The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering: BME News

Yoganathan Lab Awarded NIH Grant for Fontan Surgical Outcomes Study
Posted: Thu, January 14, 2010

The NIH recently awarded BME Regents’ Professor Ajit Yoganathan a $3.1 million grant for a four-year clinical study of surgical repair of single ventricle heart defects in infants. The Yoganathan Lab will collaborate with colleagues at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Cincinnati Children's Hospital to correlate Fontan procedures with patient outcomes. Approximately 6,000 to 8,000 children a year are born with this heart defect, which if left untreated, kills most infants within a year.

This is one of six NIH grants for Dr. Yoganathan’s research team, five of which have been funded since July 2009.

McDevitt Named 2010 Young Investigator by the Society for Biomaterials
Posted: Wed, January 6, 2010

Coulter Department Assistant Professor Todd C. McDevitt has been awarded the 2010 Young Investigator Award from the Society for Biomaterials (SFB). The Young Investigator Award recognizes an individual each year who has demonstrated outstanding achievements and leadership in the field of biomaterials research. McDevitt will receive the award at the 2010 Annual Meeting to be held in Seattle next April. This marks the third time in the last seven years that a BME faculty member has received this honor. BME Associate Professors Niren Murthy and Julia Babensee received the award in 2008 and 2005, respectively. In addition to the being named the 2010 SFB Young Investigator, McDevitt was recently appointed as a Petit Faculty Fellow in the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and named the Director of the new Stem Cell Engineering Center at Georgia Tech, which is scheduled to officially launch in 2010.

BME Professor Yoganathan Named Editor of New Journal Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology
Posted: Wed, December 9, 2009

The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) has named Coulter Department Regents’ Professor Ajit Yoganathan, Ph.D., as the first editor of its new journal entitled Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology (CVET). The journal, which will debut in early 2010, will publish peer-reviewed articles ranging from basic to translational research in all aspects of cardiovascular physiology and medical treatment. CVET will serve as a forum for academic and industrial investigators to disseminate research that utilizes engineering principles and methods to advance fundamental knowledge and technological solutions related to the cardiovascular system. The journal will publish papers spanning from subcellular to systems level topics, including areas such as implantable medical devices, hemodynamics and tissue biomechanics, functional imaging, surgical devices, electrophysiology, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, diagnostic instruments, transport and delivery of biologics, and sensors. CVET will be published quarterly by Springer. Dr. Yoganathan is Associate Chair for Research for the Coulter Department and the Director of the Center for Innovative Cardiovascular Technologies.

BME Professor LaPlaca Leads Research of Cognitive Processes in Warfighters for New BIONIC Center
Posted: Tue, December 8, 2009

The Georgia Institute of Technology has been awarded a U.S. Air Force Center of Excellence to design nanostructures for energy harvesting and adaptive materials, and to develop tools to optimize critical cognitive processes of the modern warfighter. The research on cognitive processes is being led by Michelle LaPlaca, an associate professor in the Coulter Department. LaPlaca and her team plan to develop tools and assessment methods to optimize critical cognitive processes of the modern warfighter.

“U.S. Air Force analysts must remain attentive to computers and controls for hours at a time, so we aim to find a molecular signature of cognition that is sensitive to changes in stress levels and correlate these molecules with functional brain maps using magnetic resonance imaging techniques,” said LaPlaca. “We want to learn about a warfighter’s physiological response to different situations and use this information to optimize training and work effectiveness.

The $10.5 million Center, known as the Bio-nano-enabled Inorganic/Organic Nanostructures and Improved Cognition (BIONIC) center, is also being led by Vladimir Tsukruk and Kenneth Sandhage, professors in Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering. For the press release, click here. To hear the NPR story about the Center click here.

