USC Ginsburg IBT welcomes students all year round to conduct research in a diverse spectrum of areas ranging from neural electronics, drug delivery and stem cells research.
The research opportunities are conducted on the HSC campus. A shuttle is available for students coming from the UPC campus.
Please contact our researchers below for more information.
1) Device-based Therapies for Retinal Ischemic Diseases
To modulate the oxygen supply and demand for the retina and to study its consequences.
Contact: Juan Carlos Martinez MD, juan.martinez@med.usc.edu
References:
- Scianmarello et al. Oxygen generation by electrolysis to treat retinal ischemia.In: 29th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 2016. IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, pp. 399-402.
- Martinez et al. Wireless Oxygen Generator to Treat Retinal Ischemia. 2018 ARVO meeting. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.2018;59(9):5669.
- Cook et al. Implantable phototherapy device to treat diabetic retinopathy, 2017 19th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (TRANSDUCERS), pp. 393-396, 2017
- Cook et al. Phototherapeutic contact lens for diabetic retinopathy, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) 2018 IEEE, pp. 62-65, 2018
Degree/Experience: Undergraduate or graduate degree in science or engineering.
Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering Major
- Pre-med major
- Biology/chemistry major
- Biology or Biochemistry (1 semester)
2) Laser Therapy for AMD
To develop novel lasers for the treatment of retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Contact : Juan Carlos Martinez MD, juan.martinez@med.usc.edu
Degree/Experience: Undergraduate or graduate degree in science or engineering.
Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering major
- Pre-Med major
- Biology/chemistry major
3) Treatment of Ocular Trauma
To develop novel treatments for penetrating ocular injuries.
Contact: Jack Whalen, PhD, jjwhalen@med.usc.edu
Reference: Niki Bayat, Yi Zhang, Paulo Falabella, Roby Menefee, John J. Whalen III, Mark S. Humayun, Mark E. Thompson. A reversible thermoresponsive sealant for temporary closure of ocular trauma Science Translational Medicine 06 Dec 2017: Vol. 9, Issue 419, eaan3879 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aan3879.
Degree/Experience: undergraduate and graduate level students
Required Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering major,
- Pre-med major,
- Biology or chemistry major.
4) Drug Delivery
To develop novel nanoscale drug delivery platforms for the eye and brain
Contact: Alejandra Gonzalez Calle, PhD, gonz762@usc.edu
Degree/Experience: undergraduate or graduate student
Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering major
- Pharmacology/pharmacy major
- Chemistry/Biology major
- Pre-med major
- Chemistry inorganic and organic (at least one semester)
5) Auditory-Visual Interactions with Artificial Vision
To investigate artificial/electronic vision interactions with the other senses.
Contact: Noelle Stiles, PhD, nstiles@usc.edu
Reference:
- Humayun, M. S. et al. Interim results from the international trial of Second Sight’s visual prosthesis. Ophthalmology 119, 779-788 (2012).
- Zrenner, E. Fighting blindness with microelectronics. Science translational medicine 5, 210ps216 (2013).
Degree/Experience: Undergraduate students
Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering major,
- Pre-med major,
- Biology major
- Biology/Neuroscience courses (1 semester)
- Matlab coding experience
6) Intraocular Gene Delivery Technique
To develop novel methods to deliver genes into the eye
Contact: Lan Yue, PhD, lyue@usc.edu
Degree/Experience: Undergraduate and graduate
Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering major,
- Pre-med major,
- Biology or Chemistry major.
- prior wet lab bench work experience (1-2 months).
- molecular biology experience (1 semester)
7) Electrical Retinal Activation Study
To investigate the retinal responses to electrical stimulation using calcium imaging technique.
Contact: Lan Yue, PhD, lyue@usc.edu
Degree/Experience: Undergraduate and graduate
Prerequisites:
- Biomedical Engineering major,
- Pre-med major,
- Biology or Chemistry major.
- prior wet lab bench work experience (1-2 months).
- Calcium imaging and/or retinal electrophysiology is not required but preferred