{"641905":{"#nid":"641905","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hydrogel Could Open New Path for Glaucoma Treatment Without Drugs or Surgery","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have developed a potential new treatment for the eye disease glaucoma that could replace daily eyedrops and surgery with a twice-a-year injection to control the buildup of pressure in the eye. The researchers envision the injection being done as an office procedure that could be part of regular patient visits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe possible treatment, which could become the first non-drug, non-surgical, long-acting therapy for glaucoma, uses the injection of a natural and biodegradable material to create a viscous hydrogel \u2014 a water-absorbing crosslinked polymer structure \u2014 that opens an alternate pathway for excess fluid to leave the eye.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe holy grail for glaucoma is an efficient way to lower the pressure that doesn\u2019t rely on the patient putting drops in their eyes every day, doesn\u2019t require a complicated surgery, has minimal side effects, and has a good safety profile,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier\u0022\u003ERoss Ethier\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and Georgia Research Alliance Lawrence L. Gellerstedt Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u201cI am excited about this technique, which could be a game-changer for the treatment of glaucoma.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research, which was supported by the National Eye Institute and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gra.org\u0022\u003EGeorgia Research Alliance\u003C\/a\u003E, was published Dec. 7 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EAdvanced Science\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was conducted in animals, and shows that the approach significantly lowered the intraocular pressure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs many as 75 million people worldwide have glaucoma, which is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Glaucoma damage is caused by excess pressure in the eye that injures the optic nerve. Current treatments attempt to reduce this intraocular pressure through the daily application of eyedrops, or through surgery or implantation of medical devices, but these treatments are often unsuccessful.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo provide an alternative, Ethier teamed up with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/mark-r-prausnitz\u0022\u003EMark Prausnitz\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and J. Erskine Love Jr. Chair in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, to use a tiny hollow needle to inject a polymer preparation into a structure just below the surface of the eye called the suprachoroidal space (SCS). Inside the eye, the material chemically crosslinks to form the hydrogel, which holds open a channel in the SCS that allows aqueous humor from within the eye to drain out of the eye through the alternative pathway.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are normally two pathways for the aqueous humor fluid to leave the eye. The dominant path is through a structure known as the trabecular meshwork, which is located at the front of the eye. The lesser pathway is through the SCS, which normally has only a very small gap. In glaucoma, the dominant pathway is blocked, so to lessen pressure, treatments are created to open the lesser pathway enough to let the aqueous humor flow out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn this research, the hydrogel props open the SCS path. A hollow microneedle less than a millimeter long is used to inject a droplet (about 50 microliters) of the hydrogel-precursor material. That gel structure can keep the SCS pathway open for a period of months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe inject a viscous material and keep it at the site of the injection at the interface between the back of the eye and the front of the eye where the suprachoroidal space begins,\u201d Prausnitz said. \u201cBy opening up that space, we tap a pathway that would not otherwise be utilized efficiently to remove liquid from the eye.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe injection would take just a few minutes, and would involve a doctor making a small injection just below the surface of the eye in combination with numbing and cleaning the injection site. In the study, the researchers, including veterinary ophthalmologist and first author J. Jeremy Chae, did not observe significant inflammation resulting from the procedure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe pressure reduction was sustained for four months. The researchers are now working to extend that time by modifying the polymer material \u2014 hyaluronic acid \u2014 with a goal of providing treatment benefits for at least six months. That would coincide with the office visit schedule of many patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf we can get to a twice-a-year treatment, we would not disrupt the current clinical process,\u201d Prausnitz said. \u201cWe believe the injection could be done as an office procedure during routine exams that the patients are already getting. Patients may not need to do anything to treat their glaucoma until their next office visit.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond extending the time between treatments, the researchers will need to demonstrate that the injection can be repeated without harming the eye. The procedure will also have to be tested in other animals before moving into human trials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe idea of having a \u2018one-and-done\u2019 treatment that lasts for six months would be particularly helpful for those whose access to healthcare is non-optimal,\u201d Ethier said. \u201cHaving a long-acting therapy would have an additional advantage during times of pandemic or other disruption when access to healthcare is more difficult.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by a grant from the National Eye Institute (R01 EY025286) and by the Georgia Research Alliance. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMark Prausnitz serves as a consultant to companies, is a founding shareholder of companies, and is an inventor on patents licensed to companies developing microneedle-based products (Clearside Biomedical). These potential conflicts of interest have been disclosed and are being managed by Georgia Tech. J. Jeremy Chae, Jae Hwan Jung, Ethier, and Prausnitz are listed as co-inventors on an IP filing related to this study.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: J. Jeremy Chae, et al., \u201cDrug-free, Non-surgical Reduction of Intraocular Pressure for Four Months After Suprachoroidal Injection of Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel.\u201d (\u003Cem\u003EAdvanced Science\u003C\/em\u003E, 2020) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/advs.202001908\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/advs.202001908\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have developed a potential new treatment for the eye disease glaucoma that could replace daily eyedrops and surgery with a twice-a-year injection to control the buildup of pressure in the eye. The researchers envision the injection being done as an office procedure that could be part of regular patient visits.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have developed a potential new treatment for the eye disease glaucoma that could replace daily eye drops and surgery."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2020-12-07 19:27:05","changed_gmt":"2026-05-28 15:33:38","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-12-07T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-12-07T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"641902":{"id":"641902","type":"image","title":"Close-up of Eye","body":null,"created":"1607368440","gmt_created":"2020-12-07 19:14:00","changed":"1607368440","gmt_changed":"2020-12-07 19:14:00","alt":"Close-up of eye","file":{"fid":"243879","name":"Eye-001 v2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eye-001%20v2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eye-001%20v2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":943053,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Eye-001%20v2.jpg?itok=c_XJn_hN"}},"641903":{"id":"641903","type":"image","title":"Microneedle and eye","body":null,"created":"1607368518","gmt_created":"2020-12-07 19:15:18","changed":"1607368518","gmt_changed":"2020-12-07 19:15:18","alt":"Microneedle and eye","file":{"fid":"243880","name":"ocular_needle_with_eye2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ocular_needle_with_eye2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ocular_needle_with_eye2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":792430,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ocular_needle_with_eye2.jpg?itok=ybkImfTo"}}},"media_ids":["641902","641903"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"17401","name":"Glaucoma"},{"id":"1915","name":"eye"},{"id":"3356","name":"hydrogel"},{"id":"495","name":"Mark Prausnitz"},{"id":"38581","name":"eye disease"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633836":{"#nid":"633836","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Three BME Professors Promoted","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThis week, three Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering professors at Georgia Tech received promotions:\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EGabe Kwong\u003C\/strong\u003E was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EMelissa Kemp\u003C\/strong\u003E was promoted to Professor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E* \u003Cstrong\u003EJoe Le Doux\u003C\/strong\u003E was promoted to Professor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA short summary of each follows:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGabe Kwong Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKwong\u0027s lab pioneers powerful new technologies to address frontier clinical challenges \u2013 including ultrasensitive diagnostics for early detection of disease, engineered T cells as curative therapies, and high-throughput tools to study rare immune cells. His research directly impacts a broad range of complex human diseases including cancer, organ transplant rejection, and infectious diseases. Kwong\u2019s innovative research has been recognized by the NIH New Innovator Award, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface, and the Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMelissa Kemp Promoted to Professor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKemp has pioneered the use of computational systems biology models to understand and predict cellular behaviors in development, health, and disease, and provide the scientific community with a roadmap for new diagnostic and treatment pathways for a wide range of diseases. Her models have forced the field of molecular biology to develop new methods for measuring short-lived molecules and protein modifications, which she proposes are the unique \u201cfingerprints\u201d of cell communication, post-genetic variability, and cell stress responses that are responsible for biological variability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKemp\u2019s models are the key to unlock the basis for (and opportunities of) personalized medicine and patient-specific therapies. Importantly, subsequent experiments by colleagues in the field have validated her paradigm-shifting theories. Her innovative scholarship has been recognized by many awards: NIH New Innovator, the CSF2 Prize for Innovative Measurement Methods, and the Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJoe Le Doux Promoted to Professor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELe Doux has gained unprecedented recognition as a scholar and pioneer in the field of engineering education and curriculum innovation, as evidenced in part by his being awarded the National Academy of Engineering Gordon Prize in 2019. The Gordon Prize establishes the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (and Georgia Tech) as the national leader in innovative training of engineering leaders. Le Doux\u2019s early gene therapy research program was recognized with an NSF CAREER Award, funding from the Whitaker Foundation, and multiple research seed grants from Emory, Centers for Disease Control, and Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe has served in departmental leadership as associate chair for undergraduate studies (2011-2013); executive director for learning and student experience (2013-2015), and is BME\u2019s associate chair for undergraduate learning and experience.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPromotions announced for BME professors Kemp, Kwong, and Le Doux\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Promotions announced for BME professors Kemp, Kwong, and Le Doux "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-03-26 13:49:05","changed_gmt":"2025-01-24 18:01:03","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633835":{"id":"633835","type":"image","title":"Pictured are: Gabe Kwong, Melissa Kemp, and Joe Le Doux.","body":null,"created":"1585230315","gmt_created":"2020-03-26 13:45:15","changed":"1585230315","gmt_changed":"2020-03-26 13:45:15","alt":"Pictured are: Gabe Kwong, Melissa Kemp, and Joe Le Doux.","file":{"fid":"241175","name":"kwong-kemp-ledoux.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kwong-kemp-ledoux.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kwong-kemp-ledoux.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":572179,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kwong-kemp-ledoux.jpg?itok=rvj_A0Zk"}}},"media_ids":["633835"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"639191":{"#nid":"639191","#data":{"type":"news","title":"IBB\u2019s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESince its inception, the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB) has been an example of how spaces and behaviors in bioengineering and biosciences can be reimagined to facilitate interdisciplinary research at the highest levels. The members of the IBB community are leaders, and through our collective leadership we create the future not only for our disciplines but also for the society as a whole. The repeated failures of our society to address the challenges of police violence and systemic racism are extending an opportunity to us to collectively lead in the effort in creating a safer, more inclusive, and more highly prosperous environment for our historically underrepresented minority faculty, trainees, and staff.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EThe message from our most recent town hall forum is that now is a time for action. As such, \u003Cstrong\u003Ewe have established a new IBB committee for diversity, equity, and inclusion\u003C\/strong\u003E to help coordinate our work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe committee is constituted of our IBB members including:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEdward Botchwey (BME, committee Chair)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda (ME, IBB Director)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMar\u00eda Coronel (ME, Postdoctoral Representative)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENettie Brown (BME, Pre-doctoral Representative)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ELakeita Servance (Staff Representative)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMilan Riddick (BME, Undergraduate Representative)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis committee is now meeting regularly to plan activities and new events in the coming months. Our committee has several immediate areas of focus:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECreating a new distinguished lecture series focused on inclusion and diversity excellence. The inaugural lecture will take place in Feb 2021, and we are thrilled to announce that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kamaubobb.com\/\u0022\u003EKamau Bobb\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;will be this year\u2019s distinguished speaker.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPromoting and leading diversity and inclusion curriculum-based training across IBB.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEngaging with existing trainee and student groups to advance the culture of inclusion.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESharing personal experiences with racial injustice and bias.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe are also committed to re-examining the roster of speakers in our ongoing seminar series to recruit perspectives from underrepresented minorities. Recent events in Kenosha (Jacob Blake) and Rochester (Daniel Prude) have led us to plan another town hall forum this fall, and we hope to introduce the committee formally where we will solicit additional ideas and suggestions from our community.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOne thing that is clear to the IBB community is that the time to change is now. We\u2019re here, we\u0027re listening. Let\u0027s talk.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe time to change is now. We\u0027re here, we\u0027re listening, and we\u0027re taking action.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The time to change is now. We\u0027re here, we\u0027re listening, and we\u0027re taking action."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-09-17 12:28:23","changed_gmt":"2025-01-10 13:36:15","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639246":{"id":"639246","type":"image","title":"Diversity","body":null,"created":"1600372061","gmt_created":"2020-09-17 19:47:41","changed":"1600372061","gmt_changed":"2020-09-17 19:47:41","alt":"Diverse team of individuals in a circle with their hands stacked together in the middle of the circle","file":{"fid":"243057","name":"Diversity.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Diversity.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Diversity.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":140691,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Diversity.jpg?itok=xusWJZ-4"}}},"media_ids":["639246"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648646":{"#nid":"648646","#data":{"type":"news","title":"InQuBATE Training Program Integrates Modeling and Data Science for Bioscience Ph.D. Students","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reporter.nih.gov\/project-details\/10270517\u0022\u003Efive-year, $1.27 million grant from the National Institutes of Health\u003C\/a\u003E (NIH) will help transform the study of quantitative- and data-intensive biosciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe grant will create the Integrative and Quantitative Biosciences Accelerated Training Environment (InQuBATE) Predoctoral Training Program at Georgia Tech. InQuBATE is designed to train a new generation of biomedical researchers and thought leaders to harness the data revolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want to improve and enhance the training of students to focus on biological questions while leveraging modern tools, and in some cases developing new tools, to address foundational challenges at scales from molecules to systems,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joshua-weitz\u0022\u003EJoshua Weitz\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and Tom and Marie Patton Chair in the School of Biological Sciences. Weitz is co-leading the program with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Peng-Qiu\u0022\u003EPeng Qiu\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBiology is undergoing a transformation, according to Weitz and Qiu, requiring a new educational paradigm that integrates quantitative approaches like computational modeling and data analytics into the experimental study of living systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur intention is to develop a training environment that instills a quantitative, data-driven mindset, integrating quantitative and data science methods into all aspects of the life science training pipeline,\u201d added Weitz, founding director of Tech\u2019s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences (QBioS).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe roots of InQuBATE go back to the fall of 2016, shortly after QBioS was launched. Weitz saw an opportunity to augment what he was teaching in his cornerstone course, Foundations of Quantitative Biosciences, in which students model living systems from the molecular level up through cells, organisms, populations, and ecosystems. In doing so, students \u201cgot a brief introduction to implementing high-dimensional data analytics, visual analytics, clustering, and modern machine learning methods. But we couldn\u2019t cover allthose topics in detail,\u201d Weitz said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, he reached out to Qiu, who was teaching data analytic methods in his Machine Learning in Biosciences course: \u201cInstead of us developing that class, we started strongly encouraging QBioS students to take Peng\u2019s class,\u201d Weitz said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor me, this was a great opportunity to work with students from the biology side who had real interests in learning data mining and machine learning, as well as students from the engineering side,\u201d said Qiu, principal investigator in the Machine Learning and Bioinformatics Lab in Coulter BME. \u201cWe could see that it was a great learning environment and the QBioS students really excelled in the class. That gave us confidence. Now we\u2019re building this [InQuBATE] training program, and hope it will foster even greater cross pollination.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe training program is designed to do exactly that, bringing together students and faculty from three Georgia Tech colleges: computing, engineering, and sciences. That combination of expertise is reflected in the leadership team. In addition to principal investigators Weitz (College of Sciences) and Qiu (College of Engineering), the faculty leadership team includes \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/people\/elizabeth-cherry\u0022\u003EElizabeth Cherry\u003C\/a\u003E (School of Computational Science and Engineering, College of Computing), \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Eva-Dyer\u0022\u003EEva Dyer\u003C\/a\u003E (Coulter BME, College of Engineering and Emory School of Medicine), and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/marvin-whiteley\u0022\u003EMarvin Whiteley\u003C\/a\u003E (School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe InQuBATE program will ultimately support 15 Ph.D. students over five years. The first cohort \u2014 prioritizing second-year Ph.D. students \u2014 will be selected in August. Next spring, the program will begin soliciting applications from first-year Ph.D. students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe program will extend the breadth of student training without adding time to the Ph.D.,\u201d Weitz said. \u201cFor students on the engineering or computing side, InQuBATE will augment their living systems research experience. For students on the living systems side, the program will augment their training in modeling and data analytics.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeitz, Qiu, and their collaborators also are developing a series of semester-long and short-form (a week or less) courses that will be available to other graduate students, in addition to the InQuBATE cohorts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe intend to make programmatic offerings available to a broader community,\u201d Weitz said. \u201cIn the long term, we hope InQuBATE takes on a central role in shaping the culture of integrative approaches in the study of living systems at Georgia Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe NIH-funded program is designed to train a new generation of biomedical researchers and thought leaders to harness the data revolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The NIH-funded program is designed to train a new generation of biomedical researchers and thought leaders to harness the data revolution."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-07-08 18:54:06","changed_gmt":"2024-02-15 20:28:06","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648644":{"id":"648644","type":"image","title":"Peng Qiu \u0026 Joshua Weitz","body":null,"created":"1625769462","gmt_created":"2021-07-08 18:37:42","changed":"1625769462","gmt_changed":"2021-07-08 18:37:42","alt":"Peng Qiu, left, and Joshua Weitz are leading a new National Institutes of Heath-funded training program that will help transform the study of quantitative- and data-intensive biosciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. (Photo: Allison Carter)","file":{"fid":"246229","name":"Qui-Peng-Weitz-Joshua-By-Allison-Carter-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Qui-Peng-Weitz-Joshua-By-Allison-Carter-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Qui-Peng-Weitz-Joshua-By-Allison-Carter-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":262417,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Qui-Peng-Weitz-Joshua-By-Allison-Carter-h.jpg?itok=KD6ubjH_"}},"648645":{"id":"648645","type":"image","title":"Marvin Whiteley, Eva Dyer, Elizabeth Cherry","body":null,"created":"1625769915","gmt_created":"2021-07-08 18:45:15","changed":"1625769915","gmt_changed":"2021-07-08 18:45:15","alt":"The core faculty leadership team of the new NIH-funded InQuBATE program includes, from left, Marvin Whiteley, professor in the School of Biological Sciences; Eva Dyer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Elizabeth Cherry, associate professor in the School of Computational Science and Engineering.","file":{"fid":"246230","name":"Whiteley-Dyer-Cherry-composite.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Whiteley-Dyer-Cherry-composite.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Whiteley-Dyer-Cherry-composite.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":309080,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Whiteley-Dyer-Cherry-composite.jpg?itok=9bdb51mE"}}},"media_ids":["648644","648645"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/reporter.nih.gov\/project-details\/10270517","title":"Integrative and Quantitative Biosciences Accelerated Training Environment"},{"url":"https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joshua-weitz","title":"Joshua Weitz"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Peng-Qiu","title":"Peng Qiu"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/people\/elizabeth-cherry","title":"Elizabeth Cherry"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Eva-Dyer","title":"Eva Dyer"},{"url":"https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/marvin-whiteley","title":"Marvin Whiteley"}],"groups":[{"id":"620089","name":"Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection (CMDI)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"169835","name":"Peng Qiu"},{"id":"188231","name":"CMDI"},{"id":"11599","name":"Joshua Weitz"},{"id":"2270","name":"National Institutes of Health"},{"id":"188225","name":"InQuBATE"},{"id":"7043","name":"biosciences"},{"id":"177810","name":"Quantitative Biosciences program"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648107":{"#nid":"648107","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Temperate Glimpse Into a Warming World","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the past six years, multidisciplinary researchers from across the world have been probing northern Minnesota peat bogs in an unprecedented, long-range study of climate change supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. They set out to answer complex questions, including one big one \u2013 will future warming somehow release 10,000 years of accumulated carbon from peatlands that store a large portion of earth\u2019s terrestrial carbon?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) partnered with the USDA Forest Service to develop a one-of-its-kind field lab in the Marcel Experimental Forest, where below and above ground heating elements are gradually warming the bog in greenhouse-like enclosures big enough to include trees. The enclosures are roofless so that rain and snow can get in.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s called the SPRUCE (Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments) experiment, and it was designed as a window into what would happen to peat bogs in a warmer world. A recent study, headed by Georgia Institute of Technology microbiologist Joel Kostka and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/118\/25\/e2004192118.short?rss=1\u0022\u003Epublished June 14 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EPNAS\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, provides a sobering outlook.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe real concern and one of the major conclusions of this paper is that the ecosystem we\u2019re studying is becoming more methanogenic,\u201d said Kostka, professor and associate chair of research in the School of Biological Sciences, who holds a joint appointment in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and focuses on microbial ecology. \u201cIn other words, the warmed bog is enhancing the rate of methane production faster than that for carbon dioxide. This is what we think is going to happen in a warming world, based on our results.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETesty Little Process\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMethanogens are microbes that produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that traps up to 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Warming the peatland, the researchers found, basically creates a methane production line.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis occurs because the plant community changes in response to warmer temperatures \u2013 mosses decrease and vascular plants increase,\u201d said the paper\u2019s lead author, Rachel Wilson, a researcher with Florida State University\u2019s Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, where she works in the lab of professor Jeff Chanton, co-author and co-principal investigator of the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe process forms a complete cycle: Vascular plants \u2013 shrubs and grass-like plants \u2013 produce more simple sugars, which are broken down by fermentative bacteria, and the breakdown products then fuel methane-producing microbes use to produce more methane.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile peatlands comprise just 3 percent of the Earth\u2019s landmass, they store about one-third of the planet\u2019s soil carbon. The thinking goes, as global temperatures rise, microbes could break into the carbon bank and the resulting decomposition of the ancient, combustible plant biomass would lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane being released into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMethane is a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cWarming the climate stimulates methane production, which will contribute to more warming in a positive feedback loop.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a scenario that Chanton called, \u201ca critical ecosystem shift. Peat soils that have been stable for thousands of years are giving up the ghost, so to speak. It\u2019s a testy little process.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDelayed Response\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat unpleasant outcome is being delayed somewhat by the extreme conditions found in many peat bogs around the world, including at the SPRUCE experiment site.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAlthough most peatlands are in northern regions undergoing some of the most rapid warming on the planet, we\u2019re talking about generally cold, acidic soils where there\u2019s no oxygen,\u201d Kostka noted. \u201cMethanogens grow really slowly under these extreme conditions. We do see their activity increasing with warming, but they\u2019re not yet growing that fast.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe has a good idea of what could happen, though. Several years ago, Kostka took soil samples from the Minnesota site and tested them in his lab at Georgia Tech, exaggerating the temperature to a much greater degree than would be possible in a large-scale experiment like SPRUCE.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERaising the temperature by 20 degrees Celsius, about twice the temperature range used in the field experiment, \u201cwe saw huge increases in methane and large changes in the microbes that break down soil carbon into greenhouse gases,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0027s a sped-up version of what they\u2019re seeing in the field where the research team, Kostka explained, \u201cand it is just beginning to scratch the surface of the changes we\u2019re seeing in this ecosystem.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENext Chapter\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe SPRUCE site experiment involves two kinds of treatment, warming and also elevated carbon dioxide. The warming treatment started in 2014. All of the data sets for the PNAS paper are from 2016. The elevated carbon dioxide treatment began in the final days of data collection, so it wasn\u2019t particularly relevant for this study. \u201cGoing forward, we\u2019re thinking the effects of elevated carbon dioxide will be one potential future story to tell,\u201d Kostka said. \u201cThis is a long-term experiment and many of these large scale climate change field experiments do not observe substantial changes to microbial communities until 10 years after they start.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, SPRUCE experimental activity is designed and intended to develop a quantitative mechanistic understanding of carbon cycling processes, according to Paul Hanson, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist leading the long-range project as principal investigator.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSPRUCE\u0026nbsp;provides experimental insights for a broad range of plausible future warming conditions for an established peatland ecosystem, combined with or without elevated carbon dioxide,\u201d Hanson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo far, the evidence is pointing to a grim possibility: Warming enhances the production of carbon substrates from plants, stimulating microbial activity and greenhouse gas production, possibly leading to amplified climate-peatland feedbacks. Think, gasoline on a fire.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat would be the worst case scenario,\u201d Kostka said. \u201cWe don\u2019t really know yet how plants and microbes will exchange carbon and nutrients in a warmer world. Will that carbon be locked up by the plants and stored in the soil? Will it be respired by microbes and released as a gas?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;We are just beginning to see major changes in the microbes and plants at the SPRUCE peatland.\u0026nbsp; Although the first few years of the experiment indicate that a lot more methane will be released to the atmosphere, we will be looking to see if these changes are sustained over the long term.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATIONS: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Rachel M. Wilson, Malak M. Tfaily, Max Kolton, Eric Johnston, Caitlin Petro, Cassandra A. Zalman, Paul J. Hanson, Heino M. Heyman, Jennifer E. Kyle, David W. Hoyt, Elizabeth K. Eder, Samuel O. Purvine, Randy K. Kolka, Stephen D. Sebestyen, Natalie A. Griffiths, Christopher W. Schadt, Jason K. Keller, Scott D. Bridgham, and Jeffrey P. Chanton, and Joel E. Kostka.\u0026nbsp; \u201cSoil metabolome response to whole ecosystem warming at the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments experiment\u201d (\u003Cem\u003EPNAS\u003C\/em\u003E, June 2021) https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2004192118\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAERIAL PHOTO:\u003C\/strong\u003E Hanson, P.J., M.B. Krassovski, and L.A. Hook. 2020. SPRUCE S1 Bog and SPRUCE Experiment Aerial Photographs. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TES SFA, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3334\/CDIAC\/spruce.012 (UAV image number 0050 collected on October 4, 2020).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERELATED LINKS: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/\u0022\u003E\u201cSoil metabolome response to whole ecosystem warming at the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments experiment\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/118\/25\/e2004192118\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.joelkostka.net\/\u0022\u003EJoel Kostka \u2013 Microbial Ecology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mnspruce.ornl.gov\/\u0022\u003ESPRUCE Experiment\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/features\/shaking-sleeping-bog-monster\u0022\u003E\u201cShaking a Sleeping Bog Monster\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Cem\u003EResearch Horizons\u003C\/em\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/nsf-supports-research-microbes-peat-moss\u0022\u003ENSF Supports Research on the Microbes in Peat Moss\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/science-matters\/sciencematters-season-3-episode-8-digging-climate-clues-peat-moss\u0022\u003EScienceMatters Podcast: Digging Up Climate Clues in Peat Moss\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"SPRUCE experiment study shows elevated levels of greenhouse gases emerging from carbon-rich peatlands"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESPRUCE experiment study shows elevated levels of greenhouse gases emerging from carbon-rich peatlands\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"SPRUCE experiment study shows elevated levels of greenhouse gases emerging from carbon-rich peatlands"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-06-14 19:22:28","changed_gmt":"2024-02-15 20:26:43","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648105":{"id":"648105","type":"image","title":"Aerial SPRUCE","body":null,"created":"1623697776","gmt_created":"2021-06-14 19:09:36","changed":"1623697776","gmt_changed":"2021-06-14 19:09:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246029","name":"Aerial SPRUCE.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Aerial%20SPRUCE.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Aerial%20SPRUCE.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4339456,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Aerial%20SPRUCE.jpg?itok=czEb3FzQ"}},"648106":{"id":"648106","type":"image","title":"SPRUCE - Joel Kostka","body":null,"created":"1623698456","gmt_created":"2021-06-14 19:20:56","changed":"1623698507","gmt_changed":"2021-06-14 19:21:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246030","name":"Joel Kostka.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Joel%20Kostka_2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Joel%20Kostka_2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3198839,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Joel%20Kostka_2.jpg?itok=5OUsNeU6"}}},"media_ids":["648105","648106"],"groups":[{"id":"620089","name":"Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection (CMDI)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"188231","name":"CMDI"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"831","name":"climate change"},{"id":"791","name":"Global Warming"},{"id":"182974","name":"peat bogs"},{"id":"12800","name":"methane"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648497":{"#nid":"648497","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Susan Margulies Appointed to Lead NSF Engineering Directorate","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the call to service came, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Susan-Margulies\u0022\u003ESusan Margulies\u003C\/a\u003E just couldn\u0026rsquo;t say no. Which should be no surprise to anyone who has worked with her during her time as professor and chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nsf.gov\/news\/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=303000\u0026amp;org=NSF\u0026amp;from=news\u0022\u003EMargulies will step down as chair in August to answer that call\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026mdash; as head of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/dir\/index.jsp?org=ENG\u0022\u003EDirectorate of Engineering at the U.S. National Science Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E (NSF). She is the first biomedical engineer to lead the directorate, which supports fundamental research, enhances the nation\u0026rsquo;s innovation through a range of initiatives, and is a driving force behind the training and development of the United States\u0026rsquo; engineering workforce. Margulies appointment at the NSF begins in mid-August.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Susan\u0026rsquo;s NSF appointment will impact the nation, and I congratulate her on this high honor,\u0026rdquo; said Vikas P. Sukhatme, dean of the Emory School of Medicine and Woodruff Professor. \u0026ldquo;Her leadership at Coulter BME over the last four years has been transformative. I have enjoyed working closely with her and respect the high standards she has set for all our missions.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies has been chair of Coulter BME since August 2017, overseeing a unique collaboration between a leading public engineering school and a highly respected private medical school that graduates more women and underrepresented students than any other biomedical engineering program in the nation. She is the first woman to chair a basic science department in the Emory School of Medicine and the second woman chair in the history of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThough she\u0026rsquo;s stepping down as chair of the Coulter Department, Margulies will remain a member of the Emory and Georgia Tech faculties.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I congratulate Susan on this incredible honor and opportunity to serve our nation at the National Science Foundation,\u0026quot; said Raheem Beyah, dean and Southern Company Chair of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Engineering. \u0026ldquo;She has served as a pioneer while leading BME, diligently working to increase access and diversity, while also strengthening our cross-university collaboration with a sincere commitment to research excellence.\u0026nbsp;I look forward to continuing the College\u0026rsquo;s partnership with the NSF as Susan and the Foundation expand its engineering goals and initiatives.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs chair, Margulies worked to building a deeper sense of community in Coulter BME, including increasing shared governance with faculty, staff, and students and convening a 50-member committee charged with developing and implementing programs to boost the Department\u0026rsquo;s community, diversity, and inclusion. Margulies helped raise $41 million in philanthropic gifts to support the Department; led development of a new strategic plan for Coulter BME to increase impact, enhance engagement, and enrich community; and provided leadership to campus-wide strategic planning efforts at both Emory and Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The opportunity to serve the NSF resonates with my values \u0026mdash; catalyzing impact through innovation, rigor, partnership, and inclusion. It\u0026rsquo;s an irresistible invitation, and it has to be to pull me away from my Coulter BME family,\u0026rdquo; Margulies said. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m so proud to have worked alongside this unmatched group of students, staff, and faculty in our shared drive to improve health and well-being.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBuilding on initiatives she developed at the University of Pennsylvania, Margulies prioritized\u0026nbsp;career development for\u0026nbsp;faculty members and\u0026nbsp;Ph.D. graduates\u0026nbsp;during her years leading Coulter BME. She added dedicated staff to help doctoral students prepare for increasingly popular career paths outside of academia. The Department increased the diversity of Ph.D. students and improved faculty diversity at all ranks during her tenure. Margulies oversaw hiring of 20 new faculty members and launched formalized mentoring for early career professors, including creating a new associate chair position dedicated to faculty development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies also introduced a new leadership position, executive director of learning and training, to formalize the integration of pioneering teaching methods developed through federal and foundation grants. These initiatives infuse elements of story-driven learning across the curriculum and build inclusive environments in required courses and research labs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies\u0026rsquo; popular weekly office hours with the chair were a year-round forum for students to share their ideas and consult with her one-on-one on all kinds of topics. Those weekly hours became one of her favorite parts of the job.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our students inspire me, and these conversations emboldened students\u0026nbsp;to create their unique pathways to\u0026nbsp;integrate who they are with\u0026nbsp;their studies in\u0026nbsp;biomedical engineering\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash; to become who they want to be,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMuch as she has in the Coulter Department and throughout her career, Margulies said, she plans to forge partnerships in her new role across industry, foundations, academia, and around the world to help NSF address some of the most pressing challenges in science and engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;Susan Margulies\u0026#39; extensive experience and expertise is a valuable addition to the National Science Foundation\u0026#39;s work to advance the frontiers of science and engineering research,\u0026rdquo; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nsf.gov\/news\/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=303000\u0026amp;org=NSF\u0026amp;from=news\u0022\u003Esaid NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;Her strong leadership combined with her deep knowledge of research translation will help accelerate our nation\u0026#39;s progress to be at the vanguard of discovery and innovation. I am looking forward to her insights and perspectives.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies is a renowned scholar in pediatric traumatic brain injury and lung injury associated with mechanical ventilators, where she has worked to open avenues for prevention, intervention, and treatment. Her career has been marked by interdisciplinary research and education, thanks in part to her training in mechanical and aerospace engineering, bioengineering, and physiology and biophysics. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe has conducted more than $35 million in research with funding from the NSF, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and industry sources. Her research group has trained dozens of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students who\u0026rsquo;ve gone on to careers in consulting, federal agencies, industry, academia, and startups. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInterim leadership for the Department will be announced soon, along with more details on a search to find the next permanent chair of Coulter BME.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUPDATE JULY 21:\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/news\/machelle-pardue-named-interim-chair-coulter-bme\u0022\u003EMachelle Pardue has been named interim chair of the Coulter Department, starting Aug. 16.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMargulies has been chair of Coulter BME since August 2017 and will be the first biomedical engineer to lead the directorate.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Margulies has been chair of Coulter BME since August 2017 and will be the first biomedical engineer to lead the directorate."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-07-01 17:10:52","changed_gmt":"2021-07-21 15:36:36","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-07-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-07-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648488":{"id":"648488","type":"image","title":"Susan Margulies 2020 (vertical)","body":null,"created":"1625087327","gmt_created":"2021-06-30 21:08:47","changed":"1625087327","gmt_changed":"2021-06-30 21:08:47","alt":"Susan Margulies headshot","file":{"fid":"246184","name":"Margulies-Susan-alt-by-Jack-Kearse-Emory-v.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Margulies-Susan-alt-by-Jack-Kearse-Emory-v.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Margulies-Susan-alt-by-Jack-Kearse-Emory-v.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":273000,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Margulies-Susan-alt-by-Jack-Kearse-Emory-v.jpg?itok=kGl7xk7-"}}},"media_ids":["648488"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/nsf.gov\/news\/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=303000\u0026org=NSF\u0026from=news","title":"NSF selects Susan S. Margulies to head the Engineering Directorate"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/dir\/index.jsp?org=ENG","title":"National Science Foundation Directorate of Engineering"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Susan-Margulies","title":"Susan Margulies"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"184882","name":"Susan Margulies"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648462":{"#nid":"648462","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From BME Grad Student to Venture Capitalist","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a naturally inquisitive person, Melissa Lokugamage has satisfied her diverse interests with a steady diet of new experiences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA native of Sri Lanka who moved to Kansas City, Missouri, with her family as a young girl, she grew up playing the piano and violin, and danced in a local ballet company, shaping an abiding appreciation of the arts and culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELokugamage discovered a love of science while an undergraduate at the University of Missouri, which she satisfied with a degree in bioengineering. Perhaps more significantly, she said, \u0026ldquo;I also found a passion for community outreach, activism, and mentorship.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd now that she\u0026rsquo;s earned a Ph.D. from the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Lokugamage is ready for the next new experience on her polymathic journey. She\u0026rsquo;ll make the transition this summer from graduate researcher in a university lab to venture capital associate for Massachusetts-based Alloy Therapeutics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As a graduate researcher, I was taught to think critically about data,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;This thinking can help me evaluate and identify promising new technology. Joining Alloy will allow me to apply my deep understanding of drug delivery to new biotech company development.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EAtypical Path\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer Ph.D. advisor James Dahlman is confident in what Lokugamage brings to the table, even though going into venture capital straight from a research Ph.D. isn\u0026rsquo;t a typical path.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m not surprised Melissa was able to do it,\u0026rdquo; said Dahlman, assistant professor in the Coulter Department. \u0026ldquo;She can see around corners, so to speak, meaning she is great at identifying large scale trends before others. At the same time, she can evaluate the nitty gritty details of the science.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat attention to the details, the kind of investigative skills developed over years in a lab, will allow Lokugamage, \u0026ldquo;to predict whether a company\u0026rsquo;s scientific foundation is sturdy enough to survive the valley of death between early stage science and the clinic,\u0026rdquo; Dahlman added. \u0026ldquo;I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to see what world-changing technologies she helps develop at Alloy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith her colleagues in Dahlman\u0026rsquo;s lab, Lokugamage\u0026rsquo;s Ph.D. research focused on RNA drug delivery. Now she wants to expand on that.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;While I enjoyed my time as a scientist and researcher, I was ready to use my understanding of drug delivery and medicine in a new way,\u0026rdquo; Lokugamage said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe didn\u0026rsquo;t really have a career in mind when she entered Missouri, where Lokugamage also earned a minor in women\u0026rsquo;s and gender studies that nurtured her interest in service and community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It started when I took a course on women\u0026rsquo;s health and history,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;The subject was interesting, the students were thoughtful, and it felt deeply personal as a woman of color. I continued to fill my schedule with courses like this. I learned the importance of intersectionality and the role it plays in my life and my career. From there, I started joining service organizations.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EScientific Journey\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, an influential professor provided Lokugamage with the tools to constructively pose important scientific questions, treating her as if she already was a grad student. Early and often, he sent her to speak at conferences. He encouraged her to apply for a summer internship at NASA, where she participated in the space agency\u0026rsquo;s Space Life Science Training Program. At the Ames Research Center in California, she was as a member of the BioSentinel Team, working on development of a biosensor to monitor the long-term effects of radiation on DNA.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe worked in an RNA-focused lab at Missouri, exploring the theory that RNA was the precursor molecule to DNA in the origin of life\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and falling hard for the biomolecule. As she considered grad schools, Coulter BME was interesting because, while she\u0026rsquo;d been studying RNA in a more exploratory manner, \u0026ldquo;the Dahlman lab was applying RNA therapies to treat diseases. This felt like a way for me to continue working in the RNA space but grow as well,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELooking back on it, joining Dahlman\u0026rsquo;s research group was almost like a ground-floor opportunity \u0026mdash; he\u0026rsquo;d only been on the Georgia Tech campus a year at the time, \u0026ldquo;and they were building a novel barcoding platform from the ground up,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;It was really exciting. Dr. Dahlman provided the necessary support and guidance I needed to thrive during my Ph.D. The mistakes I made and the insight I gained in that type of environment were invaluable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlong the way, she developed a deep expertise in drug delivery, according to Dahlman.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Melissa is a rising star, and that expertise will be critical as clinicians work with emerging companies to develop new gene therapies for patients,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother new interest, another new experience, and Lokugamage is ready for it.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The space of venture capital and investing are very new to me,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;My biggest goal is to learn as much as possible. This new role is my chance to absorb as much information as possible, provide my assistance to a new team, and create new tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERelated Links\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.dahlmanlab.org\/\u0022\u003EJames Dahlman Lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Melissa Lokugamage Joins VC Firm to Guide Biotech Startups"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMelissa Lokugamage Joins VC Firm to Guide Biotech Startups\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Melissa Lokugamage Joins VC Firm to Guide Biotech Startups"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-06-30 12:08:45","changed_gmt":"2021-06-30 15:27:59","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648461":{"id":"648461","type":"image","title":"Melissa Lokugamage","body":null,"created":"1625051443","gmt_created":"2021-06-30 11:10:43","changed":"1625067060","gmt_changed":"2021-06-30 15:31:00","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246182","name":"MelissaL.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MelissaL.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MelissaL.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":691051,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MelissaL.jpg?itok=tdMsfozP"}}},"media_ids":["648461"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"188198","name":"RNA drug delivery"},{"id":"3554","name":"Venture capital"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648263":{"#nid":"648263","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda Receives Distinguished Professor Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVision. Collaboration. Innovation. The qualities for which Georgia Tech has become so well-known were embodied in people like Bob Nerem, founding director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB) from 1995 to 2009, Parker H. Petit Distinguished Chair for Engineering in Medicine, and Institute professor emeritus until his death in March 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 1997 Nerem recruited Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a and his wife, Michelle LaPlaca, to join the pioneering IBB program at Tech after they completed their work as postdoctoral fellows at the University of Pennsylvania \u0026mdash; his in cell and molecular biology, hers in neurotrauma.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 1998 when Garc\u0026iacute;a and LaPlaca joined Tech, IBB launched its National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Tissue Engineering with Emory University, making it a strategic community for Garc\u0026iacute;a to join to start his research program in an emerging field. Now as executive director of IBB and a Regents Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Garc\u0026iacute;a is continuing Nerem\u0026rsquo;s legacy of vision, collaboration, and innovation in everything he does. In recognition of his work, he is the 2021 recipient of the Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award, the highest honor given to a Georgia Tech professor. The award is presented to a professor who has made significant, long-term contributions to teaching, research, and public service.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKnown as a global pioneer in developing biomaterials systems for translational applications in regenerative medicine, Garc\u0026iacute;a holds more than a dozen U.S. patents. Discoveries include the development of hydrogels for protein and cell delivery in regenerative medicine, engineering biofunctional materials to improve islet survival, and the design of infection-fighting materials. His research focuses on creating an engineered class of materials that can be used for applications to transplant a graft without immune-suppressive drugs. Human studies are planned to start next year. Researchers in his lab are developing new ways to treat Type 1 diabetes, eventually working with adult stem cells to reprogram them into insulin-producing cells. Future applications include addressing kidney failure and other diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECreating Opportunities for \u0026lsquo;Collisions\u0026rsquo;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a is enthusiastic about his research, as well as all of the collaborative research in IBB. \u0026ldquo;IBB is a fantastic community of faculty, trainees, and staff who come together in making discoveries and developing the technologies in bioengineering and bioscience that will change the world,\u0026rdquo; he said. His goal is that IBB will continue to expand research and integrative opportunities to have a major economic impact, creating an environment to translate research into commercial products and therapies. \u0026ldquo;With IBB we want to provide opportunities for \u0026lsquo;collisions,\u0026rsquo; unexpected interactions that lead to the discoveries. It was Bob Nerem\u0026rsquo;s vision to drive that sort of collaboration,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a shared an example of one such collision: \u0026ldquo;As part of a grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), I was required to present unpublished research progress at a meeting with other researchers from throughout the country. After I made my presentation that morning, a JDRF director announced that for the next three-year cycle of funding we would need to collaborate with someone in the room on research. We went to lunch, and as I was building my sandwich, an immunologist introduced himself to me, complimented me on my presentation, and asked me if I thought I could develop a biomaterial to deliver the particular protein he was working with. You never ask an engineer if they think they can do something. They\u0026rsquo;ll find a way. I said I could, and we started working together.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn elected member of both the National Academy of Inventors and the National Academy of Engineering, Garc\u0026iacute;a has established three startup companies in the past seven years. He has received numerous awards for his teaching and research and has published more than 230 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMentoring Students\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a has supervised 15 postdoctoral researchers and advised\/co-advised 37 Ph.D. students. He is known for his long-term commitment to his trainees, as well as mentoring students outside of his laboratory and classroom. While he has not taught for the past three years because of his responsibilities as IBB executive director, he still mentors students in his lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I take my responsibility as a mentor and supervisor seriously. It is important to have one-to-one interactions,\u0026rdquo; Garc\u0026iacute;a said. \u0026ldquo;I take a practical approach and feel it is critical to explain why learning a topic is important, sharing practical applications, and offering experiential hands-on learning. I have had very supportive and engaged mentors and would like to pass that on to others.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBackground\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA native of Puerto Rico, Garc\u0026iacute;a originally came to the states to study at Cornell University. He was very interested in the emerging field of biomedical engineering, but his father, an industrial engineer, advised him to major in another engineering discipline as a backup in case the biomedical field didn\u0026rsquo;t develop as anticipated. Garc\u0026iacute;a took his father\u0026rsquo;s advice, earning his bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree in mechanical engineering and also taking biology and bioengineering classes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring his senior year Garc\u0026iacute;a participated in a project to design a structure to support fractured legs for horses. He worked to optimize the way a \u0026ldquo;boot\u0026rdquo; attached to the bone so that it wouldn\u0026rsquo;t fracture again. He became interested in research, and his professors recommended that he go to graduate school. He earned his master\u0026rsquo;s and Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Garc\u0026iacute;a was the first person in his immediate family to earn a doctoral degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a and his family have embraced all things Georgia Tech. He and LaPlaca have two sons, Rafael, a Tech mechanical engineering (ME 2018) graduate working at GTRI, and Andr\u0026eacute;s, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Tech. They hold season basketball and football tickets. One of their dogs is named Buzz.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a said he was deeply honored, humbled, and shocked when Georgia Tech President \u0026Aacute;ngel Cabrera called and told him he had been selected for this year\u0026rsquo;s Distinguished Professor Award. \u0026ldquo;The award is special to me because it reflects the great contributions my friends, family, and peers have made in my life to get me to this point. I am grateful for my trainees, my collaborators, and colleagues, and for the support that Georgia Tech has provided in giving me the tools to succeed. Georgia Tech is the best,\u0026rdquo; Garc\u0026iacute;a said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EQuotes From Colleagues and Former Students\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Professor Garc\u0026iacute;a has been an integral part of growth of the international reputation of our bioengineering program and the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. Having seen the sustained impact that he has had on students from K-12 (Project Engages) through graduate students, he is a remarkable educator who I feel is well deserving of this award.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESam Graham\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003EEugene C. Gwaltney Jr. School Chair in Mechanical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;He remains on my short list of speakers because I resonate so strongly with his approach \u0026mdash; very deep technical skills, outstanding problem definition, and tremendous colleague in service and collegiality. He is also a terrific mentor, and his former lab members are stars. He cares about doing great science and teaching people what he learned. Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a is a gem at Georgia Tech, and as an alum I hope you can keep him there \u0026mdash; he is doing some of the best biology on campus and is a superb attractor of the best students from MIT.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELinda G. Griffith\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003ES.E.T.I. Professor of Mechanical and Biological Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector, MIT Center for Gynepathology Research\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nChair, MIT Biological Engineering Undergraduate Programs Committee\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The lab around Professor Garc\u0026iacute;a performs research at a unique broadness and depth. His remarkable combination of professional and personal skills is the key for his success and makes him a highly estimated collaboration partner for other scientists across disciplines and continents. He is the most invited American scientist at plenary lectures in European conferences on biomaterials. This is not only due to the high quality of his work, but also to his ability as a communicator and active discussion partner, his openness to address new topics in collaboration, and his passion for science and education that truly inspires and motivates young researchers.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EAr\u0026aacute;nzazu del Campo\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003EDirector INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nProfessor, Materials Synthesis, Saarland University\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The five years that I spent in Andr\u0026eacute;s\u0026rsquo; lab were transformative for me, and the influence of that experience is difficult to put into words. Andr\u0026eacute;s taught me many things \u0026mdash; how to be a scientist; how to develop creative and impactful ideas; how to execute on those ideas; how to write; how to present, etc. But more important than all the technical aspects of what I learned from Andr\u0026eacute;s, I learned from him who I wanted to be. Most of my professional life, and much of my personal life, is modeled after what I have learned from watching Andr\u0026eacute;s as a professor, colleague, friend, father, and husband.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECharles Gersbach\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003EProfessor, Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector, Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector, Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDuke University\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Global Pioneer in Developing Biomaterials Systems for Translational Applications in Regenerative Medicine"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, executive director of IBB and a Regents Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, is the 2021 recipient of the Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award. It is the highest honor given to a Georgia Tech professor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"IBB Executive Director is honored for significant contributions to teaching, research, and public service. "}],"uid":"28506","created_gmt":"2021-06-21 17:16:47","changed_gmt":"2021-06-29 20:31:37","author":"Patricia Futrell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648265":{"id":"648265","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda","body":null,"created":"1624296598","gmt_created":"2021-06-21 17:29:58","changed":"1624296654","gmt_changed":"2021-06-21 17:30:54","alt":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda with a colleague in his lab","file":{"fid":"246089","name":"DSC_4996looking over shoulder.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4996looking%20over%20shoulder.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DSC_4996looking%20over%20shoulder.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1046933,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DSC_4996looking%20over%20shoulder.jpg?itok=e9K2Sj7n"}},"648264":{"id":"648264","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda","body":null,"created":"1624296172","gmt_created":"2021-06-21 17:22:52","changed":"1624301482","gmt_changed":"2021-06-21 18:51:22","alt":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda","file":{"fid":"246088","name":"Andres Garcia-IBB headshot-v2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%20Garcia-IBB%20headshot-v2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%20Garcia-IBB%20headshot-v2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":226395,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Andres%20Garcia-IBB%20headshot-v2.jpg?itok=_IqLHXHO"}}},"media_ids":["648265","648264"],"groups":[{"id":"1300","name":"Institute Communications"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"597697","name":"Awards"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"276","name":"Awards"},{"id":"188128","name":"Distinguished Professor Award"},{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"9624","name":"Class of 1934"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"188129","name":"biomaterials systems"},{"id":"188130","name":"hydrogels for protein and cell delivery"},{"id":"1489","name":"Regenerative Medicine"},{"id":"65961","name":"Type 1 Diabetes"},{"id":"67501","name":"Collaborative Research"},{"id":"569","name":"bioengineering"},{"id":"762","name":"Bioscience"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"},{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPatti Futrell, Faculty Communications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["patti.futrell@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648412":{"#nid":"648412","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Modeling Finds Relaxing Covid-19 Safety Protocols During Vaccination Period Risky","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new mathematical simulation has concluded that the continued practice of mask wearing and social distancing during ongoing vaccinations could help stem a potential surge in Covid-19 cases, particularly as more infectious variants emerge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study was conducted collaboratively by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of North Carolina (UNC), and North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the findings published in the research journal JAMA Network Open. The study methods were based on a mathematical simulation originally developed at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study evaluated how many Covid-19 cases could be avoided in the Tar Heel State if more people get vaccinated and continue to follow mask and physical distancing guidelines. As of June 3, North Carolina has had 1 million reported cases of Covid-19 and more than 13,000 recorded deaths.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The main takeaway from the paper is that while the increasing vaccine coverage in the U.S. has a positive impact, we are not really there yet. We still need to follow preventive measures such as mask wearing,\u0026rdquo; said contributing author \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/pinar-keskinocak\u0022\u003EPinar Keskinocak\u003C\/a\u003E, the William W. George Chair and Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech and co-founder and director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chhs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Health and Humanitarian Systems\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe caution is well founded when the researchers account for viral mutations, including the variant currently dominant in the United States that was initially identified in the UK and was associated with the surge in Michigan. There, as recently as May 2, the state averaged nearly 3,500 cases a day, according to a June 2 story in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/michigan-health-watch\/coronavirus-tracker-what-michigan-needs-know-now\u0022\u003EBridge Michigan\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to one scenario from the simulation, which was populated with data from the state of North Carolina, if 75% of the population gets fully vaccinated but continues to wear masks and socially distance,\u0026nbsp; there is a sustained decline down to very few new Covid-19 cases over a six-month period.\u0026nbsp; But, if only 25% of the population gets fully vaccinated and does not adhere to these non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), there could be a steady increase in daily Covid-19 cases, peaking around 8,000 before there is another decline.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKeskinocak points to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chhs-gt.shinyapps.io\/georgiavaccines\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Covid-19 Vaccination Dashboard\u003C\/a\u003E that tracks county-level differences in vaccination rates based on race as further evidence of the need for caution.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our dashboard shows that there has been high variability in the level of vaccination in different geographic regions and communities,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;So even if we say over half of U.S. adults are vaccinated, it\u0026rsquo;s not uniform across the entire country. This further raises concerns about quickly lifting the NPIs.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJulie Swann, department head, North Carolina State University\u0026rsquo;s Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and long-time research collaborator with Keskinocak, concurs. \u0026ldquo;Current variants are more infectious, and there are still locations with less than 30% of the population vaccinated.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESwann adds that ongoing spread \u0026ldquo;endangers people now. It also increases the chance of a future mutation that could increase the risk even to people who are vaccinated.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nSwann and Keskinocak are two of three researchers who co-founded Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems in 2007, the year they developed a comprehensive, agent-based simulation model for pandemic flu, which has since been at the core of their modeling efforts for Covid-19. Over the years the two industrial engineers have collaborated closely to advance the model and make results available to decision makers as new pandemics emerged.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Julie and I have been working on infectious disease modeling for over a decade now. We had developed this agent-based model for pandemic flu and then when Covid-19 hit, Georgia Tech adapted that model to Covid-19 and shared it with Julie\u0026rsquo;s team at NC State who then modified the model to test additional scenarios and calibrated it with North Carolina data,\u0026rdquo; Keskinocak said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am grateful that Pinar and I had spent such a long time trying to understand pandemics and improving the science behind them,\u0026rdquo; Swann added. \u0026ldquo;If we had not invested that time, we would not be able to have such a fast turnaround and the high participation level that we have this year.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Keskinocak, the simulation model is extremely detailed \u0026ndash; in essence, it recreated demographics of the population down to the state\u0026rsquo;s household size, and even individuals\u0026rsquo; workflow, to give a clear picture of how people move from one geographic area to another.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;The model is flexible and can change based on the research question being asked, including the current research question, \u0026lsquo;What is the impact of lifting NPIs in increasing vaccine coverage?\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESwann credited the close partnership with public health partners in Georgia and North Carolina, as well as their work under a grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists, with the speed of developing models to test interventions during the pandemic.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s really key because sometimes we get additional ideas or research questions from the stakeholders with whom we interact,\u0026rdquo; Swann said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth researchers emphasized the critical role students played in advancing these models under tight deadlines while juggling coursework. Between them they estimate more than two dozen graduate students across the partnering institutions have been engaged in the Covid-19 modeling work since the pandemic began. The two also were integral in establishing a professional education HHSCM certificate program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;# # #\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Study Advises Caution in Face of No Universal Coverage and More Infectious Variants as States Seek to Avoid a Surge in Covid Cases"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe study evaluated how many Covid-19 cases could be avoided in North Carolina if more people get vaccinated and continue to follow mask and physical distancing guidelines. As of June 3, North Carolina has had 1 million reported cases of Covid-19 and more than 13,000 recorded deaths. The study found that while increasing vaccine coverage in the U.S. has had a positive impact, people still need to follow preventive measures such as mask wearing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new mathematical simulation has concluded that the continued practice of mask wearing and social distancing during ongoing vaccinations could help stem a potential surge in Covid-19 cases, particularly as more infectious variants emerge."}],"uid":"35403","created_gmt":"2021-06-28 18:56:59","changed_gmt":"2021-06-29 16:44:03","author":"Carly Ralston","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648391":{"id":"648391","type":"image","title":"Researchers Pinar Keskinocak and Julie Swann","body":null,"created":"1624656300","gmt_created":"2021-06-25 21:25:00","changed":"1624702300","gmt_changed":"2021-06-26 10:11:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246155","name":"Pinar and Julieresized.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Pinar%20and%20Julieresized.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Pinar%20and%20Julieresized.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1006853,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Pinar%20and%20Julieresized.png?itok=lrldVb3g"}}},"media_ids":["648391"],"groups":[{"id":"545781","name":"Institute for Data Engineering and Science"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"}],"keywords":[{"id":"184289","name":"covid-19"},{"id":"188185","name":"vaccine coverage model"},{"id":"755","name":"public health"},{"id":"188186","name":"mask wearing"},{"id":"84481","name":"modeling \u0026 simulation"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187023","name":"go-data"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETracey Reeves\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n(404) 660-2929\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["tracey.reeves@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647065":{"#nid":"647065","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Simple Robots, Smart Algorithms: Meet the BOBbots","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnyone with children knows that while controlling one child can be hard, controlling many at once can be nearly impossible. Getting swarms of robots to work collectively can be equally challenging, unless researchers carefully choreograph their interactions \u0026mdash; like planes in formation \u0026mdash; using increasingly sophisticated components and algorithms. But what can be reliably accomplished when the robots on hand are simple, inconsistent, and lack sophisticated programming for coordinated behavior?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA team of researchers led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/people\/dana-randall\u0022\u003EDana Randall\u003C\/a\u003E, ADVANCE Professor of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EComputing\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/daniel-goldman\u0022\u003EDaniel Goldman\u003C\/a\u003E, Dunn Family Professor of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPhysics\u003C\/a\u003E, sought to show that even the simplest of robots can still accomplish tasks well beyond the capabilities of one, or even a few, of them. The goal of accomplishing these tasks with what the team dubbed \u0026quot;dumb robots\u0026quot; (essentially mobile granular particles) exceeded their expectations, and the researchers report being able to remove all sensors, communication, memory and computation \u0026mdash; and instead accomplishing a set of tasks through leveraging the robots\u0026#39; physical characteristics, a trait that the team terms \u0026quot;task embodiment.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team\u0026#39;s simple BOBbots, or \u0026quot;behaving, organizing, buzzing bots\u0026quot; were named for granular physics pioneer Bob Behringer,\u0026quot; explains Randall. \u0026quot;Their cylindrical chassis have vibrating brushes underneath and loose magnets on their periphery, causing them to spend more time at locations with more neighbors.\u0026quot; The experimental platform was supplemented by precise computer simulations led by Georgia Tech physics student \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/crablab.gatech.edu\/pages\/people\/index.html#\u0022\u003EShengkai Li\u003C\/a\u003E, as a way to study aspects of the system inconvenient to study in the lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDespite the simplicity of the BOBbots, the researchers discovered that, as the robots move and bump into each other, \u0026quot;compact aggregates form that are capable of collectively clearing debris that is too heavy for one alone to move,\u0026quot; according to Goldman. \u0026quot;While most people build increasingly complex and expensive robots to guarantee coordination, we wanted to see what complex tasks could be accomplished with very simple robots.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir work, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/7\/17\/eabe8494\/tab-article-info\u0022\u003Eas reported April 23, 2021 in the journal \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/7\/17\/eabe8494\/tab-article-info\u0022\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/em\u003E was inspired by a theoretical model of particles moving around on a chessboard. A theoretical abstraction known as a self-organizing particle system was developed to rigorously study a mathematical model of the BOBbots. Using ideas from probability theory, statistical physics and stochastic algorithms, the researchers were able to prove that the theoretical model undergoes a phase change as the magnetic interactions increase \u0026mdash; abruptly changing from dispersed to aggregating in large, compact clusters, similar to phase changes we see in common everyday systems, like water and ice.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;The rigorous analysis not only showed us how to build the BOBbots, but also revealed an inherent robustness of our algorithm that allowed some of the robots to be faulty or unpredictable,\u0026quot; notes Randall, who also serves as a professor of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ecomputer science\u003C\/a\u003E and adjunct professor of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Emathematics\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe collaboration is based on experiments and simulations also designed by Bahnisikha Dutta, Ram Avinery and Enes Aydin from Georgia Tech, as well as on theoretical work by Andrea Richa and Joshua Daymude from Arizona State University, and Sarah Cannon from Claremont McKenna College, who is a recent Georgia Tech graduate.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work is part of a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) funded by the Army Research Office (ARO) to study the foundations of emergent computation and collective intelligence.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding: This work was supported by the Department of Defense under MURI award no. W911NF-19-1-0233 and by NSF awards DMS-1803325 (S.C.); CCF-1422603, CCF-1637393, and CCF-1733680 (A.W.R.); CCF-1637031 and CCF-1733812 (D.R. and D.I.G.); and CCF-1526900 (D.R.).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis story was first published on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/pub_releases\/2021-04\/giot-srs042321.php\u0022\u003EEurekAlert!\u003C\/a\u003E by Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EInspired by a theoretical model of particles moving around on a chessboard, new robot swarm research led by Georgia Tech shows that, as magnetic interactions increase, dispersed \u0026ldquo;dumb robots\u0026rdquo; can abruptly gather in large, compact clusters to accomplish complex tasks. Researchers report that these \u0026ldquo;BOBbots\u0026rdquo; (behaving, organizing, buzzing bots) are also capable of collectively clearing debris that is too heavy for one alone to move, thanks to a robust algorithm.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Inspired by a theoretical model of particles moving around on a chessboard, new robot swarm research shows that, as magnetic interactions increase, dispersed \u201cdumb robots\u201d \u2014 dubbed BOBbots \u2014 can gather in compact clusters to accomplish complex tasks."}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2021-04-29 18:33:03","changed_gmt":"2021-06-28 15:18:33","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647117":{"id":"647117","type":"image","title":"A collection of \u0022BOBbots\u0022 in motion (Credit: Shengkai Li, Georgia Tech)","body":null,"created":"1620059861","gmt_created":"2021-05-03 16:37:41","changed":"1620059861","gmt_changed":"2021-05-03 16:37:41","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245680","name":"bobots.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bobots.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bobots.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":550430,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bobots.jpg?itok=OWOlQWve"}},"647113":{"id":"647113","type":"image","title":"When sensors, communication, memory and computation are removed from a group of simple robots, certain sets of complex tasks can still be accomplished by leveraging the robots\u0027 physical characteristics (Credit: Shengkai Li, Georgia Tech) ","body":null,"created":"1620059371","gmt_created":"2021-05-03 16:29:31","changed":"1620059371","gmt_changed":"2021-05-03 16:29:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245676","name":"bobotsjpg.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bobotsjpg.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bobotsjpg.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":106207,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bobotsjpg.jpeg?itok=IpvEZzUM"}},"647116":{"id":"647116","type":"image","title":"Shengkai Li, a graduate student in physics at Georgia Tech, with two BOBbots (Credit: Shengkai Li)","body":null,"created":"1620059725","gmt_created":"2021-05-03 16:35:25","changed":"1620059925","gmt_changed":"2021-05-03 16:38:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245679","name":"20210423_150721 Shengkai Li BOBbots.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/20210423_150721%20Shengkai%20Li%20BOBbots.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/20210423_150721%20Shengkai%20Li%20BOBbots.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":575380,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/20210423_150721%20Shengkai%20Li%20BOBbots.jpg?itok=LSA-2WuA"}},"647115":{"id":"647115","type":"image","title":"Dana Randall, Daniel Goldman, and Bahnisikha Dutta work together on creating magnetic robots. This photo was taken in 2019 at Georgia Tech as part of a previous research study (Credit: Allison Carter, Georgia Tech)","body":null,"created":"1620059565","gmt_created":"2021-05-03 16:32:45","changed":"1620059565","gmt_changed":"2021-05-03 16:32:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245678","name":"19C10200-P34-015.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P34-015.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P34-015.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":404260,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/19C10200-P34-015.jpg?itok=8OnbpP1t"}},"647114":{"id":"647114","type":"image","title":"Bahnisikha Dutta, a graduate student at Georgia Tech, is part of an interdisciplinary research team that creates and studies magnetic robots (Credit: Allison Carter, Georgia Tech)","body":null,"created":"1620059504","gmt_created":"2021-05-03 16:31:44","changed":"1620059504","gmt_changed":"2021-05-03 16:31:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245677","name":"19C10200-P34-006.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P34-006.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P34-006.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":463229,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/19C10200-P34-006.jpg?itok=5LqG1AUd"}},"647118":{"id":"647118","type":"image","title":"Sarah Cannon, Georgia Tech alumna and assistant professor in the Mathematics Department of Mathematical Sciences at Claremont McKenna College, with Dana Randall (Credit: Georgia Tech)","body":null,"created":"1620060846","gmt_created":"2021-05-03 16:54:06","changed":"1620060846","gmt_changed":"2021-05-03 16:54:06","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245681","name":"Headshot-credit-Georgia-Tech-from-left-Sarah-Cannon-and-Dana-Randall.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Headshot-credit-Georgia-Tech-from-left-Sarah-Cannon-and-Dana-Randall.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Headshot-credit-Georgia-Tech-from-left-Sarah-Cannon-and-Dana-Randall.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":78599,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Headshot-credit-Georgia-Tech-from-left-Sarah-Cannon-and-Dana-Randall.jpg?itok=QSUl5bqM"}}},"media_ids":["647117","647113","647116","647115","647114","647118"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/pub_releases\/2021-04\/giot-srs042321.php","title":"EurekAlert!: Simple Robots, Smart Algorithms "}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"categories":[{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"667","name":"robotics"},{"id":"47881","name":"Dan Goldman"},{"id":"10467","name":"Dana Randall"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"7448","name":"aggregate"},{"id":"187723","name":"Shengkai Li"},{"id":"187724","name":"BOBbots"},{"id":"2352","name":"robots"},{"id":"168854","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"187725","name":"robot swarm"},{"id":"187726","name":"mobile granular particles"},{"id":"187727","name":"self-organizing particle system"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"},{"id":"187023","name":"go-data"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"},{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/jess@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communicaitons\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tracey.reeves@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ETracey A. Reeves\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAssociate Vice President for Research and Academic Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jess@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648381":{"#nid":"648381","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Covid-19 Vaccine Dashboard Breaks Down Vaccination Trends by Race at County Level","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. continues to see Covid-19 vaccinations gradually increasing nationwide, with nearly 66% of all adults now having at least one vaccine dose according to CDC\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#datatracker-home\u0022\u003ECOVID Data Tracker\u003C\/a\u003E, yet disparities have been noted in vaccination rates across races and geographic areas. A new dashboard shows differences in vaccination rates by race across Georgia\u0026rsquo;s counties.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chhs-gt.shinyapps.io\/georgiavaccines\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard\u003C\/a\u003E displays vaccination rates by race and county, and the differences between white and black vaccination rates, for the entire population and for the 65+ age group. The dashboard also has an interactive map as well as an interactive table, which allow users to compare and rank counties by vaccination rates, social vulnerability index, and other indicators of equity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs of June 3, the dashboard indicated that vaccination rates among white residents are higher than those of Black residents in all large metro counties as well as around 70% of all Georgia counties.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There is a lot variability in different regions of the state, so we wanted to take a closer look from an equity perspective,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/pinar-keskinocak\u0022\u003EPinar Keskinocak\u003C\/a\u003E, the William W. George Chair and Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech and co-founder and director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chhs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Health and Humanitarian Systems\u003C\/a\u003E (CHHS), an interdisciplinary research center at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech team, including Ph.D. students Akane Fujimoto and Tyler Perini, was able to set up the dashboard, working closely with partners at the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). They shared early demos of the dashboard with both DPH and the Georgia Covid-19 Health Equity Council.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERobert Breiman, professor of global health, environmental health, and infectious diseases at Emory\u0026rsquo;s Rollins School of Public Health, considers the dashboard critical to the job facing the public health community both in targeting areas and population segments in the state with low vaccine coverage rates and understanding broader trends.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The data contained within the vaccine equity dashboard are immensely important for Georgia. While figures like 70% to achieve herd immunity are often quoted, they are only meaningful if applied locally,\u0026rdquo; Breiman said. \u0026ldquo;Even if herd immunity targets are achieved nationally overall, where there are communities that have far lower coverage rates, the potential for virus transmission will persist. This dashboard will help to focus context-specific messaging programs and immunization campaigns so that we can close the doors on this pandemic.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s vaccination dashboard results come as a new CDC \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/70\/wr\/mm7022e1.htm?s_cid=mm7022e1_w\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMMWR report\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E released at the end of May shows vaccination coverage was lower among adults living in counties with the highest social vulnerability. According to the CDC, disparities in county-level vaccination coverage by social vulnerability have increased as vaccine eligibility has expanded, especially in large suburban and nonmetropolitan counties.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVaccination coverage among adults was lower among those living in counties with lower socioeconomic status and with higher percentages of households with children, single parents, and persons with disabilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to CHHS Research Director \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/dima-nazzal\u0022\u003EDima Nazzal\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s dashboard shows high vaccination rates across both racial groups in some counties, and low rates in those below the poverty level, compared with the national average. Some counties currently have higher vaccination rates among white residents, including some of the large metro counties, while in a few counties the vaccination rate is higher among Black residents. The researchers acknowledge the multifaceted outreach efforts of DPH and local health departments to increase vaccination rates across the state and hope that the dashboard will support these efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research team is updating the dashboard as new data becomes available and finalizing a manuscript summarizing the key findings. They also are actively collecting data from other states to integrate into the dashboard.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E***\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for the state of Georgia shows vaccination rates among white residents are higher than those of Black residents in all large metro counties, as well as in around 70% of all Georgia counties.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for the state of Georgia shows vaccination rates among white residents are higher than those of Black residents in all large metro counties, as well as in around 70% of all Georgia counties. "}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2021-06-25 18:45:55","changed_gmt":"2021-06-28 13:14:16","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648382":{"id":"648382","type":"image","title":"The research team behind the Georgia COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard","body":null,"created":"1624646895","gmt_created":"2021-06-25 18:48:15","changed":"1624646895","gmt_changed":"2021-06-25 18:48:15","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246147","name":"Researchers with Dashboard Results.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Researchers%20with%20Dashboard%20Results.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Researchers%20with%20Dashboard%20Results.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":460416,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Researchers%20with%20Dashboard%20Results.jpeg?itok=B9Z-lSW9"}},"648383":{"id":"648383","type":"image","title":"Screen shot of the Georgia COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard","body":null,"created":"1624646956","gmt_created":"2021-06-25 18:49:16","changed":"1624646956","gmt_changed":"2021-06-25 18:49:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246148","name":"Screen shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20shot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20shot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":31728,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Screen%20shot.jpg?itok=asjm2xkP"}}},"media_ids":["648382","648383"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188177","name":"Covid-19 vaccination dashboard"},{"id":"188178","name":"Georgia vaccination rates"},{"id":"184289","name":"covid-19"},{"id":"755","name":"public health"},{"id":"524","name":"medicine"},{"id":"1003","name":"Infectious diseases"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News Media Relations:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:asargent7@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/a\u003E (404-435-5784)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:tracey.reeves@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ETracey Reeves\u003C\/a\u003E (404-660-2929)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"648091":{"#nid":"648091","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Faces of Research - Meet Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMeet Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIBB is one of Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s 11 interdisciplinary research institutes within the Georgia Tech Research enterprise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your field of expertise and why did you choose it?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMy field of expertise is biomaterials, regenerative medicine, and mechanobiology.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp; When I was 11 years old, my plan was to be a professional basketball player. However, I developed a condition in my right leg where the growth plate in the hip bone slips resulting in biomechanical misalignment, pain, and limping. I had three stainless steel pins implanted in my hip to fuse my growth plate and spent ten weeks on crutches. The following year, the same thing happened in my left leg and I underwent the same surgery. Although these procedures were successful, the surgeon used the wrong type of pin. My bone grew around the pin threads and could not be removed, and now are permanently in me. Stainless steel slowly corrodes in the body and will cause damage long term. The positive outcome is that the biomechanical issues were fixed, and I have led a normal life, playing basketball, backpacking with my sons, and running (I do a 5K run three times a week). The negative is that I have stainless steel implants corroding in my body. This experience got me extremely interested in biomaterials and medicine.\u0026nbsp;I did not want to practice medicine, I wanted to be part of making the devices and therapies to treat diseases and conditions like mine.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat makes the way in which IBB enables campus research unique?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIBB is awesome! We bring together a dynamic and diverse community of researchers that are making discoveries and engineered technologies that will revolutionize the world. Our state-of-the-art core facilities provide our researchers with resources to do unique and special projects. I am also immensely proud of the supportive community, entrepreneurial and innovation spirit, and can-do attitude.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat couldn\u0026rsquo;t have happened without IBB?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPeople make IBB special. Together with the exceptional faculty, trainees, staff and the tremendous support and resources from the administration, colleges, and units allow IBB to make huge contributions. I think that IBB has been instrumental in our two NSF-funded Engineering Research Centers (GTEC, CMaT), many NIH research and training grants, high impact publications, and IP and spin outs.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat impact is IBB research having on the world?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EOur research provides fundamental insights into the biological world and invents and engineers new technologies that will revolutionize healthcare and the environment to have positive socioeconomic impact. Furthermore, our faculty, graduates, and trainees are leaders and role models actively engaged in improving the human condition.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELearn more about IBB.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Faces of Research - Meet Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda"}],"uid":"27561","created_gmt":"2021-06-11 19:28:17","changed_gmt":"2021-06-15 01:53:09","author":"Angela Ayers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648114":{"id":"648114","type":"image","title":"Andres Garcia","body":null,"created":"1623721939","gmt_created":"2021-06-15 01:52:19","changed":"1623721939","gmt_changed":"2021-06-15 01:52:19","alt":"Faces of Research - Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda","file":{"fid":"246033","name":"andres01.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/andres01.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/andres01.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1367925,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/andres01.png?itok=uLBAiEsw"}}},"media_ids":["648114"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647980":{"#nid":"647980","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Seed Grants Awarded to Two Interdisciplinary Teams","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo interdisciplinary research teams have been awarded 2021 Petit Institute Seed Grants.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program annually selects sets of researchers from the Petit Institute as co-principal investigators, providing early-stage funding opportunities that serve as a catalyst for bio-related breakthroughs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe teams and their projects are:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShu Jia\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;(assistant professor,\u0026nbsp;Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EAlberto Stolfi (\u003C\/strong\u003Eassistant professor, School of Biological Sciences)\u0026nbsp;are working on a project called, \u0026ldquo;Super-Resolution Scanning Micros- copy for Studying Neuronal Cell Biology in vivo,\u0026rdquo; a\u0026nbsp;new collaboration linking novel biological discovery and imaging technology.\u0026nbsp;This project will\u0026nbsp;transform existing imaging infrastructure, laying a critical intellectual foundation for broader science, engineering, and technology advances.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECostas Arvanitis\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;(assistant professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ELiang Han\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;(assistant professor, School of Biological Sciences) submitted a project called,\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Ultrasonic actuation of mechanosensitive ion channels.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;This\u0026nbsp;interdisciplinary team will explore new ways to balance and control sound and vibration and study how it interacts with cell membrane proteins.\u0026nbsp;Their long-term goal is to\u0026nbsp;advance research in the field of neurosciences through the discovery of new tools for noninvasive, focal, and at depth manipulation of brain activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Institute Seed Grants provide year-one funding of $50,000 with equivalent year-two funding contingent on submission of an NIH R21\/R01 or similar collaborative grant proposal within 12 to 24 months of the year-one start date (July 1, 2021).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Two interdisciplinary research teams have been awarded 2021 Petit Institute Seed Grants."}],"uid":"35403","created_gmt":"2021-06-08 15:09:03","changed_gmt":"2021-06-08 18:15:47","author":"Carly Ralston","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647978":{"id":"647978","type":"image","title":"Liang Han and Costas Arvanitis","body":null,"created":"1623164532","gmt_created":"2021-06-08 15:02:12","changed":"1623164532","gmt_changed":"2021-06-08 15:02:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245977","name":"Arvanitis_Han_seedgrant_photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Arvanitis_Han_seedgrant_photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Arvanitis_Han_seedgrant_photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":109585,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Arvanitis_Han_seedgrant_photo.jpg?itok=tye8ChtU"}},"647979":{"id":"647979","type":"image","title":"Shu Jia and Alberto Stolfi","body":null,"created":"1623164678","gmt_created":"2021-06-08 15:04:38","changed":"1623164678","gmt_changed":"2021-06-08 15:04:38","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245978","name":"Jia_Stolfi_seedgrant_photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Jia_Stolfi_seedgrant_photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Jia_Stolfi_seedgrant_photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":63751,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Jia_Stolfi_seedgrant_photo.jpg?itok=1d_B9LOK"}}},"media_ids":["647978","647979"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647953":{"#nid":"647953","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Breakthrough in the Physics of Blood Clotting ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHeart attacks and strokes \u0026ndash; the leading causes of death in human beings \u0026ndash; are fundamentally blood clots of the heart and brain. Better understanding how the blood-clotting process works and how to accelerate or slow down clotting, depending on the medical need, could save lives.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENew research by Georgia Tech and Emory University published in the journal \u003Cem\u003EBiomaterials\u003C\/em\u003E sheds new light on the mechanics and physics of blood clotting through modeling the dynamics at play during a still poorly understood phase of blood clotting called clot contraction.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Blood clotting is actually a physics-based phenomenon that must occur to stem bleeding after an injury,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Wilbur-A.-Lam\u0022\u003EWilbur A. Lam\u003C\/a\u003E, W. Paul Bowers Research Chair, in the Department of Pediatrics and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology. \u0026ldquo;The biology is known. The biochemistry is known. But how this ultimately translates into physics is an untapped area.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd that\u0026rsquo;s a problem, argues Lam and his research colleagues, since blood clotting is ultimately about \u0026ldquo;how good of a seal can the body make on this damaged blood vessel to stop bleeding, or when this goes wrong, how does the body accidentally make clots in our heart vessels or in our brain?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow Blood Clotting Works\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe workhorses to stem bleeding are platelets \u0026ndash; tiny 2-micrometer cells in the blood in charge of making the initial plug, said Lam. The clot that forms is called fibrin, which acts as a glue scaffold that the platelets attach to and pull against. Blood clot contraction arises when these platelets interact with this fibrin scaffold. To demonstrate the contraction, the researchers embedded a three-millimeter-sized Jell-O mold of a LEGO figure with millions of platelets and fibrin to recreate a simplified version of a blood clot.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What we don\u0026#39;t know is \u0026lsquo;How does that work?\u0026#39; \u0026lsquo;What\u0026#39;s the timing of it so all these cells work together -- do they all pull at the same time?\u0026rsquo; Those are the fundamental questions that we worked together to answer,\u0026rdquo; Lam said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam\u0026rsquo;s Lab collaborated with Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Complex Fluids Modeling and Simulation Group headed by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/alexeev\u0022\u003EAlexander Alexeev\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and Anderer Faculty Fellow in T\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehe George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, to create a computational model of a contracting clot. The model incorporates fibrin fibers forming a three-dimensional network and distributed platelets that can extend filopodia, or the tentacle-like structures that extend from cells so they can attach to specific surfaces, to pull the nearby fibers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EModel Shows Platelets Dramatically Reducing Clot Volume\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen the researchers simulated a clot where a large group of platelets was activated at the same time, the tiny cells could only reach nearby fibrins because the platelets can extend filopodia that are rather short, less than 6 micrometers. \u0026ldquo;But in a trauma, some platelets contract first. They shrink the clot so the other platelets will see more fibrins nearby, and it effectively increases the clot force,\u0026rdquo; Alexeev explained. Just due to the asynchronous platelet activity, the force enhancement can be as high as 70% leading to an 90% decrease of the clot volume.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The simulations showed that the platelets work best when they\u0026rsquo;re not in total sync with each other,\u0026rdquo; said Lam. \u0026ldquo;These platelets are actually pulling at different times and by doing that they\u0026rsquo;re increasing the efficiency (of the clot).\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis phenomenon, dubbed by the team, asynchronous mechanical amplification, is most pronounced \u0026ldquo;when we have the right concentration of the platelets corresponding to that of healthy patients,\u0026rdquo; Alexeev said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch Could Lead to Better Ways to Treat Clotting, Bleeding Issues\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe findings could open medical options for people with clotting issues, said Lam, who treats young patients with blood disorders as a pediatric hematologist in the Aflac Cancer \u0026amp; Blood Disorders Center at Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If we know why this happens, then we have a whole new potential avenue of treatments for diseases of blood clotting,\u0026rdquo; he said, emphasizing that heart attacks and strokes occur when this biophysical process goes wrong.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam explained that fine tuning this contraction process to make it faster or more robust could help patients who are bleeding from a car accident, or in the case of a heart attack, make the clotting less intense and slow it down. \u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Understanding the physics of this clot contraction could potentially lead to new ways to both treat bleeding problems and clotting problems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlexeev added that their research also could lead to new biomaterials such as a new type of Band-Aid that could help augment the clotting process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst author and Georgia Tech PhD candidate \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cfms.gatech.edu\/group\/yueyi-diana-sun-phd-student\/\u0022\u003EYueyi Sun\u003C\/a\u003E says the coolest aspect of this research was the simplicity of the model and the fact that the simulations allowed her and the team to understand how the platelets work together to contract the fibrin clot as they would in the body.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When we started to include the heterogeneous activation suddenly it gave us the correct volume contraction,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;Allowing the platelets to have some time delay so one can use what the previous ones did as a better starting point was really neat to see. I think our model can potentially be used to provide guidelines for designing novel active biological and synthetic materials.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESun agreed with her research colleagues that this phenomenon might occur in other aspects of nature. For example, multiple asynchronous actuators can fold a large net more effectively to enhance packaging efficiency without the need of incorporating additional actuators.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It theoretically could be an engineered principle,\u0026rdquo; said Lam. \u0026ldquo;For a wound to shrink more, maybe we don\u0026#39;t have the chemical reactions occur at the same time \u0026ndash; maybe we have different chemical reactions occur at different times. You gain better efficiency and contraction when one allows half or all of the platelets to do the work together.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBuilding on the research, Sun hopes to examine more closely how a single platelet force converts or is transmitted to the clot force, and how much force is needed to hold two sides of a graph together from a thickness and width standpoint. Sun also intends to include red blood cells in their model since red blood cells account for 40% of all blood and play a role in defining the clot size. \u0026ldquo;If your red blood cells are too easily trapped in your clot, then you are more likely to have a large clot, which causes a thrombosis issue,\u0026rdquo; she explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work is funded by the National Science Foundation (DMR Awards 1809566 and CAREER 1255288) and the National Institutes of Health (Awards R35HL145000, R21EB026591, and R01HL155330). \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION:\u003C\/strong\u003E Y. Sun, et.al., \u0026ldquo;Platelet heterogeneity enhances blood clot volumetric contraction: An example of asynchrono-mechanical amplification.\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003EBiomaterials \u003C\/em\u003E274, 120828, 2021) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2021.120828\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2021.120828\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E***\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Institute offers\u0026nbsp;business,\u0026nbsp;computing,\u0026nbsp;design,\u0026nbsp;engineering,\u0026nbsp;liberal arts, and\u0026nbsp;sciences\u0026nbsp;degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New Research Shows Platelets Do their Job Better When Not in Total Sync with One Another   "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDuring trauma, certain platelets (tiny 2-micrometer cells in the blood in charge of making the initial plug) contract first. They shrink the clot so the other platelets will see more fibrins nearby, effectively increasing the clot force.\u0026nbsp;The simulations showed that the platelets work best when they\u0026rsquo;re not in total sync with each other. The\u0026nbsp;platelets pull\u0026nbsp;at different times --\u0026nbsp;increasing the efficiency of the clot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research by Georgia Tech and Emory University sheds new light on the mechanics and physics of blood clotting and could lead to better ways to treat clotting and bleeding issues."}],"uid":"35692","created_gmt":"2021-06-07 17:52:02","changed_gmt":"2021-06-08 13:53:14","author":"Anne Sargent","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647946":{"id":"647946","type":"image","title":"Yueyi Sun","body":null,"created":"1623085479","gmt_created":"2021-06-07 17:04:39","changed":"1623085479","gmt_changed":"2021-06-07 17:04:39","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245962","name":"First author photo in lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/First%20author%20photo%20in%20lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/First%20author%20photo%20in%20lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":532098,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/First%20author%20photo%20in%20lab.jpg?itok=cCW9EsKk"}},"647947":{"id":"647947","type":"image","title":"Blood clotting modeling researchers","body":null,"created":"1623085554","gmt_created":"2021-06-07 17:05:54","changed":"1623085554","gmt_changed":"2021-06-07 17:05:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245963","name":"Researchers Photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Researchers%20Photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Researchers%20Photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":667024,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Researchers%20Photo.jpg?itok=Ce2s7jrJ"}}},"media_ids":["647946","647947"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"23731","name":"blood clotting"},{"id":"187997","name":"efficient blood clotting"},{"id":"187998","name":"physics of blood contraction"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"93061","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnoloy"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E(404-435-5784)\u0026nbsp;\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003ETracey Reeves\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E(404-660-2929)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003Etracey.reeves@gatech.edu\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647903":{"#nid":"647903","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Coulter BME Appoints Five New Distinguished Faculty Fellows","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFive faculty members have received fellowships this spring from the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe three-year distinguished fellowships offer discretionary funding that allows faculty members to explore new areas of research, support students, purchase key equipment, or cultivate new industry and research relationships, and conduct pilot studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new faculty fellows are:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Jaydev-Desai\u0022\u003EJaydev Desai\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Distinguished Faculty Fellow\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Gabe-A.%20-Kwong\u0022\u003EGabe Kwong\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Manu-O-Platt\u0022\u003EManu Platt\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Peng-Qiu\u0022\u003EPeng Qiu\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/May-Dongmei-Wang\u0022\u003EMay Dongmei Wang\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Each of these fellowships recognizes the ongoing and outstanding impactful contributions of these faculty members to Coulter BME \u0026mdash; and the biomedical engineering profession, writ large,\u0026rdquo; said Susan Margulies, Wallace H. Coulter Chair of the Department. \u0026ldquo;They are national and international leaders, scholars, and mentors.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Desai, Kwong, Platt, Qiu, and Wang receive three-year fellowships"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-06-03 06:14:34","changed_gmt":"2021-06-07 21:34:01","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647902":{"id":"647902","type":"image","title":"BME Faculty Fellows","body":null,"created":"1622700648","gmt_created":"2021-06-03 06:10:48","changed":"1626384555","gmt_changed":"2021-07-15 21:29:15","alt":"Five faculty members have been named distinguished faculty fellows this spring in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. From left, May Wang, Gabe Kwong, Peng Qiu, Manu Platt, and Jaydev Desai.","file":{"fid":"245947","name":"Faculty-Fellows-2021-Wang-Kwong-Qiu-Platt-Desai-composite.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Faculty-Fellows-2021-Wang-Kwong-Qiu-Platt-Desai-composite.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Faculty-Fellows-2021-Wang-Kwong-Qiu-Platt-Desai-composite.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":297581,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Faculty-Fellows-2021-Wang-Kwong-Qiu-Platt-Desai-composite.jpg?itok=gMg_0ReX"}}},"media_ids":["647902"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Jaydev-Desai","title":"Jaydev Desai"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Gabe-A.%20-Kwong","title":"Gabe Kwong"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Manu-O-Platt","title":"Manu Platt"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Peng-Qiu","title":"Peng Qiu"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/May-Dongmei-Wang","title":"May Dongmei Wang"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647845":{"#nid":"647845","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Seed Grants Fund Foundational Work on Diseases Disproportionately Affecting Black Americans","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA year from now, four Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering faculty members will have new tools to help understand diseases that disproportionately affect Black Americans.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThose tools will be animal models specifically designed to replicate risk factors prevalent among people with African ancestry or to mimic social determinants of health experienced by Black Americans. The work is made possible by a seed grant program developed by Coulter BME faculty members \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Edward-Botchwey\u0022\u003EEdward Botchwey\u003C\/a\u003E and Johnna Temenoff that has awarded $25,000 to each of the four projects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe grants are the product of conversations over the last year about ways that Coulter BME \u0026mdash; and the broader campus community, for that matter \u0026mdash; could harness the commitment to address structural racism that crystallized after the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and others in 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What I personally hope is one of the outcomes of this is that we all in BME, and the broader bioscience community at Georgia Tech, can realize that we have something to contribute to solving the problems of healthcare disparities, and that it is something that\u0026#39;s important not just for the Black and underrepresented minority community but it\u0026#39;s important for all of us,\u0026rdquo; said Botchwey, associate professor in the Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe projects cover a wide range of health problems, from traumatic brain injury to alopecia and breast cancer to glaucoma. Botchwey said that range demonstrates the different ways researchers in the Department can make a real difference in addressing disparate outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Some may be more obvious \u0026mdash; say, in glaucoma, where you\u0026rsquo;re addressing a disease whose prevalence has a known and disparate impact on the African American community,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Others might be in an area, like traumatic brain injury, that maybe the impact is not statistically as disparate as in some other injuries and diseases, but there may be really important underlying pathological mechanisms in place that have to be understood in order to provide better care and outcomes for African Americans and other underrepresented minorities.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe seed-grant model is designed to address a gap that faculty members often face as they consider applying for federal research grants: they need preliminary data to show agency reviewers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our faculty members helped us identify that we might not even have the models yet to generate the preliminary data,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Susan-Margulies\u0022\u003ESusan Margulies\u003C\/a\u003E, Wallace H. Coulter Chair of the Department. \u0026ldquo;The important piece of this is really about providing seed funds with the goal of using it over the next 12 months to develop these models, verify them, and, ideally, gather a little bit of preliminary data so that our teams can subsequently pursue federal grants.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBotchwey added: \u0026ldquo;Part of our motivation, in fact, was that, through the success of this seed grant and the dialogue that we\u0026#39;re having here at Georgia Tech, we could really spur extramural funding agencies into action to put a much larger set of resources in place to address the healthcare disparities in the U.S. Through our seed grants, we can really show how those types of investments can pay off.