Dr. Steven George will bring along about $1 million in federal grant funding when he takes over as chair of Washington University’s department of biomedical engineering, effective July 1.
George, currently a professor of biomedical engineering and chemical engineering and materials science at the University of California, Irvine, serves as principal investigator for the grants, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The federal funding supports two projects, one of which aims to create 3-D chips with livings cells that mimic organs like the heart and cancer tissues. It would monitor how the heart would respond to anti-cancer drugs under development. The other grant examines how cancer cells metastasize. George said it’s likely that two research assistants will move with him to Washington University.
When George joins Washington University this summer, he will replace Mark Anastasio, interim chair since July 2013.
George told the Business Journal he’s interested in adding five to six new faculty to members who would focus on nanotechnology and devices. But he said he’ll make a final decision about adding faculty after he’s further assessed the department.
Read more in the St. Louis Business Journal.