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BioE alumna tackles mysteries
of the human body
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Tejal
Desai counts among her many honors the 2001 National Academy
of Sciences Frontiers in Engineering Award and a 2000 CAREER
Award from the NSF.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY |
At age 31, Tejal Desai (PhD ’98 BioE) is a celebrated professor
at Boston University who has been nationally recognized for her
work in diabetes, medicine delivery, and artificial blood vessel
research. Popular Science magazine named her one of its
“Brilliant Ten” researchers of 2003.
For her Berkeley degree, Desai built an implant to eliminate the
daily insulin injections individuals with diabetes must administer
to control their blood sugar levels. Colleagues said the task
was too hard and warned that she would never graduate, but she
proved them wrong.
“Six or seven years ago when I started the project, it was
unknown to merge micro- and nanotechnologies with human cells
or biological entities,” Desai says. “Now it’s
a hot topic.” After spending four years coaxing cells to
grow on chemically modified silicon, Desai developed a microscopic
device that delivered ongoing, regular doses of insulin in rats.
The product is now under development by a private company for
application in humans.
Desai got her career inspiration in high school, when she heard
a biomedical engineer speak about building artificial organs and
limbs for spinal cord injury victims. In addition to her insulin
implant, she has developed a tiny plastic device that can release
medication when implanted in the intestinal lining. Next, she
plans to develop an artificial blood vessel that helps the body
generate replacements, then biodegrades, leaving the new natural
vessels behind.
“I went into academia to combine my interest in research,
teaching, and policy. I can work with companies, government, and
patients,” she says. “It encompasses everything.”
By Angela Privin, Engineering Public Affairs
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FOREFRONT takes you into the
labs, classrooms, and lives of professors, students, and alumni
for an intimate look at the innovative research, teaching, and
campus life that define the College of Engineering at the University
of California, Berkeley.
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