Human Health Research Centers & Institutes

Biodiversity Institute
Biodiversity Institute researchers study the life of the planet, including animals, plants, ecosystems and past cultures, to better understand biodiversity patterns and processes and to predict environmental phenomena, such as the status of threatened and endangered species, the spread of animal-borne diseases and pest species, and the effects of climate change on global biodiversity.

Bioengineering Research Center (BERC)
The BERC performs innovative research to address issues relating to the integration of engineered materials into human physiology and to the development of novel technologies for early-stage diagnosis and management of disease.  BERC investigators, with training ranging from materials engineering to structural biology, employ multi-scale structure/property imaging and computational modeling to provide insight into the mechanistic behavior of native, as well as reconstructed tissue/material interfaces. The experimental tools are state-of-the-art, while the computational modeling and analytical techniques bridge scales from the molecular- to the system-level.

Higuchi Biosciences Center (HBC)
The HBC provides support to biomedical research investigators in the behavioral, biological, chemical, engineering, physical and pharmaceutical sciences.

The Life Span Institute (Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies)
The Life Span Institute is one of the largest and most highly regarded human development and disabilities research centers in the country. LSI brings together scientists of diverse disciplines including, psychology, psychiatry, speech pathology, sociology, education, biology, pharmacology, physiology, gerontology and medicine to study human development from its genetic origins through the final stages of life.

KU Research Centers & Institutes Making an Impact

Modeling the Future

Predictive modeling is a way of taking information from many different fields — ecology, botany, genetics, meteorology, even sociology — and layering the information together, via computers, to predict future outcomes.

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Improving Tooth Restorations

Research indicates that to improve the longevity of posterior composite tooth restorations, there is a need to consider both clinical and patient factors.

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Tissue Implants Inspired by Insects

Through the study of insect exoskeleton material, also known as "cuticle", researchers are discovering ways to engineer biomedical implantable materials like cartilage replacements.

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Antibiotics for Evolved Pathogens

An increasing number of pathogens have evolved strains that are resistant to antibiotics currently on the market.  Researchers are evaluating the potential of "nanoinjectors" as a target for a new class of antibiotics.

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New Materials Inspired by Nature

Material advancements that emulate naturally occurring biological structures, such as spores and mineralized tissues, are being used to develop “light” aerosols for drug delivery and flexible plastic materials for tissue regeneration.

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Game Changer

Kids with developmental or intellectual disabilities often have hearing problems, that, if corrected, could be a game changer. A new software program that helps them communicate during the assessment is improving the results.

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Global Health Toolbox

The Community Tool Box is a free, public web site with more than 7,000 pages of resources used by millions of people in over 200 countries.  Resources include learning modules and training for community assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, advocacy and sustainability.

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A Healthier Latino Community

KU community health researchers are helping local tienda and restaurant owners offer healthier food choices as well as promoting exercise through classes in local churches and a neighborhood soccer league.

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