Technology Review Magazine named an Ohio State professor one of the world’s 100 Top Young Innovators.
Derek Hansford, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering and biomedical engineering, received the prestigious honor for his pioneering developments in nanotechnology.
According to an article by the OSU research department, a team of engineers including Hansford, developed a computerized model to assist minute medical implants made of plastic to electrically disperse drugs inside the body.
The team is the first to create the “comprehensive computer model to address electrically driven fluids in channels, according to the article. These tiny devices could someday be used for more efficient forms of chemotherapy.
Hansford’s general area of study involves microfabrication techniques for polymeric materials, which are plastics in the general media, for biomedical applications.
In his research, Hansford specifically developed techniques for shaping tiny objects out of plastic and manipulating those plastics to help devices execute specific functions, like sticking to certain kinds of cells, the article said.
“The hope with these devices is to either provide improvement over conventional devices, such as rapid diagnosis of disease using microfluidic devices, or to enable completely new treatments, such as the microparticles to target tumorous regions within the body,” said Hansford.
Concerned about affordable treatment, Hansford hopes costs will be comparable to current therapy or better yet, more effective at diagnosing and treating diseases making them standard practices that would lower medical bills.
Hansford’s work will be accessible to the industry through Ohio MicroMD Laboratory, which is owned and operated by OSU, said the article.
Mark A. Ruegsegger, a colleague and assistant professor for the Biomedical Engineering Center and the department of internal medicine, said that Hansford’s recognition is a big deal for Hansford and the department because it shows biomedical engineering is headed in the right direction.
Ruegsegger describes Hansford as “quiet-natured” at first impression, but a rather funny guy who enjoys sports and hanging out with students.
“I am not surprised, his projects are always on the cutting edge,” he said. “From the very beginning he worked very hard. It’s nice to see him being recognized.”
Originally from Jefferson, Ohio, Hansford majored in materials science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and received his doctorate in materials science at Berkeley before came to OSU via the Ohio MicroMD Lab.
