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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Dr. Yadong Wang’s Research on Using Polymers to Stimulate Nerve Regrowth Published in Advanced Materials
Posted: Thu, December 20, 2007

Dr. Yadong Wang and graduate student Christiane Gumera have developed a potentially promising strategy for promoting the growth of damaged central nervous system cells. Their research, published in the December 11 issue of Advanced Materials, offers new hope to patients with brain or spinal cord injury. Their technique uses a biodegradable polymer that mimics the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, to spur the growth of connections among neurons and between neurons and other cells. To read the full press release, click here.

Dr. Gang Bao Featured on WMAZ-TV, Macon News
Posted: Thu, December 20, 2007

Dr. Gang Bao and fellowship student Cindy Glick are featured in a news segment on WMAZ-TV in Macon, GA. The story follows a survivor of prostate cancer and then features an interview with Dr. Bao and Ms. Glick about their ongoing work with “molecular beacons.” These nano probes enable scientists to detect cancer in its early, more treatable stages -- even before any signs or symptoms appear. The television news story has a companion article on the WMAZ website. To access both, click here.

Dr. Melissa Kemp Named GCC Scholar for 2008
Posted: Wed, December 12, 2007

The Georgia Cancer Coalition established the Distinguished Cancer Clinicians and Scientists Program as the cornerstone of its research agenda. The committee evaluates the candidates’ achievements relative to securing grant funding, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, giving presentations at scientific meetings and receiving patents for discoveries. Successful candidates carry the title of Distinguished Cancer Scholar. Dr. Kemp’s honor includes a $50,000 appointment per year for five years. Congratulations Dr. Kemp!

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Spring 2008 PURA Awards Announced
Posted: Mon, December 10, 2007

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program competitively funds individual requests by a student/faculty teams for funds to be used to support undergraduate student involvement in faculty research. The main emphasis of the awards will be for student salaries and travel expenses for undergraduates to attend professional meetings to give presentations. Sixty-nine undergraduate students from all six colleges at Georgia Tech and GTRI have been named as Salary Awardees under the President's Undergraduate Research Awards. Twenty of the sixty-nine awards went to BME. For a complete listing of Spring awardees visit:

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AIMBE Elects Drs. Babensee, Butera and Zhu as New Members of the College of Fellows
Posted: Wed, December 5, 2007

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) announced the election of 82 new members of the College of Fellows. The newly elected Fellows were nominated and approved by current members of the College, consisting of over 900 scientists and engineers. Recipients of this honor are recognized for their outstanding achievements in medical and biological engineering. The formal induction ceremony will be held during the Institute’s Annual Event in Washington, D.C. on February 21, 2008. Congratulations to Dr. Babensee, Dr. Butera and Dr. Zhu!

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Dr. Gang Bao Appointed as Robert A. Milton Chair in Biomedical Engineering
Posted: Wed, December 5, 2007

College of Engineering Dean, Don Giddens, announced via memorandum November 30 that Dr. Gang Bao has been appointed as the initial chair holder of the new endowed chair, the Robert A. Milton Chair in Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Bao will be able to further his research in biomolecular engineering and nanomedicine. Dr. Bao has provided leadership on two NIH funded nanomedicine centers - one in cardiology and one in DNA repair machines. Gang also played important roles in establishing the NIH-funded nanomedicine center on cancer (Georgia Tech/Emory is the only entity in the country with all three centers) and the growth of his start-up company, Vivonetics. Last year, Gang was also named a College of Engineering Distinguished Professor. Click here to read Dr. Giddens' announcement in its' entirety. Congratulations Dr. Bao!

Assumptions of Independence: Researchers Show Evidence of "Memory" in Cells and Molecules (Dr. Cheng Zhu)
Posted: Thu, November 15, 2007

Research reported October 29 in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides evidence that some molecular interactions on cell surfaces may have a “memory” that affects their future interactions. The report could lead to a re-examination of results from certain single-molecule research. Using a micropipette adhesion frequency assay, Zhu’s research team studied a number of receptor-ligand interactions. The sequence data analysis conducted by Veronika Zarnitsyna, a research scientist in the Coulter Department, revealed examples in which an interaction observed in one test affected the outcome of a future test. Depending on the biological system, the effect could either increase or decrease the likelihood of a future interaction. The research reported in PNAS began when Jun Huang, a graduate student in the Zhu lab, examined T cell test data and noted a distinct difference: interactions appeared consecutively in long strings and then disappeared for a long while. Huang asked Zhu about the pattern. Zhu then shared his concerns about the independence of the tests with Zarnitsyna, a biophysicist. Zarnitsyna analyzed data generated by Huang and Fang Zhang – another graduate student in the Zhu lab – and additional data obtained in the lab by Yuan-Hung Chien, a student from the laboratory of Deborah Leckband at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To read the full news release visit: http://www.gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/cell-memory.htm

