Departments Department of Chemical Engineering

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Face masks help prevent you from spreading the coronavirus. But can they prevent you from catching it?

The scientific evidence is growing about the importance of masks in fighting COVID-19. But one important question is whether homemade masks can protect people wearing them. The answer depends on the fit of a mask and the materials within it, research by Northeastern engineers suggests.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 29, 2020

Doctoral students Devyesh Rana and John Biswakarma are part of a team of Northeastern researchers who recently reported new findings on how well several types of common fabrics block coronavirus particles. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

How to make a homemade mask that is as good as an N95

A team of Northeastern researchers used virus-like nanoparticles to test more than 70 combinations of fabrics that can stop the coronavirus from getting through. The best combinations, they say, consist of layers of materials that can trap viral particles and repel water.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa June 11, 2020

Abigail Koppes, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is isolating cell groups on tiny plastic chips, enabling her team to observe the specific roles of cells that have gotten lost in the noise of the body. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

If cells could talk… Actually, they do. But what are they saying?

How our cells talk—and what they say—is complicated, and it’s different body to body. To boil down this performance to its characters, assistant professor Abigail Koppes is letting them play out on a chip, clarifying both their roles and how sensitive they are to a set change.

by Aria Bracci January 31, 2020

Northeastern student Vidhan Bhaiya got the idea for orthopedic shoes for people with diabetes who have walking impairments while watching his uncle at a family wedding in India. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Easy on the eyes. Easier on the feet.

Northeastern students Vidhan Bhaiya and Danny Jooyoung Kim founded Dr. Brinsley, a footwear company for people who have trouble walking because of diabetes, because they found the existing choices on the market “ineffective, unsophisticated, and expensive.”

by Khalida Sarwari January 10, 2020

Cryogels created by Northeastern assistant professor Sidi Bencherif can be compressed down to 90 percent of their original volume and injected with a needle. Once they’re under the skin, they swell back to their original shape. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

These sponge-like gels can help grow new tissue, train immune cells, and deliver medication

Seven years ago, Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern, announced a breakthrough technology that could hold cells or treatments, and be injected under the skin through a needle. Now these cryogels are being used for immunotherapy, biosensors, tissue engineering, and cosmetic surgery.

by Laura Castañón December 12, 2019

Joshua Gallaway, DiPetro Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, and undergraduate student Sofia Catalina run an experiment using a vanadium redox flow battery in the Egan Research Center. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

‘Literally just go for it and talk about it to a professor’

More than 100 research groups from across Northeastern will present their work on Wednesday night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Curry Student Center on the Boston campus. It’s one great way for students to find a field of study they’re passionate about.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa September 24, 2019

Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, recently received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop biomaterials that generate oxygen. These materials could help researchers understand how low oxygen environments affect the immune system and potentially be used to supply oxygen to help train immune cells to fight cancer. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

How jello-like cubes can help fight cancer

Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern, recently received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop biomaterials that generate oxygen. These materials could help researchers understand how low oxygen environments affect the immune system and potentially be used to supply oxygen to help train immune cells to fight cancer.

by Laura Castañón April 4, 2019

Debra Auguste, a professor of chemical engineering in the College of Engineering, designed a new way to target triple-negative breast cancer that simultaneously delivers a cancer-killing drug and interferes with the cancer’s ability to grow and spread. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Targeting a cure for triple-negative breast cancer

Debra Auguste, a Northeastern professor of chemical engineering, has designed a new way to target a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. Her solution simultaneously delivers a cancer-killing drug and interferes with the cancer’s ability to grow and spread.

by Laura Castañón April 2, 2019

Rebecca Carrier, associate professor, investigates how external factors affect the human gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms living in the human gut. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

NU Talks: Linking diet and health

Rebecca Carrier, associate professor and associate chair of research in the Department of Chemical Engineering, investigates the human gut microbiome to better understand how the…

by News@Northeastern April 18, 2017

NU Talks: New hope from old drugs

Michael Pollastri, associate professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, brings Northeastern’s place at the center of healthcare research into sharp…

by News@Northeastern April 14, 2017