2024
Abigail Humphries Returns to Where it All Began
September 20, 2024
Graduate student receives grant to improve outcomes for spina bifida at UC Davis, where she was treated for the condition as a newborn over 20 years ago. As a newborn from Auburn, Abigail Humphries was life-flighted to UC Davis Medical Center for complications related to spina bifida, a condition where the spinal cord fails to fuse properly in the womb. Nearly 20 years later, she's now a biomedical engineering graduate student working on a project funded by the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to improve health outcomes of spina bifida at the University of California, Davis.
UC Davis Innovators Awarded Proof-of-Concept Grants to Advance Potential Solutions in Human Health
August 16, 2024
The University of California, Davis, is awarding over $480,000 to help scientists advance compelling research and innovations toward commercial applications through the Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR™) proof-of-concept grant program. The program plays an important role in helping campus innovators bridge the early-stage hurdle of access to funding during one of the most challenging phases in new technology development.
UC Davis Researchers Win Manufacturing Award with Vision to 3D Print Inside the Human Body
August 1, 2024
In their proposal titled “Printing beyond barriers: A pathway to non-invasive deep inside body printing,” Mohsen Habibi, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Davis, and his UC Davis collaborators, Aijun Wang, a professor of biomedical engineering and surgery, and James Marcin, a professor of pediatrics and vice chair for pediatric clinical research, suggest using Direct Sound Printing, or DSP, to 3D print things like implants or scaffolds inside the human body and reduce the need for invasive surgeries.
UC Davis Vet School 75 Year Celebration Highlighted Our Spina Bifida Story: Improving Lives for Animals and Humans
July 2nd, 2024
We want to share with you the extraordinary story of how the UC Davis Schools of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and College of Engineering are working together to advance health across species. Treatments for #SpinaBifida developed at #UCDavis have changed Tobi, ToMo and Arthur’s lives.
BBC highlights our CuRe Trial: Neurological conditions claim the lives of thousands of children every year - New treatments in the womb may save them
June 17th, 2024
Cutting-edge therapies delivering treatment to foetuses diagnosed with neurological defects have the potential to change natal care as we know it.
Update on Quarter @ Aggie Square Biomedical engineering undergrads who won at the BigBang! Business Plan Competition
April 5th, 2024
Quarter at Aggie Square’s 2022 fall quarter Biomedical Engineering cohort won the 2023 Big Bang! Competition in spring 2023 with Square Solutions, one of their two medical innovations. The students received the $10,000 Human Health + Industry Sector Award for their design for safe transportation for cell therapies.
AIMBE Inducts Dr. Aijun Wang into College of Fellows for Outstanding Contributions
March 25th, 2024
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, or AIMBE, has inducted Professor Aijun Wang into its esteemed College of Fellows. This represents one of the greatest distinctions given to medical and biological engineers, as it is reserved for the top two percent of individuals making outstanding contributions to these fields, from advancing engineering research to pioneering new types of biomedical technology.
Quarter at Aggie Square: Immersive Biomedical Engineering Experience for Undergrads Now 'Whole Package'
February 6th, 2024
The Department of Biomedical Engineering has coursed a triangle of clinical know-how, manufacturing ability and entrepreneurial skill for the redesign of its Quarter at Aggie Square Experience. Professor Aijun Wang is actively involved in the program.
2023
UC Davis Health Highlights our study: New bioengineered scaffold may help large deep burn wounds heal faster
December 19th, 2023
The Team led by Professor Aijun Wang has designed and tested a scaffold that can help large deep burn wounds heal faster. Their study shows that this scaffold may reduce the risk of complications and need for grafting.
State stem cell agency, Shriners Children’s award $15 million to the CuRe trial led by Drs. Farmer and Wang
November 29th, 2023
The Team, led by fetal surgeon Diana Farmer and Professor Aijun Wang, has been awarded nearly $15 million for groundbreaking work on a spina bifida treatment. The funding will allow the team to carry out phase 2 of a clinical trial that tests the first stem cell treatment for spina bifida.
Quarter at Aggie Square: 10 students, 1 quarter, 2 inventions
August 2nd, 2023
Quarter at Aggie Square immerses students in real-life application of technological solutions. Last fall's Quarter at Aggie Square Biomedical Engineering at the Health Campus Experience cohort developed two innovations.
New NIH R01 grant: UC Davis Researchers to Harness the Cell’s Messaging System
May 18th, 2023
The Team, Professor Aijun Wang and Assistant Professor Randy Carney of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering, Investigates Extracellular Vesicles as Next-Generation Drug Platform by Engineering Their Uniformity, Receives $2.3M from the NIH.
