The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, the largest biomedical engineering program in the country, began as a partnership between Georgia Tech and Emory University intended to maximize research and educational opportunities in fields of intersecting biomedical interest. Today, its labs are producing innovative technology with the potential to change lives while fostering the next generation of leaders.
The unique partnership between Georgia Tech, the No. 1 R-1 university for research expenditures without a medical school, and Emory brings together research areas that department chair Alyssa Panitch says reinforce each institution’s expertise.
“Strong partnerships between engineers and clinicians — nurses, patients, and caregivers — are critical to improving healthcare and solving unmet needs,” she said. “Engineers need to fully understand the problem they are trying to solve and get diverse perspectives on the issue, so they need information from caregivers and patients to ensure they can develop the best possible solutions. Emory’s world-class clinicians want to improve human health and are outstanding partners in developing new potential therapies and devices alongside Georgia Tech engineers.”
Panitch explains that as the department has grown, so has its ability to address complex diseases while leveraging new machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to improve diagnostics and health equity.
The growth of Atlanta’s life sciences ecosystem is evident at Science Square, which opened in 2024. This year, seven Georgia Tech labs are moving into the space to continue and expand their work in the medical sphere.
Within BME and across the Institute, several recent breakthroughs highlight the speed at which technology is changing the medical field.
Breath-Based Cancer Detection: Assistant Professor Leslie Chan and her team are developing a tool that could detect colorectal cancer — the nation’s second-leading cause of death — through a simple breath test.
Painting a Target on Cancer Cells: A team led by Associate Professor Gabe Kwong has developed a treatment that could unlock a universal strategy for addressing some of the most challenging cancers — like those in the brain, breast, and colon — by teaching the immune system to see what it usually misses.
AI Cancer Detection: To reduce costs and misdiagnoses, Professor Anant Madabhushi is using artificial intelligence to expand access to testing and reduce the financial and emotional strain on patients and providers when developing treatment plans.
A New Heart Valve: A 3D-printed, bioresorbable heart valve developed by Professors Lakshmi Prasad Dasi and Scott Hollister promotes tissue regeneration, potentially eliminating the need for repeated surgeries for adult and pediatric heart patients.
Monitoring Babies in the NICU: A baby-friendly pacifier developed by Associate Professor Hong Yeo is designed to measure electrolyte levels in real time and could eliminate the need for repeated, painful blood draws.
Mimicking Blood Clots: With the use of a 3D microchip, Professor Wilbur Lam and Assistant Professor Yongzhi Qiu developed a new model that could enable precise, life-saving medication delivery for blood clot patients.
Regenerative Medicine: A $40 million gift to the Marcus Center of Excellence for Cell Biomanufacturing will aid in developing cell-based therapies and make them more accessible and cost-effective.