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe four funded projects propose developing new models for:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGlaucoma \u0026ndash; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier\u0022\u003EC. Ross Ethier\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003C\/strong\u003E The incidence of glaucoma \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;the most common cause of blindness \u0026mdash; is four to six times greater for people of African ancestry than in other racial groups, and African Americans develop the disease earlier and have more severe cases than white Americans. This project will capitalize on a recent discovery of a gene associated with glaucoma in those of African ancestry but not in white or Asian populations. \u003Cem\u003ECollaborators include Michael Anderson, University of Iowa, and Michael Hauser, Duke University.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBreast Cancer \u0026ndash; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Karmella-Haynes\u0022\u003EKarmella Haynes\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003C\/strong\u003E Triple negative basal-like breast cancer affects pre-menopausal African American women disproportionately, and this highly metastatic cancer is the most prevalent type of breast cancer for obese Black women. The relationship between obesity and cancer remains unclear, particularly because social factors like income and access to healthcare and quality food are often related to obesity and can impact cancer survival. This project will develop a model to untangle those complications. \u003Cem\u003ECo-investigator: Curtis Henry, Pediatrics, Emory University.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETraumatic Brain Injury \u0026ndash; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Michelle-C.-LaPlaca\u0022\u003EMichelle LaPlaca\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003C\/strong\u003E African Americans with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more likely to have complications, greater disabilities, and less rehabilitation services. They also are more likely to die from the injury than white patients. This project will work to understand how chronic stressors present for some underrepresented groups influence poor outcomes for TBI patients. This kind of lasting, unpredictable, mild stress can lead to disruption of normal physiological processes and exaggerated responses to disease, but it has not been applied to animal models of TBI. \u003Cem\u003ECo-investigator: Levi Wood, Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAlopecia Areata \u0026ndash; \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Cheng-Zhu\u0022\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003C\/strong\u003E Alopecia areata, complete or partial hair loss on parts of the body that normally have hair, is more common in women of African descent that white women over the course of their lives. The disease is one of the most common autoimmune disorders in the world, but it manifests very differently for patients, so it is difficult to study and treat. What\u0026rsquo;s more, many studies have lacked enough Black participants. This project will work to understand the mechanisms that lead to alopecia areata and open new avenues of research to develop more targeted treatments. \u003Cem\u003ECo-investigator: Loren Krueger, Dermatology, Emory University\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour BME faculty developing new tools to bridge the research gap\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Four BME faculty developing new tools to bridge the research gap"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-06-01 12:51:23","changed_gmt":"2021-06-07 21:15:18","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647844":{"id":"647844","type":"image","title":"Stethoscope","body":null,"created":"1622551392","gmt_created":"2021-06-01 12:43:12","changed":"1622551392","gmt_changed":"2021-06-01 12:43:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245928","name":"Stethoscope-wenzday-Flickr-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stethoscope-wenzday-Flickr-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stethoscope-wenzday-Flickr-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":309700,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Stethoscope-wenzday-Flickr-h.jpg?itok=8D9343ir"}}},"media_ids":["647844"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Edward-Botchwey","title":"Edward Botchwey"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier","title":"C. Ross Ethier"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Karmella-Haynes","title":"Karmella Haynes"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Michelle-C.-LaPlaca","title":"Michelle LaPlaca"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Cheng-Zhu","title":"Cheng Zhu"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"187970","name":"racial and ethnic disparities in research"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"186041","name":"healthcare disparities"},{"id":"187971","name":"research disparities"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647914":{"#nid":"647914","#data":{"type":"news","title":"How An Elephant\u2019s Trunk Manipulates Air to Eat and Drink","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research from the Georgia Institute of Technology finds that elephants dilate their nostrils in order to create more space in their trunks, allowing them to store up to 5.5\u0026nbsp;liters of water. They can also suck up three liters per second \u0026mdash; a speed 30 times faster than a human sneeze (150 meters per second\/330 mph).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech College of Engineering study sought to better understand the physics of how elephants use their trunks to move and manipulate air, water, food and other objects. They also sought to learn if the mechanics could inspire the creation of more efficient robots that use air motion to hold and move things.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile octopus use jets of water to move and archer fish shoot water above the surface to catch insects, the Georgia Tech researchers found that elephants are the only animals able to use suction on land and underwater.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe paper, \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/rsif.2021.0215\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022\u003ESuction feeding by elephants\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;An elephant eats about 400 pounds of food a day, but very little is known about how they use their trunks to pick up lightweight food and water for 18 hours, every day,\u0026rdquo; said Georgia Tech mechanical engineering Ph.D. student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2020\/10\/elephant-researcher-never-forgets\u0022\u003EAndrew Schulz\u003C\/a\u003E, who led the study. \u0026ldquo;It turns out their trunks act like suitcases, capable of expanding when necessary.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESchulz and the Georgia Tech team worked with veterinarians at Zoo Atlanta, studying elephants as they ate various foods. For large rutabaga cubes, for example, the animal grabbed and collected them. It sucked up smaller cubes and made a loud vacuuming sound, or the sound of a person slurping noodles, before transferring the vegetables to its mouth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more about suction, the researchers gave elephants a tortilla chip and measured the applied force. Sometimes the animal pressed down on the chip and breathed in, suspending the chip on the tip of trunk without breaking it. It was similar to a person inhaling a piece of paper onto their mouth. Other times the elephant applied suction from a distance, drawing the chip to the edge of its trunk.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;An elephant uses its trunk like a Swiss Army Knife,\u0026rdquo; said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/hu\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022\u003EDavid Hu\u003C\/a\u003E, Schulz\u0026rsquo;s advisor and a professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;It can detect scents and grab things. Other times it blows objects away like a leaf blower or sniffs them in like a vacuum.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy watching elephants inhale liquid from an aquarium, the team was able to time the durations and measure volume. In just 1.5 seconds, the trunk sucked up 3.7 liters, the equivalent of 20 toilets flushing simultaneously.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn ultrasonic probe was used to take trunk wall measurements and see how the trunk\u0026rsquo;s inner muscles work. By contracting those muscles, the animal dilates its nostrils up to 30 percent. This decreases the thickness of the walls and expands nasal volume by 64 percent.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;At first it didn\u0026rsquo;t make sense: an elephant\u0026rsquo;s nasal passage is relatively small and it was inhaling more water than it should,\u0026rdquo; said Schulz. \u0026ldquo;It wasn\u0026rsquo;t until we saw the ultrasonographic images and watched the nostrils expand that we realized how they did it. Air makes the walls open, and the animal can store far more water than we originally estimated.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBased on the pressures applied, Schulz and the team suggest that elephants inhale at speeds that are comparable to Japan\u0026rsquo;s 300-mph bullet trains.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESchulz said these unique characteristics have applications in soft robotics and conservation efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;By\u0026nbsp;investigating\u0026nbsp;the mechanics and physics behind trunk muscle movements, we can\u0026nbsp;apply the physical mechanisms \u0026mdash; combinations of suction and grasping \u0026mdash; to find new ways to build robots,\u0026rdquo; Schulz said. \u0026ldquo;In the meantime, the African elephant is now listed as endangered because of poaching and loss of habitat. Its trunk makes it a unique species to study. By learning more about them, we can learn how to better conserve elephants in the wild.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe work was supported by the US Army Research Laboratory and the US Army Research O\ufb03ce 294 Mechanical Sciences Division, Complex Dynamics and Systems Program, under contract number 295 W911NF-12-R-0011. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the sponsoring agency.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Animal\u2019s \u201cSwiss Army Knife\u201d could help build better robots"}],"uid":"27561","created_gmt":"2021-06-03 14:57:01","changed_gmt":"2021-06-03 15:55:59","author":"Angela Ayers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647916":{"id":"647916","type":"image","title":"Andrew Schulz","body":null,"created":"1622733848","gmt_created":"2021-06-03 15:24:08","changed":"1622733848","gmt_changed":"2021-06-03 15:24:08","alt":"Andrew Schulz standing in front of an elephant.","file":{"fid":"245953","name":"andrew_schulz.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/andrew_schulz.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/andrew_schulz.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":177282,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/andrew_schulz.jpg?itok=wD4V9ajP"}},"647921":{"id":"647921","type":"image","title":"An elephant grabbing apples underwater","body":null,"created":"1622735570","gmt_created":"2021-06-03 15:52:50","changed":"1622735653","gmt_changed":"2021-06-03 15:54:13","alt":"An elephant uses its trunk to grab apples underwater.","file":{"fid":"245954","name":"elephant_trunk_-_apples.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/elephant_trunk_-_apples.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/elephant_trunk_-_apples.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":69829,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/elephant_trunk_-_apples.jpg?itok=g1_I3Eo3"}},"647922":{"id":"647922","type":"image","title":"An elephant picks up a tortilla chip","body":null,"created":"1622735616","gmt_created":"2021-06-03 15:53:36","changed":"1622735616","gmt_changed":"2021-06-03 15:53:36","alt":"An elephant uses suction to pick up a tortilla chip.","file":{"fid":"245955","name":"elephant_tortillachip.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/elephant_tortillachip.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/elephant_tortillachip.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":80001,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/elephant_tortillachip.jpg?itok=dOUSTOET"}}},"media_ids":["647916","647921","647922"],"groups":[{"id":"142761","name":"IRIM"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187433","name":"go-ien"},{"id":"187991","name":"go-robotics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647900":{"#nid":"647900","#data":{"type":"news","title":"BME Grad Students Veronica Montgomery and Elisa Nieves receive Tau Beta Pi Fellowships","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo women from the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University are among the 28 engineering students receiving Tau Beta Pi Fellowships for the 2021-2022 academic year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVeronica Montgomery and Elisa Nieves each receive cash stipends of $10,000 as part of the engineering honor society\u0026rsquo;s newest class of fellows, whose selection is based on academic performance, campus leadership and service, and the promise of future contributions in their fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was an officer in my Tau Beta Pi chapter as an undergrad, and it was a fabulous experience,\u0026rdquo; said Montgomery, who studied biological engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before entering Coulter BME in 2016. \u0026ldquo;It is such a great honor now to receive the fellowship as a grad student.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlways an analytical thinker with a creative mindset, she entered college intent on making, \u0026ldquo;a clear and obvious impact on society. That led me to biomedical engineering.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer undergraduate research in a large drug delivery lab inspired her to pursue that route as a Ph.D. student. Montgomery \u0026ndash; born and raised in Dallas, Texas \u0026ndash; admitted the climate difference between Boston and Atlanta played a part in her decision to come to Coulter BME.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was excited to move to a warmer state,\u0026rdquo; she said, adding pragmatically, \u0026ldquo;but I decided to come to Georgia Tech and Emory because it\u0026rsquo;s such a great program, with several labs working on drug delivery research. I knew I\u0026rsquo;d have a lot of great options when joining a lab.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe joined the lab of Mark Prausnitz who, in addition to being the J. Erskine Love Jr. Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, is director of the Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery \u0026ndash; CD4 \u0026ndash; at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was very lucky that Dr. Prausnitz gave me a thesis project perfectly suited to my interests,\u0026rdquo; said Montgomery, whose research is focused on engineering the skin microbiome for drug delivery. \u0026ldquo;I have a lot of intellectual freedom to explore the fields that I\u0026rsquo;m most interested in, and it\u0026rsquo;s been a great opportunity to prepare for my career.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith plans to graduate in the summer of 2022, Montgomery is intent on doing similar research in the biotech industry with an emphasis on health care and disease prevention. But she\u0026rsquo;s also planning to use the community-focused skillsets she developed while at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There are a lot of science outreach opportunities here, and participating in that has been significant for me because I have realized how important and fun science communication is,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;Science communication and science outreach have become a major interest of mine, and I\u0026rsquo;d like to continue working on that in the future, either as a part of my job or as a side interest.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOutreach also has been one of the key drivers for Nieves, but so has her life experience. She grew up surrounded by medical professionals in Naples, Florida \u0026ndash; her parents are a phlebotomist and a physician\u0026rsquo;s assistant.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Hearing their stories from work first sparked my interest in the medical field,\u0026rdquo; said Nieves, who studied biomedical engineering as an undergraduate at the University of Florida. \u0026ldquo;I love how interdisciplinary this field is. It\u0026rsquo;s constantly challenging me to learn new material and apply that knowledge for creative solutions.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile at UF, she had the opportunity to present her research on tissue scaffolds at two national conferences for minority students as well as the Biomedical Engineering Society\u0026rsquo;s Annual Meeting. She also worked as a trainee in a program designed to support minority students interested in pursuing a Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These experiences were very influential on my decision to apply for graduate school and motivated me to apply for the Georgia Tech Summer Undergraduate Research Experience,\u0026rdquo; said Nieves, who studied in the Coulter BME lab of Assistant Professor Vahid Serpooshan, work that advanced 3D bioprinting techniques and inspired her to return to Tech for her graduate studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut it was Tau Beta Pi\u0026rsquo;s emphasis on community service that really caught her attention as an undergrad.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I wanted to inspire the next generation of engineers and become a role model to females and underrepresented minorities interested in STEM careers,\u0026rdquo; said Nieves, who held several officer posts at the UF chapter, where she coordinated outreach events and facilitated creation of instructional videos aimed to increase the retention rate of first-year engineering students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut nothing could have prepared her for the past year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s not how I expected to finish my bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree and start my graduate program,\u0026rdquo; said Nieves, a nod to the challenging circumstances of a global pandemic during a time of critical transition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That being said, I am unbelievably grateful for the resilience of my new department and university,\u0026rdquo; she added. \u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech has stepped up during a time of crisis and provided an incredible amount of support for its students.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn her own case, Nieves said that a number of faculty have been staunch advocates, including Coulter BME\u0026rsquo;s Serpooshan and Manu Platt, and her current principal investigator, Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026ldquo;They\u0026rsquo;ve helped me achieve several awards and fellowships during my short time at Georgia Tech,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut sometimes it\u0026rsquo;s the basic things in the day-to-day work of science that matter most. She remembered a few weeks after joining the Garc\u0026iacute;a lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was able to pick up a pipette for the first time in six months,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;And by the end of my first semester, I had a new set of wet lab skills and confidence in my ability to learn from my experiments and make a plan to move forward.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Montgomery and Nieves, a third Georgia Tech graduate student \u0026ndash; Abraham Atte, Aerospace Engineering \u0026ndash; also earned a fellowship from Tau Beta Pi, which has initiated more than 615,000 members since it was founded in 1885 at Lehigh University. The fellowship program has awarded more than 1,736 fellowships and more than $8 million since the program began in 1929.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELINKS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tbp.org\/recruit\/recruitHome.cfm\u0022\u003ETau Beta Pi: The Engineering Honor Society\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEngineering Honor Society introduces 88th class of graduate fellows\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Engineering Honor Society introduces 88th class of graduate fellows"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-06-02 20:49:30","changed_gmt":"2021-06-03 06:21:50","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-06-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-06-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647904":{"id":"647904","type":"image","title":"Tau Beta Pi Fellows","body":null,"created":"1622701184","gmt_created":"2021-06-03 06:19:44","changed":"1622701264","gmt_changed":"2021-06-03 06:21:04","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245949","name":"Tau Beta Pi pair.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tau%20Beta%20Pi%20pair_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tau%20Beta%20Pi%20pair_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4869614,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tau%20Beta%20Pi%20pair_0.jpg?itok=UHvmmJ90"}}},"media_ids":["647904"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"11934","name":"Tau Beta Pi"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187988","name":"engineering honor society"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"187989","name":"Coulter BME"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647645":{"#nid":"647645","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Devika Singh is 2021\u0027s Top Bioinformatics Ph.D. Student","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis story first appeared in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/top-bioinformatics-phd-student-2021\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Bioinformatics News Center\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBioinformatics Interdisciplinary Graduate Program\u003C\/a\u003E is proud to announce \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/devika-singh\u0022\u003EDevika Singh\u003C\/a\u003E as our winner for the inaugural \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-couple-funds-prize-bioinformatics\u0022\u003EMark Borodovsky Prize in the College of Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rdquo; for the Top Bioinformatics PhD student, 2021.\u0026nbsp; The Borodovsky Prize is intended to recognize outstanding academic merit at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDevika works with professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/soojin-yi\u0022\u003ESoojin Yi\u003C\/a\u003E, in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/yilab.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EComparative Genomics and Epigenomics Lab \u003C\/a\u003Eat Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; Devika completed both her bachelor\u0026rsquo;s (Biology) degree and her master\u0026rsquo;s (Bioinformatics) degrees at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; She worked for one year at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\u0022\u003ECenters for Disease Control and Prevention\u003C\/a\u003E before returning to Georgia Tech to pursue her doctoral studies in 2017.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDevika\u0026rsquo;s doctoral work integrates large \u0026ldquo;-omics\u0026rdquo; datasets to study broad questions around the organization and evolution of non-coding regulatory regions, particularly enhancers, in the human genome. This work includes investigating the underlying architecture of enhancer-gene regulatory networks utilizing multi-tissue, whole-genome chromatin state maps (Results published in MBE). Indicative of the breadth of research in the Yi lab, Devika also worked on projects which analyzed DNA methylation signatures in non-human primates and non-model organisms. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Australia Museum, she generated and explored the first tissue- and sex-inclusive, whole-genome \u0026ldquo;DNA methylome atlas\u0026rdquo; for the modern koala.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo far in her studies, Devika has published\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=sLKBQEwAAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0022\u003Eeight papers\u003C\/a\u003E, including five first-author papers.\u0026nbsp; In addition, Devika gave a poster presentation at a CDC conference in 2017.\u0026nbsp; She also received a travel award to present her work at the Allied Genetics Conference earlier this year. Although the meeting was canceled at the last minute due to the pandemic, the fact that Devika was granted a travel award and invited for a presentation speaks for the strength of her work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYi notes, \u0026ldquo;Devika and I have several projects in the pipeline, and I expect she will have at least two additional papers as the lead author from her PhD studies. She is one of the best students I have worked with during my 16 years as a faculty member\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Borodovsky Prize nominations were reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty members, including Joe Lachance (College of Sciences), Peng Qiu (College of Engineering), and Xiuwei Zhang (College of Computing).\u0026nbsp; According to the committee, \u0026ldquo;Devika Singh exhibited an impressive ability to both analyze complex bioinformatics datasets and frame her research within a larger biological context.\u0026nbsp; Despite the pandemic, she was able to publish three high-profile first author papers in 2021.\u0026nbsp; Topics covered in these papers ranged from the evolution of regulatory DNA in humans to epigenetics in koalas.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECongratulations to Devika!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Ph.D. student Devika Singh, winner of inaugural Borodovsky Prize as the top Bioinformatics graduate student of 2021, also completed her B.S. and M.S. at Georgia Tech. The award will help Singh continue her genomics studies."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe winner of the first Mark Borodovsky Prize in the College of Sciences is Bioinformatics Ph.D. student Devika Singh, who also completed her B.S. and M.S. at Georgia Tech. The award honors the top student in the Bioinformatics Interdiscipinary Graduate Program at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ph.D. student Devika Singh, winner of inaugural Borodovsky Prize as the top Bioinformatics graduate student of 2021, also completed her B.S. and M.S. at Georgia Tech. The award will help Singh continue her genomics studies."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-05-20 17:53:09","changed_gmt":"2021-06-01 14:53:24","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647646":{"id":"647646","type":"image","title":"Devika Singh","body":null,"created":"1621533481","gmt_created":"2021-05-20 17:58:01","changed":"1621533924","gmt_changed":"2021-05-20 18:05:24","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245855","name":"Devika Singh.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Devika%20Singh.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Devika%20Singh.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":67692,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Devika%20Singh.jpg?itok=OVClBJ2r"}}},"media_ids":["647646"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/borodovsky-boguslavskys-gift-georgia-tech-couple-funds-prize-bioinformatics","title":"Borodovsky-Boguslavsky\u0027s Gift: Georgia Tech Couple Funds Prize for Bioinformatics"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/methylation-matters-exploring-evolution-and-effects-human-brain-health","title":"Methylation Matters: Exploring Evolution and Effects on Human Brain Health"},{"url":"https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Bioinformatics Interdisciplinary Graduate Program"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"187894","name":"Bioinformatics Ph.D. Program"},{"id":"187895","name":"Devika Singh"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647784":{"#nid":"647784","#data":{"type":"news","title":"ASPIRE-ing to Find Fast Solutions to the Opioid Health Crisis ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers are already hard at work trying to find fast scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis, which the Department of Health and Human Services says was responsible for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/opioids\/about-the-epidemic\/opioid-crisis-statistics\/index.html\u0022\u003Etwo out of three drug overdose deaths\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in 2018.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETwo School of Biological Sciences researchers have joined the effort to find answers to the crisis.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/jeffrey-skolnick\u0022\u003EJeffrey Skolnick\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor, Mary and Maisie Gibson Chair, and GRA Eminent Scholar in Computational Systems Biology; and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/hongyi-zhou\u0022\u003EHongyi Zhou\u003C\/a\u003E, Senior Research Scientist in the school, are on a team that recently captured top honors in a recent\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Institutes of Health\u003C\/a\u003E-sponsored competition to find novel, outside-the-box approaches to the opioid problem.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir plan, \u0026ldquo;Development of a Comprehensive Integrated Platform for Translational Innovation in Pain, Opioid Abuse Disorder and Overdose\u0026rdquo; \u0026mdash; which will use artificial intelligence, data and molecular analysis, cloud computing, and predictive algorithms in the search for new drugs \u0026mdash; was one of five winning applications in a November 2020 competition. The results were announced April 26.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick and Zhou have now won two stages of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncats.nih.gov\/aspire\/funding\/2020ChallengeWinners#c4\u0022\u003ENational Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) ASPIRE Challenge\u003C\/a\u003E, part of the NIH\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/heal.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003EHEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-Term)\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;program. (ASPIRE stands for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncats.nih.gov\/aspire\u0022\u003EA Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration.\u003C\/a\u003E)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick\u0026rsquo;s group includes Andre Ghetti with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/anabios.com\/\u0022\u003EANABIOS Corporation\u003C\/a\u003E, and Nicole Jung with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kit.edu\/english\/index.php\u0022\u003EKarlsruhe Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in Germany.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re extremely grateful,\u0026rdquo; Skolnick says. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re very excited about this. The problem of opioid addiction and chronic pain is a real plague in America and for most of the world, and there aren\u0026rsquo;t a lot of real, good answers, so this is motivating us to get people to think of novel solutions. We really appreciate the chance to put this team together.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERapidly translating scientific advances into immediate help for patients\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENCATS defines translational science as \u0026ldquo;the process of turning observations in the laboratory, clinic, and community, into interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public \u0026mdash; from diagnostics and therapeutics, to medical procedures and behavioral changes.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncats.nih.gov\/aspire\/funding\/challenges\u0022\u003E2018 NCATS ASPIRE Challenge\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;involved design competition in four component areas: integrated chemistry database, electronic synthetic chemistry portal; predictive algorithms, and biological assays (strength\/potency tests.) Skolnick and Zhou were also part of a winning team in that stage.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick calls his group\u0026rsquo;s predictive algorithms \u0026ldquo;our unfair competitive advantage\u0026rdquo; \u0026mdash; data programs that can predict in advance the probability of a drug\u0026rsquo;s success. \u0026ldquo;In principle you could screen every molecule under the sun if you had infinite resources. You could test everything, but that\u0026rsquo;s very expensive and time-consuming. We can go through this list and prioritize them and say, this one has an 80 percent probability it will work.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick\u0026rsquo;s group added Ghetti and June for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ncats.nih.gov\/aspire\/funding\/2020ChallengeWinners\u0022\u003E2020 ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice Challenge\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;The goal of this Challenge is to combine the best solutions and develop a working platform that integrates the four component areas. The Reduction-to-Practice Challenge consists of three stages: planning; prototype development and milestone delivery; and prototype delivery, independent validation, and testing,\u0026rdquo; notes the NCATS website.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick says his team\u0026rsquo;s application is designed to be accessed digitally as part of a cloud service. It will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to investigate molecules that could be turned into new drugs, as well as explore undiscovered uses for existing drugs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Andre\u0026rsquo;s company is going to do the testing of the molecules, and Nicole Jung will organize all the data and store it so we can have a platform that is used not just by us, but by the (scientific) community,\u0026rdquo; Skolnick explains. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re looking for novel mechanisms for drugs that relieve pain and treat addiction. The goal is to do this at high throughput, rather than one at a time. This is really designed to test the ideas at scale. You can get it to people a lot quicker.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick hopes to have a robust working platform built within a year. Given the extent of the opioid crisis in the U.S. alone, the faster new non-addictive pain management drugs can be found and tested, the better, he adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The need is critical. It\u0026rsquo;s one of these horrible societal problems that really require novel solutions, which means you want to understand all the mechanisms of pain, but do we understand the gears you want to turn to alleviate it?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"School of Biological Sciences\u2019 Jeffrey Skolnick and Hongyi Zhou are part of an award-winning NIH effort to create innovative, AI-powered platforms for discovering new pain management drugs \u2014 and identify immediate solutions"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u0026rsquo; Jeffrey Skolnick and Hongyi Zhou are part of an award-winning NIH effort to create innovative, AI-powered platforms for discovering new pain management drugs \u0026mdash; and identify immediate solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"School of Biological Sciences\u2019 Jeffrey Skolnick and Hongyi Zhou are part of an award-winning NIH effort to create innovative, AI-powered platforms for discovering new pain management drugs \u2014 and identify immediate solutions"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-05-27 15:14:23","changed_gmt":"2021-06-01 14:52:46","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647811":{"id":"647811","type":"image","title":"(Credit: CDC)","body":null,"created":"1622208995","gmt_created":"2021-05-28 13:36:35","changed":"1622208995","gmt_changed":"2021-05-28 13:36:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245912","name":"cdc.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cdc.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cdc.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":240779,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cdc.jpg?itok=9a40OKK9"}},"647785":{"id":"647785","type":"image","title":"Hongyi Zhou and Jeffrey Skolnick (Photo School of Biological Sciences) ","body":null,"created":"1622128722","gmt_created":"2021-05-27 15:18:42","changed":"1622128722","gmt_changed":"2021-05-27 15:18:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245904","name":"Hongyi Zhou Jeffrey Skolnic.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hongyi%20Zhou%20Jeffrey%20Skolnic_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hongyi%20Zhou%20Jeffrey%20Skolnic_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3127731,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hongyi%20Zhou%20Jeffrey%20Skolnic_0.png?itok=61Iquu-D"}}},"media_ids":["647811","647785"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/origin-lifes-handedness-and-protein-biochemistry","title":"Origin of Life\u2019s Handedness and Protein Biochemistry"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/7-georgia-tech-faculty-members-receive-regents-recognition","title":"7 Georgia Tech Faculty Members Receive Regents Recognition"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/jeffrey-skolnick-2018-sigma-xi-sustained-research-award","title":"Jeffrey Skolnick: 2018 Sigma Xi Sustained Research Award"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"11937","name":"Jeffrey Skolnick"},{"id":"187859","name":"Hongyi Zhou"},{"id":"187949","name":"NCATS"},{"id":"187950","name":"opioid addiction"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645961":{"#nid":"645961","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Busting Clots and Clearing Up A Chemical Mystery ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a fortuitous case of mistaken chemical identity, a team of Georgia Tech bioengineers has discovered a promising new way to treat dangerous blood clots without the potentially harmful side effects of other clot-busting drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It was a happy accident,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kulab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDavid Ku\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. \u0026ldquo;This is something we\u0026rsquo;ve been working on for the past four years, and we\u0026rsquo;re still sort of scratching our heads.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKu and his collaborators explain their \u0026ldquo;happy accident\u0026rdquo; in the open access journal \u003Cem\u003EPLOS One\u003C\/em\u003E with their recently published paper, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0247496\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Lysis of arterial thrombi by perfusion of N,N\u0026rsquo;-Diacetyl-L-cystine (DiNAC).\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir research is driven by the need for a better thrombolytic agent \u0026ndash; a safer, more efficient treatment for breaking down clots in the immediate wake of a catastrophic event. When a clot develops in an artery \u0026ndash; arterial thrombosis \u0026ndash; it can stop the flow of blood to major organs, often leading to a stroke or heart attack. Depending on how it is formed, the clot can be composed of either primarily platelets and von Willebrand Factor (VWF, a glycoprotein that helps with platelet adhesion), or polymerized fibrin.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe current clinical standard drug for treating a stroke is an intravenously delivered tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, still the only FDA approved thrombolytic agent in the United States. It does a fine job breaking down, or lysing, fibrin-rich coagulation clots, but is not the most efficacious treatment for ischemic strokes caused by VWF-platelet rich clots.\u0026nbsp; tPA also is known to cause bleeding complications, which can deter clinical use.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These two types of clots are composed of different things \u0026ndash; coagulation clots, and platelet clots,\u0026rdquo; noted Ku, the corresponding author of the paper. Dongjune Kim, a PhD student in Ku\u0026rsquo;s lab, is the lead author. Susan Shea, a former PhD student in Ku\u0026rsquo;s lab, is a co-author.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Platelet clots are about 10 times stronger than coagulation clots,\u0026rdquo; Ku added. \u0026ldquo;They hold together under arterial high blood pressure conditions. If you have a coagulation clot, tPA dissolves it under the right conditions. But the clots that cause strokes and heart attacks are not coagulation clots. They\u0026rsquo;re made out of platelets.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe explained that VWF is strikingly similar to mucins \u0026ndash; the stuff you cough up when you have too much junk in your lungs. Furthermore, researchers reasoned, they might be able to bust up a VWF clot using N-acetylcysteine, or NAC, a medication used to thin mucus in conditions such as asthma or cystic fibrosis. Would NAC, a supplement form of the naturally occurring amino acid cysteine, do the same thing to a VWF-platelet clot?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoincidentally, Ku\u0026rsquo;s team and a group in France were onto the same idea at the same time. While the Georgia Tech researchers conducted their experiments in a lab using glass tubes instead of arteries, the other team used mice. The results were dramatic. In both cases, the compound dissolved the clot quickly. But when a third group of researchers from Belgium tried to reproduce the results, they had no luck.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;At that point, we were all wondering, \u0026lsquo;what gives?\u0026rsquo; So, we tried again,\u0026rdquo; said Ku, who was disappointed to find that the compound didn\u0026rsquo;t work. \u0026ldquo;We were dumfounded. No one could get it to work again.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShea, who presented her work at a conference, graduated from Tech and moved on. She is now junior faculty at the University of Washington in St. Louis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKim said he tried to reproduce Shea\u0026rsquo;s work, \u0026ldquo;because it was interesting and important. But I couldn\u0026rsquo;t make NAC work.\u0026rdquo; He was using fresh NAC samples from the lab\u0026rsquo;s freezer. But then he found the old NAC sample that Shea had used the first time, when the clot dissolved. Curious, Kim tried that sample of the compound and it worked. So, they took the two different batches \u0026ndash; the fresh NAC solutions and the old sample \u0026ndash; to a chemistry lab for testing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We gave them samples without telling them which is which \u0026ndash; a blind test,\u0026rdquo; Kim said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETurns out, it wasn\u0026rsquo;t NAC that initially dissolved the clots. It was DiNAC, a disulfide dimer of NAC, a compound that has been studied for its anti-atherosclerotic effects. NAC, Ku explained, can spontaneously convert to DiNAC over time, under the right temperature conditions. So, his team acquired more DiNAC and tested it, and it worked repeatedly.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We think the French research group probably used some old NAC that was actually DiNAC, which is why their experiment worked, too,\u0026rdquo; said Ku. \u0026ldquo;No one could reproduce the results initially because we were all using fresh NAC when we did the study again. But the DiNAC works really well.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVideo footage of the Ku lab\u0026rsquo;s experiment shows the introduction of DiNAC in a glass tube clearing up clotted pig\u0026rsquo;s blood (which is very similar to human blood) in 10 minutes or less. And they\u0026rsquo;re still not sure why.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;DiNAC hasn\u0026rsquo;t been studied much as a thrombolytic agent, so we don\u0026rsquo;t know the mechanism behind it yet,\u0026rdquo; Kim said. \u0026ldquo;I was focusing on the efficacy of DiNAC. But the mechanism will definitely be an interesting future study.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, the lab is testing the compound which, unlike tPA does not cause bleeding complications, in studies with mice. Their next paper will cover this, and Ku is hopeful.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Right now, we\u0026rsquo;re just putting this out there and saying DiNAC works,\u0026rdquo; Ku said. \u0026ldquo;This was serendipitous. I wish we had the whole answer, so we\u0026rsquo;re hoping the research community will help us find out. Although, I do think we\u0026rsquo;re getting close to a working hypothesis.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECitation:\u003C\/strong\u003E This research was funded through the Larry P. Huang Chair in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; ***\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion dollars in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers discover promising new treatment for dangerous thrombosis"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers discover promising new treatment for dangerous thrombosis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers discover promising new treatment for dangerous thrombosis"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-03-31 17:26:04","changed_gmt":"2021-05-28 13:24:32","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"645958":{"id":"645958","type":"image","title":"Shea and Ku","body":null,"created":"1617211159","gmt_created":"2021-03-31 17:19:19","changed":"1617211159","gmt_changed":"2021-03-31 17:19:19","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245241","name":"Shea and Ku.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shea%20and%20Ku.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shea%20and%20Ku.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":473251,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Shea%20and%20Ku.jpg?itok=xIDD-iut"}},"645959":{"id":"645959","type":"image","title":"Dongjune Kim","body":null,"created":"1617211248","gmt_created":"2021-03-31 17:20:48","changed":"1617211248","gmt_changed":"2021-03-31 17:20:48","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245242","name":"DongjuneKim.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DongjuneKim.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DongjuneKim.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1419320,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DongjuneKim.jpg?itok=DQKrAe4d"}},"645986":{"id":"645986","type":"image","title":"Busting Clots and Clearing Up A Chemical Mystery","body":null,"created":"1617221759","gmt_created":"2021-03-31 20:15:59","changed":"1617221759","gmt_changed":"2021-03-31 20:15:59","alt":"When DiNAC is introduced in this artificial \u0022artery\u0022 it quickly clears up the blood clot.","file":{"fid":"245248","name":"David Ku - YouTube Thumbnail for IBB Article 3.31.21.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/David%20Ku%20-%20YouTube%20Thumbnail%20for%20IBB%20Article%203.31.21.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/David%20Ku%20-%20YouTube%20Thumbnail%20for%20IBB%20Article%203.31.21.png","mime":"image\/png","size":85768,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/David%20Ku%20-%20YouTube%20Thumbnail%20for%20IBB%20Article%203.31.21.png?itok=gS1HDbfn"}}},"media_ids":["645958","645959","645986"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"167732","name":"Stroke"},{"id":"23701","name":"heart attack"},{"id":"7229","name":"thrombosis"},{"id":"187434","name":"blood clots"},{"id":"7270","name":"atherosclerosis"},{"id":"187435","name":"thrombolytics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646730":{"#nid":"646730","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Shows Brain\u2019s Internal Replay Goes Awry in Alzheimer\u2019s","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen you try to remember the name of an acquaintance, the replay that happens in your brain is a bit like the replay of the touchdown on TV.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe slow-motion TV replay shows how the receiver made a difficult catch and still managed to keep his toes inbounds. It\u0026rsquo;s instant replay for instant effect.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a healthy brain, as you scratch your head and try to place the face, your neurons fire in the same order as when you first met this person, reactivating familiar neural patterns that happen during a behavior, connecting the dots, and helping you conjure the right name and store the whole experience for later recall.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s extended replay for extended effect. A new study from a team of Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University researchers shows that defects in this replay activity is indicative of brain disease, a discovery that could lead to better screening or diagnostic tools for Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELed by principal investigator \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singer.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAnnabelle Singer\u003C\/a\u003E, the team got the April 2021 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-reports\/fulltext\/S2211-1247(21)00322-3\u0022\u003Ecover story\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal \u003Cem\u003ECell Reports \u003C\/em\u003Ewith research that links defective replay with synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease. What\u0026rsquo;s more, the team measured these two things for the first time in vivo in a mouse model of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, \u0026ldquo;in awake mice, during behavior,\u0026rdquo; said Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory and corresponding author of the paper.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We know that synapses are important for neural activity: those connections are how neurons talk to each other. But we hadn\u0026rsquo;t really put deficits in replay \u0026mdash; neural activity essential for memory \u0026mdash; and synaptic dysfunction together before,\u0026rdquo; Singer said. \u0026ldquo;Synapse dysfunction is one of the early signs of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, and it happens long before cells are lost to the disease. It predicts cognitive decline.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to lead author of the paper, Stephanie Prince, a grad student in Singer\u0026rsquo;s lab, \u0026ldquo;we used an established method for measuring the extracellular electrophysiological data.\u0026rdquo; Basically, electrodes are used to measure electrical activity coming from adjacent neurons, in this case, in mice that were fully awake and navigating virtual reality tasks.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInformation in a healthy brain is passed from cell to cell via trillions of synapses with high precision. Part of the synapses\u0026rsquo; job also involves the targeted inhibition of neural activity \u0026mdash; a way of regulating information sharing. A neural activity like replay requires the coordinated work of many neurons at once, and synapses, Singer said, \u0026ldquo;are part of what gives you this precise timing of replay, organizing cells to fire together in short time windows.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen looking over the data, \u0026ldquo;we found that the replay was basically missing, and the inhibitory synapses were weakened,\u0026rdquo; Singer said. \u0026ldquo;Synaptic dysfunction and replay dysfunction are conceptually different, but related because they co-occur. That suggests a synaptic cause that underlies deficits in network activity for memory, such as replay. So this work makes a connection between synaptic and neural activity deficits in Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s for the first time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir discoveries could lead to new screening or diagnostic tools for Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, perhaps based on technology Singer\u0026rsquo;s lab has been working on for the past few years. The technology uses flickering lights and pulses of sound (delivered through a visor and headphones) to stimulate gamma waves, cutting down on amyloid beta proteins, which are an early hallmark of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s. Gamma waves are associated with high-level cognitive functions, like perception and memory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESinger expects to soon publish the findings of the first human feasibility study using her flicker treatment. She reported promising \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/flicker-treatment-alzheimers-gets-test-run\u0022\u003Eresults from the trial\u003C\/a\u003E last fall at the American Neurological Association annual meeting. Now her lab is studying how to use the non-invasive technology to address synaptic issues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re working right now on developing therapeutic options to rescue these dysfunctions in synapses and replay,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re seeing some intriguing results, but we\u0026rsquo;ve got more work to do.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant No. R01-NS109226, the Lane Family, and the Wright Family. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any funding agency.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELinks\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-reports\/fulltext\/S2211-1247(21)00322-3\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s pathology causes impaired inhibitory connections and reactivation of spatial codes during spatial navigation\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singer.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESinger Lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New research from BME\u2019s Annabelle Singer links synaptic dysfunction with neural activity essential to memory"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research from BME\u0026rsquo;s Annabelle Singer links synaptic dysfunction with neural activity essential to memory\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research from BME\u2019s Annabelle Singer links synaptic dysfunction with neural activity essential to memory"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-04-21 19:56:17","changed_gmt":"2021-05-28 13:07:42","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646725":{"id":"646725","type":"image","title":"Cell Reports Cover","body":null,"created":"1619030867","gmt_created":"2021-04-21 18:47:47","changed":"1619038153","gmt_changed":"2021-04-21 20:49:13","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245489","name":"Cell-Reports-Cover-April-20-2021-o.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cell-Reports-Cover-April-20-2021-o.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cell-Reports-Cover-April-20-2021-o.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":298432,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cell-Reports-Cover-April-20-2021-o.jpg?itok=7pTH1Uig"}},"646724":{"id":"646724","type":"image","title":"Prince and Singer","body":null,"created":"1619030672","gmt_created":"2021-04-21 18:44:32","changed":"1619030672","gmt_changed":"2021-04-21 18:44:32","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245487","name":"Stephanie and Annabelle.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stephanie%20and%20Annabelle.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stephanie%20and%20Annabelle.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2346025,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Stephanie%20and%20Annabelle.jpg?itok=X4dL2uh2"}}},"media_ids":["646725","646724"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"44881","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s Disease"},{"id":"181422","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s research"},{"id":"187624","name":"gamma flicker"},{"id":"187625","name":"synapse dysfunction"},{"id":"187626","name":"brain replay"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647668":{"#nid":"647668","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Itch Insight: Skin Itch Mechanisms Differ on Hairless Versus Hairy Skin","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis story first appeared in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/647663\/itch-insight-skin-itch-mechanisms-differ-hairless-versus-hairy-skin\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Horizons\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChronic skin itching drives more people to the dermatologist than any other condition. In fact, the latest science literature finds that 7% of U.S. adults, and between 10 and 20% of people in developed countries, suffer from dermatitis, a common skin inflammatory condition that causes itching.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Itch is a significant clinical problem, often caused by underlying medical conditions in the skin, liver, or kidney. Due to our limited understanding of itch mechanisms, we don\u0026rsquo;t have effective treatment for the majority of patients,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/liang-han\u0022\u003ELiang Han\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;who is also a researcher in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/liang-han\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUntil recently, neuroscientists considered the mechanisms of skin itch the same. But Han and her research team recently uncovered differences in itch in non-hairy versus hairy areas of the skin, opening new areas for research. Their research, published April 13 in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), could open new, more effective treatments for patients suffering from persistent skin itching.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EItch Origins More Than Skin Deep\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to researchers, there are two different types of stimuli from the nervous system that trigger the itch sensation through sensory nerves in the skin: chemical and mechanical. In their study, Han and her team identified a specific neuron population that controls itching in \u0026lsquo;glabrous\u0026rsquo; skin -- the smoother, tougher skin that\u0026rsquo;s found on the palms of hands and feet soles.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EItching in those areas poses greater difficulty for sufferers and is surprisingly common. In the U.S., there are an estimated 200,000 cases a year of dyshidrosis, a skin condition causing itchy blisters to develop only on the palm and soles. Another chronic skin condition, palmoplantar pustulosis (a type of psoriasis that causes inflamed, scaly skin and intense itch on the palms and soles), affects as many as 1.6 million people in the U.S. each year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s actually one of the most debilitating places (to get an itch),\u0026rdquo; said first author Haley R. Steele, a graduate student in the School of Biological Sciences. \u0026ldquo;If your hands are itchy, it\u0026rsquo;s hard to grasp things, and if it\u0026rsquo;s your feet, it can be hard to walk. If there\u0026rsquo;s an itch on your arm, you can still type. You\u0026rsquo;ll be distracted, but you\u0026rsquo;ll be OK. But if it\u0026rsquo;s your hands and feet, it\u0026rsquo;s harder to do everyday things.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbility to Block, Activate Itch-causing Neurons in Lab Mice\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince many biological mechanisms underlying itch \u0026mdash; such as receptors and nerve pathways \u0026mdash; are similar in mice and people, most itch studies rely on mice testing. Using mice in their lab, Georgia Tech researchers were able to activate or block these neurons. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research shows, for the first time, \u0026ldquo;the actual neurons that send itch are different populations. Neurons that are in hairy skin that do not sense itch in glabrous skins are one population, and another senses itch in glabrous skins.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhy has an explanation so far eluded science? \u0026ldquo;I think one reason is because most of the people in the field kind of assumed it was the same mechanism that\u0026rsquo;s controlling the sensation. It\u0026rsquo;s technically challenging. It\u0026rsquo;s more difficult than working on hairy skin,\u0026rdquo; Han said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo overcome this technical hurdle, the team used a new investigative procedure, or assay, modeled after human allergic contact dermatitis, Steele said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe previous method would have involved injecting itch-causing chemicals into mice skin, but most of a mouse\u0026rsquo;s skin is covered with hair. The team had to focus on the smooth glabrous skin on tiny mice hands and feet. Using genetically modified mice also helped identify the right sensory neurons responsible for glabrous skin itches.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We activated a particular set of neurons that causes itch, and we saw that biting behavior again modeled,\u0026rdquo; said Steele, referring to how mice usually deal with itchy skin. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne set of study mice was given a chemical to specifically kill an entire line of neurons. Focusing on three previously known neuron mechanisms related to itch sensation found in hairy skin, they found that two of the neurons, MrgprA3+\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;MrgprD+, did not play important roles in non-hairy skin itch, but the third neuron, MrgprC11+,\u0026nbsp;did. Removing it reduced both acute and chronic itching in the soles and palms of test mice.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPotential to Drive New Treatments for Chronic Itch\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHan\u0026rsquo;s team hopes that the research leads to treatments that will turn off those itch-inducing neurons, perhaps by blocking them in human skin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;To date, most treatments for skin itch do not discriminate between hairy and glabrous skin except for potential medication potency due to the increased skin thickness in glabrous skin,\u0026rdquo; observed Ron Feldman, assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology in the Emory University School of Medicine. Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s findings \u0026ldquo;provide a rationale for developing therapies targeting chronic itching of the hands and feet that, if left untreated, can greatly affect patient quality of life,\u0026rdquo; he concluded.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s next for Han and her team? \u0026ldquo;We would like to investigate how these neurons transmit information to the spinal cord and brain,\u0026rdquo; said Han, who also wants to investigate the mechanisms of chronic itch conditions that mainly affect glabrous skin such as cholestatic itch, or itch due to reduced or blocked bile flow often seen in liver and biliary system diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I joined this lab because I love working with Liang Han,\u0026rdquo; added Steele, who selected glabrous skin itch research for her Ph.D. \u0026ldquo;because it was the most technically challenging and had the greatest potential for being really interesting and significant to the field.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NS087088 and HL141269) and the Pfizer Aspire Dermatology Award to Liang Han. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: H. Steele, et al., \u0026ldquo;MrgprC11+ sensory neurons mediate glabrous skin itch.\u0026rdquo; (PNAS, 2021) \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2022874118\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2022874118\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E###\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdditional Media Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E Tracey Reeves (tracey.reeves@gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research Breakthrough Could Inform Different Treatments for Chronic Skin Itch Sufferers"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn their study, the researchers identified a specific neuron population that controls itching in \u0026lsquo;glabrous\u0026rsquo; skin -- the smoother, tougher skin that\u0026rsquo;s found on the palms of hands and feet soles. Itching in those areas poses greater difficulty for sufferers and is surprisingly common.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech has uncovered differences in itch on hairy versus non-hairy skin that could lead to more effective treatments for patients with persistent skin itching."}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2021-05-21 17:32:11","changed_gmt":"2021-05-25 16:05:20","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647659":{"id":"647659","type":"image","title":"Itchy Skin Researchers","body":null,"created":"1621605576","gmt_created":"2021-05-21 13:59:36","changed":"1621605576","gmt_changed":"2021-05-21 13:59:36","alt":"Two researchers standing in lab","file":{"fid":"245861","name":"Researchers resized.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Researchers%20resized.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Researchers%20resized.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":366365,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Researchers%20resized.jpg?itok=lT_kI6ec"}},"647660":{"id":"647660","type":"image","title":"Itchy Skin Lab Closeup","body":null,"created":"1621605896","gmt_created":"2021-05-21 14:04:56","changed":"1621605896","gmt_changed":"2021-05-21 14:04:56","alt":" ","file":{"fid":"245862","name":"Closeup resized.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Closeup%20resized.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Closeup%20resized.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":409570,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Closeup%20resized.jpg?itok=Ac7eYiR2"}}},"media_ids":["647659","647660"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/scratching-out-new-clues-sources-certain-itch-sensations","title":"Scratching Out New Clues on the Sources of Certain Itch Sensations"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/itch-you-cant-scratch-researchers-find-itch-receptors-throats-mice","title":"An Itch You Can\u2019t Scratch: Researchers Find Itch Receptors in the Throats of Mice"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/petit-institute-expands-its-ranks-23-including-liang-han-britney-schmidt-amanda-stockton","title":"Petit Institute Expands Its Ranks by 23, Including Liang Han, Britney Schmidt, Amanda Stockton "}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187909","name":"itchy skin"},{"id":"1304","name":"neuroscience"},{"id":"187337","name":"glabrous skin"},{"id":"187010","name":"chronic itch"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n(404.435.5784)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647363":{"#nid":"647363","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Targeting Radiation Resistance: Why Some Tumors Are So Stubborn","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERadiation therapy has been \u0026mdash; and will be \u0026mdash; a cornerstone of cancer treatment for good reason: It works.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMostly.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, more than half of cancer patients receive radiation as part of their treatment. But 20 percent of them, give or take, will find that they need different options because their tumors are resistant to radiation therapy. It\u0026rsquo;s a bad place to be: They may still face the potential side effects without the therapeutic benefit, and they\u0026rsquo;ve lost precious time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat if clinicians had a way to predict and possibly improve radiosensitivity for individual patients? A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University is working on something with that ultimate goal in mind.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There still isn\u0026rsquo;t a great understanding of why some tumors don\u0026rsquo;t respond well to radiation, and it\u0026rsquo;s a significant hurdle to the long-term survival of many patients,\u0026rdquo; noted \u003Cstrong\u003EJoshua Lewis\u003C\/strong\u003E, who sought answers to the radiation resistance question while a graduate student in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kemp.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMelissa Kemp\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETogether, they\u0026rsquo;ve taken steps to begin to understand the underlying metabolism and build a tool to predict whether specific tumors will be one of the stubborn ones that doesn\u0026rsquo;t respond. In back-to-back papers, with Lewis as lead author, Kemp said they created a new pipeline, \u0026ldquo;in which you can automatically take data, plug it into our whole cell modeling of metabolism, and actually predict the way certain tumors of various cancer types, from various patients, are going to respond.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe added: \u0026ldquo;This is the first example of really asking, with respect to radiation resistance, why there are differences that manifest themselves in tumor metabolism.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn January, they published the first study with collaborators from Wake Forest and Indiana University in the journal \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-systems\/fulltext\/S2405-4712(20)30502-0\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECell Systems\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/a\u003E The newest research appears this month in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-22989-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/a\u003E Lewis based the studies on his Ph.D. thesis, \u0026ldquo;Genome-Scale Modeling of Redox Metabolism and Therapeutic Response in Radiation-Resistant Tumors,\u0026rdquo; which he defended a year ago.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShortly after Lewis began grad school, Wake Forest researcher Cristina Furdui approached the Kemp lab with the radiation resistance problem, \u0026ldquo;asking us to apply our expertise in systems biology,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s a more holistic approach than working with individual molecules or proteins, taking into account many different factors and their interactions, seeing if that leads to a particular response to radiation therapy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELewis used a well-established type of cellular modeling called \u0026ldquo;flux balance analysis,\u0026rdquo; in which, \u0026ldquo;you try to model the entire metabolism of a cell \u0026mdash; all the different chemical reactions. We model them using different biochemical equations.\u0026rdquo; The researchers then plug those equations into a computer. Within seconds, they can accurately analyze about 13,000 different metabolic reactions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We came up with our own approach for making more accurate flux balance analysis models by integrating multiple different types of omics data,\u0026rdquo; said Lewis, now pursuing his medical degree in the Emory MD\/PhDProgram. \u0026ldquo;Omics\u0026rdquo; measure characteristics of molecules like genes, proteins, or metabolites, which comprise the cells of an organism.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy integrating genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics data, the researchers could model redox metabolism \u0026ndash; the process of oxidation and reduction reactions, or the loss and gain of electrons \u0026ndash; in cancer cells, \u0026ldquo;and use that to accurately predict how certain tumors react to radiation therapy,\u0026rdquo; said Lewis, who mined data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We looked for metabolic enzymes or metabolic targets where, if you tweaked them, it could affect a tumor\u0026rsquo;s radiosensitivity,\u0026rdquo; Lewis said. \u0026ldquo;So, imagine if you\u0026rsquo;re giving a patient radiation therapy, and you could also give them a chemotherapeutic at the same time that inhibits the action of a particular enzyme to make a tumor more sensitive to radiation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat is, essentially, the first paper. In the second \u0026mdash; written only by Lewis and Kemp \u0026mdash; the researchers integrated machine learning with genome-scale metabolic modeling, \u0026ldquo;to see if we can better predict what sort of biological features are associated with a patient\u0026rsquo;s response to radiation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne main challenge for the researchers in either paper, Lewis said, was in the datasets they used from TCGA. They had good genomics and transcriptomics data, but their metabolomics data was incomplete. The computational models they developed for the \u003Cem\u003ECell Systems\u003C\/em\u003E paper helped fill in the blanks, making metabolomic predictions. They fed the data from those models into a machine learning model to better identify biomarkers of radiation resistance.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We can think clinically of a patient giving a blood sample, and from that blood you\u0026rsquo;re able to measure the levels of different metabolites and determine if the patient would be a good candidate for radiation therapy, or whether we should go ahead and think of other therapies,\u0026rdquo; Lewis said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat speaks directly to what Lewis is training for now in his M.D. program. He wants to be a pathologist and better understand how patients respond to different therapies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d like to help bridge the gap between research and the clinic,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u0026rsquo;s off to a good start, and it\u0026rsquo;s exciting for Kemp.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Josh\u0026rsquo;s computational platform turns easy-to-acquire data into a model representation of hard-to-acquire attributes, like metabolic fluxes and metabolite changes, that are otherwise very challenging to measure with the scale it takes to cover many different patients,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by a National Institutes of Health\/National Cancer Institute fellowship (F30 CA224968), an NIH\/NCI U01 grant (CA215848), and the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center (NIH\/NCI P30 CA12197).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATIONS:\u003C\/strong\u003E Joshua Lewis, Tom E. Forsha, David A. Boothman, Cristina Furdui, Melissa Kemp, \u0026ldquo;Personalized Genome-Scale Metabolic Models Identify Targets of Redox Metabolism in Radiation-Resistant Tumors \u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ECell Systems\u003C\/em\u003E, 2021)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJoshua Lewis, Melissa Kemp, \u0026ldquo;Integration of machine learning and genome-scale metabolic modeling identifies multi-omics biomarkers for radiation resistance\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, 2021).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERelated Links:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/\u201cPersonalized Genome-Scale Metabolic Models Identify Targets of Redox Metabolism in Radiation-Resistant Tumors \u201d (Cell Systems, 2021)\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Personalized Genome-Scale Metabolic Models Identify Targets of Redox Metabolism in Radiation-Resistant Tumors \u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ECell Systems\u003C\/em\u003E, 2021)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-22989-1\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Integration of machine learning and genome-scale metabolic modeling identifies multi-omics biomarkers for radiation resistance\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, 2021).\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Kemp lab uses genome-scale modeling to understand tumor metabolism and predict tumors\u2019 responses to radiation therapy"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKemp lab uses genome-scale modeling to understand tumor metabolism and predict tumors\u0026rsquo; responses to radiation therapy\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Kemp lab uses genome-scale modeling to understand tumor metabolism and predict tumors\u2019 responses to radiation therapy"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-05-11 18:38:04","changed_gmt":"2021-05-25 15:33:14","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647360":{"id":"647360","type":"image","title":"Kemp and Lewis","body":null,"created":"1620757729","gmt_created":"2021-05-11 18:28:49","changed":"1620757729","gmt_changed":"2021-05-11 18:28:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245791","name":"Lewis,Josh-Kemp,Melissa-IMG_0051.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lewis%2CJosh-Kemp%2CMelissa-IMG_0051.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lewis%2CJosh-Kemp%2CMelissa-IMG_0051.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4158409,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lewis%2CJosh-Kemp%2CMelissa-IMG_0051.jpg?itok=-cojWhBG"}}},"media_ids":["647360"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"11538","name":"Metabolomics"},{"id":"187826","name":"redox metabolism"},{"id":"385","name":"cancer"},{"id":"187827","name":"radiation therapy"},{"id":"187828","name":"radiation resistance"},{"id":"2470","name":"cancer therapy"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWriter: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647322":{"#nid":"647322","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Did Earth\u2019s Early Rise in Oxygen Support The Evolution of Multicellular Life \u2014 or Suppress It? ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientists have long thought that there was a direct connection between the rise in atmospheric oxygen, which started with the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/nai\/articles\/2019\/3\/5\/clues-of-earths-early-rise-of-oxygen\/index.html\u0022\u003EGreat Oxygenation Event\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;2.5 billion years ago, and the rise of large, complex multicellular organisms.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat theory, the \u0026ldquo;Oxygen Control Hypothesis,\u0026rdquo; suggests that the size of these\u0026nbsp;early multicellular organisms was limited by the depth to which oxygen could diffuse into their bodies. The hypothesis makes a simple prediction that has been highly influential within both evolutionary biology and geosciences: Greater atmospheric oxygen should always increase the size to which multicellular organisms can grow.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a hypothesis that\u0026rsquo;s proven difficult to test in a lab. Yet a team of Georgia Tech researchers found a way \u0026mdash; using directed evolution, synthetic biology, and mathematical modeling \u0026mdash; all brought to bear on a simple multicellular lifeform called a \u0026lsquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.quantamagazine.org\/lifes-secrets-sought-in-a-snowflake-20151103\/\u0022\u003Esnowflake yeast\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rsquo;. The results? Significant new information on the correlations between oxygenation of the early Earth and the rise of large multicellular organisms \u0026mdash; and it\u0026rsquo;s all about exactly how much O\u003Csub\u003E2\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/sub\u003Ewas available to some of our earliest multicellular ancestors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The positive effect of oxygen on the evolution of multicellularity is entirely dose-dependent \u0026mdash; our planet\u0026#39;s first oxygenation would have strongly constrained, not promoted, the evolution of multicellular life,\u0026rdquo; explains\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/gonensin-bozdag\u0022\u003EG. Ozan Bozdag\u003C\/a\u003E, research scientist in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and the study\u0026rsquo;s lead author. \u0026ldquo;The positive effect of oxygen on multicellular size may only be realized when it reaches high levels.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-23104-0\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Oxygen suppression of macroscopic multicellularity\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E is published in the May 14, 2021 edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/ncomms\/\u0022\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003EBozdag\u0026rsquo;s co-authors on the paper include Georgia Tech researchers\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/will-ratcliff\u0022\u003EWill Ratcliff\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/reinhard-dr-chris\u0022\u003EChris Reinhard\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/people\/Rozenn%20Pineau\u0022\u003ERozenn Pineau\u003C\/a\u003E, Ph.D. student in the School of Biological Sciences and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInterdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences (QBioS)\u003C\/a\u003E; along with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.umu.se\/en\/staff\/eric-libby\/\u0022\u003EEric Libby\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor at Umea University in Sweden and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.santafe.edu\/people\/profile\/eric-libby\u0022\u003ESanta Fe Institute\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in New Mexico.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDirecting yeast to evolve in record time\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We show that the effect of oxygen is more complex than previously imagined. The early rise in global oxygen should in fact strongly\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Econstrain\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ethe evolution of macroscopic multicellularity, rather than selecting for larger and more complex organisms,\u0026rdquo; notes Ratcliff.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;People have long believed that the oxygenation of Earth\u0026#39;s surface was helpful \u0026mdash; some going so far as to say it is a precondition \u0026mdash; for the evolution of large, complex multicellular organisms,\u0026rdquo; he adds. \u0026ldquo;But nobody has ever tested this directly, because we haven\u0026#39;t had a model system that is both able to undergo lots of generations of evolution quickly, and able to grow over the full range of oxygen conditions,\u0026rdquo; from anaerobic conditions up to modern levels. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe researchers were able to do that, however, with snowflake yeast, simple multicellular organisms capable of rapid evolutionary change. By varying their growth environment, they evolved snowflake yeast for over 800 generations in the lab with selection for larger size.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe results surprised Bozdag. \u0026ldquo;I was astonished to see that multicellular yeast doubled their size very rapidly when they could not use oxygen, while populations that evolved in the moderately oxygenated environment showed no size increase at all,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;This effect is robust \u0026mdash; even over much longer timescales.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESize \u0026mdash; and oxygen levels \u0026mdash; matter for multicellular growth\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIn the team\u0026rsquo;s research, \u0026ldquo;large size easily evolved\u0026nbsp;either when our yeast had no oxygen or plenty of it, but not when oxygen was present at low levels,\u0026rdquo; Ratcliff says. \u0026ldquo;We did a lot more work to show that this is actually a totally predictable and understandable outcome of the fact that oxygen, when limiting, acts as a resource \u0026mdash; if cells can access it, they get a big metabolic benefit. When oxygen is scarce, it can\u0026#39;t diffuse very far into organisms, so there is an evolutionary incentive for multicellular organisms to be small \u0026mdash; allowing most of their cells access to oxygen \u0026mdash; a constraint that is not there when oxygen simply isn\u0026#39;t present, or when there\u0026#39;s enough of it around to diffuse more deeply into tissues.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERatcliff says not only does his group\u0026rsquo;s work challenge the Oxygen Control Hypothesis, it also helps science understand why so little apparent evolutionary innovation was happening in the world of multicellular organisms in the billion years after the Great Oxygenation Event. Ratcliff explains that geologists call this period the \u0026ldquo;Boring Billion\u0026rdquo; in Earth\u0026rsquo;s history \u0026mdash; also known as the Dullest Time in Earth\u0026#39;s History, and Earth\u0026#39;s Middle Ages \u0026mdash; a period when oxygen was present in the atmosphere, but at low levels, and multicellular organisms stayed relatively small and simple.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBozdag adds another insight into the unique nature of the study. \u0026ldquo;Previous work examined the interplay between oxygen and multicellular size mainly through the physical principles of gas diffusion,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;While that reasoning is essential, we also need an inclusive consideration of principles of Darwinian evolution when studying the origin of complex multicellular life on our planet.\u0026rdquo; Finally being able to advance organisms through many generations of evolution helped the researchers accomplish just that, Bozdag adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by\u0026nbsp;National Science Foundation grant no.\u0026nbsp;DEB-1845363 to W.C.R, NSF\u0026nbsp;grant no. IOS-1656549 to W.C.R., NSF grant no. IOS-1656849 to E.L., and a Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering to\u0026nbsp;W.C.R. C.T.R. and W.C.R. acknowledge\u0026nbsp;funding from the NASA Astrobiology Institute.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"A new study is taking the air out of a hypothesis linking early Earth\u2019s oxygenation to larger, more complex organisms. Georgia Tech researchers report a more complex effect"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDespite a long-held hypothesis that oxygen determined the size of large, complex multicellular organisms during the early Earth, researchers have found\u0026nbsp;the early rise in global oxygen, should have, \u0026ldquo;in fact strongly constrain[ed] the evolution of macroscopic multicellularity, rather than selecting for larger and more complex organisms.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study is taking the air out of a hypothesis linking early Earth\u2019s oxygenation to larger, more complex organisms. Georgia Tech researchers report a more complex effect"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-05-10 18:30:09","changed_gmt":"2021-05-25 15:30:58","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647326":{"id":"647326","type":"image","title":"Artist rendering of early Earth (Photo credit: NASA)","body":null,"created":"1620673125","gmt_created":"2021-05-10 18:58:45","changed":"1621619796","gmt_changed":"2021-05-21 17:56:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245866","name":"earlyearthnasa.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/earlyearthnasa.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/earlyearthnasa.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":652000,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/earlyearthnasa.jpg?itok=Y0QrWf1s"}},"647324":{"id":"647324","type":"image","title":" G. Ozan Bozdag, Georgia Tech research scientist and the study\u2019s lead author  (Photo credit: Georgia Tech) ","body":null,"created":"1620671676","gmt_created":"2021-05-10 18:34:36","changed":"1621619772","gmt_changed":"2021-05-21 17:56:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245864","name":"ozan-photo-landscape.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ozan-photo-landscape.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ozan-photo-landscape.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":221289,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ozan-photo-landscape.jpg?itok=U7B7gP7i"}},"647353":{"id":"647353","type":"image","title":"Will Ratcliff (Photo credit: Rob Felt, Georgia Tech) ","body":null,"created":"1620753300","gmt_created":"2021-05-11 17:15:00","changed":"1621619829","gmt_changed":"2021-05-21 17:57:09","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245788","name":"Will Ratcliff.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Will%20Ratcliff.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Will%20Ratcliff.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2589543,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Will%20Ratcliff.jpg?itok=9ZKu6fzW"}},"647354":{"id":"647354","type":"image","title":"Chris Reinhard (Photo credit: Ben Brumfield, Georgia Tech)","body":null,"created":"1620753362","gmt_created":"2021-05-11 17:16:02","changed":"1621619817","gmt_changed":"2021-05-21 17:56:57","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245789","name":"Chris Reinhard.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chris%20Reinhard.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chris%20Reinhard.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1082694,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Chris%20Reinhard.png?itok=SOEGs-uh"}}},"media_ids":["647326","647324","647353","647354"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/harnessing-power-evolution","title":"Harnessing the Power of Evolution"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/coffee-leads-collaboration","title":"Coffee Leads to Collaboration"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/specialized-cells-or-multicellular-multitaskers-new-study-reshapes-early-economics-and-ecology","title":"Specialized Cells or Multicellular Multitaskers? New Study Reshapes Early Economics and Ecology Behind Evolutionary Division of "},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/nasa-exobiology-grant-chris-reinhard","title":"NASA Exobiology Grant to Chris Reinhard"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/laughing-gas-may-have-helped-warm-early-earth-and-given-breath-life","title":"Laughing Gas May Have Helped Warm Early Earth and Given Breath to Life"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/exploring-oceans-earth-and-beyond-reinhard-looks-skies-and-seas","title":"Exploring Oceans on Earth and Beyond: Reinhard Looks to the Skies and Seas"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/sigma-xi-recognizes-reinhard-sigma-xi-2020-young-faculty-award-three-sciences-students-research","title":"Sigma Xi Recognizes Reinhard with Sigma Xi 2020 Young Faculty Award; Three Sciences Students with Research Honors"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"187819","name":"early oxygenation"},{"id":"12661","name":"Early Earth"},{"id":"187820","name":"multicellular organisms"},{"id":"187821","name":"Ozan Bozdag"},{"id":"177585","name":"William Ratcliff"},{"id":"170504","name":"Chris Reinhard"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647582":{"#nid":"647582","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Zhu Lab Explains the Inhibitory Role of World\u2019s Most Famous Molecule","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA so-called \u0026ldquo;checkpoint\u0026rdquo; protein found on the immune system\u0026rsquo;s all-important T cells called PD-1 might be the most famous molecule on the planet. It was an anti-PD-1 drug, along with radiation therapy, that disintegrated former U.S. President Jimmy Carter\u0026rsquo;s brain tumors in 2015.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnder normal conditions, PD-1 serves an important role as an off-switch, preventing well-intentioned T cells from running amok and attacking normal, healthy cells by mistake. It does this by binding with a protein called PD-L1, found on some normal and some cancer cells. This interaction basically signals the T cell to leave the other cell alone. Unfortunately, sometimes the other cell is cancer, which then goes unbothered because PD-1 told the T cell to stand down.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe immunotherapy drug used to treat President Carter, Keytruda, is a checkpoint inhibitor. It inhibited PD-1, freeing the T cells to do their job and destroy the brain tumor. Since then, research into the molecule has expanded and PD-1 blockade continues its evolution as a promising treatment against solid tumors. The Japanese scientist who discovered the protein in 1992, Tasuku Honjo, won the Nobel Prize in 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It has become a very hot molecule,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Cheng-Zhu\u0022\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Tech. \u0026ldquo;But only a minor fraction of cancer patients \u0026mdash; about one third of the melanoma patients who have been treated with the blockade therapy \u0026mdash; are responsive, indicating an incomplete understanding of how PD-1 works.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EZhu and his colleagues are particularly interested in explaining how PD-1 inhibits T-cell activity, and they unravel one part of the mystery in a new paper in \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E. Using technology Zhu developed decades ago that measures the biochemistry on live cell membranes, the researchers discovered that PD-1 disrupts the recruitment of CD8, a protein co-receptor that partners in T cell signaling and activation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The results of our study identify a PD-1 inhibitory mechanism that disrupts cooperative molecular interactions and prevents CD8 from augmenting antigen recognition,\u0026rdquo; Zhu said. \u0026ldquo;This explains the molecule\u0026rsquo;s potent inhibitory function regarding T cell activation and also explains its value as a target for clinical intervention.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe lead author on the paper is Kaitao Li, a research scientist in Zhu\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zhu-lab-website.appspot.com\/\u0022\u003ECellular and Molecular Biomechanics Lab\u003C\/a\u003E, who focused on PD-1 for his Ph.D. dissertation in 2016. Li\u0026rsquo;s interest in the molecule has only grown through his friendship with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/vaccines.emory.edu\/faculty-evc\/primary-faculty\/ahmed_rafi.html\u0022\u003ERafi Ahmed\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/a\u003E lab at Emory. Ahmed is a co-author of the new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-22965-9\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E paper.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was taking an immunology class at Emory in 2010, and it was the first time I came across the PD-1 molecule,\u0026rdquo; Li recalled. \u0026ldquo;A friend of mine was a grad student in Rafi\u0026rsquo;s lab, and eventually, I became very inspired by their work.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhmed\u0026rsquo;s lab identified PD-1 as a major mediator of T cell dysfunction during chronic infection, work that ultimately translated into human clinical studies of blockade therapy. Meanwhile, the Zhu lab had been focusing mainly on the basic science of on T cell activation and T cell receptors \u0026ndash; TCR, a protein complex used by T cells for recognizing invading antigens.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What excites me most is that [this study] reinforces and extends the work that Dr. Zhu did 10 years ago on the sequence of events leading up to T cell activation, but now it brings PD-1 into the story, revealing how PD-1 dampens T cell activation,\u0026rdquo; explained Simon Davis, paper co-author, whose immunology lab at the University of Oxford has studied PD-1 and other proteins for about 20 years. \u0026ldquo;We had proposed a long time ago that the activation sequence is dictated by the relative strengths of protein interactions involves, but Dr. Zhu\u0026rsquo;s lab was able to tease all this apart.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Zhu\u0026rsquo;s lab is rich in basic science, there is a translational aspect to this work. A biotech company that spun out Davis\u0026rsquo; work is interested in Zhu\u0026rsquo;s discoveries, particularly the series of interactions among all of these critical molecules engaged in the immune response, Davis said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd it\u0026rsquo;s bound to get more interesting going forward. Zhu and Li, who collaborated on PD-1 research for a paper in 2017, said they are planning two more studies focusing on the notable molecule, now the target of a hopeful treatment regimen that still has plenty of room for improvement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There has certainly been some clinical success even though we don\u0026rsquo;t fully understand the mechanism behind it,\u0026rdquo; Zhu said. \u0026ldquo;But there is still a long way to go because two thirds of the patients are not responding successfully. Why? We have another study planned to try to answer that question.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by National Institutes of Health grants \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003EU01CA214354, R01CA243486, and U01CA250040 (to C.Z. and R.A.).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATIONS: Kaitao Li, Zhou Yuan, Jintian Lyu, Eunseon Ahn, Simon J. Davis, Rafi Ahmet, Cheng Zhu, \u0026ldquo;\u003C\/strong\u003EPD-1 suppresses TCR-CD8 cooperativity during T-cell antigen recognition\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, May 2021)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERelated Links:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026ldquo;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-22965-9\u0022\u003EPD-1 suppresses TCR-CD8 cooperativity during T-cell antigen recognition\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, May 2021)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zhu-lab-website.appspot.com\/\u0022\u003ECellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cancerresearch.org\/join-the-cause\/cancer-immunotherapy-month\/30-facts\/20\u0022\u003EJimmy Carter\u0026rsquo;s Cancer Immunotherapy Story\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New research teases apart the mechanisms behind the checkpoint protein PD-1"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research teases apart the mechanisms behind the checkpoint protein PD-1\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research teases apart the mechanisms behind the checkpoint protein PD-1"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-05-18 21:37:55","changed_gmt":"2021-05-25 15:29:28","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647578":{"id":"647578","type":"image","title":"Zhu Lab Tech","body":null,"created":"1621373088","gmt_created":"2021-05-18 21:24:48","changed":"1621373088","gmt_changed":"2021-05-18 21:24:48","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245844","name":"Zhu lab tech.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Zhu%20lab%20tech.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Zhu%20lab%20tech.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3236507,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Zhu%20lab%20tech.jpg?itok=YZUqLsXN"}},"647581":{"id":"647581","type":"image","title":"Cheng and Kaitao","body":null,"created":"1621373514","gmt_created":"2021-05-18 21:31:54","changed":"1621373514","gmt_changed":"2021-05-18 21:31:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245845","name":"Cheng and Kaitao.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cheng%20and%20Kaitao.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cheng%20and%20Kaitao.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":932747,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cheng%20and%20Kaitao.jpg?itok=XKbvF6rZ"}}},"media_ids":["647578","647581"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187886","name":"PD-1"},{"id":"187887","name":"checkpoint inhibitor"},{"id":"8084","name":"Cancer treatment"},{"id":"385","name":"cancer"},{"id":"4514","name":"immunotherapy"},{"id":"1895","name":"Immunology"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"647696":{"#nid":"647696","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Early Feasibility Study Shows Flickering Lights and Sound Could Be New Weapon Against Alzheimer\u2019s","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the past few years, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singer.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAnnabelle Singer\u003C\/a\u003E and her collaborators have been using \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/2020\/02\/03\/flickering-light-mobilizes-brain-chemistry-may-fight-alzheimers\u0022\u003Eflickering lights and sound\u003C\/a\u003E to treat mouse models of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease, and they\u0026rsquo;ve seen some dramatic results.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow they have results from the first human feasibility study of the flicker treatment, and they\u0026rsquo;re promising.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We looked at safety, tolerance, and adherence, and several different biological outcomes, and the results were excellent \u0026mdash; better than we expected,\u0026rdquo; said Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESinger shared preliminary results of the feasibility study in October at the American Neurological Association annual meeting. Now she is a corresponding author with Emory neurology researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/neurology.emory.edu\/faculty\/cognitive\/lah_james.html\u0022\u003EJames Lah\u003C\/a\u003E of a paper outlining their findings in the journal \u003Cem\u003EAlzheimer\u0026rsquo;s \u0026amp; Dementia: Translational Research \u0026amp; Clinical Interventions\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe flicker treatment stimulates gamma waves, manipulating neural activity, recruiting the brain\u0026rsquo;s immune system, and clearing pathogens \u0026mdash; in short, waging a successful fight against a progressive disease that still has no cure.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPrevious research already had shown that sensory areas in the human brain will entrain to flickering stimuli for seconds to hours. But this was the first time Singer and her team were able to test gamma sensory stimulation over an extended period of time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study included 10 patients with Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s-associated mild cognitive impairment, which required them to wear an experimental visor and headphones that exposed one group to light and sound at 40 hertz for an hour a day over eight weeks, and another group for four weeks after a delayed start.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We were able to tune the devices to a level of light and sound that was not only tolerable, but it also successfully provoked an underlying brain response,\u0026rdquo; Lah said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs they hoped and expected, Singer said, \u0026ldquo;there was widespread entrainment.\u0026rdquo; That is, brain activity \u0026ndash; in this case, gamma waves \u0026ndash; synchronized to the external stimulation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGamma waves are associated with high-level cognitive functions, like perception and memory. Disruptions to these waves have been found in various neurological disorders, not just Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe human feasibility study showed that the gamma flicker treatment was safe and tolerable. And perhaps most surprising, patients followed the full treatment schedule.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Adherence was one of our major concerns,\u0026rdquo; Singer said. \u0026ldquo;When we sent the device home with the participants, would they use it? Would they use it for a couple of days, and that would be it? We were pleasantly surprised that this wasn\u0026rsquo;t the case.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdherence rates hovered around 90 percent, with no severe adverse effects reported during the study or the 10-month open label extension (some patients even volunteered to continue being monitored and assessed after the study, though this data wasn\u0026rsquo;t part of the published research).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome participants reported mild discomfort that could have been flicker related \u0026mdash; dizziness, ringing in the ears, and headaches. But overall, Singer said, the device\u0026rsquo;s safety profile was excellent. She also reported some positive biological outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We looked at default mode network connectivity, which is basically how different brain regions that are particularly active during wakeful rest and memory, interact with each other,\u0026rdquo; Singer said. \u0026ldquo;There are deficits in this network in Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, but after eight weeks [of treatment], we found strengthening in that connectivity.\u0026rdquo; This may indicate stronger interactions and therefore better communication between these regions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn previous animal studies, the 40Hz of flicker stimulated mouse gamma waves, significantly reducing some Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s pathogenic hallmarks and recruited microglia to the cause \u0026ndash; these are the primary immune cells in the brain. But in the human study, there were no clear changes in the presence of pathogens amyloid beta or p-Tau.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, as with the mouse studies, \u0026ldquo;we are getting immune engagement in humans,\u0026rdquo; Singer said. The flicker treatment sparked the activity of cytokines, proteins used in cell signaling \u0026mdash; a sign that flicker had engaged the brain\u0026rsquo;s immune system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That is something we want to see, because microglia do things like clear out pathogens. Some people think that part of what\u0026rsquo;s going wrong in Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s is a failure of this clearance mechanism,\u0026rdquo; Singer said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe and Lah have wondered if a longer human trial would make a difference \u0026mdash; would there be reduced amyloid activity, for example.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;So far, this is very preliminary, and we\u0026rsquo;re nowhere close to drawing conclusions about the clinical benefit of this treatment,\u0026rdquo; Lah said. \u0026ldquo;But we now have some very good arguments for a larger, longer study with more people.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe study was funded by the\u0026nbsp;National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (grant No. R01-NS109226-01S1), by the Packard Foundation, the Friends and Alumni of Georgia Tech, the Lane Family, the Wright Family, and Cognito Therapeutics. Any findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the researchers and not necessarily of the sponsors.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECompeting interests: Annabelle Singer owns shares in Cognito Therapeutics, which funded the human study at Emory Brain Health Center. Cognito aims to develop gamma stimulation-related products. These conflicts are managed by Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Office of Research Integrity Assurance.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Safety, tolerance, adherence get high scores in first human trial"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESafety, tolerance, adherence get high scores in first human trial\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Safety, tolerance, adherence get high scores in first human trial"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-05-24 15:49:03","changed_gmt":"2021-05-24 18:05:21","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"647695":{"id":"647695","type":"image","title":"Annabelle Singer","body":null,"created":"1621871010","gmt_created":"2021-05-24 15:43:30","changed":"1621871010","gmt_changed":"2021-05-24 15:43:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245873","name":"Annabelle in lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Annabelle%20in%20lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Annabelle%20in%20lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4039841,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Annabelle%20in%20lab.jpg?itok=h50ML58x"}}},"media_ids":["647695"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/trc2.12178","title":"\u201cA feasibility trial of gamma sensory flicker for patients with prodromal Alzheimer\u0027s disease\u0022"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Annabelle-Singer","title":"Annabelle Singer"},{"url":"http:\/\/neurology.emory.edu\/faculty\/cognitive\/lah_james.html","title":"James Lah"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"14757","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"183802","name":"Flicker"},{"id":"182124","name":"gamma waves"},{"id":"187913","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s treatment"},{"id":"181422","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s research"},{"id":"187914","name":"Georgia Tech BME"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633400":{"#nid":"633400","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Man of Research, Man of the People","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBob Nerem often said, \u0026ldquo;research, like life, is a people business,\u0026rdquo; and he spent most of his 56-year academic career proving the point. Nerem would enthusiastically strike up a conversation with the undergrad or the fellow bioengineer or the restaurant waiter, asking questions, connecting on a personal level. An internationally-renowned pioneer in bioengineering and biomedical research and education, Nerem\u0026rsquo;s most memorable trait was probably his sincere affability.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Bob always had time to talk to anyone, always had a kind word, a funny story or witty remark \u0026ndash; he positively influenced thousands in our community by showing that he genuinely cared about everyone,\u0026rdquo; said Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, remembering Nerem, the founding director of the Petit Institute who died Friday, March 6, at 82.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a called Nerem a mentor to many, at Georgia Tech and in the broader bioengineering community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;He impacted my career more than anyone else, as a role model and a friend,\u0026rdquo; Garc\u0026iacute;a said. \u0026ldquo;He showed me how to be successful while celebrating others at the same time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe seemed to know everyone and everything about the world he inhabited, noted Ross Ethier, professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There wasn\u0026rsquo;t a promising postdoc, a potential junior recruit, or a senior hire who was not known to Bob,\u0026rdquo; said Ethier. \u0026ldquo;He was at the center of a vast network of leaders who shaped the field of biomedical engineering by identifying and promoting the very best talent. Bob was immensely helpful to me personally. We will probably never know how many people he mentored over his career, but I\u0026rsquo;m sure it was in the thousands, a true testament to his impact and tireless work for the broader community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt usually didn\u0026rsquo;t matter if a new hire was part of the research enterprise or a supporting player \u0026ndash; for years, fresh employees at the Petit Institute would receive a copy of Nerem\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;Rules of Life: The Planet Earth School\u0026rdquo; (often from Nerem himself). These were 15 maxims (listed in full after this story) he\u0026rsquo;d gathered, some very familiar, some conjured by Nerem from piecemeal sources, or his own imagination. He wrote them all down after his students banded together and told him to preserve, \u0026ldquo;those various rules you keep on spouting off,\u0026rdquo; Nerem told his audience upon receiving the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Founder\u0026rsquo;s Award in 2008.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENerem spent the last 33 years at Georgia Tech, including 15 years (1995 to 2009) as the founding director of the Petit Institute. He began his career at Ohio State University (where he earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1964) in the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. But before long, he was focusing on the effects of launch vibrations on astronaut physiology, \u0026ldquo;which opened the window on a whole new world, that of biology and medicine,\u0026rdquo; Nerem told his NAE audience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThough he continued teaching aerospace engineering, he started applying his engineering knowledge to studying blood flow and its role in disease processes \u0026ndash; his entry into the world of interdisciplinary research and biomedical engineering. Eventually he delved into cell biology, molecular biology, tissue engineering, and stem cell technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Bob was, in many ways, one of the fathers of tissue engineering,\u0026rdquo; noted Barbara Boyan, dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoyan met Nerem when he was at the University of Houston, where he chaired the Department of Mechanical Engineering following his stint at Ohio State, and Boyan was at Rice University. After moving to Georgia Tech in 1987, Nerem recruited Boyan, who became his deputy director in GTEC (the Georgia Tech\/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues), where she saw, \u0026ldquo;firsthand, his incredible generosity. He freely gave of his ideas and support to anyone who was willing to work hard,\u0026rdquo; Boyan said, adding, \u0026ldquo;Most of us attempting to use stem cells to generate tissues to repair and regenerate defects owe Bob for setting the stage.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBob Guldberg, who followed Nerem and preceded Garc\u0026iacute;a as director of the Petit Institute, acknowledged, \u0026ldquo;Bob is recognized as one of the key leaders who created the bioengineering field, but I think he valued his impact on people more. I\u0026rsquo;ve lost count of the people who have a story about something Bob did or said or taught them that changed the course of their career, and I\u0026rsquo;m no exception.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;He was an amazing mentor and friend to me at every stage of my career, and it was my great honor to follow in his huge footsteps,\u0026rdquo; added Guldberg, now executive director of the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at the University of Oregon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are researchers all over the world who have been influenced in some way by Nerem. When he left Georgia Tech to join the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, Todd McDevitt said it was difficult to say goodbye to his friend and mentor, but he left well prepared and schooled in the Nerem way.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Bob viewed it as his responsibility to create opportunities for others to advance their professional development and acquire leadership skills, often before you thought you were ready,\u0026rdquo; said McDevitt, one of the nation\u0026rsquo;s leading stem cell researchers. \u0026ldquo;I try to emulate Bob\u0026#39;s approach of creating opportunities for my trainees without telling them what to do so as to cultivate their self-confidence.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs part of the core group of bioengineering\/biomedical engineering forerunners at Georgia Tech (along with Ajit Yoganathan, Don Giddens, and others), Nerem established an interdisciplinary culture at the Petit Institute that Guldberg said, \u0026ldquo;taught us all how to tackle grand challenges in life sciences and human health.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENerem was the leading figure from the bio-community in the creation of what became known as the Petit Institute, working nimbly with faculty colleagues and university administration to develop a sustainable interdisciplinary bioengineering\/bioscience research enterprise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Bob was one of the first faculty members I met when I came to Georgia Tech, and I liked him from the start,\u0026rdquo; said former Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough, who arrived on campus in 1994. \u0026ldquo;He was a leader in helping us develop the Georgia Tech-Emory biomedical engineering program, and was the key to our winning GTEC from the National Science Foundation. \u0026ldquo;I always felt lucky to have known him and call him my friend.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMike Johns, who arrived at Emory University to lead the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, was already familiar with Nerem and said he was the go-to guy when discussions began for a new biomedical engineering department that would link public Georgia Tech and private Emory. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ll never forget the day we were riding the escalator together at the Atlanta airport and started talking about BME,\u0026rdquo; recalled Johns. \u0026ldquo;Bob was so enthusiastic, and he was the key at Georgia Tech to making it happen.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETwenty years later, the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University is a rare public education-private education entity, and is ranked among the top BME departments in the nation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking with a leadership team that included Yoganathan and Giddens, Nerem became what Garc\u0026iacute;a called, \u0026ldquo;the architect of the bioengineering and bioscience community at Georgia Tech. Bob\u0026rsquo;s vision and leadership established formal relationships between Georgia Tech and the Emory University School of Medicine in the fledgling bioengineering space.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENerem\u0026rsquo;s vision, leadership, and influence extended beyond the lab or the campus. He co-founded the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) as well as the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), and was a powerful voice in the bioengineering section of the National Academy of Engineering (which elected him as a member in 1988). Additionally, said Boyan, \u0026ldquo;he championed women and underrepresented minority faculty and students for leadership positions whenever and wherever he could.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis interest in leveling the field for everyone resulted in creation of the program that Nerem was proudest of later in his career \u0026ndash; Project ENGAGES. Established in 2013 at Georgia Tech and headquartered at the Petit Institute, ENGAGES (which stands for Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering and Science) is a high school education program for underrepresented minority students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHigh school students from partner schools in Atlanta are immersed, year-round, into university lab environment to work on research projects and participate in enrichment programs. Nerem co-founded the program with Manu Platt, associate professor in the Coulter Department and a Petit Institute researcher, who said of Nerem, \u0026ldquo;he sees his mission and his job as making young people\u0026rsquo;s dreams come true, whether they were cognizant of their dreams or\u0026nbsp;not.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo far, more than 130 Project ENGAGES students have completed the program and moved onto some of the best universities in the nation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There aren\u0026rsquo;t enough words to explain the direct impact Bob has made on the next generation students through Project ENGAGES,\u0026rdquo; said Petit Institute Education Outreach Manager Lakeita Servance, who is the day-to-day director of Project ENGAGES. \u0026ldquo;He forever changed the trajectory of these students\u0026rsquo; lives. His legacy will continue to live on through Project ENGAGES.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENerem retired as director of the Petit Institute in 2009, when Guldberg (who Nerem had recruited to Tech years earlier) took on the role. But this wasn\u0026rsquo;t your typical retirement. Nerem was still a fixture at the Petit Institute, coming into his office on the first-floor faculty wing. His desk was a cityscape of paper piles and books, and it was typical to see him at his desk, across from a visiting student or faculty member. And if you didn\u0026rsquo;t go to see Nerem, he would come find you. He was a frequent guest in staff offices at the Petit Institute, stopping by with a fresh cup of coffee (in which the coffee-cream ratio was about 50-50).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis was his comfort zone, the institute, his happy place, and he was a familiar presence in its familiar halls. Nerem was proud of the Petit Institute building, and its open design fostering collaboration, the 24-foot-high \u0026lsquo;Cell Wall\u0026rsquo; mural by artist Karen Stoutsenberger, paneled images that bring to life the structural makeup of the bio-molecular world. He always considered the atrium and its coffee shop, its inviting tables and couches, \u0026ldquo;such an important element of this place and who we are.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The design of this building has fostered the interactive, collaborative culture and sense of community we wanted,\u0026rdquo; Nerem once said, looking around at the human buzz in the atrium on a busy weekday. \u0026ldquo;Look at this. What did I tell you? Research is a people business.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the responsibilities of full-time management behind him, Nerem, who had been known alternatively as \u0026ldquo;Uncle Bob\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Big Bad Bob\u0026rdquo; by his colleagues, had settled permanently into the former role, though he remained an outspoken advocate for regenerative medicine, sending strong messages to elected leadership. In his years, he became a national voice for research integrity (co-authoring a proposal in the high-impact journal \u003Cem\u003ENatur\u003C\/em\u003Ee in February 2019, calling for the creation of a U.S. advisory board for research integrity).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter retiring as director, he held the Parker H. Petit Distinguished Chair for Engineering in Medicine and Institute Professor Emeritus, staying active at Georgia Tech, traveling the country and the world, participating in various leadership roles on different boards and councils, attending meetings and conferences as an invited guest or speaker, often accompanied by his wife Marilyn.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe had multiple extracurricular affiliations around the world, virtually all of them related to advancing bio-research or education in some fashion or another. Nerem was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Council of Arterioscleroris, the American Heart Association, the American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1988, he served on its council from 1998 to 2004. He was also elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Scientists, and recognized on an international level, as an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the United Kingdom, and was a member, honorary or otherwise, of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Japan Society for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor many years, Nerem and his wife presided over the Regenerative Medicine Workshop at Hilton Head in South Carolina, an annual spring gathering of some of the world\u0026rsquo;s leading researchers \u0026ndash; and an excuse for Nerem to connect with them on a personal level, because families were always encouraged to attend. The goal was for the investigators to roll up their sleeves and talk shop, and grad students to network, while families enjoyed the island, and evenings were spent building friendships. At Hilton Head, for two decades, the Nerem\u0026rsquo;s cultivated an atmosphere that fostered many lasting professional and personal relationships.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd the awards and honors came. But two in particular really stood out for Nerem. One of them, the Nerem International Travel Award (appropriate because, as McDevitt said, \u0026quot;traveling is his favorite pastime.\u0026quot;). The idea, Nerem said, \u0026ldquo;is to get the student out of his or her familiar surroundings, to really experience research in another lab, another setting, sharing their work while learning techniques from other experts in other parts of the world.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn other words, it was all about making connections.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThen last year the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) introduced the Robert M. Nerem Education and Mentorship Medal, an annual award. Ethier led the effort at ASME\u0026rsquo;s Bioengineering Division. The medal was first awarded in 2019, to a longtime friend of Nerem\u0026rsquo;s, Roger Kamm, professor of biological and mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And like almost everyone else who ever knew Bob Nerem, it\u0026rsquo;s Rule No. 6 on Nerem\u0026rsquo;s list that stood out most: People will remember not what you said, but only how you made them feel; strive to make a difference in the lives of others.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Bob epitomized the traits to strive for as educators and mentors,\u0026rdquo; said Kamm. \u0026ldquo;Bob had the unique ability to connect with everyone he met, because he was genuinely interested in each individual as a person. He led us, inspired us, mentored us, and most of all, was a dear friend and role model.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBob Nerem, who lived in Stone Mountain, is survived by Marilyn, his wife of more than 40 years; his children, Steven Nerem and Nancy Nerem Black; Marilyn\u0026rsquo;s children, Christy Maser and Carol Wilcox; and multiple grandchildren. A celebration of his life is being planned for the near future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Bob\u0026rsquo;s love of family and friends was infectious,\u0026rdquo; said Garc\u0026iacute;a, professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. \u0026ldquo;And another thing I always admired about Bob is, he did it his way. In rising to the top, he made sure that everyone rose with him.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBob Nerem\u0026rsquo;s Rules of Life\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Col\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThere are no such things as mistakes, only lessons, i.e., a series of learning experiences; growth is through a series of such experiences, a process which involves both successful and unsuccessful experiments.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EAn unsuccessful experiment does not represent failure, it is just a learning experience; often one learns more from these than from successes; apply the lessons of today so as to make yourself a better person tomorrow.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EAlways be open in the widest possible way to encountering a new person, to a new opportunity, as these represent new teachers, new learning experiences; \u0026ldquo;leave the screen door (to the outside world) unlatched,\u0026rdquo; you never know who or what will walk in.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EIf you encounter a closed door, simply look for another door that might be open; life is filled with a lot of paths and doors to walk through, do not waste time on a door which is closed, let the \u0026ldquo;rock\u0026rdquo; in your path be a \u0026ldquo;stepping stone.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EYour life is up to you; at birth you were provided a \u0026ldquo;canvas\u0026rdquo; onto which you have the opportunity to \u0026ldquo;paint your life\u0026rdquo;; take charge of your life and the \u0026ldquo;painting of this picture,\u0026rdquo; if you do not someone or something else will.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EPeople will remember not what you said, but only how you made them feel; strive to make a difference in the lives of others.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERemember that the cup is always half full, never half empty, but remember that the only cards you can play are the ones that you were dealt.