Emily Mahadevan

Featured project | Spring 2024

Emily Mahadevan, a biomedical engineering senior and honors student in ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, has always been interested in biology and engineering. In high school, Mahadevan learned about aortic valve replacement. After learning about the procedure, she knew that she wanted to work in a related field for her career and decided to study biomedical engineering. As part of FURI, Mahadevan is working with Julianne Holloway, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, to create a hydrogel, or water-based gel, with properties to help build bone for medical applications.

What made you want to get involved in FURI?

I had heard about FURI, but I never thought I would be involved in it. When I joined Dr. Holloway’s lab, she suggested I apply. Once I learned more about the program, I thought it was a great opportunity. I had only been in her lab for a couple of months, so applying for FURI was a really good kick-starter to dive deep into my project. Plus, I wanted the opportunity to meet other undergraduate researchers and see what sorts of things they were working on.

Why did you choose the project you’re working on?

I chose Dr. Holloway’s lab because I really liked her research. I like the biomaterials side of things, so it was a perfect fit for me. For the specific project I am working on, Dr. Holloway had a grant that didn’t have anyone working on it. She gave me the grant and asked me to read it to see if it was something I was interested in. I thought it was really interesting and super innovative, so I joined the project. I started working on it by myself initially, but now I work with a doctoral student, which I love because it gives me another brain to think with and a lot more hands-on support.

How will your engineering research project impact the world?

My project has a medical application, so it has the possibility to impact and improve a lot of lives. The overarching goal of my project is to create a hydrogel to treat bone loss. In the U.S. alone there are about 1.6 million surgeries performed per year to treat bone loss. The current treatment methods pose a lot of complications and have many limitations. It is for this reason that there is a need for a novel solution to treat bone loss.

My project bridges this gap by creating a hydrogel that can be implanted into the body to stimulate bone growth as the hydrogel degrades. The novel aspect of the hydrogel that aims to help promote bone regeneration is a metabolite called alpha ketoglutarate, or aKG. It has been shown to stimulate cell metabolism and modulate bone degrading cells. The release of aKG into the tissue needs to be controlled, which we aim to do by forming aKG polymer microparticles. Much of the work I have done over the past two semesters has been on characterizing the material properties and release kinetics of aKG from the hydrogels.

A solution like this will provide a treatment option for bone loss patients that is fast and effective, so they can heal as quickly as possible.

How do you see this experience helping with your career/advanced degree goals?

Research has allowed me to explore and experience things that have helped me determine what I want to do in the future. I have learned a lot of skills applicable to my field that I don’t learn in my classes. I have learned proper sterile techniques, different test methods and collaborative lab work. Recently, I used my knowledge of the biosafety cabinet for my capstone project. Research is something that I am really passionate about, and working in the lab and being able to talk to other undergrads in research has been a vital part of learning that about myself. I aspire to continue research in the future, but most likely in an industry setting.

Why should other students get involved in FURI?

It is a wonderful opportunity to meet other students in research and to show off your own work. I feel like being able to talk to your peers and present your work is part of research, so being able to do that as an undergrad is fun.