BME Professor Bellamkonda’s Research Featured in TV Special
Posted: Tue, December 8, 2009

Tune in to see a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta television special featuring recent research by Coulter Department Professor Ravi Bellamkonda. The program shows Dr. Bellamkonda’s research using a new nanoscale dye that allows surgeons to distinguish cancer tissue from healthy tissue, visually and in real-time. “This method allows surgeons to see the cancerous tissue as they operate. The cancerous area turns blue, making it easier to ensure the tumor is completely removed, and damage to healthy tissue is minimized,” explains Bellamkonda. This research is a collaborative effort with Dr. Barun Brahma, a pediatric neurosurgeon at CHOA and is supported by Ian’s Friends Foundation, National Science Foundation and the Georgia Cancer Coalition. Tune in Sunday, Dec. 13 at 12:30 p.m. on WSB-TV, Channel 2 (ABC); Saturday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. on WXIA-TV, Channel 11 (NBC); and Saturday, Dec. 26 at 12:30 p.m. on WAGA-TV, Channel 5 (FOX).

Dr. Bellamkonda’s research is featured in the second segment, viewable here http://www.choa.org/default.aspx?id=7566

Gorilla Tough Cuff Designed by BME Students in Collaboration with Zoo Atlanta Enables World's First Voluntary Gorilla Blood Pressure Reading
Posted: Wed, November 11, 2009

Zoo Atlanta recently became the first zoo in the world to obtain voluntary blood pressure readings from a gorilla. This groundbreaking stride was made possible by the Gorilla Tough Cuff, a blood pressure reading system devised through partnership with the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Created as a senior design project by biomedical engineering undergraduates David Sotto, Nisha Bhatia, Stephanie Drewicz and Scott Seaman, the prototype has now been successfully tested on one of Zoo Atlanta’s 22 western lowland gorillas. The students also had guidance from Hanjoong Jo, the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professor in Biomedical Engineering; and Professor Franklin Bost, the Coulter Department director of design instruction.

The Gorilla Tough Cuff operates in the same manner as the mechanism familiar to humans, with the patient slipping an arm into a cuff. The student design team’s biggest set of challenges, however, was constructing a durable, comfortable cuff large enough to fit an adult male gorilla weighing upwards of 300 pounds. “We also built a safety mechanism into the device so that the gorillas would not be injured if they became alarmed or frightened and tried to remove their arm from the cuff,” said Sotto, who is currently a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Once the prototype was complete, the Tough Cuff had its first tester: Ozzie, a 48-year-old male western lowland gorilla. Gorillas aren’t typically keen on the idea of inserting their arms into inflatable cuffs: Ozzie’s accomplishment is the result of months of patience and diligent voluntary positive reinforcement training on the part of Zoo Atlanta’s Primate Team. Ozzie is at an age where he may be subject to health concerns similar to those experienced by mature humans. Cardiac disease is the leading cause of mortality in adult male gorillas living in captive settings, and the new system will enable veterinarians to more effectively monitor precursory signs such as high blood pressure. To see the press release click here. To see the WXIA news story on the Gorilla Tough Cuff click here.

BME Professor Ravi Bellamkonda Leads Research to Improve Enzyme and Delivery System to Enable Spinal Cord Regeneration
Posted: Wed, November 11, 2009

Researchers have developed an improved version of an enzyme that degrades the dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged. By digesting the tissue that blocks re-growth of damaged nerves, the improved enzyme – and new system for delivering it – could facilitate recovery from serious central nervous system injuries. The enzyme, chrondroitinase ABC (chABC), must be supplied to the damaged area for at least two weeks following injury to fully degrade scar tissue. But the enzyme functions poorly at body temperature and must therefore be repeatedly injected or infused into the body.

In a paper published in the November journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers describe how they eliminated the thermal sensitivity of chABC and developed a delivery system that allowed the enzyme to be active for weeks without implanted catheters and pumps. "This research has made digesting scar clinically viable by obviating the need for continuous injection of chABC by thermally stabilizing the enzyme and harnessing bioengineered drug delivery systems," said the paper’s lead author Ravi Bellamkonda, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. To read the press release in its entirety click here. To hear the NPR story about the research click here.

