Surgical Research

Research in the department led by Vice Chair for Research Dr. Livia S. Eberlin reached new heights in the last year with a record $29 million in total grants, more than 300 current trials and grants and 30% increase in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research ranking of grant funding from the NIH, projected to land us amongst the top 20 in NIH funding for departments of surgery. 

Our recent awards highlight significant advancements across multiple fields of medical research, aimed at tackling critical health issues through innovative technologies and strategies. Our diverse portfolio supported by the different foundations and government agencies showcase the range and impact of our research programs across different areas of scientific and medical expertise. 

Leading these efforts, Dr. Gustavo Oderich received a  $14.4 million grant from The Marcus Foundation to established the Marcus VITAL (Vascular Intelligence for Translational AI and Learning) Laboratory.

An award from ARPA-H’s CATALYST program between Dr. Tamer Mohammed’s laboratory and Inductive Bio, an A.I. drug discovery partner.  The contract award of up to $21 million will fund the multi-institutional project, “Digital Acceleration of Toxicity Assessment with Mechanistic and AI-driven Predictors (DATAMAP), aimed at investigating preclinical drug safety assessments and accelerating the development of safer therapeutics.

Within our NIH grants, Dr. Livia Eberlin received a $4 million award from the National Cancer Institute in support of her project, “Development of the MasSpec Pen Technology to Guide Surgical Decisions in the Care for Patients with Ovarian Cancer.” This funding builds upon the groundbreaking work the Eberlin lab has done to revolutionize cancer diagnostics with the MSPen technology.  This funding will allow for further development to improve detection of ovarian cancer margins during surgical resection and improve the design of their laparoscopic MSPen.

To support innovation and medical device development among our department members, a new department research resource, our Center for Biomedical Engineering was founded by unifying four specialized technology labs housed within the Department: The Center for Nano-Biophonic Engineering, The Center for Biomedical Prototype Development, the Laboratory for Medical Mass Spectrometry Technologies, and the Advanced Materials & Drug Delivery Research Group.  Together, these resources support the full research and development pipeline, from advanced nanophotonic fabrication and biomaterials design to medical mass spectrometry, tissue analytics, and functional prototype development. By housing these capabilities within one center, the Center for Biomedical Engineering fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration, efficient translation of discoveries, and comprehensive support for biomedical research and technology development.