Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in both males and females, yet our mechanistic knowledge of the sex-specific molecular and cellular mechanisms that guide cardiovascular disease progression, particularly in females, remain poorly characterized. Studies evaluating disease mechanisms rarely state the sex of cells used for in vitro studies or are performed primarily in male animal models, causing our gap in knowledge. My laboratory uses precision biomaterials as in vitro and in vivo tools to dissect sex chromosome linked mechanisms that contribute to sex differences in cardiovascular diseases, specifically aortic valve stenosis and cardiac fibrosis. In my talk, I will discuss how we have used hydrogel biomaterials as engineered matrix mimics to explore sex dimorphisms in myofibroblast phenotypes in vitro and describe sex-specific molecular mechanisms that may drive dimorphisms in aortic valve stenosis and cardiac fibrosis. Our work seeks to leverage biomaterial technologies to understand sex differences in health and disease, with the long-term goal of achieving sex and gender equity in cardiovascular disease treatments and outcomes.

Abstract: This presentation examines practical methods—and some AI tools—for transforming real-world data (RWD) into credible real-world evidence (RWE). It highlights the central role of data science in overcoming common obstacles in electronic health records (EHR) and claims data (e.g., missingness, measurement error, and coding variability). Using case studies focused on GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), the talk illustrates how rigorous study design and causal inference—particularly target trial emulation—can be used to assess the effectiveness and safety of GLP-1RAs. The presentation emphasizes when and how RWE can complement randomized controlled trials—and where it can mislead without careful attention to potential biases, many of which originate from data limitations.

Abstract: 60% of Americans live with at least one chronic disease.

These diseases and their associated comorbidities are now the leading causes of death in the United States. The effective management of complex chronic diseases requires body-wide, long-term, accurate, and continuous monitoring of multiple physiological signals from wearable and implantable devices to determine the pathological state precisely.

Wearable and implantable physiological signal monitoring can dramatically reduce the demand for physician visits and increase patients' engagement and treatment adherence rates. Specifically, battery-free wearables and implantable electronics reduce device volume and mechanical stiffness, significantly improving wear comfort, which is highly desirable for next-generation wearable and implantable electronics.

However, battery-free wearables and implantable electronics still face many challenges, mainly wireless energy, data transfer, and edge-AI integration. To address these challenges, my research has involved the exploration of rational system design concepts, material and device fabrication innovation, and tailored edge-AI algorithms to enable smart battery-free wearables and implantable electronics targeting next-generation chronic disease management.

Here, I would like to discuss three of my developed technology platforms to elaborate on the concept of battery-free wearable and implantable systems.

First, inspired by self-sustaining intelligent biospecies, we developed a biomimetic, battery-free, high-precision edge-AI-empowered system through the holistic co-design of ultralow-power edge-AI-empowered sensor hardware and an energy harvester, eliminating charging downtime and enabling true 24/7, hassle-free monitoring. This work establishes a new paradigm for system-level, edge-AI-empowered, and self-sustaining sensing, demonstrating that intelligence and energy autonomy can coexist within a single wearable platform and pointing to next-generation always-on, personalized digital health systems.

Second, I will describe a triboelectric transducer-based implantable battery-free device. This technology platform uses ultrasound waves and triboelectric transducers as energy and data transmission media and has broad applications in implantable sensing.

Third, I will describe an RFID-based active living bioelectronic technology platform. This technology encompasses capabilities across the biogenic (bacteria), biomechanical(starch-based hydrogels), and bioelectrical properties (battery-free biosensors and stimulators) simultaneously and shows promising results in managing skin inflammation. Overall, the developed technology platforms can assess multiple health outcomes and treatment responses to various chronic diseases.

Ultimately, this technology will help alleviate the burden of chronic diseases, lower medical costs, and improve the quality of life for patients.

Join us for a two day event, May 22-23, 2026 for the Purdue Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-AI Symposium (PN3), presented by the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, the College of Engineering, the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience and the Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence.

Leif Havton, MD, PhD (University of Washington and VA Puget Sound) will present his translational research on detecting and managing autonomic dysreflexia following spinal cord injuries. His talk will highlight the use of artificial intelligence to identify novel, non-invasive biomarkers for clinically silent autonomic episodes and explore emerging interventions like stem cell grafting.

Design Day is the culminating event of the Senior Design experience in Indianapolis, where students present their solutions to peers, faculty and mentors.

Welcome to the 2026 Biomedical Engineering Research Symposium! The event will take place on April 23rd, 2026 in the Hall for Discovery Learning Research (DLR Room 131) on the Purdue University, West Lafayette campus.

Dexterous neural prostheses require complex sensory feedback to complement accurate neural decoding of movement. While visual feedback is the primary sensory source for current users, it is insufficient for the complex, high-degree-of-freedom tasks required in daily life, particularly for coordinated bilateral movements.