BME Professor Yoganathan Teams Up With Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to Help Develop Kidney Replacement Devices for Kids
Posted: Wed, November 11, 2009

When children need kidney dialysis because of disease or congenital defects, doctors are forced to adapt adult-size dialysis equipment. No FDA-approved kidney replacement devices exist that are specifically designed for children. To address this problem, physicians and researchers from The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta have teamed up to develop a kidney replacement device capable of treating children. The team has been awarded a Challenge grant of $1 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to refine a prototype device.

Matthew Paden, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics (critical care) at Emory University School of Medicine and a physician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, is the grant’s principal investigator. Ajit P. Yoganathan, PhD, Regents’ Professor of biomedical engineering in the Coulter Department is the grant’s co-investigator. "The adaptations doctors are forced to perform make adult kidney replacement devices inaccurate and potentially dangerous when used with kids," Paden says. We have invented a new continuous renal replacement therapy device that is designed specifically with kids in mind. It can be used accurately on a six-pound child, all the way up to a football linebacker."

"This is a project where we are taking technology from the laboratory bench to the basinet," Yoganathan says. First, we have to build a machine capable of reliably performing these tasks without damaging blood cells in the process. In addition to Paden and Yoganathan, the inventors are Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, PhD, former research engineer at Georgia Tech, now assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University and James Fortenberry, MD, pediatrician in chief and medical director of critical care for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine. The team’s plan is to test their prototype in the laboratory and prepare for live experiments over the next two years, with the goal of being ready for clinical trials in five years.

More Information

Emory Medicine Magazine Highlights BME Assistant Professors Davis and Kemp
Posted: Wed, October 21, 2009

The Emory Medicine Magazine (Summer 2009) features the research of BME Assistant Professors Michael Davis and Charlie Kemp. The article on Dr. Davis focuses on his research using a new microparticle drug combination to reduce inflammation caused by heart attack and other diseases. Click here for the complete article: http://whsc.emory.edu/home/publications/medicine/emory-medicine/summer2009/right-recipe.html.

The article on Dr. Kemp features his work developing a robot, El-E, to help patients with motor impairments maintain their independence and to help relieve the physical and financial burdens faced by caregivers. Click here to read about Dr. Kemp's research: http://whsc.emory.edu/home/publications/medicine/emory-medicine/summer2009/new-age-home-companion.html.

Melissa Kemp Wins NIH Young Innovator Award
Posted: Tue, September 29, 2009

Congratulations to BME Assistant Professor Melissa Kemp, Ph.D., on winning a 2009 NIH Director’s Young Innovator award for her project titled, “Redox Regulation of Cellular Information Processing.” NIH created this award in 2007 “to support exceptionally creative new investigators who propose highly innovative projects that have the potential for unusually high impact.” Dr. Kemp was one of only 55 investigators receiving this honor nationally, and one of two at Georgia Tech.

Johnna Temenoff Named Outstanding Alumna from Rice University
Posted: Tue, September 29, 2009

BME Assistant Professor Johnna Temenoff, Ph.D., is being named Rice Outstanding Bioengineering Graduate Alumna for 2009. She will receive the award at Rice’s alumni gathering at the BMES meeting in October. She was chosen for the honor "based on evidence of excellence in research, teaching, service, or significant contributions to bioengineering industry, academia, or society." Congratulations, Dr. Temenoff!

Manu Platt Honored by the Georgia Cancer Coalition
Posted: Wed, June 24, 2009

The Georgia Cancer Coalition named BME Assistant Professor Manu Platt among their Distinguished Cancer Clinicians and Scientists for 2009-2010. This program is designed to attract to Georgia leading cancer clinicians and scientists who are engaged in the most promising areas of cancer research. Also, Dr. Platt received a scholarship to attend a seminar in Cape Town, South Africa in July. The program was created by the National Institutes of Health and the International AIDS Society to introduce scientists from other disciplines to the field of HIV research. Congratulations to Dr. Platt on both counts.