New NIH R01 grant: To ‘Detangle’ Complexity of Extracellular Vesicles
March 15th, 2023
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, or NIBIB, has awarded a $2.3 million research grant to Department of Biomedical Engineering professors Cheemeng Tan, Randy Carney and Aijun Wang on a collaborative project that poses to demystify the functional components of EVs and their potential medical applications. NIBIB is the arm of the National Institutes of Health that focuses on how engineering can deepen our understanding of diseases and transform their prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment.
LNP and Gene Editing: UC Davis Health to develop in-utero therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
February 21st, 2023
UC Davis Professor Aijun Wang and his team are collaborating with Murthy laboratory at UC Berkeley to develop a much-needed cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). They are designing a therapy to treat DMD before birth by editing the gene that encodes dystrophin, a key protein in stabilizing muscle fiber.
2022
Summary of our CuRe trial efforts over the years: Clinical Trial Offers Hope for Spina Bifida Cure
December 19th, 2022
Interdisciplinary Research Leads to Historic Clinical Trial Delivering Stem Cells During Fetal Surgery to Treat Spina Bifida.
A very comprehensive report of our clinical trial; please check it out!
CIRM-Funding Supports World’s First Stem Cell Treatment for Spina Bifida Delivered During Fetal Surgery
October 10th, 2022
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) recently shared some encouraging news on The Stem Cellar about a CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial for spina bifida at UC Davis Health.
Stem Cell Breakthrough at UC Davis Helped 3 Babies With Spina Bifida Defy Expectations
October 7th, 2022
Diagnosed before birth with a spinal defect, three babies have kicked their legs, wiggled their toes and blown away their parents and a team of researchers at UC Davis Health who developed a novel approach to treat them.
BBC News highlights our CuRe trial: Stem Cell Patch Surgery to Mend Spina Bifida in the Womb
October 6th, 2022
US doctors say they have successfully carried out surgery on babies in the womb to repair harmful spine defects using a special, therapeutic stem cell patch method.
World’s First Stem Cell Treatment For Spina Bifida Delivered During Fetal Surgery
October 6th, 2022
Three babies have been born after receiving the world’s first spina bifida treatment combining surgery with stem cells. This was made possible by our groundbreaking trial aimed to reverse the paralysis and other abnormal functions of spina bifida before birth.
Podcast - Hope For Spina Bifida Cure
October 4th, 2022
In the first of two episodes of Unfold, we examine the first clinical trial to treat bulldogs with spina bifida and the world’s first human clinical trial using stem cells before birth to treat the most serious form of the disease.
First Report on our CuRe Trial Patient: Cellular Therapy For In Utero Repair Of Myelomeningocele
September 16th, 2022
Michelle and Jeff were elated to learn they are expecting a child. However, an ultrasound exam at 20 weeks into the pregnancy showed their fetus had spina bifida. Michelle is the second woman to take part in the CIRM funded clinical trial at UC Davis Health. Their baby, Toby, has so far hit all of his milestones and things are looking promising.
Quarter At Aggie Square Helps BME Students Deepening Passion, Understanding and Purpose
August 29th, 2022
Quarter at Aggie Square, which is a program within the Office of Undergraduate Education, is an intense, immersive learning experience hosted at UC Davis’ Aggie Square campus in Sacramento. In the program, small cohorts of about 12-25 students learn from dedicated faculty around a themed curriculum that matches their academic interests. The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) participated in its first Quarter at Aggie Square in the Fall of 2021.
Surgery Resident Awarded Prestigious T32 Federal Research Grant
August 22th, 2022
Surgery resident Nataliya Bahatyrevich was awarded a prestigious T32 federal research grant. The award allows Nataliya Bahatyrevich, an aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon, to spend a year in Dr. Aijun Wang's laboratory and pursue a Master of Science in biomedical engineering. One of her current research projects includes finding a way to successfully repair damaged inner lining of any blood vessel or promote inner lining of synthetic stents to look like healthy native blood vessels.
BME Senior Design Student Team Mentored By Dr. Wang Wins 2022 Sandia Engineering Design Award
August 8th, 2022
The award-winning team, named Spinal Protective Implant for Neonatal Enhancement (SPINE), included undergraduate seniors from the Department of Biomedical Engineering: Rajul Bains, Natalie Kelly, Shannon Lamb, Joe Morrison and Maya Mysore. The competitive annual award, which is given at the Engineering Design Showcase, is supported by Sandia National Laboratories and recognizes an outstanding engineering design project that supports the lab’s mission, which is to secure a peaceful and free world through technology.
