Here are just a few of the incredible people at the Knight Cancer Institute working to transform cancer science, early detection and the future of patient care. Read the full story.
Carolyn Schutt Ibsen, Ph.D.
Joined OHSU from Imperial College London
Assistant professor at CEDAR and the Department of Biomedical Engineering
Schutt Ibsen and her research group collaborate with the Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub, bioprinting tissues modeling early-stage breast cancer to study how the disease progresses in response to tumor-promoting factors and overexpression of oncogenes — genes that have the potential to cause cancer.
Using ultrasound waves, she is able to remotely control the behavior of cells deep within the tissues she engineers, allowing for precise genetic changes that don’t disrupt the tissue structure. Schutt Ibsen’s work is driven by ultrasound’s ability to non-invasively trigger molecular signals in cells and alter cell behavior to model disease or promote healing, which could lead to practical patient applications in the future.
In 2024, Schutt Ibsen was recognized at the 2024 Biomedical Engineering Society meeting as a Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering.
“Biomedical engineering and biomaterials, when put together, can really play an important role in improving quality of life for cancer patients. I wanted to work in an area where we could both be creating something new as engineers and also have a translational impact on human health. I still come to work every day enthusiastic and excited by what we do.”
