Janet Paluh

Mini Organs, Machine Learning and Medicine at Nanoscale

By
Michael Parker

What if we could grow miniature human hearts in the lab to better test potentially lifesaving drugs or model the circuitry of the spinal cord to heal paralysis? At the intersection of biology, engineering and nanotechnology, Janet Paluh and her students are developing next-generation tools capable of transforming how we understand, diagnose and treat disease.

An associate professor at UAlbany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), Paluh sees CNSE as a “bench-to-commercialization” environment in which academic, industry and clinical partnerships thrive and accelerate the pace of discovery.

“I love what I do because it allows me to work with students on cutting-edge research that doesn’t just generate new knowledge but builds immediate solutions,” said Paluh. “Our goal is to transform human health through innovation.”

One of her doctoral students, Maria Belen Paredes-Espinosa, exemplifies that mission. Under Paluh’s mentorship, Paredes-Espinosa is engineering miniature human hearts using human-induced pluripotent stem cells — a technology with the near-term potential to reduce reliance on animal models, improve preclinical drug screening outcomes and help identify substances toxic to heart health.

Paluh’s lab also develops artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to analyze complex brain disorders like autism spectrum disorder and generates clinical companion diagnostics for brain neuropathology health care — the focus of multiple SUNY Research Foundation patents and a new AI startup, ITrakNeuro Inc.

“In my lab, students explore how the nanoscale underpins everything from cancer to cognition,” Paluh said. “When they leave here, they’re not just scientists — they’re innovators and entrepreneurs ready to shape the future of medicine, technology and global health.”