Ma

Minglin Ma, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering, was recently named a Young Innovator Award winner by the journal Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. Ma was one of 10 researchers from across the country to receive the honor.

Ma’s research focuses on developing novel biomaterials for life science and agricultural application. His work explores issues at the frontier of health and sustainability, including research into cancer cell growth, type 1 diabetes treatment and food security.

In September 2016, Ma’s research will be released in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering as part of a special issue on young innovators. The Biomedical Engineering Society lauded Ma and his colleagues for an innovative approach that coats individual cells with drug-eluting dextran nanoparticles, which may have many applications in drug delivery and cell therapies.

Ma will present his research at the 2016 Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting in Minneapolis Oct. 5-8 in a two-part platform session, where each young innovator will be recognized.

After completing his postdoctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ma came to Cornell, where he has begun developing advanced biomaterials for “cell packaging” for life science and agricultural applications. His cell packaging lab researches microtissue analysis and engineering, cell therapies and bacteria encapsulation.

Since his start at Cornell in 2013, Ma has won several awards, including an American Diabetes Association Junior Faculty Award in 2013, a 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award in 2014 and a Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award earlier this year. Ma received the award, given to scientists pursuing biomedical research to advance children’s health, for his work developing an implantable device for the treatment of juvenile diabetes.

Max J. Pfeffer, senior associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said: “CALS is delighted to have Minglin Ma as a faculty member and to have him recognized with the Young Innovator Award. This honor acknowledges his work at the nexus between the life sciences and engineering, and his work on cell packaging with its applications in agriculture and the life sciences is an excellent contribution to the CALS mission of creating knowledge with public purpose.”

Melanie Cordova is communications coordinator for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.