Stevenson Endowed Professor, Associate Dean for Research
223K Link Hall
dren@syr.edu
315.443.1257
Degrees:
- B.E. (major) Applied Chemistry, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P. R. China, 1996.
- B.E. (minor) Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P. R. China, 1996.
- M.E. Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, P. R. China, 1999.
- Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 2003
- Postdoctoral associate, Chemical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 2003-2005.
Lab/Center Affiliation:
- Syracuse BioInspired Institute
Areas of Expertise:
- Biomaterials
- Medical devices
- Biotechnology
- Synthetic Biology
- Bacterial control
Current Research:
Historically, our understanding of bacterial physiology and development of antibiotics have been focused on active planktonic (free-swimming) cells. However, the vast majority of bacteria in nature and medical environments exist in surface-attached biofilms with varying levels of dormancy. With up to 1,000 times higher tolerance to antibiotics and disinfectants compared to their planktonic counterparts, deleterious biofilms cause serious problems such as chronic infections in humans as well as persistent fouling and equipment failure in industry. Biofilms are blamed for billions of dollars of losses and more than 45,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. Despite the well-recognized significance of biofilms, the mechanisms of biofilm formation and bacterial dormancy are still not fully understood with many fundamental questions unanswered. Controlling biofilms and dormant cells is also challenging. To address these challenges, we conduct both basic and translational research with specific interests in bacteria-material interactions, novel antifouling materials, new agents for controlling biofilms and dormant cells, synthetic biology for microbial control, and smart and safer medical devices.
Courses Taught:
- CEN551 Biochemical Engineering
- BEN301 Biological Principles for Engineers
Honors:
- Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2022
- Chancellor’s citation for Faculty Excellence & Scholarly Distinction, Syracuse University, 2018
- Faculty Excellence Award, School of Engineering & Computer Science, Syracuse University, 2014
- NSF CAREER Award, 2011-2016
- College Technology Educator of the Year by the Technology Alliance of Central New York (TACNY), 2010.
- Early Career Translational Research Award in Biomedical Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, 2009
Selected Publications:
For a full list of publications, please see http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=85Ty0hAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao.
Yikang Xu and Dacheng Ren. “A novel inductively coupled capacitor wireless sensor system for rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing.” Journal of Biological Engineering. 17, Article number: 54 (2023).
72. Sang Won Lee, Erick L. Johnson, J. Alex Chediak, Hainsworth Shin, Yi Wang, K. Scott Phillips and Dacheng Ren. “High-Throughput Biofilm Assay to Investigate Bacterial Interactions with Surface Topographies.” ACS Applied Bio Materials. 5: 3816-3825 (2022).
Sweta Roy, Ali Adem Bahar, Huan Gu, Shikha Nangia, Karin Sauer and Dacheng Ren. “Persister Control by Leveraging Dormancy Associated Reduction of Antibiotic Efflux.” PLOS Pathogens. 17(12): e1010144 (2021).
Sang Won Lee, Joseph Carnicelli, Dariya Getya, Ivan Gitsov, K. Scott Phillips and Dacheng Ren. “Biofilm Removal by Reversible Shape Recovery of the Substrate.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 13 (15): 17174–17182 (2021)
Sang Won Lee, K. Scott Phillips, Huan Gu, Mehdi Kazemzadeh-Narbat, Dacheng Ren. “How microbes read the map: effects of implant topography on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.” Biomaterials. 268: 120595 (2021).
Huan Gu, Sang Won Lee, Joseph Carnicelli, Teng Zhang, and Dacheng Ren. “Magnetically driven active topography for long-term biofilm control”. Nature Communications. 11: Article number: 2211 (2020).
Yikang Xu, Yousr Dhaouadi, Paul Stoodley, and Dacheng Ren, “Sensing the unreachable: challenges and opportunities in biofilm detection”. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 64: 79-84 (2020).