Research
Changing the Way of Medicine
Researchers in the UA Department of Biomedical Engineering are combining technology and medicine like never before to create products that improve care and outcomes for patients with cancer, heart disease and vision loss.
They are developing imaging to detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages, creating artificial hearts and retinal implants, developing wearable health monitor technology and improving surgical procedures for brain cancer.
Focus Areas
UA biomedical engineering research focus areas include the following:
- Biomedical imaging and spectroscopy
- Biomedical informatics
- Bioinstrumentation and devices
- Biomaterials and tissue engineering
- Biomechanics
- Biosensors
- Cardiovascular biomedical engineering
- Neuroengineering
- Nanomedicine
Project Highlights
Translating Biology to Benefits
Assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering Swarna Ganesh works with the BIO5 Institute using light-based printing to create structures where cells can grow into functional tissue for fighting disease.
"We can decide how cells are arranged and how they interact, which means we can start asking much more specific questions about disease."
Building New Connections
Assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering Shang Song is creating an implant device expected to reduce pain from spinal cord injuries, improve motor recovery and promote spinal plasticity.
"Dr. Song is a rising star in the biomedical field, and her innovative work in regenerative medicine and organ-on-chip systems will contribute to uncovering new therapeutic options in these key areas."
Mario Romero-Ortega, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Research Centers and Facilities
BME faculty and students collaborate extensively across UA colleges in the following major centers:
- Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation
- BIO5 Institute
- College of Medicine, Center on Aging
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute
- Institute of the Environment
- Sarver Heart Center
- Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center (AEMRC) Tucson
- Research, Discovery & Innovation
See UA College of Engineering-affiliated Research Centers and Institutes.
Featured Videos
Wearable Innovations
Philipp Gutruf
Device for Earlier Ovarian Cancer Detection
Jennifer Barton
Sensors for Medical Diagnostics
Jeong-Yeol Yoon and Judith Su
Fast Facts
19th
R&D ranking, public universities
(National Science Foundation)
$7.7M
annual sponsored research expenditures (2025)
9+
research centers and labs