend on how accurate its predictions are. For some uses, AlphaFold 3 has double the success rate of similar leading models like RoseTTAFold. But for others, like protein-RNA interactions, AlQuraishi says it’s still very inaccurate. 

DeepMind says that depending on the interaction being modeled, accuracy can range from 40% to over 80%, and the model will let researchers know how confident it is in its prediction. With less accurate predictions, researchers have to use AlphaFold merely as a starting point before pursuing other methods. Regardless of these ranges in accuracy, if researchers are trying to take the first steps toward answering a question like which enzymes have the potential to break down the plastic in water bottles, it’s vastly more efficient to use a tool like AlphaFold than experimental techniques such as x-ray crystallography. 

A revamped model  

AlphaFold 3’s larger library of molecules and higher level of complexity required improvements to the underlying model architecture. So DeepMind turned to diffusion techniques, which AI researchers have been steadily improving in recent years and now power image and video generators like OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 and Sora. It works by training a model to start with a noisy image and then reduce that noise bit by bit until an accurate prediction emerges. That method allows AlphaFold 3 to handle a much larger set of inputs.

That marked “a big evolution from the previous model,” says John Jumper, director at Google DeepMind. “It really simplified the whole process of getting all these different atoms to work together.”

It also presented new risks. As the AlphaFold 3 paper details, the use of diffusion techniques made it possible for the model to hallucinate, or generate structures that look plausible but in reality could not exist. Researchers reduced that risk by adding more training data to the areas most prone to hallucination, though that doesn’t eliminate the problem completely. 

Restricted access

Part of AlphaFold 3’s impact will depend on how DeepMind divvies up access to the model. For AlphaFold 2, the company released the open-source code , allowing researchers to look under the hood to gain a better understanding of how it worked. It was also available for all purposes, including commercial use by drugmakers. For AlphaFold 3, Hassabis said, there are no current plans to release the full code. The company is instead releasing a public interface for the model called the AlphaFold Server , which imposes limitations on which molecules can be experimented with and can only be used for noncommercial purposes. DeepMind says the interface will lower the technical barrier and broaden the use of the tool to biologists who are less knowledgeable about this technology.

Artificial intelligence

Sam altman says helpful agents are poised to become ai’s killer function.

Open AI’s CEO says we won’t need new hardware or lots more training data to get there.

What’s next for generative video

OpenAI's Sora has raised the bar for AI moviemaking. Here are four things to bear in mind as we wrap our heads around what's coming.

• Will Douglas Heaven archive page

Is robotics about to have its own ChatGPT moment?

Researchers are using generative AI and other techniques to teach robots new skills—including tasks they could perform in homes.

• Melissa Heikkilä archive page

An AI startup made a hyperrealistic deepfake of me that’s so good it’s scary

Synthesia's new technology is impressive but raises big questions about a world where we increasingly can’t tell what’s real.

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RESEARCH DISCOVERY

A blog devoted to ud innovation, excellence & scholarship, biopharmaceutical, major step for biopharma research.

by UDaily | August 1, 2019

The Ammon-Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Innovation Center now under construction on UD’s STAR Campus will house NIIMBL, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, and UD’s biomedical engineering program, as well as research laboratories in pharmaceutical discovery and molecular and medical sciences.

The University of Delaware has entered into a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on behalf of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). Part of the Manufacturing USA network, the institute has more than 120 partners, including private companies, academic institutions and nonprofits, and will open headquarters in 2020 at UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. 

According to the agreement, known as a CRADA, effective July 15, 2019, the FDA and NIIMBL have the ability to collaborate in a pre-competitive environment to strengthen research, innovation, training and collaboration in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. 

“We are increasingly seeing the potential for advanced manufacturing innovations that can improve drug quality, help address shortages of medicines, speed time-to-market, and support personalized medicine through technologies including 3D printing and continuous manufacturing,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless. 

“These technologies can also help the U.S. prepare for public health emergencies by rapidly scaling manufacturing capabilities for vaccines and other medical countermeasures. The FDA is taking many steps, including this public-private partnership with NIIMBL, to encourage and help realize the potential of advanced manufacturing: issuing guidance on emerging technologies, approving products made with these technologies, and advancing regulatory science,” Sharpless said.

UD’s signatory to the agreement, Charlie Riordan, vice president for research, scholarship and innovation, said, “This is a major step forward that will enhance biopharmaceutical research and the development needed to bring these revolutionary medicines to market. Our University of Delaware research community joins the many NIIMBL partners around the nation who are cheering on this new partnership that ultimately will help patients in need.” 

The CRADA will enable the FDA and NIIMBL to support investments in regulatory science research and training needed to foster advanced manufacturing innovations in areas such as continuous manufacturing, on-demand manufacturing and advanced process control technologies, among others. Ultimately, advancements in these areas will help increase NIIMBL’s national impact by enhancing patient access to new and improved medicines.