BME Professor Barbara Boyan Heads New Center to Improve Recovery of Soldiers with Severe Injuries
Posted: Mon, June 1, 2009

When a soldier is wounded during combat, surgeons must focus on reducing infection and reconstructing damaged bone and tissues. Technologies that could improve the repair and regeneration processes are being developed, but they are not being moved quickly enough into military trauma centers. Organizers of the recently established Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Bioengineering for Soldier Survivability want to change that. “The goal of the center is to rapidly move new technologies from the laboratory to patients so that we can improve the quality of life for our veterans as they return from the wars the United States is fighting,” said center director Barbara Boyan, the Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Tissue Engineering at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

To reduce the amount of time from invention to clinical use, engineers and scientists in the center work in teams that include a clinician with experience in combat medical care and a medical device industry partner. Researchers in the center will initially focus on ways to improve the healing of wounds, segmental bone defects and massive soft tissue defects. Support for the center is provided by the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research’s Orthopedic Trauma Research Program, the U.S. Department of Defense and industry. To read the full press release, click here. To read an article about the Center, click here.

Steve Potter’s Research Lauded Among Best for 2008
Posted: Wed, May 27, 2009

Congratulations to BME Associate Professor Steve Potter. His article, “Spatio-temporal electrical stimuli shape behavior of an embodied cortical network in a goal-directed learning task,” was chosen among the top 7 papers in the Journal of Neural Engineering for 2008. These articles were chosen based on high praise from referees, the greatest number of online downloads and the outstanding nature of the research presented.

More Information

BME Graduate Virgil Secasanu Named to USA Today’s 2009 All-USA College Academic Team
Posted: Tue, May 12, 2009

Virgil Secasanu, a recent BME graduate, has been named to USA Today’s All Academic Team. Secasanu was one of 20 students named to the first-team; each winner will receive a $2,500 cash reward. Judges based the selection on grades, leadership, activities and, most importantly, how students extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Indeed, Secasanu’s accomplishments go well beyond the classroom. "I worked with another undergraduate student and a BME professor to almost quadruple the output of a laboratory technique used to control the micrometer-scale synthesis of cell scaffolds,” said Secasanu. “We published this work and used the technique to synthesize neuron scaffolds for a nerve regeneration project (which could have strong benefits to curing nerve damage, and even paralysis).” Secasanu also worked with several physicians to design and develop medical devices.

More Information

BME Student Scott Seaman Wins Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award for the College of Engineering
Posted: Wed, April 15, 2009

Congratulations to BME Undergraduate Scott Seaman on winning the Spring 2009 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award for the College of Engineering. Scott’s research in the McDevitt Laboratory involves characterizing the effects of different size microparticles on embryonic stem cell differentiation. Kudos to Scott!

Drs. Hu and LaPlaca Inducted to AIMBE College of Fellows
Posted: Wed, April 15, 2009

Congratulations to BME’s newly inducted Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE): Professor Xiaoping Hu, for pioneering contributions in the development and optimization of high-field functional MRI technology for mapping human brain activity and connectivity; and Associate Professor Michelle LaPlaca, for pioneering contributions to understanding the mechanics, detection and treatment of traumatic brain injury. Kudos to Drs. Hu and LaPlaca!

BME Assistant Professor Santangelo Develops a New Way to See Single RNA Molecules Inside Living Cells
Posted: Mon, April 6, 2009

Details of a new probe production process and RNA imaging strategy developed by Coulter Department Assistant Professor Philip Santangelo were published in the journal Nature Methods on April 6. The new type of probe allows scientists to visualize single ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules within live cells more easily than existing methods. “The probes we designed shine bright, are small and easy to assemble, bind rapidly to their targets, and can be imaged for hours. These characteristics make them a great choice for studying the movement and location of RNA inside a single cell and the interaction between RNA and binding proteins,” said Santangelo.

In the study, the probes – produced by attaching a few small fluorescent molecules called fluorophores to a modified nucleic acid sequence and combining the sequences with a protein – exhibited single-molecule sensitivity and allowed the researchers to target and follow native RNA and non-engineered viral RNA in living cells. “The great thing about these probes is that they recognize RNA sequences and bind to them using the same base pairing most people are familiar with in regards to DNA,” explained Santangelo. “By adding only a few probes that would bind to a region of RNA, we gained the ability to distinguish a targeted RNA molecule from a single unbound probe because the former lit up two or three times brighter.”

