Randles Named a 2020 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Engineering

11/12 Pratt School of Engineering

Honor recognizes junior faculty for innovative and impactful bioengineering research

Professor Amanda Randles works with undergraduate student Stephanie Musinsky.
Randles Named a 2020 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Engineering

Amanda Randles, the Alfred Winborne and Victoria Stover Mordecai Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Duke University, has been named a 2020 Young Innovator of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. She was one of 12 faculty selected to present their research in a special issue of the Nature journal Cellular and Molecular Engineering.

Randles’ work in Duke Biomedical Engineering involves using supercomputers to simulate how blood, particles and cells can travel through veins and arteries in the body. Her signature project is HARVEY, a massively parallel fluid dynamics simulation that can model the full human arterial system at subcellular resolution. Randles aims to use the technology to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of human diseases.

Randles was recognized for work using HARVEY to model how circulating tumor cells can overcome fluid shear stress to metastasize and spread at branch points in the vascular system, with particular focus on tumor deformability. This work was the result of a strong collaborative effort between Randles’ lab and a team at Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

To receive the title of Young Innovator of Cellular and Molecular Engineering, researchers must hold the rank of Assistant Professor at the time of nomination. Awardees presented their papers in a special, two-part “on-demand” session at the virtual 2020 Biomedical Engineering Society meeting in October, which also included a Q&A session with the online audience.   

“I’m honored to be selected as part of this distinguished cohort,” says Randles. “Past awardees, like BME’s own Brenton Hoffman, have been incredibly impressive, and I’m honored to be included. I’m greatly appreciative of the support and recognition of the biomedical application of our research.”