Studies by VCU Engineering researchers among the top 10 percent most cited in PLOS One

Dean Boyan and Dr. Cios
Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Dean of VCU Engineering and Krzysztof “Krys” Cios, M.B.A.,Ph.D., D.Sc., professor and chair of computer science at VCU Engineering.

Two studies by investigators at VCU College of Engineering are among the top 10 percent most cited publications in the Public Library of Science (PLOS One).

“Substrate Stiffness Controls Osteoblastic and Chondrocytic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells without Exogenous Stimuli” is in the top 10 percent of most cited PLOS One publications for 2017, its publication year. It suggests stiffer substrates promote formation of bone and cartilage cells and may have applications for stem cell therapies. The study’s authors are Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Dean of VCU Engineering; René Olivares-Navarrete, D.D.S, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical engineering; and Zvi Schwartz, D.M.D., Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and VCU Engineering’s associate dean for strategic operations; along with researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“Self-Organizing Feature Maps Identify Proteins Critical to Learning in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome” is in the top 10 percent of most cited PLOS One publications for 2015, its publication year. It proposes a strategy based on the unsupervised clustering method Self Organizing Maps (SOM) to identify biologically important differences in protein levels and critical protein responses that may help identify more effective treatments for disorders such as Down syndrome. The study’s authors are Clara Higuera, Ph.D., data scientist at BBVA Data & Analytics, Katheleen J. Gardiner, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado, and Krzysztof “Krys” Cios, M.B.A.,Ph.D., D.Sc., professor and chair of computer science at VCU Engineering.

PLOS One is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes primary research in more than 200 subject areas across science, engineering, medicine, social sciences and the humanities.