University of Delaware

The Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, CBER, is an interdisciplinary center whose mission is to provide engineering science and clinical technology to reduce the impact of disease on the everyday life of individuals. It was created to provide an appropriate forum and infrastructure to promote the interaction of biomedical researchers from the university and the medical community. As such, it serves as a research umbrella under which investigators from a variety of fields can work together and interact.

We have hosted two CBER Resarch Symposiums. The first was in May of 2004. At this one day symposium we had 50 presentations from the University of Delaware biomechanics community and a registered attendance of 89 people. Proceedings from the symposium can be downloaded. Our second symposium was in May of 2005 and can be downloaded here.

In February, 2002, CBER received an award from the National Institutes of Health as a Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) for its work in osteoarthritis. This five-year, $6.4 million research grant provides funding for four projects related to the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis (see article for details). Click here for COBRE web page (internal use only).

In August, 2002, CBER received a Biomedical Research Partnership award from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled "FES and Biomechanics: Treating Movement Disorders." This five-year, $3.1 million research grant provides funding to help patients with strokes learn to walk sooner. It involves functional electrical stimulation, rehabilitation robotics, and musculoskeletal modeling (see article for details). Click here for BRP web page (internal use only).

CBER builds on a history of interaction between the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Physical Therapy, Biological Sciences, Health Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, and the A. I. duPont Institute. The A.I. duPont Institute is a modern children's hospital that has extensive clinical and diagnostic facilities. In addition, research collaboration has been established with several other hospitals and medical facilities, including Omega Medical Imaging Center. Through the Department of Mechanical Engineering, CBER researchers have access to an array of computer hardware and software, a variety of mechanical testing equipment and a complete machine shop. The biomechanics laboratories there have an Instron device for testing material properties of tissues, load cells and telemetered EMG systems for testing muscle activation patterns, a flock-of-birds system for measuring limb motion, a Biodex dynamometer, an Aloka 5000 ultrasound unit with a 60 mm linear transducer, a split-belt treadmill, and two six camera movement analysis systems (Motion Analysis and Qualisys). The Department of Physical Therapy has a gait laboratory with a six camera VICON system with two force plates and an EMG data acquisition system. It also has a muscle performance laboratory. The Sports Science Laboratory at the Department of Health and Exercise Sciences houses a gait laboratory with a Motion Analysis facility complete with 6 high speed cameras, 2 multi-axis force plates, an EMG telemetry unit, and a variety of computers and ancillary equipment.

Presently, a number of research topics are being addressed. Several examples are: rehabilitation robots to aid patients with neurological and musculoskeletal impairments, a "virtual arm" for studying neural control, determining force generation properties in electrically stimulated skeletal muscle, airflow problems associated with sleep apnea, the anterior cruciate ligament injured knee, shoulder biomechanics, position and force measurements during athletic activities, the analysis of a new model for an artificial hip, prostate and bone cancer, modeling the constitutive properties of cartilage, cell biology of bone cells and bone extracellular matrix, building computer graphics models from MRI data, the use of in-shoe orthotic inserts to reduce knee pain, and stress fractures in women runners.

This is a research center and not an academic program. However, although no degrees are granted through this research center, it sponsors many students. Students working within CBER enroll for research credits with a specific professor and work toward a degree within their selected department or program. The two most common venues for graduate work are (1) the University of Delaware's graduate program in the interdisciplinary field of Biomechanics and Movement Sciences and (2) the Department of Mechanical Engineering. However, work through other departments can be pursued, depending upon one's academic advisor.

Information about CBER can be obtained by contacting us at the following address:

Center for Biomedical Engineering Research
University of Delaware
126 Spencer Labs
Newark, DE 19716
1-302-831-4463 voice
1-302-831-3619 fax
manal@me.udel.edu

University of Delaware | Mechanical Engineering | Physical Therapy
Biological Sciences | Electrical Engineering | Biomechanics & Movement Science

last updated: 2/14/2006