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELook for the good in people, try to imagine the world as it seems to the other person.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ENever, never worry about something over which you have no control.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EWhatever happens, place the least dramatic interpretation on the event, the incident, and\/or whatever is said.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ENever have expectations, only hopes, and welcome each and every new day for \u0026ldquo;each dawn is a new beginning\u0026rdquo;; each day presents new opportunities and as has been said, \u0026ldquo;a day spent without real enthusiasm, is an opportunity lost.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELove yourself, make peace with who you are and where you are at this moment in time, be willing to let go of the life that you had planned so as to have the life that waits you.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EListen to your heart; if you cannot hear what it is saying in this noisy world, make time for yourself, enjoy your own company, let your mind wander among the stars.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDo not let your preoccupation with reality stifle your imagination; if someday, why not now, even though the impossible may take a while.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EFinally, life\u0026#39;s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, worn out, shouting\u0026mdash;holy cow, what a ride!\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ol\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMemorials can be made to Project ENGAGES, Georgia Tech Foundation, 760 Spring Street NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA, 30368. Or, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mygeorgiatech.gatech.edu\/giving\/make-a-gift\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eyou can do so online\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Put specify \u0026quot;Project ENGAGES in the \u0026quot;Other Designation\u0026rdquo; field. There is also a \u0026quot;This gift is a memorial\u0026quot; checkbox where you can indicate that the gift is in memory of Bob Nerem.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Remembering Robert M. Nerem, Georgia Tech\u2019s Founding Father of Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERemembering Robert M. Nerem, Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Founding Father of Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Remembering Robert M. Nerem, Georgia Tech\u2019s Founding Father of Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-03-09 16:01:09","changed_gmt":"2021-05-21 18:46:08","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633421":{"id":"633421","type":"image","title":"Robert M. Nerem, Ph.D.","body":null,"created":"1583788714","gmt_created":"2020-03-09 21:18:34","changed":"1583788714","gmt_changed":"2020-03-09 21:18:34","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241020","name":"Bob Nerem - 400 pxls.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bob%20Nerem%20-%20400%20pxls.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bob%20Nerem%20-%20400%20pxls.png","mime":"image\/png","size":315329,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Bob%20Nerem%20-%20400%20pxls.png?itok=y37HrCv4"}},"633399":{"id":"633399","type":"image","title":"Nerem","body":null,"created":"1583769330","gmt_created":"2020-03-09 15:55:30","changed":"1583769330","gmt_changed":"2020-03-09 15:55:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241007","name":"Nerem.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Nerem.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Nerem.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":589507,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Nerem.jpg?itok=SqZam3n9"}},"633398":{"id":"633398","type":"image","title":"Bob Nerem screen","body":null,"created":"1583769280","gmt_created":"2020-03-09 15:54:40","changed":"1583769280","gmt_changed":"2020-03-09 15:54:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241006","name":"Bob.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bob.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bob.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":564758,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Bob.jpg?itok=wH7QJnOE"}}},"media_ids":["633421","633399","633398"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644761":{"#nid":"644761","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Neha Garg Receives NSF CAREER Award to Fight Coral Reef Disease ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere\u0026rsquo;s a relatively new disease quickly sweeping parts of the world, but it\u0026rsquo;s not the one that\u0026rsquo;s dominated headlines for a year, and it doesn\u0026rsquo;t focus on humans. This threat has been around since 2014, and it\u0026rsquo;s infected more than 20 species of corals off the coast of Florida and throughout the Caribbean.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/floridakeys.noaa.gov\/coral-disease\/disease.html\u0022\u003EStony Coral Tissue Loss Disease\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;is spreading really, really fast,\u0026rdquo; says\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/garg\/neha\u0022\u003ENeha Garg\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. \u0026ldquo;Florida has 45 species of corals and more than 20 have already been impacted\u0026rdquo; by the disease. \u0026ldquo;It started in Florida, and the next we heard it had spread to the U.S. Virgin Island and other islands in the Caribbean \u0026mdash; and the latest I heard is it has spread to the Cayman Islands.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe cause is not known. \u0026ldquo;We know we can treat it with antibiotics, so bacteria does play a role,\u0026rdquo; Garg says, \u0026ldquo;and it can be transmitted by physical and water contact, which also tells us an infectious agent is likely at play.\u0026rdquo; Despite rising ocean temperatures, scientists don\u0026rsquo;t believe that\u0026rsquo;s the culprit behind Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, or SCTLD.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s an all hands on deck situation for marine biologists and the science community as they work to contain the spread and try to rejuvenate infected reefs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd now, Garg\u0026rsquo;s research to date into SCTLD has earned her a 2021\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/funding\/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (NSF CAREER) Award\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;for her project to study the disease currently roaring through the reefs off Florida\u0026rsquo;s west coast.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe disease adds another threat to beleaguered\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/search\/node\/coral\u0022\u003Ecoral reefs\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;around the globe. Climate change-related warming has already led to bleaching of reefs, chasing away organisms that use them for shelter and food. \u0026ldquo;Coral reefs generate carbon sources to support 20 percent of life in the oceans,\u0026rdquo; Garg says. \u0026ldquo;Then there\u0026rsquo;s the economic impact on coastal areas, with recreation, fishing. It can impact the livelihoods of coastal populations. If we lose them, it can cause imbalance in various ocean ecosystems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn early 2020, Garg and Georgia Tech received an\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/georgia-tech-researchers-receive-epa-south-fl-initiative-award\u0022\u003EEnvironmental Protection Agency grant\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to study biomarkers of coral reef disease. Her NSF CAREER award project will allow her to continue examining the changing chemical and microbial makeup of coral reefs experiencing outbreaks of SCTLD.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Garg shares in the project\u0026rsquo;s abstract, despite the disease\u0026rsquo;s rapid spread, \u0026ldquo;the understanding of chemical changes that accompany the onset of disease, the changes in bacterial inhabitants, and the disruption of the coral-algal symbiosis remain poorly known. Elucidating chemical changes and their symbiotic or pathogenic contributors is challenging and necessitates the use of state-of-the art multiomic and data analytic strategies.\u0026rdquo; (Multiomics combines data from several \u0026ldquo;omic\u0026rdquo; strategies including\u0026nbsp;genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and microbiomics)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe adds that \u0026ldquo;through the use of advanced multiomic approaches, knowledge gained from this research will provide understanding of the chemical and organismal signatures that define health or disease status of coral holobionts,\u0026rdquo; referring to an ecological symbiosis created by a host \u0026mdash; in this case a coral \u0026mdash; and the organisms that live in and around it.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Holobionts represent\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;multipartite symbiosis between the coral animal, the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate, resident microbiota (bacteria and archaea), as well as the fungal, protistan, and viral associates,\u0026rdquo; she explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA key component of any NSF CAREER Award is how it can enhance educational opportunities for high school and college students. Garg\u0026rsquo;s proposal will include teaching modules to train K-12 teachers through Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ceismc.gatech.edu\/gift\u0022\u003EGeorgia Intern Fellowship for Teachers (GIFT)\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;program. She says introducing high school students to the effects of climate change on coral reefs and the role of STEM in understanding disease mechanisms will enhance student participation in STEM fields. \u0026ldquo;Their participation in environmental science through training in biology and chemistry will serve as a strong scientific foundation for these students, and foster a future generation that cares for the environment and understands the role of science in creating a healthy future,\u0026rdquo; writes Garg.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe educational portion of her CAREER project will also involve the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.georgiaaquarium.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Aquarium\u003C\/a\u003E. Garg reached out to researchers there, knowing that many aquariums in the U.S. maintain samples of corals behind the scenes for restoration purposes. \u0026ldquo;They are keeping an inventory of these corals so, in the future, we can go back to the ocean and replant them.\u0026rdquo; Students can take coral tissue samples in non-destructive ways to get them started on research methods, she adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s one way we are thinking we can motivate high school students from low-income families to pursue and promote higher education in STEM fields,\u0026rdquo; Garg says. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ll be participating in the GIFT program to get high school students to spend the summer in our\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.garglab-microbiomegt.com\/\u0022\u003Elab\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarg\u0026rsquo;s lab has already bought two tanks to serve as salt water aquariums, so students can isolate coral reef bacteria in the lab. She has also partnered with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/naturalhistory.si.edu\/staff\/valerie-paul\u0022\u003EValerie Paul\u003C\/a\u003E, Smithsonian researcher and head scientist of the National Museum of History, for samples of corals with SCTLD. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ll run some phenotypic tests, and teach the students metabolomics.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is ravaging Florida\u0026#39;s coral reefs, with 20 out of 45 coral species in the state\u0026#39;s waters\u0026nbsp;already infected. School of Chemistry and Biochemistry assistant professor\u0026nbsp;Neha Garg has received an NSF CAREER Award to help battle this rapidly spreading disease.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is ravaging Florida\u0027s coral reefs, with 20 out of 45 coral species in the state\u0027s waters already infected. School of Chemistry and Biochemistry assistant professor Neha Garg has received an NSF CAREER Award to battle it."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-02-26 19:59:53","changed_gmt":"2021-05-03 20:22:42","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633200":{"id":"633200","type":"image","title":"\u0022Big Momma\u0022 Coral Before Disease. Credit: Dr. Dave Gilliam Nova Southeastern University","body":null,"created":"1583172962","gmt_created":"2020-03-02 18:16:02","changed":"1583173018","gmt_changed":"2020-03-02 18:16:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240926","name":"stony coral tissue big-mamma-alive-400.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stony%20coral%20tissue%20big-mamma-alive-400.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stony%20coral%20tissue%20big-mamma-alive-400.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":39064,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/stony%20coral%20tissue%20big-mamma-alive-400.jpg?itok=D3NhbrSE"}},"633201":{"id":"633201","type":"image","title":"\u0022Big Momma\u0022 Coral After Disease. Credit: Florida Department of Environmental Protection","body":null,"created":"1583173007","gmt_created":"2020-03-02 18:16:47","changed":"1583173007","gmt_changed":"2020-03-02 18:16:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240927","name":"stony coral tissue big-mamma-dead-400.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stony%20coral%20tissue%20big-mamma-dead-400.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stony%20coral%20tissue%20big-mamma-dead-400.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":27407,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/stony%20coral%20tissue%20big-mamma-dead-400.jpg?itok=qTsEiLzM"}},"633205":{"id":"633205","type":"image","title":"Dr. Neha Garg","body":null,"created":"1583174334","gmt_created":"2020-03-02 18:38:54","changed":"1583174334","gmt_changed":"2020-03-02 18:38:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240928","name":"neha garg.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/neha%20garg.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/neha%20garg.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":33150,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/neha%20garg.jpg?itok=yOpXJWQS"}}},"media_ids":["633200","633201","633205"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/floridakeys.noaa.gov\/coral-disease\/disease.html","title":"NOAA Stone Coral Tissue Loss Disease Map"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/georgia-tech-researchers-receive-epa-south-fl-initiative-award","title":"Georgia Tech Researchers Receive EPA South FL Initiative Award"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.garglab-microbiomegt.com","title":"Garg Microbiome@Georgia Tech Lab:"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/maths-mayya-zhilova-gets-early-career-boost-national-science-foundation","title":"Math\u2019s Mayya Zhilova Gets Early CAREER Boost from NSF "}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"565971","name":"Ocean Science and Engineering (OSE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"187129","name":"Neha Garg"},{"id":"187130","name":"Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease"},{"id":"100711","name":"coral reefs"},{"id":"481","name":"florida"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646931":{"#nid":"646931","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Science of Sound, Vibration to Better Diagnose, Treat Brain Diseases ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team of engineering researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology hopes to uncover new ways to diagnose and treat brain ailments, from tumors and stroke to Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease, leveraging vibrations and ultrasound waves.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe five-year, $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project initiated in 2019 already has resulted in several published journal articles that offer promising new methods to focus ultrasound waves through the skull, which could lead to broader use of ultrasound imaging \u0026mdash; considered safer and less expensive than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESpecifically, the team is researching a broad range of frequencies, spanning low frequency vibrations (audio frequency range) and moderate frequency guided waves (100 kHz to 1 MHz) to high frequencies employed in brain imaging and therapy (in the MHz range).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re coming up with a unique framework that incorporates different research perspectives to address how you use sound and vibration to treat and diagnose brain diseases,\u0026rdquo; explained \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/costas-arvanitis\u0022\u003ECostas Arvanitis\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0026ldquo;Each researcher is bringing their own expertise to explore how vibrations and waves across a range of frequencies could either extract information from the brain or focus energy on the brain.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAccessing the Brain Is a Tough Challenge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile it is possible to treat some tumors and other brain diseases non-invasively if they are near the center of the brain, many other conditions are harder to access, the researchers say.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The center part of the brain is most accessible; however, even if you are able to target the part of the brain away from the center, you still have to go through the skull,\u0026rdquo; Arvanitis said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe added that moving just 1 millimeter in the brain constitutes \u0026ldquo;a huge distance\u0026rdquo; from a diagnostic perspective. The science community widely acknowledges the brain\u0026rsquo;s complexity, each part associated with a different function and brain cells differing from one to the other.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Brooks-Lindsey\u0022\u003EBrooks Lindsey\u003C\/a\u003E, a biomedical engineering assistant professor at Georgia Tech and Emory, there is a reason why brain imaging or therapy works well in some people but not in others.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;It depends on the individual patient\u0026rsquo;s skull characteristics,\u0026rdquo; he said, noting that some people have slightly more trabecular bone \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;the spongy, porous part of the bone\u0026nbsp;that makes it more difficult to treat.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing ultrasound waves, the researchers are tackling the challenge on multiple levels. Lindsey\u0026rsquo;s lab uses ultrasound imaging to assess skull properties for effective imaging and therapy. He said his team conducted the first investigation that uses ultrasound imaging to measure the effects of bone microstructure \u0026mdash; specifically, the degree of porosity in the inner, trabecular bone layer of the skull.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;By understanding transmission of acoustic waves through microstructure in an individual\u0026rsquo;s skull, non-invasive ultrasound imaging of the brain and delivery of therapy could be possible in a greater number of people,\u0026rdquo; he said, explaining one potential application would be to image blood flow in the brain following a stroke.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERefocusing Ultrasound Beams on the Fly\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArvanitis\u0026rsquo; lab recently found a new way to focus ultrasound through the skull and into the brain, which is \u0026ldquo;100-fold faster than any other method,\u0026rdquo; Arvanitis said. His team\u0026rsquo;s work in adaptive focusing techniques would allow clinicians to adjust the ultrasound on the fly to focus it better.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Current systems rely a lot on MRIs, which are big, bulky, and extremely expensive,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;This method lets you adapt and refocus the beam. In the future this could allow us to design less costly, simpler systems, which would make the technology available to a wider population, as well as be able to treat different parts of the brain.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUsing \u0026lsquo;Guided Waves\u0026rsquo; to Access Periphery Brain Areas\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother research cohort, led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/erturk\u0022\u003EAlper Erturk\u003C\/a\u003E, Woodruff Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, and former Georgia Tech colleague Massimo Ruzzene, Slade Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, performs high-fidelity modeling of skull bone mechanics along with vibration-based elastic parameter identification. They also leverage guided ultrasonic waves in the skull to expand the treatment envelope in the brain. Erturk and Ruzzene are mechanical engineers by background, which makes their exploration of vibrations and guided waves in difficult-to-reach brain areas especially fascinating.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nErturk noted that guided waves are used in other applications such as aerospace and civil structures for damage detection. \u0026ldquo;Accurate modeling of the complex bone geometry and microstructure, combined with rigorous experiments for parameter identification, is crucial for a fundamental understanding to expand the accessible region of the brain,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERuzzene compared the brain and skull to the Earth\u0026rsquo;s core and crust, with the cranial guided waves acting as an earthquake. Just as geophysicists use earthquake data on the Earth\u0026rsquo;s surface to understand the Earth\u0026rsquo;s core, so are Erturk and Ruzzene using the guided waves to generate tiny, high frequency \u0026ldquo;earthquakes\u0026rdquo; on the external surface of the skull to characterize what comprises the cranial bone.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETrying to access the brain periphery via conventional ultrasound poses added risks from the skull heating up. Fortunately, advances such as cranial leaky Lamb waves increasingly are recognized for transmitting wave energy to that region of the brain.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese cranial guided waves could complement focused ultrasound applications to monitor changes in the cranial bone marrow from health disorders, or to efficiently transmit acoustic signals through the skull barrier, which could help access metastases and treat neurological conditions in currently inaccessible regions of the brain.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, the four researchers hope their work will make full brain imaging feasible while stimulating new medical imaging and therapy techniques. In addition to transforming diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases, the techniques could better detect traumas and skull-related defects, map the brain function, and enable neurostimulation. Researchers also see the potential for uncovering ultrasound-based blood-brain barrier openings for drug delivery for managing and treating diseases such as Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith this comprehensive research of the skull-brain system, and by understanding the fundamentals of transcranial ultrasound, the team hopes to make it more available to even more diseases and target many parts of the brain.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work is funded by the National Science Foundation (CMMI Award 1933158 \u0026ldquo;Coupling Skull-Brain Vibroacoustics and Ultrasound Toward Enhanced Imaging, Diagnosis, and Therapy\u0026rdquo;).\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATIONS:\u003C\/strong\u003E C. Sugino, M. Ruzzene, and A. Erturk, \u0026ldquo;Experimental and Computational Investigation of Guided Waves in a Human Skull.\u0026rdquo; (Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 2021) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.11.019\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.11.019\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EM. Mazzotti, E. Kohtanen, A. Erturk, and M. Ruzzene, \u0026ldquo;Radiation Characteristics of Cranial Leaky Lamb Waves.\u0026rdquo; (IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, 2021) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1109\/TUFFC.2021.3057309\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1109\/TUFFC.2021.3057309\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ES. Schoen, C. Arvanitis, \u0026ldquo;Heterogeneous Angular Spectrum Method for Trans-Skull Imaging and Focusing.\u0026rdquo; (IEEE Xplore, 2020) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/document\/8902167\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/document\/8902167\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EB. Jing, C. Arvanitis, B. Lindsey, \u0026ldquo;Effect of Incidence Angle and Wave Mode Conversion on Transcranial Ultrafast Doppler Imaging.\u0026rdquo; (IEEE Xplore, 2020)\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/document\/9251477\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/document\/9251477\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E***\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Georgia Institute of Technology, or \u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/strong\u003E, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Institute offers \u003Cstrong\u003Ebusiness, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, \u003C\/strong\u003Eand\u003Cstrong\u003E sciences\u003C\/strong\u003E degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Multidisciplinary Researchers Uncover New Ways to Use Ultrasound Energy to Image and Treat Hard-to-reach Areas of Brain"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team of engineering researchers at the Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;hopes to uncover new ways to diagnose and treat brain ailments, from tumors and stroke to Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease, leveraging vibrations and ultrasound waves.\u0026nbsp;The five-year, $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project initiated in 2019 already has resulted in several published journal articles that offer promising new methods to focus ultrasound waves through the skull, which could lead to broader use of ultrasound imaging \u0026mdash; considered safer and less expensive than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"By understanding transmission of acoustic waves through microstructure in an individual\u2019s skull, non-invasive ultrasound imaging of the brain and delivery of therapy could be possible in a greater number of people. "}],"uid":"35692","created_gmt":"2021-04-27 14:46:47","changed_gmt":"2021-04-27 21:47:25","author":"Anne Sargent","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646921":{"id":"646921","type":"image","title":"Close up of skull imaging","body":null,"created":"1619529520","gmt_created":"2021-04-27 13:18:40","changed":"1619529520","gmt_changed":"2021-04-27 13:18:40","alt":"Graduate students set up vibration experiments on a skull.","file":{"fid":"245577","name":"Closeup.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Closeup.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Closeup.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":342120,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Closeup.jpg?itok=hVvh1BPb"}},"646922":{"id":"646922","type":"image","title":"Graduate researchers measure vibration response in skull","body":null,"created":"1619529676","gmt_created":"2021-04-27 13:21:16","changed":"1619529676","gmt_changed":"2021-04-27 13:21:16","alt":"Four graduate researchers measure vibration response of skull.","file":{"fid":"245578","name":"Lab shot_high res.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab%20shot_high%20res.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab%20shot_high%20res.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":549963,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lab%20shot_high%20res.jpg?itok=8-ldWCLf"}},"646927":{"id":"646927","type":"image","title":"Multidisciplinary researchers focus on full brain imaging","body":null,"created":"1619533229","gmt_created":"2021-04-27 14:20:29","changed":"1619533229","gmt_changed":"2021-04-27 14:20:29","alt":"Three researchers standing in front of building","file":{"fid":"245580","name":"Professors_lr.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Professors_lr.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Professors_lr.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":580397,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Professors_lr.jpg?itok=7DzNPh_9"}}},"media_ids":["646921","646922","646927"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187658","name":"brain diseases"},{"id":"987","name":"imaging"},{"id":"7677","name":"ultrasound"},{"id":"13895","name":"Vibration"},{"id":"187659","name":"brain-skull system"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts: \u003C\/strong\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent (404-435-5784) (asargent7@gatech.edu) or Tracey Reeves (404-660-2929) (tracey.reeves@gatech.edu)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646598":{"#nid":"646598","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Julia Kubanek Named Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJulia Kubanek, professor of biological sciences and chemistry and biochemistry, and associate dean for Research in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Sciences, has been named vice president for Interdisciplinary Research (VPIR). Kubanek will assume the role on July 1.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am very pleased to announce Julia Kubanek as the next vice president for Interdisciplinary Research,\u0026rdquo; said Chaouki T. Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;In her long and lauded career at Tech, she has proven herself an exemplary educator and leader who is committed to excellence in scholarship, and to building partnerships that grow collaborative research across the Institute.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKubanek joined Georgia Tech as an assistant professor in the School of Biology and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2001. She was named an associate professor in 2006, and professor in 2011. In that time, she also served as the associate chair of the School of Biology from 2009 to 2011. Kubanek has served as the associate dean for Research in the College of Sciences since 2014.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn her role as associate dean for Research, Kubanek was part of the leadership team that helped shepherd substantial research growth in the College of Sciences, including the enhancement of research opportunities and infrastructure for faculty and students. Kubanek supported the collaborative interests of faculty and students by organizing and hosting cross-disciplinary workshops, including with the Oak Ridge National Lab. Her work also included career development workshops for early career academic and research faculty; guidance to faculty looking to launch new collaborative projects; and one-on-one mentoring of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;With 20 years at Tech, I know this institution is filled with faculty, staff, and students who want to drive life-changing research in ways they cannot achieve alone,\u0026rdquo; Kubanek said. \u0026ldquo;In a supportive, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment, I believe the creative, promising research visions of our Georgia Tech researchers can grow to international prominence and improve people\u0026rsquo;s lives and the health of our planet.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe VPIR is responsible for ensuring the effective and strategic administration of interdisciplinary research and activities, including the Interdisciplinary Research Institutes, the Interdisciplinary Research Centers, the Pediatric Technology Center, the Georgia Center for Medical Innovation, and the Novelis Innovation Hub. The role has been filled on an interim basis since February by Devesh Ranjan, associate chair for Research, Ring Family Chair, and professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Devesh Ranjan, who has expertly served in the role of interim VPIR and will continue to do so until June 30, providing critical continuity and leadership,\u0026rdquo; Abdallah said. \u0026ldquo;Thank you, too, to our search chair Rob Butera, professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering, and vice president for Research Development and Operations, and the search committee who reviewed an exceptional field of candidates.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKubanek\u0026rsquo;s publications and grants have been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, industry, and national labs, as well as state agencies and foundations. Her educational and scientific contributions have seen her recognized for teaching excellence and mentoring by her students and colleagues, as well as accolades from national boards and associations. She is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, as well as the National Science Foundation CAREER award, among many others.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKubanek\u0026rsquo;s research focus has included aquatic chemical ecology, chemical signaling, chemical communication, chemoreception, chemical biology, marine natural products chemistry, secondary metabolism, drug discovery, and metabolomics. She has mentored and advised more than 90 students and postdocs and has published more than 100 papers in journals and conferences. Kubanek received a B.Sc. in chemistry from Queen\u0026#39;s University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of British Columbia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJulia Kubanek, professor of biological sciences and chemistry and biochemistry, and associate dean for Research in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Sciences, has been named vice president for Interdisciplinary Research, effective\u0026nbsp;July 1.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Julia Kubanek, professor of biological sciences and chemistry and biochemistry, and associate dean for Research in Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Sciences, has been named vice president for Interdisciplinary Research, effective July 1."}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2021-04-19 14:06:53","changed_gmt":"2021-04-19 17:41:56","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646583":{"id":"646583","type":"image","title":"Julia Kubanek","body":null,"created":"1618834138","gmt_created":"2021-04-19 12:08:58","changed":"1618834138","gmt_changed":"2021-04-19 12:08:58","alt":"Julia Kubanek","file":{"fid":"245442","name":"KUBANEK.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/KUBANEK.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/KUBANEK.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":127873,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/KUBANEK.jpg?itok=xlCBrGNM"}}},"media_ids":["646583"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"565971","name":"Ocean Science and Engineering (OSE)"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:susie.ivy@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESusie Ivy\u003C\/a\u003E, Director\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nOrganizational, Academic, and Research Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["susie.ivy@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646601":{"#nid":"646601","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and Shriners Collaborate on Research Data Resources","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe collaboration between experts at Georgia Institute of Technology and Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) that was launched last year\u0026nbsp;is expanding to encompass the fields of precision medicine and big data analysis and interpretation in 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new initiative will create pilot research projects and tools that align with the needs and aims of the SHC network of clinicians to enable state-of-the-art clinical research and facilitate clinical practice. The seed grants will support Georgia Tech faculty and research associates working directly with SHC physicians and surgeons. The overall goal remains to improve the lives of children treated at SHC.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELeanne West, chief engineer of pediatric technologies at Georgia Tech, added, \u0026ldquo;This particular round of research is all about going further with information and data and making it accessible for research and patient care. With the unique data from SHC and Tech\u0026rsquo;s expertise in data analytics, we\u0026rsquo;re going to be able to provide more specific information for diagnosis and treatment of Shriners patients.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe seed grant opportunity inspired investigator partners to conceptualize seven successful clinical research projects. Coleman Hilton, Shriners\u0026rsquo; Research Informatics manager, who is responsible for addressing resource needs from the teams, noted that \u0026ldquo;these seven projects represent the breadth of care provided at Shriners and they are very focused on the specific research needs for each of the patient populations.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe teams, awarded two-year seed grants of either $50,000 or $150,000, are led by principal investigators from each institution. May Dongmei Wang, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, is the Georgia Tech principal investigator for three of the seven projects this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer lab has been busy working with SHC, \u0026ldquo;to establish a new Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) prototype as the backend server. We want to enable interoperable clinical data management across all SHC hospitals,\u0026rdquo; Wang said. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is the standard for joining disparate systems together in the exchange of electronic health records. It was developed by HL7 International, the non-profit organization that develops standards and solutions to empower global health data interoperability.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the 2021 round of seed projects, Wang said, \u0026ldquo;we\u0026rsquo;ll assist four Shriners hospitals to develop three FHIR applications to showcase the acceleration of the clinical informatics pipeline from idea, to data, to insights, using FHIR.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This program will allow us to capture, access, share, and analyze data, including diagnostics, radiographic images, and genomics in a way that is not currently available in existing Shriners Hospital for Children patient registries and research databases,\u0026rdquo; said Marc Lalande, vice president of SHC\u0026rsquo;s research programs. \u0026ldquo;The infrastructure that will be developed will not only enhance our clinical research capabilities, but also advance our clinical practices.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHere\u0026rsquo;s a rundown of the seven projects funded for 2021:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E3D Graphical Scale for Assessing Hip Functional Range of Motion\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E Megan Denham, Senior Research Associate, Georgia Tech Research Institute; Harold van Bosse, SHC-Philadelphia\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis:\u003C\/strong\u003E Hip pathology in babies and children can affect long-term development and lead to malformations and deformations and other conditions. While surgery can correct pediatric hip conditions and optimize functionality and range of motion, there currently are no outcome measurements that can adequately analyze hip function across the spectrum of conditions; no way to compare results of different treatment modalities; and none that follow results over time and growth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUtilizing a computer model to graph range of motion, the team will develop a pediatric hip score system, allowing for more precise evaluation of various treatments of hip contractures in children across the spectrum of neuromuscular conditions (such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophies). They intend to develop a mobile application that can quantify function with a single figure, to help clinicians make more practical evaluations, leading to more valid comparisons of treatment options.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECraniofacial Microsomia (CFM) Informatics Infrastructure\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E May Dongmei Wang, Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (Georgia Tech and Emory University); Chad Purnell, M.D., SHC-Chicago\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis:\u003C\/strong\u003E CFM is a clinical conundrum \u0026ndash; it is the second most common craniofacial anomaly, but its pathogenesis is not clearly understood. The research team\u0026rsquo;s long-term goal is to develop an AI model of how genes and environmental factors conspire in CFM. This seed grant will establish the first step in the process, creating a framework for sharing phenotypic, clinical, radiologic, and genetic data between SHC-Chicago and Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESpecific aims for the seed project include creating a set of minimum common data elements for CFM research data, and developing a system to allow secure, high-volume data sharing between institutions, which will leverage the Wang lab\u0026rsquo;s expertise in developing parallel FHIR infrastructure, enabling flexible integration of data sets within the SHC system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGL-SMART (Greenville-Lexington Shriner Multisite AI-enabled Rehabilitation Technology)\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E May Dongmei Wang, Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; J. Michael Wattenbarger, M.D., Chief of Staff, SHC-Greenville; Henry J. Iwinski, M.D., Chief of Staff, SHC-Lexington\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis: \u003C\/strong\u003EThis is a multi-site collaboration between Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville (SC) and Lexington (KY), the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Together, they intend to develop an advanced technology platform to improve scoliosis patient care at multiple Shriners sites.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two Shriners sites involved in the study have accumulated extensive data from more than 1,000 patients over the past decade \u0026ndash; insight that can help clinicians make better care decisions. Wang\u0026rsquo;s lab will develop a FHIR application to enable clinicians at both Shriners sites to share and access clinical data seamlessly. Wang also is developing a multimodal AI algorithm to streamline the process of predicting clinical outcomes in scoliosis patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EHR-pQCT Informatics Infrastructure\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E May Dongmei Wang, Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; Gary S. Gottesman, M.D., Center for Metabolic Bone Disease, SHC-St. Louis\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis:\u003C\/strong\u003E For patients with musculoskeletal disorders, bone mineral density scans are critical in the evaluation, surveillance, and treatment. High resolution peripheral computed tomography (HR-pQCT) is a revolutionary advancement as a new 3-D skeletal imaging tool with the ability to differentiate internal structures from cortical bone, and inform the pathophysiology of bone diseases, providing insights into bone biology, and better treatments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing all of that illuminating information is hampered by the inability to query the data based on significant research parameters, which is crucial to gaining deeper insight into bone disorders. So the researchers plan to build an integrative, relational database to house the data, design a FHIR interface, then populate the database with patient data, and explore options for automating the extraction, transformation, and loading of new HR-pQCT data as it is generated.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMachine Learning to Predict Fentanyl Efficacy and Adverse Effects to Advance Precision Medicine\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E Jeffrey Skolnick, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech; Kristin Grimsrud, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of California-Davis\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis:\u003C\/strong\u003E Personalized pain management continues to be a challenging issue for patients and clinicians. Although advances in pharmacogenetics aid in decoding genetic variants, no one really knows how a given patient will respond to a particular drug until it is administered.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo address this problem, data from two ongoing SHC studies will be used as input for machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict if a patient will experience a decrease in pain or adverse events following fentanyl administration. Skolnick\u0026rsquo;s lab will then use an ML tool it developed, MEDICASCY, for disease indication, mode of action, small molecule drug efficacy, and side effect predictions. MEDICASCY predictions will then be combined with an enzyme inference algorithm, patient clinical data, and information on fentanyl blood concentrations to generate specific predictions for fentanyl efficacy and adverse effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPlatform Architecture and Machine Learning for Arthrogryposis\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E Tony Pan, Research Scientist, institute for Data Engineering and Science (IDEaS) at Georgia Tech; No\u0026eacute;mi Dahan-Oliel, SHC-Montreal\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis: \u003C\/strong\u003EThree Shriners Hospitals \u0026ndash; Chicago, Greenville, and Montreal \u0026ndash; are involved in this project with Georgia Tech to address important knowledge gaps in understanding arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), a rare (1 in 3,000 live births) chronic musculoskeletal disease. Shriners will identify the underlying causes, risk factors, and distribution of AMC, documenting interventions and outcomes, and determining genetic and\/or environmental factors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPan and his team at Georgia Tech are essentially going to help make the data more accessible, developing a computational framework for machine learning to ultimately enable precision medicine. The researchers will design and implement a system to meet the needs for this project, deploying high-performance computing and cloud friendly cyber infrastructure to enable ad-hoc, on-demand, and reproducible data analysis with low deployment cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESports Medicine Registry\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrincipal Investigators:\u003C\/strong\u003E Minoru Shinohara, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech; Corinna Franklin, director of sports medicine, SHC-Philadelphia\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProject Synopsis:\u003C\/strong\u003E Six Shriners Hospitals for Children (Northern California, Erie, Chicago, Portland, Philadelphia, Montreal), as part of the Shriners Sports Medicine Consortium, are working with researcher Minoru Shinohara, who directs the Human Neuromuscular Physiology Lab at Georgia Tech. Their goal is to develop a comprehensive registry that will help clinical researchers answer many large-scale questions in pediatric sports medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShinohara, and his Georgia Tech and SHC colleagues will identify the core data elements to use from Shriners system motion analysis centers, surgical procedures, and rehab\/clinical information. Ultimately, they intend to create a sports medicine registry that will be easily accessible to researchers within the consortium, giving Shriners clinicians an opportunity to have a greater impact in the treatment of pediatric sports injuries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME\u0027s May Wang leading three of the seven projects in new initiative to improve lives of pediatric patients"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME\u0026#39;s May Wang leading three of the seven projects in new initiative to improve lives of pediatric patients\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME\u0027s May Wang leading three of the seven projects in new initiative to improve lives of pediatric patients"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-04-19 15:28:18","changed_gmt":"2021-04-19 15:34:33","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646600":{"id":"646600","type":"image","title":"May Wang","body":null,"created":"1618845414","gmt_created":"2021-04-19 15:16:54","changed":"1618845414","gmt_changed":"2021-04-19 15:16:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245449","name":"MayWang.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MayWang.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MayWang.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":322853,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MayWang.jpg?itok=FJUg5jlh"}}},"media_ids":["646600"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"141801","name":"pediatric medicine"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187600","name":"pediatric biomedical research"},{"id":"33291","name":"data analysis"},{"id":"187601","name":"big data analysis"},{"id":"15092","name":"big data"},{"id":"187602","name":"Shriners Hospitals for Children"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646467":{"#nid":"646467","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Marine Animals Inspire New Approaches to Structural Topology Optimization","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA mollusk and shrimp are two unlikely marine animals that are playing a very important role in engineering. The bodies of both animals illustrate how natural features, like the structures of their bones and shells, can be borrowed to enhance the performance of engineered structures and materials, like bridges and airplanes. This phenomenon, known as biomimetics, is helping advance structural topology research, where the microscale features found in natural systems are being mimicked.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a recent \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/7\/16\/eabf4838\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Epaper\u003C\/a\u003E published by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), a new approach to structural topology optimization is outlined that unifies both design and manufacturing to create novel microstructures, with potential applications ranging from enhanced facial implants for cranial reconstruction to improved ways to get materials into space for planetary exploration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;With traditional structural topology optimization, we use algorithms to determine the ideal layout of a structure \u0026ndash; one that maximizes structural efficiency and requires fewer material resources,\u0026rdquo; said Emily Sanders, a Ph.D. student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, and co-author of the paper. \u0026ldquo;Our new research takes that a step further by introducing structural hierarchy, microarchitectures, and spatially-varying mechanical properties to enable different types of functionality like those observed in the cuttlefish and mantis shrimp.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe properties of both animals inspired the new framework for designing hierarchical, spatially-varying microstructures and required the researchers to build on existing technologies used to create 3D-printed structures.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In our recent work, we\u0026rsquo;ve developed technology that includes new algorithms and computations that are the enablers of a hierarchical microstructure,\u0026rdquo; said Glaucio Paulino, Raymond Allen Jones chair and professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, co-author of the paper and recent inductee to the National Academy of Engineering. \u0026ldquo;We can then input that information into 3D printers and create structures with tremendous amounts of details. After studying the porous, layered cuttlefish bone that has extremely adaptive properties, we\u0026rsquo;ve been able to apply that to new structures and materials like the ones shown in our paper.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Paulino and his team, he hopes this new research will be applied to his earlier work in cranial reconstruction on cancer patients and those who have had massive facial injuries and bone loss.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Now, we can 3D print craniofacial implants that have been designed using topology optimization and provide the framework for tissue re-growth,\u0026rdquo; said Paulino. \u0026ldquo;Ideally when combined with the spatially-varying microarchitectures we\u0026rsquo;ve recently developed, the implants would more closely mimic the porous nature of the human bone and would promote the growth of the bone itself inside the scaffold. As the bone grows, the scaffold biodegrades, and if everything goes well, in the end the scaffold is gone, and the patient has new bones in the right places.\u0026rdquo; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDesign and Manufacturing\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Sanders explains it, there are two aspects being investigated in this paper that advance the study of topology optimization: design and manufacturing. The first goal is to design an optimal macro geometry and at the same time, optimally distribute spatially-varying micro geometries within, in order to meet performance objectives. In this paper, the researchers were looking for maximally stiff parts with limited volume, much like the mantis shrimp hammer claw and they achieved a high level of complexity that mimics nature at both scales.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe second goal is related to the manufacturing needed to create the structures. With additive manufacturing \u0026ndash; or 3D printing \u0026ndash; researchers can manufacture structures with complex geometries. But with the research team\u0026rsquo;s introduction of spatially-varying microstructures, the printing becomes increasingly difficult.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The more complex 3D data that we would have to send to the printer is so enormous that it\u0026rsquo;s prohibitive,\u0026rdquo; said Sanders. \u0026ldquo;So, we had to find a new way to communicate that information to the printer. Now, we communicate only 2D information, embedding the microstructures directly in 2D slices of the structure. At the end, the printer combines the slices to get the structure. It\u0026rsquo;s much more efficient.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What Emily did with manufacturing closes the loop,\u0026rdquo; said Paulino. \u0026ldquo;We deliver on the design, mathematics, and algorithms. And we connect topology optimization with the additive manufacturing at both macro and micro levels.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFuture Applications\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen considering the future of the advancements made to structural topology optimization in this paper, Paulino and Sanders both see applications in biomaterials, as well as magnetic properties designed for space exploration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Paulino\u0026rsquo;s work that continues in cranial reconstruction, he envisions interdisciplinary collaborations between engineering, chemistry and biology to develop biocompatible materials and architectures for medical use.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re not there yet, but this work is a step in the right direction,\u0026rdquo; said Paulino. \u0026ldquo;Eventually, we\u0026rsquo;ll be able to print biocompatible materials. This research with spatially-varying microarchitectures should enable the optimal design and manufacturing for biomaterial applications.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERegarding space exploration, the research could impact the creation of synthetic structures and systems with functionality, like magnetic material assemblages that could be actuated on demand by means of applied magnetic fields. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;An important aspect of this work is that it opened up our design space so that we can have spatially-varying properties, which enables us to do things we couldn\u0026rsquo;t before,\u0026rdquo; said Sanders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPaulino goes on to explain that with space travel, each pound of material sent into space has an enormous cost, so the amount of material and volume brought on space missions is very limited.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The way I see our manufacturing working in space is you print in place, potentially using printing materials from the foreign planet itself,\u0026rdquo; said Paulino. \u0026ldquo;You can bring the additive printing capabilities to Mars and print structures with the properties you need when you get there. You print only what you need versus bringing everything you \u003Cem\u003Ethink\u003C\/em\u003E you might need. In space, you want everything you do to be optimized.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInspired by animals and how they function in nature, Paulino and his team have evolved topology optimization once again, this time with the new design and manufacturing of spatially-varying, hierarchical structures. And, soon, practical applications in biomedicine and space exploration are sure to follow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E---\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research, \u003C\/em\u003EOptimal and continuous multilattice embedding\u003Cem\u003E, was published in \u003C\/em\u003EScience Advances \u003Cem\u003Eon April 16, 2021. Along with Glaucio Paulino, coauthors include Emily Sanders (School of Civil and Environmental Engineering) at Georgia Tech, and Anderson Pereira from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the\u003C\/em\u003E \u003Cem\u003EPontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the NSF under grant number IIP-1822141 [Phase I I\/UCRC at the Georgia Institute of Technology: Center for Science of Heterogeneous Additive Printing of 3DMaterials (SHAP3D)] and from the SHAP3D I\/UCRC Members: Boeing Company, U.S. Army CCDC Soldier Center, Desktop Metal, HP Inc., Hutchinson, Integrity Industrial Ink Jet Integration LLC, Raytheon Technologies, Stratasys Ltd., and Triton Systems Inc. E.D.S. and G.H.P. also acknowledge support from the Raymond Allen Jones Chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and A.P. acknowledges support from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development [Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u0026iacute;fico e Tecnol\u0026oacute;gico (CNPq), Brazil] under grant 313833\/2018-4.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: Blair Meeks (wmeeks7@gatech.edu) or Tracey Reeves (tracey.reeves@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Georgia Parmelee\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers unify design and manufacturing to create novel structures with potential applications in biomedicine and space exploration"}],"uid":"27561","created_gmt":"2021-04-14 19:34:52","changed_gmt":"2021-04-15 16:47:04","author":"Angela Ayers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646469":{"id":"646469","type":"image","title":"Cuttlefish and Shrimp","body":null,"created":"1618429776","gmt_created":"2021-04-14 19:49:36","changed":"1618429776","gmt_changed":"2021-04-14 19:49:36","alt":"Cuttlefish and shrimp","file":{"fid":"245394","name":"CuttlefishShrimp.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CuttlefishShrimp.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CuttlefishShrimp.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":147197,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CuttlefishShrimp.jpg?itok=UDXS-OMs"}},"646470":{"id":"646470","type":"image","title":"Researchers Paulino and Sanders","body":null,"created":"1618429842","gmt_created":"2021-04-14 19:50:42","changed":"1618429842","gmt_changed":"2021-04-14 19:50:42","alt":"Georgia Tech Researchers Paulino and Sanders","file":{"fid":"245395","name":"PaulinoSanders.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/PaulinoSanders.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/PaulinoSanders.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":331286,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/PaulinoSanders.jpg?itok=Pm1BbfwH"}},"646471":{"id":"646471","type":"image","title":"Close up Paulino material","body":null,"created":"1618429903","gmt_created":"2021-04-14 19:51:43","changed":"1618429903","gmt_changed":"2021-04-14 19:51:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245396","name":"MaterialPaulino.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MaterialPaulino.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MaterialPaulino.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":290546,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MaterialPaulino.jpg?itok=MhRaX3mT"}},"646472":{"id":"646472","type":"image","title":"Structure of material Paulino","body":null,"created":"1618429948","gmt_created":"2021-04-14 19:52:28","changed":"1618429948","gmt_changed":"2021-04-14 19:52:28","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245397","name":"StructurePaulino.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/StructurePaulino.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/StructurePaulino.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":204192,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/StructurePaulino.jpg?itok=plyEI568"}}},"media_ids":["646469","646470","646471","646472"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"6597","name":"biomedicine"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"167098","name":"space exploration"},{"id":"187572","name":"marine animals"},{"id":"187573","name":"structural topology optimization"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Parmelee\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech College of Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Georgia.Parmelee@coe.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645517":{"#nid":"645517","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Scratching Out New Clues on the Sources of Certain Itch Sensations","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGetting an itch is one thing. Everybody has to scratch every now and then, and some of us have to watch out for dry skin during the winter, or allergic reactions to ingredients in certain makeup or lotions. Yet for most of us, those discomforts involve itches on parts of our skin that have hair, not on what is called \u0026lsquo;glabrous\u0026rsquo; skin: the smoother, tougher skin that\u0026rsquo;s found on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd those glabrous skin conditions often cause chronic itching and pain. In the U.S., there are an estimated 200,000 cases of dyshidrosis, a skin condition causing itchy blisters to develop only on the palm and soles, each year. Another chronic skin condition, palmoplantar pustulosis (a type of psoriasis which causes inflamed, scaly skin and intense itch on the palms and soles) affects an estimated 330,0000 to 1,650,000 people in the U.S. each year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Those patients with chronic itch suffer a lot. They don\u0026rsquo;t have a significant treatment, and it affects their lives,\u0026rdquo; says\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/liang-han\u0022\u003ELiang Han\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E who also researches in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/liang-han\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E. Now, new research from Han and students in her\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/klawson34.wixsite.com\/hanlab\u0022\u003EHan Lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech may offer a balm of hope for these patients.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/118\/15\/e2022874118\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026quot;\u003C\/strong\u003EMrgprC11\u003Csup\u003E+\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp;sensory neurons mediate glabrous skin itch\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E published in the science journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/\u0022\u003EPNAS\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), is co-authored by Han alongside current and former graduate students\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/haley-steele\u0022\u003EHaley R. Steele\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(first author),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Yanyan-Xing\u0022\u003EYanyan Xing\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/yuyan-zhu\u0022\u003EYuyan Zhu\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/henry-hilley\u0022\u003EHenry B. Hilley\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/katy-lawson-1b54729a\u0022\u003EKaty Lawson\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/yeseul-nho\u0022\u003EYeseul Nho\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/taylor-niehoff-220a7912b\u0022\u003ETaylor Niehoff\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHan and her students uncovered new information about which sensory neurons are responsible for glabrous skin itch. \u0026ldquo;We here present evidence demonstrating that distinct neuronal populations are responsible for mediating hairy and glabrous skin itch,\u0026rdquo; the authors write. \u0026ldquo;This study advanced our understanding of itch and will have significant impact on the clinical treatment of itch.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESteele adds more: \u0026ldquo;Our research is showing, for the first time, the actual neurons that send itch are different populations. Neurons that are in hairy skin that do not sense itch in glabrous skins are one population, and another senses itch in glabrous skins.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOf transgenic mice and sensory neurons\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESteele, a current graduate student in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;who dual-majored in Biology and Literature, Media, Communications, is in her fifth year at Georgia Tech. In the new study, she highlights another reason why glabrous skin itches are significant sources of pain for patients. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s actually one of the most debilitating places (to get an itch),\u0026rdquo; Steels says. \u0026ldquo;If your hands are itchy, it\u0026rsquo;s hard to grasp things, and if it\u0026rsquo;s your feet, it can be hard to walk. If there\u0026rsquo;s an itch on your arm, you can still type. You\u0026rsquo;ll be distracted, but you\u0026rsquo;ll be okay. But if it\u0026rsquo;s your hands and feet, it\u0026rsquo;s harder to do everyday things.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhy has an explanation so far eluded science? \u0026ldquo;I think one reason is because most of the people in the field kind of assumed it was the same mechanism that\u0026rsquo;s controlling the sensation. It\u0026rsquo;s technically challenging. It\u0026rsquo;s more difficult than working on hairy skin,\u0026rdquo; Han says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe and her team got around the technical challenge by relying on a new investigative procedure, or assay, that Steele had been working on to judge behavior in research mice. The previous method would have involved injecting itch-causing chemicals into mice skin, but the majority of a mouse\u0026rsquo;s skin is covered with hair. The team had to focus on the smooth glabrous skin on tiny mice hands and feet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing transgenic (genetically modified) mice also helped track down the proper sensory neurons responsible for glabrous skin itches. \u0026ldquo;What we can do is specifically activate a particular set of neurons that causes itch, and we saw that biting behavior again modeled,\u0026rdquo; referring to how mice usually deal with itchy skin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA particular set of mice in the study was given a chemical to specifically kill an entire line of neurons. \u0026ldquo;We can see what would happen if they didn\u0026rsquo;t have those neurons we\u0026rsquo;re targeting,\u0026rdquo; Steele adds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHan, Steele and their team focused on three previously known pruriceptive (related to itch sensation) neurons in glabrous skin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe result, as highlighted in the research study: \u0026ldquo;Our results show that MrgprA3\u003Csup\u003E+\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;MrgprD\u003Csup\u003E+\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/sup\u003Eneurons, although key mediators for hairy skin itch, do not play important roles in glabrous skin itch, demonstrating a\u0026nbsp;mechanistic difference in itch sensation between hairy and glabrous skin. We found that\u0026nbsp;MrgprC11\u003Csup\u003E+\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp;neurons are\u0026nbsp;the major mediators for glabrous skin itch. Activation of\u0026nbsp;MrgprC11\u003Csup\u003E+\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp;neurons induced glabrous skin itch, while ablation (removal) of MrgprC11\u003Csup\u003E+\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp;neurons reduced both acute and chronic glabrous skin itch.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EApplications could involve figuring out a way for patients to turn off those itch-inducing neurons. \u0026ldquo;Blocking the neuron is one approach, but that\u0026rsquo;s down the road. That is something that we always hope,\u0026rdquo; Han says. \u0026ldquo;It is very reasonable to propose \u0026mdash; to find a way to block those neurons in human skin.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe researcher team thanks the animal care and welfare team at Georgia Institute of Technology for their care and services. This work was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NS087088 and HL141269), and the Pfizer Aspire Dermatology Award to Liang Han.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"A new study led by School of Biological Sciences researchers could eventually help patients who suffer from skin conditions that affect the palms of hands and soles of feet."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EItch sensations that strike glabrous skin \u0026mdash; like that\u0026nbsp;found on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet \u0026mdash; can be the source of lasting discomfort for many people.\u0026nbsp;But\u0026nbsp;a new study from School of Biological Sciences researchers may bring eventual relief, thanks to findings that may narrow down the unique glabrous skin receptors that respond to those itches.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study led by School of Biological Sciences researchers could eventually help patients who suffer from skin conditions that affect the palms of hands and soles of feet."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-03-18 19:41:45","changed_gmt":"2021-04-13 15:05:08","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646183":{"id":"646183","type":"image","title":"(Photo by Ian Dooley via Unsplash)","body":null,"created":"1617733988","gmt_created":"2021-04-06 18:33:08","changed":"1617733988","gmt_changed":"2021-04-06 18:33:08","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245306","name":"ian-dooley-iD5aVJFCXJg-unsplash.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ian-dooley-iD5aVJFCXJg-unsplash.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ian-dooley-iD5aVJFCXJg-unsplash.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":192538,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ian-dooley-iD5aVJFCXJg-unsplash.jpg?itok=g4c1aZcQ"}},"645519":{"id":"645519","type":"image","title":"Liang Han","body":null,"created":"1616096909","gmt_created":"2021-03-18 19:48:29","changed":"1616096909","gmt_changed":"2021-03-18 19:48:29","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245064","name":"Liang Han.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Liang%20Han.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Liang%20Han.png","mime":"image\/png","size":109472,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Liang%20Han.png?itok=7vdTR_Br"}},"645518":{"id":"645518","type":"image","title":"Haley Steele","body":null,"created":"1616096622","gmt_created":"2021-03-18 19:43:42","changed":"1616096622","gmt_changed":"2021-03-18 19:43:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245063","name":"Haley Steele.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Haley%20Steele.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Haley%20Steele.png","mime":"image\/png","size":156634,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Haley%20Steele.png?itok=9aTaVFP4"}}},"media_ids":["646183","645519","645518"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/itch-you-cant-scratch-researchers-find-itch-receptors-throats-mice","title":"An Itch You Can\u2019t Scratch: Researchers Find Itch Receptors in the Throats of Mice"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/petit-institute-expands-its-ranks-23-including-liang-han-britney-schmidt-amanda-stockton","title":"Petit Institute Expands Its Ranks by 23, Including Liang Han, Britney Schmidt, Amanda Stockton "}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"112161","name":"Liang Han"},{"id":"187336","name":"Haley Steele"},{"id":"187337","name":"glabrous skin"},{"id":"177326","name":"itch"},{"id":"68411","name":"neurons"},{"id":"187338","name":"itch receptors"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646119":{"#nid":"646119","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Methylation Matters: Exploring Evolution and Effects on Human Brain Health","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt may not be a process that most people are familiar with, but DNA methylation is very important to brain evolution. It\u0026rsquo;s viewed as a critical regulatory mechanism implicated in cognitive development, learning, memory, and disease. That regulation includes gene expression, which happens when DNA instructions are converted into a functional product, namely messenger RNA molecules, which provide templates for proteins.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;professor who specializes in molecular and genomic evolution has uncovered some new information about how DNA methylation evolved in the human brain \u0026mdash; and how that compares to brains of some of our primate relatives. She and a global team of researchers have published their findings,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-021-21917-7\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Evolution of DNA methylation in the human brain\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/ncomms\/\u0022\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The large and complex brain is a distinguishing trait of the human lineage,\u0026rdquo; explains\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/soojin-yi\u0022\u003ESoojin Yi\u003C\/a\u003E, who directs the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/yilab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EYi Lab of Comparative Genomics and Epigenomics\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;Scientists have been very interested in finding genetic and gene expression changes that are associated with the evolution of human brains.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDNA methylation is a biological process by which methyl groups \u0026mdash; organic compounds made up of three hydrogen atoms and a carbon atom \u0026mdash; are added to DNA, which in turn sets off molecular processes to help regulate gene expression and other genetic factors that are necessary in healthy brains and nervous systems. When something goes wrong with DNA methylation, it can lead to certain diseases, including cancer and neuropsychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;To understand the contribution of DNA methylation to human brain-specific gene regulation and disease susceptibility, it is necessary to extend our knowledge of evolutionary changes in DNA methylation during human brain evolution,\u0026rdquo; Yi says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScience has long known about the DNA methylation connection to certain conditions, but the evolutionary aspect has so far been largely unexplored. \u0026ldquo;Previous studies used bulk tissues, while DNA methylation is known to vary substantially between cell types,\u0026rdquo; Yi shares, so her team, including the paper\u0026rsquo;s co-corresponding author\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.konopkalab.org\/\u0022\u003EGenevieve Konopka\u0026rsquo;s lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.utsouthwestern.edu\/\u0022\u003EUT Southwestern Medical Center\u003C\/a\u003E, focused on the search for cell-type-specific epigenetic (gene-activity-changing) marks, including DNA methylation and histone (basic protein) modifications. Those are implicated in cell-type-specific gene expression and disease susceptibility in humans.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Data from bulk tissues can be biased toward specific cell types and consequently, underpowered to detect cell-type-specific evolutionary changes,\u0026rdquo; Yi explains. \u0026ldquo;Therefore, to fully understand the role of DNA methylation in human brain evolution, it is necessary to study cell-type-specific changes of DNA methylation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYi and her team found suitable samples for chimpanzees and macaques in the specimen archives of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.yerkes.emory.edu\/\u0022\u003EYerkes National Primate Research Center\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.emory.edu\/home\/index.html\u0022\u003EEmory University\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;We also separated neurons and oligodendrocytes (which forms the protective sheaths for neural transmission) from bulk brain samples, so that we can study cell-type specific patterns of DNA methylation,\u0026rdquo; Yi says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We found that the human brains are particularly heavily methylated compared to chimpanzee and rhesus macaque brains \u0026mdash; both in neurons and oligodendrocytes.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYi and her team found that some positions that have unique patterns of DNA methylation in human brains were previously implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our work extends the knowledge of the unique roles of . . . methylation in human brain evolution, and offers a new framework for investigating the role of the epigenome evolution in connecting the genome to brain development, function, and diseases.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EYi\u0026rsquo;s research team included colleagues from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and the Department of Pathology, at Emory University; the Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Bizkaia Technology Park, Spain; The Department of Neuroscience at UT Southwestern Medical Center;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;the Center for Medical Research and Education, Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Japan; the Schizophrenia Research Project, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan; and the College of Nursing, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, South Korea.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFor human samples, UT Southwestern Medical Center Institutional Review Board (IRB) has determined that as this research was conducted using post-mortem specimens, the project does not meet the definition of human subjects research and does not require IRB approval and oversight. Non-human primate samples were obtained from archival, post-mortem brain tissue opportunistically collected from subjects that died from natural causes, and following procedures approved by the Emory Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and in accordance with federal and institutional guidelines for the humane care and use of experimental animals. No living great apes were used in this study.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"School of Biological Sciences professor Soojin Yi and her global team have uncovered new findings on the evolution of DNA methylation"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026#39;s one of the most important processes for the development of the human brain, but science is still learning about DNA methylation. A School of Biological Sciences professor and her research team have uncovered some new information about how this process evolved in humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"School of Biological Sciences professor Soojin Yi and her global team have uncovered new findings on the evolution of DNA methylation"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-04-05 14:28:33","changed_gmt":"2021-04-12 12:39:05","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646182":{"id":"646182","type":"image","title":"\u0022Charles Bell Anatomy of the Brain, c. 1802\u0022 (Wikimedia Commons, Shaheen Lakhan)","body":null,"created":"1617733112","gmt_created":"2021-04-06 18:18:32","changed":"1617733112","gmt_changed":"2021-04-06 18:18:32","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245305","name":"Charles_Bell_Anatomy_of_the_Brain,_c._1802_(3138247450).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Charles_Bell_Anatomy_of_the_Brain%2C_c._1802_%283138247450%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Charles_Bell_Anatomy_of_the_Brain%2C_c._1802_%283138247450%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":93723,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Charles_Bell_Anatomy_of_the_Brain%2C_c._1802_%283138247450%29.jpg?itok=_Epq0dNk"}},"289071":{"id":"289071","type":"image","title":"Soojin Yi","body":null,"created":"1449244274","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:51:14","changed":"1475894986","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:46","alt":"Soojin Yi","file":{"fid":"199182","name":"yi.soojin.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yi.soojin_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yi.soojin_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":9253,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/yi.soojin_0.jpg?itok=GebnPFSs"}}},"media_ids":["646182","289071"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"168087","name":"Soojin Yi"},{"id":"187487","name":"DNA methylation"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646249":{"#nid":"646249","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Serpooshan Awarded NSF CAREER Award to Bioprint a 3D Model of the Developing Human Heart","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen babies are born with severe heart defects like pulmonary artery atresia or hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the prognosis is difficult. There is no cure, no reliable therapy for many of these defects. Just uncertainty. And drastic efforts to fix the parts of the heart that didn\u0026rsquo;t develop properly.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, these tiny babies may face multiple significant surgeries in their early weeks of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026rsquo;s what \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Vahid-Serpooshan\u0022\u003EVahid Serpooshan\u003C\/a\u003E thinks about when he\u0026rsquo;s in his lab using a sophisticated 3D bioprinter to create models of the earliest stages of heart development: the babies and their families and how his team can help by unravelling some of the mysteries of the developing human heart.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These are babies who are a few days old and who are suffering from very severe, acute heart disease and heart defects. And many of them do not survive \u0026mdash; even after multiple surgeries,\u0026rdquo; Serpooshan said. \u0026ldquo;Being able to simulate such severe situations in bioprinted and bioengineered platforms where there\u0026#39;s no real limit to their manufacturing for study and analysis \u0026mdash; that has a really high value for us in terms of how we\u0026#39;re able to help patients and save patients\u0026rsquo; lives.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding normal heart development \u0026mdash; and thus, what can go wrong and lead to severe defects \u0026mdash; is the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2044657\u0026amp;HistoricalAwards=false\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ecornerstone of the Faculty Early Career Development award Serpooshan received this spring\u003C\/a\u003E from the National Science Foundation. Known as CAREER awards, these \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/funding\/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Efive-year grants are NSF\u0026rsquo;s most-prestigious award for early career faculty\u003C\/a\u003E. They identify potential leaders and academic role models, giving them funds to build the foundation for a lifetime of study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESerpooshan\u0026rsquo;s foundation will be the first 3D-printed model of heart tissue using soft, flexible hydrogel materials that are infused with cells from specific patients. He\u0026rsquo;s working to develop models that mimic the exact structure of the heart at two stages: the embryonic heart tube present at roughly 20 days after conception and a more fully developed fetal heart at 30-34 weeks.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESerpooshan and his team will connect the models to a bioreactor that creates a flow of stand-in material similar to blood, creating a dynamic system that functions just like the real thing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Up until this point, printing a synthetic, plastic model and perfusing it with different types of media has been done. But when it comes to hydrogels, and adding cells, and then having this flow going through \u0026mdash; this is something that is a lot more complex, and no one has really tried this before,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Vahid-Serpooshan\u0022\u003ESerpooshan, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;We bioprint with soft hydrogels that mimic heart tissue, and we add cells that look exactly like the real heart tissue cellular structure. Then we perfuse with the flow that mimics the developing heart flow.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENothing that exists now can replicate heart development in quite the same way, Serpooshan said. Animal models are imperfect substitutes for human heart development, and 2D models lack fidelity to the three-dimensional structures and flow at play.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Having a bioprinted, engineered model that you can print hundreds of is one of our main advantages. You can order the machine to print hundreds of consistent models,\u0026rdquo; Serpooshan said. \u0026ldquo;This allows us to change parameters and study how cells behave without using any animals or even going to clinical trials.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat means the models could be used to accurately test promising new drugs. They could also be used to help surgeons hone their techniques and develop new methods. Early versions of the models have been used by Serpooshan\u0026rsquo;s close collaborator \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/departments\/pediatrics\/divisions\/cardiology\/profile\/?u=HBAUSER\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHolly Bauser-Heaton\u003C\/a\u003E in just that way. She\u0026rsquo;s a pediatric cardiologist at Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn particular, Serpooshan and his team are focused on the velocity of blood flow through the developing heart in all three dimensions and the shear stresses that flow exerts on heart cells. Serpooshan said these are critical signals to cells that guide when they grow or move or change. When flow is altered, so, too, is the tissue development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There is a theory called \u0026lsquo;no flow, no grow,\u0026rsquo; that says that any disruption in the flow of the blood during the development of the heart could result in significant abnormal development,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026#39;s where the significance of these measurements comes. Being able to visualize and quantify in 3D the flow parameters, including velocity and shear stress, helps us to study what cells are sensing in these environments and if we disrupt flow, for example, how that could change cell behavior.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course, what Serpooshan is proposing is not easy. Heart tissue is complex, so creating this kind of model wasn\u0026rsquo;t even imaginable until 3D bioprinting came along, he said. The technique allows Serpooshan to deposit specific kinds of cells and biomaterials in specific areas of the tissue models to accurately reflect actual heart tissue composition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey use three kinds of heart cells, created by reprogramming patients\u0026rsquo; blood cells or skin cells into stem cells. This induced pluripotent stem cell technology allows Serpooshan to turn those stem cells into cardiac muscle cells and endothelial cells in the developing heart.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBuilding the models requires detailed imaging and processing to turn the scans into 3D structures before printing can begin. Serpooshan said other Coulter Department faculty, including Lakshmi \u0026ldquo;Prasad\u0026rdquo; Dasi, David Frakes, and Brooks Lindsey, as well as collaborators at Emory School of Medicine, including Bauser-Heaton and Timothy Slesnick, bring key expertise to the work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOnce his team has functioning models, they\u0026rsquo;ll be able to study two other key conditions along with blood flow that make up the microenvironment around cells as the heart forms and could affect their behavior: stiffness of the tissues and the concentrations of the different proteins in those tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EData suggests all three contribute to abnormalities that lead to congenital heart defects. The question is, how significant is their role?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Gaining knowledge about some very complex and vague processes that no one has been really able to study in such precision is going to be one of the main outcomes,\u0026rdquo; Serpooshan said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe project focuses on understanding normal heart development and what can go wrong in those processes and lead to severe defects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The project focuses on understanding normal heart development and what can go wrong in those processes and lead to severe defects."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-04-08 16:08:48","changed_gmt":"2021-04-08 16:17:31","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646245":{"id":"646245","type":"image","title":"Bioprinted Embryonic Heart Model","body":null,"created":"1617896524","gmt_created":"2021-04-08 15:42:04","changed":"1617898111","gmt_changed":"2021-04-08 16:08:31","alt":"Gloved fingers hold a time yellow square that contains a bioprinted embryonic human heart model at 84 times the actual size. (Photo Courtesy: Vahid Serpooshan)","file":{"fid":"245321","name":"Bioprinted-Embryonic-Heart-84x-Scale-Courtesy-Vahid-Serpooshan-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bioprinted-Embryonic-Heart-84x-Scale-Courtesy-Vahid-Serpooshan-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bioprinted-Embryonic-Heart-84x-Scale-Courtesy-Vahid-Serpooshan-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":229006,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Bioprinted-Embryonic-Heart-84x-Scale-Courtesy-Vahid-Serpooshan-h.jpg?itok=qRUGz3Sr"}},"646246":{"id":"646246","type":"image","title":"Bioprinted Developing Heart Models Workflow Illustration","body":null,"created":"1617896756","gmt_created":"2021-04-08 15:45:56","changed":"1617896756","gmt_changed":"2021-04-08 15:45:56","alt":"A diagram of the workflow in Vahid Serpooshan\u0027s National Science Foundation Early Career Development award study. The team starts with processing medical imaging data of patients to create 3D digital models of the developing human heart. These models are then bioprinted, seeded with cells, and analyzed using a variety of biomechanical and cellular assays to study the role of the tissue microenvironment in normal and abnormal processes of heart development. (Illustration Courtesy: Vahid Serpooshan)","file":{"fid":"245322","name":"Bioprinted-Heart-Workflow-Vahid-Serpooshan-CAREER-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bioprinted-Heart-Workflow-Vahid-Serpooshan-CAREER-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bioprinted-Heart-Workflow-Vahid-Serpooshan-CAREER-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":187859,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Bioprinted-Heart-Workflow-Vahid-Serpooshan-CAREER-h.jpg?itok=HCNeDiLE"}},"646244":{"id":"646244","type":"image","title":"Vahid Serpooshan","body":null,"created":"1617895916","gmt_created":"2021-04-08 15:31:56","changed":"1617895916","gmt_changed":"2021-04-08 15:31:56","alt":"Vahid Serpooshan headshot","file":{"fid":"245320","name":"Serpooshan-Vahid-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Serpooshan-Vahid-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Serpooshan-Vahid-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":150867,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Serpooshan-Vahid-h.jpg?itok=cWm5SERF"}}},"media_ids":["646245","646246","646244"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2044657\u0026HistoricalAwards=false","title":"NSF CAREER Project Summary"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/funding\/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214","title":"NSF Early Career Development Awards"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Vahid-Serpooshan","title":"Vahid Serpooshan"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"174710","name":"National Science Foundation CAREER Award"},{"id":"12004","name":"Faculty Early Career Development Program"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"},{"id":"187515","name":"Vahid Serpooshan"},{"id":"9580","name":"heart defects"},{"id":"187516","name":"embryonic human heart model"},{"id":"187517","name":"fetal heart model"},{"id":"185067","name":"3D Bioprinting"},{"id":"3356","name":"hydrogel"},{"id":"1826","name":"pluripotent stem cells"},{"id":"187518","name":"pediatric heart defects"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646239":{"#nid":"646239","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Lily Cheung Wins $1.1 Million Human Science Frontier Program Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/lily-cheung\u0022\u003ELily Cheung\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has won a $1.1 million Human Science Frontier Program (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hfsp.org\/awardees\/newly-awarded\u0022\u003EHSFP\u003C\/a\u003E) award to investigate the interplay of cellular movement and metabolism in grass stomata \u0026ndash; the microscopic breathing valves on plant leaves.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENew insights into how these tiny structures work could be exploited to bioengineer crops that can better withstand the drought and heatwaves associated with climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If you ate any corn, wheat, or rice today, you enjoyed sugars made from carbon that passed through stomata,\u0026rdquo; Cheung says. \u0026ldquo;Together, these three grass species provide half of all calories consumed by humans, and much of their agricultural success is credited to how fast their stomata work.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to a United Nations statistic, the world will need to produce 50% more food by the middle of the century to account for population growth rates, changing diets, and the harmful effects of climate change on current agricultural practices.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Ensuring food security, via biotechnology or any other means, is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century,\u0026rdquo; says Cheung, who is collaborating with biophysicist \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/routierlab.com\/\u0022\u003EAnne-Lisa Routier Kierzkowska\u003C\/a\u003E of the University of Montreal and plant biologist \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/raissiglab.org\/\u0022\u003EMichael Raissig\u003C\/a\u003E of the University of Heidelberg on the three-year HFSP project.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe HFSP funds international, multidisciplinary collaborations focused on creating novel approaches to problems in fundamental biology. Cheung\u0026rsquo;s team, one of seven selected Early Career awards from a total of 158 letters of intent, joins a cohort of 94 awardees from 20 different countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award will go towards investigating the interplay of cellular movement and metabolism in grass stomata \u2013 the microscopic breathing valves on plant leaves."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2021-04-08 14:07:26","changed_gmt":"2021-04-08 14:09:03","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646240":{"id":"646240","type":"image","title":"Lily Cheung Wins $1.1 Million Human Science Frontier Program Award","body":null,"created":"1617890900","gmt_created":"2021-04-08 14:08:20","changed":"1617890900","gmt_changed":"2021-04-08 14:08:20","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245319","name":"Lily Cheung - Award - 119x119.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lily%20Cheung%20-%20Award%20-%20119x119.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lily%20Cheung%20-%20Award%20-%20119x119.png","mime":"image\/png","size":18212,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lily%20Cheung%20-%20Award%20-%20119x119.png?itok=oRU8lgeU"}}},"media_ids":["646240"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:braddixon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrad Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["braddixon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"646122":{"#nid":"646122","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Wellcome Leap Grant Funds Work to Create Human Immune Responses","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, led by bioengineer \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singhlab.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAnkur Singh\u003C\/a\u003E, has been awarded a multi-million-dollar, multi-year award from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wellcomeleap.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWellcome Leap\u003C\/a\u003E as part of the nonprofit\u0026rsquo;s international $50 million Human Organs, Physiology, and Engineering (HOPE) program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a game-changer opportunity, where a unique class of engineers from interdisciplinary backgrounds challenge the status quo as champions of innovation,\u0026rdquo; Singh said. \u0026ldquo;We each have a specific area of expertise, and without this kind of cohesive collaboration, it would be difficult to achieve our big picture goals.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESingh is an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. He heads up a multidisciplinary investigative team that includes \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/people\/leadership\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Krishnendu-Roy\u0022\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/a\u003E, director of the NSF Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Ahmet-F-Coskun\u0022\u003EAhmet Coskun\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in BME; and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/departments\/microbiology-immunology\/research\/labs\/boss-jeremy\/index.html\u0022\u003EJeremy Boss\u003C\/a\u003E, chair of Emory\u0026rsquo;s Department of Microbiology and Immunology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor many life-threatening infectious diseases, like tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria, effective vaccinations are still lacking, noted Singh, a Woodruff Faculty Fellow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There are numerous challenges in understanding disease transmission, pathology and developing new vaccines, including a limited understanding of immune correlates of protection, identification of viable vaccine candidates, and off-target effects that must be evaluated in staged clinical trials,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo his research team aims to develop multi-organ platforms that recreate human immunological responses observed in vaccination studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m excited about this highly innovative project involving a phenomenal research team and advanced technologies,\u0026rdquo; Garc\u0026iacute;a said. \u0026ldquo;The engineering of complex in vitro microfluidic tissue-on-a-chip models that faithfully recapitulate functions of lymphoid tissues will have transformative impact in the field in generating new knowledge and advancing therapies.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wellcomeleap.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWellcome Leap\u003C\/a\u003E was established to build bold, unconventional programs and fund them at scale \u0026ndash; programs that aim to deliver breakthroughs in human health over 5 to 10 years and demonstrate seemingly impossible results on seemingly impossible timelines.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wellcomeleap.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ELeap\u003C\/a\u003E is a U.S.-based nonprofit founded by the Wellcome Trust with an initial $300 million investment and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wellcomeleap.org\/darpa-model\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emodeled\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on the U.S. Department of Defense\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency\u0026nbsp;(DARPA). The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wellcomeleap.org\/hope\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E$50M HOPE program\u003C\/a\u003E supports efforts\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;bioengineer human tissues, organoids, organs, and platforms that can be used to accelerate and scale new treatments for complex human health challenges\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHuman Organs, Physiology, and Engineering (HOPE) will focus on\u0026nbsp;two goals: creating a multi-organ platform that recreates human immunological responses with sufficient fidelity to double the predictive value of a preclinical trial with respect to the efficacy, toxicity, and immunogenicity of therapeutic interventions targeting cancer and autoimmune and infectious diseases; and demonstrating the advances needed to restore organ function using cultivated organs or biological\/synthetic hybrid systems that double the five-year survival rate of patients on replacement therapy or awaiting organ transplantation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When our immune system encounters a new virus, it has a complex program in place to create highly selective, long-lived plasma cells that secrete antibodies,\u0026rdquo; Singh noted. \u0026ldquo;The technology developed through this project would enable a better understanding of those processes and potentially lead to groundbreaking new therapies.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech-Emory team receives multi-year funding in $50 million international effort targeting human immunology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech-Emory team receives multi-year funding in $50 million international effort targeting human immunology"}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-04-05 14:43:02","changed_gmt":"2021-04-05 14:59:59","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646120":{"id":"646120","type":"image","title":"Ankur Singh","body":null,"created":"1617632915","gmt_created":"2021-04-05 14:28:35","changed":"1617632915","gmt_changed":"2021-04-05 14:28:35","alt":"Associate Professor Ankur Singh in his lab at the computer. (Photo: Ashley Ritchie)","file":{"fid":"245291","name":"Singh-Ankur-2021-by-Ashley-Ritchie-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Singh-Ankur-2021-by-Ashley-Ritchie-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Singh-Ankur-2021-by-Ashley-Ritchie-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":260507,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Singh-Ankur-2021-by-Ashley-Ritchie-h.jpg?itok=hS2CnlwM"}}},"media_ids":["646120"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/wellcomeleap.org\/hope\/","title":"Wellcome Leap"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Ankur-Singh","title":"Ankur Singh"},{"url":"https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/departments\/microbiology-immunology\/research\/labs\/boss-jeremy\/index.html","title":"Jeremy Boss"},{"url":"https:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/people\/leadership","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Krishnendu-Roy","title":"Krishnendu Roy"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"108731","name":"School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"15184","name":"Ankur Singh"},{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"12786","name":"Krishnendu Roy"},{"id":"186853","name":"Ahmet Coskun"},{"id":"187488","name":"Jeremy Boss"},{"id":"9316","name":"immune system"},{"id":"7360","name":"vaccination"},{"id":"187489","name":"Wellcome Leap"},{"id":"187490","name":"Wellcome Trust"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645936":{"#nid":"645936","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Find New Drug Can Quickly Reverse Eye Pressure Increases from Steroid Eye Drops","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDoctors routinely prescribe steroid drops for patients after eye surgery or to treat eye inflammation or swelling. Those drugs can cause a sharp pressure increase inside the eyes, however, requiring additional treatment to prevent damage to patients\u0026rsquo; sight.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have found a relatively new drug works to quickly reverse \u0026mdash; and prevent \u0026mdash; the rise in intraocular pressure that can result from using ophthalmic steroids, even in patients who don\u0026rsquo;t respond to other medications. Their findings are \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7554\/eLife.60831\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Epublished March 30 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EeLife\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s really hard to treat those patients. They come in with a very high pressure, and they tend to throw the kitchen sink at them in terms of trying to get the pressure down,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier\u0022\u003EC. Ross Ethier\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and one of the study\u0026rsquo;s corresponding authors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking with collaborators at Duke University, Ethier\u0026rsquo;s team reviewed patient charts to find people who weren\u0026rsquo;t responding to any treatment \u0026mdash; until their doctors tried netarsudil, a new drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the most common form of glaucoma, called primary open-angle glaucoma.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s a little bit of a Hail Mary pass, but the physicians started treating their patients with this new drug, and it actually did a heck of a good job in terms of lowering the pressure in the eye,\u0026rdquo; Ethier said. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026#39;s actually pretty exciting \u0026mdash; it opens up the idea that if you have a patient who\u0026#39;s not responding to standard treatment of steroid-induced glaucoma, it might be worth considering this new netarsudil drug.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince it\u0026rsquo;s so new, netarsudil is expensive and not commonly prescribed. But Ethier said their findings suggest turning to the drug sooner for patients experiencing the pressure-increasing effects of steroid eye drops \u0026mdash; it could help preserve their vision.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEye pressure is regulated by a complex network of tissues that secrete, circulate, and drain fluid in the eye. In glaucoma, the drain gets backed up. Physicians typically use several kinds of medications to counter higher intraocular pressure for patients using steroid drops: Some activate a secondary drainage network while others cause the eye to make less fluid in the first place.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThose are indirect routes to solve the problem, Ethier said. Netarsudil goes right at it, targeting the eye tissues that naturally drain fluid to \u0026ldquo;unclog\u0026rdquo; them.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We think the reason this drug is so effective in this particular form of glaucoma is that the pathology is really localized to the drain, and because this type of disease comes on fast, you can hit the drain right away,\u0026rdquo; said Ethier, who is also the Georgia Research Alliance Lawrence L. Gellerstedt Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo better understand how the drug targets the draining tissues \u0026mdash; known as the trabecular meshwork \u0026mdash; the researchers turned to an established and reliable mouse model. A hallmark of steroid-induced glaucoma is deposition of extracellular matrix in the trabecular meshwork. Ethier said their experiments showed that netarsudil seemed to be very effective at opening the drain, so to speak, by reducing this matrix material, which normally helps support and bind cells together.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In a patient, it\u0026#39;s actually quite hard to know what\u0026#39;s going on to cause the pressure to become lower. There are measurements that you can\u0026#39;t make in a patient that you can make in a laboratory setting,\u0026rdquo; Ethier said. \u0026ldquo;We hypothesized that this effect we observed was due to the unblocking of the drain, but really, the only way to confirm that was to use this mouse model of the disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEthier worked with longtime collaborator \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dukeeyecenter.duke.edu\/research\/research-laboratories\/stamer-lab\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDaniel Stamer at Duke\u003C\/a\u003E on the study as well as clinicians at Duke and Washington State University. He said pressure regulation in the eye is a complicated system that still is not well understood. In addition to offering a potential new treatment for patients, he said, their work unravels a bit more about how the system functions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This study tells you something about how the whole system is working,\u0026rdquo; Ethier said. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026#39;ve been studying it for many years \u0026mdash; not just my lab, but the broader community. And every time we find something, it\u0026#39;s like, there\u0026#39;s another layer on the onion.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, grant Nos. EY030124, EY031710, and EY005722; the BrightFocus Foundation; Research to Prevent Blindness; the Georgia Research Alliance; and Aerie Pharmaceuticals. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any funding agency.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudy suggests turning to netarsudil sooner for these hard-to-treat patients could help preserve their sight.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Study suggests turning to netarsudil sooner for these hard-to-treat patients could help preserve their sight."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-03-31 14:02:31","changed_gmt":"2021-03-31 19:14:25","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"645933":{"id":"645933","type":"image","title":"Instilling Eye Drops","body":null,"created":"1617198294","gmt_created":"2021-03-31 13:44:54","changed":"1617198294","gmt_changed":"2021-03-31 13:44:54","alt":"Close up of an eye drop falling into a brown eye. (Photo Courtesy: Aakash Kumar via Pixahive)","file":{"fid":"245229","name":"Eye-drop-instilling-by-Aakash-Kumar-pixahive-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eye-drop-instilling-by-Aakash-Kumar-pixahive-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Eye-drop-instilling-by-Aakash-Kumar-pixahive-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":248680,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Eye-drop-instilling-by-Aakash-Kumar-pixahive-h.jpg?itok=50YKJVad"}},"642321":{"id":"642321","type":"image","title":"Ross Ethier","body":null,"created":"1609123184","gmt_created":"2020-12-28 02:39:44","changed":"1609123184","gmt_changed":"2020-12-28 02:39:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243999","name":"ross in lab2 copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ross%20in%20lab2%20copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ross%20in%20lab2%20copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6159899,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ross%20in%20lab2%20copy.jpg?itok=ekJV8jX7"}}},"media_ids":["645933","642321"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7554\/eLife.60831","title":"\u0022Anti-fibrotic activity of a rho-kinase inhibitor restores outflow function and intraocular pressure homeostasis\u0022"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier","title":"C. Ross Ethier"},{"url":"https:\/\/dukeeyecenter.duke.edu\/research\/research-laboratories\/stamer-lab","title":"W. Daniel Stamer"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187426","name":"ophthalmic steroids"},{"id":"187427","name":"steroid eye drops"},{"id":"17401","name":"Glaucoma"},{"id":"187428","name":"steroid-induced glaucoma"},{"id":"187429","name":"intraocular pressure"},{"id":"187430","name":"ocular hypertension"},{"id":"187431","name":"netarsudil"},{"id":"41331","name":"Ross Ethier"},{"id":"187432","name":"eLife"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645672":{"#nid":"645672","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Ethier Named Editor of Journal of Biomechanical Engineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier\u0022\u003EC. Ross Ethier\u003C\/a\u003E has been appointed co-editor-in-chief of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/asmedigitalcollection.asme.org\/biomechanical\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EJournal of Biomechanical Engineering\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPublished by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the journal focuses on the application of mechanical engineering principles to improve human health. Ethier assumes his new responsibilities immediately.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is one of the best-established journals in biomechanics, having published many classic articles,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier\u0022\u003EEthier, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and Georgia Research Alliance Lawrence L. Gellerstedt Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering. \u0026ldquo;We will continue to be relentlessly focused on article quality, and I am looking forward to continuing to increase the diversity of our editorial board, referees, and authors.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEthier works at the intersection of mechanics, physiology, and cell biology to understand the role of mechanics in disease and prevent mechanically triggered damage to tissues and organs. He has done extensive research on the eye disease glaucoma and osteoarthritis, which affects the joints.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEthier said he aims to publish more special issues and review articles as editor, and he would like to create a new type of article focused on measurement and computational techniques in biomechanics and mechanobiology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to publishing his own research in the journal, Ethier has served as an associate editor and chair of the society\u0026rsquo;s division that oversees the journal. He\u0026rsquo;s the second editor-in-chief to hail from Georgia Tech: Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience Founding Director Bob Nerem served in the role for nearly a decade.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe journal focuses on the application of mechanical engineering principles to improve human health\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":" The journal focuses on the application of mechanical engineering principles to improve human health"}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-03-24 14:42:23","changed_gmt":"2021-03-24 14:44:29","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627768":{"id":"627768","type":"image","title":"Ross Ethier","body":null,"created":"1571409927","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:45:27","changed":"1616597049","gmt_changed":"2021-03-24 14:44:09","alt":"Ross Ethier sits at a bench in his research lab.","file":{"fid":"239041","name":"Ross in lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ross%20in%20lab_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ross%20in%20lab_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3417053,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Ross%20in%20lab_0.jpg?itok=Fw9a0moT"}}},"media_ids":["627768"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/C.%20Ross-Ethier","title":"C. Ross Ethier"},{"url":"https:\/\/asmedigitalcollection.asme.org\/biomechanical","title":"Journal of Biomechanical Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"180128","name":"C. Ross Ethier"},{"id":"41331","name":"Ross Ethier"},{"id":"187372","name":"Journal of Biomechanical Engineering"},{"id":"2855","name":"American Society of Mechanical Engineers"},{"id":"2728","name":"asme"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645455":{"#nid":"645455","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Identifying Cells to Better Understand Healthy and Diseased Behavior","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn researching the causes and potential treatments for degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s or Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease, neuroscientists frequently struggle to accurately identify cells needed to understand brain activity that gives rise to behavior changes such as declining memory or impaired balance and tremors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA multidisciplinary team of Georgia Institute of Technology neuroscience researchers, borrowing from existing tools such as graphical models, have uncovered a better way to identify cells and understand the mechanisms of the diseases, potentially leading to better understanding, diagnosis, and treatment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir research findings were reported Feb. 24 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EeLife\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe field of neuroscience studies how the nervous system functions, and how genes and environment influence behavior. By using new technologies to understand natural and dysfunctional states of biological systems, neuroscientists hope to ultimately bring cures to diseases. Before that can happen, neuroscientists first must understand which cells in the brain are driving behavior but mapping the brain activity cell by cell isn\u0026rsquo;t as simple as it appears.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENo Two Brain Cells Are Alike\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nTraditionally, scientists established a coordinate system to map each cell location by comparing images to an atlas, but the notion in literature that \u0026ldquo;all brains look the same is absolutely not true,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/hang-lu\u0022\u003EHang Lu\u003C\/a\u003E, the Love Family Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETaking a coordinate approach presents two main challenges: first, the sheer number of cells in which none look that distinct; second, cells vary from individual to individual.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a current huge bottleneck \u0026ndash; you can record neuron activities all you want but if you don\u0026rsquo;t understand which cells are doing what, it\u0026rsquo;s difficult to compare between brains or conditions and draw meaningful conclusions,\u0026rdquo; Lu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to graduate researcher Shivesh Chaudhary, there are also noises in data that make establishing correspondence between two different regions of the brain difficult.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Some deformations may exist in data or some portions of the shape may be missing,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFocusing on Cell Relationships, Not Just Geography\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nTo overcome these challenges, the Georgia Tech researchers borrowed from two disciplines \u0026ndash; graphical models in machine learning and metric geometry approach to shape matching in mathematics \u0026ndash; and built a computational method to identify cells in their model organism, the nematode \u003Cem\u003EC.elegans\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team used frameworks from other fields such as natural language processing to build their own modeling software. In natural language processing, the computer can determine what sentences mean by capturing dependencies between words in a statement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers embraced a similar model but instead of capturing dependencies among the words, \u0026ldquo;We captured them among the neurons to identify cells,\u0026rdquo; Chaudhary said, noting that this approach limits error propagation as compared to other methods that examine the geographic location of each cell.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Using relationships among the cells was actually more useful in defining a cell\u0026rsquo;s identity,\u0026rdquo; Lu said. \u0026ldquo;If you define one, you will have the implications of the identity of the other cells.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe approach, say the research team, is significantly more accurate than the current method of identification. The algorithm, while not perfect, performs significantly better in the face of imperfect data, and \u0026ldquo;gets less rattled\u0026rdquo; by noise or errors, Lu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe algorithm has huge implications for many developmental diseases, since once scientists can understand the mechanism of a disease, they can find interventions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You can use this to do drug and genetic screens to assess genetic risks. You can take someone\u0026rsquo;s genetic background and examine how this background makes cells behave differently from the standard reference genetic background,\u0026rdquo; Lu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One cool thing about this approach is that it is data driven, and therefore, it captures the variations among individual worms. This method has a high potential to be applicable to a wide range of studies on development and function under normal as well as disease-like conditions,\u0026rdquo; said Yun Zhang, professor, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Brain Science at Harvard University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFaster Data Analysis\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe algorithm greatly accelerates the speed of analyzing whole-brain data. The researchers explained that before this advance, their lab might take 20 minutes to record a set of data, but it would take them weeks to identify cells and analyze data. With the algorithm, the analysis takes \u0026ldquo;overnight at most on a desktop,\u0026rdquo; said Chaudhary.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe technique also supports crowdsourcing, collaborative online platforms that open up the algorithm to a larger community, which can test the algorithm and build atlases.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Every researcher working on the same problem could do recordings and contribute to further building these atlases that will be widely usable in all contexts,\u0026rdquo; Lu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers credit the success of the project to being able to draw upon multiple disciplines across physics, biology, math, and chemistry. Chaudhary, who has an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, took advantage of developments in computer science and math to solve this particular neuroscience problem.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In our labs, we have a physicist working on building microscopes, we have biologists, we have people like me who are inclined more towards computer science. We also collaborate with a pure mathematician,\u0026rdquo; he explained. \u0026ldquo;The neuroscience field has everything. You can go any direction that you want to.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Lu and Chaudhary, other Georgia Tech researchers contributing to this work were Sol Ah Lee, Yueyi Li, and Dhaval S. Patel.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health through awards R21DC015652, R01NS096581, R01GM108962, and R01GM088333 and the National Science Foundation under awards 1764406 and 1707401. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: S. Chaudhary, et al., \u0026ldquo;Graphical-Model Framework for Automated Annotation of Cell Identities in Dense Cellular Images.\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003EeLife,\u003C\/em\u003E 2021) \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/doi.org\/10.1101\/2020.03.10.986356\u0022\u003Edoi.org\/10.1101\/2020.03.10.986356\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E Anne Wainscott-Sargent (404-435-5784)\u0026nbsp; (asargent7@gatech.edu)\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Graphical Model an Advance in Common Neuroscience Bottleneck"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThis multidisciplinary approach to cell identification borrows from existing tools such as graphical models and could lead to better understanding of the mechanisms of diseases like Alzheimer\u0026#39;s and Parkinson\u0026#39;s and ultimately, improve diagnosis\u0026nbsp;and treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech neuroscientists have found a way to identify cells in the brain by focusing on their relationship to other cells."}],"uid":"35692","created_gmt":"2021-03-17 12:24:18","changed_gmt":"2021-03-17 22:06:33","author":"Anne Sargent","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-03-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-03-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"645451":{"id":"645451","type":"image","title":"Graphical Model Framework","body":null,"created":"1615981388","gmt_created":"2021-03-17 11:43:08","changed":"1615981388","gmt_changed":"2021-03-17 11:43:08","alt":"Researcher views a graphical model framework on a computer to better identify cells","file":{"fid":"245039","name":"Photo - Readings Closeup resized.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20-%20Readings%20Closeup%20resized.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20-%20Readings%20Closeup%20resized.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":913034,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Photo%20-%20Readings%20Closeup%20resized.jpg?itok=y97duALX"}},"645452":{"id":"645452","type":"image","title":"Professor Hang Lu","body":null,"created":"1615981882","gmt_created":"2021-03-17 11:51:22","changed":"1615981882","gmt_changed":"2021-03-17 11:51:22","alt":"Professor Hang Lu standing next to computer monitor in lab","file":{"fid":"245040","name":"Photo - Hang resized.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20-%20Hang%20resized.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20-%20Hang%20resized.