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Q&A: How a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease could also work for Type 2 diabetes

April 16, 2024

Of the 38 million Americans who have diabetes at least 90% have Type 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes occurs over time and is characterized by a loss of the cells in the pancreas that make the hormone insulin, which helps the body manage sugar. [...]

Recruiting robots for materials discovery

April 11, 2024

Chemical engineers in the Pozzo Research Group are using open-source tools to build modular robots that can run multiple functions of complex experiments. This customizable framework helps alleviate the cost barrier of purchasing multiple, single-purpose commercial machines. [...]

Lih Lin inducted into the 2024 class of the AIMBE College of Fellows

April 4, 2024

Lih Lin, a Molecular Engineering & Sciences faculty member and electrical & computer engineering professor, was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows last month. [...]

AI shown to dramatically speed protein engineering

April 4, 2024

Study findings promise to shift the field away from trial-and-error approach and toward computational approaches. Protein engineering scientists have been able to use machine learning to design proteins that are more efficient at performing a biochemical task. This approach shortened a process that typically takes months to years of trial and error. Currently, researchers design proteins by introducing mutations into a protein’s amino acid sequence in the hope those mutations will give the protein a desired property or function. They then must repeatedly test the resulting mutant proteins in the lab. [...]

Using computers to design proteins allows researchers to make tunable hydrogels that can form both inside and outside of cells

January 30, 2024

When researchers want to study how COVID makes us sick, or what diseases such as Alzheimer’s do to the body, one approach is to look at what’s happening inside individual cells. Researchers sometimes grow the cells in a 3D scaffold called a “hydrogel.” This network of proteins or molecules mimics the environment the cells would [...]

Q and A with a molecular engineering graduate student: Olivia Dotson

December 5, 2023

Molecular engineering graduate student Olivia Dotson is not wasting any of her time at UW. The Ypsilanti, Michigan native is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, focused on regeneration in injured or diseased livers. [...]

Q&A with Suzie H. Pun, new director of MolES

November 30, 2023

Suzie H. Pun is the Washington Research Professor of Bioengineering, a fellow in the U.S. National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and now, the new director of the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute (MolES). Pun has been a major part of MolES since it opened in 2009 -- contributing to the growth of research collaborations and the Ph.D. program. [...]

Introducing the MolE doctoral candidates of 2023

September 6, 2023

Sept. 6, 2023 The molecular engineering Ph.D. program welcomes its latest cohort of doctoral candidates. From designing innovative drug delivery methods to developing sustainable materials, the forthcoming research from these 15 students has the potential to reshape industries and solve critical issues facing society. Learn about our newest students and their interests below. Karl Anderson’s [...]

Honoring excellence in molecular engineering

August 31, 2023

Aug. 31, 2023 Gokce Altin-Yavuzarslan, Samantha Borje and Olivia Dotson received Molecular Engineering and Science student achievement awards at the MolES’s graduation celebration on June 1. This is the second year awards were given out at the ceremony. Altin-Yavuzarslan won the Scientific Achievement Award, which recognizes students that demonstrate extraordinary productivity in their research and [...]

$2 Million award from National Science Foundation will support team to develop 3D-printed microorganisms for sustainable construction materials

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023 An interdisciplinary research team led by University of Washington Chemistry Professor Alshakim Nelson received $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation's Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program. The funding will be used to combine engineered microorganisms with 3D printing to create materials for sustainable built environments. This grant [...]

Renowned UW bioengineer Suzie Pun named next MolES Institute Director

September 27, 2022

Suzie Hwang Pun, Washington Research Professor of Bioengineering, has been named the new Director of the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, effective July 1, 2023. The current Director, Pat Stayton, will continue to serve until Suzie's appointment begins. [...]

Retooling microbes to upcycle CO2

September 13, 2022

An interdisciplinary, UW-led team of synthetic biologists will embark on a 5-year, $15 million project to engineer microbial genomes that transform CO2 into high-value chemicals. [...]

UW MolE welcomes largest cohort

September 9, 2022

We are thrilled to welcome our 9th cohort of future molecular engineers, our largest cohort of students yet. Learn more about our newest trainees and their current research interests below. [...]

Meet the Researcher: Ayokunle Olanrewaju

August 11, 2022

Ayokunle (Ayo) Olanrewaju is assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of bioengineering. His research applies 3D microfabrication, autonomous microfluidics and molecular assays to address medical challenges in treating infectious and chronic diseases, such as HIV, tuberculosis and cancer. He develops technologies for rapid and user-friendly monitoring of medications on an on-going basis to help patients adhere to drug dosing schedules, prevent treatment failure and improve health outcomes. [...]

Recognizing excellence in molecular engineering

June 9, 2022

The MolE alumni community continues to grow, with an additional nine students graduating in the 2021-2022 academic year. This year, in recognition of their exemplary scholarship, we presented graduates Will Chen and Ted Cohen our inaugural Distinguished Dissertation Award in Molecular Engineering. [...]

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Unlocking biotechnology with RNA

May 17, 2022

Two recent molecular engineering graduates launched a new startup, Wayfinder Biosciences, to commercialize their revolutionary platform to design RNA molecules that can be used to advance everything from sustainable biomanufacturing to targeted CRISPR therapies. [...]

Q&A: Making Earth-friendly electronics

April 21, 2022

Three UW researchers, including MolES faculty member Eleftheria Roumeli, are exploring ways to make electronics more Earth-friendly. [...]

Novel nanoparticle shows promise for treating aggressive breast cancer

March 17, 2022

Scientists at the University of Washington have recently developed a new nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that simultaneously delivers chemo- and immune- therapeutics directly to the tumor site, limiting harmful off-target side effects. In a paper published last November in Materials Today, they reported that their multifunctional nanoparticle can inhibit tumor growth and spread, also known as metastasis, in mouse models of triple negative breast cancer, an exceptionally aggressive form of breast cancer with limited treatment options. [...]

A non-engineer’s journey into molecular engineering

February 22, 2022

Ayumi Pottenger never planned to study engineering. Here, the third-year molecular engineering (MolE) Ph.D. student reflects on what drew her to the program and where she's headed next. [...]

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Analyzing materials with x-rays to reveal their molecular makeup

February 17, 2022

MAF staff scientist Dr. Samantha Young manages the x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and two x-ray photoelectron spectrometers (XPS) in the MAF. Both are instruments that use x-rays to analyze a material, but provide different information. Learn more about Samantha and her work in our Q&A! [...]