The Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer

The Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) is uniquely focused on fostering collaborative research across disciplines. Researchers from life sciences, physical science, informatics, bioengineering, data modeling, bioimaging, engineering, lighting systems and engineering, and media technologies can come together to work on global challenges.

As the hub of biotechnology-based research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Center is recognized for its basic and applied research, world-class infrastructure and support staff, and growing funding base.

Our research portfolio includes ground-breaking work in biologics, bioimaging, biomanufacturing, biomolecular science and engineering, biophysics and structural biology, microbiomics, neuroscience, stem cell engineering, and genomics.  More about CBIS

Over Ten Years

  • 36 Faculty
  • 200 Ph.D.s Granted
  • 1,000 Undergrads Trained
  • 2,000 Peer-Reviewed Publications
  • 30,000 Citations (ISI)
  • $130MExternal Grant Funding

News & Events

Rensselaer-Designed Platform Could Enable Personalized Immunotherapy

An innovative testing platform that more closely mimics what cancer encounters in the body may allow for more precise, personalized therapies by enabling the rapid study of multiple therapeutic combinations against tumor cells. The platform, which uses a three-dimensional environment to more closely mirror a tumor microenvironment, is demonstrated in research published in Communications Biology.

Rensselaer Team Aims To Pave Way for Robust AI in Medical Imaging

A number of vulnerabilities, known collectively as deep learning adversaries, hold artificial intelligence (AI) back from its full potential in applications like improving medical imaging quality and computer-aided diagnosis.

Researchers Solve a Puzzle to Design Larger Proteins

A team including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researcher Gaetano Montelione has identified the design principles for creating large “ideal” proteins from scratch, paving the way for the design of proteins with new biochemical functions. The results were published today in Nature Communications.

Deep Learning Enables Dual Screening for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease

Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the United States, and it’s increasingly understood that they share common risk factors, including tobacco use, diet, blood pressure, and obesity. Thus, a diagnostic tool that could screen for cardiovascular disease while a patient is already being screened for cancer has the potential to expedite a diagnosis, accelerate treatment, and improve patient outcomes. 

Research & Constellations

 

Our Center

  • 150 PhD Students
  • 50 Postdoctoral Fellows
  • 33 Principal Investigator Laboratories
  • 25 Visiting Research Scientists
  • 218,000 sq ft modern facility
  • 31, 240 sq ft of open research labs
  • 13,009 sq ft of support labs
  • 27,350 sq ft of core facilities
  • 5,830 sq ft conference and seminar space