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":278330,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Photo%20-%20Hang%20resized.jpg?itok=vwH75yKv"}},"645453":{"id":"645453","type":"image","title":"Shivesh Chaudhary","body":null,"created":"1615982223","gmt_created":"2021-03-17 11:57:03","changed":"1615982223","gmt_changed":"2021-03-17 11:57:03","alt":"Graduate researcher Shivesh Chaudhary preparing a culture in a lab","file":{"fid":"245041","name":"Photo - Shivesh 1 resized.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20-%20Shivesh%201%20resized.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Photo%20-%20Shivesh%201%20resized.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":259957,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Photo%20-%20Shivesh%201%20resized.jpg?itok=Oq3PgfIB"}}},"media_ids":["645451","645452","645453"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1304","name":"neuroscience"},{"id":"5470","name":"Graphical model"},{"id":"170153","name":"cell identification"},{"id":"77121","name":"parkinson\u0027s disease"},{"id":"187328","name":"go-petitAlzheimer\u0027s disease e"},{"id":"187323","name":"c e"},{"id":"187324","name":"cel"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E(404-435-5784)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645342":{"#nid":"645342","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Julie Champion and Corey Wilson Elected as AIMBE Fellows","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAssociate Professors Julie Champion and Corey Wilson of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering have been elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aimbe.org\/\u0022\u003EAIMBE\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EElection to the College of Fellows is an honor reserved for the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers in the country. According to AIMBE, the most accomplished and distinguished engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, professors, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs comprise the College of Fellows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChampion and Wilson will be among \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aimbe.org\/2021-aimbe-fellows\/\u0022\u003E174 engineers\u003C\/a\u003E inducted into the College of Fellows during AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s 2021 Annual Event on March 26.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECandidates for the AIMBE College of Fellows are nominated by existing members and evaluated by a panel of their peers. Reviewers consider significant research accomplishments and how candidates have engaged in service and given back to the fields of medical and biological engineering for the benefit of society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/championlab\/\u0022\u003EChampion\u003C\/a\u003E was nominated and elected for the creation of materials made from therapeutic proteins that enable their delivery and function in immunomodulatory and cancer applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/corey-wilson\u0022\u003EWilson\u003C\/a\u003E was nominated and elected for his seminal work in developing the field of biomolecular systems engineering, intelligent microorganisms, and promoting diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to AIMBE, since 1991, the \u0026ldquo;College of Fellows has led the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering. AIMBE Fellows have helped revolutionize medicine and related fields to enhance and extend the lives of people all over the world. They have successfully advocated for public policies that have enabled researchers and business-makers to further the interests of engineers, teachers, scientists, clinical practitioners, and ultimately, patients.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther Georgia Tech faculty members elected to the AIMBE Fellow Class of 2021 include Professor Lakshmi \u0026ldquo;Prasad\u0026rdquo; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/dasi-elected-aimbe-fellow\u0022\u003EDasi\u003C\/a\u003E of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Professors Nazanin \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/AIMBE-Fellows-Bassiri-Gharb-Dixon\u0022\u003EBassiri-Gharb\u003C\/a\u003E and Brandon \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/AIMBE-Fellows-Bassiri-Gharb-Dixon\u0022\u003EDixon\u003C\/a\u003E of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about the AIMBE Annual Event, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aimbe.org\u0022\u003Ewww.aimbe.org\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Election to the College of Fellows is an honor reserved for the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers in the country."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2021-03-12 19:40:06","changed_gmt":"2021-03-12 19:40:06","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644829":{"id":"644829","type":"image","title":"Julie Champion, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering","body":null,"created":"1614628462","gmt_created":"2021-03-01 19:54:22","changed":"1614628462","gmt_changed":"2021-03-01 19:54:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244831","name":"juliechampion2019_119x119.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/juliechampion2019_119x119.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/juliechampion2019_119x119.png","mime":"image\/png","size":34917,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/juliechampion2019_119x119.png?itok=sDOs39sw"}}},"media_ids":["644829"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:braddixon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrad Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["braddixon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"645131":{"#nid":"645131","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Receives $2.2M in Toyota Research Institute Robotics Funding","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology is one of 16 academic institutions selected for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tri.global\/\u0022\u003EToyota Research Institute\u0026rsquo;s (TRI) \u003C\/a\u003Ecollaborative research program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFounded in 2015 and now in its second wave of investment with top universities, TRI will invest more than $75 million over the next five years. The university partners will focus on breakthroughs around tough technological challenges in key research priority areas of automated driving, robotics, and machine-assisted cognition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech is honored to work closely with TRI to advance robotics in key fields. It\u0026rsquo;s an exciting start to what we hope will be a longer-term collaboration,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/~seth\/\u0022\u003ESeth Hutchinson\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/robotics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines\u003C\/a\u003E and professor and KUKA Chair for Robotics in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;This new phase of university research is about pushing even further and doing so with a broader, more diverse set of stakeholders. To get to the best ideas, collaboration is critical. And we sought out universities like Georgia Tech that share our vision of using AI for human amplification and societal good. The funded projects will contribute to two TRI focus areas: automated driving and home robotics,\u0026quot; said Eric Krotkov, TRI chief science officer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two Georgia Tech projects total $2.2M over the next three years. Under the agreement, each team will be paired with TRI researchers, who will serve as co-investigators.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn Outdoor MiniCity to Test Autonomous Driving\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe first research project aims to make it easier for universities to test autonomous vehicles, building on Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/autorally.github.io\/media\/\u0022\u003EAutoRally\u003C\/a\u003E platform. Georgia Tech researchers use this small-scale autonomous dirt track to test aggressive driving. The car can control turns and calculate for on-course obstacles at speeds approaching 20 miles per hour. The software and simulation environment could help make future self-driving cars safer under similar hazardous road conditions. Georgia Tech researchers will build on this platform to develop a scale-model MiniCity environment to develop and test autonomy algorithms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrent autonomous vehicle testing is done by industry using full-size vehicles on city streets \u0026ndash; an expensive proposition not viable for the broader academic research community.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s a barrier to entry for the science in the field,\u0026rdquo; said principal investigator \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rehg.org\/contact\/\u0022\u003EJames Rehg\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;Our platform uses a one-fifth scale vehicle, freeing us to do research at lower cost and without taking any risks \u0026ndash; we can crash our car and it\u0026rsquo;s inexpensive to repair and nobody gets hurt.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe autonomous cars will navigate the MiniCity and avoid hazards while obeying speed and traffic rules. Sensors will enable the cars to sense obstacles and make decisions on how fast to drive or how to steer. \u0026ldquo;We are addressing the issue of reproducibility of autonomous driving in a test environment,\u0026rdquo; Rehg said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of TRI\u0026rsquo;s three original funded universities, is leading the research project. MIT operates an indoor autonomous driving track that simulates paved city streets. With Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s outdoor track, researchers can then see how autonomous cars perform over gravel, dirt, and other more realistic driving conditions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Rehg, autonomy testing presents unique challenges. \u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s a reason you get a driver\u0026rsquo;s test \u0026mdash; you have to understand the variety of situations that can arise in driving and the rules, and you must understand how the context can change and make all the right decisions for safety.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the MiniCity, Rehg and fellow investigator Evangelos Theodorou, an associate professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, hope to develop a standardized testbed and protocol for testing and then invite academic teams to compete and measure the driving performance of their vehicles. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHuman-assist Robots to Help People Age in Place\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s other TRI research project involves robotics that can assist older adults. It reflects Toyota and TRI\u0026rsquo;s priority to help older adults age in place.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s really a powerful thing to have independence and be able to do things for yourself,\u0026rdquo; said the project\u0026rsquo;s principal investigator,\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/charles-kemp\u0022\u003E Charlie Kemp\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and adjunct associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/a\u003E. Kemp also is a co-founder and the chief technology officer of Hello Robot Inc., a company that has commercialized robotic assistance technologies initially developed in his lab. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELooking at the aging issue, Kemp and co-PI Hutchinson will examine how to take advantage of complementary characteristics that can lead to better physical collaboration between an individual and a robot.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are asking, \u0026lsquo;How can an individual and a particular robot best work together?\u0026rsquo; \u0026lsquo;How do we individualize the robot to the person to give them a better quality of life?\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; Kemp said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey plan to take a modeling approach initially using physics simulations and, later, conducting studies with young able-bodied participants, healthy older adults, and older adults with impairments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers will use sensing technology \u0026ndash; including pressure sensors on beds that pinpoint a person\u0026rsquo;s body position and movement, as well as capacitive sensors that help the robot to better perceive a person\u0026rsquo;s body position up close. Such information can help with activities like dressing. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s a very intimate interaction between the robot and the human,\u0026rdquo; Hutchinson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth investigators share TRI\u0026rsquo;s view that robotics that can assist older adults with daily living could make a major impact in the well-being of an increasingly graying population. In fact, during the next three decades, the global population over the age of 65 is projected to more than double. Japan, headquarters for Toyota, has the highest proportion of older citizens of any country in the world, with one in four people over 65. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have talked about robots helping older adults for decades and we\u0026rsquo;re still not there,\u0026rdquo; said Kemp. \u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s a real opportunity to help people. As I get older, I\u0026rsquo;d love for this technology to be there for me and for my loved ones. While we still have a long way to go, the research can get us closer,\u0026rdquo; he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHutchinson acknowledged that it will take time before people see robotic assistive technologies in hospitals or people\u0026rsquo;s homes, but the potential is there.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What is most exciting about the TRI project is it has the potential to show up in people\u0026rsquo;s homes because TRI is invested in getting it there. And that means our research could really make an impact on a broad scale instead of only touching research journals or elite practitioners in the field,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobotics Success Takes a Village\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe investigators agree that Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s multidisciplinary focus within robotics is a strength that will serve them well in their work with TRI, and especially in the future when autonomy goes mainstream.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If you think about what it\u0026rsquo;s going to take for autonomous vehicles to really exist in the world on a large scale and deliver passengers in high volumes, it\u0026rsquo;s going to require all those things \u0026ndash; engineering, science policy, law, and ethics \u0026ndash; all those disciplines coming together,\u0026rdquo; said Rehg.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nKemp agreed, noting that since founding his \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/hrl\/\u0022\u003EHealthcare Robotics Lab\u003C\/a\u003E in 2007, he\u0026rsquo;s attracted students from across engineering disciplines \u0026mdash; from mechanical and computing to electrical, aerospace, and biomedical. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s definitely something that\u0026#39;s distinctive about Georgia Tech \u0026mdash; it\u0026#39;s a real strength,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECharlie Kemp owns equity in Hello Robot and is an inventor of Georgia Tech intellectual property (IP) licensed by Hello Robot. Consequently, he benefits from increases in the value of Hello Robot and receives royalties via Georgia Tech for sales made by Hello Robot. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Georgia Tech in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research Projects to Advance Autonomous Driving Testbed, Human-Robot Collaboration"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers will create an outdoor minicity to test autonomous driving in an urban area, while another team will focus on home robotics to help aging populations and robots better collaborate.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers will collaborate with TRI on two research projects: the first to advance autonomous vehicle testing and the second,  to improve the way robots assist older adults with daily living tasks."}],"uid":"35692","created_gmt":"2021-03-08 21:31:54","changed_gmt":"2021-03-11 01:07:58","author":"Anne Sargent","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-03-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-03-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"645119":{"id":"645119","type":"image","title":"AutoRally ","body":null,"created":"1615236952","gmt_created":"2021-03-08 20:55:52","changed":"1615240710","gmt_changed":"2021-03-08 21:58:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244942","name":"thumbnail_test-track.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/thumbnail_test-track.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/thumbnail_test-track.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":261914,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/thumbnail_test-track.jpg?itok=FfWM73Gn"}},"645222":{"id":"645222","type":"image","title":"Stretch with Professor Charlie Kemp","body":null,"created":"1615424723","gmt_created":"2021-03-11 01:05:23","changed":"1615424723","gmt_changed":"2021-03-11 01:05:23","alt":"Professor Charlie Kemp with his robot, Stretch.","file":{"fid":"244964","name":"original_with_post_processing_20210310_1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/original_with_post_processing_20210310_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/original_with_post_processing_20210310_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1430942,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/original_with_post_processing_20210310_1.jpg?itok=HX-weVsP"}}},"media_ids":["645119","645222"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187238","name":"Toyota Research Institute"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"},{"id":"174666","name":"autonomous driving"},{"id":"187244","name":"human-robot collaboration"},{"id":"15273","name":"aging in place"},{"id":"5525","name":"assistive technologies"},{"id":"14786","name":"James Rehg"},{"id":"169760","name":"Seth Hutchinson"},{"id":"79401","name":"Charles Kemp"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404-435-5784)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636866":{"#nid":"636866","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Expands Its Ranks by 23, Including Liang Han, Britney Schmidt, Amanda Stockton","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology sees continued growth in its faculty ranks with the addition of 23 new members in recent months. The group covers a wide swath of bioengineering and bioscience research fields, representing Georgia Tech, Emory, and Morehouse College.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis brings the total number of Petit Institute faculty to 244 members; meet the newest cohort below.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGuy Benian\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Emory University School of Medicine. The Benian lab focuses on the functions and structures of giant multi-domain proteins, and the mechanism by which myofibrils are attached to the muscle cell membrane and transmit force.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAhmet Coskun\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University. Coskun is a systems biotechnologist and bioengineer, working at the nexus of multiplex imaging and quantitative cell biology. His lab aims to deliver biotechnologies for spatial multi-comics profiling vision at the single cell level.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrasad (Lakshmi) Dasi,\u003C\/strong\u003E professor, Coulter Department. Dasi\u0026#39;s research is in translational cardiovascular engineering, pushing engineering to better treat and\/or manage structural heart diseases in both adults and children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThomas DiChristina\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech. His Environmental Geomicrobiology Lab focuses on fundamental and applied aspects of microbial metal respiration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELiang Han\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech. Han\u0026rsquo;s research is focused on using a combination of molecular, cellular, immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, genetic and behavioral approaches to understand how the nervous system receives, transmits and interprets various stimuli to induce physiological and behavioral responses.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKarmella Haynes,\u003C\/strong\u003E associate professor, Coulter Department. The Haynes\u0026rsquo; lab aims to identify how the intrinsic properties of chromatin, the DNA-protein structure that packages eukaryotic genes, can be used to control cell development in tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShella Keilholz\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, Coulter Department. Keilholz\u0026#39;s lab studies network dynamics in the brain using a combination of MRI, electrophysiology, and optical imaging.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPinar Keskinocak,\u003C\/strong\u003E professor, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech. Keskinocak\u0026#39;s research focuses on the applications of operations research and management science with societal impact, particularly health and humanitarian applications, supply chain management, and logistics\/transportation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdam Klein\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of laryngology, otolaryngology, Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Klein\u0026rsquo;s research interests include vocal cord reanimation, laryngeal papillomatosis, and designing a surgical trainer for phonomicrosurgery (voice surgery).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESakis Mantalaris\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, Coulter Department. The Biomedical Systems Engineering Laboratory focuses on providing integrated in vitro\/in silico platforms for clinical translational biomedical applications, specifically delivering an interdisciplinary program on bioprocess engineering for the production of high-value products for precision healthcare applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDavid\u0026nbsp;Myers\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department. Myers\u0026rsquo; Sensors for Living Systems Lab (SL2) seeks to improve healthcare measurements and learn how to extract information from biological systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETianye Niu\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech. The research interests of Niu\u0026rsquo;s Advanced Imaging Laboratory for Radiation Therapy focus on conebeam CT scanner design and spectral CT algorithm development, connected by the current need for clinical onboard and high-volume data analysis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Porter\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor in hematology and oncology, Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Porter\u0026#39;s lab studies mechanisms of carcinogenesis and treatment resistance, with the goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies to improve the care of children with cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFelipe\u0026nbsp;Quiroz\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department. Quiroz\u0026rsquo; lab engineers self-assembling materials that are genetically-encoded and stimuli-responsive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArijit Raychowdhury\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech. Raychowdhury\u0026rsquo;s Integrated Circuits \u0026amp; Systems Research Lab studies low power digital and mixed-signal circuit design, design of power converters, sensors and exploring interactions of circuits with device technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Saldana\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Woodruff School. Saldana\u0026#39;s current research interests are centered on establishing the processing science needed to realize next generation material systems (alloys, composites, bio-inspired) and manufacturing processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBritney Schmidt\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech. The Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab works to understand how icy ocean worlds form, evolve, and ultimately could give rise to life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENicoleta Serban\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, Stewart School. Serban\u0026rsquo;s research focuses on model-based data mining for functional data, spatio-temporal data with applications to industrial economics with a focus on service distribution and nonparametric statistical methods motivated by recent applications from proteomics and genomics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVahid Serpooshan\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department. Serpooshan Tissue Manufacturing \u0026amp; Analysis Lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to design and develop micro\/nano-scale tissue engineering technologies with the ultimate goal of generating functional tissues and organs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJennifer Singh\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, School of History and Sociology, Georgia Tech. Singh\u0026#39;s research investigates the intersections of genetics, health and society, which draws on her experiences of working in the biotechnology industry in molecular biology and as a public health researcher at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJonathan Stiles\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of microbiology, biochemistry, and immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Stiles\u0026rsquo; research interests are in molecular pathogenesis of neglected diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS) with emphasis on cerebral malaria and African trypanosomiasis (\u0026quot;Sleeping Sickness\u0026quot;).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmanda Stockton\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Tech. The Stockton group\u0026#39;s research centers around three related astrobiological themes: the analysis of extraterrestrial organic molecules in the search for life beyond Earth, fingerprinting life at Earth\u0026rsquo;s extremes, and exploring the origins of biomolecules and the emergence of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGleb Yushin\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech. Yushin\u0026rsquo;s Nanotech Lab focuses on finding nanotechnology-driven solutions to enable the next generation of lighter, more energy dense, more cost-effective energy storage devices by studying their materials structure-property relationships.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New cohort includes faculty from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Morehouse School of Medicine"}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2020-07-10 00:35:24","changed_gmt":"2021-03-09 18:02:31","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"312351":{"id":"312351","type":"image","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026 Bioscience","body":null,"created":"1449244929","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:09","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026 Bioscience","file":{"fid":"199875","name":"ibb-166.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2922980,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg?itok=tJApemUG"}}},"media_ids":["312351"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty","title":"Petit Institute faculty web page"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EColly Mitchell\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644639":{"#nid":"644639","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Beam Therapeutics Acquires Dahlman\u2019s Gene Therapy Startup","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA startup spun out of Georgia Tech in 2018 to guide gene therapies using lipid nanoparticle technology has been acquired by Beam Therapeutics in an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/investors.beamtx.com\/news-releases\/news-release-details\/beam-therapeutics-announces-acquisition-guide-therapeutics\u0022\u003Eall-stock deal announced Feb. 23\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/guidetx.com\/\u0022\u003EGuide Therapeutics\u003C\/a\u003E was born out of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/dna-faster-data-more-storage-better-drugs\u0022\u003EDNA barcoding and data storage work in the lab of James Dahlman\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/James-Dahlman\u0022\u003Eassistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Dahlman co-founded Guide to efficiently develop safe gene therapies with a former graduate researcher in his lab, Cory Sago.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe company uses patented DNA barcoding technology to tag lipid nanoparticles and then simultaneously test thousands of the molecules in search of those that can deliver drugs to different kinds of cells in the body.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne FDA-approved a drug uses the lipid nanoparticle delivery approach to target cells in the liver. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/guidetx.com\/\u0022\u003EGuide is searching for nanoparticles\u003C\/a\u003E that will work to deliver therapies to other cells and says it can generate drug delivery data at a rate 15,000-fold higher than traditional experiments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGuide received project management and business mentorship from the Coulter Department\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biolocity.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBiolocity technology commercialization program\u003C\/a\u003E in 2019. The company also won a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20200130005487\/en\/Georgia-Bio-Names-2020-Golden-Helix-Award\u0022\u003EDeal of the Year award from Georgia Bio\u003C\/a\u003E in 2020 after an initial equity investment from GreatPoint Ventures.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/medcitynews.com\/2021\/02\/beam-makes-120m-bet-that-guidetxs-tech-brings-gene-editing-beyond-the-liver\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERead more about the acquisition.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGuide Therapeutics was born from James Dahlman\u0026#39;s work on DNA barcodes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Guide Therapeutics was born from James Dahlman\u0027s work on DNA barcodes."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-02-24 13:37:37","changed_gmt":"2021-02-26 18:28:31","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-24T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-24T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644640":{"id":"644640","type":"image","title":"James Dahlman (16x9)","body":null,"created":"1614195529","gmt_created":"2021-02-24 19:38:49","changed":"1614195739","gmt_changed":"2021-02-24 19:42:19","alt":"James Dahlman headshot","file":{"fid":"244758","name":"Dahlman-James-By-Roger-Slavens-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dahlman-James-By-Roger-Slavens-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dahlman-James-By-Roger-Slavens-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":189694,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Dahlman-James-By-Roger-Slavens-h.jpg?itok=-ik7f6xg"}}},"media_ids":["644640"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/medcitynews.com\/2021\/02\/beam-makes-120m-bet-that-guidetxs-tech-brings-gene-editing-beyond-the-liver\/","title":"Read More: \u0022Beam makes $120M bet that GuideTx\u2019s tech brings gene editing beyond the liver\u0022"},{"url":"https:\/\/investors.beamtx.com\/news-releases\/news-release-details\/beam-therapeutics-announces-acquisition-guide-therapeutics","title":"Beam Therapeutics News Release"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/dna-faster-data-more-storage-better-drugs","title":"Read More: \u0022DNA: Faster Data, More Storage, Better Drugs\u0022"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/James-Dahlman","title":"James Dahlman"},{"url":"https:\/\/guidetx.com\/","title":"Guide Therapeutics"},{"url":"https:\/\/biolocity.gatech.edu\/","title":"Biolocity"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"145161","name":"James Dahlman"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"182840","name":"Biolocity"},{"id":"179935","name":"DNA barcode"},{"id":"173419","name":"DNA barcoding"},{"id":"186748","name":"lipid nanoparticle"},{"id":"187109","name":"Guide Therapeutics"},{"id":"166994","name":"startups"},{"id":"11753","name":"acquisition"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644724":{"#nid":"644724","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Microscopic Improvements Make a Big Impact","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBy Zoe Elledge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor the first time, a microscopy system has been able to demonstrate super-resolution imaging of living cells in flow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWalter H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Shu-Jia\u0022\u003EAssistant Professor Shu Jia\u003C\/a\u003E, along with his \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/thejialab\/\u0022\u003ELaboratory for Systems Biophotonics\u003C\/a\u003E, recently introduced their super-resolution optofluidic scanning microscopy system (OSM). It can view sub-diffraction-limit details of flowing cells and includes a high-quality microscope, a microfluidic system, and a micro lens array. These elements combine to create a grid of light spots that illuminate the sample inside a microfluidic channel. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrent microscopy technologies often sacrifice high-resolution images for a high throughput rate \u0026mdash; the number of cells moving through the system to be analyzed. These systems need to stop the flow of cellular material in order to obtain a high-resolution image and therefore disturb the throughput rate. The flaws inherent in the current systems pose problems to researchers who need to analyze a large number of samples and want to take high-resolution images continuously. Jia\u0026rsquo;s new OSM system provides users the ability to do both.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When you want to look at a cell, much of its organelles and structures are smaller than the conventional limit of the microscopes,\u0026rdquo; Jia said. \u0026ldquo;You want to have a higher resolution so that you can resolve finer structures. We\u0026rsquo;re trying to provide a system that can generate super-resolution images of the cells in flow so that you can learn more information from the cells and glean more biological insights.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJia and his team \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/Content\/ArticleLanding\/LC\/2021\/D0LC00889C#!divAbstract\u0022\u003Edescribed their optofluidic scanning microscopy technology\u003C\/a\u003E in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal \u003Cem\u003ELab on a Chip\u003C\/em\u003E. Their study appeared on the back cover of the third issue for 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe OSM system illuminates the flowing sample in a pattern called multi-focal excitation, which provides super-resolution images of the sample and allows the team to extract even more information during analysis. Multi-focal excitation allows the system to take images without disrupting the flow of samples and makes it a revolutionary addition to the field of microscopy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother unique feature of the OSM is its platform accessibility, which is currently a topic of concern in the field of super-resolution microscopy. Jia\u0026rsquo;s lab created OSM to be compatible with various types of devices and samples so that its use can be broad and interdisciplinary.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Just like a regular microscope, a lab can use it to image any sample it needs,\u0026rdquo; said Biagio Mandracchia, the paper\u0026rsquo;s first author and a postdoctoral fellow who works in Jia\u0026rsquo;s lab. \u0026ldquo;It offers a variety of opportunities for different disciplines and levels of research.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELooking forward, OSM could be applied to fundamental biology studies, providing super-resolution images of large cellular populations and the individual organelles within a single cell. \u0026nbsp;It could also be used to analyze tissue samples in biopsies. Jia said the technology could be used in preclinical and clinical studies, offering large amounts of diagnostic information faster.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our technique is simple, so we expect to see it used by physicians for obtaining diagnostics and analyzing samples, which will potentially have a large impact in both fundamental and clinical research,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShu Jia\u0026rsquo;s lab combines microfluidics with super-resolution microscopy to create a revolutionary new imaging system\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Shu Jia\u2019s lab combines microfluidics with super-resolution microscopy to create a revolutionary new imaging system"}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-02-26 14:22:07","changed_gmt":"2021-02-26 18:27:37","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-26T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-26T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644714":{"id":"644714","type":"image","title":"Optofluidic Scanning Microscopy","body":null,"created":"1614289056","gmt_created":"2021-02-25 21:37:36","changed":"1614289056","gmt_changed":"2021-02-25 21:37:36","alt":"Illustration of super-resolution optofluidic scanning microscopy, which allows for imaging of living cells in flow. (Illustration Courtesy: Shu Jia)","file":{"fid":"244779","name":"Lab-on-a-Chip-Cover-Image-Shu-Jia-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab-on-a-Chip-Cover-Image-Shu-Jia-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab-on-a-Chip-Cover-Image-Shu-Jia-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":272364,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lab-on-a-Chip-Cover-Image-Shu-Jia-h.jpg?itok=EnCMcTtO"}},"644715":{"id":"644715","type":"image","title":"Lab on a Chip 2021 Issue 3 Back Cover","body":null,"created":"1614289214","gmt_created":"2021-02-25 21:40:14","changed":"1614289214","gmt_changed":"2021-02-25 21:40:14","alt":"Back cover of the third 2021 issue of the journal Lab on a Chip, featuring an illustration of Shu Jia\u0027s super-resolution optofluidic scanning microscopy.","file":{"fid":"244782","name":"Lab-on-a-Chip-Back-Cover-2021-3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab-on-a-Chip-Back-Cover-2021-3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab-on-a-Chip-Back-Cover-2021-3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":281150,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lab-on-a-Chip-Back-Cover-2021-3.jpg?itok=H5WW7zAx"}}},"media_ids":["644714","644715"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/Content\/ArticleLanding\/LC\/2021\/D0LC00889C#!divAbstract","title":"\u0022Super-resolution optofluidic scanning microscopy,\u0022  Lab Chip, 2021, 21, 489-493 "},{"url":"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/thejialab\/","title":"Laboratory for Systems Biophotonics"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Shu-Jia","title":"Shu Jia"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187116","name":"Shu Jia"},{"id":"177784","name":"biomedical imaging"},{"id":"7392","name":"microscopy"},{"id":"187117","name":"super-resolution optofluidic scanning microscopy"},{"id":"170154","name":"lab on a chip"},{"id":"187120","name":"Biagio Mandracchia"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644619":{"#nid":"644619","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Using Deep Learning to Better Predict Alzheimer\u2019s ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the age of big and bigger biomedical data, researchers like \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/miblab.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMay Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E are appropriating a powerful analytics tool from the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) to help. Using deep learning to dig into these cascading cyber-mountains of information, they\u0026rsquo;re able to open doors to the next generation of precision health care.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Basically, deep learning tries to imitate the way our brain works,\u0026rdquo; said Wang, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0026ldquo;We know that this kind of AI has great potential for clinical decision support \u0026mdash; for personalized, predictive, and preventive medicine.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAI systems use algorithms to automatically learn, describe, and improve data, using statistical techniques to spot patterns and then perform actions. Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that goes a bit further, using artificial neural networks inspired by the biology of the human brain. Deep learning AI uses a pattern of logic that mimics how a human might arrive at a conclusion. Only much faster.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The ultimate, long-term goal of this research would be to provide clinicians with a better tool for predicting the different stages of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease,\u0026rdquo; said Wang, principal investigator of the Biomedical Informatics and Bio-imaging Laboratory (Bio-MIBLab). \u0026ldquo;We aren\u0026rsquo;t there yet. But we feel that this work is like an early spark in a larger explosion of research demonstrating the power of deep learning.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWang and her colleagues tested the concept and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-020-74399-w?utm_source=other\u0026amp;utm_medium=other\u0026amp;utm_content=null\u0026amp;utm_campaign=JRCN_1_LW01_CN_SCIREP_article_paid_XMOL\u0022\u003Ewrote about it recently in \u003Cem\u003ENature Scientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWang\u0026rsquo;s team used data gathered from the Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a multicenter study of 2,000-plus patients (originated by the University of Southern California) that aims to develop clinical, imaging, genetic, and biochemical biomarkers for the early detection and tracking of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMost studies of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, as well as mild cognitive disorders, use a single mode of data \u0026mdash; imaging, for example \u0026mdash; to make predictions of what may lie ahead, pathologically, in a patient\u0026rsquo;s neurological journey.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWang and her collaborators wanted to know if deep learning could combine multiple kinds, or modalities, of data to offer a fuller picture. It did \u0026mdash; their multimodal model outperformed the traditional single-mode model, \u0026ldquo;significantly improving our prediction accuracy, providing a more holistic view of disease progression,\u0026rdquo; Wang said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team used cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); whole genome sequencing data; and clinical test data, like demographics, neurological exams, cognitive assessments, biomarkers, and medication.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStill, the study was limited to a relatively small number of patients. As Wang explained, all 2,004 patients in the ADNI database had clinical data, but only 503 had imaging data and 808 had genetic data; just 220 patients had all three data modalities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That isn\u0026rsquo;t a large group,\u0026rdquo; Wang said. \u0026ldquo;My hope is that this study and others will inspire hospitals and health care organizations to collect multiple modalities of data from the same cohorts of patients so that we can develop a more complete picture of what disease progress is like. We need to test our models on larger, richer data sets.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt looks as if she will get that opportunity. On the heels of the paper\u0026rsquo;s publication, three more journals invited her team to write a follow-up paper on the ADNI work, \u0026ldquo;so I feel like we are moving in the right direction,\u0026rdquo; Wang said. \u0026ldquo;This is an important work.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported in part by the Petit Institute Faculty Fellow Fund, Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Faculty Fellow Research Fund, Amazon Faculty Research Fellowship, and the China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 201406010343).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Janani Venugopalan, Li Tong, Hamid Reza Hassanzadeh, May Wang, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-020-74399-w?utm_source=other\u0026amp;utm_medium=other\u0026amp;utm_content=null\u0026amp;utm_campaign=JRCN_1_LW01_CN_SCIREP_article_paid_XMOL\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Multimodal deep learning models for early detection of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026nbsp;(\u003Cem\u003ENature Scientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;2021)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Wang Lab uses AI model to generate new insights into patients\u2019 disease progression"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWang Lab uses AI model to generate new insights into patients\u0026rsquo; disease progression\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Wang Lab uses AI model to generate new insights into patients\u2019 disease progression"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-02-24 14:07:35","changed_gmt":"2021-02-24 14:43:20","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-24T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-24T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644618":{"id":"644618","type":"image","title":"May Wang and team","body":null,"created":"1614175550","gmt_created":"2021-02-24 14:05:50","changed":"1614191375","gmt_changed":"2021-02-24 18:29:35","alt":"BME Professor May Wang (left) and students Li Tong and Janani Venugopalan led the research team. ","file":{"fid":"244752","name":"May and team.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/May%20and%20team.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/May%20and%20team.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2712055,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/May%20and%20team.jpg?itok=I8Niw17I"}}},"media_ids":["644618"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"109581","name":"deep learning"},{"id":"2835","name":"ai"},{"id":"2556","name":"artificial intelligence"},{"id":"9167","name":"machine learning"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"643510":{"#nid":"643510","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Develop Method to Create 3D \u2018Map\u2019 of Tissue Structure and Function","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA newly published approach to profiling human tissue samples can build a 3D picture of structure and function at the molecular level. The procedure marries techniques from chemistry, biology, and data science and could help doctors design precision therapies in the coming years for patients who aren\u0026rsquo;t responding to treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/7\/5\/eabd0957\u0022\u003EIn a study of human tonsil tissue\u003C\/a\u003E, the researchers combined a labeling scheme using isotopes to \u0026ldquo;tag\u0026rdquo; specific kinds of cells \u0026mdash; in this case, immune cells such as T-cells and B-cells \u0026mdash; with imaging mass spectrometry that can identify metabolites, the molecules around those cells that are used for various metabolic functions. And instead of doing this on a single, two-dimensional \u0026ldquo;slice\u0026rdquo; of tissue, they used data from about 150 slices to create a 3D map of the tissue.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;An analogy to our system is actually geography: We create the geography of tonsils \u0026mdash; where are the valleys, where are the mountains. But when we are doing that, we are looking at more granular features, [including] which molecular distributions are around, and how do they really change within this tonsil tissue,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Ahmet-F-Coskun\u0022\u003EAhmet Coskun, Bernie Marcus Early Career Professor\u003C\/a\u003E in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Typically, the metabolites are measured in one experiment, and these protein-specific labels are measured in another, separate experiment. Bringing the two together in a unique, single measurement is one of the advantages here,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoskun\u0026rsquo;s team used tools from data science to turn all of that data into a 3D map of the tonsil tissue, which Coskun said is more accurate since the tissues are three-dimensional themselves. They described their unique approach \u0026mdash; combining two disparate measurements into a single test and processing a huge amount of data to make a 3D map \u0026mdash; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/7\/5\/eabd0957\u0022\u003EJan. 27 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. They call the technique a \u0026ldquo;3D Spatially resolved Metabolomic profiling Framework.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You\u0026#39;ve seen in hospitals how MRIs are done \u0026mdash; they can make entire body 3D. That\u0026#39;s not done at the microscale, unfortunately,\u0026rdquo; Coskun said. \u0026ldquo;When you look at microscale things, they\u0026#39;re just two-dimensional slices most of the time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoskun and his team studied B-cells in tonsils, important harbingers of a potential infection. Tonsils are one of the first areas that sense a foreign bacteria or virus, and the immune cells there warn the body to prepare to fight an invader. The team\u0026rsquo;s spatial map showed the locations of T-cell and B-cell concentrations. It also discovered lower concentrations of specific kinds of fat molecules called lipids that the B-cells use to proliferate and create antibodies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn experiments looking at nearly 200 different kinds of metabolites and lipids, the researchers uncovered a unique \u0026ldquo;code\u0026rdquo; that identified where specific lipids related to different kinds of cell function were depleted.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That is information you can use to understand how tonsils respond to outside foreign objects that are interfering our bodies,\u0026rdquo; Coskun said, \u0026ldquo;and then how those specific anatomical regions in tonsils use their metabolites and lipid content to respond to them.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding structure and function in conjunction also can pinpoint how cells are using energy, depleting oxygen, or otherwise working in the body, he noted.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You can use this information to design precision therapies and to find the best drugs for that specific person,\u0026rdquo; Coskun said. \u0026ldquo;Drug libraries attack this specific mechanism or that specific mechanism, so by comparing the drug libraries and a specific patient\u0026#39;s structure and function profiles, you can actually design personalized drugs for that specific patient.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026rsquo;s still a few years down the road \u0026mdash; Coskun said the specialized machines his team used to develop the metabolic profiling are still expensive and mostly housed in research centers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut: \u0026ldquo;The biochemical methods that we developed, they\u0026#39;re easy; they can be done in any lab,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Getting the measurements done is the rate-limiting step here.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoskun said he could imagine a centralized service where healthcare providers send patient samples for testing \u0026mdash; akin to how genetic sequencing is done now. But as technology advances and the machines get cheaper, he said they could end up in more and more hospitals. His team also is developing a cheaper, custom device to overcome the limitations of requiring costly, relatively rare equipment to employ his team\u0026rsquo;s approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our goal is discovery. We\u0026#39;d like to use this machine to survey a number of patients who respond to certain drugs and who don\u0026#39;t respond to certain drugs,\u0026rdquo; Coskun said. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026#39;d like to compare these groups of patients for a personalized therapy approach. We want to make the framework from our end, so that it\u0026#39;s ready for clinicians to adapt later.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoskun\u0026rsquo;s team on the study included graduate students Shambavi Ganesh, Thomas Hu, Mayar Allam, and Shuangyi Cai as well as Georgia Tech Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology researchers Eric Woods and Walter Henderson.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlready, Coskun and his collaborators are exploring what his 3D profiling approach can tell researchers about lung and prostate cancers, visualizing how immunotherapies affect the interplay between the immune system and tumors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There are cancer cells and immune cells, and we\u0026#39;d like to understand why and how they\u0026#39;re interacting, and then, when they come together, what happens to the structure and function in what we call the tumor microenvironment,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If you understand the structure and function of that tumor macroenvironment better, then you can trace back which mechanisms worked or haven\u0026#39;t worked.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health K25 Career Development Award K25AI140783, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the Bernie Marcus Early Career Professorship. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any funding agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Their approach could shed light on why some patients don\u2019t respond to treatment"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe procedure marries techniques from chemistry, biology, and data science and could help doctors design precision therapies for patients who aren\u0026rsquo;t responding to treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The procedure marries techniques from chemistry, biology, and data science and could help doctors design precision therapies for patients who aren\u2019t responding to treatment."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-01-27 20:31:00","changed_gmt":"2021-02-22 13:14:31","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-01-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-01-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"643504":{"id":"643504","type":"image","title":"3D Molecular Map of Tonsils","body":null,"created":"1611778760","gmt_created":"2021-01-27 20:19:20","changed":"1611778789","gmt_changed":"2021-01-27 20:19:49","alt":"Three-dimensional molecular map of a tonsil depicting four distinct chemical and protein signatures \u2014 lipids, metabolites, and isotope-labeled cells (CD20). (Image Courtesy: Ahmet Coskun)","file":{"fid":"244316","name":"Coskun-3D-Spatial-Map-Tonsils-h.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun-3D-Spatial-Map-Tonsils-h.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun-3D-Spatial-Map-Tonsils-h.png","mime":"image\/png","size":600083,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Coskun-3D-Spatial-Map-Tonsils-h.png?itok=WC5ScriP"}},"643506":{"id":"643506","type":"image","title":"3D TOF-SIMS Conceptual Diagram","body":null,"created":"1611778887","gmt_created":"2021-01-27 20:21:27","changed":"1611778887","gmt_changed":"2021-01-27 20:21:27","alt":"A conceptual diagram illustrates how researchers used a single imagining technique called TOF-SIMS, or time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, to capture metabolic and cellular profiles of more than 190 compounds in human tissue samples. (Image Courtesy: Ahmet Coskun)","file":{"fid":"244317","name":"Coskun-3D-Tissue-Conceptual-Image-h.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun-3D-Tissue-Conceptual-Image-h.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun-3D-Tissue-Conceptual-Image-h.png","mime":"image\/png","size":526175,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Coskun-3D-Tissue-Conceptual-Image-h.png?itok=IXyxEW8e"}},"643511":{"id":"643511","type":"image","title":"Ahmet Coskun","body":null,"created":"1611779802","gmt_created":"2021-01-27 20:36:42","changed":"1611780649","gmt_changed":"2021-01-27 20:50:49","alt":"Ahmet Coskun headshot.","file":{"fid":"244321","name":"Coskun-Ahmet-By-Walter-Rich-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun-Ahmet-By-Walter-Rich-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun-Ahmet-By-Walter-Rich-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":413872,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Coskun-Ahmet-By-Walter-Rich-h.jpg?itok=5NVOQE6I"}}},"media_ids":["643504","643506","643511"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/7\/5\/eabd0957","title":"Read more: \u0022Spatially resolved 3D metabolomic profiling in tissues\u0022"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Ahmet-F-Coskun","title":"Ahmet Coskun"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"186853","name":"Ahmet Coskun"},{"id":"186854","name":"tonsils"},{"id":"77571","name":"3D"},{"id":"176713","name":"metabolites"},{"id":"19691","name":"Lipids"},{"id":"10679","name":"personalized medicine"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E404.385.2416\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644361":{"#nid":"644361","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two Woodruff School Professors Elected to AIMBE","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the election of Woodruff School Professors \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/bassiri_gharb\u0022\u003ENazanin Bassiri-Gharb\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/j-brandon-dixon\u0022\u003EBrandon Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E to its College of Fellows. They were nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENazanin Bassiri-Gharb is the Harris Saunders Jr. Chair Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and her research interests are in ferroelectric and multiferroic materials and their application to nano- and micro-electromechanical systems as sensors and actuators. Her research projects integrate micro and nanofabrication techniques and processes, with fundamental science of ferroelectric materials. Bassiri-Gharb was elected to the AIMBE for \u0026quot;outstanding contributions to development of innovative sensor materials applicable in personalized medicine and biomedical engineering applications.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Brandon Dixon\u0026#39;s research focuses on elucidating and quantifying the molecular aspects that control lymphatic function as they respond to the dynamically changing mechanical environment they encounter in the body. Through the use of tissue-engineered model systems and animal models, his group\u0026#39;s research is shedding light on key functions of lymphatic transport, and the consequence of disease on these functions. Dixon was elected to the AIMBE for \u0026quot;outstanding contributions to technology development furthering our understanding of the structure - function relationships in the lymphatic vasculature.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the country. The most accomplished and distinguished engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, professors, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs comprise the College of Fellows. AIMBE Fellows are regularly recognized for their contributions in teaching, research, and innovation. AIMBE Fellows have been awarded the Nobel Prize, the Presidential Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Technology and Innovation and many also are members of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA formal induction ceremony will be held during AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s 2021 Annual Event on March 26. Bassiri-Gharb and Dixon will be inducted along with 174 colleagues who make up the AIMBE Fellow Class of 2021. For more information about the AIMBE Annual Event, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aimbe.org\u0022\u003Evisit here\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAIMBE\u0026rsquo;s mission is to recognize excellence in, and advocate for, the fields of medical and biological engineering in order to advance society. Since 1991, AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s College of Fellows has led the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering. AIMBE Fellows have helped revolutionize medicine and related fields to enhance and extend the lives of people all over the world. They have successfully advocated for public policies that have enabled researchers and business-makers to further the interests of engineers, teachers, scientists, clinical practitioners, and ultimately, patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Brandon Dixon\u0027s research focuses on elucidating and quantifying the molecular aspects that control lymphatic function as they respond to the dynamically changing mechanical environment they encounter in the body."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2021-02-17 14:14:39","changed_gmt":"2021-02-17 14:15:12","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"590869":{"id":"590869","type":"image","title":"Brandon Dixon","body":null,"created":"1493086001","gmt_created":"2017-04-25 02:06:41","changed":"1493086001","gmt_changed":"2017-04-25 02:06:41","alt":"","file":{"fid":"225126","name":"dixon-profile-lab_4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dixon-profile-lab_4.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dixon-profile-lab_4.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":120708,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dixon-profile-lab_4.jpg?itok=2Gx2Evsn"}}},"media_ids":["590869"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.wright@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBenjamin Wright\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager, Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.wright@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644291":{"#nid":"644291","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Finds Alligator Hearts Keep Beating No Matter What ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMammals and cold-blooded alligators share a common four-chamber heart structure \u0026ndash; unique among reptiles \u0026ndash; but that\u0026rsquo;s where the similarities end. Unlike humans and other mammals, whose hearts can fibrillate under stress, alligators have built-in antiarrhythmic protection. The findings from new research were reported Jan. 27 in the journal Integrative \u003Cem\u003EOrganismal Biology\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Alligator hearts don\u0026rsquo;t fibrillate \u0026ndash; no matter what we do. They\u0026rsquo;re very resilient,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/flavio-fenton\u0022\u003EFlavio Fenton\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology, researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and the report\u0026rsquo;s corresponding author. Fibrillation is one of the most dangerous arrhythmias, leading to blood clots and stroke when occurring in the atria and to death within minutes when it happens in the ventricles.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study looked at the action potential wavelengths of rabbit and young alligator hearts. Both species have four-chambered hearts of similar size (about\u0026nbsp; 3 cm); however, while rabbits maintain a constant heart temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, the body temperature of active, wild alligators ranges from 10 to 37 degrees Celsius. Heart pumping is controlled by an electrical wave that tells the muscle cells to contract. An electrical signal drives this wave, which must occur in the same pattern to keep blood pumping normally. In a deadly arrhythmia, this electrical signal is no longer coherent.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;An arrhythmia can happen for many reasons, including temperature dropping. For example, if someone falls into cold water and gets hypothermia, very often this person will develop an arrythmia and then drown,\u0026rdquo; Fenton said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring the study, the researchers recorded changes in the heart wave patterns at 38 C and 23 C. \u0026ldquo;The excitation wave in the rabbit heart reduced by more than half during temperature extremes while the alligator heart showed changes of only about 10% at most,\u0026rdquo; said Conner Herndon, a co-author and a graduate research assistant in the School of Physics. \u0026ldquo;We found that when the spatial wavelength reaches the size of the heart, the rabbit can undergo spontaneous fibrillation, but the alligator would always maintain this wavelength within a safe regime,\u0026rdquo; he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile alligators can function over a large temperature range without risk of heart trauma, their built-in safeguard has a drawback: it limits their maximum heart rate, making them unable to expend extra energy in an emergency. Rabbits and other warm-blooded mammals, on the other hand, can accommodate higher heart rates necessary to sustain an active, endothermic metabolism but they face increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia and critical vulnerability to temperature changes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe physicists from Georgia Tech collaborated with two biologists on the study, including former Georgia Tech postdoctoral fellow Henry Astley, now assistant professor in the Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center at the University of Akron\u0026rsquo;s Department of Biology.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was a little surprised by how massive the difference was \u0026ndash; the sheer resilience of the crocodilian heart and the fragility of the rabbit heart. I had not expected the rabbit heart to come apart at the seams as easily as it did,\u0026rdquo; noted Astley.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELower temperatures are one cause of cardiac electrophysiological arrhythmias, where fast-rotating electrical waves can cause the heart to beat faster and faster, leading to compromised cardiac function and potentially sudden cardiac death. Lowering\u0026nbsp; the temperature of the body \u0026ndash; frequently done for patients before certain surgeries \u0026ndash; also can induce an arrhythmia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers agree that this study could help better understand how the heart works and what can cause a deadly arrhythmia \u0026ndash; which fundamentally happens when the heart doesn\u0026rsquo;t pump blood correctly any longer.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe authors also consider the research a promising step toward better understanding of heart electrophysiology and how to help minimize fibrillation risk. Until December 2020, when Covid-19 took the top spot, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States and in most industrialized countries, with more people dying of heart disease than the next two causes of death combined.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAstley said the research provides a deeper understanding of the natural world and insight into the different coping mechanisms of cold- and warm-blooded animals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECo-author Tomasz Owerkowicz, associate\u0026nbsp; professor in the Department of Biology at California State University, San Bernardino, considers the findings \u0026ldquo;another piece of the puzzle that helps us realize how really cool non-human animals are and how many different tricks they have up their sleeves.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe expressed hope that more researchers will follow their example and use a non-traditional animal model in future research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Everyone studies mammals, fruit flies, and zebrafish. There\u0026#39;s such a huge wealth of resources among the wild animals that have not been brought to the laboratory setting that have such neat physiologies, that are waiting to be uncovered. All we have to do is look,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: C. Herndon, et al., \u0026ldquo;Defibrillate you Later, Alligator; Q10 Scaling and Refractoriness Keeps Alligators from Fibrillation.\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003EIntegrative Organismal Biology\u003C\/em\u003E, 2021)\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/iob\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/iob\/obaa047\/6120966?login=true\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/academic.oup.com\/iob\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/iob\/obaa047\/6120966?login=true\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E Anne Wainscott-Sargent (404-435-5784) (asargent7@gatech.edu) John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study reported by Georgia Tech researchers finds that an alligator heart will not fibrillate when exposed to drastic temperature changes, unlike a rabbit (mammal) heart, which is critically vulnerable to heart trauma under those conditions. The research could help\u0026nbsp; better understand how the heart works and what can cause a deadly arrhythmia \u0026ndash; which fundamentally happens when the heart doesn\u0026rsquo;t pump blood correctly any longer.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Both humans and alligators share a common four-chamber heart structure, but unlike mammals, alligators have built-in antiarrhythmic protection. "}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2021-02-16 15:43:14","changed_gmt":"2021-02-17 00:11:48","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644226":{"id":"644226","type":"image","title":"Alligator 1","body":null,"created":"1613398625","gmt_created":"2021-02-15 14:17:05","changed":"1613398625","gmt_changed":"2021-02-15 14:17:05","alt":"Close up of a baby alligator in the wild.","file":{"fid":"244584","name":"thumbnail_alligator head.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/thumbnail_alligator%20head.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/thumbnail_alligator%20head.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":111618,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/thumbnail_alligator%20head.jpg?itok=jJGonCnn"}},"644227":{"id":"644227","type":"image","title":"Alligator 2","body":null,"created":"1613398934","gmt_created":"2021-02-15 14:22:14","changed":"1613398934","gmt_changed":"2021-02-15 14:22:14","alt":"Alligator lurking in the water","file":{"fid":"244586","name":"thumbnail_IMG_4788.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/thumbnail_IMG_4788.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/thumbnail_IMG_4788.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":220808,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/thumbnail_IMG_4788.jpg?itok=cKa0P_Zu"}}},"media_ids":["644226","644227"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187033","name":"alligator"},{"id":"2583","name":"heart"},{"id":"180904","name":"arrhythmia"},{"id":"174315","name":"fibrillation"},{"id":"187034","name":"heart risk"},{"id":"187035","name":"heart rhythm"},{"id":"112191","name":"Flavio Fenton"},{"id":"172447","name":"Conner Herndon"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 435-5784\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["asargent7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644055":{"#nid":"644055","#data":{"type":"news","title":"We Heart Physics: Flavio Fenton on Cardiac Rhythms, Chaos, and a Mission to End Arrhythmias    ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to be Valentine\u0026rsquo;s Day for\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/flavio-fenton\u0022\u003EFlavio Fenton\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to focus his attention on the human heart. It\u0026rsquo;s what he\u0026rsquo;s researched for the past 30 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFenton is a professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E. He once wanted to be a particle physicist, with hopes of working on the Higgs boson while working at the Superconducting Super Collider. Instead, he\u0026rsquo;s spent the last three decades learning and sharing everything he can about cardiac electrical signals. Why?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s because the heart \u0026ldquo;is a fascinating system that involves a lot of physics,\u0026rdquo; Fenton shares. \u0026ldquo;When you think about the physics of a heart, the first thing that comes to mind is the pumping action and the forcing of fluids. But the reason it contracts is an electrical signal. There\u0026rsquo;s a lot of physiology and biology behind the function of the heart, but underneath it all, there\u0026rsquo;s so many areas of physics you can apply to it to understand how it works \u0026mdash; and how it fails to work, like in the case of arrhythmias,\u0026rdquo; which happen when a heart beats in an abnormal rhythm, beating too slow or too fast and often irregularly.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYes, the story of the heart is one of fluids and mechanics, staples of basic physics. But it also involves the chaos of electrical storms within cardiac tissue that cause those arrhythmias. Fenton\u0026rsquo;s ability to find the physics and mathematics in those cardiac rhythms has resulted in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/maelstroms-heart-confirmed\u0022\u003Eresearch that\u0026rsquo;s helped to create 3D images of arrhythmias\u003C\/a\u003E, studies that\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/using-smartphones-and-laptops-simulate-deadly-heart-arrhythmias\u0022\u003Eput the latest technologies of computer simulations into consumer electronics\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;so more scientists can have access to them, and work that\u0026rsquo;s helped us better understand how\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/2020\/06\/01\/study-shows-hydroxychloroquines-harmful-effects-heart-rhythm\u0022\u003Ecertain Covid-19 treatments can negatively impact patients\u0026rsquo; hearts.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHow Fenton came to focus on the heart is also the story of how science, and life, can force adaptations to long-range plans.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn early career decision: follow the heart\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe massive Super Collider project where Fenton hoped to conduct particle physics research in Texas in the 1990s was halfway dug out of the ground when Congress decided to cut its funding. Fenton shares that he didn\u0026rsquo;t want to compete with a number of suddenly unemployed high energy physicists, so he changed his academic plans and pursued a different scientific mystery.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;At the time it was being discovered that electrical spiral waves in the heart drove certain kinds of arrhythmias. My advisor and I decided to investigate how anatomical features of the heart destabilized spiral waves, leading to deadly arrhythmias.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat would necessitate learning physiology and biology, while filling in other gaps in his education so he could pivot to cardiac studies\u0026mdash;after he already had spent several years working in particle physics. \u0026ldquo;In the end, my Ph.D. took ten years,\u0026rdquo; he recalls. Then, he wanted to apply his nascent theories about cardiac spiral waves and how they propagate within heart tissue. \u0026ldquo;As a postdoc, I worked for a few years in hospitals so I could learn from a cardiologist, Dr. Steve Evans, about arrhythmias in the clinic.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDeciding he needed more background in performing experiments, he then went to Cornell to work with Robert Gilmour, a professor \u0026ldquo;doing cool experiments\u0026rdquo; with cardiac signals. \u0026ldquo;Even though I was not trained as an experimentalist, I was allowed a great deal of freedom in the lab, and I learned a lot even when experiments did not always go according to plan in the beginning,\u0026rdquo; he says with a laugh.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe was also building his fascination with cardiac electrical signals that would result in published research, grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, and breakthroughs involving how science can image, and possibly treat, the electrical storms that plague unstable hearts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA colorful and scary view of heart arrhythmias\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFenton\u0026rsquo;s fascination with heart rhythms collided with the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020, when he and colleagues at Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Johns Hopkins University published a paper in the journal\u0026nbsp;Heart Rhythm\u0026nbsp;on the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. At the time, the drug was touted as a potential treatment for those with Covid-19, but the team\u0026rsquo;s study showed how hydroxychloroquine at the higher proposed doses triggered abnormal heart activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have illustrated experimentally how the drug actually changes the electrical waves in the heart, and how that can initiate an arrhythmia,\u0026rdquo; Fenton told Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/635878\/study-shows-hydroxychloroquines-harmful-effects-heart-rhythm\u0022\u003EResearch Horizons\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;We used optical mapping, which allows us to see exactly how the waveforms in the heart were changed and why that is dangerous.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe scientists used a powerful LED-based optical mapping system, along with fluorescent dyes to make visible the movement of the electrical waves. A\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z6HAkN-_qlU\u0026amp;feature=emb_logo\u0022\u003Evideo\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;produced by Georgia Tech shows sections of a heart lighting up with colors illustrating electrical activity in regions of the organ. Waveform graphics show how a so-called \u0026ldquo;T-wave\u0026rdquo; in the heartbeat grows longer with the introduction of hydroxychloroquine. Fenton says that can create problems with succeeding waves.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The wavelength becomes less homogeneous and that produces sections of the heart where the waves do not propagate well,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;In the worst case, there are multiple waves going in different directions. Sections of the heart are contracting at different times, so the heart is just quivering. At that point, it can no longer pump blood throughout the body.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe picture of a heart in distress\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETwo years before the pandemic hit, optical mapping technology had also figured into a 2018 research paper published by Fenton and colleagues. The idea was to find a way to provide more visual, detailed three-dimensional evidence of what goes on throughout the heart during cardiac arrest, something that up until then had largely evaded science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe kinds of spiral-like waves seen in heart fibrillation (where the cardiac rhythms are dangerously out of sync, and the upper or lower chambers of your heart experience chaotic electrical signals) needed to be visualized in order to see what effects they were having inside cardiac muscle. \u0026ldquo;However, visualization of the 3D wave phenomena that occur within the cardiac muscle has remained a major scientific challenge. Despite substantial progress in the development of tomographic optical techniques, the measurement of transient electrical scroll waves inside cardiac tissue has so far been impossible,\u0026rdquo; the authors stated.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFenton, School of Physics postdoctoral fellow\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/ilija-uzelac\u0022\u003EIlija Uzelac\u003C\/a\u003E, and colleagues from Germany\u0026rsquo;s Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-organization and University of California San Diego came up with a mix of panoramic optical mapping and high-resolution four-dimensional ultrasound imaging. \u0026ldquo;Until now, only surface recording of complex fibrillation was possible,\u0026rdquo; Fenton said at the time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team\u0026rsquo;s new imaging technique could help lead to earlier identification of heart rhythm disorders and development of better treatments. Thanks to the group\u0026rsquo;s research, a more complete picture of what exactly happens to a human heart while in distress is also coming into view.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDialing up heart rhythms on a smartphone\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2019, Fenton and researchers had been able to take technologies that allowed them to simulate the spiral waves of heart rhythms by solving mathematical equations using supercomputers, and apply them to widely available consumer electronics like smartphones and laptop computers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat research, co-authored by Fenton, School of Physics research scientist\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/abouzar-kaboudian\u0022\u003EAbouzar Kaboudian\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;School of Computational Science and Engineering\u0026nbsp;associate professor Elizabeth M. Cherry (then at\u0026nbsp;Rochester Institute of Technology) was published in the journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/5\/3\/eaav6019\u0022\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile heart rhythm studies in general required powerful computers \u0026mdash; sometimes supercomputers \u0026mdash; the march of digital technology\u0026rsquo;s progress has resulted in scientists being able to use the same computer chips used in high-end gaming applications and commercial software found in web browsers to expand the reach of 3D modeling.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Models that might have been accessible to only a handful of researchers in the world will now be available to many more groups,\u0026rdquo; Fenton shares. \u0026ldquo;This also opens the door to many other areas of research where people have equations that can be solved in parallel. Anybody can have access to these programs, which run simulations as much as thousands of times faster than standard CPUs (central processing units).\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESounding out future cardiac research\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFenton says he has never looked back at the decision he made to forgo particle physics so he could work on cardiac electrical signals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It showed me that even though you think you want something, you have to be open to new things,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;You may find those other things are more interesting. I\u0026rsquo;m having so much fun in doing this. I\u0026rsquo;m so glad I changed to this area.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd as to what\u0026rsquo;s next? Fenton\u0026rsquo;s current projects involve possible advances in the amount of voltage used to treat fibrillations, and new knowledge about where in the heart to apply that voltage. He maintains collaborations with agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and a wide array of researchers and clinicians, with hopes that hospitals will eventually be able to directly apply what he has studied over the years to assist in better patient care and health outcomes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The heart has been a really fun system to study, there\u0026rsquo;s so much that we still don\u0026rsquo;t know,\u0026rdquo; he adds, \u0026ldquo;but on top of that, it has a main application of directly saving lives, if we can find better and safer ways to prevent and terminate arrhythmias.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Flavio Fenton\u2019s fascinations with cardiac rhythms and electrical signals lead to innovations in 3D imaging and new research in heart sounds"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHe\u0026#39;s a physicist, but Flavio Fenton has long been fascinated by the heart, and the electrical signals that keep it pumping. Fenton recounts how\u0026nbsp;he pivoted from particle physics to researching cardiac rhythms, along the way helping to provide innovations in heart sound studies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Flavio Fenton\u2019s fascinations with cardiac rhythms and electrical signals lead to innovations in 3D imaging and new research in heart sounds"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-02-10 15:31:32","changed_gmt":"2021-02-12 16:11:38","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644108":{"id":"644108","type":"image","title":"Heart illustration by Harriss Callahan and Monet Fort","body":null,"created":"1612991666","gmt_created":"2021-02-10 21:14:26","changed":"1612991666","gmt_changed":"2021-02-10 21:14:26","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244546","name":"heart-physics.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heart-physics.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heart-physics.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1058783,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/heart-physics.jpg?itok=yje1NAa6"}},"638980":{"id":"638980","type":"image","title":"Flavio Fenton","body":null,"created":"1599838469","gmt_created":"2020-09-11 15:34:29","changed":"1599838469","gmt_changed":"2020-09-11 15:34:29","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242942","name":"Flavio Fenton.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Flavio%20Fenton.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Flavio%20Fenton.png","mime":"image\/png","size":155229,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Flavio%20Fenton.png?itok=Vcf3N2rs"}},"644057":{"id":"644057","type":"image","title":"Cardiac spiral waves in a rabbit\u0027s heart (Photo FDA)","body":null,"created":"1612971972","gmt_created":"2021-02-10 15:46:12","changed":"1612971972","gmt_changed":"2021-02-10 15:46:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244525","name":"Cardiac spiral waves in a rabbit\u0027s heart (Photo FDA).png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cardiac%20spiral%20waves%20in%20a%20rabbit%27s%20heart%20%28Photo%20FDA%29.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cardiac%20spiral%20waves%20in%20a%20rabbit%27s%20heart%20%28Photo%20FDA%29.png","mime":"image\/png","size":673017,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cardiac%20spiral%20waves%20in%20a%20rabbit%27s%20heart%20%28Photo%20FDA%29.png?itok=GbR1l0tK"}},"644058":{"id":"644058","type":"image","title":"Electrocardiogram (Photo iStock)","body":null,"created":"1612972063","gmt_created":"2021-02-10 15:47:43","changed":"1612972063","gmt_changed":"2021-02-10 15:47:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244526","name":"Electrocardiogram (Photo iStock).png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Electrocardiogram%20%28Photo%20iStock%29.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Electrocardiogram%20%28Photo%20iStock%29.png","mime":"image\/png","size":536792,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Electrocardiogram%20%28Photo%20iStock%29.png?itok=YOh0XaZ9"}}},"media_ids":["644108","638980","644057","644058"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/fenton-lieberman-2018-faculty-award-academic-outreach","title":"Fenton \u0026 Lieberman: 2018 Faculty Award for Academic Outreach"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/maelstroms-heart-confirmed","title":"Maelstroms in the Heart Confirmed"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/flavio-fenton-joins-eces-anna-holcomb-2020-2021-governors-teaching-fellow","title":"Flavio Fenton Joins ECE\u0027s Anna Holcomb as 2020-2021 Governor\u2019s Teaching Fellow"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/two-georgia-tech-physicists-are-aps-fellows","title":"Two Georgia Tech Physicists are APS Fellows"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/georgia-tech-physicists-expand-access-biophysics-research","title":"Georgia Tech Physicists Expand Access to Biophysics Research"},{"url":"https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/635878\/study-shows-hydroxychloroquines-harmful-effects-heart-rhythm","title":"Study Shows Hydroxychloroquine\u0027s Harmful Effects on Heart Rhythm"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/using-smartphones-and-laptops-simulate-deadly-heart-arrhythmias","title":"Using Smartphones and Laptops to Simulate Deadly Heart Arrhythmias"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"112191","name":"Flavio Fenton"},{"id":"186974","name":"arrhythmias"},{"id":"186975","name":"cardiac signals"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644168":{"#nid":"644168","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Citizenship in a New World","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt was only fitting that the inaugural \u003Cstrong\u003EPetit Institute Antiracism Distinguished Lecture\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NAq0VHVyyi0\u0026amp;list=PLdYbUa8fPXURsXNxT0uVIYrHx-XGYI8x-\u0022\u003E(view recording)\u003C\/a\u003E be held on February 4\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E, which is the birthday of Rosa Parks, mother of the freedom movement; only fitting that it be held just weeks after a violent, failed insurrection at the nation\u0026rsquo;s capital (though the virtual event was scheduled long before the Jan. 6 uprising); and only fitting that a speaker with the poise and power of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kamaubobb.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKamau Bobb\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E deliver the lecture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBobb, the global lead for diversity strategy and research at Google and the founding senior director of the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, addressed the racial and ideological divide in the U.S. Nearly 200 people virtually attended the stirring lecture, \u0026ldquo;Considering Citizenship in a New World,\u0026rdquo; during which Bobb reminded the audience of, \u0026ldquo;the delicacy of the timing,\u0026rdquo; urging his listeners not to hide behind a veneer of objective scientific research, \u0026ldquo;but to be involved, get engaged.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new lecture series was created by the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Committee, which was established in the aftermath of last summer\u0026rsquo;s Black Lives Matter protests in Atlanta. After the committee was organized, said chair Ed Botchwey, \u0026ldquo;we targeted February, Black History Month, for more visible activities within the Petit Institute and the broader Georgia Tech community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe charismatic Bobb, an engineer and science and technology policy scholar, was well known to the committee. A former program officer at the National Science Foundation where he helped shape the national research agenda, Bobb also served as a member of a President Obama taskforce designed to engage young men and boys of color in the STEM landscape. Prior to that, Bobb directed a University System of Georgia collaborative effort with the governor\u0026rsquo;s office to improve STEM education across 30 public institutions serving 325,000 students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBobb began developing the idea for his lecture well before the events of January 6 in Washington, D.C., which cast an unflattering spotlight on what he called, \u0026ldquo;the culminating event\u0026rdquo; of a pendular swing in America back toward a post-reconstructionist world. He offered a quick trip through American history after the Civil War: Reconstruction, followed by a century of Jim Crow, \u0026ldquo;an era of wanton dismissal of black life in America,\u0026rdquo; followed by a second reconstruction with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAcknowledging that he grew up during the second reconstruction, like many in his virtual audience, Bobb said, \u0026ldquo;We were the beneficiaries of a system that was trying to right wrongs, trying to reconcile some of the racist ideology inherent in the system of the United States, that we haven\u0026rsquo;t had enough time to expunge from our national identity. And so, here we are.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe later added, \u0026ldquo;The Confederate flag of the defeated South was hoisted in the Capitol of the United States. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure the symbolism could be any clearer than that. I think it would be to our detriment to not recognize the seriousness of the moment we\u0026rsquo;re in. It\u0026rsquo;s important that we pay attention to this divide.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBobb told his virtual audience, consisting mostly of people engaged in the research enterprise, that it was irresponsible to hide in a lab and focus solely on research. He talked of responsibility and having courage.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I think that because we\u0026rsquo;re this intellectual class with this specific set of skills that we have acquired, it\u0026rsquo;s more important for us to pay attention, to be involved,\u0026rdquo; Bobb said. \u0026ldquo;It hinges on our influence, whether we achieve the best of our American virtues, or retreat into the worst of its possibilities. This is our time, and I would argue that we are the frontier.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing his lecture, Bobb took a few questions before giving way to a panel discussion featuring Georgia Tech leaders from the institute, college, and school\/department level: Chaouki Abdallah, executive vice president of research; Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, executive director of the Petit Institute; Samuel Graham, chair, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering; Kaye Husbands Fealing, dean, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts; Susan Margulies, chair, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. Then Bobb met with trainees (students and postdocs) for a more intimate follow-up discussion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What we wanted out of this inaugural lecture was a challenge to our community, to apply our talents and experiences as problem solvers to address a social crisis,\u0026rdquo; said Botchwey, who was joined on the Petit Institute DEI Committee by Garc\u0026iacute;a, Maria Coronel (postdoctoral trainee), Adeola Michael (postdoctoral student) Nettie Brown (graduate student), Lakeita Servance (staff representative), and Milan Riddick (undergraduate student).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn developing the lecture series, Botchwey said, \u0026ldquo;We hoped to create an experience that would familiarize faculty and trainees with how some of the intellectual thought leaders on issues of inclusion and diversity are grappling with what\u0026rsquo;s happening, with the issues of our time, while also placing a spotlight on what\u0026rsquo;s going in STEM, in the healthcare and bioscience community. We need to be engaged in the conversation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Kamau Bobb Delivers Inaugural Petit Institute Antiracism Distinguished Lecture at Georgia Tech"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKamau Bobb Delivers Inaugural Petit Institute Antiracism Distinguished Lecture at Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Kamau Bobb Delivers Inaugural Petit Institute Antiracism Distinguished Lecture at Georgia Tech"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-02-12 02:23:37","changed_gmt":"2021-02-12 14:09:30","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644166":{"id":"644166","type":"image","title":"Kamau Bobb","body":null,"created":"1613096262","gmt_created":"2021-02-12 02:17:42","changed":"1613096262","gmt_changed":"2021-02-12 02:17:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244572","name":"Bobb.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bobb.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bobb.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":651576,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Bobb.jpg?itok=bcIYF_T0"}},"644167":{"id":"644167","type":"image","title":"Diversity Panel","body":null,"created":"1613096389","gmt_created":"2021-02-12 02:19:49","changed":"1613096389","gmt_changed":"2021-02-12 02:19:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244573","name":"DiversityPanelFeb21.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DiversityPanelFeb21.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/DiversityPanelFeb21.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":243487,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/DiversityPanelFeb21.jpeg?itok=7XbqbIP9"}}},"media_ids":["644166","644167"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"187014","name":"antiracism"},{"id":"167258","name":"STEM"},{"id":"187015","name":"diversity in STEM"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644080":{"#nid":"644080","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two Georgia Tech Faculty, Two Alumni Elected to National Academy of Engineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour Georgia Tech engineers have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer. Faculty members \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/andres-garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/people\/Faculty\/6709\/overview\u0022\u003EGlaucio Paulino\u003C\/a\u003E, as well as alumni Christopher Jones and Roger Krone, join 103 new members and 23 international members based on their outstanding contributions to engineering. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a\u0026#39;s research efforts focus on integrating innovative engineering, materials science, and cell biology concepts and technologies to generate novel insights into the regulation of adhesive forces and using those insights to develop cell-instructive adhesive materials for tissue repair in regenerative medicine applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a great honor and I am humbled to be joining the NAE,\u0026rdquo; said Garc\u0026iacute;a. \u0026ldquo;I am very thankful to my family and friends for their support, my trainees for their hard work and dedication, and my colleagues at Georgia Tech and throughout the academic community who have served as collaborators, mentors, and endless sources of encouragement. Finally, thank you to Georgia Tech for giving me the opportunity to pursue my passion in such an incredible environment.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPaulino is world-renowned for his contributions to topology optimization and applied mechanics. He created the first stable formulations of topology optimization using polygonal and mimetic-based virtual elements, including deep-learning enhanced multi-resolution and multiscale approaches connected to additive manufacturing processes that have been widely used. He was one of the early investigators to apply topology optimization to the medical field by designing patient-specific large craniofacial segmental bone replacements to help cancer patients and those with massive facial injuries and bone loss.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Getting elected to NAE was such a great blessing and amazing surprise,\u0026rdquo; said Paulino, the Raymond Allen Jones Chair in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. \u0026ldquo;The idea of becoming an NAE member was always a dream, however, today the dream turned into reality. \u0026nbsp;I am humbled by this recognition and honored to join such a group of distinct colleagues from academia and industry.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d like to extend my deepest congratulations to our College faculty members Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a and Glaucio Paulino on their induction into the National Academy of Engineering,\u0026rdquo; said Raheem Beyah, dean and Southern Company chair of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;Their forward-thinking research in molecular engineering and topology optimization, respectively, is making an indelible mark on the future of engineering specific to medicine. This is a proud moment for the College, and I look forward to the advances they will make in their fields and the impact that will have on our nation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChristopher Jones, who graduated from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDaniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E with a Ph.D. in 1986, currently serves as chief of operations for The Leadership Compass. After graduating from Georgia Tech, Jones served in the U.S. Airforce for nearly 30 years, as well as giving years of service to Northrop Grumman. Jones was elected to NAE for his leadership of defense logistics, sustainment, training, and system readiness in support of U.S. national security.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERoger Krone, who also graduated from the School of Aerospace Engineering in 1978, is chairman and CEO of Leidos, a Fortune 500\u0026reg; information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world\u0026rsquo;s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. Krone has held senior program management and finance positions at The Boeing Company, McDonnell Douglas Corp., and General Dynamics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are also proud of aerospace engineering alumni Christopher Jones and Roger Krone, for their impressive contributions to industry and government,\u0026rdquo; said Beyah. \u0026ldquo;Their induction into the Academy for technical leadership in industry engineering puts into practice the academic rigor of the College, acknowledging the impact that our engineers have on government and commercial enterprise.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2021 NAE Inductees\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a (Mechanical Engineering)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a is a Regents\u0026#39; Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Executive Director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience, as well as the Petit Director\u0026#39;s Chair in Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a\u0026#39;s research efforts focus on integrating innovative engineering, materials science, and cell biology concepts and technologies to generate novel insights into the regulation of adhesive forces and using those insights to develop cell-instructive adhesive materials for tissue repair in regenerative medicine applications. Garcia\u0026rsquo;s work has led to multiple biomaterials innovations, which were recognized when he was recently named a Fellow of the National Academy of Innovators.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a earned both his master\u0026rsquo;s and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and was elected by the NAE for \u0026ldquo;contributions to molecular engineering of biomaterial surfaces and cell adhesion force technology to characterize stem and cancer cells.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/garcialab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGARC\u0026Iacute;A LAB\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EGlaucio Paulino (Civil and Environmental Engineering)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGlaucio Paulino, the Raymond Allen Jones Chair in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering \u0026ldquo;for contributions to topology optimization and its applications to medicine and engineering.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPaulino is world-renowned for his contributions to topology optimization and applied mechanics. He created the first stable formulations of topology optimization using polygonal and mimetic-based virtual elements, including deep-learning enhanced multi-resolution and multiscale approaches connected to additive manufacturing processes that have been widely used. He was one of the early investigators to apply topology optimization to the medical field by designing patient-specific large craniofacial segmental bone replacements to help cancer patients and those with massive facial injuries and bone loss.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPaulino\u0026rsquo;s methods for topology optimization have been employed by industry, academia and national labs. His unique, interdisciplinary, work at the intersection of structural engineering, mechanics and materials has earned him elite recognition from professional societies in both civil engineering and mechanical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/paulino.ce.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGLAUCIO PAULINO\u0026#39;S RESEARCH\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Jones (Aerospace Engineering)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nChristopher Jones, who graduated from the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering with a Ph.D. in 1986, currently serves as chief of operations for The Leadership Compass. After graduating from Georgia Tech, Jones served in the U.S. Airforce for nearly 30 years, as well as giving years of service to Northrop Grumman. Jones was elected to NAE for his leadership of defense logistics, sustainment, training, and system readiness in support of U.S. national security.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/people\/christopher-jones\u0022\u003EAE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERoger Krone (Aerospace Engineering)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nRoger Krone is chairman and CEO of Leidos, a Fortune 500\u0026reg; information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world\u0026rsquo;s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. Before being named CEO in July 2014, Krone held leadership roles at some of the most prominent organizations in aerospace for nearly 40 years. Bringing both engineering and financial expertise to bear, Krone has held senior program management and finance positions at The Boeing Company, McDonnell Douglas Corp., and General Dynamics. He has an exceptional track record of building consensus, teams, business, and companies. He is widely recognized as a dynamic thought leader with an intense interest in technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/helen-and-roger-krone\u0022\u003EHELEN B. AND ROGER A. KRONE FACULTY ENDOWMENT FUND\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nElection to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. \u0026nbsp;Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to \u0026quot;engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature\u0026quot; and to \u0026quot;the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing\/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nae.edu\/248499.aspx\u0022\u003EEXPLORE THE FULL LIST OF 2021 INDUCTEES\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Four Georgia Tech engineers have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2021-02-10 18:29:32","changed_gmt":"2021-02-10 19:15:50","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644081":{"id":"644081","type":"image","title":"Glaucio Paulino, Christopher Jones, Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda, and Roger Krone","body":null,"created":"1612981994","gmt_created":"2021-02-10 18:33:14","changed":"1612984645","gmt_changed":"2021-02-10 19:17:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244543","name":"4 GT Engineers Named to NAE.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/4%20GT%20Engineers%20Named%20to%20NAE.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/4%20GT%20Engineers%20Named%20to%20NAE.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":98174,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/4%20GT%20Engineers%20Named%20to%20NAE.jpg?itok=fQ49LU4I"}}},"media_ids":["644081"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"644026":{"#nid":"644026","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Vinayak Agarwal Wins 2021 Cottrell Scholar Award for Ocean Studies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/agarwal\/vinayak\u0022\u003EVinayak Agarwal\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;calls them \u0026ldquo;alphabets in the language of life\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; the small organic molecules, called marine natural products, that inhabit the oceans of the world. They\u0026rsquo;re what he researches as an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.agarwallab.com\/\u0022\u003EAgarwal laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;seeks to decipher this language of life,\u0026rdquo; he explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAgarwal and the scientists in his group will have more opportunities to conduct those studies and teach his methods to undergraduate students thanks to his new honor serving as a 2021\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/cottrell-scholars\u0022\u003ECottrell Scholar\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;through the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/\u0022\u003EResearch Corporation for Science Advancement\u003C\/a\u003E (RCSA).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;Unlocking Marine Eukaryotic Natural Product Biosynthetic Schemes in Research and Education\u0026quot; wins Agarwal a $100,000 prize. He is one of 25 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/news\/2021\/02\/rcsa-names-2021-class-of-cottrell-scholars\u0022\u003E2021 Cottrell Scholars\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough the Cottrell Scholar program, RCSA champions the very best early career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics, and astronomy by providing significant discretionary awards for research. The program honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their potential for academic leadership.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecipients are chosen through a rigorous peer-review process of applications from top research universities, degree-granting research institutes, and primarily undergraduate institutions in the United States and Canada. Their award proposals incorporate both science education and research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs their careers advance, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/cottrell-scholars\u0022\u003ECottrell Scholars\u003C\/a\u003E become eligible to compete for several additional levels of funding to further their academic careers. They meet each July at the annual Cottrell Scholar Conference to network, exchange ideas, and develop collaborative projects to tackle pressing educational issues with potential national impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In these challenging times, more than ever, science needs young faculty with fresh ideas and a commitment to student success,\u0026rdquo; says RCSA President \u0026amp; CEO Daniel Linzer. \u0026ldquo;The 2021 class is a diverse, dedicated, and welcome addition to the Cottrell Scholar community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Agarwal, that means more time and funding to unlock the mysteries of the ocean\u0026rsquo;s natural products, which he sees at the forefront of fighting the global epidemic of antibiotic resistant pathogens, and keeping the inventory of clinically applicable pharmaceuticals stocked up. As his lab site also points out, \u0026ldquo;some natural products are also potent human toxins and pollutants, and we need to understand how these toxins are produced to minimize our environmental exposure to them.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe marine environment, particularly the seabed, is a site for intense biotic competition and presents numerous cases of intricate inter-organismal interactions, Agarwal explains. \u0026ldquo;It is also the site where some of the most chemically complex natural products are constructed using biological catalysts \u0026mdash; gene encoded enzymes,\u0026rdquo; he adds. \u0026ldquo;The Cottrell Scholars award will enable the Agarwal laboratory to continue their work on interrogating the biogenetic routes that marine eukaryotic organisms such as marine sponges and seagrasses use to construct natural product.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese eukaryotic organisms have traditionally missed widespread attention from geneticists and biochemists, as sequencing and mining their large and complex genomes weren\u0026rsquo;t compatible with contemporary technologies. \u0026ldquo;Using rationalized biosynthetic schemes that guide the mining of eukaryotic transcriptomes, the Agarwal laboratory is developing new workflows that can sidestep the eukaryotic genetic complexity and enable the discovery of genes and enzymes that construct complex natural products in marine eukaryotic metabolomes,\u0026rdquo; he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Agarwal laboratory is also bringing the microbial ingenuity in natural product biosynthesis to the classroom, combining it with the latest technological tools for discovery. Agarwal\u0026rsquo;s Cottrell award will allow him to develop \u0026ldquo;new curricula in which undergraduates isolate new bacterial strains from marine matrices and pair the discovery of these new-to-science bacteria with cutting-edge mass spectrometry technologies to inventory which novel natural products are made by these bacteria. These efforts will enrich the exposure of the undergraduate community to research directions that have been out of reach of traditional curricula with the aim to enhance their retention in postgraduate STEM education and STEM-based career development.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAgarwal joins four other College of Sciences researchers named as Cottrell Scholars:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/Collard\/\u0022\u003EDavid Collard\u003C\/a\u003E, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1994 (the first class of Cottrell Scholars); and three School of Physics scientists:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/michael-schatz\u0022\u003EMichael Schatz\u003C\/a\u003E, 1999;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/tamara-bogdanovic\u0022\u003ETamara Bogdanovic\u003C\/a\u003E, 2016; and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/elisabetta-matsumoto\u0022\u003EElisabetta Matsumoto\u003C\/a\u003E, 2020. School of Chemistry and Biochemistry alumnus \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/georgia-tech-alumnus-chad-risko-named-2018-cottrell-scholar\u0022\u003EChad Risko\u003C\/a\u003E was also named a Cottrell Scholar in 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Since the first class of Cottrell Scholars in 1994, this community has provided leadership and guidance that has made a big impact on science, on students, and across academia,\u0026rdquo; shares RCSA Senior Program Director Silvia Ronco.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rescorp.org\/cottrell-scholars\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ELearn more about the Cottrell Scholar program\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Honor helps School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences assistant professor keep studying marine natural products while developing related new curricula for undergraduates "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVinayak (Vinny) Agarwal, an assistant professor with appointments in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the School of Biological Sciences, is named a 2021 Cottrell Scholar for his work on researching marine natural products. The honor helps Agarwal continue his marine research while developing related new curricula for undergraduates.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Honor helps School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences assistant professor keep studying marine natural products while developing related new curricula for undergraduates "}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-02-09 15:53:44","changed_gmt":"2021-02-09 21:46:03","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"643732":{"id":"643732","type":"image","title":"Vinayak Agarwal","body":null,"created":"1612211758","gmt_created":"2021-02-01 20:35:58","changed":"1612211758","gmt_changed":"2021-02-01 20:35:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244394","name":"Vinayak Agarwal.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Vinayak%20Agarwal.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Vinayak%20Agarwal.png","mime":"image\/png","size":73240,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Vinayak%20Agarwal.png?itok=2IDktr7j"}}},"media_ids":["643732"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/agarwal-warnke-named-2018-sloan-research-fellows","title":"Agarwal, Warnke Named 2018 Sloan Research Fellows"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/external-research-funding-fy2019-ends-high-note","title":"External Research Funding for FY2019 Ends on a High Note"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/elisabetta-matsumoto-2020-cottrell-scholar-research-math-and-science-behind-knitting","title":"Elisabetta Matsumoto Is 2020 Cottrell Scholar for Research on the Math and Science Behind Knitting "},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/georgia-tech-alumnus-chad-risko-named-2018-cottrell-scholar","title":"Georgia Tech Alumnus Chad Risko Named 2018 Cottrell Scholar"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"176374","name":"Vinayak Agarwal"},{"id":"186967","name":"marine natural products"},{"id":"186968","name":"2021 Cottrell Scholar"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu "],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"642139":{"#nid":"642139","#data":{"type":"news","title":"2020 Petit Institute Annual Awards","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EJoin us in congratulating these deserving members of the Petit Institute community for their hard work, accomplishments, and dedication throughout 2020.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003E2020 ABOVE \u0026amp; BEYOND AWARDS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EFACULTY LEADERSHIP\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/botchweylab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEdward Botchwey, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E - Biomedical Engineering - Georgia Tech \/ Emory - Ed has engaged the IBB and Georgia Tech community in challenging, meaningful, and important discussions about racial injustices. Furthermore, he inspired others to use research as a way to address racial differences that affect medical conditions.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ggibsongt.wixsite.com\/gibsongatech\u0022\u003EGregory Gibson, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E - Biological Sciences - Georgia Tech - Greg worked with others in IBB and GTRI to build Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Program. He recognized the critical role that testing would play in managing the spread of COVID-19 on campus and has played an important role in the implementation of this program.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EENTREPRENEURSHIP\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jackson-medical.com\/\u0022\u003EJackson Medical\u003C\/a\u003E - Spun out from Georgia Tech in 2018, Jackson Medical is a healthcare safety-focused company. The company\u0026rsquo;s surgical safety solution, GloShield, enhances safety in operating rooms by reducing surgical fire and burn risks associated with fiber-optic light cables. In addition, James and Kamil mentor IBB entrepreneurs.\r\n\r\n\t\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\t\u003Cli\u003EJames Rains - President, Chief Executive Officer\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\t\u003Cli\u003EKamil\u0026nbsp;Makhnejia - Chief Operating Officer\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETRAINEES\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENettie Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E - Ph.D. Candidate - BMED, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/temenoff.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJohnna Temenoff, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - Georgia Tech \/ Emory - Nettie represents graduated students on IBB\u0026rsquo;s Diversity Committee and worked with SGA to support Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s COVID-19 response.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJessica Lin\u003C\/strong\u003E - Ph.D. Candidate - BMED, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lamlab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWilbur Lam, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Anton Bryksin, Ph.D., Co-Advisors - Georgia Tech \/ Emory - Jessica played a key role in implementing design and validation for one of the first nationwide COVID-19 tests to use saliva instead of nasal swab and helped to generate and prepare data for submission for the test Emergency Use Authorization to FDA. Jessica also set up the Realtime PCR reactions for the campus surveillance samples.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EZoe Mote \u003C\/strong\u003E- Ph.D. Candidate - BMEJ, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/temenoff.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJohnna Temenoff, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - Georgia Tech - As BBUGS\u0026rsquo; the communications committee chair, Zoe worked to completely and creatively revamp the group\u0026rsquo;s marketing communications campaigns towards improving open rates and participation in events and BBUGS\u0026#39; initiatives.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEric Parigoris \u003C\/strong\u003E- Ph.D. Candidate - BMED, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/microfluidics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EShuichi Takayama, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - Georgia Tech \/ Emory - \u003Cem\u003ET\u003C\/em\u003EEric is a dedicated mentor through the Petit Scholar Program and also gives his time to serve as president of the Microphysiological Systems Student Organization.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMichelle Quizon\u003C\/strong\u003E - Ph.D. Candidate - BMED, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/garcialab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - Georgia Tech - Michelle initiated and runs the BBUGS Wellness committee and also started\u0026nbsp;the BBUGS mentorship program, which pairs incoming students with current students based on research and personal\/professional goals.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhoebe Welch\u003C\/strong\u003E - Ph.D. Candidate - BIOE, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/metalab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EChengzhi Shi, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - Georgia Tech - Phoebe has been a key leader on the BGA executive board and helped BioE students with organizing social activities to preparing for qualifying exams.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESTAFF\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnton Bryksin, Ph.D.\u003C\/strong\u003E - Director, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/research\/molecular-evolution-core#:~:text=The%20Molecular%20Evolution%20Core%20Facility,floor%20of%20the%20Petit%20H.\u0022\u003EMolecular Evolution Core\u003C\/a\u003E, IBB - Anton worked tirelessly with others at IBB and GTRI to leverage technology in the IBB Molecular Evolution Core Facility to build and manage the Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Program, an effort that included establishing a new CLIA certified laboratory at Georgia Tech. Since August 2020, over 158,000 salvia test samples have been analyzed in this facility.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKaren Ethier\u003C\/strong\u003E - Admininistrative Manager, IBB - Karen worked tirelessly to provide HR support to the Georgia Tech COVID-19 Surveillance Program while also finding time to manage the facility operations for the Petit Biotechnology Building (including sustainability initiatives), putting in many long hours throughout the year.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMichelle Wong\u003C\/strong\u003E - Assistant Director, IBB - In a year of endless challenges, Michelle has been the quintessential go-to problem solver for everyone in our community. From helping with\u0026nbsp;facilities issues, grant submissions, and board meetings, and even taking care of the wildlife around the bio-quad, she is the picture of dedication and commitment to IBB.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESPECIAL RECOGNITION\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGary Newnam\u003C\/strong\u003E - Hud Lab Manager, IBB - Gary helped to cover the IBB facilities manager responsibilities which included ensuring there was a ready supply of liquid nitrogen for researchers and enabling vendors to quickly repair equipment, autoclaves, and fume hoods.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003E2021 SUDDATH AWARDS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003EThe F.L. \u0026quot;Bud\u0026quot; Suddath Memorial Award was established by Bud Suddath\u0026#39;s family, friends, and colleagues in memory of his contributions to Georgia Tech. The award is given annually to graduate students at Georgia Tech who have\u0026nbsp;demonstrated significant bio-research accomplishments while conducting biological or biochemical research at the molecular or cellular level.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECristian Crisan - 1st Place -\u003C\/strong\u003E Ph.D. Candidate,\u0026nbsp;Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech - \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.hammerlab.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBrian Hammer, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - \u003Cem\u003E\u0026quot;Competition Dynamics of the Vibrio Cholerae Type VI Secretion System\u0026quot;\u003C\/em\u003E -\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECristian will present his work on the opening day of the 2021 Suddath Symposium, January 28, 2021 - \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/events\/2021-suddath-award-winner-presentation\u0022\u003EDetails\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\r\n\r\n\t\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\t\u003Cli\u003EFor his Ph.D. thesis work Cristian has studied the waterborne human pathogen Vibrio cholerae, the microbe responsible for Cholera, a devastating and often fatal disease. His work has focused on the chemical weapons that V. cholerae use against other bacteria so as to dominate their local environment. Christian discovered that human-derived strains of V. cholerae can have anti-bacterial weapons that are in addition to those of strains isolated from environmental sources. Building on this work, Christian has shown that one of the newly discovered anti-bacterial weapons of V. cholerae acts by permeabilizing the cell membranes of other bacteria. Additionally, Christian and his collaborators have shown how other bacteria can guard against attack\u0026nbsp;by V. cholerae. This fundamental research could be of great importance for understanding the virulence of pathogenic V. cholerae.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECasey Vantucci - 2nd Place\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003E-\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Ph.D. Candidate,\u0026nbsp;Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech \/ Emory -\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.roylab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKrishnendu Roy, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - \u003Cem\u003E\u0026quot;Immunoengineering Strategies to Improve Healing following Severe Musculoskeletal Trauma\u0026quot;\u003C\/em\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\t\u003Cli\u003ECasey\u0026rsquo;s graduate research is focused on improving our understanding of systemic immune dysregulation following severe musculoskeletal trauma. Casey and her coworkers have identified elevated levels of immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) to be a hallmark of systemic immune dysregulation and have observed a direct correlation between higher levels of MDSCs and poor functional outcomes. Casey has utilized a novel synthetic nanoparticle strategy, called Synthetic Nanoparticle-Antibodies (SNAbs), to treat systemic immune dysregulation following severe trauma by reducing systemic levels of MDSCs. These results demonstrate that SNAbs are a versatile and effective alternative to existing therapeutics.