More Information

BME Ph.D. Candidate Murali Padala Wins First Prize in International Business Plan Competition
Posted: Wed, February 25, 2009

Muralidhar Padala, a BME PhD Candidate and American Heart Association Pre-doctoral fellow in Dr. Ajit Yoganathan’s laboratory and Carolina Vallecilla from Dr. Juan Carlos Briceno’s labatory at the University of Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia won the overall first prize and the social cognizance award for their project. The project entitled “CardioCure” was entered into a business plan competition, Ventura 2009, organized by India's National Institute of Technology (NIT-Trichy), in coordination with TREC-STEP, India’s oldest incubator for technology ventures, and the Science and Technology wing of Government of India. Both were awarded a cash prize of $2700 and were selected for seed funding from the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India.

The award winning submission, proposed an innovative business model to make heart surgery affordable and accessible to people in developing economies. Their plan specifically targeted India, where cardiovascular disease is a growing epidemic and the country’s hospitals cater only to 1.8% of the total patient population due to lack of hospital beds and doctors, and exorbitant cost of the imported medical devices and surgical services. By manufacturing off-patent medical devices at low cost, and by using patented minimally invasive surgical technologies, they proposed to replace traditional heart surgery with laparoscopic methods that reduce the total patient cost by ~80% and the recovery time from 15 to 2 days. The team has started to actively seek funding from investors to develop its technologies and provide services by establishing “cardiac specialty units” at a fraction of the cost of constructing a hospital with a fully-equipped surgical suites.

Professor Charlie Kemp and EL-E featured in Popular Mechanics
Posted: Thu, February 19, 2009

BME Assistant Professor Charlie Kemp's research in developing robots to assist the disabled continues to garner media attention. Kemp and the robotic assistant, EL-E, are featured in the February issue of Popular Mechanics. Also, keep an eye out for another article about Dr. Kemp and EL-E in the Spring issue of Emory Medicine.

More Information

Drs. Melissa Kemp and Hang Lu Design New Platform for Studying Early Signaling Events in T Cell Activation
Posted: Tue, February 17, 2009

BME Assistant Professor Melissa Kemp, BME program faculty member Hang Lu, and colleagues from the Institute's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and IBB have developed a two-module microfluidic platform for simultaneous multi-time point stimulation and lysis of T cells. Their research was originally published by The Royal Society of Chemistry in Lab on a Chip and was just promoted as a "hot article" on the publication's website.

More Information

BME Professor Ravi Bellamkonda Develops Technique to Help Predict Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Effectiveness
Posted: Tue, February 10, 2009

Successful chemotherapy depends on the ability of anticancer drugs to escape the bloodstream through the leaky blood vessels that often surround tumors. Predicting chemotherapy’s efficacy could save thousands of individuals from unnecessary toxicity and the often difficult side effects of the treatments. In a study published in the February issue of Radiology, researchers describe a technique for determining the “leakiness” of tumor blood vessels using a simple digital mammography unit. The researchers designed nanometer-sized capsules containing a contrast agent that could only leak into tumors with blood vessels that were growing and therefore leaky.

“We developed a quantitative way to measure the leakiness of the blood vessels, which is directly linked to the amount of drug that gets to the cancer and in turn determines effectiveness,” said Ravi Bellamkonda, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. “By simply measuring how much contrast agent reaches the tumor, we can predict how much of a clinically approved chemotherapeutic will reach the tumor, allowing physicians to personalize the dose and predict effectiveness.”

More Information

Dr. Murthy Honored by Society for Biomaterials
Posted: Tue, December 9, 2008

Niren Murthy, BME assistant professor, recently received the 2009 Young Investigator Award from the Society for Biomaterials. This honor is given annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in the field of biomaterials research within ten years following his terminal degree or formal training. Congratulations, Dr. Murthy!