NIH Grant Creates National Center At UC Davis
July 12th, 2022
Dr. Diana Farmer and Dr. Aijun Wang are serving as Principal Investigators for a collaborative project with newly funded National Center for Interventional Biophotonic Technologies (NCIBT) at UC Davis. NCIBT was funded by the recent $6.3 million P41 grant from NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) as a national Center for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. NCIBT develops technologies for more precise and timely assessments of tissue physiology, biochemistry, and metabolism. Drs. Farmer and Wang are leading one of the Collaborative Projects to leverage the new NCIBT technologies to refine in utero repair of fetal myelomeningocele.
BME Professor Aijun Wang Wins $3.1M CIRM Grant: Developing Innovative Medical Device to Help Patients With Hemodialysis
June 17th, 2022
Our research team from UC Davis Biomedical Engineering has recently been awarded a $3.1 million, two-year grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for an innovative medical device that could improve treatment outcomes and the quality of life for the more than two million people throughout the world who are on hemodialysis.
UC Davis Wins $3 Million CIRM Grant To Develop Smart Vascular Graft For Kidney Patients
May 26th, 2022
Dr. Aijun Wang and team receives funds to develop a smart durable vascular device for hemodialysis patients treated for kidney failure. This device uses a unique molecule that guides the body’s own stem cells to help prevent the failure of synthetic vascular grafts. Such failures are a common problem for kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.
BME Doctoral Student Awarded Department Of Defense Fellowship
May 4th, 2022
UC Davis doctoral student, Tanner Henson, was recently awarded a fellowship from the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program. The fellowship will provide three years of funding, starting in September 2022, which will allow Henson to expand his research on synthetic extracellular vesicles for traumatic brain injury.
School Of Medicine Announces 2022 Cultivating Team Science Awards
April 28th, 2022
Dr. Aijun Wang receives funds to lead his team’s study, Extracellular Vesicle Theranostics in the Central Nervous System. This collaborative study includes researchers from surgical subspecialties, pharmacology, biomedical engineering, pathology, and computer science.
2021
UC Davis Health Highlights Our First-in-human In Utero Stem Cell Treatment For Spina Bifida
September 1st, 2021
Our Department of Surgery has launched the world’s first human clinical trial using stem cells to treat spina bifida. The historic effort will test an innovative approach — developed by Department of Surgery physician-scientists over the course of more than a decade — that combines in utero surgery and cellular therapy.
UC Davis Proof-of-Concept Grants Advance Innovations Toward Commercialization
July 27th, 2021
Dr. Aijun Wang and Dr. Diana Farmer have been selected as part of 8 teams to receive funding from this year's UC Davis Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR™) grant program!
Novel Vascular Graft Technology to Help Patients With Kidney Disease
May 5th, 2021
Dr. Aijun Wang, a biomedical engineer and associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Surgery, speaks on his interest in improving arteriovenous (AV) grafts used during kidney dialysis.
A Little History In The Making By Helping The Tiniest Patients
March 3rd, 2021
The team at UC Davis – in a CIRM-funded study – will use a stem cell “patch” that is placed over the exposed spinal cord, then surgically close the opening, hopefully allowing the stem cells to regenerate and protect the spinal cord.
First Stem Cell Clinical Trial For Spina Bifida Treatment Announced
March 1st, 2021
A UC Davis Health team today announced the launch of the world’s first, FDA-approved human clinical trial using stem cells before birth to treat the most serious form of spina bifida.
‘Just Sticky Enough’ Compound May Help Patients With Kidney Disease
February 18th, 2021
Faculty innovators Aijun Wang, Alyssa Panitch, and Kit Lam have formed a startup, VasoBio, to develop technology that may improve arteriovenous (AV) grafts used during kidney dialysis.
2020
Stem Cell Agency Awards $9M For Landmark Spina Bifida Clinical Trial
November 13th, 2020
The first human clinical trial using stem cells to treat spina bifida has been made possible thanks to a $9 million grant provided on Nov. 12 by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
California State Stem Cell Agency Funds Clinical Trial For Spina Bifida Treatment
November 12th, 2020
California’s stem cell agency (CIRM) today awarded a $9 million grant to Dr. Diana Farmer and Dr. Aijun Wang to help launch the world’s first human clinical trial using stem cells to treat spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly.