GT/Emory Researchers Win $11.5 Million for Vaccine Delivery
Posted: Mon, October 22, 2007

Dr. Mark Prausnitz of Georgia Tech and Dr. Richard Compans of Emory University are leading efforts to develop a new way to deliver the flu vaccine using microneedle patches applied to the skin. “We expect that this research will lead to a better way of delivering the flu vaccine, which will allow more people who need it to receive the immunization in a convenient and effective way,” said Dr. Prausnitz. “Beyond that, the possibility of replacing a hypodermic needle with a microneedle patch should significantly impact the way that other vaccines are delivered.” Dr. Prausnitz and his colleagues have been working since the mid 1990s to develop microneedle technology for painless drug and vaccine delivery through the skin. To read the full press release visit: http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=1533

Nanoparticle Could Help Detect Many Diseases Early
Posted: Mon, October 1, 2007

Dr. Niren Murthy and Dr. Robert Taylor are the first Researchers to Image Hydrogen Peroxide in Animals
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University researchers are the first to create a nanoparticle capable of detecting and imaging trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide in animals. The nanoparticles, thought to be completely nontoxic, could some day be used as a simple, all-purpose diagnostic tool to detect the earliest stages of any disease that involves chronic inflammation everything from cancer and Alzheimer’s to heart disease and arthritis. The research, lead by the laboratories of Niren Murthy at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and Dr. Robert Taylor in the Division of Cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, will appear in the October issue of Nature Materials and was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To read the full press release visit: http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=1462

Simulation Reveals How Body Repairs Balance (Dr. Lena Ting)
Posted: Thu, September 27, 2007

Researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University have created a computer simulation that sheds new light on how the nervous system reinvents its communication with muscles after sensory loss. The findings could someday be used to better diagnose and rehabilitate patients with balance problems (through normal aging or diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s) by retraining their muscles and improving overall balance. “The ultimate goal of rehabilitation is for patients to find the best way to adapt to their particular deficit. This system may help predict what the optimum combination of muscle and nerve activity looks like for each patient, helping patients and doctors set realistic goals and speeding recovery,” said Lena Ting, lead researcher on the project and an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. The research will be published in the October issue of Nature Neuroscience. To read the full press release visit: http://www.gatech.edu/news-room/release.php?id=1515

GT/Emory Researchers Discover Embryonic Stem Cells Thrive When Shaken
Posted: Wed, September 12, 2007

Embryonic stem cells develop under unique conditions in the womb, and no one has ever been able to study the affect that movement has on that development process,” said Todd McDevitt, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and head of the project. “While labs typically add all sorts of things to their cultures to influence cell direction, we were able to control the levels of differentiation and size of cell clusters by simply providing some fluid motion.”

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The Health Systems Institute (HSI) New Seed Grant Program
Posted: Tue, September 11, 2007

With funding from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech and the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, the Health Systems Institute (HSI) has established a seed grant funding program to foster and support innovative collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects, with the goal of stimulating critical improvements in health care. Research relates directly to our research thrusts and applications in health care, and the objectives of projects include an outcome that will benefit patients (e.g. better diagnosis and treatment of diseases, inventions, patents, licenses, and commercial products). Congratulations Dr. Melissa Kemp, Dr. Charlie Kemp, and Dr. Robert Butera!

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Dr. Charlie Kemp’s Research Featured in The Sunday Paper
Posted: Tue, September 11, 2007

The Sunday Paper staff writer, Stephanie Ramage, reports on Dr. Charlie Kemp’s health care robotics research in the September 2 issue. In the field of health care robotics, the need for assistance robots is so great that ethical concerns take a distant back seat. One issue is engineering robots to perform tasks that patients, the elderly or the disabled can't perform for themselves. Someone in a wheelchair, for example, would need a robot that can place things on or take things down from high shelves, says Dr. Kemp. Others may need a robot who can feed them. While at MIT Dr. Kemp and his colleagues developed a robot named Domo who could stir and pour drinks. Health care robots are modeled on service animals, Kemp says. However, robots may eventually be less costly and might be better at processing verbal commands. They also may be a bit more humanoid than their shaggier counterparts. "Humanity is very focused on itself--we like things that look human," he says. More importantly, human environments are built for humans, so humanoid robots fit more easily into those settings. Robots have even been able to reach out to some humans whom other humans can't reach. "There are therapeutic and diagnostic robots used with children," says Kemp. "And they have had some success with autistic children." Congratulations Dr. Kemp!