“Biopharmaceuticals are more challenging to manufacture than traditional pharmaceuticals and NIIMBL seeks to enhance patient access by innovating the biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and processes,” said Kelvin Lee, NIIMBL director and Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UD. 

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A love of marine biology and data analysis

Thursday, May 09, 2024 • Katherine Egan Bennett :

Kelsey Beavers’ love of the ocean started at a young age. Coming from a family of avid scuba divers, she became a certified junior diver at age 11.

“It was a different world,” Beavers said. “I loved everything about the ocean.”

After graduating from high school, the Austin native moved to Fort Worth to study environmental science at Texas Christian University. One of her professors at TCU knew University of Texas at Arlington biology Professor Laura Mydlarz and encouraged Beavers to continue her studies in Arlington.

“Kelsey came to UTA to pursue a Ph.D. and study coral disease, and she quickly got involved in a large project studying stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) , a rapidly spreading disease that has been killing coral all along Florida’s coast and in 22 Caribbean countries,” Mydlarz said. “She has been a real asset to our team, including being the lead author on a paper we published in Nature Communications last year on the disease.”

As part of her doctoral program, Beavers completed original research studying the gene expression of coral reefs affected by SCTLD. Her research involved scuba diving off the coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands to collect coral tissue samples before returning to the lab for data analysis.

“What we found was that the symbiotic algae living within coral are also affected by SCTLD,” Beavers said. “Our current hypothesis is that when algae move from reef to reef, they may be spreading the disease that has been devastating coral reefs since it first appeared in 2014.”

A large part of Beavers’ dissertation project involved crunching large sets of gene expression data extracted from the coral samples and analyzing it in the context of disease susceptibility and severity.

“The analysis part of the project was so much larger than just using a regular Mac, so I worked with the Texas Advanced Computer Center (TACC) in Austin, which is part of the UT System, using their supercomputers,” Beavers said.

Beavers enjoyed the data analysis part of her project so much that when she saw an opening at TACC for a full-time position, she jumped at the chance. She’s now working there part-time until graduation, when she plans to move to Austin for her new role.

“I’m really looking forward to my new position, as I’ll be able to work on research projects other than my own,” she said. “It will be interesting to be a specialist in data analysis and help other scientists use the TACC supercomputers to solve complex questions.”

As part of the job, she’ll travel to other UT System campuses to educate researchers on how they can use the tools available at TACC.

The UTA College of Science, a Carnegie R1 research institution, is preparing the next generation of leaders in science through innovative education and hands-on research and offers programs in Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Data Science, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Health Professions, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology. To support educational and research efforts visit the  giving page , or if you're a prospective student interested in beginning your #MaverickScience journey visit our  future students page .

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When the first warm-blooded dinosaurs roamed Earth

A new study suggests that the first warm-blooded dinosaurs may have roamed Earth about 180 million years ago

DALLAS — Scientists once thought of dinosaurs as sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. Then research suggested that some could control their body temperature, but when and how that shift came about remained a mystery.

Now, a new study estimates that the first warm-blooded dinosaurs may have roamed the Earth about 180 million years ago, about halfway through the creatures’ time on the planet.

Warm-blooded creatures — including birds, who are descended from dinosaurs, and humans — keep their body temperature constant whether the world around them runs cold or hot. Cold-blooded animals, including reptiles like snakes and lizards, depend on outside sources to control their temperature: For example, basking in the sun to warm up.

Knowing when dinosaurs evolved their stable internal thermometer could help scientists answer other questions about how they lived, including how active and social they were.

To estimate the origin of the first warm-blooded dinosaurs, researchers analyzed over 1,000 fossils, climate models and dinosaurs’ family trees. They found that two major groups of dinosaurs — which include Tyrannosaurus rex, velociraptors and relatives of triceratops — migrated to chillier areas during the Early Jurassic period, indicating they may have developed the ability to stay warm. A third crop of dinosaurs, which includes brontosaurs, stuck to warmer areas.

“If something is capable of living in the Arctic, or very cold regions, it must have some way of heating up,” said Alfio Allesandro Chiarenza, a study author and a postdoctoral fellow at University College London.

The research was published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology.

Jasmina Wiemann, a postdoctoral fellow at the Field Museum in Chicago, said a dinosaur’s location is not the only way to determine whether it is warm-blooded. Research by Wiemann, who was not involved with the latest study, suggests that warm-blooded dinosaurs may have evolved closer to the beginning of their time on Earth, around 250 million years ago.

She said compiling clues from multiple aspects of dinosaurs’ lives — including their body temperatures and diets — may help scientists paint a clearer picture of when they evolved to be warm-blooded.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.