Cell membranes are the most important biological interface in the body; they are the surface at which everything that controls a cell's interaction with its environment happens. Understanding how to manipulate the structure and composition of these membranes on a fundamental level would allow scientists to envision new, precise drug treatment approaches. On the front line of this effort is Dr. Noah Malmstadt, of the University of Southern California, who is investigating and applying the utility of microfluidic devices to address several detrimental diseases both in mental health (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction) and in aging (neurodegeneration and congestive heart failure). His group aims to build artificial cells with variable membrane composition and structure to better understand how these properties might be key to advancing medical treatments against these diseases.

Investing in Dr. Malmstadt is not only an investment in future research itself but also an investment in the future scientists of our nation. The education and creative support of his students, from his research pupils to the sixth graders he inspires through outreach programs, is one of Dr. Malmstadt's unique and most upheld personal values. With ideas pouring in from all of the diverse and creative minds within his group, Dr. Malmstadt is leading a combined effort to advance experimental drug testing to a tangible level.

Dr. Malmstadt's current research portfolio includes the following diverse topics:

• Engineering 3D-Printable Microfluidic Devices: Complex networks of biomedical analytical systems will become easier to assemble with Dr. Malmstadt's streamlined printable devices that snap together like LEGO blocks.

• Targeting Mental Illness: Incorporating proteins known to be involved in multiple mental illnesses into artificial cell membranes and testing their interactions with prospective drugs could lead to a preventative cure. Advanced medical treatments would be able to address diseased cells with higher precision than current approaches.

• Diseases Caused by Oxygen Damage on Cells: Oxidative stress, the culprit of many aging-related diseases, and how it deforms and breaks down cell membranes to allow viral and toxin intrusion is being investigated. Understanding this is the first step to introducing counteractive measures against neurodegenerative disorders and congestive heart disease.

• More Efficient Nanomaterial Production: Microfluidic chemical reactors can improve the production of critical nanomaterials by running at the same time in parallel, which traditional reactors fail to achieve when faced with the big challenge of scaling up.