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnderson Speed - 3rd Place\u003C\/strong\u003E -\u0026nbsp;Ph.D. Candidate,\u0026nbsp;Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech \/ Emory -\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/haider.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBilal Haider, Ph.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Advisor - \u003Cem\u003E\u0026quot;Information Content and Routing of Visuomotor Signals in the Cortex\u0026quot;\u003C\/em\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\t\u003Cli\u003EAnderson\u0026rsquo;s research seeks to extend the study of mechanisms of visual attention to mice. The vast majority of research in this area has been conducted in humans and non-human primates, but mice provide multiple advantages for neuroscience research. Anderson has demonstrated that neural activity in the visual cortex of behaving mice shows signatures which correlate with correct and incorrect perceptual behavior, and in collaboration with other students in lab, has shown that these neural signatures of poor behavioral performance are more prominent in mouse models of neurological disease. Anderson\u0026rsquo;s goal is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying complex behaviors at all scales, which could be instrumental in identifying mechanisms underlying sensory and motor deficits in neurological disorders.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\t\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Read more about this year\u0027s winners."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-12-15 21:54:42","changed_gmt":"2021-02-09 15:44:36","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"312351":{"id":"312351","type":"image","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026 Bioscience","body":null,"created":"1449244929","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:09","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026 Bioscience","file":{"fid":"199875","name":"ibb-166.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2922980,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg?itok=tJApemUG"}}},"media_ids":["312351"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EColly Mitchell\u003C\/a\u003E - Events Manager, IBB\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"643717":{"#nid":"643717","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Suddath Symposium Showcases Latest Research in Origins and Early Evolution of Life","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe origins of life on Earth present some of the most intriguing questions of all time and have\u0026nbsp;been a topic of active scientific research for almost a century. On January 28-29, 2021, the annual Suddath Symposium featured leaders in the field who shared their recent progress towards\u0026nbsp;answering questions central to\u0026nbsp;this field, including: How did RNA, polypeptides, and polysaccharides first emerge on the early Earth?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis annual symposium, in its 29\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E year, provides a forum for researchers to share the latest research in bioengineering and bioscience. Each year the symposium topic changes and is held to celebrate the life and contributions of F.L. \u0026ldquo;Bud\u0026rdquo; Suddath, a Georgia Tech professor who excelled at research, teaching, and in administrative roles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 2021 symposium \u0026ldquo;Origins and Early Evolution of Life\u0026rdquo; was co-chaired by Nicholas\u0026nbsp;Hud and Loren Williams. Nicholas\u0026nbsp;Hud, Ph.D., is a Regents\u0026rsquo; professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, director of the NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, and associate director of the Petit Institute. Loren Williams, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech, director of the Georgia Tech Center for the Origin of Life,\u0026nbsp;and researcher at the Petit Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026ldquo;This year\u0026#39;s Suddath Symposium was the perfect\u0026nbsp;opportunity for us to share\u0026nbsp;our latest research on the origins of life and to\u0026nbsp;celebrate 10 years of the Center for Chemical Evolution, said Nicholas Hud.\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our center has been focused on a grand challenge\u0026hellip; to discover plausible prebiotic syntheses for the polymers of life or their predecessors. Now that our center has completed 10 years, the maximum number of years that can be supported by NSF, we have a cadre of early career scientists ready to take the reins on future research efforts. It\u0026rsquo;s exciting to see the impact we have made on the field, and to share these accomplishments through the Suddath Symposium with the broader scientific\u0026nbsp;community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 2021 Suddath Symposium was the first in this\u0026nbsp;29 year\u0026nbsp;series of symposia to go virtual with 251 attendees from 18 countries around the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEach year, the symposium kicks off with a presentation from a Georgia Tech Ph.D. candidate who has won the annual Suddath Memorial Award, which was established by the family, friends, and colleagues of Bud Suddath. This year\u0026rsquo;s 2021 award went to Cristian Crisan, a doctoral candidate advised by Brian Hammer, Ph.D., associate professor in the school of biological sciences at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECrisan\u0026rsquo;s presentation, \u0026ldquo;Antimicrobial Competition Dynamics of the \u003Cem\u003EVibrio cholerae\u003C\/em\u003E Type VI Secretion System,\u0026rdquo; began at 11 a.m. EST on Thursday, January 28\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E, and was followed by the 1 p.m. start of the 2021 Suddath Symposium on \u0026ldquo;Origins and Early Evolution of Life.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/suddath-symposium-program\u0022\u003EVIEW PRESENTATION RECORDINGS\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe lineup of \u0026ldquo;Origins and Early Evolution of Life\u0026rdquo; speakers included:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EKeynote presentation by Nobel laureate Jack Szostak, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDonna Blackmond, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Scripps Research Institute\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EFacundo Fernandez, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EVicki Grassian, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; University of California, San Diego\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMartha Grover, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ENicholas\u0026nbsp;Hud, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERamanarayanan Krishnamurthy, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Scripps Research Institute\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EAntonio Lazcano, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELuke Leman, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Scripps Research Institute\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThomas Orlando, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EGreg Springsteen, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Furman University\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELoren Williams, Ph.D. \u0026ndash; Georgia Tech\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The annual symposium hosted by the Georgia Tech Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience provided a forum to celebrate the legacy of the NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, which has been headquartered at Georgia Tech for the past 10 years."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe annual symposium hosted by the Georgia Tech Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience provided a forum to celebrate the legacy of the NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, which has been headquartered at Georgia Tech for the past 10 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The annual symposium hosted by the Georgia Tech Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience provided a forum to celebrate the legacy of the NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, which has been headquartered at Georgia Tech for the past 10 years."}],"uid":"27561","created_gmt":"2021-02-01 18:14:46","changed_gmt":"2021-02-02 19:41:45","author":"Angela Ayers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-01T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-01T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"643722":{"id":"643722","type":"image","title":"Origins and Early Evolution of Life","body":null,"created":"1612206017","gmt_created":"2021-02-01 19:00:17","changed":"1612206017","gmt_changed":"2021-02-01 19:00:17","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244390","name":"Fume_Hood_Gaugin_noringshadow-400pxls.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fume_Hood_Gaugin_noringshadow-400pxls.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fume_Hood_Gaugin_noringshadow-400pxls.png","mime":"image\/png","size":342900,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Fume_Hood_Gaugin_noringshadow-400pxls.png?itok=A_50HMf1"}},"643723":{"id":"643723","type":"image","title":"Suddath 2021 Award Winner","body":null,"created":"1612206478","gmt_created":"2021-02-01 19:07:58","changed":"1612206478","gmt_changed":"2021-02-01 19:07:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244391","name":"CristianBrianSuddaths2021.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CristianBrianSuddaths2021.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CristianBrianSuddaths2021.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":75868,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CristianBrianSuddaths2021.jpg?itok=rK0YN0E6"}},"643731":{"id":"643731","type":"image","title":"Suddath Symposium 2021 Nobel laureate speaker","body":null,"created":"1612211727","gmt_created":"2021-02-01 20:35:27","changed":"1612211727","gmt_changed":"2021-02-01 20:35:27","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244393","name":"JackSzostak_NobelLaureateSuddath.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/JackSzostak_NobelLaureateSuddath.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/JackSzostak_NobelLaureateSuddath.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":84515,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/JackSzostak_NobelLaureateSuddath.jpg?itok=6W7BlLUj"}},"643734":{"id":"643734","type":"image","title":"Suddath Symposium 2021 Speakers","body":null,"created":"1612212029","gmt_created":"2021-02-01 20:40:29","changed":"1612212029","gmt_changed":"2021-02-01 20:40:29","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244395","name":"AntonioNickLorenJay.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/AntonioNickLorenJay.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/AntonioNickLorenJay.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":58007,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/AntonioNickLorenJay.jpg?itok=XagxmINK"}}},"media_ids":["643722","643723","643731","643734"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/suddath-symposium","title":"Suddath Symposium website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"174043","name":"go-PetitInstitute College of Sciences"},{"id":"186870","name":"go-imat"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:angela.ayers@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAngela Ayers\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector, Research Communications Services\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["angela.ayers@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637567":{"#nid":"637567","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and Akron Biotech Awarded BioFabUSA Project to Improve the National Supply Chain for Tissue Engineered Medical Products","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.manufacturingusa.com\/institutes\/biofabusa\u0022\u003EBioFabUSA\u003C\/a\u003E, a Department of Defense-funded Manufacturing Innovation Institute within the Manufacturing USA\u0026nbsp;network, has awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology and industry partner, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.akronbiotech.com\/\u0022\u003EAkron Biotech\u003C\/a\u003E, a project titled, \u0026ldquo;Supply Chain and Process Modeling Algorithms, Methods, and Tools for Tissue Manufacturing and Distribution\u0026rdquo;. This project will address significant national supply chain issues related to distributing tissue engineered medical products (TEMPs) to U.S. patients in need.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project aims to create the first simulation-based supply chain model for the rapidly evolving and future facing TEMPs industry, to minimize manufacturing and logistics costs and risks, incorporate Department of Defense (DOD) and other stakeholders\u0026rsquo; perspectives into supply chain modeling, inform standards development, and support workforce development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Having a supply chain model will be instrumental in helping new and existing companies plan for the most efficient process flows, resource usage, and cost savings,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EStephanie Robichaud\u003C\/strong\u003E, technical project manager with the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute. \u0026ldquo;Many startup companies do not realize some of the intricacies in managing their supply chain and many established companies realize the importance of it after experiencing inefficiencies. Having a model that these companies can use will help advance the field of tissue engineering as they plan for scale-up.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to \u003Cstrong\u003EBen Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.manufacturing.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u003C\/a\u003E (GTMI) and professor in the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, \u0026ldquo;hundreds if not thousands of patients are waiting for tissues and organs in order to have a normal healthy life. Our project is a bold initiative to democratize distribution of replacement tissues and organs by streamlining national supply chains. This project will develop simulation-based tools to enhance the efficiency and resilience of the TEMPs supply chain, making these personalized medicines more affordable and more accessible.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe growth of the TEMP industry is going to change the supply chain of medical tissues disruptively. To embrace this change, a system-level decision support tool is essential for adopting more cost-effective manufacturing processes and making better investment decisions. To ensure successful commercialization and adoption of this new supply chain decision support tool, the project team will engage multiple stakeholders including DOD, government, regulatory bodies, standards setting organizations, patients, industry, academia, policy experts, education and workforce development experts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech project leads include \u003Cstrong\u003EBen Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., \u003Cstrong\u003EChelsea C. White III\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D, and \u003Cstrong\u003EKan Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D. Ben Wang is Gwaltney Chair in Manufacturing Systems, professor in the Stewart School of Industrial \u0026amp; Systems Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. In addition, he serves as executive director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI). Chelsea C. White III is the Schneider National Chair in Transportation and Logistics and professor\u0026nbsp;in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech\u200b. Kan Wang is lead researcher of additive manufacturing in the Bio-Engineering Research Laboratory at GTMI.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELeading the project for Akron Biotech is \u003Cstrong\u003EEzequiel Zylberberg\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D, who is vice president of product development and planning. According to Ezequiel, \u0026ldquo;the future of regenerative medicine depends on more than our ability to address the scientific challenges of generating the next generation of advanced therapies. Advancing these novel treatments in a way that is scalable will require significant advances in manufacturing innovation. We are eager to collaborate with our colleagues at Georgia Tech, at BioFab USA, and throughout the regenerative medicine industry to confront the challenge of scalability and supply chain resilience through this modelling effort.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation\u0026rsquo;s leading research universities \u0026mdash; a university that embraces change while continually Creating the Next. The next generation of leaders. The next breakthrough startup company. The next lifesaving medical treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech provides a focused, technologically based education to more than 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Institute has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked among the nation\u0026rsquo;s top five public universities by U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Akron Biotech\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAkron is a leading materials manufacturer and services provider to the regenerative medicine industry, accelerating the development and commercialization of advanced therapies. Founded in 2006, Akron is an ISO 13485-certified company that operates in line with cGMPs and international standards, enabling advanced therapy developers to de-risk their supply chains and facilitate regulatory approval. The company\u0026#39;s unique business model emphasizes knowledge, flexibility and unparalleled service\u0026mdash;from development through to commercialization. For more information, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.akronbiotech.com\u0022\u003Ewww.akronbiotech.com\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout BioFabUSA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBioFabUSA, is a DOD-funded Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute (MII) sustained by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) is a non-profit organization located in Manchester, New Hampshire. ARMI\u0026#39;s mission is to make practical the scalable, consistent, cost-effective manufacturing of tissue engineered medical products and tissue-related technologies, to benefit existing industries and grow new ones. \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.armiusa.org\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.armiusa.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003E813 Ferst Drive, NW\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, GA 30332 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: Walter Rich (walter.rich@research.gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThis project will address significant national supply chain issues related to distributing tissue engineered medical products.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech and Akron Biotech Awarded BioFabUSA Project"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-08-06 17:56:32","changed_gmt":"2021-02-01 13:33:07","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637564":{"id":"637564","type":"image","title":"BioFabUSA project to improve the national supply chain for tissue engineered medical products.","body":null,"created":"1596734855","gmt_created":"2020-08-06 17:27:35","changed":"1596827223","gmt_changed":"2020-08-07 19:07:03","alt":"BioFabUSA project will improve the national supply chain for tissue engineered medical products.","file":{"fid":"242514","name":"Tissue-Cell-Researcher-Working-600x400px.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tissue-Cell-Researcher-Working-600x400px.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tissue-Cell-Researcher-Working-600x400px.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":64853,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tissue-Cell-Researcher-Working-600x400px.jpg?itok=vJeul1nJ"}}},"media_ids":["637564"],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"184766","name":"Manufacturing Engineering"},{"id":"186857","name":"go-gtmi"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:walter.rich@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["walter.rich@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637575":{"#nid":"637575","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and Rockwell Automation Awarded BioFabUSA Project to Develop Wireless Sensor Technology to Facilitate Scalable Production of Efficacious Tissue Engineered Medical Products","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.manufacturingusa.com\/institutes\/biofabusa\u0022\u003EBioFabUSA\u003C\/a\u003E, a Department of Defense-funded Manufacturing Innovation Institute within the Manufacturing USA\u0026nbsp;network, has awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology and industry partner \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.rockwellautomation.com\/\u0022\u003ERockwell Automation\u003C\/a\u003E a project entitled, \u0026ldquo;Wireless Electrochemical Sensor Capsules for Real-Time Monitoring of Cell Secretomes and Culture Media in Tissue Growth Bioreactors.\u0026rdquo; Real-time bioprocess monitoring and control is needed for the scalable production and deployment of efficacious tissue engineered medical products (TEMPs) at reasonable cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBillyde Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E, the project\u0026#39;s principal investigator, explained, \u0026ldquo;we are addressing this challenge by working with BioFabUSA, our partners at the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering, the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing, as well as Rockwell Automation, to develop a fully integrated, wireless, 3D-printed sensor \u0026lsquo;capsule\u0026rsquo; to be used for in-situ multiplexed monitoring of critical quality attributes (CQAs). The targeted CQAs include pH, glucose, lactate, and select secreted biomarker concentrations from human mesenchymal stem cells \u0026ndash; one of the most common cell types used in tissue engineering.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn both biopharmaceutical and regenerative medicine industries, an urgent need remains for in-line sensor technology for quantitative real-time bioprocess monitoring and control. Unfortunately, many key CQAs are still monitored off-line or at-line using destructive testing or technologies of significant complexity and cost. In at-line measurement, the sample is typically withdrawn from a single location in the bioreactor and analyzed in close proximity to the process stream, whereas in off-line measurements, the sample is taken to a laboratory and the results are usually not returned in a timely manner for process control.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech team has previously developed potentiometric sensors based on an extended gate field-effect-transistor (FET) topology whereby a separate gold electrode surface is functionalized with an analyte-specific layer that selectively reacts or binds with the chemical or biomolecule of interest. The charge associated with the attached analyte results in a potential change of the gold electrode. These sensors have previously been used to detect chemicals such as pH and lactate, as well as specific proteins\/antibodies in a laboratory environment with accuracy and dynamic range equivalent to Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). One of the unique aspects of this system is that each sensor surface can be individually functionalized permitting multiplexed (simultaneous) detection of almost any number of different chemicals\/biomolecules of interest.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn this project, the Georgia Tech team will integrate these sensors into a \u0026ldquo;capsule\u0026rdquo; device smaller than the size of a golf-ball and packaged in a 3D-printed waterproof and biocompatible polymer. The capsule will contain a multiplexed sensor chip, with sealed opening to facilitate interaction between the sensor chip and tissue culture environment, Li-polymer battery, and electronics for micro-control, data acquisition and wireless transmission of sensor data to the smartphone of a technician in charge of monitoring the bioreactor process. In addition, Georgia Tech will work with Rockwell to develop an IoT platform such that other permitted internet-connected devices can securely access the data via a cloud server. Another unique aspect of this technology is that multiple \u0026ldquo;capsules\u0026rdquo; could be deployed within a stirred tank bioreactor during high volume production of medical products with the ability to move efficiently throughout the bioreactor due to the mechanical forces of the impellors. This would allow for unprecedented simultaneous measurements at various points within the bioreactor, giving accurate representations of the homogeneity of key parameters over time thus achieving in-situ monitoring of CQAs with high spatial and temporal resolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech project leads include \u003Cstrong\u003EBillyde Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., \u003Cstrong\u003EKan Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., and \u003Cstrong\u003EEric Vogel\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D. Brown is research faculty and director of manufacturing education programs at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.manufacturing.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(GTMI).\u0026nbsp;Wang is lead researcher of additive manufacturing in the Bio-Engineering Research Laboratory at GTMI. Vogel is a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering and deputy director for the Institute of Electronics and Nanotechnology at Georgia Tech. The Georgia Tech project leads will also receive support and assistance from \u003Cstrong\u003ECarolyn Yeago\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., and \u003Cstrong\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D. whom are directors of the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M). Leading the project for Rockwell Automation is \u003Cstrong\u003EWayne Charest\u003C\/strong\u003E, who also serves as a liaison between Rockwell and BioFabUSA.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Being able to obtain real-time data on relevant biomarkers will be critical in advancing the field of tissue engineering,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EStephanie Robichaud\u003C\/strong\u003E, technical project manager with the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute. \u0026ldquo;Getting this important information and being able to react to it quickly will result in more consistent manufacturing of a final product that meets its critical quality attributes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation\u0026rsquo;s leading research universities \u0026mdash; a university that embraces change while continually Creating the Next. The next generation of leaders. The next breakthrough startup company. The next lifesaving medical treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech provides a focused, technologically based education to more than 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Institute has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked among the nation\u0026rsquo;s top five public universities by U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Rockwell Automation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERockwell Automation is the largest company in the world that is dedicated to industrial automation and information and is committed to enabling the next generation of smart manufacturing. \u0026nbsp;Rockwell\u0026rsquo;s mission is to improve the quality of life by making the world more productive and sustainable.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.rockwellautomation.com\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.rockwellautomation.com\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout BioFabUSA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBioFabUSA is a DOD-funded Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute (MII) sustained by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI), a non-profit organization located in Manchester, New Hampshire. \u0026nbsp;ARMI\u0026#39;s mission is make practical the scalable, consistent, cost-effective manufacturing of tissue engineered medical products and tissue-related technologies, to benefit existing industries and grow new ones. \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.armiusa.org\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.armiusa.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003E813 Ferst Drive, NW\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, GA 30332 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: Walter Rich (walter.rich@research.gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EReal-time bioprocess monitoring and control is needed for the scalable production and deployment of efficacious tissue engineered medical products at reasonable cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech and Rockwell Automation Awarded BioFabUSA Project "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-08-06 18:46:48","changed_gmt":"2021-02-01 13:31:58","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637573":{"id":"637573","type":"image","title":"Wireless, 3D-printed sensor \u2018capsule\u2019 being developed for real-time bioprocess monitoring.","body":null,"created":"1596739151","gmt_created":"2020-08-06 18:39:11","changed":"1596739151","gmt_changed":"2020-08-06 18:39:11","alt":"Wireless, 3D-printed sensor \u2018capsule\u2019 being developed for real-time bioprocess monitoring.","file":{"fid":"242515","name":"Wireless Sensor Capsule-v3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wireless%20Sensor%20Capsule-v3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wireless%20Sensor%20Capsule-v3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":42852,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Wireless%20Sensor%20Capsule-v3.jpg?itok=GMne0b2L"}}},"media_ids":["637573"],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"184766","name":"Manufacturing Engineering"},{"id":"186857","name":"go-gtmi"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:walter.rich@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["walter.rich@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"628105":{"#nid":"628105","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology introduces first wave of junior researchers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation launched the Research Centers for Mathematics of Complex Biological Systems (MathBioSys) initiative two years ago, the idea was to bring two distinct disciplines together to enable creative, collaborative research, and ultimately to develop the next generation of researchers who would work seamlessly at interdisciplinary crossroads\u0026mdash;researchers like Kelimar Diaz.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDiaz is a Ph.D. student in the Quantitative Biosciences (QBios) program at Georgia Tech, and part of the first wave of junior researchers in the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology at Tech, one of the four research centers funded by the NSF and Simons. She\u0026rsquo;s working in the lab of Dan Goldman, professor of physics, member of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and a team lead at SCMB. Diaz is exactly the kind of trainee that SCMB and the national endeavor needs, exemplifying the kind of interdisciplinary acuity necessary to do innovative research at the intersection of mathematics and molecular, cellular, and organismal biology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDiaz comes by her wide-ranging interests naturally. Growing up in Puerto Rico, she used to follow her father around on his small farm, surrounded by animals and plants, \u0026ldquo;learning as much as I could,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;Over time, I was convinced that I would eventually pursue undergraduate studies in biology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;However, this plan changed abruptly when I took my first physics course in 12th grade,\u0026rdquo; Diaz added. \u0026ldquo;Physics felt like my \u0026lsquo;calling,\u0026rsquo; but living systems remained at the core of what I care most passionately about. When it came to applying to graduate school, it seemed like an obvious choice: to join a Physics Ph.D. program with faculty that carry out research of physics of living systems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat made Goldman\u0026rsquo;s biomechanics lab and the QBioS program perfect fits for her interests. \u0026ldquo;Tackling biosciences questions with quantitative approaches is intuitive to me,\u0026rdquo; she says, adding that the SCMB is taking the integrative approach to another level. \u0026ldquo;Collaborating with people that have a background in math can bridge gaps between biology and math to develop and use mathematical tools to study underlying processes in biology. This is an opportunity to drive both fields forward. As math is further developed to study biology, a repertoire of tools will be available for researchers to use in the biomedical field.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDiaz sees herself as part of the vanguard in one of the newest interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the depth and breadth of living systems. And she\u0026rsquo;s got some good company in the first cohort of SCMB junior researchers, an international group of eager, talented young investigators, like Margherita Maria Ferrari, a postdoctoral researcher from Italy with a classical mathematical training in analytics and statistics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;During my Ph.D., I went to a conference and met a professor who was giving a talk about mathematics applied to biological processes and chemical processes, which I thought was very interesting, and unexpected,\u0026rdquo; says Ferrari, who had not been exposed to this kind of integrative research before. \u0026ldquo;I learned that there were people using tools that I was familiar with, but in a completely different research area.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo after earning her Ph.D., she sought opportunities that would satisfy her growing interest in this kind of integrative research, and found her current post in the lab of Nata\u0026scaron;a Jonoska, professor at the University of South Florida and an SCMB team lead.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFerrari, Diaz, and their fellow junior researchers had a chance to gather and formally meet each other, along with the fourteen faculty team leads and administrators of SCMB, at a center-wide meeting held on September 13 on the Georgia Tech campus. \u0026ldquo;It was nice to meet all the other researchers and have the chance to give informal presentations of our projects, and to really get an idea of what the center is doing, up close,\u0026rdquo; Ferrari said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the meeting at Tech provided a way for SCMB members to meet and work in person\u0026mdash;and a number of junior researchers bonded on Tech\u0026rsquo;s leadership challenge course while on campus\u0026mdash;they\u0026rsquo;ve been gathering on a regular basis virtually since the center was launched last year. Since this is a center comprised of institutions from across the Southeast, they meet monthly; Georgia Tech personnel gather in one room, and everyone else joins via video conference.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It was fantastic to have everybody in one space, to hear directly from the junior researchers about the progress of each seed project,\u0026rdquo; said Annalise Paaby, an SCMB team lead and assistant professor of Biological Sciences at Tech, and a researcher in the Petit Institute. Each project is a collaboration between a faculty member and a trainee from the math side, and a faculty member and trainee from the bio side. \u0026ldquo;The seed projects have been cooking for a while now, and the trainee pairs gave short, pecha kucha style research reports\u0026mdash;so we had a lot of fun with questions and discussion.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Kelimar Diaz, SCMB and its interdisciplinary opportunities represents the new leading edge of bioresearch, and will help provide a roadmap for her own future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I have not decided what kind of career path to take after I finish my Ph.D., but I believe that the way things are structured in SCMB, I will end up with a repertoire of skills that will allow me to pursue the career of my choosing,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;I am contributing to driving biology and math forward. The Center and all of its members are advancing our knowledge of the living world quantitatively, while providing insight to biological applications and expanding math.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeet the first class of SCMB junior researchers who will be advancing that knowledge:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHector Ba\u0026ntilde;os\u003C\/strong\u003E earned his bachelor degree in applied mathematics at Universidad Aut\u0026oacute;noma de Quer\u0026eacute;taro in Mexico, then earned a master\u0026rsquo;s degree in mathematics and statistics at then his Ph.D. in mathematics the University of Alaska (Fairbanks). Now a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Christine Heitsch, mathematics professor at Georgia Tech and director of the SCMB (and also a Petit Institute researcher), he\u0026rsquo;s working on an SCMB seed project called \u0026ldquo;RNA structural ensembles in evolution,\u0026rdquo; a collaboration between Heitsch and Annalise Paaby, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Tech. As he and his fellow researchers work to uncover the processes behind evolution in the species and molecular levels, he\u0026rsquo;ll work on models for secondary structure inference.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKeisha Cook\u003C\/strong\u003E earned a bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree in mathematics at the University of Alabama, where she stayed on to earn both a master\u0026rsquo;s and Ph.D. in applied mathematics. Now a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Scott McKinley at Tulane University, she\u0026rsquo;s working on a SCMB seed project entitled \u0026ldquo;Stochastic modeling in cellular internalization and transport,\u0026rdquo; a collaboration between McKinley and the lab of Christine Payne at Duke University. \u0026ldquo;My ultimate research goal is to become well versed in many applications of mathematics and cell biology, in order to teach mathematics students how to speak the language of a scientist,\u0026rdquo; said Keisha, who will analyzing particle tracking data (collected in the Payne Lab) using probabilistic and statistical methods to provide greater insight into the functions of intracellular particle motion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDaniel Cruz\u003C\/strong\u003E, who earned both his bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree (mathematics with a minor in computer science) and Ph.D. (mathematics) at the University of South Florida, is now a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech, though his primary advisor is Elena Dimitrova, currently at California Polytechnic State University but until recently at Clemson University. His SCMB seed project is a collaboration between Dimitrova and Petit Institute researcher Melissa Kemp, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech, and it\u0026rsquo;s entitled \u0026ldquo;Modeling emergent patterning within pluripotent colonies through Boolean canalizing functions.\u0026rdquo; He\u0026rsquo;s primarily interested in using discrete models to understand how self-assembly and self-organization arises from molecular and\/or cellular interactions. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m a math postdoc studying how boolean networks and other discrete models can improve our understanding of pattern and structure formation resulting from the differentiation of pluripotent colonies,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKelimar Diaz \u003C\/strong\u003Eearned her bachelor degree in physics at the University of Puerto Rico (Rio Piedras campus). Now, as a Ph.D. student based in the lab of Dan Goldman, professor in the School of Physics at Georgia Tech, she\u0026rsquo;s working on an SCMB seed project called \u0026ldquo;Optimization of limbless locomotion via algebraic kinematics,\u0026rdquo; a collaboration between Goldman and Greg Blekherman at Georgia Tech. She plans to satisfy her interest in biomechanics an locomotion by exploring undulatory locomotion across length scales to understand control principles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMargherita Maria Ferrari\u003C\/strong\u003E, a postdoctoral researcher, earned an undergraduate degree and a master\u0026rsquo;s degree in mathematics at Universit\u0026agrave; degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia in Italy, and her Ph.D. in mathematical models and methods in engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Based in the lab of Nata\u0026scaron;a Jonoska at the University of South Florida, her SCMB seed project, \u0026ldquo;Discrete and topological models for DNA-RNA interactions,\u0026rdquo; is a collaboration between that group and the lab of Petit Institute researcher\u0026nbsp;biologyFrancesca Storici, an associate professor of biology at Georgia Tech. My goal is to develop and apply mathematical tools to advance our understanding of biological and chemical processes,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;My role is modeling RNA structure formation and R-loop structures, which we feel will help us in describing the process of DNA double-strand break repair.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGemechis Degaga\u003C\/strong\u003E, who earned his Ph.D. in theoretical chemistry at Michigan Technological University, is currently based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the lab of Julie Mitchell, director of the Biosciences Division. His SCMB seed project, entitled \u0026ldquo;Identifying disorder-to-order transitions in post-translationally modified proteins,\u0026rdquo; is a collaboration between Mitchell and the lab of Matt Torres, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech (and a Petit Institute researcher). \u0026ldquo;My main research interest involves the use of machine learning models to understand protein folding,\u0026rdquo; he said, describing his role in the project as building \u0026ldquo;generative adversarial artificial neural networks to learn, predict, and generate new protein sequences which form beta-hairpin secondary structure.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYoungkyu Jeon\u003C\/strong\u003E, who earned a bachelor of science in life sciences at Korea University, is a Ph.D. student currently based in the lab of Francesca Storici, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. He contributes to the seed project on DNA-RNA interactions with Storici, Jonoska and Ferrari. The goal is to understand the topology of RNA-mediated DNA modification and\/or repair, which Youngkyu is studying through experiments based on mathematical modeling.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWei Li\u003C\/strong\u003E, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Matt Torres at Georgia Tech, earned her Ph.D. from Wake Forest University. She\u0026rsquo;s contributing to the SCMB seed project on protein disorder-to-order transitions with Torres, Mitchell and Degaga. Wei\u0026rsquo;s role is to test candidate proteins using experimental spectroscopic methods, testing for impacts on biological function.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBo Lin,\u003C\/strong\u003E who earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of California-Berkeley, is now a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Greg Blekherman, associate professor of mathematics at Georgia Tech, where he\u0026rsquo;s working on the SCMB seed project on limbless locomotion with Blekherman, Goldman and Diaz. Basically, Lin is using his expertise in math to analyze data generated from biological experiments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEunbi Park\u003C\/strong\u003E, who earned her undergraduate degree in agricultural science from\u0026nbsp;Kyungpook National University in Korea, is now Park a Ph.D. student in Bioinformatics at Georgia Tech in the lab of associate professor of Biomedical Engineering, contributing to the seed project on modeling emergent patterning within pluripotent colonies with Kemp, Dimitrova, and Cruz. Park collects fluorescent microscopy images of live, dividing stem cells, generating time-lapse movies that capture the behavioral dynamics of the cells. With the input of Cruz and Dimitrova, she is using agent-based models to define that behavior mathematically.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENathan Rayens\u003C\/strong\u003E earned two bachelor degrees at Miami University: one in mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering, and another in music. Now a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering and materials science, he\u0026rsquo;s based in the lab of Christine Payne at Duke University. Now he is working with Payne, McKinley and Cook on the seed project modeling cellular internalization and transport. Rayens said, \u0026ldquo;this is the first time I\u0026rsquo;ve been involved in biological research, so my current goal is to learn as much as I can. I\u0026rsquo;m currently working on analyzing cell samples incubated with and without TiO2 to evaluate lysosome trajectories and see the effect of nanoparticles on cell transport.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAshleigh Thomas\u003C\/strong\u003E, who earned an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and math at the University of Pennsylvania, got her master\u0026rsquo;s and Ph.D. in mathematics at Duke University. Now based in the lab of Peter Bubenik at the University of Florida, she\u0026rsquo;s working on an SCMB seed project entitled, \u0026ldquo;Topological data analysis to understand genetic control of morphological phenotype,\u0026rdquo; a collaboration between Bubenik and Hang Lu, professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELing Wang\u003C\/strong\u003E, who earned both her bachelor and master\u0026rsquo;s degrees in biological science at Georgia State University, is a Ph.D. researcher in the lab of Annalise Paaby, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. Her work is in collaboration with Paaby, Heitsch, and Ba\u0026ntilde;os on the RNA folding seed project. Wang\u0026rsquo;s ultimate research interest is in combining computational and biological approach to study how RNA folding structure matters in biological evolution and she\u0026rsquo;s currently working with Paaby, \u0026ldquo;to design experiments to test if RNA\u0026rsquo;s secondary structure will have an impact on early-stop codon readthrough, and ultimately determine its impacts on biological functions.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKeren Zhang\u003C\/strong\u003E earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley. Now he\u0026rsquo;s a Ph.D. student in the lab of Hang Lu at Georgia Tech, where he\u0026rsquo;s working with Lu, Bubenik and Thomas on the seed project studying morphological phenotype with topological analysis. Zhang\u0026rsquo;s goal is to establish pipeline methods to quantify the developmental plasticity in the \u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E connectome.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation launched the Research Centers for Mathematics of Complex Biological Systems (MathBioSys) initiative two years ago, the idea was to bring two distinct disciplines together to enable creative, collaborative research, and ultimately to develop the next generation of researchers who would work seamlessly at interdisciplinary crossroads.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"At a center-wide meeting last month, faculty and trainees came together; all members discussed strategic plans for SCMB, and the junior researchers led discussions on the collaborative seed projects."}],"uid":"34780","created_gmt":"2019-10-26 20:41:22","changed_gmt":"2021-01-21 20:27:53","author":"apaaby3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"628144":{"id":"628144","type":"image","title":"SCMB Junior Researchers","body":null,"created":"1572275154","gmt_created":"2019-10-28 15:05:54","changed":"1572275154","gmt_changed":"2019-10-28 15:05:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239205","name":"junior researchers.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/junior%20researchers.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/junior%20researchers.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6398457,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/junior%20researchers.jpg?itok=oRZoK-u4"}},"628145":{"id":"628145","type":"image","title":"SCMB Ropes Course","body":null,"created":"1572275239","gmt_created":"2019-10-28 15:07:19","changed":"1572275239","gmt_changed":"2019-10-28 15:07:19","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239206","name":"ropes course.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ropes%20course.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ropes%20course.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4734585,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ropes%20course.jpg?itok=iDIdyFTU"}}},"media_ids":["628144","628145"],"groups":[{"id":"604684","name":"Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology (SCMB)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"178088","name":"SCMB"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"643281":{"#nid":"643281","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda Named 2020 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a has been elected to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/academyofinventors.org\/fellows\/#:~:text=The%20NAI%20Fellows%20Program%20was,and%20the%20welfare%20of%20society.\u0022\u003ENAI Fellows Program,\u003C\/a\u003E an honor bestowed upon the highest level of academic inventors. This distinction recognizes Garc\u0026iacute;a\u0026rsquo;s work in biomaterials for biotechnological applications including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Currently, Garc\u0026iacute;a serves as executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Petit director\u0026rsquo;s chair in Bioengineering and Bioscience, and Regents\u0026rsquo; professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/garcialab.gatech.edu\/user\/3\u0022\u003Einnovative work\u003C\/a\u003E combines materials science, cell biology and engineering, with a focus on developing revolutionary new biomaterials and therapies for diseases such as type 1 diabetes, infections and bone repair. In addition to his election to the NAI Fellows, he has been recognized by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers as a top Latino educator, the International Union of Societies of Biomaterials Science and Engineering, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It is a great honor being recognized for our intellectual contributions being translated into biotechnological applications and therapies that could impact the lives of millions of individuals suffering from cardiovascular disease and diabetes,\u0026rdquo; said Garc\u0026iacute;a. \u0026ldquo;This award recognizes the awesome contributions of my wonderful trainees and collaborators. With all the challenges this year, this honor is an important reminder for me that the research that we carry out is important and impactful and that life is a marathon and not a sprint.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;With all the challenges this year, this honor is an important reminder for me that the research that we carry out is important and impactful and that life is a marathon and not a sprint.\u0026rdquo; -- Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, Regents\u0026rsquo; professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFounded in 2010, the National Academy of Innovators is focused on changing the culture of academic invention. Election to their Fellowship Program is bestowed upon the highest level of academic inventors to recognize their dedication to the welfare of society and improving general quality of life through exceptional inventions. This status is the highest professional distinction for academic inventors. For more information on the National Academy of Inventors, visit their \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/academyofinventors.org\/\u0022\u003Ewebpage\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Faculty member\u2019s innovative work in biotechnology gains national recognition."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2021-01-21 13:57:15","changed_gmt":"2021-01-21 13:57:15","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-01-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-01-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640198":{"id":"640198","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda - Executive Director, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience","body":null,"created":"1602686236","gmt_created":"2020-10-14 14:37:16","changed":"1602686236","gmt_changed":"2020-10-14 14:37:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243356","name":"Andre\u0301s Garci\u0301a - Executive Director, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andre%CC%81s%20Garci%CC%81a%20-%20Executive%20Director%2C%20Parker%20H.%20Petit%20Institute%20for%20Bioengineering%20and%20Bioscience.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andre%CC%81s%20Garci%CC%81a%20-%20Executive%20Director%2C%20Parker%20H.%20Petit%20Institute%20for%20Bioengineering%20and%20Bioscience.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":44124,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Andre%CC%81s%20Garci%CC%81a%20-%20Executive%20Director%2C%20Parker%20H.%20Petit%20Institute%20for%20Bioengineering%20and%20Bioscience.jpg?itok=d6AdDCP8"}}},"media_ids":["640198"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/zelledge3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EZoe Elledge\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["zelledge3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"643079":{"#nid":"643079","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Stanley Named Founding Director of McCamish Parkinson\u2019s Disease Innovation Program","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe impact of a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/mccamish-foundation-commitment-funds-research-parkinsons-disease-georgia-tech-and-emory\u0022\u003Etransformational gift from the McCamish Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E is starting to take shape at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Garrett-B.-Stanley\u0022\u003EGarrett Stanley\u003C\/a\u003E will be the founding director of the new McCamish Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s Disease Innovation Program led by the Coulter Department to create impact-amplifying partnerships across disparate disciplines, and to advance innovative ideas that will form the basis of future treatment and cure of Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s and other neurological disorders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The fact that Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease is so complex, affects people in different ways, and changes as the disease progresses, means that we need a comprehensive set of diverse approaches and tools that directly confront these complexities,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Garrett-B.-Stanley\u0022\u003EStanley, Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Professor in the Department\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;This ranges from using sensors to precisely measure movement, to technologies for interacting with the underlying brain circuits, to data analytics to capture things that are hidden in the wealth of data being collected, and beyond.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENeurological disorders like Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s are complex diseases of neural circuits that impact virtually every aspect of a person\u0026rsquo;s life, from moving to sensing to cognition, and ultimately render even the most fundamental aspects of daily life a significant challenge. The cause of Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s remains unknown, to say nothing of curing the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStanley said understanding, treating, and ultimately finding a cure for such diseases requires a comprehensive, coordinated, and technology-driven effort at the intersection of fundamental neuroscience, neuroengineering and neurotechnology, data science, and clinical translation \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;an approach that goes well beyond traditional avenues of scientific research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo accomplish such lofty ambitions, the McCamish Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s program will support \u0026ldquo;Blue Sky\u0026rdquo; multi-investigator, early stage research; research translation to commercialization; and the cultivation of a collaborative network with Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Georgia to position Georgia as a leader in Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is uniquely positioned to catalyze this exciting, new interdisciplinary research effort,\u0026rdquo; Stanley said, \u0026ldquo;and we are grateful for the significant opportunity the McCamish Foundation has provided.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStanley is a leading expert in the control of the complex brain circuits that enable us to sense and move through the world. He has led multiple efforts focused on integrating neuroscience, neuroengineering, and neurotechnology and supported by the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative. Over the past decade, Stanley has been a key driver in building interdisciplinary research in neuroscience and neurotechnology across Georgia Tech and Emory and is co-director of the Georgia Tech and Emory Neural Engineering Centers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Landmark Gift from McCamish Foundation Positions Emory, Georgia Tech, UGA to Revolutionize Treatment of Neurological Disease"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGarrett Stanley will lead work under a landmark gift from the McCamish Foundation to revolutionize treatment of neurological diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Garrett Stanley will lead work under a landmark gift from the McCamish Foundation to revolutionize treatment of neurological diseases."}],"uid":"27446","created_gmt":"2021-01-19 18:23:54","changed_gmt":"2021-01-20 19:06:31","author":"Joshua Stewart","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-01-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-01-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"643116":{"id":"643116","type":"image","title":"Neuron Illustration","body":null,"created":"1611150106","gmt_created":"2021-01-20 13:41:46","changed":"1611150106","gmt_changed":"2021-01-20 13:41:46","alt":"Illustration of a neuron. (Courtesy of Colin Behrens via Pixabay.)","file":{"fid":"244208","name":"nerve-cell-2213009-colin-behrens-pixabay-no-attrib-h.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nerve-cell-2213009-colin-behrens-pixabay-no-attrib-h.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nerve-cell-2213009-colin-behrens-pixabay-no-attrib-h.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":299942,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/nerve-cell-2213009-colin-behrens-pixabay-no-attrib-h.jpg?itok=b1-cJ4uA"}},"538581":{"id":"538581","type":"image","title":"Garrett Stanley, Ph.D.","body":null,"created":"1464703200","gmt_created":"2016-05-31 14:00:00","changed":"1475895326","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:26","alt":"Garrett Stanley, Ph.D.","file":{"fid":"89513","name":"garrett-250x300.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/garrett-250x300.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/garrett-250x300.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":13409,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/garrett-250x300.jpg?itok=_4V5YV16"}}},"media_ids":["643116","538581"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/mccamish-foundation-commitment-funds-research-parkinsons-disease-georgia-tech-and-emory","title":"Read More: McCamish Foundation Commitment Funds Research of Parkinson\u2019s Disease at Georgia Tech and Emory"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Garrett-B.-Stanley","title":"Garrett Stanley"}],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"13471","name":"Parkinson\u0027s"},{"id":"77121","name":"parkinson\u0027s disease"},{"id":"178100","name":"neurological disease"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"186733","name":"McCamish Foundation"},{"id":"14462","name":"Garrett Stanley"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jstewart@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E404.385.2416\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jstewart@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"643049":{"#nid":"643049","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Robles Lab Expands Utility of 3D Tomography","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers in the lab of Francisco Robles are advancing optical technologies, bringing greater clarity and understanding to the biomolecular world. Their latest work improves the functionality and affordability of a powerful new imaging technique.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn recent years, three-dimensional refractive index (RI) tomography has emerged as an effective label-free imaging tool in biological studies. But, wrote Robles and colleague Patrick Ledwig, \u0026ldquo;its limitation to thin samples, resulting from a need of transmissive illumination, and small fields of view has hindered its utility in broader biomedical applications.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey describe a new approach that enables RI tomography of arbitrarily thick samples with a large view in their paper, \u0026ldquo;Quantitative 3D Refractive Index Tomography of Opaque Samples in Epi-Mode,\u0026rdquo; published in the journal \u003Cem\u003EOptica\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re enabling a technique that has previously been limited to thin samples,\u0026rdquo; said Robles, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe technology has been moving toward rendering more detailed 3D information, but it had been limited to individual cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;People have been trying to use the technique for various medical applications because you get these beautiful 3D tomographic images, but the fact that this was only possible on individual cells, and not at tissue-level structures, was really limiting,\u0026rdquo; Robles said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERobles and Ledwig used a simple, low-cost microscope system with epi-illumination, which reflects light off the sample to create contrast. Existing techniques use transmissive illumination, which passes light through a sample. That works fine for translucent samples but not at all in thicker, more complex structures.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe approach they describe utilizes technology developed in the Robles lab \u0026mdash; a quantitative oblique back illumination microscopy (qOBM) optical system \u0026mdash; to extend the utility of 3D RI tomography for translational and clinical medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What we\u0026rsquo;re doing here is measuring the ubiquitous refractive and index properties in cells and tissues which yields unprecedented contrast for subcellular, cellular, and tissue-level structures,\u0026rdquo; Robles said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe said the new approach allows researchers to perform label-free imaging, which is a non-invasive way to view a biological sample in its natural state. Many labs use chemical or fluorescent labels to track cellular activity. But the labeling process is invasive and can be toxic to cells, compromising research findings.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This technique opens the door to many biomedical applications that were previously out of reach of refractive index tomography,\u0026rdquo; Robles said. \u0026ldquo;This will change the way in we do label-free imaging in complex 3D structures like human tissues, and enable new ways to extract biological information non-invasively.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERobles described their solution as, \u0026ldquo;elegant and simple, providing near real-time information, without heavy computational processing. You don\u0026rsquo;t need an expensive laser \u0026mdash; we actually used $8 LEDs for this system \u0026mdash; and we can convert any basic brightfield microscope into this new tomographic imaging technology for a low cost.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn their study, the researchers provide a theoretical analysis along with simulations and validation experiments using tissue-mimicking phantoms and thick tissue samples from animal and human brains. Their experiments showed a level of detail that Robles said isn\u0026rsquo;t possible with current, traditional optical methods.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The level of cellular detail we are able to achieve now was only possible before with far more complex and expensive nonlinear microscopy systems which are not easily translatable to many important biomedical applications,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re very excited about the capabilities of this new refractive index tomography approach.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (1014540); Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing; National Cancer Institute (R21CA223853); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R21NS117067); and the National Science Foundation (NSF CBET CAREER 1752011).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New research in Optica describes affordable new system for better advanced optical  imaging"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research in \u003Cem\u003EOptica\u003C\/em\u003E describes affordable new system for better advanced optical\u0026nbsp; imaging\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research in Optica describes affordable new system for better advanced optical  imaging"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-01-18 22:59:56","changed_gmt":"2021-01-20 19:05:00","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-01-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-01-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"643048":{"id":"643048","type":"image","title":"Francisco Robles","body":null,"created":"1611008910","gmt_created":"2021-01-18 22:28:30","changed":"1611008910","gmt_changed":"2021-01-18 22:28:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244176","name":"FRobles.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/FRobles.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/FRobles.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":714777,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/FRobles.jpg?itok=KpPf9g0D"}}},"media_ids":["643048"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"174999","name":"Tomography"},{"id":"186723","name":"3D tomography"},{"id":"186724","name":"label free imaging"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"642970":{"#nid":"642970","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two Postdocs Win Excellence In Research Grants","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo Georgia Institute of Technology postdoctoral researchers whose work is focused on improving the odds against devastating disease are winners of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB) Excellence in Research Grants. Mar\u0026iacute;a Coronel and Rebecca Donegan will each be awarded $22,000 to help support their projects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoronel, who works in the lab of Petit Institute Executive Director \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/garcialab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/a\u003E, won her grant for a proposal entitled, \u0026ldquo;Engineering leaky gut on chip for studying Type 1 diabetes pathogenesis.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a new area of research exploring the connections between the gut and the pancreas in diabetes. \u0026ldquo;By applying microfluidics, stem cells, and immunoengineering, I\u0026rsquo;m looking to develop new platforms that can help improve early diagnosis, but also challenge our current knowledge of how the disease develops,\u0026rdquo; said Coronel, who is currently researching immunotherapies to improve insulin replacement as a treatment for type 1 diabetes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople with the disease require insulin injections to regulate their blood sugars, a treatment that has dramatically improved lives. But it isn\u0026rsquo;t a cure, \u0026ldquo;which can be done now with a treatment called islet transplantation,\u0026rdquo; Coronel noted, adding that the procedure is basically an organ transplant, which means patients have to take potent drugs to suppress their immune system, making them susceptible to infections and other side effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My work is focused on using synthetic biomaterials in the form of microgels for the local presentation of proteins that can control the patient\u0026rsquo;s immune cells, the surveillance army that keeps you safe from foreign agents like viruses and bacteria,\u0026rdquo; Coronel said. \u0026ldquo;By controlling these cells, we can allow insulin-producing beta-cells to engraft and function without being rejected when transplanted. This can minimize the need for immunosuppressive drugs and broaden the patient population that can benefit from this therapy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer goal is to translate these therapies into pre-clinical models to find out if the technology is translatable to treat humans. But ultimately, she added, \u0026ldquo;I am working towards an independent faculty position to mentor the new generation of diverse scientists in STEM.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDonegan\u0026rsquo;s research is aimed at developing a better understanding of how the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis) uses the iron-containing molecule heme to survive during infection.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Mtb requires heme for survival and has the ability to both uptake heme and to synthesize its own heme,\u0026rdquo; noted Donegan, who works in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/reddi\/amit%20r.\u0022\u003EAmit Reddi\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Donegan\u0026rsquo;s grant-winning proposal is entitled, \u0026ldquo;Imaging heme dynamics at the host pathogen interface.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Iron and heme are really interesting metallonutrients to study because they are both necessary for survival and potentially cytotoxic,\u0026rdquo; said Donegan, who will use the grant to learn more about how heme levels change throughout the course of infection.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;By combining our sensors with fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, we will be able to build a more comprehensive picture of how Mtb uses host heme during infection,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;And by clarifying how and when heme is used during Mtb infection, we will be better poised for identifying new targets for developing new anti-Mtb therapies that target heme homeostasis.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDonegan\u0026rsquo;s career plan is to become an assistant professor, teaching undergraduate students. Eventually, she\u0026rsquo;d like to lead her own independent research, combining the skills she developed in Reddi\u0026rsquo;s lab with her graduate training in protein crystallography (in the lab of Petit Institute researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/lieberman\/home\u0022\u003ERaquel Lieberman\u003C\/a\u003E), to study how a nontuberculous mycobacteria [NTM], which she called an emerging threat, transition from being environmental bacteria to pathogenic bacteria. She plans to work toward the discovery of new anti-NTM therapeutic targets.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, she and Coronel are the beneficiaries of the first IBB Excellence in Research Grants, thanks to the generosity of the Beckman Coulter Foundation, as well as Georgia Tech graduate Karl F. Dasher (Industrial Engineering, 1993) and his wife, Erin Dasher, a member of the Petit Institute Advisory Board. The Karl F. Dasher Research Endowment supports research and educational initiatives at the Petit Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Mar\u00eda Coronel and Rebecca Donegan helping to improve the odds against disease with assist Beckman Coulter Foundation and Dasher Endowment"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMar\u0026iacute;a Coronel and Rebecca Donegan helping to improve the odds against disease with assist Beckman Coulter Foundation and Dasher Endowment\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mar\u00eda Coronel and Rebecca Donegan helping to improve the odds against disease with assist Beckman Coulter Foundation and Dasher Endowment"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2021-01-15 14:47:15","changed_gmt":"2021-01-15 14:48:38","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-01-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-01-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"642969":{"id":"642969","type":"image","title":"Grant Winners","body":null,"created":"1610721779","gmt_created":"2021-01-15 14:42:59","changed":"1610721779","gmt_changed":"2021-01-15 14:42:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244143","name":"Rebecca and Maria.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rebecca%20and%20Maria.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rebecca%20and%20Maria.png","mime":"image\/png","size":5241591,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Rebecca%20and%20Maria.png?itok=HP4o1-E5"}}},"media_ids":["642969"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"186683","name":"Beckman Coulter"},{"id":"186684","name":"Dasher Endowment"},{"id":"186685","name":"Karl F. Dasher"},{"id":"186686","name":"Erin Dasher"},{"id":"186687","name":"diabetes research"},{"id":"186688","name":"tuberculosis research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"642609":{"#nid":"642609","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Julie Champion Wins ACS Rising Star Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJulie Champion, an associate professor in Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, is a recipient of a 2021 Rising Star Award from the American Chemical Society\u0026#39;s Women Chemists Committee.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.acs.org\/content\/acs\/en\/funding-and-awards\/awards\/other\/diversity\/wcc-rising-star-award.html\u0022\u003EThis award\u003C\/a\u003E recognizes exceptional early- to mid-career women chemists across all areas of chemistry on a national level. The award was established in 2011 to help promote retention of women in science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe winners will receive a stipend to cover expenses for an award symposium to highlight their work at the virtual National Meeting of the ACS on April 7, 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Women Chemists Committee (WCC) serves the membership of the American Chemical Society with its mission to be leaders in attracting, retaining, developing, promoting, and advocating for women in the chemical sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 150,000 members, ACS is the world\u0026rsquo;s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChampion, who earned her PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joined the faculty of Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2009.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer research interests include:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDeveloping therapeutic protein materials, where the protein is both the drug and the delivery system\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEngineering proteins to control and understand protein particle self-assembly\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERepurposing and engineering pathogenic proteins for human therapeutics\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ECreating materials that mimic cell-cell interactions to modulate immunological functions for various applications, including inflammation, cancer, autoimmune disease, and vaccination\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELearn more about Champion on her \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/championlab\/dr-julie-champion\/\u0022\u003Elab Website\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Award recognizes exceptional early- to mid-career women chemists across all areas of chemistry on a national level."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2021-01-06 20:05:27","changed_gmt":"2021-01-06 20:10:19","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-01-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-01-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"642610":{"id":"642610","type":"image","title":"Julie Champion, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering","body":null,"created":"1609963784","gmt_created":"2021-01-06 20:09:44","changed":"1609963784","gmt_changed":"2021-01-06 20:09:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"244053","name":"championinlab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/championinlab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/championinlab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":48307,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/championinlab.jpg?itok=eV88QVLm"}}},"media_ids":["642610"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:braddixon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrad Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nChBE Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["braddixon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"642123":{"#nid":"642123","#data":{"type":"news","title":"FDA Enlists Georgia Tech to Establish Best Practices for RNA-sequencing","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENext-generation sequencing (NGS) has emerged as an important high throughput technology in biomedical research and translation for its ability to accurately capture genetic information. But choosing proper analysis methods for identifying biomarkers from high throughput data remains a critical challenge for most users.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) is an NGS technology that examines the presence and quantity of RNA in biological samples, and it requires bioinformatics analysis to make sense of it all. However, there are hundreds of bioinformatics tools with different data analysis pipelines that result in various results for the same dataset. This can significantly hinder the ability to reliably reproduce RNA-seq related research and applications, especially for the regulatory approval process by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChoosing the right analysis model and tool to do the proper job for high throughput data analysis remains a great challenge. So the FDA invited a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology to conduct a comprehensive investigation of RNA-seq data analysis pipelines for gene expression estimation to recommend best practices.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;No common standard for selecting high throughput RNA-seq data analysis tools has been established yet. This has been a huge challenge for studying hundreds of tools that form tens of thousands of analysis pipelines,\u0026rdquo; noted \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/May-Dongmei-Wang\u0022\u003EMay Dongmei Wang\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University who led the investigation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWang and her colleagues presented their results in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Scientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E. In their study, the researchers developed three metrics \u0026ndash; accuracy, precision, and reliability \u0026ndash; and systematically evaluated 278 representative NGS RNA-seq pipelines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We demonstrate that those RNA-seq pipelines performing well in gene expression estimation will lead to the improved downstream prediction of disease outcome. This is an important discovery,\u0026rdquo; said Wang, corresponding author of the paper, \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-020-74567-y\u0022\u003EImpact of RNA-seq Data Analysis Algorithms on Gene Expression Estimation and Downstream Prediction\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe added, \u0026ldquo;Because the FDA is a regulatory agency for approving novel medical devices for NGS-genomics to be utilized in daily clinical practices for personalized and precision medicine and health, it is critical to see whether gene expression generated from RNA-seq acquisition and analysis pipeline are reproducible and reliable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team\u0026rsquo;s comprehensive investigation revealed that the high throughput RNA-seq data quantification modules \u0026ndash; mapping, quantification, and normalization \u0026ndash; jointly impacted the accuracy, precision, and reliability of gene expression estimation, which in turn affected the downstream clinical outcome prediction (as shown in two cancer case studies of neuroblastoma and lung adenocarcinoma).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Clinicians and biomedical researchers can use our findings to select RNA-seq pipelines for their clinical practice or research,\u0026rdquo; Wang said. \u0026ldquo;And bioinformaticians can use these benchmark datasets, results, and metrics to develop and evaluate new RNA-seq tools and pipelines.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut one size does not fit every need, as in any machine learning paradigm, Wang noted.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The machine learning and algorithms are heavily dependent on goals,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;Thus, based on our extensive experience in biomedical big data analytics and AI for almost two decades, we suggested that the FDA identify top goals for clinical genomics applications first. Based on different needs, different RNA-seq pipelines will be selected to achieve the optimal performance.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Wang, the research team included lead author Li Tong, Po-Yen Wu, John H. Phan, Hamid R. Hassazadeh, Weida Tong, and members of the FDA\u0026rsquo;s Sequencing Quality Control project (Wendell D. Jones, Leming Shi, Matthias Fischer, Christopher E. Mason, Sheng Li, Joshua Xu, Wei Shi, Jian Wang, Jean Thierry-Mieg, Danielle Thierry-Mieg, Falk Hertwig, Frank Berthold, Barbara Hero, Yang Liao, Gordon K. Smyth, David Kreil, Pawel\u0026nbsp;P. Tabaj, Dalila Megherbi, Gary Schroth, and Hong Fang).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (U54CA119338, R01CA163256, and UL1TR000454), the National Science Foundation (EAGER Award NSF1651360), Children\u0026#39;s Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia Tech Partnership Grant, Giglio Breast Cancer Research Fund, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Faculty Fellow Research Fund.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Li Tong, et al., \u0026ldquo;Impact of RNA-seq Data Analysis Algorithms on Gene Expression Estimation and Downstream Prediction.\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ENature Scientific Reports\u003C\/em\u003E 2020)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENext-generation sequencing (NGS) has emerged as an important high throughput technology in biomedical research and translation for its ability to accurately capture genetic information. But choosing proper analysis methods for identifying biomarkers from high throughput data remains a critical challenge for most users.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers have helped select the right RNA-seq data analysis tools."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2020-12-15 01:45:20","changed_gmt":"2020-12-15 01:51:31","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-12-14T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-12-14T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"642121":{"id":"642121","type":"image","title":"May Wang Portrait","body":null,"created":"1607995842","gmt_created":"2020-12-15 01:30:42","changed":"1607995842","gmt_changed":"2020-12-15 01:30:42","alt":"May Wang photo","file":{"fid":"243942","name":"MIBLab_6718.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MIBLab_6718.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MIBLab_6718.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1401385,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MIBLab_6718.jpg?itok=7jpsVRdx"}},"642122":{"id":"642122","type":"image","title":"Choosing right analysis model","body":null,"created":"1607996015","gmt_created":"2020-12-15 01:33:35","changed":"1607996367","gmt_changed":"2020-12-15 01:39:27","alt":"May Wang with sequencing","file":{"fid":"243943","name":"MayWang_SEQC-2_DSC_6710.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MayWang_SEQC-2_DSC_6710.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MayWang_SEQC-2_DSC_6710.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":367167,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MayWang_SEQC-2_DSC_6710.jpg?itok=IRazkxnI"}}},"media_ids":["642121","642122"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"984","name":"RNA"},{"id":"186451","name":"RNA-sequencing"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"186452","name":"next-generation sequencing"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"145171","name":"Cybersecurity"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"640331":{"#nid":"640331","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Susan Margulies Elected to National Academy of Medicine","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Academy of Medicine (\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam.edu\/national-academy-of-medicine-elects-100-new-members-2020\/\u0022\u003ENAM\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E) has elected Georgia Tech Professor \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/injury\/\u0022\u003ESusan Margulies\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E to its prestigious 2020 class. Election to NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies was selected for her work \u0026quot;identifying how and why injuries occur in children\u0026rsquo;s brains and lungs through the development and use of novel platform technologies and models, and for translating basic discoveries of three therapies in pre-clinical trials,\u0026quot; according to the Academy. She is only the second person from Georgia Tech to receive the honor. The late Bob Nerem, founding director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is the other.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies is the Wallace H. Coulter Professor and Chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, a shared department between the two schools. She is also a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Injury Biomechanics. Her research interests center around traumatic brain injury in children and ventilator-induced lung injury with a focus in these areas on prevention, intervention and treatments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are incredibly proud and offer our warmest\u0026nbsp;congratulations to Susan Margulies as she is named to the 2020 class of the National Academy of Medicine,\u0026rdquo; said Steven W. McLaughlin, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;This well-deserved distinction is a testament to her as an exemplary scholar, leader, and collaborator.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENew NAM members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies came to Georgia Tech and Emory in 2017 from the University of Pennsylvania. She now leads a BME department that is consistently ranked as one of the nation\u0026#39;s most prominent programs of its kind in both graduate and undergraduate education. In 2020,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EU.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;ranked\u0026nbsp;BME\u0026rsquo;s graduate program (based at Georgia Tech) No. 2 in the U.S., and\u0026nbsp; the joint Georgia Tech\/Emory BME graduate program was also ranked No. 2. It is the largest BME department in the country, with 68 faculty on two campuses and more than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies, also a member of the Petit Institute, earned her BSE in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Mayo Medical School. Earlier this year, in February, Margulies was also elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), which is among the highest professional distinctions conferred to an engineer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEstablished originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam.edu\/national-academy-of-medicine-elects-100-new-members-2020\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENational Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Coulter Department chair earns one of the highest honors in health and medicine"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECoulter Department chair earns one of the highest honors in health and medicine\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Coulter Department chair earns one of the highest honors in health and medicine"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-10-19 15:21:20","changed_gmt":"2020-12-02 20:31:36","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640314":{"id":"640314","type":"image","title":"Susan Margulies","body":null,"created":"1603111842","gmt_created":"2020-10-19 12:50:42","changed":"1603111842","gmt_changed":"2020-10-19 12:50:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243389","name":"Susan Margulies.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Susan%20Margulies_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Susan%20Margulies_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3334554,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Susan%20Margulies_0.jpg?itok=f-7bjaM2"}}},"media_ids":["640314"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"186044","name":"NAM"},{"id":"186042","name":"National Academy of Medicine"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"641393":{"#nid":"641393","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Industry Secrets","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThey are two worlds, culturally apart, different as night and day. One is viewed as a calling to the curious, a realm of enlightenment; the other, an answer to marketplace needs, an engine of economics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAcademia and industry. Campus vs. corporate. Exploration for new knowledge \u0026mdash; or to move a company or industry forward.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut for many College of Engineering faculty, such shorthand dichotomies are false. Every day, they show up for work to conduct sophisticated research, teach classes, mentor students and serve on committees. They live the life of the scholar-instructor, yet they bring something extra: the experience of working in the private sector, in all its relentless pursuit of fast results and shareholder value.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis experience, they say, generated reward in several forms. Time spent in industry yields valuable lessons to share in classrooms and labs. Here are a few.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmily Grubert\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAssistant Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nRight now: Big decisions are made in operating big infrastructure like energy, water and transportation systems. Grubert\u0026rsquo;s research combines decision-support tools with opinion research to improve how those big decisions are made. She generates a deeper, clearer picture of various options, making it easier to compare one against another.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer time in industry: Stints at McKinsey and Pacific Gas \u0026amp; Electric gave Grubert an up-close look at massive infrastructure systems and helped her develop scenario-based models to guide decision making. \u0026ldquo;I chose McKinsey because I wanted to work with refineries, power plants, mining companies and other big infrastructure [entities] in a way that didn\u0026rsquo;t require me to go work for them,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;So, in my interview, I let them know I would quit in a couple of years to get a Ph.D.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETakeaways from the private sector: \u0026ldquo;On the academic side, we tend to under-value process and governance in decision-making,\u0026rdquo; Grubert says. \u0026ldquo;We focus on a few facts \u0026mdash; we\u0026rsquo;ll do an analysis and say, \u0026lsquo;option X is 20% better.\u0026rsquo; But that doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean that the \u0026#39;better\u0026#39; option will be what someone in industry will choose because there are other considerations. There\u0026rsquo;s a whole lot more to decision making on the private sector side.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe perfect-fit field: \u0026ldquo;Interdisciplinary\u0026rdquo; is an important word to Grubert, and she was glad to find that Georgia Tech embraced a multi-disciplinary view of research. \u0026ldquo;I view engineering as a way to apply science to help people thrive in the world, and that includes social science,\u0026rdquo; says Grubert. \u0026ldquo;Once you start working in civil and environmental engineering, it\u0026rsquo;s amazing how important social science is, because you\u0026rsquo;re working with so many people.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDavid Frakes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAssociate Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nRight now: The Frakes Lab at Georgia Tech is brand-new \u0026mdash; he arrived at his alma mater in the summer of 2020 \u0026mdash; but its focus is to explore and model new kinds of medical devices. One noteworthy niche: He aims to design devices that fit and work across a population of patients by testing the devices on thousands of virtual people. \u0026ldquo;Machine learning is in everything these days,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;If you have data, you have a big advantage.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis time in industry: In the early days, it was hedge fund management on Wall Street. Later came a five-year stop at Google, where he spearheaded mobile imaging projects. Most recently, Frakes led an Apple team that developed algorithms driving the camera software inside the iPhone 11. Along the way, he even started two companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETakeaways from the private sector: Frakes runs his lab like a startup: with quarterly objectives, \u0026ldquo;go and no-go\u0026rdquo; decisions and a sense of urgency. \u0026ldquo;In academia, there may not be a clear finish line on the calendar or work plan,\u0026rdquo; he observes, \u0026ldquo;but in a startup, your time is not infinite. You only have so much runway.\u0026rdquo; This entrepreneurial approach to research, he adds, is appealing to students. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s just fun to have skin in the game in the lab every day.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u0026lsquo;village in the room\u0026rsquo;: At Arizona State, Frakes helped launch the BRAIN Center, an industry-university research collaborative to develop neurotechnologies. He\u0026rsquo;s applied for NSF funding to do the same at Georgia Tech. The new center would engage multiple companies with a large group of faculty from engineering and other disciplines. \u0026ldquo;It takes a village to go after certain problems,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;With this center, we\u0026rsquo;ll be getting a lot of subject matter experts in the room to work on problems too big for any one of them to solve alone.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBlair Brettmann\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAssistant Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nRight now: Brettmann develops new technologies and materials to make it possible for products with many different components to be customizable quickly. \u0026ldquo;In industry, to make a small change to a product, you have to address many issues. So, just changing that one item can take huge amounts of time. A lot of what I\u0026rsquo;m doing is looking at ways to pair with a computational person to make it faster.\u0026rdquo; Her research has widespread implications for materials and processes in manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer time in industry: Working for the French materials company Saint-Gobain, Brettmann led R\u0026amp;D projects for new coatings, surface treatments and other functional materials. \u0026ldquo;I didn\u0026rsquo;t do much in the lab \u0026mdash; it was really more managerial,\u0026rdquo; she says. A desire to stay engaged in technical work and to mentor students led her back to campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETakeaways from the private sector: \u0026ldquo;One of the best things to come out of my industry work is project management,\u0026rdquo; Brettmann says. \u0026ldquo;As a principal investigator, I now have seven different research projects. But as a postdoc I only had to focus on one or two things at a time. My industry experience helped me manage better.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome say the grass is greener: \u0026ldquo;I like to joke that when you\u0026rsquo;re in industry, you see academics as rich because of the fancy equipment they have. And academics see industry as rich because they have more money to pay people. Also, university researchers focus on getting their name out there, getting funding, helping students. In industry, there\u0026rsquo;s a lot of time pressure to get a product out the door.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMohit Singh\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAssociate Professor, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial \u0026amp; Systems Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nRight now: Singh conducts research to improve decision making, employing a highly mathematical approach. A large part of his exploration involves designing algorithms to arrive at discrete decisions using fixed variables to decide this-or-that, very quickly. Significantly, he\u0026rsquo;s moving the field into new ways of using open-data variables to inform the algorithms, thus bridging the separate worlds of \u0026ldquo;discrete and continuous optimization.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis time in industry: In a seven-year stint for Microsoft, Singh worked to optimize the process for deciding how data from cloud computing customers should be distributed across computer servers. Factoring in high-demand times, storage needs and other variables, he helped develop frameworks that determined server access, optimizing for both the client and server performance.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETakeaways from the private sector: Industry inspires much of Singh\u0026rsquo;s research. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m currently working on a lot of optimization problems,\u0026rdquo; he says, \u0026ldquo;and apart from being fundamental and theoretical in nature, so many of them are motivated by what comes in practice. I want to look at relevant problems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe difference is the students: A major motivating factor in Singh\u0026rsquo;s decision to come to Georgia Tech was the opportunity to guide and mentor students. Most undergraduates don\u0026rsquo;t do much research, \u0026ldquo;but you see them grow and develop their own vision.\u0026rdquo; Graduate students can work on problems for several years. However, in industry, \u0026ldquo;you only have interns, and you don\u0026rsquo;t get to see them grow over time.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJoseph Oefelein\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nProfessor, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nRight now: Oefelein uses ultra-powered computing and algorithms to create highly sophisticated simulations of propulsion and power systems such as liquid rocket engines. His simulations and models reveal the interplay between turbulence and the complex physical processes in combustion. The goal is to find new ways to optimize these systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis time in industry: Seventeen years with a national laboratory may sound like a government job, but Oefelein\u0026rsquo;s career with Sandia National Laboratories had him in constant partnership with private industry, working with researchers in energy science to improve the predictability of combustion models. During this time, he always kept an eye on how those models could inform the design of different types of piston, gas turbine and rocket engines manufactured for automobiles, trucks and aviation and space vehicles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETakeaways from the private sector: \u0026ldquo;In the classroom, a lot of times I can just naturally answer a question like, \u0026lsquo;Why do I need to learn this?\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; Oefelein says. \u0026ldquo;Not only can I share real-world experience and observations with students, I can give a perspective right away, and in a natural way.\u0026rdquo; Like the other engineering faculty, the ability to work with students was a motivating factor to return to a campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYou can\u0026rsquo;t learn if you don\u0026rsquo;t share: Having experienced academia, government and industry, Oefelein has a perspective on how all three can work together to address some of the intractable problems facing humankind. \u0026ldquo;Understanding comes from sitting down with colleagues in different sectors and being able to appreciate all the pros, cons and constraints,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;The more communication that occurs, the better off everyone will be.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"For these five engineering faculty, time spent in the private sector proved to be invaluable."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-11-17 21:02:47","changed_gmt":"2020-11-18 12:29:35","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"641392":{"id":"641392","type":"image","title":"Petit Institute researchers, Blair Brettman and David Frakes","body":null,"created":"1605646384","gmt_created":"2020-11-17 20:53:04","changed":"1605647231","gmt_changed":"2020-11-17 21:07:11","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243732","name":"mag_industry_hero2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mag_industry_hero2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mag_industry_hero2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":134778,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mag_industry_hero2.jpg?itok=nEMSmvlu"}}},"media_ids":["641392"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/blair-brettmann","title":"Brettman profile"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/faculty-staff-directory\/david-frakes","title":"Frakes profile"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichael Baxter - COE\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["editor@coe.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"641017":{"#nid":"641017","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Newly Devised Metachronal Artificial Cilia Have Nanotech Applications","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELike tiny hairs waving together, cilia are microscopic organelles found throughout nature. In your nose and ears, their metachronal beating helps trap dirt and debris. In the reproductive system, they help the ovum progress through the body and assist the movement of sperm. Given how important they are to the biological world, researchers have wondered if they could reproduce them artificially to assist in microscale motions in a variety of applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArtificial cilia apparatus setupThat is where a team of Georgia Tech researchers, which includes \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/alexeev\u0022\u003EProfessor Alexander Alexeev\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/peter-hesketh\u0022\u003EProfessor Peter Hesketh\u003C\/a\u003E, and recent Ph.D. graduate Srinivas Hanasoge, comes in. The group has successfully engineered synthetic biomimetic cilia, and developed a mechanism for manipulating them using magnetic fields in a way that mimics their natural motion. Their results were recently published in ACS Applied Materials \u0026amp; Interfaces in an article titled \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/full\/10.1021\/acsami.0c13102\u0022\u003EMetachronal Actuation of Microscale Magnetic Artificial Cilia.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Cells utilize highly complex biomechanical machinery to actuate cilia,\u0026rdquo; explains Alexeev. \u0026ldquo;Such machinery is inaccessible in synthetic systems, so the challenge was figuring out how to design relatively simple microscopic devices that can closely mimic the complex three dimensional motion of cilia that can still be fabricated using our current microfabrication technology.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn their work, the group demonstrated several methods to create arrays of magnetic artificial cilia that are capable of producing metachronal waves. They also showed that they could control the direction of the waves using different types of magnetic actuation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECilia being activated by a magnetic field\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The most surprising result was that our relatively simple system that is composed of anchored magnetic filaments and a rotating magnet can produce complex motion that resembles the beating of biological cilia,\u0026rdquo; said Alexeev.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt large scales in everyday life, fluid mixing does not pose particular challenges, but at the microscale it is a significant obstacle. Alexeev and his collaborators are hoping their findings can be applied to micro and nano devices that operate with extremely small amounts of fluids, including organ-on-a-chip and lab-on-a-chip systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe group is also optimistic that their findings will lead to an improved understanding of how cilia functionthat they can be reproduced and manipulated artificially.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The ability to produce different types of metachronal motion using our synthetic cilia opens a possibility to systematically investigate the effects of ciliary activity and metachrony on different functions performed by biological cilia such as fluid and particulate transport,\u0026rdquo; explains Alexeev. \u0026ldquo;This is important for better understanding the biological function of cilia and devising new ways to manipulate minute amounts of fluids at the microscale.\u0026ldquo;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThis research was sponsored by the USDA NIFA (Grant #11317911) and the NSF (CBET-1510884). The cleanroom fabrication was assisted by the staff of Georgia Tech IEN.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECITATION: Srinivas Hanasoge, Peter J. Hesketh, and Alexander Alexeev, \u0026ldquo;Metachronal Actuation of Microscale Magnetic Artificial Cilia,\u0026rdquo; (ACS Applied Materials \u0026amp; Interfaces, 2020, 12, 41, 46963\u0026ndash;46971). \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acsami.0c13102\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acsami.0c13102\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers have successfully engineered synthetic biomimetic cilia and developed a mechanism for manipulating them using magnetic fields in a way that mimics their natural motion to assist in a variety of applications."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-11-05 16:34:58","changed_gmt":"2020-11-05 16:43:21","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-11-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-11-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"641014":{"id":"641014","type":"image","title":"Newly Devised Metachronal Artificial Cilia Have Nanotech Applications","body":null,"created":"1604593619","gmt_created":"2020-11-05 16:26:59","changed":"1604593619","gmt_changed":"2020-11-05 16:26:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243609","name":"Hesketh - ME article - 119x119.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hesketh%20-%20ME%20article%20-%20119x119.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hesketh%20-%20ME%20article%20-%20119x119.png","mime":"image\/png","size":22985,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hesketh%20-%20ME%20article%20-%20119x119.png?itok=Kry385QW"}}},"media_ids":["641014"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.wright@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBenjamin Wright\u003C\/a\u003E - Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.wright@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"640414":{"#nid":"640414","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Gates Foundation Supporting Wearable Tech in Ethiopia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEvery semester a group of bioengineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology meets for lunch to play catch-up with each other, presenting their latest work, an informal show-and-tell. That\u0026rsquo;s how \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Rudy-Gleason\u0022\u003ERudy Gleason\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E and \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.google.com\/view\/yeogroup\u0022\u003EW. Hong Yeo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E began a collaboration which has netted a $200,000 grant from the \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatesfoundation.org\/\u0022\u003EBill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt this particular gathering, Gleason gave a presentation of\u0026nbsp;his work \u0026ndash; a safe, low-cost, easy-to-use (and develop) 3D camera (utilizing an X-Box gaming system) to assess the risk of obstructed labor for patients in Ethiopia. But after hearing Yeo\u0026rsquo;s presentation about wearable device technology, Gleason approached him and said, \u0026ldquo;\u0026rsquo;What if we use your technology to monitor the health of neonates in Africa?\u0026rsquo; In a minute we came up with this idea.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe idea is to use Yeo\u0026rsquo;s wireless, wearable device for continuous health monitoring of neonates (infants under four weeks of age), who have the highest risk of mortality, particularly in the developing world. Yeo is developing the soft electronic sensor system for the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Over the last 20 to 30 years, we\u0026rsquo;ve done a pretty good job at reducing childhood mortality rates, but actually if you look at the neonatal mortality rates, they\u0026rsquo;ve almost flatlined,\u0026rdquo; said Gleason, an associate professor in both the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This first month of life period is when about half of all child mortality happens and most of these neonatal deaths occur in the first week of life,\u0026rdquo; Gleason adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYeo, assistant professor in the Woodruff\u0026nbsp;School and the Coulter Department, has developed a small, wireless, wearable electronic device that would adhere on an infant\u0026rsquo;s chest like a Band-Aid and communicate to a tablet or smartphone to offer real-time, continuous monitoring of temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen concentration, with alarms for high risk conditions. It could provide timely indication to mothers and health care workers regarding hypothermia, apnea, asphyxia, respiratory distress, hypoxemia, oxygen oversaturation, neonatal infections, and sepsis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The hospitals we work with in Ethiopia really don\u0026rsquo;t monitor [the infants] very often \u0026ndash; there are often too few probes, and healthcare workers must go to each neonate and take measurements of heart rate and blood\/oxygen as they have time,\u0026rdquo; said Gleason. \u0026ldquo;So, I thought if we have a device like this that can continuously monitor four key parameters \u0026ndash; heart rate, respiration rate, blood\/oxygen level, and temperature \u0026ndash; we could identify at-risk neonates while there is still time to intervene. This could reduce neonatal mortality in low-resource settings like Ethiopia.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe funding will support a clinical pilot study among 50 neonates in the Neonatal Unit at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Gleason and his research team will work with clinicians, engineers, and hospital staff to collect essential data, assess the efficacy, improve usability and participant acceptability, and assess the feasibility, market, and cost of local manufacturing of this all-in-one wearable device.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELeading the Ethiopian team are clinical researchers Asrat Demtse, who is a neonatologist, and Abebaw Fekadu, who heads up the Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa, a sub-awardee on the Gates grant).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re going to pilot this in hospitals, but I think the long-term version for this could be a first seven day-of-life baby monitor for at-risk newborns that a mother has connected to an app on her phone,\u0026rdquo; said Gleason. \u0026ldquo;That would be amazing. There\u0026rsquo;s a little bit of research between now and then to get that to work, but it can totally be an application. And even here in the U.S., we have sudden infant death syndrome, sleep apnea, etc. and this device could potentially catch all those things. I think this is an opportunity to save the lives of many babies.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Rudy Gleason and Hong Yeo collaborating on device for continuous health monitoring of at-risk infants"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERudy Gleason and Hong Yeo collaborating on device for continuous health monitoring of at-risk infants\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Rudy Gleason and Hong Yeo collaborating on device for continuous health monitoring of at-risk infants"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-10-20 17:51:05","changed_gmt":"2020-11-04 17:02:23","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640396":{"id":"640396","type":"image","title":"Rudy Gleason","body":null,"created":"1603205183","gmt_created":"2020-10-20 14:46:23","changed":"1603205183","gmt_changed":"2020-10-20 14:46:23","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243414","name":"RudyGleason.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/RudyGleason.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/RudyGleason.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":606730,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/RudyGleason.jpg?itok=cBWfqaTA"}},"640395":{"id":"640395","type":"image","title":"Neonates","body":null,"created":"1603205131","gmt_created":"2020-10-20 14:45:31","changed":"1603205131","gmt_changed":"2020-10-20 14:45:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243413","name":"neonates.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/neonates.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/neonates.png","mime":"image\/png","size":823110,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/neonates.png?itok=6VzZAoTN"}},"640413":{"id":"640413","type":"image","title":"W. Hong Yeo","body":null,"created":"1603215904","gmt_created":"2020-10-20 17:45:04","changed":"1603215904","gmt_changed":"2020-10-20 17:45:04","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243421","name":"Yeo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Yeo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Yeo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":557799,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Yeo.jpg?itok=8tR_n4u4"}}},"media_ids":["640396","640395","640413"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"640790":{"#nid":"640790","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Wave of Researchers Connecting Across the Miles","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELast year, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University launched the Computational Neural Engineering Program \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/nec.gatech.edu\/about-gtemory-t32\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E(CNEP)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Supported by the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a collection of world class faculty researchers is training a new generation of multidisciplinary researchers working at the intersection of computational neuroscience, data science, and clinical\u0026nbsp;neurophysiology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey all gathered, from a distance, for the CNEP\u0026rsquo;s first annual online retreat (September 25-26). The online event \u0026ndash; which drew 18 grad students (trainees), 11 faculty members, two staff members, and three advisory board members from the neurotech industry \u0026ndash; was sponsored by the Georgia Tech and Emory Neural Engineering Centers, and the Laney Graduate School at Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe wide ranging of retreat foci took in science, technology, neuro-ethics, diversity and inclusion, with time for a neuro-themed quiz show. Meanwhile, second year PhD students \u0026ndash; that new generation \u0026ndash; presented their research, which focused on, among other things, topics such as machine learning methods for decoding brain activity, and brain imaging techniques for understanding Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease. And a neuro-ethics exercise sparked a lively discussion about the societal impact of brain-enhancing technologies, with real-world examples.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn spite of the physical distance between the attendees, they found a sense of community, with plenty of break-out sessions that promoted multiple interactions. This included a team Jeopardy event over home-delivered pizza (which took some nifty coordination), and an interactive session on identity development, intersectionality, and privilege, and the affect how these things can have on professional, academic, and personal lives.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe retreat is just one facet of the training program currently being carried out remotely, according to the CNEP leadership team: Garrett Stanley and Lena Ting, professors in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory; Chris Rozell, professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Michael Borich, assistant professor in Emory\u0026rsquo;s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy (all four also are members of the Petit institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETrainees and faculty are also taking part in monthly workshops and weekly seminars that focus on technical training and professional development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith an award from NIBIB of nearly $1 million, CNEP was designed to take advantage of the explosive development of new tools for measurement and manipulation of nervous system function,\u0026nbsp;with the goal of addressing challenges posed by the growing threat of neurological diseases and disorders on an expanding senior population. The program supports the development of PhD students in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, as well as Bioengineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Machine\u0026nbsp;Learning at Tech, leveraging \u0026nbsp;the growing strength of Neural Engineering at both universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Computational Neural Engineering Program at Georgia Tech and Emory holds first annual online retreat"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EComputational Neural Engineering Program at Georgia Tech and Emory holds first annual online retreat\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Computational Neural Engineering Program at Georgia Tech and Emory holds first annual online retreat"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-10-30 02:57:07","changed_gmt":"2020-10-30 02:57:07","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640788":{"id":"640788","type":"image","title":"CNEP Retreat","body":null,"created":"1604026341","gmt_created":"2020-10-30 02:52:21","changed":"1604026341","gmt_changed":"2020-10-30 02:52:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243548","name":"CNEP screen.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CNEP%20screen.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CNEP%20screen.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1489778,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CNEP%20screen.jpg?itok=hwIcu8Aq"}},"640789":{"id":"640789","type":"image","title":"CNEP leaders","body":null,"created":"1604026438","gmt_created":"2020-10-30 02:53:58","changed":"1604026438","gmt_changed":"2020-10-30 02:53:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243549","name":"CNEP leaders.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CNEP%20leaders.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CNEP%20leaders.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1397723,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CNEP%20leaders.jpg?itok=p-j-VdrV"}}},"media_ids":["640788","640789"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"2076","name":"NIH"},{"id":"186123","name":"NIBIB"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"640659":{"#nid":"640659","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Annabelle Singer Wins Society for Neuroscience Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWASHINGTON, D.C. \u0026mdash; Georgia Institute of Technology researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singer.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnnabelle Singer\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been named a recipient of the prestigious Jannett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). It is one of four awards that SfN gives to leading researchers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women in neuroscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;SfN is honored to recognize this stellar group of neuroscientists for both their groundbreaking research and their leadership in advancing women in neuroscience,\u0026rdquo; said SfN President Barry Everitt. \u0026ldquo;These women are dedicated to both innovative, creative approaches to scientific questions and mentoring, advocating, and being role models for young female and minority scientists. They have all already made significant contributions to their fields, developing new tools for research or therapeutic approaches.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Trubatch Award recognizes early-career researchers who have demonstrated great originality and creativity in their work. Singer, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and a member of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, was called out for her unique research in addressing Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESinger\u0026rsquo;s groundbreaking insights into the interaction between neural activity and immune function is providing a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/2020\/02\/03\/flickering-light-mobilizes-brain-chemistry-may-fight-alzheimers\u0022\u003Epossible new therapeutic approach\u003C\/a\u003E, utilizing flickering auditory and visual stimulation at specific frequencies to affect not only sensory areas but memory circuits, too. These oscillations trigger biochemical signals that mobilize the brain\u0026rsquo;s immune cells to help clean up molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease, like amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau. Repeated stimulation also improved memory in mouse models.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause of the non-invasive nature of the procedure, it is considered a promising candidate for treatment (Singer recently presented the results of a preliminary clinical trial in humans).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso receiving a Trubatch Award was Markita Landry (assistant professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley), who developed probes that can measure chemical communication between neurons. Winners of the Trubatch Award receive a $2,000 prize.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther SfN award winners were: Carmen Maldonado-Vlaar (University of Puerto Rico) and Barbara Shinn-Cunningham (Carnegie Mellon University), who won the Bernice Grafstein Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Mentoring; Courtney Miller (Scripps Research Institute) and Ghazeleh Sadri-Vakili (Harvard Medical School), who won the Louise Hanson Marshall Special Recognition Award; and Kristen Harris (University of Texas-Austin) and Yasmin Hurd (Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai), who won the Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Society for Neuroscience is an organization of nearly 36,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\/BME assistant professor recognized with career development honor for original, creative work"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\/BME assistant professor recognized with career development honor for original, creative work\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\/BME assistant professor recognized with career development honor for original, creative work"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-10-27 17:19:39","changed_gmt":"2020-10-27 17:21:27","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634636":{"id":"634636","type":"image","title":"Annabelle Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","body":null,"created":"1587561629","gmt_created":"2020-04-22 13:20:29","changed":"1587567475","gmt_changed":"2020-04-22 14:57:55","alt":"Annabelle Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","file":{"fid":"241509","name":"30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":742619,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG?itok=WvEDzmCw"}}},"media_ids":["634636"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"186102","name":"Society for Neuroscience"},{"id":"186103","name":"SfN"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"640007":{"#nid":"640007","#data":{"type":"news","title":"\u2018Programmable Medicine\u2019 is the Goal for New Bio-circuitry Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the world of synthetic biology, the development of foundational components like logic gates and genetic clocks has enabled the design of circuits with increasing complexity, including the ability to solve math problems, build autonomous robots, and play interactive games. A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology is now using what they\u0026rsquo;ve learned about bio-circuits to lay the groundwork for the future of programmable medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELooking like any other small vial of clear liquid, these programmable drugs would communicate directly with our biological systems, dynamically responding to the information flowing through our bodies to automatically deliver proper doses where and when they are needed. These future medicines might even live inside us throughout our lives, fighting infection, detecting cancer and other diseases, essentially becoming a therapeutic biological extension of ourselves.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWe are years away from that, but the insights gained from research in Gabe Kwong\u0026rsquo;s lab are moving us closer with the development of \u0026lsquo;enzyme computers\u0026rsquo; \u0026mdash; engineered bio-circuits designed with biological components, with the capacity to expand and augment living functions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The long-term vision is this concept of programmable immunity,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Gabe-A.