Author: Jim
Professor McGrath holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State and a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He earned a PhD in Biological Engineering from Harvard/MIT's Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He then trained as a Distinguished Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. Professor McGrath has been on the Biomedical Engineering faculty at the University of Rochester since 2001 where he also served as the director of the graduate program in BME for more than a decade and currently serves as Associate Director of the URNano microfab and metrology core. Professor McGrath also has faculty affiliations with many other programs at UR including the Material Research Program, the Environmental Health and Sciences Center, the Biochemistry and Biophysics program, and the Musculoskeletal Research Center. McGrath's graduate, post-doctoral, and early faculty research was focused on quantitative experiments and mathematical modeling of cell migration covering molecular, cellular, and multi-cellular phenomena. This was true until 2007 when he, along with Professor Philippe Fauchet (now Dean at Vanderbilt) and PhD students Tom Gaborski (RIT) and Chris Streimer (Adarza), discovered a means to self-assembled nanopores in 15 nm thick free-standing silicon and demonstrated the remarkable transport properties of the new material in a Nature paper. This seminal discovery led to the creation of the multidisciplinary Nanomembrane Research Group (NRG) and the founding of SiMPore Inc. in the same year. The NRG and SiMPore have been dedicated to the advancement of ultrathin membrane technologies and exploring all of their potential applications ever since. This blog also dates back to 2007 and has had contributions from more than 100 students, faculty, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. It contains over 2,500 pages and posts logging progress large and small over all these years. Yet somehow it feels like we are just getting started.

TraCe Progress: September 2025

Administrative: Molly Van Wyk is no longer TraCe-bMPS admin. Assumed Bonnie’s job as Sr. Admin in BME. Will continue to help until position is replaced. Quality Systems meetings are moving to Wednesdays only: 9:30 -10:00 AM Progress meetings will be

Posted in TRACE

Gene vs Protein nomenclature

Human gene/allele/trait: all caps, italicized. Human protein: all caps (no italics). Mouse gene: First letter caps, all italicized Mouse protein: First letter caps, not italicized.

Posted in NRG

A DDT for ICANS Risk Assessment in T Cell–Engaging Bispecific Antibody Immunotherapies: Strategy and Rationale

Work in progress … **************** T cell–Engaging Immunotherapies Pose a Predictable but Complex RiskT cell–engaging bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), particularly those targeting CD3 and a tumor-associated antigen, have emerged as a powerful class of immunotherapies. These agents leverage endogenous T cells

Posted in TRACE

CRS Generated from Bispecific T Cell Engagers (BiTEs)

CRE_Bispecific_Antibody_CRS_and_ICANS_Neurotoxicity_Guidance_Feb2024 51899285fnl_Immunotoxic Potential of PharmaceuticalsWe are considering Bispecific T cell engagers (BiTEs) [1] as an alternative to a CAR T driven cytokine release as an immunotherapy focused DDT. BiTEs are monoclonal antibodies engineered to have one arm that recognizes a

Posted in TRACE

Jim’s Talk at Spring Brain Conference in Sedona, AZ

My Talk (PPT; Keynote) Program My Notes

Posted in NRG

Assessing the Permeability of Two Barriers in the Post-capillary Neurovascular Unit Part 2: Measuring R2

In Part 1 we explained that the composite barrier in our model of the post-capillary NVU is determined by RBBB = RBlB + R2 + RBrB where is R2 is the resistance of the ‘perivascular space’ in our chip. Unlike

Posted in memBrains

Assessing the Permeability of Two Barriers in the Post-capillary Neurovascular Unit Part 1: The Problem Statement

The two barrier anatomy of the post-capillary NVU and why it matters At the post-capilliary venule, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is actually two barriers in series: 1) one created by the pericyte/BMEC layer at the blood interface and 2) one

Posted in memBrains, NRG

George Wadsworth Training Visit

Slide Deck Video Presentation Jove_Video_Comments_Form (GW)

Posted in NRG

R61/R33 Update to NIH on Nov. 9, 2022

Attached is a PDF presented to the NIH at our annual update meeting that included other funded project teams. R61_R33HL154249 11-22 Update (Low Res)

Posted in memBrains

Relationship(s) between Porosity, Pore Size, Pore Density and Interpore Spacing

One of the more useful formulas for our materials is Equation 1 in Chung et al., 2014 Lab on a Chip 14:2456-68 Assuming uniformly distributed pores in a planar (i.e. ultrathin) membrane, the relationship between pore radius r, porosity p,

Posted in Knowledge (Public)
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