Tapeworms Inspire Medical Device Created During Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

<p> <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.cmu.edu/news/sites/default/files/styles/listings_desktop_1x_/public/2025-12/251124A_SURF_OliviaLaFond_RD017.jpg.webp?itok=_87q-7BT" width="900" height="508" alt="A smiling woman with shoulder length hair stands in front of a yellow wall and lab equipment, holding a small, round, white pipelike device."> </p> Olivia LaFond, a Carnegie Mellon University senior majoring in biomedical and chemical engineering, created a 3D-printed device based on tapeworms designed to attach to the small intestine and deliver sensors or modular treatments over time.