%20-Kwong\u0022\u003EKwong\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University, who partnered with fellow researcher Brandon Holt on the paper, \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-020-18840-8\u0022\u003EProtease circuits for processing biological information\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; published Oct. 6 in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe story of this paper begins two years ago when, Holt said, \u0026ldquo;our lab has a rich history of developing enzyme-based diagnostics; eventually we started thinking about these systems as computers, which led us to design simple logic gates, such as AND gates and OR gates. This project grew organically and we realized that there were other devices we can build, like comparators and analog-digital convertors. Eventually this led to the idea of taking an analog-to-digital converter and using that to digitize bacterial activity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, they assembled cell-free bio-circuits that can combine with bacteria-infected blood, \u0026ldquo;with the basic idea that it would quantify the bacterial infection \u0026mdash; the number of bacteria \u0026mdash; then calculate and release a selective drug dose, essentially in real time,\u0026rdquo; said Holt, a Ph.D. student in Kwong\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lsi.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ELaboratory for Synthetic Immunity\u003C\/a\u003E and lead author of the paper.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers sought to construct bio-circuits that use protease activity to process biological information under a digital or analog framework (proteases are enzymes that break down proteins into smaller polypeptides and amino acids). The team built its analog-to-digital converter with a tiny device, made only of biological materials, that changed signals from bacteria into ones and zeroes. Then, the circuit used these numbers to choose the proper dosage of drugs needed to kill the bacteria without overdosing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026rsquo;s the traditional approach \u0026mdash; bio-circuits digitizing molecular signals, allowing operations to be carried out by Boolean logic. The second part of the team\u0026rsquo;s new paper takes a more nuanced approach, with a focus on analog circuits as opposed to digital. \u0026ldquo;We treat protease activity as multi-valued, signals between one and zero,\u0026rdquo; Holt said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat multi-valued approach led to yet another idea, and ultimately to the bigger picture of analog bio-circuits.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We got tempted by this idea of fuzzy logic, where you can think about what happens if there\u0026rsquo;s a signal between zero and one,\u0026rdquo; he added. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s more like an analog circuit. We were really inspired by this concept, so we decided to build analog bio-circuits with the same basic materials as before \u0026mdash; proteases and peptides. And we were able to solve a mathematical oracle problem, Learning Parity with Noise.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe ability to process information from the biomolecular environment with an analog framework is critical, according to Kwong.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Fuzzy logic is interesting because biology doesn\u0026rsquo;t think in zeroes and ones,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Biology operates as a spectrum. So if you think about enzymatic activity, it\u0026rsquo;s never just on and off. It\u0026rsquo;s on, and the activity can be anywhere between zero and one. So the long term goal is to recognize that biology is not as simple as a digital electronic circuit. You actually need some capacity to work with analog signals.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was funded by an NIH Director\u0026rsquo;s New Innovator Award (Award No. DP2HD091793) as well as an R01 from the NCI (GR10003709). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NIH.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECompeting interests: Gabe Kwong is co-founder of and consultant to Glympse Bio, which is developing products related to the research described in this paper. This study could affect his personal financial status. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Georgia Tech in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. Holt and Kwong are listed as inventors on a patent application pertaining to the results of the paper. The patent applicant is the Georgia Tech Research Corporation. The application 24 number is PCT\/US19\/051833. The patent is currently pending\/published (publication no. WO 25 2020\/061257). The biological analog-to-digital converter and the analog protease circuits are covered in the patent.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Brandon Holt, Gabe Kwong. \u0026ldquo;Protease circuits for processing biological information.\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, 2020)\u0026nbsp; (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-18840-8\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-18840-8\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the world of synthetic biology, the development of foundational components like logic gates and genetic clocks has enabled the design of circuits with increasing complexity, including the ability to solve math problems, build autonomous robots, and play interactive games. A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology is now using what they\u0026rsquo;ve learned about bio-circuits to lay the groundwork for the future of programmable medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A team of researchers is now using what they\u2019ve learned about bio-circuits to lay the groundwork for the future of programmable medicine.\u00a0"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2020-10-08 00:30:18","changed_gmt":"2020-10-23 15:09:43","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640002":{"id":"640002","type":"image","title":"Programmable drugs","body":null,"created":"1602116274","gmt_created":"2020-10-08 00:17:54","changed":"1602116274","gmt_changed":"2020-10-08 00:17:54","alt":"Yellow liquid in a small vial","file":{"fid":"243287","name":"programmable-medicine-002.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/programmable-medicine-002.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/programmable-medicine-002.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":275759,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/programmable-medicine-002.jpg?itok=hIAY4vIe"}},"640005":{"id":"640005","type":"image","title":"Analog-to-digital converter","body":null,"created":"1602116582","gmt_created":"2020-10-08 00:23:02","changed":"1602116582","gmt_changed":"2020-10-08 00:23:02","alt":"pipetting liquids","file":{"fid":"243290","name":"programmable medicine-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/programmable%20medicine-004.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/programmable%20medicine-004.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":336160,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/programmable%20medicine-004.jpg?itok=l8cs7DxI"}}},"media_ids":["640002","640005"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"185993","name":"bio-circuit"},{"id":"185994","name":"programmable medicine"},{"id":"171033","name":"Synthetic Biology"},{"id":"7494","name":"circuitry"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"640405":{"#nid":"640405","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute to Host Race and Racism Event on Covid-19","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/57d5RYBvifU\u0022\u003EVIEW RECORDING - TOWN HALL 10.19.20\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience will host a conversation next week with two campus leaders on the topic of \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/events\/petit-institute-diversity-town-hall-race-and-racism-bioengineering-and-bioscience\u0022\u003ECovid-19 Is a Health Disparity.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rdquo; The event will feature \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/fealing\u0022\u003EKaye Husbands Fealing\u003C\/a\u003E, dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, with an opening presentation by Manu Platt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe conversation will take place Monday, Oct. 19, from 1 to 2 p.m. via \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/dl\/launcher\/launcher.html?type=meetup-join\u0026amp;deeplinkId=c5657f29-f2e1-4450-98ae-b89c2e0e43d6\u0026amp;directDl=true\u0026amp;msLaunch=true\u0026amp;enableMobilePage=true\u0026amp;url=%2F_%23%2Fl%2Fmeetup-join%2F19%3Ameeting_NjlhNThiOWUtZjI0Ny00MDllLTk3YTktZDFlYzQxYjI0N2Rj@thread.v2%2F0%3Fcontext%3D%257b%2522Tid%2522%253a%2522482198bb-ae7b-4b25-8b7a-6d7f32faa083%2522%252c%2522Oid%2522%253a%2522238a55c4-5776-4529-9556-9f5f6663002b%2522%257d%26anon%3Dtrue\u0026amp;suppressPrompt=true\u0022\u003EMicrosoft Teams\u003C\/a\u003E, with a maximum capacity of 250 attendees, limited to those logged in with an active Georgia Tech account. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions, and a recording will be made available on the Petit YouTube Channel\u0026nbsp;following the event.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the many research angles of Covid-19 \u0026mdash; including therapeutics, diagnoses, co-morbidities, public health, public policy, and healthcare systems \u0026mdash; this session will highlight the health disparities associated with Covid-19, providing an additional perspective into this public health crisis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe discussion has been planned and organized by a committee for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Petit Institute. The group was formed in September following a June town hall and a collective desire within the community to take action following national race-related tragedies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The goal of our committee is to create a safer, more inclusive, and more highly prosperous environment for our historically underrepresented minority faculty, trainees, and staff,\u0026rdquo; said Ed Botchwey, committee chair and associate professor in the Coulter Department. \u0026ldquo;We hope to maintain a focus on anti-racism action within our Institute.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn support of this goal, the group began hosting town halls within the Petit community on ways to think about systemic racism across disciplines.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We must confront the routines, biases, and contradictions that preserve the status quo,\u0026rdquo; Botchwey said. \u0026ldquo;This town hall is a fresh call to antiracist action in the bioengineering and bioscience community. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to our conversation as we look for ways in which all of our members can answer the call.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther committee members include:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENettie Brown, BME, predoctoral representative\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nMar\u0026iacute;a Coronel, ME, postdoctoral representative\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, ME, Petit Institute executive director\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nMilan Riddick, BME, undergraduate representative\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLakeita Servance, Petit Institute, staff representative\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"IBB\u2019s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-10-20 15:36:19","changed_gmt":"2020-10-20 17:24:48","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640406":{"id":"640406","type":"image","title":"Petit Institute Diversity Town Hall Series - Race and Racism in Bioengineering and Bioscience","body":null,"created":"1603208428","gmt_created":"2020-10-20 15:40:28","changed":"1603208428","gmt_changed":"2020-10-20 15:40:28","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243418","name":"Petit Diversity Image.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Petit%20Diversity%20Image.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Petit%20Diversity%20Image.png","mime":"image\/png","size":32931,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Petit%20Diversity%20Image.png?itok=OkTxntU2"}}},"media_ids":["640406"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"179356","name":"Industrial Design"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"639665":{"#nid":"639665","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Smartphone App for Anemia Showcased in NTAC Challenge","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBy Janat Batra\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nibib.nih.gov\/ntac-challenge-winners\u0022\u003ENational Institute of Health (NIH)\u003C\/a\u003E has awarded $100K to the startup company Sanguina Inc., co-founded by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lamlab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWilbur Lam\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. The startup received the award, coming in third place in the 2020 NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge (NTAC), for its smartphone anemia app.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENTAC\u0026nbsp;awards are specifically given to designs and developments of non-invasive, handheld, digital technologies to detect and diagnose sickle cell disease, malaria and anemia. Receiving the award means that the Lam and his team can inject more capital into their efforts to launch a new app and develop other diagnostic tools.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam, a pediatric hematologist, takes care of children with blood diseases like anemia. His familiarity with the disease drives his clinical and research interests.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I see kids and teens suffer and deal with anemia all the time,\u0026rdquo; said Lam, who also is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;A tool like this could really improve the quality of their lives and perhaps even improve their clinical outcomes by enabling those patients to take control of their own health using a simple tool that requires only their smartphones.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe app, AnemoCheck Mobile, is a smartphone platform designed for noninvasive anemia diagnosis and underlying etiology screening. The app can estimate the user\u0026rsquo;s blood hemoglobin levels and help them track any changes over time. The technology of the app relies on using a picture of the user\u0026rsquo;s fingernail beds to evaluate anemia and its unique algorithm to screen for sickle cell disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMembers of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sanguina.com\/\u0022\u003ESanguina\u003C\/a\u003E team also include Georgia Tech alumni Erika Tyburski (BME \u0026rsquo;12), and Rob Mannino (BME \u0026rsquo;13 and Emory\/GT BME Ph.D. \u0026rsquo;18), the CEO and CTO of the startup, respectively. Both Tyburski and Mannino, in addition to Lam, share personal ties to the smartphone app and Sanguina\u0026rsquo;s mission.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Rob has a genetic blood disorder called beta thalassemia, which causes him to suffer severe anemia,\u0026rdquo; said Lam. \u0026ldquo;His lifelong struggle with anemia is what motivates him to develop tools to help patients like himself.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETyburski, on the other hand, has suffered from iron deficiency anemia her whole life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;But Rob and Erika aren\u0026rsquo;t alone, there are two [billion] people worldwide suffering from anemia for many different reasons. As such, hemoglobin level has the potential to be treated as a new vital sign for indication of wellness or illness on a global scale,\u0026rdquo; said Lam. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOut of those two billion living with anemia, 83 million are in the United States. The startup\u0026rsquo;s team of engineers, clinicians, scientists and regulatory professionals are currently hard at work to turn the app into a commercial product.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have recently been funded by and partnered with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theseedlab.com\/company\/sanguina\/\u0022\u003EThe Seed Lab\u003C\/a\u003E as a strategic investor to round out our team with marketing, branding and positioning expertise,\u0026rdquo; said Lam.\u0026nbsp; \u0026ldquo;Together, we plan to launch the first version of our consumer-facing app this year.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, Lam and his team hope to deliver affordable hemoglobin testing to populations who need it the most.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Wilbur Lam and startup company Sanguina receive $100K to accelerate technology "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWilbur Lam and startup company Sanguina receive $100K to accelerate technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Wilbur Lam and startup company Sanguina receive $100K to accelerate technology "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-09-28 20:37:24","changed_gmt":"2020-10-15 15:18:10","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639663":{"id":"639663","type":"image","title":"Sanguina","body":null,"created":"1601325242","gmt_created":"2020-09-28 20:34:02","changed":"1601325242","gmt_changed":"2020-09-28 20:34:02","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243194","name":"Sanguina trio.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sanguina%20trio.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sanguina%20trio.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":334191,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Sanguina%20trio.jpg?itok=9WKIcBYX"}}},"media_ids":["639663"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech (EVPR\/BME)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"639891":{"#nid":"639891","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Blockade of Immune Checkpoints in Lymph Nodes through Locoregional Delivery Augments Cancer Immunotherapy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImmune checkpoint inhibitors have shown great promise against multiple types of cancer, but they are still not sufficiently effective to help many patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a study published in Science Translational Medicine this week titled \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/stm.sciencemag.org\/content\/12\/563\/eaay3575\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Blockade of immune checkpoints in lymph nodes through locoregional delivery augments cancer immunotherapy,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E Susan N. Thomas, Woodruff Associate Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E, discusses the potential for directing these cancer immunotherapy drugs to lymph nodes to improve treatment efficacy at lower doses and reduce side effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Immunotherapy has transformed medical oncology. The opportunities for engineers to impact this field are expansive and continue to grow every day. We were delighted to contribute to the understanding of how immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs can be more effectively used in order to someday soon improve the lives of cancer patients,\u0026rdquo; said Thomas.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese findings offer new insights into the mechanisms of these immunotherapy drugs, which have been used to treat cancer patients including Georgia\u0026rsquo;s very own Jimmy Carter and for which the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded in 2018. The study also provides rationale for innovations in drug delivery technologies to be developed for and applied to cancer immunotherapy to improve cancer patient outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We continue to innovate drug delivery technologies that will improve cancer patient outcomes,\u0026rdquo; said Thomas. \u0026ldquo;This work forms the foundation for some of those technologies to build upon.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThomas has co-founded a company focused on innovations in cancer immunotherapy related to this study and other collaborative work with study co-author \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/edmund-waller\u0022\u003EEdmund K. Waller, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Together they also serve as two of the three co-directors of the Center for Regenerative Engineering and Medicine at Emory University, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the Department of Defense.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Susan Thomas explores potential for directing cancer immunotherapy drugs to lymph nodes to improve treatment efficacy at lower doses and reduce side effects."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-10-05 12:12:11","changed_gmt":"2020-10-05 12:18:38","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639890":{"id":"639890","type":"image","title":"Susan Thomas, Associate Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology","body":null,"created":"1601899535","gmt_created":"2020-10-05 12:05:35","changed":"1601899535","gmt_changed":"2020-10-05 12:05:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243262","name":"Susan Thomas 2020.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Susan%20Thomas%202020.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Susan%20Thomas%202020.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":319014,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Susan%20Thomas%202020.jpg?itok=-8Aytkwp"}}},"media_ids":["639890"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.wright@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBenjamin Wright\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.wright@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"639405":{"#nid":"639405","#data":{"type":"news","title":"May Wang Inducted as IAMBE Fellow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMay Dongmei Wang, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, was one 31 newly inducted Fellows of The International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cmu.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=985d922252640eba7a7e1e520\u0026amp;id=eef821126c\u0026amp;e=1772f8e7ed\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EIAMBE\u003C\/a\u003E) that were welcomed on September 18, 2020 during the Virtual Meeting of 2020 Carnegie Mellon Forum on Biomedical Engineering and Annual Symposium of International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cmu.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=985d922252640eba7a7e1e520\u0026amp;id=290ea46f18\u0026amp;e=1772f8e7ed\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EBME Forum\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe IAMBE, affiliated with the International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), is made up of fellows who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the profession of medical and biological engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWang, a Kavli Fellow and Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar, is also a researcher in both the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and the Institute for People and Technology at Georgia Tech. She also is director of the Biomedical Big Data Initiative, co-director of the Georgia Tech Center for Bio-Imaging Mass Spectrometry, and principal investigator of the Biomedical Informatics and Bio-Imaging Laboratory (Bio-MIBLab) at Georgia Tech and Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBio-MIBLab research focuses primarily on translational biomedical informatics with the goal of developing software applications and algorithms that solve real-world clinical problems \u0026ndash; essential tools for personalized, predictive, and preventive medicine. Recently, Wang and her team were involved in an international study providing insight on mHealth data collection and analysis, and provided key insights in identifying technologies to address the Covid-19 pandemic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer election to IAMBE was initiated by nominations (from current Fellows) that were then screened by the membership committee. Election is conducted by a vote of Fellows (there currently are less than 200, world-wide).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME professor recognized for outstanding contributions to medical and biological engineering"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME professor recognized for outstanding contributions to medical and biological engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME professor recognized for outstanding contributions to medical and biological engineering"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-09-22 20:38:23","changed_gmt":"2020-09-23 01:20:35","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639403":{"id":"639403","type":"image","title":"May Wang","body":null,"created":"1600806773","gmt_created":"2020-09-22 20:32:53","changed":"1600806773","gmt_changed":"2020-09-22 20:32:53","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243108","name":"May pic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/May%20pic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/May%20pic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1936853,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/May%20pic.jpg?itok=s00hlsv6"}},"639404":{"id":"639404","type":"image","title":"IAMBE Fellows","body":null,"created":"1600806847","gmt_created":"2020-09-22 20:34:07","changed":"1600806847","gmt_changed":"2020-09-22 20:34:07","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243109","name":"Fellows.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fellows.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fellows.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":690256,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Fellows.jpg?itok=bUgujJBC"}}},"media_ids":["639403","639404"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter\/Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech (EVPR\/BME)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"639145":{"#nid":"639145","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nanoparticles Target Pediatric Cancer Tumors","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETreatment of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant childhood brain tumor, includes surgery, whole brain and spine radiation, and chemotherapy, which leads to serious side effects, including profound neurocognitive deficits. In particular, the sonic hedgehog subtype of medulloblastoma, which represents approximately 30% of medulloblastoma, is associated with treatment failure and poor outcome in older children and those with metastatic disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a recent paper published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) titled \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2020\/09\/14\/1911229117\u0022\u003EEngineered biomimetic nanoparticle for dual targeting of the cancer stem-like cell population in sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma,\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rdquo; YongTae (Tony) Kim, Associate Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, discusses biomimetic nanoparticle technology for advanced targeted drug delivery to medulloblastoma cells as a promising alternative strategy to treat the pediatric tumor.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKim, whose research primarily leverages biomimetic microengineering and nanotechnology for the development of therapeutics for neurological diseases including Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s and brain tumors, started the research project in 2014 in collaboration with Dr. Tobey MacDonald, Professor at Emory University School of Medicine and Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program at Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When I met patient families of this fatal hard-to-cure pediatric tumor after I gave a seminar at Emory and Children\u0026rsquo;s hospital of Atlanta, I could not help deciding to do something to support the kids,\u0026rdquo; said Kim. \u0026ldquo;It is a blessing for engineers to help patients, which motivated me to work on these challenges.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrent treatment strategies that utilize whole brain radiation therapy result in deleterious off-target effects on the normal developing childhood brain. Most conventional chemotherapies remain limited by ineffective blood-brain barrier penetrance. These challenges signify an unmet need for drug carriers that can cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver drugs to targeted sites with high drug-loading efficiency and long-term stability.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKim\u0026rsquo;s research demonstrates that innovative bioinspired nanotechnology able to incorporate multiple agents into one nanocarrier can provide a solution to notorious brain tumors with minimal adverse side effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study shows that an engineered biomimetic nanoparticle decorated with a targeting ligand and loaded with a sonic hedgehog inhibitor maintains its stability in the circulation, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and delivers drug molecules to the cancer stem-like cell population in sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma. Leveraging the natural capabilities of high-density lipoprotein, the nanoparticle enables the facilitated and targeted cellular uptake of drugs and receptor-mediated intracellular cholesterol depletion in medulloblastoma cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This successful \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E validation of our biomimetic nanoparticle performance will bring up a new viable strategy by which to effectively deliver many other drug candidates, which have been reportedly unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, have low bioavailability, or off-target effects for the treatment of brain tumors including medulloblastoma,\u0026rdquo; said Kim.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKim, in collaboration with Dr. MacDonald, plans to apply the biomimetic nanotechnology to test many other potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of brain tumors in the near future. They will also extend their approach and apply for opportunities focused on other brain diseases including neurodegenerative diseases.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) R21NS091682 (Y.K.), NIH Director\u0026rsquo;s New Innovator Award 1DP2HL142050 (Y.K.), National Institutes on Aging (NIA) R21AG056781 (Y.K.), and Ian\u0026rsquo;s Friends Foundation (T.J.M.). We also thank the core facilities at the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology at Georgia Institute of Technology, a member of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, which is supported by the National Science Foundation (ECCS-1542174).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Kim team has engineered biomimetic nanoparticle for dual targeting of the cancer stem-like cell population in sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-09-16 13:03:30","changed_gmt":"2020-09-17 17:30:02","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639144":{"id":"639144","type":"image","title":"GFP-expressing medulloblastoma organotypic tumor slice culture","body":null,"created":"1600261046","gmt_created":"2020-09-16 12:57:26","changed":"1600261046","gmt_changed":"2020-09-16 12:57:26","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243019","name":"Tony Kim 119x119.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tony%20Kim%20119x119.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tony%20Kim%20119x119.png","mime":"image\/png","size":41882,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tony%20Kim%20119x119.png?itok=NhZVLMCL"}}},"media_ids":["639144"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/yongtae-kim","title":"Kim profile"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.wright@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBen Wright\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.wright@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"639134":{"#nid":"639134","#data":{"type":"news","title":"RNA Information Transfer Could Be Used in Repairing DNA","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGenomes are routinely subjected to DNA damage. But most cells have DNA repair systems that enforce genome stability and, ideally, prevent diseases like cancer. The trouble gets serious when these systems break down. When that happens, damage such as unrepaired DNA lesions can lead to tumors, and genomic chaos ensues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Double-strand breaks are one of the most dangerous types of DNA damage a cell can experience,\u0026rdquo; said Chance Meers, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University who earned his Ph.D. in molecular genetics in 2019 in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/francesca-storici\u0022\u003EFrancesca Storici\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u0026ldquo;They inhibit the cell\u0026rsquo;s ability to replicate its DNA, stalling cell division until the damage is repaired.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe most accurate pathway of DNA-break repair is by using a homologous DNA sequence to template the re-synthesis of the damaged DNA region. Researchers in the Storici lab previously showed that a homologous RNA sequence could also mediate this break repair, and sought to understand the molecular mechanisms that control this process. They wrote about it in a recently published paper for the journal \u003Cem\u003EMolecular Cell\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is really about RNA\u0026rsquo;s capacity to transfer information to DNA that could be used in repairing damage,\u0026rdquo; explained Storici, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and a researcher in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a 2014 article published in \u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E, her team explained how transcript-RNA could serve as a template for the repair of a DNA double-strand break. In this new study, according to lead author Meers, \u0026ldquo;we found that not only can RNA serve as a template for the repair of double-strand breaks, but that it was modifying genomic information in the absence of double-strand breaks.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis modification of DNA even in the absence of an induced double-strand break was very surprising to the team. Also unanticipated, said Meers, was that the process of transferring information depended on the presence of an unexpected enzyme, DNA polymerase Zeta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is quite surprising, because DNA polymerase Zeta is part of a large class of enzymes known as DNA polymerases characterized by their ability to catalyze the synthesis of DNA molecules from a DNA template,\u0026rdquo; Meers said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPolymerase Zeta is part of a subset of DNA polymerases known as translesion DNA polymerases, which have unique properties that allow them to synthesize damaged DNA caused by mutagens like UV radiation. Translesion DNA polymerases also are important in cellular processes like the diversification of B-cell receptors used to recognize foreign elements like viruses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeers explained that RNA molecules can be thought of as the cache on a computer \u0026ndash; or a short-term memory that is not stably maintained.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We use a novel assay in which the yeast chromosomal DNA was genetically engineered to contain a piece of DNA sequence that allows it to be removed only in the RNA that is actively transcribed from the chromosomal DNA, generating a change in the RNA sequence but not in the DNA,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIf this \u0026ldquo;short-term memory,\u0026rdquo; in the form of RNA, is transferred back into the DNA sequence during the process of RNA-templated DNA repair, it becomes \u0026ldquo;long-term memory\u0026rdquo; stored in the DNA, which can be thought of as the hard drive.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We placed this system into a particular gene in yeast, which gives an observable characteristic trait if this process occurred, allowing us to track the repair process,\u0026rdquo; Meers said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EExploiting such an assay, along with the discovery of a new role for DNA polymerase Zeta in RNA-templated DNA repair and modification, the study contains a series of new findings that helped the team better understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms by which RNA can change DNA sequences in cells.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis research essentially lays the groundwork for exploring the role that RNA can play in modifying genomic sequence and should allow future studies to more directly explore the role of RNA in genomic instability and, in particular, in other organisms, like humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the NIH (grant numbers CA188347, P30CA056036 and GM136717 to A.V.M.), Drexel Coulter Program Award (to A.V.M.), the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the NIH (grant number GM115927 to F.S.), the National Science Foundation fund (grant number 1615335 to F.S.), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar (grant number 55108574 to F.S.), and grants from the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology (NSF, DMS-1764406 and Simons Foundation, 594594 to F.S.). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Chance Meers, Havva Keskin, Gabor Banyai, Olga Mazina, Taehwan Yang, Alli L. Gombolay, Kuntal Mukherjee, Efiyenia I. Kaparos, Gary Newnam, Alexander Mazin, and Francesca Storici. \u0026ldquo;Genetic characterization of three distinct mechanisms supporting RNA-driven DNA repair and 3 modification reveals major role of DNA polymerase Zeta.\u0026rdquo; (Molecular Cell, 2020) (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/molecular-cell\/fulltext\/S1097-2765(20)30554-2\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.cell.com\/molecular-cell\/fulltext\/S1097-2765(20)30554-2\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Assistance\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Jerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGenomes are routinely subjected to DNA damage. But most cells have DNA repair systems that enforce genome stability and, ideally, prevent diseases like cancer. The trouble gets serious when these systems break down. When that happens, damage such as unrepaired DNA lesions can lead to tumors, and genomic chaos ensues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have provided new insights into how RNA can help repair major DNA damage."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2020-09-15 20:10:24","changed_gmt":"2020-09-15 20:12:10","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639132":{"id":"639132","type":"image","title":"New insights into RNA as a template","body":null,"created":"1600199845","gmt_created":"2020-09-15 19:57:25","changed":"1600219655","gmt_changed":"2020-09-16 01:27:35","alt":"Researchers posed at research building","file":{"fid":"243012","name":"Chance and Francesca.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chance%20and%20Francesca.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chance%20and%20Francesca.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2435782,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Chance%20and%20Francesca.jpg?itok=G3_SanG2"}},"639133":{"id":"639133","type":"image","title":"New insights into RNA as a template - 2","body":null,"created":"1600199950","gmt_created":"2020-09-15 19:59:10","changed":"1600199950","gmt_changed":"2020-09-15 19:59:10","alt":"Researcher Francesca Storici","file":{"fid":"243013","name":"Francesca.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Francesca.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Francesca.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2335872,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Francesca.jpg?itok=YW-9znmp"}}},"media_ids":["639132","639133"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"984","name":"RNA"},{"id":"1133","name":"genome"},{"id":"1041","name":"dna"},{"id":"174618","name":"double-strand"},{"id":"185859","name":"homologous DNA"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638991":{"#nid":"638991","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cassie Mitchell Honored for Disability Advocacy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECassie Mitchell, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, was named winner of the 2020 Faculty Diversity Champion Award at the 12\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E annual Diversity Symposium at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe symposium was held virtually on Wednesday (Sept. 9) and hosted by Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (IDEI) at Georgia Tech. This year\u0026rsquo;s theme was \u0026ldquo;Understanding Accessibility as Inclusion: Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Pathway to Accessibility.\u0026rdquo; The Diversity Champion Awards recognize members of the faculty, staff, and student body, and a unit (office, department, school, or lab) who are advancing the principles of accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Georgia Tech community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMitchell, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is a Paralympics medalist (discus, and club throw). At Georgia Tech she\u0026nbsp;co-founded and co-advises the ABLE Alliance, an organization dedicated to improving on-campus disability inclusion via access and resource sharing, community and social support, as well as professional and career development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther Diversity Champion Awards went to Johan \u0026ldquo;John\u0026rdquo; Rembel (staff award, UX\/ICT Quality Assurance Manager, Center for Inclusive Design); Nandita Gupta (student award, grad student studying human-computer interaction); Writing and Communication Program, School of Literature, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts (unit award).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClick \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/diversity.gatech.edu\/12th-annual-georgia-tech-diversity-symposium\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehere\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E for more information on the 12\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E Annual Diversity Symposium.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME assistant professor wins a 2020 Georgia Tech Diversity Champion Award"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME assistant professor wins a 2020 Georgia Tech Diversity Champion Award\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME assistant professor wins a 2020 Georgia Tech Diversity Champion Award"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-09-11 17:14:09","changed_gmt":"2020-09-11 17:14:09","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638990":{"id":"638990","type":"image","title":"Cassie Mitchell","body":null,"created":"1599844190","gmt_created":"2020-09-11 17:09:50","changed":"1599844190","gmt_changed":"2020-09-11 17:09:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242952","name":"Cassie Mitchell.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cassie%20Mitchell.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cassie%20Mitchell.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":594347,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cassie%20Mitchell.jpg?itok=fM3TTd7a"}}},"media_ids":["638990"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter\/Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech (EVPR\/BME)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638866":{"#nid":"638866","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Seeking a Simple Solution","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a global challenge that has been exacerbated by the financial burdens of bringing new antibiotics to market and an increase in serious bacterial infections as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers in the lab of Kyle Allison, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University are tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance not by creating new drugs, but by enhancing the safety and potency of ones that already exist.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAminoglycosides are antibiotics used to treat serious infections caused by pathogenic bacteria like \u003Cem\u003EE. coli\u003C\/em\u003E or \u003Cem\u003EKlebsiella\u003C\/em\u003E.\u0026nbsp; Importantly, bacteria haven\u0026rsquo;t developed widespread resistance to aminoglycosides, as compared to other types of antibiotics.\u0026nbsp; These antibiotics are used sparingly by doctors, in part because of the toxic side effects they can sometimes cause.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn new research published recently in the journal PLOS One\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u003C\/strong\u003E authors Christopher Rosenberg, and Allison (who is also a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech) that lower doses of aminoglycosides could be used to treat bacteria when combine with specific metabolic sugars.\u0026nbsp; Low concentrations of antibiotics alone often cannot eliminate dormant, non-dividing bacterial cells, but the researchers hypothesized, based on a past study, that combining aminoglycosides with metabolites such as glucose, a simple sugar, or mannitol, a sugar alcohol often used as sweetener, could stimulate antibiotic uptake.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe authors tested these treatment combinations against Gram-negative pathogens \u003Cem\u003EE. coli\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Cem\u003ESalmonella\u003C\/em\u003E and \u003Cem\u003EKlebsiella\u003C\/em\u003E. The results showed that aminoglycoside-metabolite treatment significantly reduced the concentration of antibiotic needed to kill those pathogens.\u0026nbsp; Of note, the authors also demonstrated that this treatment combination did not increase bacterial resistance to aminoglycosides and was effective in treating antibiotic-tolerant biofilms, which are bacterial communities that act as reservoirs of infection.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAuthors also found that one metabolite, mannitol, could reduce the kidney cell toxicity caused by aminoglycosides, independent of its effect on bacteria. This indicates that certain metabolites can exploit the metabolism of bacteria while also protecting human cells from toxicity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study suggests that there may be simple strategies to boost the safety and effectiveness of the drugs already available, and that this type of approach could be a useful alternative to developing new antibiotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELink to paper:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0237948\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0237948\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELink to lab:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/kyle-allison-lab\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/kyle-allison-lab\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:qeastma@emory.edu\u0022\u003EQuinn Eastman\u003C\/a\u003E, Emory\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME researchers tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME researchers tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME researchers tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-09-09 04:28:30","changed_gmt":"2020-09-09 04:30:44","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638865":{"id":"638865","type":"image","title":"Kyle Allison","body":null,"created":"1599625206","gmt_created":"2020-09-09 04:20:06","changed":"1599625206","gmt_changed":"2020-09-09 04:20:06","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242912","name":"kyle allison.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kyle%20allison.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kyle%20allison.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":206165,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kyle%20allison.jpg?itok=EVEz5cpC"}}},"media_ids":["638865"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638723":{"#nid":"638723","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Le Doux Appointed Executive Director for Learning and Training ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJoe Le Doux, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory (BME), has been appointed executive director for learning and training. In this new leadership position, Le Doux is responsible for programs designed to enhance teaching and learning of undergraduate and graduate students, and also for translating the Coulter Department\u0026rsquo;s innovative teaching methods into formalized training programs for faculty and students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELe Doux, who has been with the Coulter Department since 1999, is a scholar in the science of engineering pedagogy and he\u0026rsquo;s made a significant impact, publishing papers and securing grants for improving student education and learning. He was honored (along with BME colleagues Paul Benkeser and Wendy Newstetter) for his work in 2019 with the NAE\u0026rsquo;s Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u0026rsquo;s held several different leadership role in his years with the BME department at Georgia Tech: associate chair of undergraduate studies (2011-2013), executive director for undergraduate learning and experience (2013-2015), associate chair of undergraduate learning experience (2015-2020). Additionally, Le Doux\u0026rsquo;s experience in creating and conducting national faculty workshops focused on effective teaching methods makes him the ideal candidate to launch this new BME leadership position.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My vision is that the Coulter Department becomes the leader in pioneering and operating, at scale, new approaches to engineering education, and that I infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering education and in the engineering workforce,\u0026rdquo; said Le Doux, who also is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERanked last year as the No. 2 graduate and No. 4 undergraduate department for biomedical engineering in the country, the Coulter Department has more than 70 primary faculty, 300 graduate students and 1,150 undergraduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are confident that Professor Le Doux has both a visionary perspective of how Coulter BME can serve our academic programs, as well as the practical experience to accomplish our strategic goals of developing and disseminating student and faculty learning methodologies,\u0026rdquo; said BME Chair Susan Margulies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Appointment focuses on translating BME\u2019s innovative teaching methods into formalized training programs for faculty and students"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAppointment focuses on translating BME\u0026rsquo;s innovative teaching methods into formalized training programs for faculty and students\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Appointment focuses on translating BME\u2019s innovative teaching methods into formalized training programs for faculty and students"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-09-02 18:45:44","changed_gmt":"2020-09-02 21:08:18","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638722":{"id":"638722","type":"image","title":"Joe Le Doux","body":null,"created":"1599072097","gmt_created":"2020-09-02 18:41:37","changed":"1599072097","gmt_changed":"2020-09-02 18:41:37","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242870","name":"LeDoux headshot (Aug15).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/LeDoux%20headshot%20%28Aug15%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/LeDoux%20headshot%20%28Aug15%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":261998,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/LeDoux%20headshot%20%28Aug15%29.jpg?itok=EwYIfzQh"}}},"media_ids":["638722"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter\/Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638548":{"#nid":"638548","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Microgel Immuno-acceptance Method Could Improve Pancreatic Islet Transplant Success","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPancreatic islet transplants, which revive insulin production to treat type 1 diabetes, only last an average of three years.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy learning from a groundbreaking cancer treatment strategy based on a recent Nobel Prize-winning discovery, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Missouri developed a new microgel drug delivery method that could extend the effectiveness of pancreatic islet transplantations \u0026mdash; from several years to possibly the entire lifespan of a recipient.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking across multidisciplinary teams using an animal model, the labs of Professors \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/andres-garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Haval Shirwan at the University of Missouri have developed a new biomaterial microgel that could deliver safer, smaller, and more cost-effective dosages of an immune-suppressing protein that could lead to better long-term acceptance of islet transplantations within the body.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study was published August 28, 2020, in the journal \u003Cem\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was led by Maria Coronel, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Garc\u0026iacute;a, the Parker H. Petit Chair and executive director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E. Garc\u0026iacute;a is also a Regents Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2018, the Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded for discovering how cancer cells send molecular signals to suppress immune response, thus hiding and protecting those cancer cells from the body\u0026rsquo;s immune system. Researchers soon developed pioneering treatment methods to signal and \u0026ldquo;turn on\u0026rdquo; the immune system (such as T cells) so the invading cancer would once again be recognized, allowing a patient\u0026rsquo;s own immune system to more effectively eliminate their cancer cells.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The work we are doing is taking a page from that discovery and using immunotherapy in the opposite sense used by cancer treatments to control and \u0026lsquo;turn off\u0026rsquo; an immune response to transplant a graft,\u0026rdquo; Coronel said. \u0026ldquo;When you get a transplant, like an islet transplant or organ transplant, even if it\u0026rsquo;s matched, you will have an immune response to that graft, and your immune system will recognize it as non-self and will try to reject and attack the site of the graft.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter islet transplant surgery, traditional postoperative treatments use immune-suppressing systemic drugs that affect the entire body, and can be toxic \u0026mdash; creating numerous, unwelcome side effects, whose severity often limits the number of candidates for islet and other organ transplants.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A unique aspect of our method is that we have greatly reduced the dosage needed, which will significantly reduce or eliminate side effects currently caused by today\u0026rsquo;s systemic drug treatments,\u0026rdquo; said Coronel.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research team developed a new \u0026ldquo;immune-acceptance\u0026rdquo; method, which inserts an engineered biomaterial \u0026mdash; in this case a microgel \u0026mdash; with the islets at the time of the transplantation. The microgels, which resemble clusters of micro-sized fish eggs, held and delivered a protein (SA-PD-L1) to a specific transplant area that successfully signaled the immune system to hold back an immune response, protecting a transplanted islet graft from being rejected. This locally delivered molecular signal, using SA-PD-L1, was designed to quietly suppress any immune response and was effective for up to 100 days with no additional systemic immune-suppressing drug intervention.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We wanted to use PD-L1 for the prevention of allogeneic islet graft rejection by simulating the way tumor cells use this molecule to evade the immune system, but without resorting to gene therapy,\u0026rdquo; said Shirwan, professor of child health and molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo achieve this goal, Shirwan worked with Esma Yolcu, professor of child health, also at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Both were previously at the University of Louisville, where they generated the SA-PD-L1, a novel form of the molecule that can be positionally displayed on the surface of islet grafts or microgels for delivery to the graft site.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Microgels presenting SA-PD-L1 represent an important technological development that has potential not only for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, but also other autoimmune diseases and various transplant types,\u0026rdquo; Shirwan said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to engineering this specific biomaterial microgel, the team tested its lifespan durability and dosage release possibilities. They also looked at its longer-term effects on both the graft and the immune response and function of the recipient \u0026mdash; evaluating its long-term biocompatibility potential.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One of the major goals in the diabetes field over the past two decades has been to allow the immune-acceptance of grafts and avoid the toxic drugs used to induce immune suppression, which affect the entire body,\u0026rdquo; Garc\u0026iacute;a said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Generally speaking, organ transplantation is very successful at dealing with a variety of chronic conditions. These are very exciting results as proof of principle that demonstrate this engineered biomaterial and procedure may provide a platform technology that is applicable to other transplantation settings and may enlarge the pool of candidates who can safely receive transplants.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese researchers also coauthored the study: Karen E. Martin, Michael D. Hunckler, Graham Barber, Eric B. O\u0026rsquo;Neill, Juan D. Medina, Claire A. McClain, Jessica D. Weaver, Hong S. Lim, Peng Qiu, and Edward A. Botchwey from the Georgia Institute of Technology; Enrico Opri from Emory University; and Lalit Batra from the University of Louisville.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R21EB020107, R01AI121281, U01AI132817, and S10OD016264), the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Biotechnology Training Program on Cell and Tissue Engineering (T32GM008433), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Any findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and not necessarily of the funding agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Walter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBy learning from a groundbreaking cancer treatment strategy based on a recent Nobel Prize-winning discovery, researchers developed a new microgel drug delivery method that could extend the effectiveness of pancreatic islet transplantations \u0026mdash; from several years to possibly the entire lifespan of a recipient.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers developed a new microgel drug delivery method that could extend the effectiveness of pancreatic islet transplantations."}],"uid":"27561","created_gmt":"2020-08-28 19:31:06","changed_gmt":"2020-08-28 19:45:19","author":"Angela Ayers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638537":{"id":"638537","type":"image","title":"Transplanted islet cells","body":null,"created":"1598636536","gmt_created":"2020-08-28 17:42:16","changed":"1598637612","gmt_changed":"2020-08-28 18:00:12","alt":"Transplanted pancreatic islet cells","file":{"fid":"242814","name":"Hi-Res-723 insulin cd31 pphoto_c1+2+3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hi-Res-723%20insulin%20cd31%20pphoto_c1%2B2%2B3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hi-Res-723%20insulin%20cd31%20pphoto_c1%2B2%2B3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1476050,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hi-Res-723%20insulin%20cd31%20pphoto_c1%2B2%2B3.jpg?itok=qDE_fh8O"}},"638542":{"id":"638542","type":"image","title":"Engineered biomaterial microgels","body":null,"created":"1598637206","gmt_created":"2020-08-28 17:53:26","changed":"1598637515","gmt_changed":"2020-08-28 17:58:35","alt":"Peg microgels","file":{"fid":"242816","name":"Hi-Res-tube 3 peg microgels.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hi-Res-tube%203%20peg%20microgels.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hi-Res-tube%203%20peg%20microgels.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":272054,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hi-Res-tube%203%20peg%20microgels.jpg?itok=gbT88QaA"}}},"media_ids":["638537","638542"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"178211","name":"islet"},{"id":"185729","name":"islet transplantation"},{"id":"49591","name":"Diabetes"},{"id":"65961","name":"Type 1 Diabetes"},{"id":"3345","name":"microgel"},{"id":"185730","name":"pancreatic islets"},{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638473":{"#nid":"638473","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Healing Under Pressure","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe natural processes of wound or bone healing rely on the growth of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis. If someone breaks a bone, it is standard practice to apply a cast and immobilize the broken bone, so that healing can proceed without mechanical distortion.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter those initial stages of healing, applying surprising amounts of pressure can encourage angiogenesis, according to a new paper in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/6\/34\/eabb6351\u0022\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/em\u003Efrom \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.willett-regenerative-labs.com\/\u0022\u003ENick Willett\u0026rsquo;s lab.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These data have implications directly on bone healing and more broadly on wound healing,\u0026rdquo; says Willett, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0026ldquo;In bone healing or grafting scenarios, physicians are often quite conservative in how quickly patients begin to load the repair site.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFormer BME graduate student Marissa Ruehle was the first author of the paper. She and her colleagues investigated how mechanical strain affects angiogenesis, when microvascular fragments are cultured in a collagen hydrogel.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers applied pressure to the growing blood vessels to a degree that created five, 10 or 30 percent strain. The pressure, either early (zero to five days) or late (five to 10 days), was applied rhythmically in a way that simulated walking. Willett says he and his team expected (based on previous research) that 30 percent strain would hinder healing. Instead, the highest amount of strain pushed blood vessels to grow longer and branch more \u0026ndash; but only when applied in the later stages.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We originally hypothesized that 30 percent strain would be inhibitory both early and delayed, because it is such a large magnitude,\u0026rdquo; says Willett, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026ldquo;This finding highlights the differences in strain sensitivity between the early stage, when vessels are still forming, and more established networks.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERuehle and the other researchers were able to discern the effects of the mechanical strain on proliferation, and on the extracellular matrix \u0026ndash; the mesh of proteins outside the cell. They also could take a peek at some of the genes whose activity was affected by high amounts of mechanical strain.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe authors say that modulating the timing of mechanical strain could be relevant for several scenarios of healing or regeneration, where rehabilitation and mechanical therapy could be used to enhance repair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey write, \u0026ldquo;While we were initially motivated by bone tissue regeneration, a number of other tissues also experience ECM [extracellular matrix] forces; for example, ligaments and tends undergo tension, venous ulcers are often treated with compression bandages, and even cutaneous wounds experience tension during closure.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EQuinn Eastman\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScience Writer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEmory University School of Medicine\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVisit the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.emoryhealthsciblog.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEmory Lab Land blog\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETwitter:\u0026nbsp;@Eastman, Quinn\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"From Nick Willett lab: Delayed mechanical strain promotes angiogenesis in bone\/wound healing"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom Nick Willett lab: Delayed mechanical strain promotes angiogenesis in bone\/wound healing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From Nick Willett lab: Delayed mechanical strain promotes angiogenesis in bone\/wound healing"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-08-27 01:07:32","changed_gmt":"2020-08-27 01:08:14","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638471":{"id":"638471","type":"image","title":"Nick Willett","body":null,"created":"1598490023","gmt_created":"2020-08-27 01:00:23","changed":"1598490023","gmt_changed":"2020-08-27 01:00:23","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242783","name":"Nick Willett.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Nick%20Willett.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Nick%20Willett.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":784587,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Nick%20Willett.jpg?itok=SixxJWxc"}}},"media_ids":["638471"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638241":{"#nid":"638241","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Don Giddens Receives ASEE Lifetime Achievement Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDon Giddens has never been particularly fond of inertia, as it applies to himself or his long career as a leader in academic research. And that sustained expression of energy has paid off for him, the students and faculty he has worked with, and the institutions he has led, including the College of Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn his nine years as dean (2002-2011), the college grew to become the largest engineering school in the nation. Before that, as founding chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory. With that, he helped launch an innovative, collaborative academic enterprise that has resulted in the largest BME program in the nation, and one of the most respected.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn other words, Giddens is good for whatever team he happens to be part of. So, for his many years of leadership and contributions, the American Society for Engineering Education gave him its 2020 ASEE Lifetime Achievement Award in Engineering Education.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If you live long enough and keep moving, hopefully good things happen,\u0026rdquo; Giddens quipped after receiving the news. \u0026ldquo;But truly, this is really a great honor. It recognizes and appreciates the role of education and the affect it has on young people, from K-12, through college and post-graduate training. It\u0026rsquo;s been a pleasure to have seen so many of them grow in their lives and careers. There is a propagation effect at work in engineering education. That\u0026rsquo;s one of the main purposes of the ASEE.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe oughta know. He was president of the organization from 2011 to 2012, after retiring as dean of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Engineering. During his time at the helm there, Giddens granted almost 13,000 undergraduate, 7,700 masters, and 2,500 doctoral degrees, and research funding coming into the college grew dramatically, from $77 million in 2002 to $204 million in 2010.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was committed to growing the college, because I really felt like we were able to take advantage of our sheer size to have an impact,\u0026rdquo; says Giddens, who also is a longtime member of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;A large number of minorities and women were granted degrees, and our college was recognized as a top five school. All of that, I think, spoke to our quality and diversity, as well as size. Those are things that I fondly look back on.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd Giddens says he got something out of his earlier experience as chair of the Coulter Department that influenced his efforts as dean of Tech\u0026rsquo;s college of engineering: a core belief in interdisciplinary research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The interaction with Emory, serving on the Engineering Deans Counsel with ASEE, it all had an influence. But it\u0026rsquo;s something that I tried to incentivize as dean at Georgia Tech, interdisciplinary programs,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;Not just in the College of Engineering, but with other units across campus. I felt it was important to stimulate interdisciplinary work, which is largely based on research, but spills over into education.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGiddens first arrived at Georgia Tech in 1958 and received all of his degrees (in aerospace engineering) from Tech, joining the faculty in 1968. Eventually, he became director of the School of Aerospace Engineering at Tech (1988-1992).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe left that post to become dean of the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins, but was lured back to Georgia Tech in 1997 to help establish and lead the Coulter Department, which links the breadth and scope of the College of Engineering with Emory University\u0026rsquo;s School of Medicine, a unique combination of public and private institutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Helping to get that department up and going is one of the things that I am proudest of, career wise,\u0026rdquo; Giddens says. \u0026ldquo;Look at the trajectory and impact of the department \u0026ndash; it was a remarkable opportunity to create an interdisciplinary program, and we started with a blank sheet of paper.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGiddens believes he was merely in the right place at the right time with the right people (colleagues such as Ajit Yoganathan and Bob Nerem, all part of BME\u0026rsquo;s human foundation at Georgia Tech).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe says one of the most significant moves of his career was bringing Wendy Newstetter, a learning scientist, into the department. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d become aware of the cognitive and learning scientists that were working at Georgia Tech in the College of Computing and thought that since we were going to build a curriculum, maybe we could get them interested in collaborating and using us as guinea pigs,\u0026rdquo; Giddens recalls.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith Newstetter showing the way, the Coulter Department adopted the problem-based learning approach (which was being used in medical schools) as its education foundation, creating an environment for students that emphasized collaboration over competition, immersing students in real-world, complex problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo began a culture of engineering education that still drives the department \u0026ndash; the movement that Giddens facilitated more than 20 years earlier is still moving, energetically. In 2019, Newstetter (now assistant dean for educational research and innovation in the College of Engineering), Joe Le Doux (associate chair for undergraduate learning and experience in the Coulter Department), and Paul Benkeser (senior associate chair of the Coulter Department) won the National Academy of Engineering\u0026rsquo;s Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Don had the foresight and vision for what BME could become as a major and as a discipline,\u0026rdquo; Le Doux says. \u0026ldquo;And he made a statement that education and learning was a top priority in our program.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Former engineering dean and founding Coulter Department chair recognized for sustained contributions to engineering education at Georgia Tech"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFormer engineering dean and founding Coulter Department chair recognized for sustained contributions to engineering education at Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Former engineering dean and founding Coulter Department chair recognized for sustained contributions to engineering education at Georgia Tech"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-08-24 14:49:05","changed_gmt":"2020-08-24 14:52:27","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638240":{"id":"638240","type":"image","title":"Don Giddens","body":null,"created":"1598280033","gmt_created":"2020-08-24 14:40:33","changed":"1598280033","gmt_changed":"2020-08-24 14:40:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242736","name":"Giddens pic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Giddens%20pic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Giddens%20pic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":816521,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Giddens%20pic.jpg?itok=IkaF9-T3"}}},"media_ids":["638240"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter\/Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"638121":{"#nid":"638121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Johnna Temenoff named 2020 BMES Fellow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Biomedical Engineering Society (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bmes.org\/\u0022\u003EBMES\u003C\/a\u003E) awards Fellow status to members who had demonstrated exceptional achievement while maintaining a consistent record of participation within the society. It\u0026rsquo;s a designation generally given to some of the most accomplished leaders in the field of biomedical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/temenoff.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJohnna Temenoff\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is among this year\u0026rsquo;s 27 BMES Fellows, nominated by their peers, who will be recognized this year at the BMES 2020 Virtual Meeting (Oct. 14-17).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It is a great honor to be elected as a BMES Fellow this year,\u0026rdquo; said Temenoff, associate chair for translational research in the Coulter Department, where she holds the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Professorship II. \u0026ldquo;All of my training has been in biomedical engineering and the first national conference I went to as an undergraduate was BMES. So the society has a special place in my heart.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETemenoff, principal investigator of a lab that designs synthetic and naturally-derived biomaterials for orthopedic applications, also is deputy director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0026rsquo;s class of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bmes.org\/blog_home.asp?Display=324\u0022\u003EBMES Fellows\u003C\/a\u003E, Temenoff says, \u0026ldquo;comprises peers whom I have admired for years, so I am deeply grateful to be included. I look forward to many more years of engagement with the Society to promote the rich exchange of scientific ideas, but also as a way to introduce a wide and diverse audience to the exciting and impactful things biomedical engineers can do.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Coulter Department professor among 27 honorees to be honored at annual meeting"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECoulter Department professor among 27 honorees to be honored at annual meeting\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Coulter Department professor among 27 honorees to be honored at annual meeting"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-08-20 01:45:46","changed_gmt":"2020-08-20 01:56:03","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"638120":{"id":"638120","type":"image","title":"Johnna Temenoff","body":null,"created":"1597887797","gmt_created":"2020-08-20 01:43:17","changed":"1597887797","gmt_changed":"2020-08-20 01:43:17","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242692","name":"Johnna.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Johnna.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Johnna.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":264928,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Johnna.jpg?itok=nBO0O4wq"}}},"media_ids":["638120"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"27851","name":"BMES"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637647":{"#nid":"637647","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Flexible Electronics Research Shows Promise for Spinal Therapies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPatients recovering from spinal cord injuries or who have mobility disorders related to spinal nerve compression are frequently treated by the conditioning of the Hoffmann\u0026rsquo;s reflex via non-surgical electrostimulation therapy. To track the progress of the treatment, electromyography (EMG) is used to record the amplitude of the patient\u0026rsquo;s muscle twitch response.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAccurate EMG recording requires precise positioning of electrodes; thus, the existing systems have to use too many electrodes to cover the target skin. In addition, the current systems are relying on rigid and bulky metal electrodes, strong adhesives, and skin-irritable conductive gels. These system constraints increase error instances across sessions in experimentation, as well as requiring lengthy set-up times.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nTo address these issues, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.google.com\/view\/yeogroup\/home\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Bio-Interfaced Translational Nanoengineering Group\u003C\/a\u003E, under the direction of Assistant Professor W. Hong Yeo, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Wallace Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech, have created a nanomembrane electrode EMG array for use on large epidermal areas that has the potential to reduce greatly these problems in critical therapeutics for rehabilitation.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThis new large-area epidermal electronic system (L-EES) provides greater patient comfort through enhanced skin-compatibility via a stretchable and breathable composite. For researchers and therapists, the system could provide a reliable recording of electromyographic muscle signal activities (M-waves and H-reflex) from patients that are comparable to those recorded using conventional EMG systems.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0956566320303985#fig2\u0022\u003ERead the Research Here: Breathable, large-area epidermal electronic systems for recording electromyographic activity during operant conditioning of H-reflex\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact: Christa Ernst \u003C\/strong\u003E(christa.ernst@research.gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A nanomembrane electrode EMG array for use on large epidermal areas."}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2020-08-07 18:57:32","changed_gmt":"2020-08-10 17:42:19","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637646":{"id":"637646","type":"image","title":"L-EES W. H. Yeo Lab","body":null,"created":"1596826308","gmt_created":"2020-08-07 18:51:48","changed":"1596826308","gmt_changed":"2020-08-07 18:51:48","alt":"Photo of a fabricated L-EES, gently placed on the skin (forearm)","file":{"fid":"242533","name":"Yeo Mercury Image L-EES.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Yeo%20Mercury%20Image%20L-EES.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Yeo%20Mercury%20Image%20L-EES.png","mime":"image\/png","size":407333,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Yeo%20Mercury%20Image%20L-EES.png?itok=wjmgTdVB"}}},"media_ids":["637646"],"groups":[{"id":"213791","name":"3D Systems Packaging Research Center"},{"id":"198081","name":"Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC)"},{"id":"197261","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"142761","name":"IRIM"},{"id":"1271","name":"NanoTECH"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2770","name":"biosensor"},{"id":"12701","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"569","name":"bioengineering"},{"id":"541","name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"12373","name":"flexible electronics"},{"id":"185486","name":"W. H. Yeo"},{"id":"107","name":"Nanotechnology"},{"id":"168110","name":"nanoscale therapeutics"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["christa.ernst@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637601":{"#nid":"637601","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Dasi Appointed Associate Chair for BME Undergraduate Studies ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELakshmi Prasad Dasi, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory (BME), has been appointed as the department\u0026rsquo;s associate chair for undergraduate studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDasi, who has been with the Coulter Department since 2020, is also a\u0026nbsp;researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. His\u0026nbsp;studies are focused on prosthetic heart valves, cardiovascular biomechanics, biomaterials, and devices. In addition to his work at Coulter BME, Dasi is also engaged in an international effort to develop low cost heart valves in low-resource countries and has received special funding from the NIH as well as Indian government in this effort.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe also has a track record of developing undergraduate degree programs, designing problem-based learning curriculum, advising students at all levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am incredibly excited and honored to serve the Coulter BME department in this new leadership role,\u0026rdquo; says Dasi, an advocate for undergraduate students who has served on the college-level retention committee to understand issues related to underperforming undergraduates, developing recommendations for improving retention rates. He is also head of Coulter BME\u0026rsquo;s undergraduate student committee which evaluates courses and degree requirements for the department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our department has pioneered in undergraduate biomedical engineering education in that it engineered itself into existence as a highly innovative program with the goal of developing thinkers and leaders in biomedical engineering,\u0026rdquo; says Dasi, a problem-based learning facilitator for almost 15 years. \u0026ldquo;I was captivated by the authentic and highly effective approach of learning through problems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the largest BME department in the country, the Coulter Department has more than 1,200 undergraduate students (60% are female and 22% are unrepresented minorities). \u0026ldquo;In the Coulter Department, we have created an award winning undergraduate program and I\u0026rsquo;m excited to welcome Prasad Dasi\u0026rsquo;s leadership for our students,\u0026rdquo; said BME Chair Susan Margulies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDasi says he plans to work with the BME leadership team to expand the department\u0026rsquo;s innovative spirit, adding, \u0026ldquo;I look forward to facilitating the expansion of our foot print through new programs, including developing an NSF funded REU center with the focus of instilling translation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization in diverse students. While the challenges ahead are uncertain, with the current pandemic situation, I am confident in our collective spirit as one BME across two campuses to come out stronger as we continue to innovate and lead.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Professor plans to expand BME\u2019s footprint through new programs and university-wide initiatives "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessor plans to expand\u0026nbsp;BME\u0026rsquo;s footprint through new programs and university-wide initiatives\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Professor plans to expand BME\u2019s footprint through new programs and university-wide initiatives "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-08-07 13:33:53","changed_gmt":"2020-08-07 14:09:39","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637603":{"id":"637603","type":"image","title":"Lakshmi Prasad Dasi","body":null,"created":"1596809317","gmt_created":"2020-08-07 14:08:37","changed":"1596809317","gmt_changed":"2020-08-07 14:08:37","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242526","name":"Lakshmi Dasi-1974 (2).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lakshmi%20Dasi-1974%20%282%29_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lakshmi%20Dasi-1974%20%282%29_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3301106,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lakshmi%20Dasi-1974%20%282%29_0.jpg?itok=VxLG4Xnt"}}},"media_ids":["637603"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter\/Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech (EVPR\/BME)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637447":{"#nid":"637447","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Bending Light for Better Imaging","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Harbin Institute of Technology in China have developed a novel imaging system using light beams that can bend, curving around objects and getting brighter as they travel, enhancing image quality and imaging depth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey call it \u0026ldquo;Airy-beam Tomographic Microscopy\u0026rdquo; \u0026ndash; which is the name of the technology, and the title of a paper published recently in the journal \u003Cem\u003EOptica\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Normally, optical beams move along a straight line in free space, but there\u0026rsquo;s a special type of optical beam, an Airy beam, which is self-accelerating and non-refracting which can move along a bending trajectory,\u0026rdquo; explains Shu Jia, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and the paper\u0026rsquo;s corresponding author.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJia\u0026rsquo;s lab aims to make an impact on biological and translational research through innovative imaging science. Toward that end, the researchers have advanced their expertise in a wide range of imaging instrumentation and techniques, such as super-resolution, adaptive optics, light-field, miniaturized, light-sheet, computational microscopy and endoscopy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith Airy beam tomographic microscopy (ATM), they have introduced high-resolution, volumetric, inertia-free imaging for biological specimens. Exploiting the highly-adjustable Airy trajectories in the 3D space, the system transforms the conventional telecentric wide-field imaging scheme (which requires sample or focal-plane scanning to acquire 3D information). And the results are dramatic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We demonstrate that this system can achieve near-diffraction-limited resolution \u0026ndash; so there is no compromise in resolution in all three dimensions, with 10 times improvement in depth of focus,\u0026rdquo; says Jia, who also is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s because the Airy-beam is non-spreading, or non-diffracting, \u0026ldquo;which means you can capture information from a much deeper range in the biological sample,\u0026rdquo; according to Jia. \u0026ldquo;Also, this system can be very stable, so it would work well for live imaging.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe work builds on the development of self-accelerating Airy beams over the past decade or so, which has led, in recent years, to the emergence of Airy-beam-enabled optical imaging. But these methods haven\u0026rsquo;t fully explored the highly adjustable Airy trajectories in the entire 3D space for volumetric imaging. The Jia lab\u0026rsquo;s work changes that, utilizing the self-accelerating propagation trajectory of an Airy beam to form a perspective view of the object.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETherefore, given sufficient perspective views by manipulating the Airy trajectories, the entire volume can be computationally synthesized in a tomographic manner \u0026ndash; a scheme that exploits the self-acceleration and maneuverability of Airy beams.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Interestingly, here we\u0026rsquo;re just talking about an optical method, but this scheme can be generalized to other wave physics,\u0026rdquo; Jia says. \u0026ldquo;It can be translated to non-optical waveforms, such as acoustic, plasmonic, and electronic waves. We anticipate this system will achieve applications in a wide range of biological systems, spanning molecular, cellular, and tissue levels, offering a promising paradigm for 3D optical microscopy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIn addition to Jia, the authors included lead author Jian Wang (researcher at the Harbin Institute of Technology, China; former postdoc in Jia lab), Changliang Guo (research fellow at UCLA; former postdoc in Jia lab), Xuanhen Hua and Wenhao Liu (graduate student researchers in Jia lab).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers introduce cutting edge Airy-beam tomographic microscopy"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers introduce cutting edge Airy-beam tomographic microscopy\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers introduce cutting edge Airy-beam tomographic microscopy"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-07-31 20:29:15","changed_gmt":"2020-07-31 20:29:15","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"612089":{"id":"612089","type":"image","title":"Shu Jia","body":null,"created":"1538169112","gmt_created":"2018-09-28 21:11:52","changed":"1596227396","gmt_changed":"2020-07-31 20:29:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"233011","name":"shu jia.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/shu%20jia.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/shu%20jia.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":441773,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/shu%20jia.JPG?itok=hGq61JUY"}}},"media_ids":["612089"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWriter\/Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637411":{"#nid":"637411","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Costas Arvanitis receives MERIT Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECostas Arvanitis\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Tech, has received an R37 Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award (up to $3.5 million) from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He\u0026rsquo;s the first MERIT awardee at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECreated by the NIH in 1986, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/grants-training\/grants-funding\/funding-opportunities\/merit\u0022\u003EMERIT Award\u003C\/a\u003E is designed to provide longer-term grant support to creative, productive Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). The program aims to provide a stable funding source to investigators whose research skills and productive are deemed \u0026ldquo;distinctly superior,\u0026rdquo; and who are likely to continue to perform at a high level. MERIT awardees are nominated by NIH from a large pool of competing award recipients and then endorsed by an institute\u0026rsquo;s advisory council.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the MERIT Award, NCI is giving Arvanitis the flexibility to pursue innovative research, as well as additional time to successfully launch his career. After the initial five-year $2.5 million award the Arvanitis team will have the opportunity for an extension of up to two additional years of support based on an expedited NCI review.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;I am thrilled to receive this award,\u0026quot; said Arvanitis, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026quot;It will not only support my lab but also an exceptional team of investigators that I am privileged to be working with.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArvanitis and his team will combine novel closed-loop image guidance methods with quantitative assessment of the secretion of cancer soluble biomarkers (such as circulating tumor DNA) in body fluids, to longitudinally assess Focused Ultrasound (FUS) targeted drug delivery and monitor the response to therapy. The proposed work, which will critically advance FUS technology, aims to address critical barriers to the progress of noninvasive delivery of anticancer agents in brain tumors while facilitating the translation of this potentially transformative technology to clinics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Arvanitis, the research team includes co-investigator Levent Degertekin (professor in the Woodruff School) who will lead efforts in designing the next generation FUS systems, with two clinical collaborators: Chetan Bettegowda of Johns Hopkins University, a world expert in the rapidly advancing field of liquid biopsy, and Tobey Macdonald, director of the pediatric neuro-oncology program at Emory\u0026rsquo;s Winship Cancer Institute. The team is complemented by research scientist Anton Bryksin, who will provide technical expertise in gene sequencing as director of the Molecular Evolution Core at Georgia Tech. The project will also utilize other core facilities within the Petit Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis project builds on the K99\/R00 award that Arvanitis received in 2014 from NIH and a 2016 seed grant for ultrasound liquid biopsy by the Giglio Family funds. The effort brings together expertise in mechanical and electrical engineering, acoustics, drug delivery, gene sequencing, and cancer therapy to enable more precise, more targeted, and more effective therapies against brain tumors, such as glioblastoma, the most prevalent and most aggressive glioma variant with a median survival of only 15 months.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArvanitis, who joined Georgia Tech in August 2016, focuses his research on ultrasound biophysics, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arvanitis.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehis lab\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/a\u003E overarching goal is the discovery of novel therapeutic interventions against human disease and their successful translation to clinics. His lab is particularly active in the field of cancer research, conducting fundamental investigations on ultrasound and microbubble-meditated mass transport in brain tumors, and developing computational tools to support the more rational design of focused-ultrasound-based treatment of brain cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher will address critical barriers to the progress of noninvasive delivery of anticancer agents in brain tumors"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researcher will address critical barriers to the progress of noninvasive delivery of anticancer agents in brain tumors\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher will address critical barriers to the progress of noninvasive delivery of anticancer agents in brain tumors"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-07-30 21:09:45","changed_gmt":"2020-07-30 21:09:45","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637409":{"id":"637409","type":"image","title":"Costas Arvanitis","body":null,"created":"1596143253","gmt_created":"2020-07-30 21:07:33","changed":"1596143253","gmt_changed":"2020-07-30 21:07:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242465","name":"19C10200-P9-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P9-004.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P9-004.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":262664,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/19C10200-P9-004.jpg?itok=3OrNAVlz"}}},"media_ids":["637409"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637276":{"#nid":"637276","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Unselfish Molecules May Have Given Rise to Life","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a question older than science: How did life begin? In modern biology, life depends on life to live. But how did the mutualistic relationship between different molecules \u0026ndash; which led, eventually, to complex biological systems, like human beings, for example \u0026ndash; actually come to be?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor many researchers, the answer lies within the \u0026lsquo;RNA World,\u0026rsquo; a widely-accepted hypothesis in which self-replicating RNA proliferated, serving a dual role as both genetic polymer and catalytic polymer, long before the evolution of DNA and protein.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe RNA World model is an attractive cradle-of-life premise, according to Georgia Institute of Technology researcher Moran Frenkel-Pinter, \u0026ldquo;because it avoids the extreme improbability of simultaneous independent origins of two different types of polymers. According to that theory, over time the RNA World incrementally invented the ribosome, giving rise to the current biological system comprised of RNA, DNA, and protein.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe adds, \u0026ldquo;it\u0026rsquo;s kind of a parsimonious idea, basically saying that RNA made everything. But there is a much simpler solution.\u0026rdquo; Frenkel-Pinter and her research partners have offered an alternative \u0026ndash; the concerted evolution of polymers \u0026ndash; of nucleic acids and proteins. \u0026ldquo;A Ribonucleoprotein World,\u0026rdquo; quips Frenkel-Pinter, a research scientist and former\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/news\/unique-concentration-postdoctoral-talent\u0022\u003ENASA Postdoctoral Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E who works in the labs of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/hud\/\u0022\u003ENick Hud\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~williams\/\u0022\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, and is the lead author of a recently published paper that provides experimental support for this model.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe paper, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-16891-5\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Mutually stabilizing interactions between proto-peptides and RNA,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, describes the chemical linkage that could have been at play during the origins of biopolymers. Their results suggest that neither nucleic acids or proteins came first, but that RNA and proteins were selected together through a process of co-evolution. In other words, it wasn\u0026rsquo;t a single selfish gene competing for survival that drove evolution; it was the rising tide of collaboration between molecules from the very beginning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;People have wondered, \u0026lsquo;was it protein first, was it nucleic acid first?\u0026rsquo; This work says is, they were connected from early on,\u0026rdquo; says co-author Hud, regents professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, director of the NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution, and associate director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, there was more interdependence than independence underlying the machinery of early life. Or as co-author and Petit Institute researcher Williams puts it, \u0026ldquo;it isn\u0026rsquo;t really an independent dog eat dog world. You have systems working together \u0026ndash; birds that eat the bugs off zebras, microbes in our gut, plants that make the oxygen we breathe.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers hypothesized that positively-charged (cationic) proto-peptides might functionally interact with nucleic acids, and then experimentally prove it. The cationic proto-peptides (either produced as mixtures from plausibly prebiotic dry-down reactions or synthetically prepared) directly interact with RNA, resulting in mutual stabilization: The proto-peptides significantly increase the thermal stability of folded RNA structures, and in turn, RNA increases the lifetime of the proto-peptide.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There are all kinds of mutualistic relationships in biology, and we\u0026rsquo;re saying that maybe molecules work this way, too \u0026ndash; the origin of life was matter of molecules working together,\u0026rdquo; says Williams, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and director of the NASA Center for the Origin of Life at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, the research team determined that collaborative molecules are the molecules that\u0026nbsp;survived.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s like the difference between a jungle and a cornfield,\u0026rdquo; says Williams. \u0026ldquo;The RNA World model is kind of like a cornfield in Ohio. Under certain circumstances, it works well \u0026ndash; for example, Ohio grows a lot of corn. We\u0026rsquo;re looking at the origin of life like it was a jungle \u0026ndash; a jungle of molecules interacting, working together for mutual benefit.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIn addition to Frenkel-Pinter, Hud, and Williams, the other authors were: Jay Haynes (graduate researcher in Williams lab); Ahmad Mohyeldin (graduate researcher in Williams lab), Martin C (graduate researcher in Hud lab), Alyssa Sargon (undergraduate researcher in Hud lab), Anton Petrov (research scientist, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry), \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERamanarayanan Krishnamurthy (associate professor, Scripps Research Institute), Luke Leman (assistant professor, Scripps Research Institute). The work was supported by the NSF and NASA Astrobiology Program under the Center for Chemical Evolution (based at Georgia Tech).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New research from Center for Chemical Evolution demonstrates experimentally evaluates alternative model to \u2018RNA World\u2019 hypothesis, emphasizing collaboration and co-evolution"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research from Center for Chemical Evolution experimentally evaluates alternative model to \u0026lsquo;RNA World\u0026rsquo; hypothesis, emphasizing collaboration and co-evolution\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research from Center for Chemical Evolution demonstrates experimentally evaluates alternative model to \u2018RNA World\u2019 hypothesis, emphasizing collaboration and co-evolution"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-07-27 12:39:53","changed_gmt":"2020-07-27 15:01:08","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637275":{"id":"637275","type":"image","title":"Frenkel-Pinter, Hud, Williams","body":null,"created":"1595853371","gmt_created":"2020-07-27 12:36:11","changed":"1595853371","gmt_changed":"2020-07-27 12:36:11","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242427","name":"Moran, Nick, Loren.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Moran%2C%20Nick%2C%20Loren.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Moran%2C%20Nick%2C%20Loren.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1092452,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Moran%2C%20Nick%2C%20Loren.jpg?itok=GmNu3eDw"}}},"media_ids":["637275"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"185390","name":"go-COE"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637226":{"#nid":"637226","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Researchers Develop Printed Flexible Electronics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFlexible electronics and wearable electronics are emerging areas, but their widespread adoption is hampered by manufacturing processes that are unreliable, suffer from low-throughput, and are high-cost. Those processes have involved complicated, multi-step microfabrication, material transfer printing, high-vacuum processes, and highly skillful personnel for the integration of multiple components.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat could be coming to an end, thanks to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology who have developed a novel nanomanufacturing process to create all-printed, wireless, flexible wearable electronics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs explained in a recent article published in Nature Communications titled \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-17288-0\u0022\u003EAll-printed nanomembrane wireless bioelectronics using a biocompatible solderable graphene for multimodal human-machine interfaces\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; their process involves printing of nanostructured sensors and circuits on a soft elastomeric membrane that can be applied to human skin. Unlike the conventional wearable biosystems, the printed nanomembrane system does not require the use of skin-irritable gels and aggressive tapes, while offering Bluetooth-based wireless data recording and control of external robots.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research was led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/w-hong-yeo-1\u0022\u003EWoon-Hong Yeo\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, who also has an appointment in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Tech. Also contributing were postdoctoral researchers Young-Tae Kwon and Yunsoung Kim.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYeo and his team demonstrated the performance of the printed electronics by using real-time control of external systems via muscle activities called electromyograms. Placing three wirelessly linked sensors on a forearm, they were able to control the motions of the fingers on a robotic arm with an accuracy rate of about 99% with seven commands. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6NW8GFBgGaw\u0026amp;feature=emb_logo\u0022\u003EView video\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=U-Dn2PCqFEI\u0026amp;feature=emb_logo\u0022\u003Eanother demonstration video\u003C\/a\u003E, the electronics were used to control the movements of a small robotic vehicle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the article Yeo and his colleagues highlight the benefits of their method over existing manufacturing processes for printed flexible electronics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The ability to manufacture stretchable hybrid electronics entirely based on additive manufacturing methods is particularly attractive due to decreased material consumption, fast turnaround, scalable fabrication based on parallel printing, and, most importantly, the fact that only a single piece of equipment is needed,\u0026rdquo; says Yeo. \u0026ldquo;With advances in novel printing methods and soft materials, wearable electronics are transitioning from rigid modalities based on metals and plastics to soft form factors, which offer comfortable, seamless integration with the skin.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the future, Yeo sees the research having a range of applications, from healthcare and lifestyle electronics to robotics and prosthetics. The next step in his research is to find clinical applications of wearable bioelectronics for biofeedback-enabled prosthetic development and enhanced rehabilitation training.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYeo\u0026rsquo;s research in nanomembrane sensors, stretchable electronics, and human\u0026ndash;machine interfaces was recently recognized by Sensors when they awarded him the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/sensors\/awards\/822\u0022\u003E2020 Young Investigator Award\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAcknowledgements:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by the Georgia Research Alliance based in Atlanta, Georgia. This work was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health under award number (NIH R21AG064309). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Device preparation was partially supported by the Nano-Material Technology Development Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning (2016M3A7B4900044). This work was performed in part at the Georgia Tech Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, a member of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), which is supported by the National Science Foundation (ECCS-1542174).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Woon-Hong Yeo leads team in developing a novel nanomanufacturing process to create all-printed, wireless, flexible wearable electronics."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-07-23 16:25:09","changed_gmt":"2020-07-23 16:25:09","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637225":{"id":"637225","type":"image","title":"Woon-Hong Yeo, Assistant Professor in The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering","body":null,"created":"1595521092","gmt_created":"2020-07-23 16:18:12","changed":"1595521092","gmt_changed":"2020-07-23 16:18:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242405","name":"yeoAward-cropped.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yeoAward-cropped.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yeoAward-cropped.png","mime":"image\/png","size":27976,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/yeoAward-cropped.png?itok=UHW9na8V"}}},"media_ids":["637225"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.wright@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBenjamin Wright\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.wright@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"637177":{"#nid":"637177","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Singh Awarded $2.3 Million National Cancer Institute Grant for Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/singh\u0022\u003EAnkur Singh\u003C\/a\u003E, an Associate Professor of George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has been awarded a five-year, $2.3 million RO1 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as PI. The R01 focuses on developing engineered experimental therapeutics technologies to understand the mechanism of resistance in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and enable the translation of a new therapeutic to treat cancer patients better.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EApproximately 40% of patients with activated B cell (ABC) subtype of DLBCL relapse or are not curable with current therapies. Singh, a new hire at Georgia Tech, has been working for the past 7 years to understand how the resistance to current therapies is linked to the spectrum of cancer cell mutations in these tumors and their concert with complex growth signals provided by the tumor microenvironment. Singh and his long-time collaborator, Ari Melnick, the Laurel Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology\/Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, have been investigating the effect of tumor microenvironment on a unique therapeutic target, Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1) protein, in DLBCLs. The R01 will elucidate a better understanding of MALT1 therapeutic response in patient samples and enable its translation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;Prior targeted therapies, such as Ibrutinib, the Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitors, only work in a fraction of patients. We believe MALT1 has a stronger potential, and as the first-in-human MALT1 targeting clinical trial recently began accruing patients, identifying putative resistance and feedback mechanisms against MALT1 inhibitor is critically important,\u0026quot; says Singh.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESingh is developing lymph node-like organoids and on-chip technologies, which provide a unique platform to study patient tumors. He has combined his biomaterials engineering and immune-engineering expertise with Melnick\u0026#39;s translational cancer therapy to innovate Lymphoma-on-chip and organoid technology, which can grow patient tumors in a controlled lymph node-like microenvironment. The technology includes an organoid growing chamber connected to a media (fluid) chamber by narrow resistance channels, which slowed the fluid to mimic the flow inside lymph vessels and parts of the lymph node. The proposal further integrates expertise in the immunology of Cynthia Leifer, imaging of Chris Xu, and systems biology of Benjamin Cosgrove, all at Cornell University where Singh was previously an associate professor.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;We are truly grateful to the NIH\/NCI for the funding support,\u0026quot; said Singh. \u0026quot;The grant support allows us to define how the underlying biology of lymphoma cells is linked to the host microenvironment\u0026#39;s immunological and biophysical properties, which is poorly understood in hematological malignancies.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPrior to joining Georgia Tech, Singh was an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. At Cornell, he was a member of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Cornell Medicine (NYC). He had affiliations with Cornell\u0026#39;s Immunology and Infectious Disease Program. He served on the Executive Council of Cornell Center for Immunology. He was on Cornell\u0026#39;s advisory council for academic integration across Ithaca and NYC campuses. He joined Cornell University in 2013 after his postdoctoral training in cell mechanobiology, cell-matrix interactions, and stem cell engineering at Georgia Tech and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis \u0026quot;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singhlab.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EImmunotherapy and Cell Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026quot; laboratory at Georgia Tech is developing strategies to engineer adaptable, designer immune organoids and enabling technologies for the mechanistic understanding of healthy and diseased immune cells. He has received funding from the National Institute of Health (NIAID, NCI), National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, among others. He is a recipient of several scientific awards (including the NSF CAREER, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, and the DoD Career award) and Cornell Engineering \u0026#39;s Teaching Excellence Award. His immune organoids research has been identified among Top 100 Discoveries of 2015 by the Discover Magazine. he Discover Magazine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Grant to focus on developing engineered experimental therapeutics technologies to understand the mechanism of resistance in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and enable the translation of a new therapeutic to treat cancer patients better."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-07-22 16:56:28","changed_gmt":"2020-07-23 02:41:47","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"637179":{"id":"637179","type":"image","title":"Ankur Singh (left) with researcher Shivem Shah (right) in his laboratory. Photo credit: Dave Burbank","body":null,"created":"1595437249","gmt_created":"2020-07-22 17:00:49","changed":"1595437249","gmt_changed":"2020-07-22 17:00:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242385","name":"Ankur_Singh_Lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ankur_Singh_Lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ankur_Singh_Lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1347484,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Ankur_Singh_Lab.jpg?itok=ZoHCKQF8"}}},"media_ids":["637179"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.wright@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBen Wright\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.wright@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636926":{"#nid":"636926","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hello Robot Launches Stretch","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMartinez, CA \u0026ndash; After three years in stealth, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hello-robot.com\/\u0022\u003EHello Robot\u003C\/a\u003E is unveiling the Stretch Research Edition, a slender robot that heralds a future where robots help people in their homes and workplaces. Created by a team that includes Georgia Tech robotics researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/charliekemp.com\/\u0022\u003ECharlie Kemp\u003C\/a\u003E and Google\u0026rsquo;s former director of robotics, Aaron Edsinger, Stretch boasts a simple and capable design that makes it adept at performing a variety of useful tasks.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What sets this robot apart is its extraordinary reach, which is why we named it Stretch,\u0026rdquo; says Edsinger, Hello Robot CEO, who adds that the device\u0026rsquo;s unique design, \u0026ldquo;makes possible a range of applications such as assisting an older parent at home, stocking grocery shelves, and wiping down potentially infectious surfaces at the workplace. We see Stretch as a game-changing platform for researchers and developers who will create this future.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith its compact wheeled base and slender telescoping arm, Stretch reaches important places, picking up objects on the floor or at the backs of countertops. The device\u0026rsquo;s small size lets it navigate tight spaces, such as through the clutter of real homes. In addition, it is sensitive to even light contact, enabling it to physically interact with people and its surroundings. Videos on Hello Robot\u0026rsquo;s show a person using Stretch to pick up toys, move laundry, and play games with kids.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, in addition to its design, Stretch brings a whole new utilitarian vibe to robotics, according to Kemp, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emorhy, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines (both at Georgia Tech).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When it comes to mobile robots with arms, we\u0026rsquo;ve been in the age of toys and monstrosities,\u0026rdquo; says Kemp, Hello Robot\u0026rsquo;s CTO. \u0026ldquo;Stretch changes that.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe device comes with everything needed for a user to get started, including a compliant gripper, 3D camera, laser range finder, onboard computer, and other sensors to support autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI). Videos on Hello Robot\u0026rsquo;s website give a window to its future. Stretch autonomously grasps objects, wipes down a bedside table, hands an object to a person, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAll of Stretch\u0026rsquo;s software is open source. It includes a ROS interface with a calibrated model of the robot, as well as a low-level Python interface to the hardware. The robot has numerous mount points and expansion ports, allowing customers to easily extend the robot with their own hardware. Stretch also includes an open-hardware library of accessories that researchers can 3D print, such as a tray with a cup holder for delivering objects, and a phone holder that can be used to take pictures.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPrevious robots with comparable capabilities have been prohibitively expensive, awkwardly large, complex machines. At just over 50 pounds, Stretch is a highly-capable mobile manipulator that can be easily maneuvered in living or work environments, and be transported in the back of a car. The device is also designed as a cost-effective cutting-edge tool for other researchers, according to Kemp, who owns equity in and works for Hello Robot, which is commercializing robotic assistance technologies developed in his lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A research group can purchase a Stretch \u0026lsquo;6 pack\u0026rsquo; for the price of one comparable robot,\u0026rdquo; he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHello Robot, founded by Kemp and Edsinger in 2017, has offices in Atlanta and Martinez, California.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELINKS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCzoafc2G5uW5QuyTZ22OWRA\u0022\u003EVideos of Stretch in action\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/github.com\/hello-robot\u0022\u003EStretch\u0026#39;s open-source software\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher Charlie Kemp co-creator of revolutionary research robot designed for home and work"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researcher Charlie Kemp co-creator of revolutionary research robot designed for home and work\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher Charlie Kemp co-creator of revolutionary research robot designed for home and work"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-07-14 11:58:11","changed_gmt":"2020-07-14 14:03:20","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636924":{"id":"636924","type":"image","title":"Hello Robot","body":null,"created":"1594727279","gmt_created":"2020-07-14 11:47:59","changed":"1594727279","gmt_changed":"2020-07-14 11:47:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242294","name":"Hello-Robot-Stretch-Home.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hello-Robot-Stretch-Home.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hello-Robot-Stretch-Home.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":992992,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hello-Robot-Stretch-Home.jpg?itok=WPCH0sZj"}},"636923":{"id":"636923","type":"image","title":"charlie kemp","body":null,"created":"1594727158","gmt_created":"2020-07-14 11:45:58","changed":"1594727158","gmt_changed":"2020-07-14 11:45:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242293","name":"charlie-kemp.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/charlie-kemp.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/charlie-kemp.png","mime":"image\/png","size":238659,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/charlie-kemp.png?itok=rtyFiTTj"}}},"media_ids":["636924","636923"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636918":{"#nid":"636918","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Global Pandemic Sparks Low-Cost Innovation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith global cases of Covid-19 on the rise, many developing nations lack access to healthcare and the medical infrastructure to help those suffering from the virus. It\u0026rsquo;s critical that low-cost medical devices with parts that can be locally sourced are available to these countries \u0026ndash; devices such as ventilators, respirators and a wide variety of PPE.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOver the past few months, Devesh Ranjan, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, and his team of researchers have created a low-cost ventilator with parts that can be sourced in most any country. Kumuda Ranjan, an Atlanta-based physician and wife of Devesh, helped with the development of the ventilator as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We looked at the worldwide data and the global pandemic in terms of how people are facing this ventilator shortage,\u0026rdquo; said Kumuda. \u0026ldquo;Devesh asked for my input and together we came up with a solution that includes a patient monitoring system. We also worked alongside Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta doctors to ensure the correct functionality.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the design in place, Devesh is focused on manufacturing and how the ventilator can be rolled out to other countries that lack medical infrastructure. And he started with his home country of India, reaching out to 12 companies who could make the low-cost ventilator. Devesh\u0026rsquo;s goal is to make sure the technology transfer happens in a way that local companies can make the ventilators on their own with easily sourced and interchangeable parts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m in discussion with three of the 12 companies I reached out to right now,\u0026rdquo; said Devesh. \u0026ldquo;We need to make sure the device can be commercialized in these countries in order to see a real impact. We want to see the devices being used.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the challenges in getting the devices rolled out globally is that countries like India don\u0026rsquo;t have clear guidelines or a government body like the FDA. Devesh is working closely with Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Consul General in hopes to find a pathway to commercialization. This includes building relationships with manufacturers as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKumuda adds that she sees the low-cost ventilator being used in other countries across the world due to easily available parts that are inexpensive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These ventilators can be assembled anywhere without having to build a unique factory,\u0026rdquo; said Kumuda. \u0026ldquo;I feel these ventilators can be used for Covid-19 but also for other treatments in rural areas that lack medical infrastructure. When you look at usability, we need to scale up and get these devices to the remote places that need them.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Devesh, in his state of Bihar, India, 36 percent of people live below the poverty line, and there might be one hospital with 40 to 50 beds for an area the size of Atlanta, presenting a real challenge as Covid-19 cases rise. Regular ventilators are very expensive, but if the low-cost ventilator is able to be deployed at less than $1,000, hospitals can afford to have multiple devices on hand. And when a virus spike happens, the hospitals can be ready.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn India, there are a few large companies that can provide parts, including patient tubing, bag valve masks and the control panel that monitors the patient\u0026rsquo;s respiratory vitals. Other countries in places like South America have trouble sourcing the control panel, but Devesh is working with a company in Peru to help them manufacture the circuit boards or even ship them there from Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Covid-19 numbers are also going up in Brazil, so we are looking to see what they will need to create the low-cost ventilator,\u0026rdquo; said Devesh. \u0026ldquo;The idea is to get the royalty-free design of the ventilators to these countries asap, and then let them build it on their own so it\u0026rsquo;s sustainable and scalable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Africa, countries like Nigeria and Ghana are also looking to adopt the low-cost ventilator. Nigeria could feasibly use its KIA Motors supply chain as an assembly line. Ghana is looking at the product and trying to figure out what they need to do with their local group to get manufacturing started. The interest came from a recent talk Devesh gave at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/\u0022\u003EWorld Economic Forum\u003C\/a\u003E (WEF), where they discussed putting Devesh\u0026rsquo;s design on their file sharing platform so manufacturers would be able to download his design. While at WEF, Devesh also connected to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/projects\/global_lighthouse_network\u0022\u003ELighthouse Network Group\u003C\/a\u003E, a group of manufacturers trying to respond to the pandemic and very open to creating solutions by working with industry and universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The World Economic Forum is the best way to push out the ventilator design to African countries because the forum has many connections with companies that are trying to build and work with a wide variety of suppliers there,\u0026rdquo; said Devesh. \u0026ldquo;The Forum enables us to make things happen a lot faster.