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MSU IQ — the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering (IQ) — is dedicated to basic and applied research at the intersection of engineering, human medicine, and natural science and housed at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. Faculty associated with IQ collaborate across disciplines to push the envelope of biomedical research, solving some of the most pressing problems in medicine with smart engineering solutions.

History
The Institute was envisioned to facilitate biomedical research across the university, nationwide, and globally. It was founded and financially supported by the Colleges of Human Medicine, Engineering, and Natural Science. As the Institute was not designated as an academic unit, Institute faculty members have primary appointments in academic departments.

In 2014 MSU posted the position for the founding director of the Quantitative Health Science and Engineering Institute. After a thorough search process, Christopher Contag, PhD was named as the founding director and chair of the newly formed Department of Biomedical Engineering.

The Institute is housed in a new 130,000-square-foot state-of-the-art core facility to support research and attract top-tier scientists and engineers. This $69.8M building was generously funded by an investment of $30M from the State of Michigan, with the balance provided by the University. The Institute is situated in close proximity to MSU’s latest engineering research facilities, its radiology and imaging labs, and animal and life sciences labs.

In 2020, IQ updated their vision to include the development the tools, technologies and knowledge that will ensure 100 years of health for all people, because “Everyone deserves a century of health".

Organizational Structure
IQ has seven divisions and five core facilities.

Divisions

Biomedical Devices: Design, develop, and utilize new tools that generate better health information more quickly for improved patient care.

Of note, IQ faculty hold ## patents related to novel biomedical devices.

Biomedical Imaging: Design biological and chemical probes with unique signatures that can be detected from outside the body to visualize dynamic processes in living systems

Chemical Biology: Synthesize novel compounds that perturb biology, enable visualization and guide development for an integrated approach to understanding complex biological systems.

Developmental and Stem Cell Biology: Perturb and observe the foundation of scientific principles guides in our understanding of mammalian development.

Neuroengineering: Gain an understanding of the human brain that will enable rebuilding neural circuitry and restoring function. In 2022, Debajit Saha, PhD and a team of researchers at Michigan State University detailed a novel locust-based cancer screening system.

Synthetic Biology: Using engineering principles to create libraries of biological components to be assembled in biological chassis (cells) to create integrated biological systems. Jens Schmidt, division head (2022-), was recently chosen for an National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award.

Systems Biology: Study of disease from the molecular level to phenotype, with broad applications in complex genetic traits, disease risk assessment, cancer, toxicology and pharmacology, immunology and precision medicine.

Core facilities

Advanced molecular imaging

Microscopy

MSU Flow Cytometry Core

Transgenic and Genome Editing Facility

3D Printing

Funding
IQ faculty have brought in a total of $83M in new grants and contracts to MSU since its inception and in 2023 they brought in a total of $14.2M in new federal grants and contracts.

James and Kathy Cornelius established a $5 million lead trust to support areas deemed by the president to be of the greatest need, including the inaugural James and Kathleen Cornelius Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Director of IQ.

Of Note
Since 2018, IQ faculty and staff had 52 invention disclosures with 45 patent applications submitted, 5 patents issued, and 2 options/licenses secured.

To serve the Michigan community during COVID, IQ converted half a floor into a CLIA-certified testing lab and ran the Spartan Early Detection Program. They partnered with the Michigan Department of Public Health and brought in experts from around the region to inform and educate the community.

In 2023, two IQ faculty, Zen Qiu and Debajit Saha, earned National Science Foundation CAREER awards, which support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research and education.