Spina Bifida Treatment IND Approved by FDA for Human Clinical Trials
October 8th, 2020
Shriners Hospitals for Children — Northern California’s surgeon in chief, Diana L. Farmer, M.D., FACS, FRCS, and principal investigator for the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Aijun Wang, Ph.D., have received approval for a human clinical trial from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test an innovative stem cell therapy that integrates regenerative medicine and surgery.
Spina Bifida: Surgery Plus Stem Cells Before Birth Could Improve Outcomes
September 24, 2020
One-of-a-kind treatment approved for human testing. A UC Davis Health fetal surgeon and a stem cell scientist have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test a groundbreaking spina bifida treatment that combines surgery with stem cells. The one-of-a-kind treatment, delivered while the baby is still in the mother’s womb, could improve outcomes for children with the birth defect.
Surgical and Engineering Researcher Wins National Dialysis Innovation Award
August 17, 2020
Funding will be used to create bio-engineered vascular grafts.
Congratulations to Dr. Wang for his recent KidneyX award in developing next-generation vascular grafts for end-stage renal disease patients' hemodialysis applications. He plans to engineer a layer of stem cell-capturing molecules to coat the surface of the grafts, forming a “living” endothelium that functions much like a native vein. The new grafts are expected to reduce thrombosis, infection and the need for repeated replacement of failed grafts.
Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory Research Program Team Wins UC Davis Health Deans’ Team Award For Excellence In Research!
July 1, 2020
Congratulations to the Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory Research Program Team (team leader Dr. Aijun Wang) for winning the UC Davis Health Deans’ Team Award for Excellence in Research!
The Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory Research Program team is a key research center of the Department of Surgery for making high impact discoveries through a multidisciplinary, collaborative team-based approach with mentoring opportunities. Research within the lab has generated considerable impact in the biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine fields......
More details can be found here: https://health.ucdavis.edu/facultydev/Awards/list_deansteamaward.html
Our new study published and featured by Stem Cells Translational Medicine (SCTM) as the Front Cover story:
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Show Success In Treating Hemophilia A In Mice
March 12, 2020
This study is in the top 5% (the 97th percentile) of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric: https://wiley.altmetric.com/details/77402928
STEM CELLS Transl Med: https://stemcellsportal.com/press-releases/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-show-success-treating-hemophilia-mice
Medical Health News (Alternative Medicine): http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/cell-btherapyb-seen-to-ease-blood-loss-in-hemophilia-a-mouse-model
Hemophilia News Today: https://hemophilianewstoday.com/2020/03/23/cell-therapy-seen-to-ease-blood-loss-in-hemophilia-a-mouse-model/
March 9, 2020
Dr. Aijun Wang was appointed as the Vice-Chair for Translational Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for the Department of Surgery at UC Davis to advance the department's footprint in medical innovation, device development, and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Wang is one of the PIs leading the exciting BME Quarter@Aggie Square program selected and supported by the UC Davis Provost office
Biomedical Engineering: A Bench-To-Bedside Experience At The UC Davis Health Campus
Biomedical Engineering: A Bench-to-Bedside Experience at the UC Davis Health Campus will give third-year biomedical engineering majors exposure to their field in the clinical environment, bringing engineering faculty together with medical departments.
Dr. Wang invited to give a talk at the 2020 EV-based Diagnostics, Delivery & Therapeutics
EV-based Diagnostics, Delivery & Therapeutics
February 17-18, 2020
Dr. Wang Recognized As A 2020 UC Davis Chancellor's Fellow
January 21, 2020
UC Davis has named its new class of Chancellor’s Fellows, marking the 20th anniversary of the program that provides philanthropic support to exceptional early-career faculty members.
Dr. Wang's research focuses on developing innovative tools, technologies and therapeutics that combine molecular, cellular, tissue and biomaterial engineering to promote tissue regeneration and restore function. One of his lab’s main efforts has focused on isolating stem cells from human placental tissue, then using those stem cells to treat birth defects such as spina bifida and hemophilia. In addition to published papers, he functions as an influential advocate for academic entrepreneurship.
