Qingsu Cheng joined the UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science in August as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
In this role, Cheng will advance the college’s multidisciplinary research and education in the diverse and evolving field of biomedical engineering.
With the addition of Cheng, the department—which launched in 2015 with just one student—now boasts nine faculty members and two visiting faculty who bring expertise in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, and computer science. ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited UWM’s Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering Program in 2021.
From battling breast cancer to identifying bacteria
Cheng’s cutting-edge, translational research in the areas of cancer and biomaterials has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASA, which funded his proposal to study astronaut health on the moon and Mars. He has published 25 peer-reviewed journal papers, which received more than 400 citations.
“UWM is giving me the opportunity to contribute to broadening our knowledge about the interaction between microenvironmental factors and a variety of diseases,” Cheng says. “I hope to translate my research into commercial products, with the university’s support.”
Cheng’s cancer research is in the areas of early detection, risk assessment, and development of new treatments. He is currently investigating the biomechanical properties of breast tissue—knowledge that aids in detecting the disease and planning surgical procedures. He also is researching fibroblasts, a non-cancerous cell type that is found in most solid tumors and associated with disease’s progression. “The goal of non-invasive treatment is to manipulate the tumor microenvironment in a way that combats breast cancer,” he says.
In the expanding field of biomaterials, Cheng’s focus is on biosensors. “Home COVID-19 tests are one example of biosensors that we’re all familiar with,” Cheng says. In general, biosensors alert people to the presence of viruses and bacteria and are being used in disease detection and progression, food safety, environmental monitoring and more.
At UWM, Cheng says, he hopes to develop biosensors that identify diseases in microbiomes—the collection of microbes that live on or inside a person’s body.
Cheng has already developed one biosensor—now patented—that identifies foodborne bacterial pathogens in just 30 minutes. The technique also can be used as a viral pathogen sensor, he says.
The field of biomedical engineering is highly collaborative, and Cheng has developed partnerships with scientists at the University of California-San Francisco, University of California-Los Angeles, Arizona Statue University, the Jet Propulsion Lab and NASA.
In his biosensor research, he typically works with local hospitals and farms to obtain the biological specimens specific to the region and necessary for blind validation tests.
Committed to helping students flourish
Most recently, Cheng was a research scientist in the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Nevada Reno. He obtained a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and completed postdoc training at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Prior to joining UWM, Cheng both taught and designed a variety of courses—including Tissue Engineering, Cellular Engineering and Introduction to Biomedical Engineering—and mentored undergraduate and graduate students on both academic and career paths.
“I am committed to fostering a friendly environment that respects, supports, and values all members of our community,” he said.
Contact Qingsu Cheng
Email: chengq@uwm.edu
Temporary Office: 845