Biology by Design

Description:

Jim Collins, a College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering and codirector of the Center for BioDynamics at Boston University, delivers the 2008 University Lecture, Biology by Design. He talks about his research at BU, including using noise to enhance sensory function and making antibiotics more effective by tricking cells to turn off their repair mechanisms.

Collins explains how he used computer modeling of neurons to determine how the mechanism of stochastic resonance can be applied to increase the sensitivity of our sense of touch. Using technology such as vibrating insoles, Collins says, he has been able to improve the balance of a seventy-five-year-old, making it comparable to that of a twenty-year-old.

He also describes how he used control system networks to measure the responses of proteins and better predict how particular drugs work on the human body. Collins learned that he could turn off the cell repair mechanism of specific cells and that if he could hit one of those cells with an antibiotic, the antibiotic would be a thousand times more powerful than it is when the repair mechanism is on.

Established in 1950 to honor faculty engaged in outstanding research, the University Lecture is an opportunity for the members of the BU community and the public to hear a distinguished scholar discuss a topic of recognized excellence.

October 21, 2008