\u0026rdquo; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDevesh is doing his best to fast track the manufacturing of the ventilators.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;For Covid-19, the challenge wasn\u0026rsquo;t to make the best ventilator, but rather it was to make something that could be adopted the by hospital systems that is safe and able to be manufactured in large numbers very quickly,\u0026rdquo; said Devesh. \u0026ldquo;And you want to make sure mass manufacturing is done correctly.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom the start of the pandemic, Devesh and Kumuda saw the challenges that the US healthcare system was experiencing and knew it would be even more challenging for India where poor hygiene and high density populations create a faster spread of infection.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It really hit me once we started working on this project on a daily basis with frequent team calls to learn what was going on at Emory Hospital in Atlanta,\u0026rdquo; said Devesh. \u0026ldquo;It was our partnership with the hospitals here that made us aware of what was going on in a real system and what we needed to do to address the challenges that other countries are up against.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDeveloping nations will continue to need access to low-cost healthcare devices, and Devesh and his team are already thinking about what to create next.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMore on Devesh\u0026rsquo;s group:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGokul Pathikonda, a postdoctoral fellow in Ranjan\u0026rsquo;s lab led the engineering development of the device. In addition to Ranjan and Pathikonda, the multidisciplinary research team includes Stephen Johnston, Dan Fries, Cameron Ahmad, Benjamin Musci, Chang Hyeon Lim and Prasoon Suchandra, graduate students in the School of Mechanical Engineering; Kyle Azevedo, a research engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute; Prithayan Barua, a graduate student in the College of Computing working with Prof. Vivek Sarkar; Chris Ballance, a research engineer in the School of Aerospace Engineering; and Richard Bedell, Manager of Equipment Engineering and Support Services in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. They are also being assisted by Kyle French and Biye Wang at the Electronics Shop in the School of Mechanical Engineering.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New ventilator to help developing nations battle Covid-19."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-07-13 20:16:51","changed_gmt":"2020-07-13 20:22:28","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636919":{"id":"636919","type":"image","title":"This low-cost ventilator has parts that can be sourced in most any country.","body":null,"created":"1594671596","gmt_created":"2020-07-13 20:19:56","changed":"1594671596","gmt_changed":"2020-07-13 20:19:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242292","name":"Devesh - June 2020.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Devesh%20-%20June%202020.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Devesh%20-%20June%202020.png","mime":"image\/png","size":34178,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Devesh%20-%20June%202020.png?itok=zCfsLO-J"}}},"media_ids":["636919"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/staml.gatech.edu\/","title":"Devesh lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:georgia.parmelee@coe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorgia Parmelee\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["georgia.parmelee@coe.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"635887":{"#nid":"635887","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Collaborative Covid-19 Research Receives National Science Foundation RAPID Grant","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joshua-weitz\u0022\u003EJoshua Weitz\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInterdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences Program\u003C\/a\u003E, will expand Covid-19 research on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/635137\/immunity-recovered-covid-19-patients-could-cut-risk-expanding-economic-activity\u0022\u003Eshield immunity\u003C\/a\u003E thanks to a new\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/news\/special_reports\/announcements\/041720.jsp\u0022\u003E National Science Foundation (NSF) Rapid Response Research (RAPID)\u003C\/a\u003E grant.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeitz shares that the NSF support is important for a newly developed collaborative effort with\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sph.emory.edu\/faculty\/profile\/index.php?FID=benjamin-lopman-8568\u0022\u003E Benjamin Lopman\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor of epidemiology in Emory University\u0026#39;s\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sph.emory.edu\/index.html\u0022\u003E Rollins School of Public Health\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe partnership builds on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/635137\/immunity-recovered-covid-19-patients-could-cut-risk-expanding-economic-activity\u0022\u003Ea recent study\u003C\/a\u003E that Weitz and a dozen scientists from Georgia Tech, McMaster University, and Princeton University published in\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-020-0895-3\u0022\u003E Nature Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E, modeling the potential impacts of serological tests to reduce Covid-19 epidemic spread.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESerological tests, or antibody tests, examine blood for traces of antibodies that could indicate past exposure to the virus, and potential levels of immunity. Identifying recovered Covid-19 patients \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/635137\/immunity-recovered-covid-19-patients-could-cut-risk-expanding-economic-activity\u0022\u003Ecould help cut the risk\u003C\/a\u003E of expanding economic activity and help minimize infection rates as stay-at-home restrictions are lifted.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The core idea of \u0026#39;shield immunity\u0026#39; is to facilitate interaction substitution enabling recovered individuals to substitute for otherwise risky interactions with infectious individuals,\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;says Weitz, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;This could potentially reduce transmission risk and foster a safer return to economic activity. This NSF award will be catalytic to our efforts to learn more about the intervention benefits of shield immunity, even as we learn more about the extent to which recovery implies protection from reinfection.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NSF\u0026rsquo;s RAPID grant program \u0026ldquo;allows NSF to receive and review proposals having a severe urgency with regard to availability of or access to data, facilities or specialized equipment, as well as quick-response research on natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events,\u0026rdquo; according to the NSF website.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe agency sent an April 3 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/pubs\/2020\/nsf20052\/nsf20052.jsp\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Dear Colleague\u0026rdquo; letter\u003C\/a\u003E to the science community, in which it announced it would accept proposals to conduct non-medical, non-clinical-care research that could be used immediately \u0026ldquo;to explore how to model and understand the spread of Covid-19, to inform and educate about the science of virus transmission and prevention, and to encourage the development of processes and actions to address this global challenge.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech and Emory project combines epidemic models of Covid-19 with antibody testing modules to develop approaches to enable shield immunity in practice. \u0026ldquo;We are particularly grateful for the expedited support by NSF of Covid-19 research at the dynamic interplay between disease dynamics and serological testing,\u0026rdquo; Weitz says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeitz\u0026rsquo;s lab, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ecotheory.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ethe Weitz Group at Georgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E, researches how viruses transform human health and the fate of the planet. Weitz is also the founding director of the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E Quantitative Biosciences Ph.D. Program\u003C\/a\u003E. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the group has created various models and figures to explain the virus\u0026#39; spread and epidemiology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeitz and two other professors,\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Philip-Santangelo\u0022\u003E Philip Santangelo\u003C\/a\u003E with Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fredhutch.org\/en\/faculty-lab-directory\/bedford-trevor.html\u0022\u003E Travis Bedford\u003C\/a\u003E with the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division of Seattle\u0026rsquo;s\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fredhutch.org\/en.html\u0022\u003E Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center\u003C\/a\u003E, held a Georgia Tech\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/georgia-tech-science-forum-spotlights-coronavirus-outbreak\u0022\u003E forum\u003C\/a\u003E in early February on what scientists were saying then about the potential strength, speed, and size of the pandemic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOn April 15, Weitz led an online \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=arJcDNnQHIQ\u0022\u003Enonlinear science talk\u003C\/a\u003E on \u0026ldquo;Dynamics of Covid-19: Near- and Long-Term Challenges.\u0026rdquo; In the talk, he shared a preview of the research in the Nature Medicine study, focusing on the need for accurate antibody tests to determine who may have recovered from the disease and may have levels of immunity. \u0026ldquo;The scale and type of testing matters,\u0026rdquo; Weitz said then. \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/meet-marine-biologist-helping-create-covid-19-test-kits\u0022\u003EPCR [polymerase chain reaction] testing\u003C\/a\u003E provides a snapshot: Are you shedding virus now? Serological testing, when accurate, provides a history: Have you been infected recently or in the past?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cem\u003EEditor\u0026#39;s note: In keeping with changes to Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s editorial guidance, on June 1, 2020 we transition from \u0026quot;COVID-19\u0026quot; to \u0026quot;Covid-19\u0026quot; in our stories and posts. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAntibody testing research, led by Biological Sciences\u0026rsquo; Joshua Weitz and Emory University professor Benjamin Lopman, earns an NSF urgent funding grant to further study Covid-19 \u0026lsquo;shield immunity\u0026rsquo;.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Antibody testing research, led by Biological Sciences\u2019 Joshua Weitz and Emory University professor Benjamin Lopman, earns an NSF urgent funding grant to further study Covid-19 \u2018shield immunity\u2019."}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2020-06-02 04:06:30","changed_gmt":"2020-07-12 18:44:46","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635886":{"id":"635886","type":"image","title":"Serological tests, or antibody tests, examine blood for traces of antibodies that could indicate past exposure to Coronavirus.","body":null,"created":"1591070535","gmt_created":"2020-06-02 04:02:15","changed":"1591070535","gmt_changed":"2020-06-02 04:02:15","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241946","name":"COVID.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/COVID.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/COVID.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":52954,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/COVID.JPG?itok=Jw0j-iyC"}},"632658":{"id":"632658","type":"image","title":"Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Source: cdc.gov","body":null,"created":"1582141316","gmt_created":"2020-02-19 19:41:56","changed":"1582141316","gmt_changed":"2020-02-19 19:41:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240717","name":"coronavirus_forum_fb_event_cover copy.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/coronavirus_forum_fb_event_cover%20copy.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/coronavirus_forum_fb_event_cover%20copy.png","mime":"image\/png","size":417321,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/coronavirus_forum_fb_event_cover%20copy.png?itok=P4QxkROD"}},"635045":{"id":"635045","type":"image","title":"Joshua Weitz, professor, School of Biological Sciences ","body":null,"created":"1588625892","gmt_created":"2020-05-04 20:58:12","changed":"1588625892","gmt_changed":"2020-05-04 20:58:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241667","name":"Weitz.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Weitz.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Weitz.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":629497,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Weitz.jpg?itok=iwrsFnKo"}}},"media_ids":["635886","632658","635045"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/635137\/immunity-recovered-covid-19-patients-could-cut-risk-expanding-economic-activity","title":"Immunity of Recovered COVID-19 Patients Could Cut Risk of Expanding Economic Activity"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=arJcDNnQHIQ","title":"\u0022Dynamics of COVID-19: Near- and Long-Term Challenges\u0022 with Joshua S. Weitz"},{"url":"https:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/COVID19Help","title":"Georgia Tech: Covid-19 Helping Stories"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"184289","name":"covid-19"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"183843","name":"coronavirus"},{"id":"184991","name":"serological testing"},{"id":"184992","name":"antibody tests"},{"id":"184753","name":"serology"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"184993","name":"rapid grant"},{"id":"11599","name":"Joshua Weitz"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jess@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJess Hunt-Ralston\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences at Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jess@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636768":{"#nid":"636768","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Machelle Pardue Appointed Associate Chair for Faculty Development","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMachelle T. Pardue, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory (BME), has been appointed as the department\u0026rsquo;s first associate chair for faculty development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue, who has been with the Coulter Department since 2015, is a research career scientist at the Atlanta VA Healthcare System and also serves as executive associate director of the Atlanta Veteran\u0026rsquo;s Association (VA) Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation. Her research program is focused on understanding the mechanisms of vision loss and developing treatments, with the ultimate goal of restoring visual function. She has a track record of creating professional development programs, faculty mentoring, grant review working groups, faculty community groups, and disseminating pilot programs at Emory, Tech and the Atlanta VA, with experience in recruiting and retaining a diverse corps of faculty and staff.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new leadership position was created, according to BME Chair Susan Margulies, \u0026ldquo;to achieve our goals of increasing faculty diversity; helping all faculty develop and thrive as leaders, scholars and educators; and enriching our cohesive culture of community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMargulies adds, \u0026ldquo;we have created a one-department culture across two campuses, and we promote faculty diversity and equity and inclusion. While we are proud have 24 percent women, six percent Black, and three percent Latino faculty evenly distributed across campuses, we have more work to do in the Coulter Department.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue says it\u0026rsquo;s an honor to fill an inaugural position focused on faculty development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am passionate about mentoring and building a strong community of support for our faculty to succeed in all their endeavors,\u0026rdquo; she explains. \u0026ldquo;Dr. Margulies has already created several important initiatives for faculty development, like mentoring teams for junior faculty. I intend to continue to build upon these initiatives, being a strong advocate for each faculty member to reach tenure and promotion at all levels.\u0026nbsp; I look forward to hearing ideas and feedback on ways to support faculty development.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Coulter Department is a unique and flourishing public-private partnership between Emory University\u0026rsquo;s School of Medicine and Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Engineering. As the largest Biomedical Engineering department in the U.S., Coulter has 70 tenure path faculty across two campuses, including 23 Assistant Professors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New post created in Coulter Department of BME to achieve goals of increasing diversity"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew post created in Coulter Department of BME to achieve goals of increasing diversity\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New post created in Coulter Department of BME to achieve goals of increasing diversity"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-07-07 13:52:37","changed_gmt":"2020-07-07 14:40:12","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636767":{"id":"636767","type":"image","title":"Machelle Pardue","body":null,"created":"1594129930","gmt_created":"2020-07-07 13:52:10","changed":"1594129930","gmt_changed":"2020-07-07 13:52:10","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242261","name":"web-Pardue-N18C10407_P12_03.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-Pardue-N18C10407_P12_03.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-Pardue-N18C10407_P12_03.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":46422,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/web-Pardue-N18C10407_P12_03.jpg?itok=OOzxaf_b"}}},"media_ids":["636767"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Tech\/Coulter Department\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636724":{"#nid":"636724","#data":{"type":"news","title":"An Inside-Out Biomedical Discovery","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology researchers are developing new tools of discovery with the creation of inverted \u0026lsquo;organoids\u0026rsquo; \u0026ndash; three-dimensional, complex, self-organized collections of cells that can recapitulate the processes of a patient\u0026rsquo;s own tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking with collaborators from the University of Michigan, investigators in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/microfluidics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EShuichi Takayama\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech, describe their work in a new article. The paper, \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/adhm.202000810\u0022\u003ECancer Cell Invasion of Mammary Organoids with Basal-In Phenotype,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E was published in the journal \u003Cem\u003EAdvanced Healthcare Materials.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOrganoids, which basically are miniature organs cultured in a lab and usually derived from stem cells, provide biomedical researchers a comprehensive way to study human development and disease, offering a sharper view of drug interaction and a novel approach to personalized medicine. In short, organoid cultures allow the study of tissue function and development in vitro. And the new paper describes slightly different kinds of organoid.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELead author Eric Parigoris, Ph.D. student researcher in the Takayama lab, explains, \u0026ldquo;Typically, people refer to organoids as 3D structures grown from stem cells or primary human tissue. We refer to our structures, which are created from cell lines, as organoids for their ability grow very large \u0026ndash; up to one millimeter in diameter; to hollow out, and show multiple heterogeneous markers, which distinguishes them from more traditional three-dimensional cultures derived from cell lines.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u0026#39;s something else about these\u0026nbsp;new organoids: they are inside-out. The researchers describe mammary organoids with a basal-in phenotype \u0026ndash; the basement membrane is located on the organoid\u0026rsquo;s interior surface, as opposed to the outside. This was a fortuitous discovery, somewhat accidental, according to Parigoris. But next time it won\u0026rsquo;t be.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Once we discovered this inverted phenotype, we did more of an analysis to determine what materials and methods induce this, and now we have a robust, reproducible protocol to intentionally induce an inverted or basal-in phenotype in our organoids,\u0026rdquo; Parigoris says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut why would they want to do that? The answer is in the results: the researchers discovered that the basal-in phenotype enables a better vantage point for studying breast cancer progression. In spite of advances in organoid development, there are a number of challenges for practical applications. This includes the difficulty of accessing the organoid lumen \u0026ndash; cancer cells accumulate within the lumen of ducts on the epithelium, or the side opposite the basement membrane. Invasive breast cancer cells are characterized by their foray out from the lumen, first through the epithelial cells, and then the basement membrane.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut with the basal-in phenotype organoids, the researchers write, \u0026ldquo;the study of cancer invasion through the epithelium first, followed by the basement membrane to the basal side, is realized in an experimentally convenient manner where the cancer cells are simply seeded on the outside of the pre-formed organoids, and their invasion into the organoid is monitored.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EParigoris was preparing to finalize data for the manuscript in fall 2019 when the team discovered the inverted geometry organoids. \u0026ldquo;One last staining revealed the exact opposite of what we expected and it changed the whole trajectory of the project and paper,\u0026rdquo; Parigoris says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIf there are dramatic moments in the course of a long experiment, this was it. An unexpected discovery that Takayama says at first left the team feeling horrified, \u0026ldquo;but that turned into feeling fantastic and ecstatic. That was the dynamic, that\u0026rsquo;s what was going on.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHere was something unprecedented, Takayama adds, \u0026ldquo;a new and different biological structure, but very useful for studying cancer.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to lead author Parigoris and corresponding author Takayama, other authors included:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESoojung Lee, David Mertz, Madeleine Turner, Amy Liu, Jason Sentosa, and Hao Chen Chang from the Coulter Department; Kathryn Luker, Gary Luke, Celina G. Kleer, and Sabra Djomehri from the University of Michigan Medical School. This work was supported by NIH (R01CA196018, U01CA210152, and R50CA221807) and NSF EBICS (CBET-0939511). Article material is also based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program to EP (Grant Number: DGE-1650044). \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Takayama lab develops a better tool for studying cancer, new geometrically-inverted organoids "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETakayama lab develops a better tool for studying cancer, new geometrically-inverted organoids \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Takayama lab develops a better tool for studying cancer, new geometrically-inverted organoids "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-07-02 21:08:54","changed_gmt":"2020-07-02 21:35:42","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-07-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-07-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636723":{"id":"636723","type":"image","title":"Eric Parigoris","body":null,"created":"1593723950","gmt_created":"2020-07-02 21:05:50","changed":"1593723950","gmt_changed":"2020-07-02 21:05:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242244","name":"Lab pic (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab%20pic%20%281%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lab%20pic%20%281%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":423056,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lab%20pic%20%281%29.jpg?itok=cn40Cdi7"}},"611744":{"id":"611744","type":"image","title":"Professor Shu Takayama Coulter BME","body":null,"created":"1537465570","gmt_created":"2018-09-20 17:46:10","changed":"1537465570","gmt_changed":"2018-09-20 17:46:10","alt":"","file":{"fid":"232889","name":"Sm.Shu_.Takayama.portrait.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sm.Shu_.Takayama.portrait.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sm.Shu_.Takayama.portrait.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3297025,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Sm.Shu_.Takayama.portrait.jpg?itok=Qz0ELKWM"}}},"media_ids":["636723","611744"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636493":{"#nid":"636493","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Emory, Georgia Tech Participating in Six-Year Exercise Research Study","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University are participating in the largest exercise research program of its kind as investigators from institutions across the country are poised to collect and turn data from nearly 2,600 volunteers into comprehensive maps of the molecular changes in the body due to exercise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe health benefits of physical activity are well known, but we do not fully understand why, especially at the molecular level. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/commonfund.nih.gov\/moleculartransducers\u0022\u003ENational Institutes of Health-funded\u003C\/a\u003E Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.motrpac.org\/\u0022\u003E(MoTrPAC)\u003C\/a\u003E aims to increase understanding by measuring molecular changes in healthy adults and children before, during, and after exercise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There have been a lot of studies and there is plenty of information out there about exercise and its benefits, but what is truly unique about this study is the magnitude and depth,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/fernandez\/\u0022\u003EFacundo Fern\u0026aacute;ndez\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and Vasser-Woolley Chair in Bioanalytical Chemistry in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech, where he is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEmory and Georgia Tech are two of nine MoTrPAC \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.motrpac.org\/aboutUs.cfm\u0022\u003Echemical analysis sites\u003C\/a\u003E around the country. Together they comprise the Georgia Comprehensive Metabolomics and Proteomics Unit. Fern\u0026aacute;ndez is one of two principal investigators for the group. The other principal investigator and unit project leader is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/departments\/biochemistry\/research-labs\/ortlund\/index.html\u0022\u003EEric Ortlund\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Emory\u0026rsquo;s School of Medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFern\u0026aacute;ndez, Ortlund, and Georgia Tech research scientist \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/gaul\/david\u0022\u003EDavid Gaul\u003C\/a\u003E are co-authors of a paper that MoTrPAC researchers \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/fulltext\/S0092-8674(20)30691-7\u0022\u003Epublished in the journal \u003Cem\u003ECell\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E detailing their approach to this ambitious research project. They are currently reviewing lessons from an initial phase with a smaller group of adult volunteers and multiple rounds of preclinical animal model studies to optimize their protocols and prepare to scale-up for full recruitment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Preclinical and clinical studies will examine the systemic effects of endurance and resistance exercise across a range of ages and fitness levels by molecular probing of multiple tissues before and after acute and chronic exercise,\u0026rdquo; the authors write. \u0026ldquo;From this multi-omic and bioinformatic analysis, a molecular map of exercise will be established. Altogether, MoTrPAC will provide a public database that is expected to enhance our understanding of the health benefits of exercise and to provide insight into how activity mitigates disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the Georgia Tech team is focusing on abundant lipids, using non-targeted lipidomics (with the goal of discovering new lipids involved in the effects of physical exercise), the Ortlund lab at Emory is targeting low abundance bioactive lipids, which play a key role in stress response and inflammatory signaling pathways, \u0026ldquo;to understand how they change during exercise and potentially drive exercise adaptation,\u0026rdquo; says Ortlund. \u0026ldquo;Though lipid metabolism is complicated, bioactive lipids are generated by well-defined biochemical pathways permitting straightforward integration with other \u0026lsquo;omics such as transcriptomics and proteomics. Such tight integration is critical for deriving actionable scientific insight from the MoTrPAC consortium.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMoTrPAC set the goal at its 11 clinical sites to recruit about 2,600 healthy volunteers across a wide age range (10 to 60-plus years-old) and with balanced participation by gender. Part of the study will test how the response to exercise changes after generally inactive participants complete a 12-week supervised exercise regimen. Sedentary adults will be randomly assigned to an endurance training regimen (treadmill, cycling), a resistance training regimen (weightlifting), or an inactive control group. Low-activity children will be randomly assigned to an endurance training regimen, or to a control group where they pursue their normal activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, a separate group of highly-active adults and youths will contribute to the overall size of the study, helping researchers understand what exercise looks like at the molecular level in those who have exercised vigorously and consistently over an extended period.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother unique facet of MoTrPAC is that volunteers provide samples \u0026ndash; or biospecimens \u0026ndash; before, during, and after exercise that will go through a complex array of molecular assays. MoTrPAC researchers implemented an early study phase with a limited number of adult volunteers that is meant to ensure the complex study design is feasible both for the researchers and the participants before scaling up. The researchers and their data and safety monitoring board are reviewing lessons learned, so that recruitment may continue under optimized protocols. Recruitment currently is on-hold due to safety concerns over COVID-19.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPreclinical studies in an animal model also set the stage for full-scale MoTrPAC clinical studies, enabling researchers like Gaul (the metabolomics lead of the Systems Mass Spectrometry core facility at the Petit Institute) to generate data from tissues that cannot be collected from humans, expanding the scope of the consortium.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at three preclinical animal study sites conducted both a single round of exercise and an exercise training regimen in young and aged rats. Following the exercise round or training, 19 biospecimens were collected per animal, which gives a nearly whole-body look at the effects of exercise, which has never been done before. The biospecimens also provided raw material for the nine chemical analysis sites (such as those at\u0026nbsp;Emory and Georgia Tech) to generate data on exercise responsive biomolecules like genes, indicators of gene activity, proteins, molecules involved in metabolism, and molecular signals in cell-to-cell communication.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome data from the preclinical studies is available through the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/motrpac-data.org\/\u0022\u003EMoTrPAC Data Hub\u003C\/a\u003E, and more is expected soon \u0026ndash; MoTrPAC researchers alone cannot answer every question about the molecular basis of the health benefits of exercise. Making the data widely available brings new perspectives to the topic than would be otherwise possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, MoTrPAC aims to have a positive impact on human health. The information gathered about endurance and resistance exercise in a wide range of individuals and in different tissues may influence exercise guidelines, making them more tailored for specific groups of people. One day, a doctor may be able to prescribe a personalized exercise routine based on what is likely to create the best outcome for an individual. Other researchers may use the data to identify drugs that mimic the molecular signals of exercise, so-called exercise-mimetics, which could help people who are unable to exercise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026#39;s a massive six-year study that Fern\u0026aacute;ndez calls, \u0026ldquo;a once in a lifetime opportunity. We know that the changes you see following exercise are nothing short of dramatic. And the data that we will be generating is something that will probably be analyzed for generations to come.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMoTrPAC is funded by the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/commonfund.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENIH Common Fund\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E and overseen in collaboration with the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nia.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENational Institute on Aging \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.niams.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, and the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.niddk.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E. A list of funded MoTrPAC projects is at \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/motrpac.org\/aboutUs.cfm\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ehttps:\/\/motrpac.org\/aboutUs.cfm\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E. MoTrPAC\u0026rsquo;s adult and pediatric clinical studies are registered with \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eclinicaltrials.gov\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under NCT03960827 and NCT04151199, respectively.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"NIH-funded program to recruit thousands of participants to reveal impact of physical exercise at the molecular level"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENIH-funded program to recruit thousands of participants to reveal impact of physical exercise at the molecular level\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NIH-funded program to recruit thousands of participants to reveal impact of physical exercise at the molecular level"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-06-25 15:42:23","changed_gmt":"2020-06-26 14:16:30","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636490":{"id":"636490","type":"image","title":"Facundo M. Fernandez and Eric Ortlund ","body":null,"created":"1593099266","gmt_created":"2020-06-25 15:34:26","changed":"1714682596","gmt_changed":"2024-05-02 20:43:16","alt":"Facundo M. Fernandez and Eric Ortlund ","file":{"fid":"242165","name":"Fernandez and Ortlund.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fernandez%20and%20Ortlund.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Fernandez%20and%20Ortlund.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2379860,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Fernandez%20and%20Ortlund.jpg?itok=emr7a46k"}},"636491":{"id":"636491","type":"image","title":"David Gaul","body":null,"created":"1593099349","gmt_created":"2020-06-25 15:35:49","changed":"1593099349","gmt_changed":"2020-06-25 15:35:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242166","name":"original.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/original_12.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/original_12.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1337488,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/original_12.jpg?itok=HQ3g4pQ1"}}},"media_ids":["636490","636491"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"173209","name":"MoTrPAC"},{"id":"2076","name":"NIH"},{"id":"4075","name":"exercise"},{"id":"185193","name":"molecular study"},{"id":"11538","name":"Metabolomics"},{"id":"19691","name":"Lipids"},{"id":"184359","name":"Omics"},{"id":"2546","name":"bioinformatics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636464":{"#nid":"636464","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Expands Its Ranks by 23","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology sees continued growth in its faculty ranks with the addition of 23 new members in recent months. The group covers a wide swath of bioengineering and bioscience research fields, representing Georgia Tech, Emory, and Morehouse College.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis brings the total number of Petit Institute faculty to 244 members; meet the newest cohort below.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGuy Benian\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Emory University School of Medicine. The Benian lab focuses on the functions and structures of giant multi-domain proteins, and the mechanism by which myofibrils are attached to the muscle cell membrane and transmit force.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAhmet Coskun\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University. Coskun is a systems biotechnologist and bioengineer, working at the nexus of multiplex imaging and quantitative cell biology. His lab aims to deliver biotechnologies for spatial multi-comics profiling vision at the single cell level.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrasad (Lakshmi) Dasi,\u003C\/strong\u003E professor, Coulter Department. Dasi\u0026#39;s research is in translational cardiovascular engineering, pushing engineering to better treat and\/or manage structural heart diseases in both adults and children.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThomas DiChristina\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech. His Environmental Geomicrobiology Lab focuses on fundamental and applied aspects of microbial metal respiration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELiang Han\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech. Han\u0026rsquo;s research is focused on using a combination of molecular, cellular, immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, genetic and behavioral approaches to understand how the nervous system receives, transmits and interprets various stimuli to induce physiological and behavioral responses.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKarmella Haynes,\u003C\/strong\u003E associate professor, Coulter Department. The Haynes\u0026rsquo; lab aims to identify how the intrinsic properties of chromatin, the DNA-protein structure that packages eukaryotic genes, can be used to control cell development in tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShella Keilholz\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, Coulter Department. Keilholz\u0026#39;s lab studies network dynamics in the brain using a combination of MRI, electrophysiology, and optical imaging.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPinar Keskinocak,\u003C\/strong\u003E professor, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech. Keskinocak\u0026#39;s research focuses on the applications of operations research and management science with societal impact, particularly health and humanitarian applications, supply chain management, and logistics\/transportation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdam Klein\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of laryngology, otolaryngology, Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Klein\u0026rsquo;s research interests include vocal cord reanimation, laryngeal papillomatosis, and designing a surgical trainer for phonomicrosurgery (voice surgery).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESakis Mantalaris\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, Coulter Department. The Biomedical Systems Engineering Laboratory focuses on providing integrated in vitro\/in silico platforms for clinical translational biomedical applications, specifically delivering an interdisciplinary program on bioprocess engineering for the production of high-value products for precision healthcare applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDavid\u0026nbsp;Myers\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department. Myers\u0026rsquo; Sensors for Living Systems Lab (SL2) seeks to improve healthcare measurements and learn how to extract information from biological systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETianye Niu\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech. The research interests of Niu\u0026rsquo;s Advanced Imaging Laboratory for Radiation Therapy focus on conebeam CT scanner design and spectral CT algorithm development, connected by the current need for clinical onboard and high-volume data analysis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Porter\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor in hematology and oncology, Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Porter\u0026#39;s lab studies mechanisms of carcinogenesis and treatment resistance, with the goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies to improve the care of children with cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFelipe\u0026nbsp;Quiroz\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department. Quiroz\u0026rsquo; lab engineers self-assembling materials that are genetically-encoded and stimuli-responsive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArijit Raychowdhury\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech. Raychowdhury\u0026rsquo;s Integrated Circuits \u0026amp; Systems Research Lab studies low power digital and mixed-signal circuit design, design of power converters, sensors and exploring interactions of circuits with device technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Saldana\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Woodruff School. Saldana\u0026#39;s current research interests are centered on establishing the processing science needed to realize next generation material systems (alloys, composites, bio-inspired) and manufacturing processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBritney Schmidt\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech. The Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab works to understand how icy ocean worlds form, evolve, and ultimately could give rise to life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENicoleta Serban\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, Stewart School. Serban\u0026rsquo;s research focuses on model-based data mining for functional data, spatio-temporal data with applications to industrial economics with a focus on service distribution and nonparametric statistical methods motivated by recent applications from proteomics and genomics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVahid Serpooshan\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department. Serpooshan Tissue Manufacturing \u0026amp; Analysis Lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to design and develop micro\/nano-scale tissue engineering technologies with the ultimate goal of generating functional tissues and organs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJennifer Singh\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, School of History and Sociology, Georgia Tech. Singh\u0026#39;s research investigates the intersections of genetics, health and society, which draws on her experiences of working in the biotechnology industry in molecular biology and as a public health researcher at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJonathan Stiles\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of microbiology, biochemistry, and immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Stiles\u0026rsquo; research interests are in molecular pathogenesis of neglected diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS) with emphasis on cerebral malaria and African trypanosomiasis (\u0026quot;Sleeping Sickness\u0026quot;).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmanda Stockton\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Tech. The Stockton group\u0026#39;s research centers around three related astrobiological themes: the analysis of extraterrestrial organic molecules in the search for life beyond Earth, fingerprinting life at Earth\u0026rsquo;s extremes, and exploring the origins of biomolecules and the emergence of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGleb Yushin\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech. Yushin\u0026rsquo;s Nanotech Lab focuses on finding nanotechnology-driven solutions to enable the next generation of lighter, more energy dense, more cost-effective energy storage devices by studying their materials structure-property relationships.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New cohort includes faculty from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Morehouse School of Medicine"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-06-24 16:24:23","changed_gmt":"2020-06-24 17:37:49","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"312351":{"id":"312351","type":"image","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026 Bioscience","body":null,"created":"1449244929","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:09","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026 Bioscience","file":{"fid":"199875","name":"ibb-166.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2922980,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ibb-166_0.jpg?itok=tJApemUG"}}},"media_ids":["312351"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty","title":"Petit Institute faculty web page"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EColly Mitchell\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636385":{"#nid":"636385","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Building a Better Blood Test","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor most of us, it happens at least once a year \u0026ndash; a complete blood count, or CBC, a hematological analysis in which the clinician takes a sample of your blood\u0026nbsp;to evaluate your overall health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA\u0026nbsp;CBC usually coincides with your annual physical examination, but may also be administered as needed by your health care provider. It measures your red blood cells, which carry oxygen, and hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in your red blood cells. It tallies your white blood cells, which fight infection, and platelets, which help with blood clotting. And it calculates hematocrit \u0026ndash; the proportion of red blood cells to plasma in your blood. And it can be used to detect a wide range of disorders, like anemia, infection, or leukemia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s the most common medical test performed, and one of the most critical for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring blood conditions or diseases,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/robleslab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EFrancisco Robles\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;But right now, in order to do these tests, you need very large, complex systems,\u0026rdquo; he adds. \u0026ldquo;You need multiple reagents, expensive equipment, and high-trained technical personnel to count the number of blood cells. It requires a lot of calibration and it\u0026rsquo;s problematic because even though this is the most common test, you can\u0026rsquo;t just go into a CVS or any clinic to have it performed. You have to send it to a specialized lab and the process can take days.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo Robles and his research team set out to improve this most common of medical tests \u0026ndash; to simplify and improve CBC and blood smear analysis, towards the development of a faster, more affordable, easy-to-use point-of-care device for clinical settings and in regions with limited resources. And they explain it all in their recently-published paper, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2020\/06\/18\/2001404117#ref-26\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Label-free Hematology Analysis Using Deep-Ultraviolet Microscopy,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal \u003Cem\u003EPNAS\u003C\/em\u003E (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe latest research builds on the lab\u0026rsquo;s previous work in ultraviolet hyperspectral interferometric (UHI) microscopy, a cost-efficient system for molecular imaging that overcomes challenges typically associated with UV spectroscopy (subpar cameras and light sources, phototoxicity, chromatic aberration, etc.).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the latest paper, the Robles team introduces a novel label-free optical assay enabling major advancements in hematological analysis, circumventing the limitations of the current standard-of-care, while achieving equivalent diagnostic power for peripheral blood and bone marrow analysis. This new approach provides analysis of tens of thousands of live cells in minutes, instead of waiting for days, without any sample preparation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe work brought together the labs of two BME and Petit Institute researchers \u0026ndash; Robles and Wilbur Lam, associate professor in the Coulter Department and a physician at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta and Department of Pediatrics in Emory\u0026rsquo;s School of Medicine. The lead author of the paper, Ashkan Ojaghi, is a Ph.D. student in Robles\u0026rsquo; lab. The paper\u0026rsquo;s other authors were Gabriel Carazzana and Assad Abas (undergraduate researchers in Robles and Lam\u0026rsquo;s labs, respectively), Christina Caruso (pediatric hematologist, Children\u0026rsquo;s and Emory), and David Myers (assistant professor, Coulter Department).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs part of the study, the researchers validated the clinical utility of their wide-field pseudo-colored UV images by performing a quantitative molecular and structural analysis, and a blind visual analysis. In the latter, a panel of hematologists studied blood smears from healthy donors and patients with thrombocytopenia and sickle cell disease and found that new system provides feedback equivalent to the gold standard.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, Robles says, the team managed to unify two different tests, \u0026ldquo;the complete blood count and the microscopic analysis. We can combine these two into something that is small, compact, portable, and easy to use, and we basically need just a few microliters of blood to get all of the information we need. This can potentially be used as an at-home device, so patients can monitor their own blood counts at home, eventually.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Robles team develops a new tool to improve CBC and blood smear analysis"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERobles team develops a new tool to improve CBC and blood smear analysis\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Robles team develops a new tool to improve CBC and blood smear analysis"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-06-22 16:42:21","changed_gmt":"2020-06-22 19:55:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636384":{"id":"636384","type":"image","title":"Ojaghi and Robles","body":null,"created":"1592843739","gmt_created":"2020-06-22 16:35:39","changed":"1592843739","gmt_changed":"2020-06-22 16:35:39","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242144","name":"Robles stairs3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Robles%20stairs3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Robles%20stairs3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1103207,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Robles%20stairs3.jpg?itok=ViMRMd7l"}}},"media_ids":["636384"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636342":{"#nid":"636342","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Recommended Diversity and Inclusion Resources from Petit Institute Town Hall","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Institute recently hosted a nearly 200 guest virtual town hall for an open conversation about the challenges faced by people of color today and ways that we can come together to create a more inclusive and supportive community at Georgia Tech. The event was open to all on campus, and students, faculty, and staff shared a wealth of important resources for people to educate themselves on these important matters.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECompiled here is a list of the those recommended, essential books, movies, articles, podcasts, videos and television shows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBooks\/Articles\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026quot;The Case for Reparations\u0026quot; by Ta-Nehisi Coates, \u003Cem\u003EThe Atlantic\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EKillers of the Dream\u003C\/em\u003E \u0026ndash; by Lillian Smith\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Fire Next Time \u003C\/em\u003E\u0026ndash; by James Baldwin\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBetween the World and Me\u003C\/em\u003E \u0026ndash; by Ta-Nehisi Coates\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESo, You Want to Talk About Race\u003C\/em\u003E \u0026ndash; by Ijeoma Oluo\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBlind Spot\u003C\/em\u003E \u0026ndash; by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMe and White Supremacy\u003C\/em\u003E \u0026ndash; by Layla F. Saad\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDivided by Faith\u003C\/em\u003E \u0026ndash; by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWhite Fragility: Why It\u0026#39;s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026ndash; by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECan We Talk about Race?: And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ndash; by Beverly Tatum and Theresa Perry\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELinks\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.racebiomed.org\/\u0022\u003EVideos from the Race and Biomedicine Workshop\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLDToukXRDVMSkxrabFfSb5u6cE82huRpD\u0026amp;fbclid=IwAR1nnLa9DPMjwp4GlzhGaIr-Hvrgs0hAlpBsW2qKZDSMODLnnDPJCJvV1GA\u00a0\u0022\u003ETEDx Talks to Help Educate on Racism and Actions to Eliminate It\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nymag.com\/strategist\/article\/anti-racist-reading-list.html\u0022\u003E7 Anti-Racist Books Recommended by Educators and Activists\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Cem\u003ENew York Magazine\u003C\/em\u003E, June 2020\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/artery\/2020\/06\/05\/podcasts-to-listen-to-about-race-america\u00a0\u0022\u003E5 Podcasts to Listen to If You Really Want to Know about Race in America\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/terinaallen\/2020\/06\/04\/george-floyd-and-racism-5-conversations-credible-leaders-must-have-in-this-moment\/#13e6fb43686c\u00a0\u0022\u003EGeorge Floyd And Racism: 5 Conversations Credible Leaders Must Have In This Moment\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/80091741\u0022\u003E13th\u003C\/a\u003E (Netflix) - In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. An important and essential education on the impact of voting in America\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs\/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR3CStrxbZQFRMqe4MLIGhTo3sAIg2X9LqFDfZROAihJklyl6Ff28dk2Qxg\u0022\u003EAnti-racism resources\u003C\/a\u003E (books, articles, videos, podcasts, TV shows)\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"See list of recommended books, articles, movies, podcasts and tv shows"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-06-19 13:01:24","changed_gmt":"2020-06-19 14:24:38","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636348":{"id":"636348","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda and Ed Botchwey","body":null,"created":"1592575662","gmt_created":"2020-06-19 14:07:42","changed":"1592575662","gmt_changed":"2020-06-19 14:07:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242134","name":"AG and EB.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/AG%20and%20EB.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/AG%20and%20EB.png","mime":"image\/png","size":24783,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/AG%20and%20EB.png?itok=Xn9upsMI"}}},"media_ids":["636348"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EColly Mitchell\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636302":{"#nid":"636302","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Biomedical Engineering Faculty Battling Against Covid-19","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENumerous faculty members in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University have actively assisted or transformed their research focus to help battle against the global Covid-19 pandemic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor \u003Cstrong\u003EScott Hollister\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/strong\u003E lab (Center for 3D Medical Fabrication) joined with Dr. Ian Wong, Dr. Jenny Han, Dr. Greg Martin and Dr. Colin Swenson with Emory\u0026rsquo;s Pulmonary\/Critical Care service at Grady Memorial Hospital to 3D print multiple replacement parts for a BPAP breathing circuit for Covid-19 respiratory care. These parts were re-designed to accommodate multiple use, re-sanitizing, and adaptability to the BPAP breathing circuit\u0026mdash;they are being evaluated for clinical use.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESusan Margulies\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor and chair of the Coulter Department, assisted with the creation of a simple, low-cost ventilator based on the resuscitation bags carried in ambulances \u0026ndash; and widely available in hospitals. A small batch of the devices were assembled for bench testing and shared with Georgia hospitals for evaluation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor and Robert A. Milton Chair in the Coulter Department, and his \u0026nbsp;research team received NIH funding to screen and evaluate certain molecules known as adjuvants that may improve the ability of coronavirus vaccines to stimulate the immune system and generate appropriate responses necessary to protect the general population against the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The adjuvants that we are studying, known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), are molecules often found in viruses and bacteria, and can efficiently stimulate our immune system,\u0026rdquo; explained Roy. \u0026ldquo;Most viruses have several of these molecules in them, and we are trying to mimic that multi-adjuvant structure.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdjuvants are used with some vaccines to help them create stronger protective immune responses in people receiving the vaccine. His research team will screen a library of various adjuvant combinations to quickly identify those that may be most useful to enhance the effects of both protein- and RNA-based coronavirus vaccines under development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/strong\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor who also holds the J. Erskine Love Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering, is studying the interactions of the spike (S) protein on the SARS-COV-2 surface with ACE2, the cell surface receptor the coronavirus targets for viral entry into host cells. His lab is performing biophysical measurements to characterize the in situ binding kinetics and affinity on the cell surface. He is collaborating with a team of Emory researchers led by Dr. Guido Silvestri, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, who is providing reagents for the experiments.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nProfessor \u003Cstrong\u003EPhilip Santangelo\u003C\/strong\u003E is leading a team that includes \u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E, an assistant professor in the Coulter Department. Together, this Coulter biomedical engineering team with a strong background in DNA and RNA research, is developing RNA-based drugs with the goal of treating Covid-19.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEdward Botchwey\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, is conducting research that will contribute to the critical science of infectious disease prevention. One aspect of his study will visualize virus and bacteria structural changes on aligned carbon nano tube (CNT) surface(s), verifying the ability of the surface to render pathogens inactive. Another aspect in his research will be the first study of silver (Ag) nanoparticles grafted on aligned CNT forests as a passive contact virucidal. His research will contribute to efforts to understand the synergistic effect of combining mechanical antiviral mechanism(s) of aligned CNT arrays and the role of CNTs enhancing the surface area and dispersion of Ag nanoparticles to optimize the effectiveness.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EManu Platt\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, is exploring the Covid-19 virus at the cellular level. According to Platt, \u0026ldquo;there are many remaining questions about how the virus enters cells. It actually uses enzymes called proteases produced by human cells that are able to cut the spike protein on the virus surface, once it is cut, the virus is then able to fuse with human cells.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile investigators are targeting a few known enzymes capable of doing this activation step, the Platt lab is taking an unbiased approach to identify multiple other proteases that are able to activate this viral spike protein using bioinformatics analyses based on the protein sequence, and then will validate those predictions experimentally. \u0026ldquo;Many of these enzymes are also overexpressed in diseases that are preconditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, that increase the risk of Covid-19 death, so this work will also provide clues as to why these patients are especially vulnerable,\u0026rdquo; said Platt. \u0026ldquo;This research effort has involved undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs in our lab.\u0026rdquo;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EAnnabelle Singer\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, is testing whether her lab\u0026rsquo;s recently developed innovative approach to manipulate brain cytokines reduces neuroinflammation from systemic infections including in animal models of Covid-19.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;About ten percent of Covid-19 patients have severe neurological complications, like seizure or stroke, which can lead to death or long-lasting disability, and these neurological problems are hypothesized to result from cytokines in the nervous system,\u0026rdquo; said Singer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe first therapeutics for Covid-19, such as antiviral or immune suppression therapies, are unlikely to cross the blood brain barrier to treat neurological effects of Covid-19 (e.g. Remdesivir or Tocilizumab). Thus, there is an unmet need to treat the effects of Covid-19 infection in the nervous system. Her research has previously shown that specific patterns of sensory stimulation rapidly activate or suppress cytokines in the brain and her team will determine if this approach is useful to treat neurological complications of Covid-19.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAssistant professor \u003Cstrong\u003EAniruddh Sarkar\u003C\/strong\u003E stated, \u0026ldquo;current worldwide challenges in scaling Covid-19 diagnosis underscore the need for developing inexpensive point-of-care diagnostic tools for infectious diseases. The heterogeneity of the disease \u0026ndash; a large number of mild or asymptomatic cases coupled with the relatively rapid degradation in symptoms in some patients \u0026ndash; pose a challenge for the healthcare system and emphasize the need for developing predictive biomarkers of disease severity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Sarkar lab is harnessing microscale technology to solve these challenges by developing devices for high-throughput discovery and inexpensive electronic detection of biomarkers for Covid-19. His research work is being done with collaborators at Emory University and at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003ERapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn April, it was announced that Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, and the Georgia Institute of Technology were selected to lead the national effort in Covid-19 testing validation through the Atlanta Center for Microsystems Engineered Point-of-Care Technologies (ACME POCT). All are participants in the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program. RADx is a federal initiative designed to rapidly transform early, innovative technologies into widely accessible Covid-19 diagnostic testing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nACME POCT will use a $31 million supplement provided to the three institutions from the National Institutes of Health to lead testing validation and work closely with partners across the country. The goal of the project is to make millions of accurate and easy-to-use tests per week available by the end of summer 2020 and in time for flu season. \u003Cstrong\u003EWilbur Lam\u003C\/strong\u003E, M.D. and associate professor in the Coulter Department, is one of the three principal investigators leading ACME POCT. Lam and his team will lead testing validation for the NIH as they urgently solicit SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests that will assist the public\u0026rsquo;s safe return to normal activities.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECovid-19 BME Seed Grant Awardees\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Coulter Biomedical Engineering Department also awarded four seed grants in April for BME faculty doing COVID-related research to help advance their efforts: \u003Cstrong\u003EGabe Kwong\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Cstrong\u003EShuichi Takayama\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Cstrong\u003ECassie Mitchell\u003C\/strong\u003E, and \u003Cstrong\u003EFrank Hammond\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKwong\u003C\/strong\u003E, an associate professor, is pursuing paper tests for rapid SARS-CoV-2 detection. According to Kwong, \u0026ldquo;the lack of rapid testing for SARS-CoV-2 has significantly impeded efforts to track the virus and contain its spread.\u0026rdquo; Currently, a diagnosis is performed by collecting a patient sample followed by quantitative PCR analysis at a certified CLIA laboratory. (Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used to \u0026quot;amplify\u0026quot; small segments of DNA. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) establishes quality standards for laboratory testing).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nKwong said, \u0026ldquo;the PCR process can take several days to return results, which remains a challenge as 40-50% of cases may be attributable to spread by presymptomatic people.\u0026rdquo; His lab is developing a rapid antigen test where CoV-2 signals are amplified without the need for PCR, and test results are read using a paper test strip similar to a home pregnancy test within one hour. If successful, his approach will provide a low-cost and scalable paper test to markedly increase current abilities to test large segments of the population for SARS-CoV-2.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETakayama\u003C\/strong\u003E, a professor, believes the quickest path to an anti-Covid-19 drug is using an existing FDA-approved therapy. His lab is working to narrow the pool to a few promising candidates for clinical trials, and says we need rapid, high-throughput screening in cell culture models that replicate conditions in infected lung tissue. \u0026ldquo;Our high throughout, 96-well lung model helps screen therapeutics that interrupt mechanisms of inflammation and disease that contribute to Covid-19 morbidity and mortality,\u0026rdquo; said Takayama. His project is still in its early phases and is a collaboration with Emory School of Medicine and other Emory University researchers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMitchell\u003C\/strong\u003E, an assistant professor, runs the Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics at Georgia Tech, which is using its novel and nationally recognized machine learning platforms to text mine millions of peer-reviewed scientific articles with the goal of identifying hidden patterns relevant to Covid-19. \u0026ldquo;Information and relationships mined from articles are constructed into a \u0026lsquo;knowledge graph\u0026rsquo; or network that links symptoms, drugs, antecedent diseases, genes, proteins, and much more, to Covid-19 or similar coronaviruses,\u0026rdquo; said Mitchell. \u0026ldquo;Relationships with coronavirus are quantitatively ranked to find the most promising research avenues, with the intent of expediting successful translational research.\u0026rdquo; Her current project phase focuses on ranking the most promising repurposed drugs for Covid-19 and identifying a list of collective factors that best define patient Covid-19 risk categories.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAssistant Professor \u003Cstrong\u003EHammond\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/strong\u003E Covid-related project is titled \u0026ldquo;Soft Pneumatic Vest for Trans-Thoracic Manipulation of Ventilation\/Perfusion (VQ).\u0026rdquo; The objective of his project is to develop a wearable, low-cost device for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndromes (ARDS) caused by Covid-19.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe proposed vest works by applying localized pressures to the chest and back to simulate \u0026quot;proning\u0026quot; \u0026ndash; a process used in pulmonary function assessments, where ARDS patients are flipped onto their chests to redistribute blood to uninflamed regions of the lungs where oxygen is more efficiently uptaken, increasing their ventilation and potentially improving patient outcomes. The simulated proning enabled by this device will eliminate hours of clinical staff effort normally required for conventional proning while reducing the risk of adverse cardiac events induced by the physical stress.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearchers across the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University will continue to explore solutions to battle the Covid-19 pandemic and are making every effort to keep their research teams operating efficiently and safely.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Fifteen Petit Institute faculty members recently joined the fight against the virus"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2020-06-17 19:12:29","changed_gmt":"2020-06-17 19:43:22","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636297":{"id":"636297","type":"image","title":"Professor Philip Santangelo\u00a0(BME) and his Covid-19-focused lab team convene inside the\u00a0Krone Engineered Biosystems Building.","body":null,"created":"1592411485","gmt_created":"2020-06-17 16:31:25","changed":"1592411485","gmt_changed":"2020-06-17 16:31:25","alt":"Professor Philip Santangelo\u00a0(BME) and his Covid-19-focused lab team convene inside the\u00a0Krone Engineered Biosystems Building.","file":{"fid":"242115","name":"20C10006-P1-036-Web Use - 1,000px.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/20C10006-P1-036-Web%20Use%20-%201%2C000px.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/20C10006-P1-036-Web%20Use%20-%201%2C000px.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":290866,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/20C10006-P1-036-Web%20Use%20-%201%2C000px.jpg?itok=rtRVKoUL"}}},"media_ids":["636297"],"groups":[],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636124":{"#nid":"636124","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Characterizing Ribonucleotides in DNA","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERibonucleotides, units of RNA that can become rooted in DNA during processes such as replication and repair, generally are associated with genomic instability, an increase in mutations, and DNA fragility.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have been aware of the abundance of ribonucleotides for about a decade, and the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.storicilab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EFrancesca Storici\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology has been at the forefront, researching the relationship between RNA and DNA in genome stability and instability, and DNA modification.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There is much that is unknown about the phenomenon of ribonucleotides in DNA, andit needs to be uncovered,\u0026rdquo; says Storici, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and a researcher in the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, where her lab\u0026rsquo;s previous studies have led to the development of new-age tools and techniques, to collect and analyze data and answer some of the questions surrounding ribonucleotides.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s important to establish a framework for better directing future studies to uncover physiological roles of ribonucleotides in DNA,\u0026rdquo; she says. And that\u0026rsquo;s exactly what she and her colleagues have done in their latest \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-16152-5\u0022\u003Eresearch paper\u003C\/a\u003E, \u0026ldquo;Ribonucleotide incorporation in yeast genomic DNA shows preference for cytosine and guanosine preceded by deoxyadenosine,\u0026rdquo; published recently in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENamely, they use the tools and techniques they\u0026rsquo;ve developed over the past few years to characterize sites of ribonucleotide incorporation in DNA, demonstrating clearly that ribonucleotides in yeast DNA are not randomly distributed but show preferences for being incorporated in specific DNA sequence contexts. \u0026ldquo;We specifically reveal a bias for ribonucleotide incorporation both in yeast mitochondrial and nuclear DNA,\u0026rdquo; Storici says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a previous study published in January 2015, the lab introduced \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/01\/26\/ribose-seq-identifies-and-locates-ribonucleotides-genomic-dna\u0022\u003Eribose-seq\u003C\/a\u003E, a high-throughput sequencing technique that allows researchers to establish a full profile of ribonucleotides embedded in genomic DNA, generating large, complex data sets. In late 2018, the lab published its work on a new bioinformatics toolkit called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/building-better-map\u0022\u003ERibose-Map\u003C\/a\u003E, which effectively and efficiently transforms the massive amounts of raw sequencing data obtained from the ribose-seq process into summary datasets and publication-ready results.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor their latest work described in \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, the team deployed ribose-seq to generate the data and Ribose-Map to analyze it, identifying sites of ribonucleotides in yeast DNA and explore their genome-wide distribution. Consequently, the paper\u0026rsquo;s four co-lead authors included Sathya Balachander (part of the ribose-seq development team and co-author of that paper, now licensing associate for the Bill Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship\/University of Alabama-Birmingham) and Alli Gombolay (lead author of the Ribose-Map study).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EContributing equally as co-lead authors of the new research were Taehwan Yang and Penghao Xu, who, like Gombolay, are Ph.D. students in Storici\u0026rsquo;s lab (where Balachander was a Ph.D. student and postdoctoral researcher).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team studied three different yeast species and detected a number of similar patterns. In all three species, the deoxyribonucleotide that is immediately upstream of the ribonucleotide was shown to have the greatest impact on the incorporation of ribonucleotides in DNA. \u0026ldquo;This rule was not clear before,\u0026rdquo; Storici says. \u0026ldquo;The study also highlights hotspots of ribonucleotides in DNA sequences containing di- and tri-nucleotide repeats, showing that specific sequence contexts have higher likelihood of ribonucleotide incorporation in DNA. This might be associated with ribonucleotide physiological\/pathological functions that are yet to be discovered.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe lab is now working toward better understanding of how cells control and benefit from ribonucleotide incorporation in DNA by uncovering the patterns and hotspots of incorporation in yeast cells of different genotypes, as well as cells from other species and organisms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Now we are interested to see if the rule that we have discovered for yeast applies to other cell types beyond yeast, like human cells for example, and to what extent,\u0026rdquo; says Storici. \u0026ldquo;As long term goal, we aim to determine whether there is a sort of language of ribonucleotide incorporation that cells utilize for regulating different cell metabolic functions.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIn addition to those mentioned, other authors of this multi-institutional study were Fredrik Vannberg (former professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech and former Petit Institute researcher), Gary Newnam (manager of the Storici Lab), Anton Bryksin (director of the Petit Institute\u0026rsquo;s Molecular Evolution Core), Havva Keskin (former Storici grad student, now a researcher with Omega Bio-tek), Kyung Duk Koh (former member of Storici lab, now a researcher at the University of California-San Francisco),\u0026nbsp; Waleed M. M. El-Sayed (former visiting scholar in the Storici\u0026rsquo;s lab, now researcher at the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Egypt), and Sijia Tao, Nicole Bowen, Raymond Schinazi, and Baek Kim from the Emory School of Medicine\u0026rsquo;s Department of Pediatrics.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Researchers utilize tools and techniques developed in Storici lab to unravel new features of genomic DNA"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers utilize tools and techniques developed in Storici lab to unravel new features of genomic DNA\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers utilize tools and techniques developed in Storici lab to unravel new features of genomic DNA"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-06-10 13:05:16","changed_gmt":"2020-06-16 00:41:05","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636153":{"id":"636153","type":"image","title":"Francesca Storici, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and a researcher in the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1591843191","gmt_created":"2020-06-11 02:39:51","changed":"1591843191","gmt_changed":"2020-06-11 02:39:51","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242052","name":"francesca.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/francesca_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/francesca_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":548476,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/francesca_0.jpg?itok=fB4Mxfw8"}},"636122":{"id":"636122","type":"image","title":"Sathya Balachander and Alli Gombolay","body":null,"created":"1591793788","gmt_created":"2020-06-10 12:56:28","changed":"1591797972","gmt_changed":"2020-06-10 14:06:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242042","name":"sat and alli.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sat%20and%20alli.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sat%20and%20alli.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":185995,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sat%20and%20alli.jpg?itok=0jrgSSaq"}},"636123":{"id":"636123","type":"image","title":"Francesca Storici","body":null,"created":"1591793848","gmt_created":"2020-06-10 12:57:28","changed":"1591798010","gmt_changed":"2020-06-10 14:06:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242043","name":"francesca.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/francesca.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/francesca.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2335872,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/francesca.jpg?itok=CQxFrgaa"}},"636255":{"id":"636255","type":"image","title":"Penghao Xu and Taehwan Yang","body":null,"created":"1592268040","gmt_created":"2020-06-16 00:40:40","changed":"1592268040","gmt_changed":"2020-06-16 00:40:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242097","name":"Penghao and Taehwan.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Penghao%20and%20Taehwan.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Penghao%20and%20Taehwan.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1158692,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Penghao%20and%20Taehwan.jpg?itok=c7HPU036"}}},"media_ids":["636153","636122","636123","636255"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636027":{"#nid":"636027","#data":{"type":"news","title":"James Dahlman Wins Gene Delivery and Gene Editing Focus Group Young Investigator Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, received the Gene Delivery and Gene Editing Focus Group (GDGE) Young Investigator Award given by the Controlled Release Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is his second gene-related new investigator award in 2020 as he previously won the Outstanding New Investigator Award given by the American Society of Gene \u0026amp; Cell Therapy (ASGCT) earlier this year. He is also the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Early Career Research 2020 award given by the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDahlman\u0026#39;s laboratory works at the interface of drug delivery and genomics by applying \u0026quot;big data\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;technology development\u0026quot; approaches to nanomedicine. Dahlman and his students have developed DNA barcoded nanoparticles to measure how hundreds of nanoparticles deliver mRNA and siRNA in multiple cell types in vivo, all from a single animal. Since late 2016, the lab has used this approach to quantify more than 4,500 nanoparticles in vivo, thereby identifying nanoparticles that target new cell types without ligands. His lab hopes to apply systems biology approaches to nanomedicine, in order to improve the efficacy of gene therapies and identify genes acting as master regulators of nanoparticle delivery in vivo.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDahlman explained that using DNA barcodes allows researchers to overcome what had been a laborious and time-consuming process. Now hundreds of different nanoparticle types can be tested at once to see which are more effective to safely deliver drugs. His research has spawned the creation of a new company called GuideRX.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Gene Delivery and Gene Editing Focus Group in CRS:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Gene Delivery and Gene Editing Focus Group (GDGE) focuses on creating a better fundamental understanding of the barriers of gene delivery and editing, designing improved carriers, and realizing opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Relevant topics include nucleic acid-based approaches for generating therapeutic proteins (e.g. mRNA, pDNA), eliminating disease-causing proteins (e.g. SiRNA, miRNA, ASOs), and precisely editing the genome (e.g. CRISPR\/Cas, TALENs, ZFNs).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Controlled Release Society:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Controlled Release Society (CRS) is a not-for-profit organization devoted to the science and technology of controlled release. The field of controlled release encompasses scientific and technical efforts to regulate the spatial and temporal effects of agents in diverse areas including human and animal health as well as non-pharmaceutical areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWalter Rich\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Award from the Controlled Release Society was based on his excellent research in genomics and drug delivery"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-06-08 18:02:18","changed_gmt":"2020-06-09 15:07:16","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636026":{"id":"636026","type":"image","title":"James Dahlman, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","body":null,"created":"1591639252","gmt_created":"2020-06-08 18:00:52","changed":"1591639252","gmt_changed":"2020-06-08 18:00:52","alt":"James Dahlman, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","file":{"fid":"242016","name":"Web-Dahlman-180416R137-DEV.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Web-Dahlman-180416R137-DEV.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Web-Dahlman-180416R137-DEV.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":433246,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Web-Dahlman-180416R137-DEV.jpg?itok=hpWyjgIb"}}},"media_ids":["636026"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636080":{"#nid":"636080","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Coskun and Sarker Awarded Bernie Marcus Early Career Professorships","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.coskunlab.org\/\u0022\u003EAhmet Coskun\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E and \u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.micronanobio.org\/\u0022\u003EAniruddh Sarkar\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professors in the Wallace Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, have both been awarded the Bernie Marcus Early Career Professorship.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEstablished in 2019 to celebrate Home Depot co-founder Marcus on his 90\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E birthday, the professorship supports faculty that have been recruited to support Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization, providing invaluable discretionary funding to advance their research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m very grateful to Bernie Marcus for creating this professorship. It will support our research in the development of cutting-edge, single-cell analysis technologies that can rapidly characterize therapeutic cells for personalized and efficient biomanufacturing solutions,\u0026rdquo; says Coskun a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;His generous and continuous support will strengthen the long-lasting impact of the Marcus Center,\u0026rdquo; Coskun added. \u0026ldquo;I am deeply grateful for being included in these emerging visions for cell-based therapies to greatly improve human health.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESarker, who is also a Petit Institute researcher, runs a curiosity and creativity driven lab where multidisciplinary engineers exploit microscale and nanoscale physical phenomena, devices, and electronics to develop technology for precision biology and medicine, working closely with clinicians and biologists to develop technology to make high-quality healthcare more accessible and affordable across the globe.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m honored and thankful to receive the Bernie Marcus Early Career Professorship,\u0026rdquo; Sarkar says. \u0026ldquo;This award will be especially valuable for me and my research group as we develop and grow as a new lab here at Georgia Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Coulter Department\/Petit Institute faculty win support to advance research impacting human health"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECoulter Department\/Petit Institute faculty win support to advance research impacting human health\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Coulter Department\/Petit Institute faculty win support to advance research impacting human health"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-06-09 15:05:59","changed_gmt":"2020-06-09 15:05:59","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636079":{"id":"636079","type":"image","title":"Coskun and Sarkar","body":null,"created":"1591714843","gmt_created":"2020-06-09 15:00:43","changed":"1591714843","gmt_changed":"2020-06-09 15:00:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242026","name":"Coskun Sarkar.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun%20Sarkar.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Coskun%20Sarkar.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":374811,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Coskun%20Sarkar.jpg?itok=I_louNIZ"}}},"media_ids":["636079"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"636014":{"#nid":"636014","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Peng Qiu Wins NIH Grant","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPeng Qiu, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory and a member of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, will receive a new source of funding from the National Institutes of Health to support his research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EQiu has won an NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grant that will provide $275,000 over two years to fund development of algorithms and software solutions for automated flow cytometry analysis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I think the developments proposed in this project have commercialization potential,\u0026rdquo; says Qiu, whose lab\u0026rsquo;s focus is on machine learning and bioinformatics with the overarching goal of developing novel computational methods for advancing biological discoveries. \u0026ldquo;Overall, I\u0026rsquo;m pretty excited about it.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME\/Petit Institute investigator\u2019s two-year award will support flow cytometry analysis research"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME\/Petit Institute investigator\u0026rsquo;s two-year award will support flow cytometry analysis research\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME\/Petit Institute investigator\u2019s two-year award will support flow cytometry analysis research"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-06-08 14:52:22","changed_gmt":"2020-06-08 14:52:22","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"587328":{"id":"587328","type":"image","title":"Peng Qiu, Ph.D.","body":null,"created":"1487009029","gmt_created":"2017-02-13 18:03:49","changed":"1487009029","gmt_changed":"2017-02-13 18:03:49","alt":"Peng Qiu, Ph.D.","file":{"fid":"223836","name":"Peng_Qiu_hi-res-smaller.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Peng_Qiu_hi-res-smaller.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Peng_Qiu_hi-res-smaller.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1624270,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Peng_Qiu_hi-res-smaller.jpg?itok=IIJ-khLg"}}},"media_ids":["587328"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"635883":{"#nid":"635883","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Shows Hydroxychloroquine\u0027s Harmful Effects on Heart Rhythm","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which has been promoted as a potential treatment for Covid-19, is known to have potentially serious effects on heart rhythms. Now, a team of researchers has used an optical mapping system to observe exactly how the drug creates serious disturbances in the electrical signals that govern heartbeat.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research, reported May 29 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EHeart Rhythm\u003C\/em\u003E, found that the drug made it \u0026ldquo;surprisingly easy\u0026rdquo; to trigger worrisome arrhythmias in two types of animal hearts by altering the timing of the electrical waves that control heartbeat. While the findings of animal studies can\u0026rsquo;t necessarily be generalized to humans, the videos created by the research team clearly show how the drug can cause cardiac electrical signals to become dysfunctional.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have illustrated experimentally how the drug actually changes the waves in the heart, and how that can initiate an arrhythmia,\u0026rdquo; said Flavio Fenton, a professor in the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience,\u0026nbsp;and the paper\u0026rsquo;s corresponding author. \u0026ldquo;We have demonstrated that with optical mapping, which allows us to see exactly how the waveform is changing. This gives us a visual demonstration of how the drug can alter the wave propagation in the heart.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat the team saw was an elongation of the T wave, a portion of the heart cycle during which voltages normally dissipate in preparation for the next beat. By extending the QT portion of one wave cycle, the drug sets the stage for disturbances in the next wave, potentially creating an arrhythmia. Such disturbances can transition to fibrillation that interferes with the heart\u0026rsquo;s ability to pump.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe ability to easily trigger disturbances known as \u0026ldquo;long QT\u0026rdquo; reinforces cautions about using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in humans \u0026ndash; particularly in those who may have heart damage from Covid-19, cautioned Dr. Shahriar Iravanian, a co-author of the paper and a cardiologist in the Division of Cardiology, Section of Electrophysiology, at Emory University Hospital.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The hearts used in the study are small and very resistant to this form of arrhythmia,\u0026rdquo; Iravanian said. \u0026ldquo;If we had not seen any HCQ-induced arrhythmias in this model, the results would not have been reassuring. However, in reality, we observed that HCQ readily induced arrhythmia in those hearts. This finding is very concerning and, in combination with the clinical reports of sudden death and arrhythmia in Covid-19 patients taking HCQ, suggests that the drug should be considered a potentially harmful medication and its use in Covid-19 patients be restricted to clinical trial settings.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech postdoctoral fellow Ilija Uzelac administered HCQ to the animal hearts \u0026ndash; one from a guinea pig and one from a rabbit \u0026ndash; while quantifying wave patterns changing across the hearts using a high-powered, LED-based optical mapping system. Voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes made the electrical waves visible as they moved across the surface of the hearts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The effect of the arrhythmia and the long QT was quite obvious,\u0026rdquo; said Uzelac. \u0026ldquo;HCQ shifts the wavelengths to larger values, and when we quantified the dispersion of the electrical current in portions of the heart, we saw the extension of the voltage across the tissue. The change was very dramatic comparing the waveforms in the heart with and without the HCQ.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe drug concentration used in the study was at the high end of what\u0026rsquo;s being recommended for humans. HCQ normally takes a few days to accumulate in the body, so the researchers used a higher initial dose to simulate the drug\u0026rsquo;s effect over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a normal heartbeat, an electrical wave is generated in specialized cells of a heart\u0026rsquo;s right atrium. The wave propagates through the entire atria and then to the ventricles. As the wave moves through the heart, the electrical potential created causes calcium ions to be released, which stimulates contraction of the heart muscle in a coordinated pattern.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDrugs such as HCQ modify the properties of these ion channels and inhibit the flow of potassium currents, which prolongs the length of the electrical waves and creates spatial variations in their properties. Ultimately, that can lead to the development of dangerously rapid and dysfunctional heart rhythms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The wavelength becomes less homogeneous and that affects the propagation of additional waves, producing sections of the heart where the waves do not propagate well,\u0026rdquo; Fenton said. \u0026ldquo;In the worst case, there are multiple waves going in different directions. Every section of the heart is contracting at a different time, so the heart is just quivering. At that point, it can no longer pump blood throughout the body.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPatients taking HCQ for diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis rarely suffer from arrythmia because the doses they take are smaller than those being recommended for Covid-19 patients, Iravanian said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Covid-19 patients are different and are at a much higher risk of HCQ-induced arrhythmia,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Not only is the proposed dose of HCQ for Covid-19 patients two to three times the usual dose, but Covid-19 has effects on the heart and lowers potassium levels, further increasing the risk of arrythmias.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFenton and his colleagues have already begun a new study to evaluate the effects of HCQ with the antibiotic azithromycin, which has been suggested as a companion treatment. Azithromycin can also cause the long QT effect, potentially increasing the impact on Covid-19 patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, was also coauthored by Dr. Hiroshi Ashikaga from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Dr. Neal Bathia from the Division of Cardiology, Section of Electrophysiology at Emory University Hospital; Conner Herndon, Abouzar Kaboudian, and James C. Gumbart from the Georgia Tech School of Physics, and Elizabeth Cherry from the Georgia Tech School of Computational Science and Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R01HL143450-01 and the National Science Foundation under grant \u003C\/em\u003E1446675. \u003Cem\u003EThe content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which has been promoted as a potential treatment for Covid-19, is known to have potentially serious effects on heart rhythms. Now, a team of researchers has used an optical mapping system to observe exactly how the drug creates serious disturbances in the electrical signals that govern heartbeat.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Drug creates serious disturbances in the electrical signals that govern heartbeat."}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2020-06-02 02:58:44","changed_gmt":"2020-06-02 20:47:25","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635867":{"id":"635867","type":"image","title":"Observing Electrical Waves","body":null,"created":"1591035926","gmt_created":"2020-06-01 18:25:26","changed":"1591046230","gmt_changed":"2020-06-01 21:17:10","alt":"Electrical wave pattern on heart","file":{"fid":"241938","name":"heart-two-images.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heart-two-images.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heart-two-images.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":340869,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/heart-two-images.jpg?itok=nWbeTJ3_"}},"635876":{"id":"635876","type":"image","title":"Hydroxycholoquine Image","body":null,"created":"1591042282","gmt_created":"2020-06-01 20:11:22","changed":"1591046214","gmt_changed":"2020-06-01 21:16:54","alt":"Hydroxychloroquine Image","file":{"fid":"241944","name":"hydroxycholoquine-image.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hydroxycholoquine-image.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hydroxycholoquine-image.png","mime":"image\/png","size":989384,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/hydroxycholoquine-image.png?itok=JHyRrGwV"}}},"media_ids":["635867","635876"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"184990","name":"Hydroxychloroquine"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"635740":{"#nid":"635740","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NSF I-Corps Expanding Mindsets","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe way Emily Jackson-Holmes sees it, her recent National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/news\/special_reports\/i-corps\/\u0022\u003ENSF I-Corps\u003C\/a\u003E) experience was the classic win-win situation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe became interested in the commercialization potential of her research while working toward her Ph.D. in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.lulab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EHang Lu\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in both the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I saw myself going into industry, but a few years ago I got interested in commercializing this technology in our lab, so it\u0026rsquo;s been all about entrepreneurship lately,\u0026rdquo; Jackson-Holmes, now a postdoctoral fellow in the Lu lab, said earlier this spring as her I-Corps Teams Program cohort was nearing the last few weeks of its seven-week course.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Through my time in I-Corps, I\u0026rsquo;ve gotten increasingly excited about the possibility of starting a small company,\u0026rdquo; she added. \u0026ldquo;The worst case scenario is, even if we don\u0026rsquo;t start a company, in my mind, I will have learned a lot of invaluable lessons that will serve me well as I go into industry.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor researchers like Jackson-Holmes, the I-Corps program has become a boot camp in the campaign to commercialize useful medical technology and bring it to the people who need it most \u0026ndash; clinicians and patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECreated by the NSF in 2011, the program exists to reduce the time and risk associated with translating promising ideas and technology from labs to the marketplace, using real-world experiential learning to around the notions of customer and industry discovery, combined with an immersive investigation of industrial processes. The goal is to quickly assess the translational potential of new technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe bonus of this kind of fast-track experience, particularly in the I-Corps Teams program (like the one Jackson-Holmes completed over the winter and spring earlier this year), is that it gives participants a dose of pragmatic clarity as they consider their options.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s the beauty of this program,\u0026rdquo; said Cynthia Sundell, principal with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/venturelab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EVentureLab\u003C\/a\u003E and director of life science industry collaborations at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;Anyone who is contemplating being an entrepreneur or doing a start-up is, after six or seven weeks, ready to make a go or no-go decision about whether or not they want to put in the significant effort and risk it will take.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEither way you look at it \u0026ndash; go or no go \u0026ndash; the I-Corps real-world curriculum is designed to change or expand the mindsets of would-be research entrepreneurs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKeith McGreggor, executive director of VentureLab, is also lead instructor and founding executive director of I-Corps South, headquartered at Georgia Tech. He estimates that he\u0026rsquo;s taught between 20 to 25 percent of the 1,800 teams from across the country (including more than 70 from Georgia Tech) that have taken part in regional-based courses. He noted, \u0026ldquo;When someone goes through the I-Corps process, they come back thinking critically in a different way about their own research intent.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter NSF launched I-Corps in 2011, Georgia Tech became one of the program\u0026rsquo;s original nodes, a collaborative of universities responsible for delivering a standardized curriculum across the region, and providing the tools, support, and resources needed by other institutions seeking to create and maintain their own entrepreneurship programs. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/icorpssouth.com\/\u0022\u003EI-Corps South\u003C\/a\u003E node based at Georgia Tech includes the University Alabama-Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama-Birmingham, and University of Tennessee. Together they serve sites throughout the 10-state Southern region.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve got a long, robust history, and we\u0026rsquo;re in the process of a $15 million proposal that would solidify our hub for the next five years,\u0026rdquo; said McGreggor, also an instructor with Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Create-X program, which teaches entrepreneurial skills to students (mostly undergraduates) through experiential learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re in engaged in a large effort at Georgia Tech,\u0026rdquo; McGreggor said. \u0026ldquo;Everything we do in I-Corps permeates the entrepreneurial activity on campus.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMeeting the Need\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJenni Li, a former Petit Undergraduate Scholar who has been working in the Hang Lu lab for three years, was still a Georgia Tech underclassman when she founded her first company as part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/create-x.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECreate-X\u003C\/a\u003E program. \u0026ldquo;So when Emily asked me to join her I-Corps team, she thought my background would be perfect for the job,\u0026rdquo; said Li, who became the entrepreneur co-lead with Jackson-Holmes on a project they called CytoArray.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are three primary members, or positions, on an I-Corps team (whether participating in the national I-Corps Teams program, or a regional program like those administered through I-Corps South at Georgia Tech): the entrepreneurial lead, often a postdoctoral scholar or graduate student or, in Li\u0026rsquo;s case, an undergrad; a technical lead, which is usually a faculty member, senior research scientist, or postdoc with expertise in the core technology being considered for its commercial potential (for CytoArray, that\u0026rsquo;s Matt Crane, a research scientist and former grad student in the Lu lab); and a mentor, an experienced entrepreneur with experience transitioning technology from university labs to the marketplace, someone who can help the team navigate the business ecosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor this last role for, the team from Lu\u0026rsquo;s lab was lucky to land Harold Solomon. Like Sundell, he\u0026rsquo;s a principal at Venture Lab \u0026ndash; their offices are next door on the ground floor of the Petit Institute. This was his fourth I-Corps cohort, \u0026ldquo;but my first anywhere near drug development, which is kind of exciting,\u0026rdquo; said Solomon, who has become an avid promoter of the bioscience commercial potential coming from Petit Institute researchers and other labs across campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring last year\u0026rsquo;s I-Corps Teams winter cohort, the Petit Institute was represented by three teams of research-entrepreneurs in the national program:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Huxley Medical. Woon Hong Yeo, assistant professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and a Petit Institute researcher, was the technical lead; former Georgia Tech grad students Brett Klosterhoff and Brennan Torstrick were entrepreneurial leads; and medical technology entrepreneur Christopher Lee was the mentor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Cormatrix was led by technical lead\/principal investigator Fatih Sarioglu (Petit Institute researcher and assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering), entrepreneurial lead Ozgun Civelkoglu (graduate researcher at Georgia Tech) and mentor Jason Kim (director of osteoarthritis research programs for the Arthritis Foundation).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; PhasBio is the team that Sundell worked with as mentor. Entrepreneurial lead was Cameron Yamanishi, postdoctoral researcher in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/microfluidics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EShuichi Takayama\u003C\/a\u003E, the team\u0026rsquo;s technical lead, who is a Petit Institute researcher who is a professor in the Coulter Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese three teams (featured \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/myemail.constantcontact.com\/Weekly-Innovation-Update---Tech--Business-Development-Workshop--Pitch-Competition-with-Blake-Patton-and-more-.html?soid=1125861703819\u0026amp;aid=FE24JvIoXiQ\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E during a presentation for Petit Entrepreneurship Academy) went through the rigorous, approximately seven-week curriculum that begins with an in-person Kickoff, weekly online courses, an in-person Lessons Learned close-out session, and what has proven to be the most important aspect of the program, interviews. Many, many interviews. Team members see their frequent flyer miles soar as they travel the country to conduct at least 100 face-to-face interviews with potential customers and partners from the proposed target market(s).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe hard part is, the teams are not meeting potential clients to try and sell their ideas or their cool technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This can be a shock to the system for six weeks or so, because you can\u0026rsquo;t really talk about your tech to these customers \u0026ndash; we\u0026rsquo;re going to assume the technology is awesome by this point,\u0026rdquo; McGreggor said, noting that it\u0026rsquo;s a prerequisite for most teams that their technology or research had already received NSF funding. For teams whose work hasn\u0026rsquo;t been previously supported by NSF, there are shorter versions of the Teams curriculum, courses offered through sites like I-Corps South. PhasBio got into the national Teams program after completing one of those.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The idea isn\u0026rsquo;t to present your technology like a show and tell, but to become an expert in the people who care about your technology,\u0026rdquo; McGreggor said. \u0026ldquo;This is all about the customer \u0026ndash; who is going to use what you are making?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESolomon noted that while commercialization of promising technology is not a universal imperative for an academic setting, \u0026ldquo;it\u0026rsquo;s a growing wave. For example, how do you justify to Congress to allocate more research dollars? You show them economic output, commercial impact.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen considering her I-Corps training, Jenni Li quipped, \u0026ldquo;it\u0026rsquo;s about making hypotheses then disproving them, and finding your correct segment of the market.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETeams like PhasBio and CytoArray (and most of their peers in the Teams program) often learn to pivot away from their own preconceived ideas about their tech or research, discovering what customers are actually looking for.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What we realized is, even though we think our science is cool, there\u0026rsquo;s a difference between what is interesting stuff and what people will actually use or pay for,\u0026rdquo; noted Jackson-Holmes, whose team was working on a microfluidic tool. \u0026ldquo;Initially we thought our target market would be research and development scientists in the pharmaceutical companies \u0026ndash; applications close to the ways we already knew.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile doing their customer discovery, they realized they needed to change their target market. They shifted their focus from traditional immunotherapy to cell therapy companies, who need a better way to efficiently, automatically, and affordably test batches of cells. \u0026ldquo;That was our \u0026lsquo;aha moment,\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; Jackson-Holmes said. \u0026ldquo;Cell therapy companies had problems that our tech could really address and have an impact on. We knew we had tech that could provide more information about cells, which they want \u0026ndash; but they also value speed, automation, and ease of use.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow Jackson-Holmes and her colleagues plan to do additional customer discovery after leveraging the work they did through I-Corps to secure a seed grant from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003ENSF Center for Cellular Manufacturing and Technogy\u003C\/a\u003E (CMaT) at Georgia Tech, \u0026ldquo;to validate some proof-of-concept data that we need to generate in the lab,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd that\u0026rsquo;s another benefit to the I-Corps experience. It can open doors to other resources on the road to market.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EValue Added\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe PhasBio team shifted its focus before it ever embarked on its I-Corps Teams journey.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Cameron was initially exploring use of this fluidic technology for diagnosis,\u0026rdquo; said Takayama, who had tested the tech on gene delivery years earlier, \u0026ldquo;but not as an application of the technology, just showing the capability. Then an actual need came up.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn Emory researcher, Trent Spencer, leads a startup and a team of investigators trying to develop new cell therapies, so instead of developing the technology as a diagnostic tool for the clinic, the PhasBio team is focused on providing the tools that lead to a more affordable, efficient use of an expensive reagent in the gene delivery process. Spencer\u0026rsquo;s research team, said Yamanishi, \u0026ldquo;is the perfect case study for our potential customer.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe changing focus and the I-Corps experience, putting the team in front of more than 100 potential uses of the technology, has made all the difference. For one thing, it leads to other opportunities \u0026ndash; other funding sources. After PhasBio completed its winter 2019 I-Corps program, \u0026ldquo;they were invited to submit a proposal for funding from the Georgia Research Alliance,\u0026rdquo; Sundell said. \u0026ldquo;Organizations like GRA are requiring applicants to have experience in customer discovery or market research \u0026ndash; they want applicants that have gone through I-Corps.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team was also invited to submit a proposal to Biolocity, and has received additional funding for its project from CMaT, \u0026ldquo;because their project is sophisticated and they\u0026rsquo;ve been transformed by the I-Corps experience,\u0026rdquo; Sundell said. \u0026ldquo;They are much more able to give a cogent argument as to why their tech is important and what industry pain it solves. The industry community loves the way they are able to describe the technology and its utility.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a place Takayama knows pretty well. He was the technology lead in a previous I-Corps cohort and it\u0026rsquo;s led to two licenses and two startups, one device cleared by the FDA, one that may yet be. And it has changed the way Takayama thinks of his work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It used to be like, \u0026lsquo;oh we\u0026rsquo;ve got great technology, it must be needed in the world,\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;But no, you can have the coolest tech in the world, and even get to the point where it is a product cleared by the FDA, but what\u0026rsquo;s the point if there is no need. This time, knowing that you can go through all of this and still not be successful in the end, we worried less about the technology and more about the need, which seems very compelling.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Keith McGreggor, a veteran technology entrepreneur who has been spreading the tenets and lessons of the I-Corps model for years, it comes to a question of intention on the part of the entrepreneurial researcher: Do you want to create a business model, or engage in an expensive hobby? Of course, he\u0026rsquo;s trying to guide his students to the first option and has enjoyed watching the results, cohort by cohort, year by year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s a beautiful thing to make somebody go out and take an unvarnished look at the world and challenge their assumptions about how the world works,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;It causes them to look at problems differently \u0026ndash; not to change science or their research, but to see it in context of the greater good.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELINKS\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/news\/special_reports\/i-corps\/\u0022\u003ENSF I-Corps\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003ECMaT\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/create-x.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECreate-X\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/venturelab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EVenture Lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/events\/virtual-petit-entrepreneurship-academy-seminar-series\u0022\u003EPetit Entrepreneurship Academy\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers participate in entrepreneurial training to commercialize promising technology"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers participate in entrepreneurial training to commercialize promising technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers participate in entrepreneurial training to commercialize promising technology"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-05-28 13:12:18","changed_gmt":"2020-05-29 23:36:28","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-05-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-05-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635736":{"id":"635736","type":"image","title":"Emily and Jenni","body":null,"created":"1590669222","gmt_created":"2020-05-28 12:33:42","changed":"1590669222","gmt_changed":"2020-05-28 12:33:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241893","name":"I corps duo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/I%20corps%20duo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/I%20corps%20duo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4309398,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/I%20corps%20duo.jpg?itok=KOQCU53r"}},"635735":{"id":"635735","type":"image","title":"Takayama and Yamanishi","body":null,"created":"1590668504","gmt_created":"2020-05-28 12:21:44","changed":"1590668504","gmt_changed":"2020-05-28 12:21:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241892","name":"Shu and Cameron.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shu%20and%20Cameron.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shu%20and%20Cameron.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":607320,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Shu%20and%20Cameron.jpg?itok=bUTV2Xvm"}}},"media_ids":["635736","635735"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"635282":{"#nid":"635282","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Seventh Annual BioE Day is a Virtual Hit","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn May 2014, the students in the BioEngineering Graduate Program (BioE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology sought a way to build community, showcase science, and recognize the outstanding achievements of graduate researchers and principal investigators. So they invented BioE Day, and it became a spring tradition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EManaged by the BioEngineering Graduate Association (BGA), the event brought keynote speakers who are some of the top researchers in their fields. Also, students put their work on display in a poster session throughout the atrium of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, headquarters for BioE, or they gave live presentations of their research in front of a packed audience in the Suddath Room. And the day always culminated with an awards ceremony followed by fun and games, inside or outside, depending on the weather.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, thanks to a worldwide pandemic forcing social distancing practices (which means a mostly closed campus), the BGA employed a few new and necessary tricks to keep the tradition alive. The seventh annual BioE Day became the first virtual BioE Day, which basically included everything except for the poster session and frisbee on the quad. Ultimately, the event (May 5) was a welcome taste of normalcy for a sprawling program that has built a reputation as one of the top ranked of its kind in the nation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Throughout the year there are seminars and other events held by BioE to help create community, but none of these are ever as special as BioE Day,\u0026rdquo; said BGA President Bailey Hannon, a graduate researcher in the lab of Ross Ethier, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Virtual BioE Day was a way to still form a sense of community and enthusiasm that is desperately missed these past few months,\u0026rdquo; added Hannon, who was named winner of this year\u0026rsquo;s Christopher Ruffin Leadership Award. \u0026ldquo;I think now more than ever, BioE Day was super important, because when you\u0026rsquo;re sitting at home and not allowed to continue your research, it can be difficult to stay motivated and excited.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMore than 170 people took part in the event, sitting in their living rooms or home offices or wherever they\u0026rsquo;re doing their work these days, including Laurence Jacobs, associate dean in the College of Engineering, who offered a few words to the virtually gathered crowd. The schedule was dominated, as usual, by talks about science. They were delivered by current BioE Award winners. Leading off was ShuichiTakayama, professor in the Coulter Department (Outstanding Advisor), who offered his \u0026ldquo;Journey to Bioengineering.\u0026rdquo; Next up was Monica McNerney, who graduated from the BioE program last year and was the winner of the Outstanding Thesis Award. Her presentation was entitled \u0026ldquo;Biosensors for Field Deployable Diagnostics.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing the Rapid Fire Thesis competition, BioE alumnus Stephen Scwhaner talked about the pitfalls and solutions to finding a job. Musa Mahmood (Outstanding Paper) delivered a presentation called \u0026ldquo;Universal Brain-machine Interfaces Enabled by Flexible Scalp Electronics and Deep-learning,\u0026rdquo; followed by Camila Camargo (Outstanding Abstract) and her talk entitled \u0026ldquo;Adhesion Analysis to Interrogate Extravasation Capacity of CD8 T Cells for Adoptive Cell Therapy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EElio Challita (who shared Outstanding Abstract honors with Camargo) presented research with the enthralling title, \u0026ldquo;Insect Pee: How Sharpshooters Excrete Ultrafast Fluid Droplets.\u0026rdquo; Another graduate of the BioE program, Ivana Parker, closed the day\u0026rsquo;s talks with her presentation, \u0026ldquo;A Bioengineering Journey: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile all of this was going on, a group of faculty judges from the Coulter Department \u0026ndash; Felipe Quiroz, Aniruddh Sarkar, Ahmet Coskun \u0026ndash; made their selections for the Rapid Fire Thesis student awards: April Miguez, first place, $150 (principal investigator is Mark Styczynski, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering); Jeffrey Gau, second, $100 (P.I. is Simon Sponberg, School of Physics); Dan Zhang third, $100 (P.I. is Melissa Kemp, Coulter Department); Sri Krishna Sivakumar, fan favorite, $75 (P.I. is Prasad Dasi, Coulter Department).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Camargo (P.I. is Susan Thomas, School of Mechanical Engineering) and Challita (P.I. is Saad Bhamla, School of Chemical and Biolmolecular Engineering), Mighten Yip, from the lab of Craig Forest (Mechanical Engineering) was recognized with an award for Outstanding Abstract ($100).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the Ruffin Award winner, Hannon took home one of the most coveted prizes among BioE students, and it\u0026rsquo;s a reflection of her years of leadership within the program, during which she focused on a healthy work-life balance, \u0026ldquo;because when you are happier and more relaxed overall, retrying that failed experiment for the 102\u003Csup\u003End\u003C\/sup\u003E time seems a lot less daunting.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe added, \u0026ldquo;Winning the Ruffin Award was amazing because each year I\u0026rsquo;d see the winner of this award and think to myself, \u0026lsquo;of course, that was so well deserved, they did so much for the program.\u0026rsquo; And now that\u0026rsquo;s me! I\u0026rsquo;m incredibly thankful and in shock. It\u0026rsquo;s also bittersweet because it really means that I\u0026rsquo;m leaving the BioE program and all of the people that I\u0026rsquo;ll miss so much.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThough it was a shorter event and though the participants were separated, sometimes by many miles, the virtual edition of BioE Day was a big hit, according to Zhang, who is BGA vice president. \u0026ldquo;A lot of credit goes to our BioE Day chairs, Hannah Viola and Mighten Yip, who were instrumental in coordinating many of the logistics,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;BioE Day at its heart has always been driven by students, and they\u0026#39;ve really embodied a spirit of leadership and service in planning this event.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EZhang also called out Petit Institute staffers Colly Mitchell and Randy Johnson, \u0026ldquo;for all their help in taking care of technical considerations for a virtual event, and moderating the actual flow of events. And as always, Program Administrator Laura Paige is a key force behind anything and everything BioE-related.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Grad student leadership delivers new format for traditional spring celebration of science and community"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGrad student leadership delivers new format for traditional spring celebration of science and community\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Grad student leadership delivers new format for traditional spring celebration of science and community"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-05-12 13:21:23","changed_gmt":"2020-05-12 13:21:23","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-05-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-05-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635281":{"id":"635281","type":"image","title":"Manu and Laurence","body":null,"created":"1589289255","gmt_created":"2020-05-12 13:14:15","changed":"1589289255","gmt_changed":"2020-05-12 13:14:15","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241732","name":"screen shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen%20shot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screen%20shot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":31728,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/screen%20shot.jpg?itok=3v-8QPyq"}}},"media_ids":["635281"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"172056","name":"go-BioE"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"635030":{"#nid":"635030","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Improving Precision Oncology Using Multiplexed Bioimages and Artificial Intelligence","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECreating better personalized, precision cancer treatments that are designed around an individual\u0026rsquo;s functional molecular profile could help predict and deliver more effective treatments for individual patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAhmet Coskun\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and the director of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/singlecell.bme.