The LeDuc Lab
The LeDuc Lab has been interfacing technology and modeling with biology and medicine for over two decades. The lab works on where the mechanics of machines and the wonders of nature intersect. While the lab members have come from a variety of backgrounds (mechanical engineering, biology, chemical engineering, material science, physics, computer engineering, biomedical engineering, chemistry, electrical engineering, etc.), the lab approaches this intersection by envisioning cells and molecules as systems that can be investigated with some of the same fundamental approaches used on machines such as planes and automobiles looking for unifying principles. These systems range from mammalian cell to microorganism to organisms (e.g. mammalian cells, magnetic bacteria, energy generating bacteria, Xenopus laevis, ghost crabs, plants) and applies principles from mechanical engineering fields (e.g. solid mechanics, control theory, fluidics, heat transfer, design, etc.) to understand how these principles may apply across diverse nature based systems. They also work on linking mechanics to biochemistry at the cellular and molecular levels through examining structural regulation as well as on novel approaches to technology development through focusing on nature inspired design principles at the molecular and cellular levels. They pursue these goals through developing and utilizing nanotechnology, microtechnology, computational biology, control-feedback theory, etc. as well as a strong interest in building new systems from the knowledge that we obtain in a similar thought process as we use to build a new machine. By combining novel approaches through engineering and biotechnology as well as translating this exciting technology to entrepreneurial products, this multidisciplinary research can make a huge impact to the studies of human health and diseases. The LeDuc Lab appreciates the kind funding from many different organizations to pursue these directions including the Beckman Young Investigator-2nd CMU professor to win, NSF-CAREER, Gates Foundation-2nd CMU professor to win, NIH, NSF, Heinz, Sloan Foundation, DOE, ONR, AFOSR, ARPA-H).