Health Innovators

For his doctoral degree, Isaac (Ph.D. ’20 nutritional sciences) explored the use of edible insects in the fight against hunger. It takes minimal space and equipment to raise and process insects, and fats from insect protein are good for brain development.

After a research project ignited her interest in senior living and healthcare design, Maggie (’22 interior design) showed interior design students a new way to experience their work. By applying a digital vision simulator to their 3D renderings, students could predict how senior adults might experience their designs.

Olivia ('21 industrial design) put her final year of college on hold to accept her dream internship in user experience design and human factors engineering with Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology and services. After completing her degree at Iowa State, Olivia joined Medtronic as a full-time human-centered design strategist.

Tulika (’22 biochemistry) is on the leading edge of biomedical research. Her research looks at how bacteria remember infections so they can combat viruses. Tulika hopes this research will develop and advance treatments to improve health and address disease.

Donald Sakaguchi, professor of genetics, development, and cell biology, created a pre-screening tool for COVID-19 vaccines. He developed the screening system from cultured human respiratory cells to more accurately mimic the respiratory tract.

Robbyn Anand, Carlyle G. Caldwell Endowed Chair in Chemistry, Subra Suresh Faculty Fellow, and associate professor of chemistry, develops diagnostic innovations that improve people’s health. Her research focuses on cancerous tumor cells, wearable technology for kidney disease treatment, and COVID-19 testing.

Animal science professor Dr. Josh Selsby has spent his career studying muscle and ways it is damaged. His work in animal science allows him to explore ways to preserve muscle in patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Using genomics, computational biology, and molecular biology, Geetu Tuteja, associate professor of genetics, development, and cell biology, investigates the genetic architecture underlying placental disorders. Her research could impact pregnant women across the globe by helping clinical researchers develop early detection and prevention methods.

Hua Bai, associate professor in genetics, development, and cell biology, wants everyone to have the same chance to live a long, healthy life. Instead of relying on pharmaceuticals to prevent or treat disease, Bai wants to stop our body’s ability to develop a disease in the first place. Using fruit flies, he’s researching the secrets of long-term health.

How well the design, function, and safety of personal protective equipment (PPE) works can make a difference in better protecting healthcare workers from the diseases they encounter on the job. A team, led by Guowen Song, professor in the department of apparel, events, and hospitality management, aims to improve PPE by developing biological self-decontaminating fabrics that protect against live pathogens as part of a $1.8 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control.

Daejin Kim, interior design, seeks ways to improve homes so we can more easily “age in place.” He studies the physical, psychological, and social impacts older adults experience and tests home modifications that may reduce the risk of falls and injuries, ameliorate depression, and provide greater independence.

Sarah Bentil, mechanical engineering, studies how shock waves caused by explosive blasts damage the brain. Knowing more about how waves cause traumatic brain injuries will help improve designs of military and first responder personal protective gear.

Nigel Reuel, chemical and biological engineering, created a wireless sensor that monitors cell growth in pharmaceutical manufacturing, like in labs developing cell therapies and protein therapies. Reuel and his team then launched a startup business, Skroot Laboratory, to grow their technology and make it available to researchers all over the world.

Jeff Essner and Maura McGrail, both faculty in the Department of Genetics and Developmental Cell Biology, use zebrafish to create genetic tools for gene studies. Whether focusing on brain diseases or tumor angiogenesis, these innovators activate zebrafish genes – essentially switching them on and off – aiming for breakthroughs in treatments for cancer and a range of other diseases in humans and animals.