USC Viterbi Scholars Join Elite List

By Elisa Wiefel on August 19, 2009 7:45 AM

Two USC Viterbi School of Engineering faculty members have been recognized among the world’s top innovators under the age of 35 by Technology Review magazine.

Andrea Armani, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science, and Ellis Meng, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, will appear on the prestigious 2009 list.

Selected from more than 300 nominees by a panel of judges and the editorial staff of Technology Review, the TR35 is an elite group of accomplished young innovators who exemplify the spirit of innovation. Their work - spanning medicine, computing, communications, nanotechnology, and more - is changing the world.

“One member of your school’s faculty named to this list is a feather in your cap,” said Yannis Yortsos, the USC Viterbi School dean. “Two in a single year is a cause for celebration. We are immensely proud of this fantastic recognition for Andrea and Ellis.”

Jason Pontin, editor in chief and publisher of Technology Review, said: “The TR35 honors young innovators for accomplishments that are poised to have a dramatic impact on the world as we know it. We celebrate their success and look forward to their continued advancement of technology in their respective fields.”

Armani’s research interests are developing novel optical devices and integrated platforms for studying biological and chemical systems. While the importance of recording events at the single molecule level is well established, there are very few methods which are able to perform these difficult experiments without using high-sensitivity cameras.

Previous research efforts by Armani led to the development of an ultra-sensitive biosensor capable of detecting single molecules. In addition to its application to improving one’s understanding of biological processes and the monitoring of chemical pollutants, the sensor platform also may present an ultra-sensitive technology for security monitoring.

Currently, the Armani lab is pursuing research for the development of two new optical devices with performance characteristics optimized for biological environments, i.e. water or buffered solutions.

Using these devices, multiple single-molecule measurements can be performed simultaneously, which will allow the interaction strength between protein pairs, such as antibody-antigen or an enzyme-substrate pair, to be studied at the single-molecule level. They also can be applied to investigations into cell dynamics and regulation. This type of data will contribute to improvements in biological imaging and methods for drug discovery and delivery.

In recognition of the significance of her research, Armani regularly gives seminars at international scientific conferences and government agencies, both in the United States and in Europe. She recently received an instrumentation development grant from the National Science Foundation to design and build a biodetection platform.

Meng’s work leverages micro- and nano-technologies to develop drug delivery platforms that achieve three main goals: benchtop tools compatible with both cells and tissues for rapid scientific and drug discovery; implants for targeted release of therapeutics in disease models; and translational medical device technologies for the treatment of human conditions.

The ability to deliver or extract minuscule volumes of fluid with spatiotemporal precision is an extremely powerful technology that can lead to advanced biomedical therapies. These technologies advance beyond conventional needles for drug injection or Petri-dish based biomedical research.

This approach may lead to effective treatments of central nervous system injuries, epilepsy, cancer and other diseases that result in devastating lifelong physical disabilities. Many of these conditions are presently incurable, and drug therapy is the preferred treatment method. Meng’s research team is engaged in several clinical collaborations to address these conditions and is looking at ways to better understand drug addiction.

In the past few years, through numerous referenced and peer-reviewed conference publications, Meng has become a national leader in her field. She is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Early Career Award to manipulate fluids as a medium for interfacing to cells and tissues. She recently received the Wallace H. Coulter Early Career Translational Research Award to develop an implantable drug delivery pump for target delivery in the treatment of incurable ocular disease.

“Both Meng and Armani exemplify what it means to be a USC innovator,” said Krisztina Holly, USC vice provost for innovation and executive director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation. “Each has pushed the boundaries in their disciplines, questioned assumptions and made creative leaps that will no doubt have a dramatic impact on our changing world.”

Armani, Meng and the other TR35 winners will be featured in the September issue of Technology Review and honored Sept. 22-24 in Cambridge, Mass.

TAGS: globalization, innovation

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