“Dr. Wang is an extremely talented young scientist who has demonstrated that his academic productivity is rigorous and innovative. ... His many publications, patents, conference invitations, and awards are a testament to his success as a leader in his field.” — Ted Wun, associate dean for research, School of Medicine
2019
Dr. Wang giving a talk at UC Riverside
Colloquium Speaker: Aijun Wang; Associate Professor, Department of Surgery And Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis
November 6, 2019
Dr. Wang was invited to give a departmental seminar at UC Riverside Department of Bioengineering:
Surgical Bioengineering - Engineering Stem Cells and Extracellular Components for Tissue Regeneration
Dr. Farmer talked about our translational spina bifida research at UC Davis and the $5.66 million grant awarded to Dr. Farmer and Dr. Wang
Spina Bifida Research At UC Davis Provides Hope
August 6, 2019
Spina bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. About 1,645 babies are born in the U.S. with spina bifida each year, and fetal surgery and research is givin...
www.fetalhealthfoundation.org
Researchers Aiming To Cure Spina Bifida Get A Step Closer To Their Goal
March 9, 2019
Researchers on the path to finding a cure for spina bifida have identified specific elements in stem cell secretions as key to protecting neurons and ultimately reducing the lower-limb paralysis as...
www.eurekalert.org
Stem Cell Byproducts Provide Insight Into Cure For Spina Bifida
March 8, 2019
A diagram of an infant born with spina bifida, a birth defect where there is an incomplete closing of the backbone portion of the spinal cord. Photo courtesy of the Texas Children’s Hospital …
blog.cirm.ca.gov
Researchers Seeking A Cure For Spina Bifida Get A Step Closer To Their Goal
March 5, 2019
Study reveals factors in stem cell secretions that protect neurons and reduce spinal cord injury. Researchers on the path to finding a cure for spina bifida have identified specific elements in stem cell secretions as key to protecting neurons and ultimately reducing the lower-limb paralysis associated with the birth defect.
Hemophilia News Today highlighted our study on hemophilia
Cell-Based Gene Therapy May Offer Long-term Treatment for Hemophilia A, Mouse Study Suggests
January 28, 2019
Cell therapy with endothelial progenitor cells and stem cells genetically engineered to produce a functional clotting factor VIII (FVIII) may provide a stable and long-term...
hemophilianewstoday.com
2018
Dr. Wang presented at the Inaugural UC Pitch Day orgnized by UC Biomedical Research Acceleration, Integration and Development (BRAID), a group of five UC medical campuses, and the UC Center for Accelerated Innovation (CAI), and UC Irvine Applied Innovation
University of California holds Inaugural UC Pitch Day Event at Applied Innovation
December 13, 2018
University of California Biomedical, Research, Acceleration, Integration, & Development (UC BRAID) creates opportunities to improve health for Californians and beyond. Our...
www.ucbraid.org
Promising Approach To Curing Spina Bifida Gets $5.6 Million From Stem Cell Agency
November 15, 2018
Every day in the U.S. four children are born with spina bifida. It is the most common cause of lifelong paralysis and also frequently leads to other serious health problems affecting the bowel and …
blog.cirm.ca.gov
Hits And Myths As People Celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day
October 15, 2018
Every year, the second Wednesday in October is set aside as Stem Cell Awareness Day, a time to celebrate the progress being made in the field and to remind us of the challenges that lie ahead. Whil…
blog.cirm.ca.gov
Our work with stem cells was highlighted in an extensive piece in the Los Angeles Times in 2018
Poisoned Pets, Preemie Foals, Dogs With Spina Bifida: UC Davis' Top-Ranked Vets See Them All
January 7, 2018
At UC Davis, doctors in the world's #1 veterinary medicine program insert stem cells into bulldogs with spinal bifida and assess lame horses with the most advanced scanner ever — a Saudi prince onc...
www.latimes.com
2017
DailyMail highlights our stem cell treatment for spina bifida in English bulldog puppies
Bulldog Puppies With Spina Bifida Get Stem Cell Treatment At UC Davis
September 20, 2017
Siblings Darla and Spanky were treated with a therapy for children with spina bifida. A video shows the puppies showing off their ability to walk, run and play in Davis, California.
www.dailymail.co.uk
University of California highlights our study "Puppies benefit from stem cell treatment for children with spina bifida"
Puppies Benefit From Stem Cell Treatment For Children With Spina Bifida
August 29, 2017
A UC Davis-developed therapy that shows great promise helps two pups in need.
www.universityofcalifornia.edu
2015
ScienceDaily talked about our prenatal stem cell treatment for spina bifida
Prenatal Stem Cell Treatment Improves Mobility Issues Caused By Spina Bifida
April 27, 2015
The lower-limb paralysis associated with spina bifida may be effectively treated before birth by combining a unique stem cell therapy with surgery, new research has found.
www.sciencedaily.com