Impact & Achievement Highlights

IEM's Quarterly Newsletter - June 2026

A Note from Leadership

Dear IEM,

Welcome to our newly formatted Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM) newsletter! Moving forward, we are shifting our focus to better highlight our incredible centers, workforce development initiatives, and strategic partnerships.

As you may know, the core of our collaborative research rests within our prominent research centers: the Visible Heart® Laboratories, the Bakken Medical Devices Center, the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems, and the Center for Neuroengineering. The leadership of these centers comprises the IEM Executive Committee, and we look forward to using this new newsletter format to regularly feature groundbreaking updates and achievements.

In addition to our research centers, our key workforce programs—such as our Clinical Immersion and Short Courses—continue to see extensive engagement from our Industry Partners. We further strengthen these ties through our Industry Advisory Council (IAC) which includes leaders from Medtronic, Abbott, Boston Scientific, and Solventum. This strong synergy between academia and industry is on full display at our signature events, including the Otto Schmitt Lecture, the Design of Medical Devices Conference, the Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium, and the Organoid Symposium.

Looking ahead, we aim to drive even greater collaboration. We will continue to encourage industry use of our programs through the IAC, while simultaneously engaging our academic colleagues through the Faculty Advisory Board.

Thank you for your ongoing support of IEM.

Warm regards,
John
IEM Director

IEM Leadership Update

Thank you Dr. Chris Pennell and Dr. Rhonda Franklin

As the inaugural recipients of the IEM Abbott Professorships in Innovative Education, Drs. Pennell and Franklin have dedicated the last several years to turning a visionary concept into a powerful, sustainable reality. Take a moment to learn more about their lasting impact.

IEM Center Impact & Achievement Highlights

ATP-Bio Organ Preservation Milestone Featured in NSF FY2027 Budget Request to Congress

April 3, 2026 - NSF ATP-Bio was featured in the National Science Foundation’s FY2027 Budget Request to Congress for a groundbreaking advance in organ cryopreservation: the first successful transplantation of a cryopreserved kidney from a large mammal. Developed in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, the achievement demonstrates the potential to extend organ preservation times far beyond current limits, helping increase donor organ availability, improve transplant outcomes, and reduce barriers to transplantation. ATP-Bio's mention in the report recognizes the Center’s leadership in developing technologies that make living biological systems more accessible for healthcare and other critical applications. Get the full story in the official press release.

Continued Engagement with the BMDC

Highlights include the sold-out 25th Anniversary of the DMD Conference, which hosted the US FDA–UMN forum led by CDRH Director Michelle Tarver. We also celebrated another fully enrolled NeuroTech Workshop co-led by BMDC's Matt Johnson and CNE's Tay Netoff. Meanwhile, momentum continues to build with growing interest in grant submission, prototyping, and the BMDC's AnatomyU. Additionally, BMDC's Hubert Lim and Danny Sachs were invited to host a session at DeviceTalks Minnesota, which included a fireside chat with Innovation Fellows Program (IFP) alum Ibrahim Yekinni.

Current IFP Projects Gain Traction. Three project teams presented at the Carlson School Founders’ Day Challenge, and three projects secured support for feasibility studies through University funding mechanisms. Two project teams plan to submit SBIR grant applications this fall.

Recent IFP Alums Achieved Recognition. OralMR, founded by Beth Groenke, DDS, was selected as one of ten “High Tech” division semifinalists in the Minnesota Cup. Meld Bio, founded by Ibrahim Yekinni (and grad student Carolyn Bernemann) won the Great MedTech Pitch Competition from a field of more than 100 teams. Essa Mohammed, PhD, and Shahid Karim, MD, PhD, both Mayo Clinic investigators, were selected for the National I-Corps Program. Joe Broomhead was awarded an ODAT grant for a hypertension therapy.

Big Minds and Big Plans at CNE

The University of Minnesota Center for Neuroengineering (CNE) continued to strengthen its role as a hub for neuroengineering research, education, and collaboration during the first half of 2026. CNE hosted its Spring 2026 Seminar Series, featuring speakers from leading academic, clinical, and industry institutions and building on the success of the Fall 2025 series. The Center also continued planning for the 13th Annual Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium, scheduled for October 22-23, 2026, which brings together researchers, clinicians, trainees, and industry partners to discuss advances in neuromodulation technologies and their clinical translation.

In addition, CNE launched the Neuroengineering Talent Accelerator Program, a workforce development initiative designed to prepare the next generation of neuroengineering innovators and leaders.

Together, these efforts highlight CNE’s commitment to advancing interdisciplinary neuroscience research, training, collaboration, and translational impact.

VHL is Literally and Figuratively Reanimating Hearts

We had a successful start to 2026 with the 26th Advanced Cardiac, Physiology & Anatomy Course, held January 5-9, 2026. The 163 students, 160 industry and 3 being University of Minnesota students, spent an intensive week listening to lectures and participating in immersive lab experiences focused on advancing their understanding of cardiac anatomy. In addition, the 3rd Advanced Cardiac Electrophysiology Course was held May 11-13, 2026. The course provided the 7 participants with valuable insights into cardiac pacing and ablation techniques, through clinic case observations and hands-on preclinical experiences.

We are grateful to have a long-standing research collaboration with LifeSource, our organ procurement organization here in Minnesota. On May 5, we were privileged to receive our 100th human heart for reanimation; this donor's heart was not deemed viable for transplantation. Using the Visible Heart apparatus, the heart was reanimated for over 6 hours, allowing us to capture detailed functional anatomic images as well as device placements for education and research purposes.

Engineering in Medicine Ecosystem Highlights

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Printable version of the 2026 Q2 IEM Newsletter.