R&D Update | Spring 2024 | Miami Magazine | University of Miami
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R&D Update
R&D Update
Discoveries and developments driving innovation on campus and beyond
Discoveries and developments driving innovation on campus and beyond
Combating Corrosion
A highly competitive federal grant is helping Ali Ghahremaninezhad, right, and researchers improve infrastructure longevity.
Researchers led by civil and architectural engineering assistant professor Ali Ghahremaninezhad are pioneering a bio-inspired strategy that inhibits corrosion—a billion-dollar scourge for infrastructure. Their work, funded by a new grant from the United States Department of Transportation, focuses on harnessing genetically engineered biomolecules derived from biomass to tackle corrosion issues.
Estimates suggest that unmitigated corrosion costs $276 billion annually in terms of deterioration to civil and defense infrastructure.
The key innovation of Ghahremaninezhad’s team lies in combining different biological elements to identify biomolecules that interact with specific metal surfaces under certain environmental conditions. This approach not only seeks to stop corrosion but also offers the ability to tailor and program these biomolecules for a variety of environments.
The research has promising environmental implications as well. The production and use of biobased products, a central focus of Ghahremaninezhad’s research, are known to result in lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional petroleum-based counterparts.
A new gene therapy proves effective in treating a rare disease, as shown in this before-and-after image. Photo courtesy of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Researchers in the Miller School of Medicine’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute have shown that a new gene therapy, B-VEC (VYJUVEK™), is effective in treating severe eye issues in a pediatric patient with a rare disease, dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), that also affects skin and other organs.
The case study, published Feb. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks the first time that topical gene therapy has been used in the eye.
Dr. Alfonso L. Sabater, associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the Miller School and director of Bascom Palmer’s Corneal Innovation Lab, had been treating the patient for years, but nothing seemed to work. With blisters on his skin and eyes, and other issues, he had lost significant vision and had an associated condition, symblepharon, in which the eyelid and eye stuck together.
“We tried surgery, platelet-rich plasma, and other approaches, but nothing worked, until now,” he says.
Sensing that a treatment was needed to address the underlying genetic problem, Sabater was excited to learn about the advent of B-VEC, a topical gel that contains functional COL7A1 genes. Yet while he recognized the new therapy’s potential, he knew preclinical research was needed to test its effectiveness in the eyes.
The team worked closely with B-VEC developer Krystal Biotech to reformulate the therapy as an eyedrop and conduct new studies. Because the therapy was already in clinical trials for skin blistering, it was relatively easy to gain expanded access to treat DEB patients with eye issues.
Once they received the go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration, the team began administering B-VEC to the patient, with excellent results.
Improving 3D Printing
Neyton Baltodano Jr., a senior in the College of Engineering, is testing the strength of short carbon fibers.
College of Engineering senior Neyton Baltodano Jr. is endeavoring to perfect the 3D-printing process for short carbon fiber materials using a novel technique that may serve to make the aerospace industry safer.
Baltodano is testing the strength of the fibers, combining them with an epoxy resin and curing them in a process that creates an exceptionally strong carbon-reinforced material. Carbon fiber materials are increasingly being utilized in the aviation industry, and Baltodano’s goal is to 3D-print such materials and incorporate them into aircraft wings and other parts. By applying a voltage to the fibers, he is seeking to improve on the traditional method of deicing that applies chemicals to the aircraft’s surface to remove snow, ice, or frost.
“But we’re still a long way away from perfecting those techniques,” as challenges remain in the 3D-printing process and in aligning the carbon fibers and ensuring the strength and conductivity of the final product, explains Baltodano, whose research is guided by Emrah Celik, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Baltodano’s research is funded by NASA’s Florida Space Grant Consortium, an initiative that supports undergraduate research in aerospace-related projects.