Drs. Murthy, Davis and Grad Student Jay Sy Find Drug-Embedded Microparticles Bolster Heart Function in Animal Studies
Posted: Thu, October 23, 2008

BME Researchers have developed tiny polymer beads that can slowly release anti-inflammatory drugs and break down into non-toxic components. The researchers found that when injected into rats’ hearts after a simulated heart attack, the drug-embedded microparticles reduce inflammation. Injecting the particles could cut the area of scar tissue formed after the heart attack in half and boost the ability of the heart to pump blood by 10 percent weeks later. The results are scheduled for publication in the Oct./Nov. issue of Nature Materials. Michael Davis and Niren Murthy, both assistant professors in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and BME grad student Jay Sy authored the paper. Davis and Murthy are also exploring the polyketal particles as delivery vehicles for drugs or proteins in several organs: heart, liver, lungs and spinal cord.

More Information

Dr. Hu Finds Simple Way to Make Mammalian Cells Have Magnetic Signature
Posted: Tue, July 22, 2008

Mammalian cells can produce tiny magnetic nuggets after the introduction of single gene from bacteria, scientists have found. The gene MagA could become a valuable tool for tracking cells’ movement thorough the body via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), says Xiaoping Hu, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. “We have found a very simple way to make mammalian cells have a magnetic signature,” says Dr. Hu, who is is director of Emory’s Biomedical Imaging Center and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. Dr. Hu’s research is published in the June issue of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

More Information

GA Tech, UGA researchers receive first USG Inter-Institutional Collaborative Grant
Posted: Thu, June 12, 2008

Eberhard Voit, director of Georgia Tech’s Integrative BioSystems Institute, an expert on computational modeling of biological networks and Ying Xu, director of the University of Georgia’s Institute of Bioinformatics, an authority on microbial genomic structures and pathway prediction, have been awarded the first University System of Georgia Inter-institutional Collaborative Research Grant. They will use the $100,000 grant to develop novel techniques for integrating computational models that help to predict and understand the organization and functions of biological pathways and networks in microbes. For a systems model, researchers will use Lactococcus lactis, an ancient and well-studied bacteria extensively used in the dairy industry, to explore whether or not it’s possible to computationally predict and model genetic pathways, networks and their regulations based on information derived from genome sequences, gene expression data and metabolite data. They say the outcome could provide an effective computational method for elucidating biological pathways and networks in a systematic manner based on the available data. They also hope to gain a better understanding about the design principles of biological systems.

More Information

Drs. LaPlaca and Wright Honored as “Healthcare Heroes” for DETECT Device
Posted: Tue, May 13, 2008

Michelle LaPlaca, BME associate professor, and David Wright, Emory School of Medicine assistant professor, were honored as “Healthcare Heroes” in the April 9 issue of Atlanta Business Chronicle. The pair was honored for their work developing DETECT, a device that provides a brief and inexpensive test for screening mild cognitive impairment, which often leads to Alzheimer’s Disease.

More Information

Dr. Vidakovic Elected to Fellowship of the American Statistical Association
Posted: Tue, May 13, 2008

BME Professor Brani Vidakovic will be inducted as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association at their Joint Statistical Meetings in Denver this August. ASA fellows are chosen in recognition of their outstanding professional contribution to and leadership in the field of statistical science. Their numbers are limited to only one-third of one percent of the ASA membership. Dr Vidakovic also serves an editor-in-chief of the Wiley's Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, Second Edition. Congratulations, Dr. Vidakovic, on both the Editorship and the Fellowship!

McDevitt’s Team Shows Molecule Delivery Method Improves Stem Cell Differentiation
Posted: Thu, May 8, 2008

New research shows that delivering molecules within aggregates of embryonic stem cells via biodegradable microspheres enhances the efficiency and purity of differentiation, which is the process the cells undergo to become more specialized. Details of the NSF-funded method were presented at the 235th American Chemical Society national meeting by Todd McDevitt, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. McDevitt’s research team includes graduate students Richard Carpenedo and Andrés Bratt-Leal and undergraduate students Ross Marklein and Scott Seaman.

