Advancing Respiratory Health Through Bioengineering Innovations

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

2:30 PM-4:00 PM

BIOMED Seminar

Title:
Advancing Respiratory Health Through Bioengineering Innovations

Speaker:
Jinho Kim, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Stevens Institute of Technology

Details:
The lungs play a crucial role in breathing, a fundamental process for sustaining life; however, they are susceptible to injury and disease caused by various factors, including environmental exposures, genetic predispositions, and traumatic injuries. Consequently, lung diseases represent a significant health challenge, contributing to nearly 160,000 annual deaths in the US alone. Despite significant advancements in medicine, effective treatments for many lung conditions are still lacking. Notably, the field of bioengineering is rapidly evolving, offering new and promising strategies for addressing health problems.

In my presentation, I will discuss how my research team has been leveraging innovative bioengineering solutions, including cutting-edge devices, biomaterials, and methodologies, to tackle different respiratory conditions. Specifically, I will detail our work on an acoustic biosensing modality for detecting pulmonary air leaks, a serious issue that can lead to respiratory failure if left untreated, and a lung-mimetic hydrogel we created for treating these leaks. In addition, I will introduce our airway tissue-on-a-chip model, integrated with a biosensor and actuator, and describe how this device is being used to study and enhance the delivery of mRNA therapeutics to airway tissue, aiming to improve treatment strategies for cystic fibrosis.

Biosketch:
Jinho Kim, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. Since his arrival at Stevens in 2018, Dr. Kim has been leading the Translational Lung Bioengineering Laboratory, which is dedicated to creating bioengineering solutions for clinical challenges, with initial focus on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of respiratory diseases.

Dr. Kim's contributions to the field have earned him prestigious recognitions, including the NSF CAREER Award in 2022 and the Best Abstract Award at the 2019 American Thoracic Society International Conference. His research has been supported by several funding agencies, including NIH, NSF, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, American Thoracic Society, and New Jersey Health Foundation. Furthermore, Dr. Kim is committed to bringing research innovations to clinical practice. He co-founded a startup with a former graduate student, aimed at developing a robotic biosensor for real-time tissue assessment.

Contact Information

Carolyn Riley
cr63@drexel.edu