# Biomedical Engineering Core

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $241,885

## Abstract

Abstract 
Circulating markers found in accessible samples (blood, saliva, urine, etc.) represent an exciting biomarker 
class due to the minimally invasive nature of securing them. Potentially, these circulating markers can enable 
studies directed toward understanding the pathophysiology of a disease and translating those discoveries to 
the bedside for managing a host of human diseases by matching the molecular characteristics of the disease 
to proper treatment regimens (i.e., precision medicine). The attractive nature of circulating markers (i.e., liquid 
biopsy markers) is the plethora of marker types found in the sample such as biological cells, cell-free 
molecules (proteins and cell-free DNA) and extracellular vesicles (nanometer assemblies such as exosomes). 
Unfortunately, basic studies and clinical translation of these liquid biopsy markers has been challenging due to 
the lack of efficient platforms for their isolation that can also accommodate downstream molecular 
characterization of the circulating marker cargo. KIPM will generate the Biomedical Engineering Core that will 
provide to COBRE investigators transformative tools, including hardware and the associated assays, that can 
be programmed for the project at hand and provide to investigators high quality circulating markers to serve as 
inputs for a variety of molecular characterization assays (DNA/RNA Next Generation Sequencing, proteomics, 
immunoassays, mutation detection, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, and many others). The 
hardware tools are lab-on-a-chip or microfluidic platforms that have been optimized for the isolation of 
circulating markers and clinically validated in a variety of application areas. The microfluidic tools also have 
validated assays and an automated workflow that has been developed by members of the BME Core. These 
tools have noteworthy performance metrics compared to commercially available products directed for the 
isolation of circulating markers. The microfluidics are produced in a high scale production mode at low cost 
because they are made from plastics and formed into the appropriate structures using injection molding, an 
established production pipeline for producing CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. Using these tool sets, the BME 
Core will create a laboratory that can immediately service COBRE investigators on their precision medicine 
based projects. Due to the unique capabilities of the tools employed by the BME Core, the data sets generated 
by the KIPM investigators and the unique tools to acquire these data sets will improve their competitiveness in 
seeking federally-funded support of their projects. For COBRE projects that cannot be effectively serviced by 
the Core’s existing tools, the Core will work with the project PI to design new tools to accommodate their 
project that will also add new process capabilities to the BME Core. The BME Core has assay design 
capabilities and prototyping tools to support this activity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869920
- **Project number:** 5P20GM130423-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Steven Allan Soper
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $241,885
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869920

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869920, Biomedical Engineering Core (5P20GM130423-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869920. Licensed CC0.

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