More Information

Two New Chairs Endowed in Cancer Nanomedicine at Georgia Tech and Emory
Posted: Thu, May 1, 2008

A recent commitment from Georgia Tech alum John F. Brock and his wife, Mary, will be matched by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) to establish the Brock Family Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Cancer Nanomedicine at Georgia Tech, pending approval by the Board of Regents. That chair will be complemented by the creation of the Anise McDonald Brock Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Cancer Nanomedicine at Emory. After the GRA match, the Brocks’ gift will be worth around $3 million.

BME Students Awarded NSF GRFP Fellowships
Posted: Thu, May 1, 2008

Congratulations to the following BME students who were awarded fellowships from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP): Iam Campbell, Christopher S. Lee, Jeremy Lim, Jay Sy, Inn-Inn Chen and Chancacla Kaddi. The program recognizes and supports outstanding students who are expected to contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. We are especially proud that 40 percent of the awards to currently enrolled GT undergrads went to BioE/BME students and 17 percent of all NSF GRFP awards in the BioE/BME category went to Georgia Tech students. Kudos to all!

BME Student Leslie Chan Receives Undergraduate Research Award
Posted: Thu, May 1, 2008

Leslie Chan recently was honored for her research presentation titled, “Nanoscale probes for personalized medicine.” One student was chosen from each college and Leslie’s research was the first-place winner for the College of Engineering at the Institute’s Undergraduate Research Symposium. Congratulations to Leslie and her post-doc mentor Estathios Karathanasis.

Barbara Boyan Honored as Rice University 2008 Distinguished Alumni
Posted: Thu, May 1, 2008

BME Professor Barbara Boyan was recently honored by Rice University for her career achievements. Her award described her as follows: “Barbara Boyan is internationally recognized as one of the scientific leaders of orthopaedic and dental regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Boyan’s outstanding research not only led to over 300 papers in peer review journals, but also over 10 intellectual property patents. Boyan has been a leader in the emerging field of regenerative medicine, an excellent scientist, a successful entrepreneur and continues to be an outstanding role model in academia for women in science and engineering.” Congratulations, Dr. Boyan!

BME Hosts Celebration Commemorating A Decade of Progress, Innovation and Success In Biomedical Engineering Education and Research
Posted: Thu, April 24, 2008

More than 200 faculty, staff, alumni and VIPs gathered April 22 and 23 in Atlanta to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. The event reunited the faculty, staff, students and benefactors who laid the foundation for what would become one of the nation’s most highly regarded BME programs. The symposium featured speakers who offered their perspectives on the department’s history and discussed the latest developments and the future of biomedical engineering. BME Department Chair Larry McIntire closed the symposium with a look at where the department is headed in the years to come. Special thanks to all those who worked hard to make the event such a success.

More Information

BME Student Andrea Barrett Wins Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
Posted: Thu, April 3, 2008

BME Undergraduate Andrea Barrett is a 2008 recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields. Andrea plans to graduate in 2010 and pursue a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics. Congratulations, Andrea, on this prestigious award.

BME to Share in $430M Funding from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Posted: Wed, March 19, 2008

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta recently committed $430 million to further their pediatric research partnership with academic and research institutions in the state, including Georgia Tech and Emory University. BME Department Chair Larry McIntire, in an interview with the Atlanta Business Chronicle, said, "We'll be providing intellectual capital in the area involving technology and the interface in healthcare delivery." Click here for the original press release.

Dr. Charlie Kemp Unveils Robot in Amsterdam, Garners Press
Posted: Wed, March 19, 2008

BME Assistant Professor Charlie Kemp continues to attract media attention with his work in healthcare robotics. This week an Associated Press story ran in newspapers across the country, including the AJC and USA Today, about a robot designed by his team at the Georgia Tech Center for Healthcare Robotics. Nursing Spectrum also interviewed Dr. Kemp for a story on the future of robotics and nursing. Sunday's New York Times ran still another story on the EL-E robot that Dr. Kemp unveiled at a Conference in Amsterdam last week. Click here for the AP story, here for the Nursing Spectrum story and here for the New York Times story.