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The 6th Georgia Tech-Oak Ridge National Labs International Conference on Bioinformatics
Posted: Wed, August 29, 2007

This year, Georgia Tech continues the tradition of organizing this scienific forum, bringing together leading, world-renowned researchers in genomics and bioinformatics to present recent advances in the field and to discuss open problems. The 6th International Conference on Bioinformatics, to be held November 15 - 17, will focus on Gene Discovery and Systems Genomics.

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New Teraflop Computer
Posted: Wed, August 29, 2007

A teraflop cluster with more than 200 processors featuring latest Intel chips was installed in August in the Rich Computer Center. The new computational power is avaliable for the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics. Funds for the computer were provided by the NIH as a grant to Dr. Mark Borodovsky as well as by Office of the Provost and Colleges of Science and Engineering.

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Dr. Ajit Yoganathan’s Podcast with McGowan Institute
Posted: Wed, August 22, 2007

In Podcast 30, Regenerative Medicine Today met with Dr. Ajit Yoganathan to discuss his research focusing on the development of artificial heart valves and the use of novel instrumentation such as Doppler ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to non-invasively study blood flow patterns in the heart. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the broadcast, it is available on-line at the URL below. Congratulations Dr. Yoganathan!

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Spring Break with the Pharmaceutical Industry
Posted: Wed, August 1, 2007

A group of students from the Georgia Institute of Technology spent spring break (March 18 – 22, 2007) touring the facilities of leading pharmaceutical plants and meeting with engineers and pharmacists at one of the top sites in the world for pharmaceutical manufacturing – Puerto Rico. As part of a semester-long course on pharmaceuticals, this week-long plant trip provided a unique perspective on the pharmaceutical industry that cannot be found at any university…

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Dr. Todd McDevitt has Paper Published in The Stem Cells Journal
Posted: Wed, July 18, 2007

Dr. McDevitt’s paper entitled, "Rotary suspension culture enhances the efficiency, yield and homogeneity of embryoid body differentiation," has been accepted for publication in Stem Cells. The paper describes a novel method of differentiating embryonic stem cells in suspension culture using rotary orbital motion, which improves several parameters mentioned in the title of the paper. The Stem Cells Journal, which is published by the AlphaMed Press, is the leading journal in the field of stem cell research. Congratulations Dr. McDevitt!

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Dr. Gang Bao speaking at GBP on Nanomedicine: New Opportunities and Challenges
Posted: Mon, July 16, 2007

Please join Dr. Gang Bao, as he gives a seminar on “Nanomedicine: New Opportunities & Challenges” on Wednesday, July 18, 2007, for Georgia Biomedical Partnership, Inc. The registration/breakfast will start at 7:30 AM and the program will begin at 8:00 AM at GTRI (formerly GCATT) 250 14th St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318.

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Dr. Michael E. Davis selected as Finalists in the AHA Outstanding Early-Career Investigator Award of the AHA Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences
Posted: Thu, June 14, 2007

Dr. Davis’ abstract “Encapsulation of a small molecule p38 inhibitor for cardiac regeneration” was selected as one of the three finalists for the oral presentation at the 4th Annual Symposium of the American Heart Association Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences - Cardiovascular Repair and Regeneration: Structural and Molecular Approaches in the Cellular Era. The conference dates are July 30 - August 2, 2007 at the Keystone Conference Center in Keystone, CO.

The awardees will be selected based on the originality, quality and impact of the work presented in the abstract, and the history of the curriculum vitae. The finalists will present a 10-minute oral review of their abstract during the conference. The winner will receive $1500 and a one-year subscription to Circulation Research; the runners-up will receive $500 each and a one-year subscription to Circulation Research. Congratulations Dr. Davis!

