Media Watch

Virgin Orbit to build ventilators in Long Beach, aerospace company announces

Orange County Register - March 30, 2020

Virgin Orbit has worked with the Bridge Ventilator Consortium to develop a simple “bridge” ventilator that could be used for COVID-19 patients who don’t need intensive care or have partially recovered. … The Bridge Ventilator Consortium is a team of health professionals and researchers trying to solve the national shortage of ventilators; UC Irvine and the University of Texas at Austin have led the effort. “The demand outstrips supply,” Dr. Brian J.F. Wong, assistant chairman of otolaryngology at UCI, said in a statement, “so it is important the government, industry, academia, non-profits and the community work together to identify solutions, and design and construct them as fast as possible. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More

A California rocket-maker will start producing simple ventilators

Quartz - March 30, 2020

“This one is going to basically be for all the patients who need a ventilator but do not need a top-line ventilator,” Dr. Govind Rajan, the director of clinical affairs at the UC Irvine Medical Center, says. “That will free up all these top-line ventilators for the sickest of the sick.” … Just over a week ago, he and a team including Brian J.F. Wong, a UCI plastic surgeon who works in medical device development, and Thomas Milner, a University of Texas, Austin, biomedical engineer, kickstarted the the Bridge Ventilator Consortium. Read More

Richard Branson’s Space Company Is Teaming Up with Medical Researchers to Make Ventilators

Robb Report - March 30, 2020

“We face a slow-motion Dunkirk, and getting ventilators out there is very important to save lives,” said Dr. Brian J.F. Wong, assistant chairman of otolaryngology at UCI, in a statement. “The demand outstrips supply, so it is important the government, industry, academia, non-profits and the community work together to identify solutions, and design and construct them as fast as possible.” Read More

2 Southern California doctors work to get more ventilators where they’re needed

KCRW - March 26, 2020

One of the deadliest aspects of coronavirus is how it attacks the lungs. That’s why ventilators are so important. Manufacturers are struggling to meet the demand amid the nationwide shortage. Two local doctors are taking matters into their own hands. … Dr. Brian Wong - facial plastic surgeon and biomedical engineer at UC Irvine is leading a team that’s trying to create a lower-cost ventilator for people who don’t need the most intensive care. Read More

See the 20 Best Engineering Graduate Programs

Yahoo! Finance (U.S. News & World Report) - March 25, 2020

36 (tie). University of California--Irvine (Samueli)
Location: Irvine, California
Total graduate engineering school enrollment in fall 2019: 1,705 students
Acceptance rate for engineering master's programs: 25%
Acceptance rate for engineering Ph.D. programs: 20% Read More

EPA awards $280,000 to advance environmental projects in the California/Baja California border region

WaterWorld - March 24, 2020

4 Walls International and University of California - Irvine will survey trash in the Tijuana River Watershed by taking and analyzing aerial images. The surveys will be used to develop a monitoring tool to estimate the benefits of trash interventions in Tijuana before the garbage reaches the U.S. Read More

Team Supercharged Cells With Mitochondrial Transplantation

ScienceBlog - March 24, 2020

“Mitochondria are the engines that drive many activities performed by our cells,” said first author Paria Ali Pour, a UCI Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering. “If these organelles are mutated or deemed dysfunctional, the clinical manifestations are devastating, so we decided to study the intracellular consequences of mitochondrial transplantation and determine whether it would be a viable method for mitigating these adverse situations and helping patients.” Read More

Mitochondrial Transplantation Gives Cells a Short-Term Boost of Energy

GEN - March 23, 2020

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) say they have shown that they can give cells a short-term boost of energy through mitochondrial transplantation. According to the team, its study “Bioenergetics Consequences of Mitochondrial Transplantation in Cardiomyocytes,”published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests that mitochondrial transplantation could one day be employed to cure various cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders—and even offer a new approach to the treatment of cancer. Read More

Team demonstrates ability to supercharge cells with mitochondrial transplantation

Medical Xpress - March 23, 2020

"Mitochondria are the engines that drive many activities performed by our cells," said first author Paria Ali Pour, a UCI Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering. "If these organelles are mutated or deemed dysfunctional, the clinical manifestations are devastating, so we decided to study the intracellular consequences of mitochondrial transplantation and determine whether it would be a viable method for mitigating these adverse situations and helping patients." Read More

EV Car Battery Maker Enevate Sees Tool Niche

Orange County Business Journal - March 2, 2020

Enevate was co-founded in 2005 by UCI Professor Marc Madou and current CTO [Benjamin] Park, who has a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from UCI. [Subscription required, you can request an electronic copy of the article by sending an email to communications@uci.edu.] Read More