Dr. Eberhard Voit to Head GA Tech’s New Integrative BioSystems Institute
Posted: Tue, February 12, 2008

Georgia Tech announced last week the formation of the Integrative BioSystems Institute (IBSI). The IBSI will work to create new devices and techniques for learning about biological systems; analyzing experimental results with methods of engineering, mathematics, physics and computer science and using insights from these multi-disciplinary investigations to attack biomedical tasks that were previously too complex to address by any researcher or scientific discipline alone. Dr. Eberhard Voit, David D. Flanagan Chair and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in the Walter H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, serves as the IBSI’s founding director. The new institute is expected to provide a research focus for as many as 20-30 new faculty members as well as existing faculty and students. A collaboration among the Colleges of Science, Engineering and Computing, the IBSI could represent a major investment of up to or more than $100 million by Georgia Tech over the next several years.

More Information

Georgia Bio Honors Chris Lessing for Distinguished Service
Posted: Thu, February 7, 2008

BME doctoral candidate Chris Lessing was recently honored by Georgia Bio with a Distinguished Service Award for his work as chair of the academic sector of the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN). In this role, Chris launched ELN’s new internship program, matching university students with internships at Georgia companies. Georgia Bio is a private, non-profit association representing 330 pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies, universities, research institutes, government groups and other business organizations involved in the development of products that improve the health and quality of life of people worldwide. Congratulations, Chris!

Allison Dennis Receives Ocean Optics Young Investigator Award
Posted: Wed, January 30, 2008

Allison Dennis, graduate research assistant in Dr. Gang Bao’s lab, received Ocean Optics Young Investigators Award for a paper she presented at the Colloidal Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications Conference. The paper, coauthored by Allison and Dr. Bao, was on “Quantum dot-fluorescent protein FRET probes for protease activity assays.” This research could potentially lead to the development of highly sensitive assays for enzyme activity and used for clinical diagnostics. The award was announced by the president of Ocean Optics, with $1,000 going to Allison and $1,000 going to her research. Congratulations, Allison!

Dr. Johnna Temenoff Receives NSF CAREER Award
Posted: Thu, January 24, 2008

Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Johnna Temenoff recently received the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Over the next five years, Dr. Temenoff will receive support for her research project titled, “Heterogeneous Cell Carriers to Promote Gradiated Tissue Formation under Mechanical Loading – An Integrated Education and Research Study.” Her research involves using a novel synthetic hydrogel polymer to encapsulate stem cells derived from bone marrow to see whether the presence of particular proteins fragments and cyclic tension influence the development of the stem cells into phenotypes like those found at the bone-ligament interface. Ultimately, this research could lead to better therapies for certain joint injuries (such as ACL tears) by improving the anchorage of ligament to bone. The CAREER Award Program recognizes and supports the early career development activities of those teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. CAREER awardees are selected on the basis of creative, career development plans that effectively integrate cutting-edge research and education. Congratulations, Johnna!

Portable Device Quickly Detects Early Alzheimer's
Posted: Tue, January 22, 2008

DETECT, a new device developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University may allow patients to take a brief, inexpensive test that could be administered as part of a routine yearly checkup at a doctor's office to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — often the earliest stage of Alzheimer's. The device is expected to be commercialized later this year.

More Information

Dr. Nie’s Research of Gold Nanoprobes May Allow Earlier Cancer Detection
Posted: Tue, January 15, 2008

Using tiny gold particles embedded with dyes, Dr. Shuming Nie and his collaborators have shown they can identify tumors under the skin of a living animal. These tools may allow doctors to detect cancer earlier and less invasively. The research, conducted at the Emory/Georgia Tech Cancer Nanotechnology Center of Excellence, was published in the January 1 issue of Nature Biotechnology.

More Information