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Quantum Dot Nanotechnology Reaches Clinical Lab, Targeting Cancer Biomarkers in Tissue
Posted: Mon, June 11, 2007

The Emory-Georgia Tech team was led by Dr. Shuming Nie and Dr. May Wang, which took more than two years to complete involving 12 investigators in five academic departments.

Bioconjugated quantum dots -- luminescent nanoparticles linked to biological molecules -- have shown great promise as tools for disease diagnosis and treatment, but their medical use has been limited by the lack of specific instructions for clinicians. Now, new clinical protocols detailing how to prepare, process and quantify these tiny particles will arm laboratory physicians with the information they need to track biomarkers in cells and tissues…..

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PhD Candidate Ge Zhao Nominated for Outstanding Contribution to the Society for Biomaterials 2007 Annual Meeting
Posted: Wed, April 25, 2007

Ge Zhao, PhD candidate in Dr. Boyan's lab was nominated by the Surface Characterization and Modification SIG (Special Interest Group) as an outstanding contribution to the Society for Biomaterials 2007 Annual Meeting for her paper entitled Osteoblasts Require Both Micron Scale and Submicron Scale Surface Structure for Synergy with Surface Energy. In addition, the Education and Professional Development Committee of the Society has awarded her with an honorable mention for a STAR (Student Travel Achievement Recognition).

Ge has also been recognized for her achievement in implant research and was awarded First Place in the International Association for Dental Research, Implantology Research Groups Young Investigator Prize in the 85th General Session & Exhibition of the IADR. This is the largest monetary student award given by the IADR of $1500. Congratulations Ge!

Dr. Shuming Nie Awarded The Heinrich Emanuel Merck Award 2007
Posted: Wed, April 4, 2007

The Heinrich Emanuel Merck Award 2007 for Analytical Chemistry will be bestowed, this year, upon Dr. Shuming Nie for the development of multi-functional nano-particle probes based on semiconductor dots for cancer targeting and imaging. He is known for his numerous contributions to the field of application of quantum-confined particles. Because of their broad excitation profiles and narrow emission spectra, quantum dots are best suited to optical multiplexing to address genes, proteins and small-molecule libraries.

The prize of EUR 10,000 funded by Merck KGaA, will be awarded for the tenth time during the EUROANALYSIS XIV in Antwerp, Belgium, September 9-14, 2007. The prize winners were selected by a jury of internationally recognized analytical scientists. This year the decision was made to award two prizes because of the outstanding work being done by both winners. Congratulations Dr. Nie!

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Ramsey Al-Hakim Awarded Georgia Tech's 2007 Phi Kappa Phi Award
Posted: Wed, March 28, 2007

Ramsey Al-Hakim, a BME undergraduate student in Dr. Tannenbaum's lab, awarded Georgia Tech's 2007 Phi Kappa Phi award. This award consisted of $5000 and an engraved cup, given annually at the Student Honors Luncheon to the graduating senior with the best academic record for their entire time at GT. Ramsey was selected from a group of 38 seniors who made a 4.0 every semester since they matriculated at Tech. Congratulations Ramsey!

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Awarded to Inn Inn Chen and Yixiao Zou
Posted: Tue, March 27, 2007

Inn Inn Chen and Yixiao Zou have been awarded The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. This scholarship provides $7,500 per year for educational expenses to sophomores and juniors majoring in math, science, and engineering. The purpose of the award is to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers and advanced degrees in these fields. The foundation awards up to 300 Goldwater Scholarships nationwide. Congratulations Inn Inn and Yixiao!

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Congratulations to BME Undergraduate Angela Gill
Posted: Wed, March 21, 2007

Angela Gill, a BME undergraduate was awarded The Helen E. Grenga Outstanding Woman Engineer Award, presented to a woman engineering student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service in her field and in the Tech Community. Dr. Helen Grenga was the first woman faculty member in the College of Engineering. Congratulations Angela!

Matthew Rhyner Wins TIGON Tops 2007 Business Plan Competition
Posted: Wed, March 7, 2007

Matthew Rhyner, PhD candidate in Dr. Nie’s lab wins the TIGON Tops 2007 Business Plan Competition. The winning TIGON team received a $10,000 prize February 28 in an awards ceremony at the College of Management. Matthew’s team developed a multi-phase business plan for bringing to market nanotechnology research that may eventually allow Doctors to be able to detect cancerous tumors at much earlier stages. Congratulations Matthew!

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Inn Inn Chen Named to USA Today's All-USA College Academic Team
Posted: Wed, February 21, 2007

Inn Inn Chen, a BME undergraduate URS student in Julia Babensee's lab, was selected from among ~ 600 students and named to the third team of USA Today's All-USA College Academic Team. Students were nominated by their home institutions and will receive trophies and monetary awards. Inn Inn, the only Georgia Tech awardee, was recognized for her work in repairing donated medical equipment for use in the developing world and for her role in the development of a solar-powered refrigerator to store vaccines. Congratulations Inn Inn!

Dr. Steve Potter’s Petri Dishes Research featured in the San Diego Union Tribune
Posted: Mon, February 5, 2007

Scott LaFee, staff writer for the Tribune, featured an article on Dr. Potter’s Petri Dishes research. Dr. Potter and colleagues have used dishes with patterned glass surfaces to grow "minibrains" of rat neurons capable of communicating and controlling external computers and robots, in some cases thousands of miles away. Congratulations Dr. Potter!

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Dr. Lena Ting Awarded Arthur C. Guyton Award for Excellence in Integrative Physiology
Posted: Tue, January 30, 2007

Dr. Lena Ting has been selected to receive a 2007 Arthur C. Guyton Award for Excellence in Integrative Physiology from the American Physiological Society. The award recognizes the contributions of Arthur C. Guyton and his interests in feedback control and mathematical modeling of physiological systems. The award is given to an independent investigator who holds an academic rank no higher than assistant professor and is pursuing research that utilizes quantitative and integrative approaches and feedback control system theory for the study of physiological functions. The award recognizes an individual demonstrating outstanding promise based on his/her research program in feedback control systems, quantitative modeling, and integrative physiology. Dr. Ting will be recognized at the APS Business meeting on May 1, 2007 during the Experimental Biology Meeting in Washington DC. Congratulations Dr. Ting!

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Information Concerning Tech's New Phone System
Posted: Tue, January 30, 2007

Dear BME Community: The new campus telephone system will replace the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) leased services, ISDN phonesets with digital and will provide a brand new voice mail system [(new voice mail access no. x.5-TECH (8324)]. BME's scheduled cutover date is the evening of February 23. Pls. keep this in mind if planning to work over this weekend. Prior to this time users who currently have ISDN lines are encouraged to register for the class entitled: Introduction to GTs New Telephone System (OIT Call Center only). Several classes are offered: February 1, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22. Please report all phone issues (including emergencies) via the BME online reporting system at: http://www.bme.gatech.edu/internal/telephone_request.shtml.

Five digit dialing will not work reliably between the old and new systems; therefore, it will be necessary to dial 9 and then the full ten digits (area code and telephone number) to reliably reach another campus user. The campus will return to five digit dialing upon completion of the transition.

Dr. Yadong Wang Awarded AHA Grant
Posted: Wed, January 17, 2007

Dr. Yadong Wang was awarded the AHA National Scientist Development Grant on tissue engineering of small arteries. This Award recognizes highly promising beginning scientists in their progress toward independence by encouraging and adequately funding research projects that can bridge the gap between completion of research training and readiness for successful competition as an independent investigator. The honor includes a $260,000 award over four years. Congratulations Dr. Wang!

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Dr. Gang Bao NIH Nanomedicine Development Center Winner of the GBP 'Deal of the Year' Award in the Public Sector
Posted: Wed, January 17, 2007

The Georgia Biomedical Partnership's (GBP) Annual Awards Dinner, January 12, will recognize winners for Deal of the Year in four categories: Early Stage Financing, Strategic Transaction - Large Company, Strategic Transaction - Small Company and Public Sector. Winners were selected by a panel of GBP members and independent outside industry executives. The GBP recognizes the outstanding achievements of the life science’s industry in 2006 and contributions to a GBP program with a critically important focus – helping Georgia’s teachers and students grasp the thrill and benefits of life sciences education. Congratulations Dr.Bao!

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Dr. Don Giddens Wins Biomedical Industry Growth Award
Posted: Tue, January 9, 2007

Dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering, Dr. Don Giddens, will be awarded the 2007 Biomedical Industry Growth Award by the Georgia Biomedical Partnership (GBP). The GBP’s annual Biomedical Industry Growth Awards honor people in the public and private sectors who have made extraordinary contributions to the growth of Georgia’s life sciences industry. Dr. Giddens will be honored as the recipient from the public sector. Congratulations Dr. Giddens!

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