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESingle Cell Biotechnology Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E, proposes using multiplexed imaging technologies combined with artificial intelligence to create richer data-driven (molecular) patient profiles at the single-cell level. His detailed explanation of using this approach in biomedical applications was recently published by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41698-020-0114-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Enpj Precision Oncology\u003C\/em\u003E on May 1, 2020\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA person\u0026rsquo;s unique molecular profile is compared against a library of other profiles. Each patient profile would be modeled using a variety of the latest imaging, diagnostic, and computational biomedical technologies and procedures used to examine the patient. Ultimately, better personalized treatments could be chosen based on additional multiplexed imaging data gathered from a patient and the increased knowledge accumulated from the application of artificial intelligence upon improved molecular profiles and past patient treatment responses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Today\u0026rsquo;s diagnostic practice relies on histology, a technique to study one biomarker at a time. However, our precision oncology approach visualizes and quantifies hundreds of disease-relevant molecular information in a single test that is routinely performed in a patient\u0026rsquo;s biopsy specimen,\u0026rdquo; said Coskun.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECoskun\u0026rsquo;s method involves using or not using a top-down and bottom-up approach that might be applied to several areas of study. One example includes the collection of single cell and subcellular data. Here, the top-down approach collects human tissue biopsies and studies an individual\u0026rsquo;s unique tumor characteristics from human tissue biopsies\u0026mdash;this also maintains the architecture and spatial distribution of tumor cells and the unique cellular environment around them.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe bottom-up approach generates reproducible data by programming the dynamics of cell-cell interactions on a simple experimental system that mimics the tumor microenvironment in controllable conditions such as cell cultures.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfterwards, multiplex imaging techniques can then be applied to both approaches to profile the detailed molecular characteristics of an individual. In the example above, the following technologies can help build that profile: immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, fluorescence in situ hybridization, multiplexed ion beam imaging, and imaging mass cytometry.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis paper provides additional examples and explanations where a top-down, bottom-up approach is more useful or less useful such as organs-on-chips. He states that organs-on-chips are superior to conventional bottom-up approaches as it recapitulates more features related to tissue architecture and multicellular interaction. Organ-on-chip can also benefit from the power of multiplexed imaging to visualize spatial maps of how cells are organized and to analyze the distribution of certain cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom molecular spatial-omics maps, and proteomic, genomic and metabolic profiles\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Egenerated by using the top-down, bottom-up, and other cell-based data collection methods, artificial intelligence can then categorize responder and non-responder patient groups to better predict individualized therapeutic treatments for patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our lab now applies this exciting precision oncology framework to lung and renal cancers in collaboration with clinicians at Emory University School of Medicine. While the current molecular profiling biotechnologies are benchtop and relatively complex to operate, we envision a printer-sized device that can profile spatially resolved multi-omics data in a clinician\u0026rsquo;s office with a simple user-interface to provide a personalized recommendation for cancer diagnosis and therapeutic planning,\u0026rdquo; said Coskun.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdditional authors of the paper include Mayar Allam and Shuangyi Cai who are graduate researchers in the lab of Ahmet Coskun.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhmet F. Coskun holds a Career Award at the Scientific Interface from Burroughs Wellcome Fund and National Institute of Health K25 Career Development Award (K25AI140783). Coskun\u0026rsquo;s lab was supported by start-up funds from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC-1648035 as part of the Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) Center at Georgia Tech. Ahmet Coskun is affiliated with Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Personalized cancer treatments could improve by combining single-cell proteomic, genomic and metabolic profiles with computational predictive analysis"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-05-04 18:18:29","changed_gmt":"2020-05-05 15:51:32","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-05-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-05-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635026":{"id":"635026","type":"image","title":"Multiplex bioimaging of human biopsy","body":null,"created":"1588615851","gmt_created":"2020-05-04 18:10:51","changed":"1588615888","gmt_changed":"2020-05-04 18:11:28","alt":"Multiplex bioimaging of human biopsy samples with 35-marker at a time. Distinct tissue architectures reveal the difference between health and disease in an immune tonsil organ. In\u00a0this example, spatial distributions of different cell types and tissue structure were visualized by different colors: B-cells (CD20), Extracellular matrix (Collagen), T-cells (CD3), Cytotoxic protein (Granzyme-B), Cell proliferation (Ki67).","file":{"fid":"241658","name":"Tonsilimages.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tonsilimages.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tonsilimages.png","mime":"image\/png","size":6280182,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tonsilimages.png?itok=VO5y6vz4"}},"635027":{"id":"635027","type":"image","title":"Ahmet Coskun","body":null,"created":"1588616182","gmt_created":"2020-05-04 18:16:22","changed":"1588616182","gmt_changed":"2020-05-04 18:16:22","alt":"Ahmet Coskun (pictured in center), assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, standing with his laboratory team.","file":{"fid":"241659","name":"IMG_6159.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_6159.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_6159.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":522000,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/IMG_6159.JPG?itok=ZhUI_ukW"}},"635034":{"id":"635034","type":"image","title":"Ahmet Coskun, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and the director of Single Cell Biotechnology Laboratory","body":null,"created":"1588619821","gmt_created":"2020-05-04 19:17:01","changed":"1588619821","gmt_changed":"2020-05-04 19:17:01","alt":"Ahmet Coskun, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and the director of Single Cell Biotechnology Laboratory","file":{"fid":"241662","name":"web-size-Ahmet_Headshot[1].jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-size-Ahmet_Headshot%5B1%5D.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-size-Ahmet_Headshot%5B1%5D.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1490229,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/web-size-Ahmet_Headshot%5B1%5D.jpg?itok=uOhcqMWo"}}},"media_ids":["635026","635027","635034"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"635033":{"#nid":"635033","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mitchell wins Faculty Award for Academic Outreach","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology has selected \u003Cstrong\u003ECassie Mitchell\u003C\/strong\u003E as the 2020 recipient of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ctl.gatech.edu\/faculty\/awards\/outreach\u0022\u003EFaculty Award for Academic Outreach\u003C\/a\u003E, which is administered by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The award recognizes faculty members for productive academic outreach going beyond their normal duties to enrich the larger educational community with their subject matter knowledge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA tenure-track assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Mitchell has made educational and community outreach a significant part of her service efforts. According to Ajit Yognathan, chair of the BME Awards Committee, \u0026ldquo;Dr. Mitchell goes above and beyond to use her research and educational expertise to enrich the community, from elementary to high school students, patient advocacy and support groups.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOn Mitchell\u0026rsquo;s desk is a sign that says, \u0026ldquo;Never, never, never give up.\u0026rdquo; It says volumes about her. As a C5-6 wheelchair-bound quadriplegic, from neuromyelitis optica and as a current cancer patient still taking chemotherapy, she says she has, \u0026ldquo;an intimate understanding of the impact of pathologies and a passion to leverage my personal and scientific research experiences to positively impact lives.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s her role as a researcher whose work impacts patients that matters most to Mitchell, who is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;A high service impact factor alone will not get me tenure, a million-dollar research grant, or a Nobel prize, but it gives me something far more important,\u0026rdquo; she notes. \u0026ldquo;Hope, faith, and peace of mind that I am doing what I was called to do, to serve.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a mission she\u0026rsquo;s taken seriously. She\u0026rsquo;s been the Georgia Tech site director for the Fulton County high school internship program, a leader and research advisor in REU (research experience for undergraduates) programs that focus on diversity and inclusion, and she coordinates at least two outreach activities every semester, all of them related to patient populations for which her lab does research (ALS, Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, aging, spinal cord and brain injury, cancer, etc.).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnofficially known as \u0026ldquo;The Counselor of Last Resort,\u0026rdquo; Mitchell volunteers at five Atlanta area clinics and rehabilitation hospitals, where she has personally mentored patients, often called in to help when other counselors have failed, applying a combination of scientific and personal knowledge. A U.S. Paralympic athlete in the 2012 and 2016 global games, among her many other outreach endeavors are voluntary motivational talks in area schools, where she talks about overcoming challenges, \u0026ldquo;I also talk about engineering and try to use engineering examples in everyday life to motivate the next generation of STEM professionals.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd through her work beyond the traditional duties of an educator and researcher, Mitchell has developed a reputation and is in demand. According to Carolyn McCarthy-Jackson, gifted internship advisor for Fulton County Schools, \u0026ldquo;Dr. Mitchell is now one of the most requested in our program. Programs like ours thrive because of the mentoring Dr. Mitchell provides. She has inspired many future researchers in the biomedical field.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME assistant professor recognized for many hours of work beyond the normal boundaries of education and research"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME assistant professor recognized for many hours of work beyond the normal boundaries of education and research\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME assistant professor recognized for many hours of work beyond the normal boundaries of education and research"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-05-04 18:26:27","changed_gmt":"2020-05-04 18:26:27","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-05-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-05-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635032":{"id":"635032","type":"image","title":"Cassie Mitchell","body":null,"created":"1588616618","gmt_created":"2020-05-04 18:23:38","changed":"1588616618","gmt_changed":"2020-05-04 18:23:38","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241661","name":"2020-MITCHELL-us-paralympic-head-shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2020-MITCHELL-us-paralympic-head-shot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2020-MITCHELL-us-paralympic-head-shot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1165894,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2020-MITCHELL-us-paralympic-head-shot.jpg?itok=xuTmnzCb"}}},"media_ids":["635032"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634682":{"#nid":"634682","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Adapting to the New Normal","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor 20 years, the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program has helped develop the next generation of leading bio-researchers. Most years, the competitive fellowship program (open to all Atlanta universities) provides an intensive, full-year research experience, emphasizing independent research in labs of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and other bio-focused labs at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course, this isn\u0026rsquo;t most years. The global COVID-19 pandemic is forcing people and their institutions to slow down, or shut down, or reconfigure, as citizens throughout the world are being strongly encouraged (or ordered) to shelter in place and observe social distancing. University instruction will be handled remotely, online, and research at Georgia Tech has ramped down\u0026ndash; only approved essential research is being carried out.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAll of which means, this year\u0026rsquo;s cohort of Petit Scholars and mentors are facing the challenges of the current and new reality, and some are doing so at the frontlines of the campaign to fight the rampant virus that is spreading across the planet. They\u0026rsquo;re meeting with their lab teams over online meeting platforms, doing what they can from home, maintaining momentum. Meanwhile, there is another reason that this year\u0026rsquo;s group merits a unique place in the program\u0026rsquo;s history: two Petit Scholars \u0026ndash; \u003Cstrong\u003EKrishna Pucha\u003C\/strong\u003E and \u003Cstrong\u003EKevin Tao\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026ndash; recently were named 2020 Goldwater Scholars.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Pucha, news of receiving the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship could not have come at a better time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s nice to have a bit of good news during this [pandemic],\u0026rdquo; says Pucha, a third-year student at Emory University, where he\u0026rsquo;s majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and works in the lab of \u003Cstrong\u003ENick Willett\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Emory University School of Medicine and in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0026ldquo;Though I have not been able to work too much on my original project, I was able to find a good stopping point so I can hit the ground running when I\u0026#39;m back in the lab. All the reagents and supplies are ready for me to get some interesting data when the time permits.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the meantime, he\u0026rsquo;s is working on a paper that will be submitted to \u003Cem\u003EOsteoarthritis and Cartilage \u003C\/em\u003E(the journal\u0026nbsp;of the\u0026nbsp;Osteoarthritis\u0026nbsp;Research Society International).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETao, a third-year student in the Coulter Department, is actively involved in trying to assist in the COVID-19 effort, albeit from the dining room table in his house.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m keeping up with the literature in my field and continuing the design of DNA barcodes to incorporate a logic-gated component into my research and planning the next experiments of the project,\u0026rdquo; says Tao, who researches in the lab of \u003Cstrong\u003EGabe Kwong\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor in the Coulter Department. \u0026ldquo;My mentor and I are submitting this project, or mechanism, in the fight against COVID-19. So we will see where that takes us.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAsheley Chapman\u003C\/strong\u003E, a biochemistry Ph.D. candidate in the lab of M.G. Finn at Georgia Tech, is working on multiple fronts. On one, she is focusing her thesis on antibody development with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and says, \u0026ldquo;I am now completely entrenched in COVID vaccine development for them. We are hopeful that our work will result in diagnostics, therapeutics, and may also help define the parts of the virus patients are responding to.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat critical work is going on even as Chapman mentors Petit Scholar \u003Cstrong\u003ERachel Fitzgerald\u003C\/strong\u003E (third-year chemistry major), from afar. Like almost every student, Fitzgerald was sent home, \u0026ldquo;back to the suburbs,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;All work on my project has been stopped, but my mentor and I have decided I\u0026rsquo;ll write a paper summarizing other targeting methods for melanoma. I\u0026rsquo;m also starting weekly meetings with my mentor and going to virtual group meetings.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The only essential personnel that we have are working on a COVID-19 related project,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Cstrong\u003EAna Cristian\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/strong\u003E mentor, Ph.D. student \u003Cstrong\u003EKalina Paunovska\u003C\/strong\u003E. \u0026ldquo;Our work is very reliant on the ability to do experiments, so this shutdown has really hampered the progress that we would be making on any projects.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPaunovska-Cristian are based in the lab of \u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Coulter Department. Without lab access, the duo is doing what all the Petit Scholar teams are doing \u0026ndash; proactively adjusting and adapting, coming up with contingency plans. With Pauvnoska\u0026rsquo;s help, Cristian (a third year BME student) is outlining the experiments she still has left to do in her project, \u0026ldquo;so that whenever research resumes, we will be ready to go,\u0026rdquo; Paunovska says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd that is the recurring theme of Petit Scholar research this semester \u0026ndash; do what you can from home so you can rev up to full speed quickly when normalcy, or something like it, returns to the research enterprise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBerna Aliya\u003C\/strong\u003E, a third-year neuroscience major at Georgia Tech working in the lab of \u003Cstrong\u003EYoung Jang\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, studies the role of homeostasis on the regeneration of ischemic skeletal muscle. Everything is lab-based, so she is reading research articles related to her work, catching up on her artwork, trying to get away from the computer screen when she can.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMilan Riddick\u003C\/strong\u003E is a third-year student in the lab of \u003Cstrong\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/strong\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and executive director of the Petit Institute, is working from her off-campus apartment, from where she is meeting with her mentor, \u003Cstrong\u003EPranav Kalelkar\u003C\/strong\u003E, via online meeting platform BlueJeans. She\u0026rsquo;s reading up on biomaterial-based therapies developed as an alternative to antibiotics to treat bacterial lung infections.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My work specifically is utilizing bacteriophages as an alternative, but my mentor and I both believe it\u0026rsquo;ll be beneficial to have an understanding of other alternatives, especially when I have to write the final report for the program,\u0026rdquo; says Riddick, who expresses what many of her fellow Petit Scholars \u0026ndash; what much of the world \u0026ndash; is going through internally and socially, beyond work and school.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to find some form of normalcy with everything going on right now. It\u0026rsquo;s hard when the future is so uncertain,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to find unique ways to interact with my friends. I filmed a Snapchat version of the Great British Baking Show with those I\u0026rsquo;m social distancing with, and I\u0026rsquo;ve been doing a Words with Friends tournament with some past BME project teammates.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKasey Cervantes\u003C\/strong\u003E, a third-year biology student at Emory, is learning and utilizing neuromorphic computing to create movement in a central pattern generator for robots. He\u0026rsquo;s spending a lot of his research time on learning how to code in Python (a programming language) and meets with his professor (\u003Cstrong\u003EArijit Raychowdhury\u003C\/strong\u003E) weekly to discuss weekly plans and objectives.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately for Cervantes, though, the robot that runs on his code is in the lab space, \u0026ldquo;so I am unable to run my code myself and see if it works.\u0026rdquo; So, Raychowdhury is going to buy a robot and mail it to Cervantes. The project itself has nothing to do with COVID-19, but while at home, Cervantes attended a virtual meeting that included a challenge to create a mathematical model of the coronavirus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I aim to utilize the machine learning techniques I learned from my project experience, and translate that to this challenge,\u0026rdquo; says Cervantes, who also has some helpful and sincere advice for his fellow human beings during unprecedented, difficult times.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I think the most important part of this [sheltering in place] is staying connected with others because humans are naturally social creatures, and being alone in your apartment may be very difficult,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;But know that everyone around you is also going through what you are experiencing, and I am pretty sure that like you, they also want to talk or communicate. You just need to reach out.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"It\u2019s business, but not as usual, for the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars during the shelter-in-place age"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s business, but not as usual, for the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars during the shelter-in-place age\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"It\u2019s business, but not as usual, for the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars during the shelter-in-place age"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-04-23 16:16:44","changed_gmt":"2020-04-23 17:06:38","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634680":{"id":"634680","type":"image","title":"Scholars","body":null,"created":"1587658157","gmt_created":"2020-04-23 16:09:17","changed":"1587658157","gmt_changed":"2020-04-23 16:09:17","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241524","name":"Scholars lineup.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scholars%20lineup.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scholars%20lineup.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2086756,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Scholars%20lineup.jpg?itok=gDGoFqj_"}}},"media_ids":["634680"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"184289","name":"covid-19"},{"id":"184622","name":"shelter-in-place"},{"id":"7155","name":"quarantine"},{"id":"166847","name":"students"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634637":{"#nid":"634637","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Annabelle Singer Invited to Join Nation\u2019s Brightest Young Engineers at 2020 EU-US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnnabelle Singer\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is one of sixty outstanding engineers selected to participate at the 2020 EU-US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium scheduled for October.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0026rsquo;s symposium will discuss cutting-edge developments in four areas: advances in deep learning for ICT problems, applications and uses of graphene, modernizing the electrical grid, and technologies for the detection and treatment of dementia and Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease. The event facilitates international and cross-disciplinary research collaboration, promotes the transfer of new techniques and approaches across disparate engineering fields, and encourages the creation of a transatlantic network of world-class engineers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe symposium will be hosted in partnership with the European Council of Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies, and Engineering. The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) is serving as the administrator and organizer for the European side of the event.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe symposium, organized by the National Academy of Engineering, gathers what the academy calls \u0026ldquo;exceptional\u0026rdquo; engineers from 30 to 45 years old to facilitate \u0026ldquo;cross-disciplinary exchange and promote the transfer of new techniques and approaches across fields in order to sustain and build U.S. innovative capacity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The Frontiers of Engineering program brings together a particularly talented group of young engineers whose early-careers span different technical areas, perspectives and experiences,\u0026rdquo; said former NAE President C. D. Mote, Jr. \u0026ldquo;But when they come together in this program, their mutual excitement is palpable, and a process of creating long-term benefits to society is often initiated.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a highly competitive and prestigious invitation according to the National Academy of Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESinger\u0026rsquo;s research goal is to understand how neural activity both produces memories and protects brain health, and to use this knowledge to engineer neural activity to treat brain diseases. She helped discover that exposure to light pulsing at 40 hertz \u0026ndash; 40 beats per second \u0026ndash; causes brains to release a surge of signaling chemicals that may help fight Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2016, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that light flickering at 40 Hz mobilized microglia in mice afflicted with Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s to clean up amyloid beta plaque--an Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s hallmark. Singer was co-first author on the original 2016 MIT study, in which the therapeutic effects of 40 Hz were first discovered.\u0026nbsp; Since starting at Georgia Tech, Singer has initiated clinical trials to test this new therapy in human patients with Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s.\u0026nbsp; Her lab is elucidating how this therapy works and new ways to apply this stimulation to different diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s an honor to be invited to the 2020 Frontiers of Engineering Symposium,\u0026rdquo; said Singer. \u0026ldquo;I look forward to sharing my latest research on neural stimulation as a potential new treatment approach to Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease. Brainstorming with this leading group on how to solve current world problems with engineering is a very special opportunity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"It\u2019s a highly competitive and prestigious invitation according to the National Academy of Engineering"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-04-22 13:22:46","changed_gmt":"2020-04-22 15:37:45","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634636":{"id":"634636","type":"image","title":"Annabelle Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","body":null,"created":"1587561629","gmt_created":"2020-04-22 13:20:29","changed":"1587567475","gmt_changed":"2020-04-22 14:57:55","alt":"Annabelle Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","file":{"fid":"241509","name":"30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":742619,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/30th_Packard_Fellows_Meeting_0906_31.JPG?itok=WvEDzmCw"}}},"media_ids":["634636"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634304":{"#nid":"634304","#data":{"type":"news","title":"James Dahlman Wins 2020 ASGCT Outstanding New Investigator Award and Georgia Tech\u2019s Early Career Research Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, is one of this year\u0026rsquo;s four winners of the 2020 Outstanding New Investigator Award given by the American Society of Gene \u0026amp; Cell Therapy (ASGCT).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe is also the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Early Career Research 2020 award given by the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDahlman\u0026#39;s laboratory works at the interface of drug delivery and genomics by applying \u0026quot;big data\u0026quot; and \u0026quot;technology development\u0026quot; approaches to nanomedicine. Dahlman and his students have developed DNA barcoded nanoparticles to measure how hundreds of nanoparticles deliver mRNA and siRNA in multiple cell types in vivo, all from a single animal. Since late 2016, the lab has used this approach to quantify more than 4,500 nanoparticles in vivo, thereby identifying nanoparticles that target new cell types without ligands. His lab hopes to apply systems biology approaches to nanomedicine, in order to improve the efficacy of gene therapies and identify genes acting as master regulators of nanoparticle delivery in vivo.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDahlman explained that using DNA barcodes allows researchers to overcome what had been a laborious and time-consuming process. Now hundreds of different nanoparticle types can be tested at once to see which are more effective to safely deliver drugs. His research has spawned the creation of a new company called GuideRX.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout ASGCT:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EThe American Society of Gene \u0026amp; Cell Therapy is the primary professional membership organization for gene and cell therapy. The Society\u0026#39;s members are scientists, physicians, patient advocates, and other professionals. Members work in a wide range of settings including universities, hospitals, government agencies, foundations, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe mission of ASGCT is to advance knowledge, awareness, and education leading to the discovery and clinical application of genetic and cellular therapies to alleviate human disease. ASGCT\u0026#39;s strategic vision is to be a catalyst for bringing together scientists, physicians, patient advocates, and other stakeholders to transform the practice of medicine by incorporating the use of genetic and cellular therapies to control and cure human disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dahlman\u2019s drug delivery and genomics research is advancing the field of gene and cell therapy"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-04-13 14:42:28","changed_gmt":"2020-04-16 15:32:07","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634302":{"id":"634302","type":"image","title":"James Dahlman, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1586788758","gmt_created":"2020-04-13 14:39:18","changed":"1586788797","gmt_changed":"2020-04-13 14:39:57","alt":"James Dahlman, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"241366","name":"dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416r353-dev_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416r353-dev_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416r353-dev_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":56476,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416r353-dev_0.jpg?itok=PL5hF0yZ"}}},"media_ids":["634302"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634371":{"#nid":"634371","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cheng Zhu Wins Georgia Tech\u2019s Outstanding Faculty Research Author 2020 Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/strong\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has won Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Outstanding Faculty Research Author 2020 Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EZhu also holds the J. Erskine Love Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering,\u0026nbsp;is the Coulter Department\u0026rsquo;s executive director for international programs, and is\u0026nbsp;a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EZhu\u0026rsquo;s lab studies single molecular adhesion with force spectroscopy for various cells and disease models. His lab pioneered the discovery of force-prolonged bond lifetime, or the \u0026ldquo;catch bond,\u0026rdquo; using the biomembrane force probe paired with mutation studies and molecular dynamics simulations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about Cheng Zhu\u0026rsquo;s research: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zhu-lab-website.appspot.com\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/zhu-lab-website.appspot.com\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Professor Zhu runs the Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory at Georgia Tech"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-04-14 20:01:46","changed_gmt":"2020-04-16 15:30:41","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634370":{"id":"634370","type":"image","title":"Cheng Zhu, Regents\u2019 Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering","body":null,"created":"1586894411","gmt_created":"2020-04-14 20:00:11","changed":"1586894411","gmt_changed":"2020-04-14 20:00:11","alt":"Cheng Zhu, Regents\u2019 Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering","file":{"fid":"241391","name":"websize-cheng-zhu-19C10200-P14-011.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/websize-cheng-zhu-19C10200-P14-011.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/websize-cheng-zhu-19C10200-P14-011.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":265826,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/websize-cheng-zhu-19C10200-P14-011.jpg?itok=-HdfNiwp"}}},"media_ids":["634370"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634340":{"#nid":"634340","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and University of Michigan Team Up","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResolvin E1 (RvE1), a lipid derived from Omega-3 fatty acids, is a pro-repair molecule that promotes healing of intestinal wounds according to a recent study published in \u003Cem\u003EPNAS\u003C\/em\u003E as a collaborative project between The Department of Pathology at University of Michigan Medical School and the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERvE1 is a member of a family of molecules known as specialized pro-resolving mediators, which help in the recovery from inflammatory processes. Numerous articles describe how RvE1 promotes resolution of inflammation by actively facilitating clearance of immune cells, but the mechanisms of how RvE1 promotes tissue repair are still elusive. This study identifies pro-repair effects of RvE1 on intestinal epithelial cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIntestinal epithelial cells function as a critical barrier that separates luminal contents containing bacteria from underlying mucosal tissues. Injury or wounds to the epithelial barrier can therefore have detrimental effects due to release of luminal bacteria into the mucosa, resulting in an inflammatory response. Thus, repair of epithelial wounds is vital for restoring intestinal barrier and preventing unwanted exposure to external agents in the gut lumen.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn response to injury, intestinal epithelial cells migrate and divide to cover exposed surfaces, repair wounds and restore barrier. In this study, the authors demonstrate that RvE1 increases the repair properties of intestinal epithelial cells, both in cultured human cells and in injured murine colon tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;The delicate balance of inflammation, resolution and repair is perturbed in chronic inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition associated with uncontrolled inflammation and epithelial wounds,\u0026rdquo; says Asma Nusrat, professor and director of experimental pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Nusrat was the lead author of the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Thus, mediators that influence both resolution of inflammation as well as restore epithelial barrier properties are valuable candidate therapeutic agents for these conditions,\u0026rdquo; Nusrat adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn additional important aspect of this study is the generation and delivery of RvE1 in nanoparticles, which had potent pro-repair effects on the healing of colonic wounds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;We developed nanoparticles that target the delivery of RvE1 to sites of injury and control the release and stability of the molecule, increasing its repair abilities,\u0026rdquo; says co-author and biomaterials expert Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, a Regents\u0026rsquo; professor at Georgia Tech, where he is executive director of the Petit Institute. \u0026ldquo;The engineering of biomaterials to control delivery of these potent molecules is an important step in developing therapeutic applications for patients.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of the\u0026nbsp;current therapies available\u0026nbsp;for IBD treatment are immunosuppressive\u0026nbsp;drugs meaning that while they decrease inflammation,\u0026nbsp;they also turn the patients into moving targets for\u0026nbsp;opportunistic\u0026nbsp;infections.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our findings are potentially important to IBD patients as\u0026nbsp;RvE1 seems to be an\u0026nbsp;immunoresolvent agent capable of decreasing inflammation and\u0026nbsp;increasing intestinal mucosal repair\u0026nbsp;without\u0026nbsp;compromising the patient\u0026rsquo;s immune\u0026nbsp;response,\u0026rdquo; explains Miguel Quiros, first author on the paper.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWRITER:\u003C\/strong\u003E Elizabeth\u0026nbsp;Walker, University of Michigan\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT\u003C\/strong\u003E: Asma Nusrat,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:anusrat@umich.edu\u0022\u003Eanusrat@umich.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New Study Finds Resolvin E1 is a Pro-repair Molecule that Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Wound Healing"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew Study Finds Resolvin E1 is a Pro-repair Molecule that Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Wound Healing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New Study Finds Resolvin E1 is a Pro-repair Molecule that Promotes Intestinal Epithelial Wound Healing"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-04-14 02:21:23","changed_gmt":"2020-04-14 02:21:23","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634338":{"id":"634338","type":"image","title":"RvE1","body":null,"created":"1586830474","gmt_created":"2020-04-14 02:14:34","changed":"1586830474","gmt_changed":"2020-04-14 02:14:34","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241380","name":"bigstock-Intestinal-Villi-Intestine-Li-299651458.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bigstock-Intestinal-Villi-Intestine-Li-299651458.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bigstock-Intestinal-Villi-Intestine-Li-299651458.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4450281,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bigstock-Intestinal-Villi-Intestine-Li-299651458.jpg?itok=e0ryTkTy"}},"626006":{"id":"626006","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda ","body":null,"created":"1568163423","gmt_created":"2019-09-11 00:57:03","changed":"1568163423","gmt_changed":"2019-09-11 00:57:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238322","name":"Andres lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%20lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%20lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":353809,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Andres%20lab.jpg?itok=mwki6sjk"}}},"media_ids":["634338","626006"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634291":{"#nid":"634291","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cassie Mitchell Wins Prestigious NSF CAREER Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/cassie-mitchell-lab\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECassie S. Mitchell\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe CAREER Award is the NSF\u0026rsquo;s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMitchell\u0026rsquo;s award centers around her proposal titled \u0026ldquo;A systems engineering approach to elucidate and treat multi-factorial pathology.\u0026rdquo; The award includes $533,682 over five years to develop innovative and integrative data mining technologies that enable the elucidation of the etiology and treatment of multi-factorial diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMillions of patients worldwide suffer from currently intractable multi-factorial diseases, which are diseases with no single cause but rather numerous contributing factors. Effectively measuring multiple simultaneous contributing factors throughout the disease course is extremely challenging in a traditional lab or clinical setting. The goal of her faculty CAREER award is to develop new complex computer models that integrate and simultaneously analyze data from thousands of scientific studies that examine individual disease factors measured in the lab or clinic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe developed integrative computer models prioritize the most promising factors and develop optimal combination treatment strategies. Computer prioritization increases the likelihood of clinical trial success and expedites the rate of new treatment availability to patients. While this project focuses on predicting treatments for Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the developed new technology can be applied to numerous other multi-factorial diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdditional benefits to society include project-related outreach, such as professional training and mentoring for students with disabilities as part of the Georgia Tech ABLE Alliance co-founded and co-directed by Mitchell; community scientific education symposia for patients with multi-factorial neurologic diseases; innovative systems neuropathology and translational engineering undergraduate and graduate curricula; and a large STEM research internship program to provide research opportunities for 100 undergraduate and high school students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Multi-factorial diseases have dynamics that change over time. The specific goal is to construct dynamic models of multi-factorial neurologic disease to predict which factors or combinations of factors need to be treated and at what point in the disease course treatment should commence,\u0026rdquo; said Mitchell.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMitchell\u0026rsquo;s project will utilize text mining, machine learning, and computational neuroscience to integrate thousands to millions of scientific studies into cohesive, dynamic models that prioritize etiological and treatment factors based on their system dynamics. The developed technology, data pipeline, and model architectures will be broadly applicable to all of biomedical science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"National Science Foundation supporting development of data mining technologies to clarify causes of multi-factorial disease and uncover better treatments"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-04-10 20:52:56","changed_gmt":"2020-04-11 02:01:43","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634290":{"id":"634290","type":"image","title":"Cassie S. Mitchell, assistant professor in the Coulter Department,\u00a0has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.","body":null,"created":"1586551640","gmt_created":"2020-04-10 20:47:20","changed":"1586551640","gmt_changed":"2020-04-10 20:47:20","alt":"Cassie S. Mitchell, assistant professor in the Coulter Department,\u00a0has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.","file":{"fid":"241360","name":"web-2020-MITCHELL-head-shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-2020-MITCHELL-head-shot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-2020-MITCHELL-head-shot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":101644,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/web-2020-MITCHELL-head-shot.jpg?itok=mjIerfaD"}}},"media_ids":["634290"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633936":{"#nid":"633936","#data":{"type":"news","title":"AIMBE\u0027s College of Fellows Selects Susan Margulies as Chair-Elect for 2020-2021","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESusan Margulies\u003C\/strong\u003E, chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has been elected chair-elect for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering\u0026rsquo;s (AIMBE) College of Fellows effective on March 30, 2020. Margulies is also a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Injury Biomechanics at Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EElection to this position is a high honor where Margulies will serve in a leadership position to provide guidance and direction to the AIMBE national organization. As part of her duties as chair-elect, she will be responsible for directing the nomination, review, and election of new candidates to the AIMBE College of Fellows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to \u0026quot;engineering and medicine research, practice, or education\u0026rdquo; and to \u0026quot;the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing\/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout AIMBE\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAIMBE is the authoritative voice and advocate for the value of medical and biological engineering to society. AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s mission is to recognize excellence, advance the public understanding, and accelerate medical and biological innovation. No other organization can bring together academic, industry, government, and scientific societies to form a highly influential community advancing medical and biological engineering. AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s mission drives advocacy initiatives into action on Capitol Hill and beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Margulies begins her term as chair-elect effective March 30, 2020"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-03-31 15:50:50","changed_gmt":"2020-04-01 12:34:59","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633935":{"id":"633935","type":"image","title":"Susan Margulies, chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","body":null,"created":"1585669768","gmt_created":"2020-03-31 15:49:28","changed":"1585669768","gmt_changed":"2020-03-31 15:49:28","alt":"Susan Margulies, chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.","file":{"fid":"241216","name":"Susan-Margulies-copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Susan-Margulies-copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Susan-Margulies-copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":479053,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Susan-Margulies-copy.jpg?itok=7KYPk-75"}}},"media_ids":["633935"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633871":{"#nid":"633871","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Michael Davis Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWASHINGTON, D.C. \u0026mdash; The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of \u003Cstrong\u003EMichael Davis\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Director, Children\u0026#39;s Heart Research and Outcomes Center to its College of Fellows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EElection to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to \u0026quot;engineering and medicine research, practice, or education\u0026rdquo; and to \u0026quot;the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing\/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDr. Davis was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for \u0026ldquo;\u003Cem\u003Eoutstanding contributions to cardiovascular research and education\u003C\/em\u003E.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a result of health concerns, AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s annual meeting and induction ceremony scheduled for March 29-30, 2020, was cancelled. Under special procedures, Dr. Davis was remotely inducted along with 156 colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile most AIMBE Fellows hail from the United States, the College of Fellows has inducted Fellows representing 34 countries. AIMBE Fellows are employed in academia, industry, clinical practice and government.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAIMBE Fellows are among the most distinguished medical and biological engineers including 3 Nobel Prize laureates, 18 Fellows having received the Presidential Medal of Science and\/or Technology and Innovation, and 173 also inducted to the National Academy of Engineering, 84 inducted to the National Academy of Medicine and 37 inducted to the National Academy of Sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout AIMBE\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAIMBE is the authoritative voice and advocate for the value of medical and biological engineering to society. AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s mission is to recognize excellence, advance the public understanding, and accelerate medical and biological innovation. No other organization can bring together academic, industry, government, and scientific societies to form a highly influential community advancing medical and biological engineering. AIMBE\u0026rsquo;s mission drives advocacy initiatives into action on Capitol Hill and beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"AIMBE College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the country"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-03-30 12:16:01","changed_gmt":"2020-03-30 21:39:19","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633870":{"id":"633870","type":"image","title":"Michael Davis, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair of Biomedical Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.","body":null,"created":"1585570132","gmt_created":"2020-03-30 12:08:52","changed":"1585570132","gmt_changed":"2020-03-30 12:08:52","alt":"Michael Davis, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair of Biomedical Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.","file":{"fid":"241191","name":"mdavis-headshot-emorypic_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mdavis-headshot-emorypic_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mdavis-headshot-emorypic_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":14639,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mdavis-headshot-emorypic_0.jpg?itok=fEZg-1Ax"}}},"media_ids":["633870"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633766":{"#nid":"633766","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Pardue Brings Clarity in Pilot Study","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnyone who has diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by damage to the nerve cells and blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye\u0026mdash;the retina.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA potentially devastating eye disease, diabetic retinopathy is a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nei.nih.gov\/eyedata\/diabetic\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eleading cause of blindness\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;among working-age Americans.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This means vision loss is disrupted when these people are at the peak of their wage-earning potential,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pardue.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EMachelle Pardue\u003C\/a\u003E, associate director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.varrd.emory.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECenter for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue set out to learn more about how diabetic retinopathy develops and to determine the first signs of retinal problems, with an eye on spotting early defects in the retina and treating them right away. She led a pilot study that involved the use of a hand-held portable electroretinogram (ERG) device to detect pre-clinical, or early stage, diabetic retinopathy and a neuroprotective drug to treat patients who are showing signs of the condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn ERG records the electrical activity of light-sensitive cells in the eyes in response to a flash of light. The response, known as the oscillatory potential, is a characteristic waveform that can be measured to determine changes in size or timing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe drug, levodopa (commercial name Sinemet), is considered the most potent medication for treating Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease but isn\u0026rsquo;t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for diabetic retinopathy. Levodopa in the brain leads to the formation of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/dopamine\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Edopamine\u003C\/a\u003E, a chemical that transmits information between nerve cells and helps regulate movement, attention, learning, and emotional responses. Animal studies have suggested that a lack of dopamine may be behind early functional deficits in patients with diabetic retinopathy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn her study, Pardue and her team found that the portable device, called the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.lkc.com\/product\/reteval\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERETeval\u003C\/a\u003E, has the sensitivity to detect early retinal dysfunction in diabetic patients prior to \u0026ldquo;clinically recognized\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/retinal-artery-occlusion\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Evascular changes\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; which are retina damage caused by abnormal blood flow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;These data demonstrate the potential to use this approach as a new screening method for diabetic retinopathy that would detect retinal defects much earlier than the currently used\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.opsweb.org\/page\/fundusphotography\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Efundus photography\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; the researchers write. That procedure calls for photographing the rear of the eye, which is also known as the fundus, and recording activity in the retina.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers also determined that treatment with levodopa can restore inner retinal function to normal levels within two weeks and can continue to provide benefit for at least two weeks after the treatment is stopped.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/diabetes.diabetesjournals.org\/content\/early\/2020\/02\/10\/db19-0869.full-text.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eresults\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;appeared online in February 2020 in the journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EDiabetes,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Epublished by the American Diabetes Association.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEarly Detection Critical\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue says this is the first time the RETeval has been tested in combination with levodopa for patients with pre-clinical diabetic retinopathy. It\u0026rsquo;s critical to detect the condition in its early stages, which is in the first five years after a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, and then to treat it right away, she notes. The \u0026ldquo;rule of thumb,\u0026rdquo; she says, is most people don\u0026rsquo;t get vascular changes until they\u0026rsquo;ve had diabetes for about 15 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Let\u0026rsquo;s say we\u0026rsquo;re able to detect diabetic changes in the eye within the first five years,\u0026rdquo; says Pardue, who is also a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, both in Atlanta. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s still around 10 years before it\u0026rsquo;s clinically diagnosed. That\u0026rsquo;s a big difference. When you\u0026rsquo;re at that late stage of the disease, a lot of drugs, no matter how good they are, just aren\u0026rsquo;t going to be able to treat it effectively because the disease has progressed too far. So there are sweet spots where diseases are reversible and treatable. In situations where you pass that line, it\u0026rsquo;s really hard to bring things back or even stop the disease because a cascade of events are going to lead to it progressing. To put the brakes on at that stage is really difficult.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDiabetic retinopathy, which usually affects both eyes, is the most common diabetic eye disease.\u0026nbsp; At first, the disease may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems. But it can worsen and lead to vision loss over time. The longer one has diabetes, the greater the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn some people with the disease, blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In others, normal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe RETeval, made by Maryland-based LKC Technologies, is the first completely portable, handheld, full-field flash ERG that measures the electrical response of the entire retina, the company says. The device is easy to transport and store. It includes a pupil tracker, eliminating the need for dilating drops, and can adjust the strength of the flash based on the pupil size. The RETeval is also used with a cheek electrode, which is a sticker that\u0026rsquo;s placed on the skin just under the eye.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther small hand-held ERG devices are available, but they don\u0026rsquo;t include the pupil tracker. \u0026ldquo;The fact that this one is really small and portable, as well as having the pupil tracker, makes it very unique,\u0026rdquo; Pardue says, noting that she has no financial ties to LKC Technologies. \u0026ldquo;Thus, this device enables an ERG to be recorded anywhere without eye drops or an electrode touching the eye.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe RETeval, she adds, has been used by clinicians at the clinical stage of diabetic retinopathy. \u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;What\u0026rsquo;s new about our study is that we\u0026rsquo;re not trying to detect diabetic retinopathy at that stage, which I argue is late stage,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re trying to detect it much earlier, when we can use drugs that are actually going to prevent the progression of the disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EConvenient Tool\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe electroretinogram can be thought of an electrocardiogram, or an EKG for the eye. After electrodes are placed on or near the eye, electrical activity of the retina is recorded in response to a flash of light. Over the years, ERGs have been carried out in ophthalmology clinics to measure retinal function for clinical diagnostics and monitoring. But the systems are large and cumbersome and require an expert to conduct the test and analyze the data, Pardue says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe typical ERG, she explains, requires dilation drops to enlarge the pupils, dark-adaptation of up to 30 minutes to make the retina very sensitive to light, and an electrode placed on the cornea after numbing drops are applied. All of these characteristics make current ERG systems not conducive to a screening test for the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When I think of a screening test, I think of something that\u0026rsquo;s going to be very easy to perform and that will produce a result in a very short amount of time,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;Instantaneously would be great. For example, blood pressure cups are a successful screening tool\u0026mdash;the ones you see in the pharmacy where you sit down and put your arm in, and a few seconds later you have your blood pressure numbers. The ERG as it\u0026rsquo;s now performed is not conducive to that. However, with the adoption of the RETeval, we may be close.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Also, ERGs aren\u0026rsquo;t accessible everywhere,\u0026rdquo; she adds. \u0026ldquo;They\u0026rsquo;re really only found in large university-based ophthalmology clinics because those sites have people with expertise to analyze that information. A good screening tool could be in a pharmacy or in a primary care clinic, where a technician could run it quickly and easily and have a simple output that will tell you this patient is normal or an issue needs to be looked at more closely.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue\u0026rsquo;s study included 43 Veterans at the Atlanta VA ages 37 to 71. Fifteen of the Veterans were non-diabetics who didn\u0026rsquo;t take levodopa in a control group. Pardue and her team used the RETeval with those patients to record a normal electrical activity range in the retina that was based on the oscillatory potential (OP).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe other 28 Veterans had diabetes and retinal deficits spotted by the RETeval, based on readings that were outside of the control group\u0026rsquo;s normal range. They were randomized to receive low- or high-dose levodopa, which was given orally, for the first two weeks of the study. In a two-week \u0026ldquo;washout\u0026rdquo; period that ensued, the researchers checked via ERGs for any sustained effects from the drug. Those patients had four ERGs over the four-week period: at baseline, day one, week two, and week four.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClinical Trial Planned\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe ERG consisted of sitting in the dark for 10 minutes, with an adhesive sensor strip placed on the skin near the eye. The researchers positioned the RETeval in front of the right eye and left eye separately, applying a series of flashes and flickering lights. Both eyes were evaluated in less than five minutes for most patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research team found both doses of levodopa to be equally effective. But to avoid potential side effects, Pardue favors the lowest dose possible because patients with diabetic retinopathy could be taking the drug for many years. The possible side effects of levodopa are many, ranging from anxiety and agitation to numbness and dizziness.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These exciting data suggest that OP delays are very sensitive to diabetic changes and that reduced dopamine may be partially responsible for the early inner retinal dysfunction,\u0026rdquo; the researchers write. \u0026ldquo;After two weeks of treatment, OP delays were restored to control values that persisted even after a two-week washout period. In conclusion, \u0026hellip; OP delays could serve as an earlier detection strategy for diabetic retinopathy that could be treated with levodopa, potentially limiting later-stage vision loss.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArmy Veteran Michael Brooks, who was diagnosed with diabetes about five years ago, participated in the treatment group. He says his vision was a little stronger after he took the levodopa but notes the improvement may have been due to the corrective laser eye surgery he had a few years ago. That\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/007018.htm\u0022\u003Eprocedure\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering in front of the eye, to improve vision and reduce a patient\u0026rsquo;s need for glasses or contact lenses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What I gather from this study is that it was an experiment to prevent diabetic retinopathy and to identify any existing problems in the eye,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;I was all on board with that. I\u0026rsquo;m a fire paramedic, so tests and research interest me. Anything that would potentially tell me I\u0026rsquo;m a candidate for having serious eye problems down the road, I\u0026rsquo;m on board.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue isn\u0026rsquo;t surprised that Brooks didn\u0026rsquo;t recognize major visual changes after taking levodopa.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The visual system is extremely good at compensating for small defects, which is the reason it\u0026rsquo;s hard for a patient to detect early changes,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;The electrical defect we can detect with the ERG is identifying a change before the patient is aware of an issue. We are thus preserving vision hopefully so the patient never has any visual loss associated with diabetic retinopathy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPardue and her team plan to do a larger clinical trial to see if they can get the same benefits from levodopa when diabetic patients are treated for at least six months. She estimates up to 200 Veterans may be involved in the multi-site trial. Brooks says he\u0026rsquo;ll participate in the trial if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t interfere with an ongoing diabetes study he\u0026rsquo;s involved in with Kaiser Permanente.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We want to know if timing is \u0026nbsp;important,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;Can the patients be treated later in the progression of the disease and still get benefit? We also want to move forward with developing the ERG test for screening by determining more parameters about the patients who seem to have ERG delays. Do ERG delays correlate with such factors as blood glucose levels, body mass index, and duration of diabetes? Our ultimate goal is to move this to primary care clinics, where diabetic retinopathy could be detected much earlier, followed by levodopa treatments, to prevent vision loss from occurring in later stages of the disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis story was written by Mike Richman, VA Communications\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Researchers take new approach to detect, treat eye disease that can lead to blindness"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Ch2\u003EResearchers take new approach to detect, treat eye disease that can lead to blindness\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers take new approach to detect, treat eye disease that can lead to blindness"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-03-24 15:33:43","changed_gmt":"2020-03-24 15:33:43","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633765":{"id":"633765","type":"image","title":"Pardue","body":null,"created":"1585063679","gmt_created":"2020-03-24 15:27:59","changed":"1585063679","gmt_changed":"2020-03-24 15:27:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241150","name":"pardue-brooks.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pardue-brooks.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pardue-brooks.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":334546,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pardue-brooks.jpg?itok=hKuPwFC2"}}},"media_ids":["633765"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633468":{"#nid":"633468","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Manu Platt at Yale: Discussions on Science and Diversity","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u0026quot;Discussions on Science and Diversity\u0026rdquo; video series held at Yale University features casual conversations with scientific leaders focusing on their career trajectories and views on diversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn March, 2020, Yale University hosted\u0026nbsp;a discussion with Manu O. Platt, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. Platt discusses, among other things, his career path, his interpretation of the term \u0026ldquo;diversity,\u0026rdquo; and ways in which we can all work together to promote a more inclusive research environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA recording of the conversation is linked to this article as a youtube video. And also available here:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J9g42OcgVjM\u0026amp;list=PLMTX0UQNGP1fQI5afCG7dC7dtsZ9-aUX5\u0026amp;index=2\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=J9g42OcgVjM\u0026amp;list=PLMTX0UQNGP1fQI5afCG7dC7dtsZ9-aUX5\u0026amp;index=2\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u0022Discussions on Science and Diversity\u201d at Yale video series features Manu O. Platt"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-03-10 19:19:03","changed_gmt":"2020-03-10 19:49:59","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633464":{"id":"633464","type":"image","title":"Manu Platt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","body":null,"created":"1583867544","gmt_created":"2020-03-10 19:12:24","changed":"1583867544","gmt_changed":"2020-03-10 19:12:24","alt":"Manu Platt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory","file":{"fid":"241037","name":"Manu-arms-crossed.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu-arms-crossed_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu-arms-crossed_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":52985,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Manu-arms-crossed_0.jpg?itok=xqpoOARz"}}},"media_ids":["633464"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633470":{"#nid":"633470","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Teaching Honors for BME Trio","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree faculty members of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University have won the Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: Class of 1934 Award. James Dahlman, Rudy Gleason, and Marty Jacobson were recognized at the Center for Teaching\u0026rsquo;s Celebrating Teach Day luncheon on Tuesday, March 10.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.dahlmanlab.org\/\u0022\u003EDahlman\u003C\/a\u003E is an assistant professor whose research is focused on targeted drug delivery, in vivo gene editing, Cas9 therapies, siRNA therapies, and developing new technologies to improve biomaterial design. Within this framework, students in his lab learn how to generate new ideas, select the good ones, and efficiently test whether the good ideas will actually work. Collectively, the Dahlman lab is known for applying big data technologies to nanomedicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/gleason\u0022\u003EGleason\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, is interested in soft tissue biomechanics, and growth and remodeling, with a particular emphasis on native vascular tissues and tissue engineered constructs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Martin-Jacobson\u0022\u003EJacobson\u003C\/a\u003E is the machine shop manager for the Coulter Department, where he also lectures on the design of products, taking advantage of cutting-edge manufacturing technology. In his spare time, Jacobson is in-demand as a designer of customized acoustic instruments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDahlman and Gleason also are researchers with the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Dahlman, Gleason, and Jacobson recognized with Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching awards"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDahlman, Gleason, and Jacobson recognized with Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching awards\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dahlman, Gleason, and Jacobson recognized with Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching awards"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-03-10 19:47:44","changed_gmt":"2020-03-10 19:47:44","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633469":{"id":"633469","type":"image","title":"BME Teaching Award trio","body":null,"created":"1583869247","gmt_created":"2020-03-10 19:40:47","changed":"1583869247","gmt_changed":"2020-03-10 19:40:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241038","name":"BME Trio.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/BME%20Trio.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/BME%20Trio.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":936152,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/BME%20Trio.jpg?itok=KzuGJMC9"}}},"media_ids":["633469"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633367":{"#nid":"633367","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Evolution Accelerated","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe European conquest and colonization of the Americas in the age of Christopher Columbus was a tragic and bloody enterprise that enslaved millions of African people and devastated Native American populations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn many well-documented ways, this was among the darkest epochs of human history. But the massive demographic upheaval also had profound effects at the genomic level, resulting in the rapid adaptive evolution of the human beings who have lived in this part of the world for the last 500 years, according to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/jordan.biology.gatech.edu\/page\/\u0022\u003EKing Jordan\u003C\/a\u003E and his research partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Five hundred years is like batting an eye in the evolution of humans,\u0026rdquo; says Jordan, professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he directs the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBioinformatics Graduate Program\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s less than one percent of the time that has passed since modern humans first left Africa.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe three distinct ancestral source populations that converged in the Americas \u0026ndash; Africans, Europeans, and Native Americans \u0026ndash; had been separated and adapting to their own local environments for tens of thousands of years since their initial migration out of Africa.\u0026nbsp; Jordan and his colleagues hypothesized that when these diverse populations came together and exchanged genetic material in the Americas \u0026ndash; the process referred to as admixture \u0026ndash; the previously adapted variants were able to rapidly increase in frequency based on their utility in the new environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey refer to this rapid evolution as admixture-enabled selection and they write about it in the latest research paper from the Jordan lab, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/genomebiology.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s13059-020-1946-2\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Admixture-enabled selection for rapid adaptive evolution in the Americas,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E published in the journal \u003Cem\u003EGenome Biology\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A big question in the lab was, can populations that have been separated for millennia come back together and form completely new, novel genomes that have never been seen before \u0026ndash; can you adapt in 500 years?\u0026rdquo; says Emily Norris, lead author of the paper, who graduated with her PhD from Georgia Tech in November 2019. \u0026ldquo;Our premise is, yes, that it has happened.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo test their hypothesis, the researchers analyzed whole genome sequences (utilizing data from the 1000 Genome Project) sampled from admixed Latin American populations in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico. And their results showed evidence of admixture-enabled polygenic selection in these populations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Given the ubiquity of admixture among previously diverged populations, it should be considered as a fundamental mechanism for the acceleration of human evolution,\u0026rdquo; the researchers write.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve developed a new way of looking at natural selection that is predicated upon the reality of admixture,\u0026rdquo; says Jordan, who is also a faculty researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In admixture-enabled evolution, you\u0026rsquo;re introducing novel variants at high frequencies \u0026ndash; you\u0026rsquo;re creating combinations of variants that had never existed before on the same genomic background,\u0026rdquo; Jordan adds. \u0026ldquo;So, instead of introducing adaptation at low frequency via mutation \u0026ndash; a slow process constrained by the rate and introduction of mutation into populations \u0026ndash; admixture-enabled selection facilitates rapid adaptive evolution.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd it isn\u0026rsquo;t unique to the Americas. Human evolution has been constantly characterized by long periods of genetic divergence, after populations have become physically and reproductively isolated, followed by a period of unification, or reunification, and interbreeding and the resulting genetic admixture.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Admixture represents a fundamental mechanism by which human adaptation has been sped up,\u0026rdquo; Jordan asserts. \u0026ldquo;And it\u0026rsquo;s happened many, many times across human evolution.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIn addition to Norris and Jordan, the other authors were Lavanya Rishishwar (research scientists, former grad student in Jordan lab), Aroon Chande (graduate researcher in Jordan lab), Andrew Conley (research scientist in Jordan lab), Kaixon Ye (assistant professor, University of Georgia), and\u0026nbsp;Augusto Valderrama-Aguirre (Universidad Santiago de Cali, Colombia).\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New study shows evidence of rapid adaptive human evolution in the Americas"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew study shows evidence of rapid adaptive human evolution in the Americas\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New study shows evidence of rapid adaptive human evolution in the Americas"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-03-06 20:40:01","changed_gmt":"2020-03-06 20:42:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633366":{"id":"633366","type":"image","title":"Emily Norris and King Jordan","body":null,"created":"1583526232","gmt_created":"2020-03-06 20:23:52","changed":"1583526232","gmt_changed":"2020-03-06 20:23:52","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240995","name":"emily and king.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/emily%20and%20king.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/emily%20and%20king.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":535017,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/emily%20and%20king.jpg?itok=V_X7mc0T"}}},"media_ids":["633366"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633058":{"#nid":"633058","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Developing a Better Model","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOne of the nasty potential byproducts of surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes doesn\u0026rsquo;t rear its ugly head until it\u0026rsquo;s usually too late to fix.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;During the procedure, some of the lymphatic vasculature is taken out because the surgeon is almost operating blind. If the lymphatic system suffers from injury during surgery, the damage is often difficult to gauge, presenting as lymphedema maybe two to five years later,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/J.-Brandon-Dixon\u0022\u003EJ. Brandon Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of bioengineering in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where his research is focused on the molecular aspects of lymphatic function in the body\u0026rsquo;s dynamic, ever-changing mechanical environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDixon, needing an adequate model to study the effects of surgery on the lymphatic system, luckily ran into \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rbc.uga.edu\/leaders\/Peroni.php\u0022\u003EJohn Peroni\u003C\/a\u003E, professor of large animal surgery at the University of Georgia\u0026rsquo;s (UGA) \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rbc.uga.edu\/\u0022\u003ERegenerative Bioscience Center\u003C\/a\u003E, during the annual meeting of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/regenerativeengineeringandmedicine.com\/\u0022\u003ERegenerative Engineering and Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E (REM) research center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We started talking about one of the things the lymphatic research community was lacking \u0026ndash; a large animal model that could help us understand lymphatic injury,\u0026rdquo; says Dixon, who also has an appointment in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. That conversation between he and Peroni has resulted in their recently-published research paper in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/em\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41551-019-0493-1\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Lymphatic remodelling in response to lymphatic injury in the hind limbs of sheep.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDixon and Peroni, who are both members of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, led a multi-institutional collaboration that also included the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.einstein.yu.edu\/\u0022\u003EAlbert Einstein College of Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E (Bronx, N.Y.), and was supported by an REM Seed Grant. Dixon had previously developed imaging technology to capture in vivo lymphatic activity in small animal models, and was eager to test it on a larger animal model that could more accurately reflect the role gravity plays in opposing lymphatic flow in a human.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe main function of the lymphatic system in any vertebrate is to move lymph fluid (loaded\u0026nbsp; with infection-fighting white blood cells) through the body, via lymphatic vessels. There is no central pump, no heart; the lymphatic vessels themselves slowly pump the fluid, and the greatest force working against them is gravity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of Dixon\u0026rsquo;s graduate researchers drove equipment from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/llbb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ELab of Lymphatic Biology and Bioengineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Tech to Athens, so Peroni could perform surgery with the near infrared (NIR) image guidance system. The surgery team wanted to compromise the lymphatic vasculature of a sheep in one limb, \u0026ldquo;so they removed a chain of pumps in one leg and left the other leg intact,\u0026rdquo; Dixon explains. \u0026ldquo;Then we followed up with NIR lymphatic imaging on the animal for up to six weeks after the surgical injury. There was an initial decline of pump function, but eventually it started to recover.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers measured \u0026lsquo;pressure generation capacity\u0026rsquo; in the vessels with imaging over the course of remodeling, and then carefully dissected out these sub-millimeter in diameter vessels at the end of six weeks for functional testing. They gauged mechanical properties, performed a proteomic analysis of the muscle cells, and found that the remodeled lymphatic vessel was working much harder than vessels from the control limb.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Think of it like an elevated heart rate for a lymphatic vessel,\u0026rdquo; says Dixon, whose team noted, \u0026ldquo;significantly increased signs of oxidative stress.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team found, over the six-week period, that lymphedema hadn\u0026rsquo;t developed, and it seemed as if the affected lymphatic vessel could handle the load, \u0026ldquo;but it had to do the work of two vessels, and at the cost of oxidative stress, and that\u0026rsquo;s analogous to early signs of cardiovascular failure,\u0026rdquo; notes Dixon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe stress on the vessel wasn\u0026rsquo;t the result of the initial surgical injury, \u0026ldquo;but a result of the vessel\u0026rsquo;s adaptation for the surgery,\u0026rdquo; Dixon says. \u0026ldquo;And it\u0026rsquo;s a good model for what happens to a human.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELead author of the paper was Tyler S. Nelson, former graduate researcher in Dixon lab. Other authors were \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003EZhanna Nepiyushchikh (research scientist in the Dixon lab), Joshua S. T. Hooks and and Mohammad S. Razavi (former graduate researchers in Dixon lab), Tristan Lewis and Merrilee Thoresen (University of Georgia), Cristina Clement and Laura Santambrogio (Einstein College of Medicine), Matthew T. Cribb (graduate researcher in Dixon lab), Mindy K. Ross (former undergraduate researcher in Dixon lab), Rudolph L. Gleason (associate professor in Woodruff School and Coulter Department), Peroni, and Dixon.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Dixon collaborates with UGA researchers to uncover potential early signs of lymphedema"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDixon collaborates with UGA researchers to uncover potential early signs of lymphedema\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dixon collaborates with UGA researchers to uncover potential early signs of lymphedema"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-02-27 18:30:13","changed_gmt":"2020-02-27 18:30:13","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633057":{"id":"633057","type":"image","title":"Dixon lab","body":null,"created":"1582828018","gmt_created":"2020-02-27 18:26:58","changed":"1582828018","gmt_changed":"2020-02-27 18:26:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240887","name":"dixon lab3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dixon%20lab3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dixon%20lab3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":473058,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dixon%20lab3.jpg?itok=SoCvE5IY"}}},"media_ids":["633057"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"171346","name":"go-rem"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633030":{"#nid":"633030","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study: New Microfluidic Device Facilitates Sensory Integration Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor all animals, perception and behavior are usually multisensory processes, often involving stimuli such as taste, smell, and touch, which are detected by distinct sensory neurons.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding sensory integration is an important problem in neuroscience, because all animals need to figure out what stimulatory input is relevant and how to respond to changes in the environment for survival.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study of information processing mechanisms in multi-modal sensory integration remains challenging. But researchers in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) have developed a microfluidic device that can provide well-controlled stimulation in multiple modalities while allowing optical recording of neuronal responses in the roundworm\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ECaenorhabditis elegans\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;(\u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe use of\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;in neuroscience research is common due to its small and well-defined nervous system, containing 302 neurons. Although a simple organism, many of the molecular signals controlling its development are also found in more complex organisms, such as humans.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EC.\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eelegans\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;is known to respond to variety of sensory cues, such as smell, taste, touch, oxygen level, and temperature.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChBE PhD candidate Sol Ah Lee, a member of Professor Hang Lu\u0026#39;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.lulab.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFluidics Lab\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;explains that before she developed the new microfluidics device, researchers could deliver mechanical or chemical stimulation to\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E, but not multi-sensory cues with the same piece of technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;No one had attempted this kind of device that can deliver multiple types of stimulation to\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E,\u0026rdquo; says Lee, who is co-lead author of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/smll.201905852\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E, \u0026ldquo;Multimodal Stimulation in a Microfluidic Device Facilitates Studies of Interneurons in Sensory Integration in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EC. elegans.\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp; The other co-lead author is Yongmin Cho, ChBE PhD 2017, who is a Lu lab alum and now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study, which will be the cover article of the March issue of the journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ESmall\u003C\/em\u003E, describes the researchers\u0026rsquo; engineering approach and several important results enabled by this new device.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA major goal of the study was to observe interneurons that integrate the sensory and internal signals. The nervous system also includes sensory neurons that interface directly with the environment and motor neurons that convey commands to muscles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the anatomical connectivity of these sensory systems and the role of each sensory neuron have been independently characterized, the integration of these signals and whether and how the neurons modulate each other\u0026rsquo;s activities has been largely unknown, the study says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;With this study, we showed how the worms actually integrate multiple environmental cues, and we use it to explore genetic and circuit mechanisms for multisensory integration,\u0026rdquo; Lee says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDepending upon the timing and intensity of the stimuli delivered, researchers could see sensitization, a non-associative learning process in which repeated administration of a stimulus results in an enhanced response, as well as habituation, another form of non-associative learning in which an animal decreases or ceases responding to a stimulus after repeated or prolonged stimulation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study also found that the activities of the interneuron PVC (whose function had not been studied much) can be modulated prior to stimulation within and cross modalities. Furthermore, this phenotype is likely mediated by peptidergic signaling and possibly monoamines. Previous studies have implicated both monoamine and peptide neuromodulators in driving sensitization in many species.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These results are thus important steps towards understanding neuromodulation and multisensory integration,\u0026rdquo; the study says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers foresee that their microfluidic device technology \u0026ldquo;will be powerful in studying a broad range of problems for the multisensory integration in brain, such as arousal, sensitization\/desensitization, habituation, and modulations of internal states.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Lee, Cho, and Lu, the study was conducted by, ChBE undergraduate student Kirby Broderick, Yee Lian Chew, and William R. Schafer of MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (UK).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDescription of journal cover image below:\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe researchers developed\u0026nbsp;a microfluidic platform that can deliver spatially and temporally controlled combination stimuli to C. elegans to study the functional role of interneurons in multisensory integration. The cover depicts the roundworm being stimulated by mechanical and chemical stimuli in the device. The nervous system integrates these stimuli to generate behavioral outputs - forward, backward, and pause.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher, Hang Lu\u0027s lab, has developed a microfluidic device that can provide well-controlled stimulation in multiple modalities while allowing optical recording of neuronal responses in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans)."}],"uid":"27349","created_gmt":"2020-02-27 14:22:23","changed_gmt":"2020-02-27 14:22:23","author":"Floyd Wood","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"369891":{"id":"369891","type":"image","title":"Hang Lu","body":null,"created":"1449245856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:17:36","changed":"1475895105","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:45","alt":"Hang Lu","file":{"fid":"75080","name":"hang_lu.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hang_lu_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hang_lu_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":145383,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/hang_lu_0.jpg?itok=Ni0httRq"}}},"media_ids":["369891"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/bioengineering.gatech.edu\/","title":"BioE"}],"groups":[{"id":"65448","name":"Bioengineering Graduate Program"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"52891","name":"BioE Program news"},{"id":"6178","name":"BIOE"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:braddixon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrad Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632590":{"#nid":"632590","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Genetics and Cancer: Research Offers New Insights On Risks, Onset, Progression","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.oncotarget.com\/index.php?journal=oncotarget\u0026amp;page=article\u0026amp;op=view\u0026amp;path[]=27468\u0026amp;path[]=89629\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E by researchers in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E raises new questions about a decades-old, award-winning theory regarding how many genetic mutations are necessary for cancer to develop in human cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat theory, called the Knudson Hypothesis, argued that two mutations in the type of genes that suppress tumors are needed to lead to changes that could cause cancer. However, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/john-mcdonald\u0022\u003EJohn McDonald\u003C\/a\u003E, a School of Biological Sciences professor and the director of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/icrc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EIntegrated Cancer Research Center\u003C\/a\u003E, says the research, published in \u003Cem\u003EOncotarget\u003C\/em\u003E, \u0026ldquo;shows, for the first time, that nearly all normal healthy individuals carry at least one potentially cancer-causing tumor suppressor gene mutation. The implication is that a majority of the human population is, to a greater or lesser extent, predisposed to develop cancer.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMcDonald and his fellow researchers \u0026mdash;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/evan-clayton\u0022\u003E Evan A. Clayton\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/people\/Shareef-Khalid\u0022\u003EShareef Khalid\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/people\/Dongjo-Ban\u0022\u003EDongjo Ban\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/people\/Lu-Wang\u0022\u003ELu Wang\u003C\/a\u003E and Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/king-jordan\u0022\u003EI. King Jordan\u003C\/a\u003E, all of Georgia Tech \u0026mdash; relied on several databases, including the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cancer.sanger.ac.uk\/cosmic\u0022\u003ECatalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC)\u003C\/a\u003E, the world\u0026rsquo;s largest database of mutations associated with cancer onset and progression. The scientists combined that database with the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.internationalgenome.org\/\u0022\u003E One Thousand Genomes Project (1KGP)\u003C\/a\u003E, which lists genetic variants present, in 2,504 normal, healthy individuals. That list reflects the diversity of racial and ethnic groups randomly selected from 26 human populations around the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Knudson Hypothesis, developed in 1971 by Alfred Knudson, helped physicians identify cancer-related genes, and won Knudson the prestigious \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.laskerfoundation.org\/awards\/\u0022\u003EAlbert Lasker Award\u003C\/a\u003E in Clinical Medical Research in 1998.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Inconsistent with the Knudson two-hit hypothesis, we present evidence that acquisition of a second cancer-causing tumor suppressor mutation is not necessary to drive cancer onset\/progression. Rather, we present evidence that, in many cases, individuals with only a single cancer-causing tumor suppressor mutation develop cancer,\u0026rdquo; McDonald says. \u0026ldquo;In these individuals, we show that the mutant gene is significantly overexpressed relative to the normal gene, thus overriding the influence of the non-mutated gene and driving cancer onset and development. Thus, in many individuals, a change in gene expression, rather than a \u0026lsquo;second mutational hit,\u0026rsquo; is responsible for the cancer.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAll humans have two copies of every gene, each copy supplied by a biological parent. Two classes of genes are believed to cause the onset and progression of cancer. Oncogenes are genes that can drive cancer after a single mutation in one of the copies of the gene. In other words, those mutations are said to be \u0026ldquo;dominant\u0026rdquo; with respect to their ability to result in cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnlike oncogenes, a second class of cancer-driving genes, called tumor suppressor genes, are considered to be recessive. Knudson\u0026rsquo;s hypothesis took the point of view that mutations in each of the two copies of the tumor suppressor genes had to happen in order to drive cancer development. McDonald says the hypothesis is still widely held in 2020 by the cancer community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We believe that our findings are of major significance and call into question many of the assumptions underlying current methods to diagnose and treat cancer based on genomic profiling,\u0026rdquo; McDonald says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the Ovarian Cancer Institute (Atlanta), Northside Hospital (Atlanta), the Deborah Nash Endowment Fund, and National Institute of Health Bioinformatics Training Grant: CRP 10-2012-03.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"School of Biological Sciences\u2019 research tests widely-held medical hypothesis"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study from the School of Biological Sciences raises questions about the chances for cancer to develop in human cells. The research, led by Professor John McDonald, is testing a widely-held hypothesis that involves how many mutations in tumor-suppressing genes are needed for the onset and development of the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"School of Biological Sciences\u2019 research tests widely-held medical hypothesis"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2020-02-18 16:49:56","changed_gmt":"2020-02-24 18:17:44","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632608":{"id":"632608","type":"image","title":"A dying cancer cell with filopodia stretched out to its right. The protrusions help cancer migrate. Stock NIH NCMIR image. The image does not display a cell treated in the Georgia Tech study. Credit: NIH-funded image of HeLa cell \/ National Center for Mic","body":null,"created":"1582050112","gmt_created":"2020-02-18 18:21:52","changed":"1582050658","gmt_changed":"2020-02-18 18:30:58","alt":"Dying cancer cell from NIH microscopy","file":{"fid":"240695","name":"breast_cancer_apop.nih__9.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/breast_cancer_apop.nih__9.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/breast_cancer_apop.nih__9.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":112587,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/breast_cancer_apop.nih__9.jpg?itok=2VyVBKmC"}},"632593":{"id":"632593","type":"image","title":"Cancer associated mutations were identified in the 1000 genomes population (1KGP.)","body":null,"created":"1582045362","gmt_created":"2020-02-18 17:02:42","changed":"1582050694","gmt_changed":"2020-02-18 18:31:34","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240687","name":"McDonald cancer study graphic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/McDonald%20cancer%20study%20graphic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/McDonald%20cancer%20study%20graphic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":184245,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/McDonald%20cancer%20study%20graphic.jpg?itok=Pyjsgm0f"}},"632592":{"id":"632592","type":"image","title":"John McDonald, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and director of the Integrated Cancer Research Center. ","body":null,"created":"1582044785","gmt_created":"2020-02-18 16:53:05","changed":"1582044785","gmt_changed":"2020-02-18 16:53:05","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240686","name":"John McDonald head shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/John%20McDonald%20head%20shot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/John%20McDonald%20head%20shot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":387271,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/John%20McDonald%20head%20shot.jpg?itok=LSYU85oy"}}},"media_ids":["632608","632593","632592"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"2371","name":"John McDonald"},{"id":"46481","name":"Integrated Cancer Research Center"},{"id":"183994","name":"oncogenes"},{"id":"385","name":"cancer"},{"id":"5718","name":"Genetics"},{"id":"183995","name":"genotypes"},{"id":"172695","name":"go-icrc"},{"id":"172669","name":"go-icrc-news"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632329":{"#nid":"632329","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Lena Ting Elevated to New Appointment","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELena Ting\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, has been appointed the \u003Cstrong\u003EJohn and Jan Portman Professor in Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe co-director of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Neural Engineering Centers, Ting was recognized, \u0026ldquo;for the many ways she elevates the Coulter Department\u0026rsquo;s impact nationally and internationally, creating new knowledge that improves health and disease outcomes,\u0026rdquo; according to Susan Margulies, who chairs the Coulter Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETing, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is a pioneer in the nascent area of neuromechanics, is piecing together a new understanding of how movement intention translates to action through the complex interplay between the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDiscoveries from the Ting lab are being leveraged by researchers around the world to understand both normal and impaired movement control in humans, and to develop better robotic devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME professor named the John and Jan Portman Professor in Biomedical Engineering"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-02-11 19:06:48","changed_gmt":"2020-02-20 20:02:34","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632326":{"id":"632326","type":"image","title":"Lena Ting, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, has been appointed the John and Jan Portman Professor in Biomedical Engineering.","body":null,"created":"1581447910","gmt_created":"2020-02-11 19:05:10","changed":"1581447910","gmt_changed":"2020-02-11 19:05:10","alt":"Lena Ting, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, has been appointed the John and Jan Portman Professor in Biomedical Engineering.","file":{"fid":"240587","name":"Web-size-17C10203-P9-002.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Web-size-17C10203-P9-002.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Web-size-17C10203-P9-002.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":185029,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Web-size-17C10203-P9-002.jpg?itok=fA4ir7eI"}}},"media_ids":["632326"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632330":{"#nid":"632330","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hanjoong Jo Appointed to Distinguished Faculty Chair","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHanjoong Jo\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a professor of medicine at Emory, has just added a new title with his appointment as the \u003Cstrong\u003EWallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s well-deserved recognition for Dr. Jo\u0026rsquo;s scholarly impact on and off campus,\u0026rdquo; noted Susan Magulies, who chairs the Coulter Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJo\u0026rsquo;s lab studies how blood flow regulates endothelial biology and dysfunction, which leads to atherosclerosis and aortic valve calcification (his game-changing research demonstrated, for the first time, that disturbed blood flow can actually induce atherosclerosis).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and an elected fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Society, American Heart Association, and American Physiological Society.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME researcher appointed Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-02-11 19:08:12","changed_gmt":"2020-02-20 19:48:56","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632327":{"id":"632327","type":"image","title":"Hanjoong Jo, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and  a professor of medicine at Emory, has just added a new title with his appointment as the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair.","body":null,"created":"1581447949","gmt_created":"2020-02-11 19:05:49","changed":"1581449082","gmt_changed":"2020-02-11 19:24:42","alt":"Hanjoong Jo, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and  a professor of medicine at Emory, has just added a new title with his appointment as the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair.","file":{"fid":"240588","name":"Web-Size-Hanjoong Jo v2 copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Web-Size-Hanjoong%20Jo%20v2%20copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Web-Size-Hanjoong%20Jo%20v2%20copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":157232,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Web-Size-Hanjoong%20Jo%20v2%20copy.jpg?itok=2HcckHv_"}}},"media_ids":["632327"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632761":{"#nid":"632761","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mark Borodovsky Elected as ISCB Fellow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMark Borodovsky\u003C\/strong\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Computational Science and Engineering,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Ewas distinguished for his influential research in developing algorithms of genome analysis as well as his recognized leadership in education and community development\u003C\/em\u003E. He is one of twelve ISCB Fellows elected in the Class of 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBioinformatics is a strategic discipline at the frontier between molecular biology and computer science, impacting numerous branches of biological science, genomics-based biotechnology, computational and AI based medicine, as well as public health. For instance, the contemporary drug-discovery paradigm driving research and development in pharmaceutical companies, is relying heavily on bioinformatics research and analysis that deals with massive quantities of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBorodovsky, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is best known for his work on gene finding algorithms which are used widely (see\u0026nbsp; http:\/\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/exon.gatech.edu\/GeneMark\/\u0022\u003E\/exon.gatech.edu\/GeneMark\u003C\/a\u003E). He is also responsible for launching the interdisciplinary Bioinformatics Master and Ph.D. programs at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe is the first faculty member at Georgia Tech (indeed in the state of Georgia for that matter) to become an ISCB Fellow.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Fellows program of ISCB (International Society for Computational Biology) was created to honor members who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions to the fields of computational biology and bioinformatics."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-02-20 18:38:59","changed_gmt":"2020-02-20 19:46:54","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632760":{"id":"632760","type":"image","title":"Mark Borodovsky, Regents\u2019 Professor at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Computational Science and Engineering, was distinguished for his influential research in developing algorithms of genome analysis as well as h","body":null,"created":"1582223836","gmt_created":"2020-02-20 18:37:16","changed":"1582308651","gmt_changed":"2020-02-21 18:10:51","alt":"Mark Borodovsky, Regents\u2019 Professor at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Computational Science and Engineering","file":{"fid":"240787","name":"Most PREFERRED-72dpi-FOR EMAIL-Borodovsky - photo image.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Most%20PREFERRED-72dpi-FOR%20EMAIL-Borodovsky%20-%20photo%20image.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Most%20PREFERRED-72dpi-FOR%20EMAIL-Borodovsky%20-%20photo%20image.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":706724,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Most%20PREFERRED-72dpi-FOR%20EMAIL-Borodovsky%20-%20photo%20image.jpg?itok=4M9WAz-v"}}},"media_ids":["632760"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632230":{"#nid":"632230","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Denis Tsygankov Wins Prestigious NSF CAREER Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/denislab\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDenis Tsygankov\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe CAREER Award is the NSF\u0026rsquo;s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETsygankov\u0026rsquo;s award, including $504,599 over five years, will focus on developing an integrative methodology enabling the comprehensive study of coordinated cell behavior \u0026ndash; a hallmark of organism development and functioning. Collective cell migration is a remarkable example of such cellular coordination and it plays a central role in embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer invasion. However, despite its fundamental importance and significant effort from the scientific community, collective cell migration remains a poorly understood phenomenon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe critical challenge in revealing the underlying mechanisms of the coordinated cell movement is accounting for multiple mutually affecting processes regulating cellular machinery and the interactions of cells with each other and their local environment. The research community still lacks methodologies that can grasp such complexity at the systems level. The proposed research aims to overcome this challenge using innovative approaches that integrate state-of-the-art imaging technologies with comprehensive simulation models of cellular dynamics bridging between different length and time scales.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to addressing the fundamental question of how the complex interplay of cell responses defines the emergent collective behavior, the project will benefit society by introducing project-related, inclusion-focused undergraduate and graduate courses and a STEM Diversity Internship for underrepresented students from Spelman College and K-12 teachers participating in the Georgia Tech GIFT Program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The specific goal of the project is to decipher complex cross-talk mechanisms between the environment-dependent cell signaling and the cytoskeletal machinery via the implementation of a novel, hybrid (agent-based\/systems-dynamics) methodology,\u0026rdquo; said Tsygankov.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis project will explicitly account for the spatiotemporal regulation of actin and adhesion complexes, changes in cell shape, and the formation of mechanical stresses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the proposed project is driven by specific biological hypotheses, the outcome of the effort will be a general, broadly applicable computational methodology for addressing many fundamental questions of cell function in different biological contexts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"National Science Foundation supporting the integrative study of the biomechanics of collective cell migration"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-02-10 14:10:05","changed_gmt":"2020-02-11 11:18:31","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632229":{"id":"632229","type":"image","title":"Denis Tsygankov, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.","body":null,"created":"1581343672","gmt_created":"2020-02-10 14:07:52","changed":"1581343690","gmt_changed":"2020-02-10 14:08:10","alt":"Denis Tsygankov, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has won a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.","file":{"fid":"240554","name":"Lo-res-Denis-T-170217R278-iC.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lo-res-Denis-T-170217R278-iC.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lo-res-Denis-T-170217R278-iC.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":926150,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lo-res-Denis-T-170217R278-iC.jpg?itok=AEh6OAd2"}}},"media_ids":["632229"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632165":{"#nid":"632165","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Three Researchers Awarded Inaugural Seed Grants","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree Petit Institute researchers \u0026ndash; Lily Cheung, Michael Goodisman, and Matt Torres \u0026ndash; have been awarded the 2020 Petit Institute Seed Grants for Core Facilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program was created to give Petit investigators an opportunity to perform novel experiments that will result in valuable preliminary data with equipment they have not used before. The amount of equipment time given through the seed grants will allow researchers to gather preliminary data for future grant proposals.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECheung\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;(assistant professor, School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering) is working on a project called, \u0026ldquo;Transporters for the Microbial Biosynthesis of Plant Products,\u0026quot; and will utilize the Next Generation Sequencing MiniSeq equipment at the\u0026nbsp;Petit Institute\u0026rsquo;s Molecular Evolution Core Facility.\u0026nbsp;This project will engineer biomolecular sensors for the functional characterization of transporters \u0026ndash; the proteins embedded in membranes that allow the traffic of compounds between cells and subcellular compartments. Sensors can dramatically accelerate the identification of the substrates for transporters, which can help engineer strategies to increase the yield of drug biosynthetic pathways.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGoodisman\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;(associate professor, School of Biological Sciences) also will utilize the Molecular Evolution Core Facility for his project, \u0026ldquo;Population Genetics of Yellowjackets.\u0026quot; Goodisman will leverage state-of-the-art equipment in this core and see if he can expedite his team\u0026rsquo;s DNA fragment analysis processing.\u0026nbsp;The goal of the project is to better understand the evolution and ecology of highly social species (such as yellowjackets).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETorres\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;(associate professor, School of Biological Sciences) will make it three-for-three for Molecular Evolution. He is working on a project called, \u0026ldquo;\u0026quot;Transitioning from Yeast to Humans: Proposal for Usage of the GT Tissue Culture Facility.\u0026quot;\u0026nbsp;Torres\u0026rsquo;s team use a yeast model system to study and identify novel G protein regulatory mechanisms which will provide foundations for the development of better drugs in the future. They will use space dedicated for human cell culture in the Molecular Evolution Core Facility to establish a sustained human cell signaling research program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe dollar value of each grant awarded varies based on the equipment utilized in the research project and does not include reagents.\u0026nbsp;To learn more here about the seed grant program, click \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.infoready4.com\/#competitionDetail\/1788214\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehere\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New Petit Institute program for core facilities supporting novel experiments"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew Petit Institute program for core facilities supporting novel experiments\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New Petit Institute program for core facilities supporting novel experiments"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-02-06 16:54:04","changed_gmt":"2020-02-06 16:54:04","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632164":{"id":"632164","type":"image","title":"Core Seed Grantees","body":null,"created":"1581007936","gmt_created":"2020-02-06 16:52:16","changed":"1581007936","gmt_changed":"2020-02-06 16:52:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240529","name":"Core seed grant winners.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Core%20seed%20grant%20winners.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Core%20seed%20grant%20winners.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":347526,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Core%20seed%20grant%20winners.jpg?itok=XV6wDRTj"}}},"media_ids":["632164"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"632147":{"#nid":"632147","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Paying Attention to Attention\t","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESpatial attention is what happens when we selectively focus on a region in our visual field and quickly extract information from the scene. When you look for your friend with the yellow hat in the upper deck of the arena, and you filter out all the other yellow caps to find him, you\u0026rsquo;re utilizing spatial attention.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt least, that\u0026rsquo;s how it works in a healthy brain. For people with a range of disparate ailments \u0026ndash; autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit disorders, or schizophrenia, for example \u0026ndash; finding the friend in the yellow hat isn\u0026rsquo;t all that simple. And so, understanding the role of attention in sensory perception is a critical component of neuro research, and ultimately, in the future development of better diagnostic tests or treatments, and also for the enhancement of normal attention.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith all of that in mind, Georgia Institute of Technology researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/haider.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBilal Haider \u003C\/a\u003Eand his team are meticulously investigating the brain circuits and mechanisms underlying visual spatial attention, utilizing transgenic mice, publishing their most recent findings in the online journal, \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, with an article entitled, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-14355-4\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Spatial attention enhances network, cellular and subthreshold responses in mouse visual cortex.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We figured out how to control and measure visual attention in the mouse brain,\u0026rdquo; said Haider, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University (BME), and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We then found that attention to a point in space quickly causes widespread enhancement of neural responses to both faint and bright visual stimuli at that location \u0026ndash; just like increasing the volume amplifies all the details in the music, not just the vocals,\u0026rdquo; explained Haider.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe latest work builds on his lab\u0026rsquo;s previous research, which showed that mice are an excellent model system for studying how neural circuits mediate visual behavior, providing a useful platform for studying what happens when humans make fast decisions \u0026ndash; or when they don\u0026rsquo;t \u0026ndash; about visual information.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This paper sets us up to identify the neural circuits underlying these attentional effects using genetic technologies easily exploitable in mice, and also to investigate attention deficits in mouse models of neurological disease,\u0026rdquo; said Haider, whose collaborators\/co-writers were lead author Anderson Speed (BME graduate student), Joseph Del Rosario (BME grad student), and Navid Mikail (former BME undergraduate researcher in Haider\u0026rsquo;s lab).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research was funded by \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ethe Whitehall Foundation, Sloan Foundation, GT Neural Engineering Center, NIH NINDS (1R01NS107968), and NIH BRAIN Initiative (1R01NS109978).\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME researcher Bilal Haider investigates the mechanisms of how we process what we see"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME researcher Bilal Haider investigates the mechanisms of how we process what we see\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME researcher Bilal Haider investigates the mechanisms of how we process what we see"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-02-06 02:43:26","changed_gmt":"2020-02-06 02:43:26","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-02-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-02-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"632145":{"id":"632145","type":"image","title":"Speed and Haider","body":null,"created":"1580956477","gmt_created":"2020-02-06 02:34:37","changed":"1580956477","gmt_changed":"2020-02-06 02:34:37","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240521","name":"Anderson and Bilal.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Anderson%20and%20Bilal.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Anderson%20and%20Bilal.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":347250,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Anderson%20and%20Bilal.jpg?itok=fG6RhdaW"}},"632146":{"id":"632146","type":"image","title":"Mouse Brain","body":null,"created":"1580956641","gmt_created":"2020-02-06 02:37:21","changed":"1580956641","gmt_changed":"2020-02-06 02:37:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240522","name":"Speed_Haider_Attention_Image.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Speed_Haider_Attention_Image.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Speed_Haider_Attention_Image.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":873738,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Speed_Haider_Attention_Image.jpg?itok=8lMa9ij0"}}},"media_ids":["632145","632146"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"126201","name":"go-neural"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"126591","name":"go-NeuralEngineering"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"631732":{"#nid":"631732","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Prestigious Honor for Emelianov","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStanislav Emelianov, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciene, is among three Georgia Tech faculty members who were named\u0026nbsp;IEEE Fellows, the society\u0026rsquo;s highest grade of membership, effective January 1, 2020. A distinction conferred by the IEEE Board of Directors, it is considered by the technical community to be a prestigious honor and an important career achievement. Joining Emelianov from Tech are\u0026nbsp;Richard Fujimoto,and Vivek Sarkar.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEmelianov was recognized for his contributions to ultrasound elasticity and photoacoustic imaging. He is the Joseph M. Pettit Chair Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar.\u0026nbsp;An expert in biomedical imaging instrumentation and nanoagents for imaging and therapy, Emelianov\u0026nbsp;has joint appointments with the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. He\u0026nbsp;is also a professor of Radiology at the Emory University School of Medicine and is affiliated with\u0026nbsp;Winship Cancer Institute\u0026nbsp;and other clinical units.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEmelianov is the director of the\u0026nbsp;Ultrasound Imaging and Therapeutics Research Laboratory, where his group works on the discovery, development, and clinical translation of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic instrumentation, augmented with theranostic nanoagents\u0026ndash;small particles that can diagnose and then treat a specific disease. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and he has served as vice president for Ultrasonics of the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFujimoto, a Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor in the\u0026nbsp;School of Computational Science and Engineering, was honored for his work in the field of parallel and distributed discrete event simulation. Discrete event simulations model operations within a system and have uses in a wide variety of applications. Fujimoto has authored and co-authored hundreds of technical papers on the subject as well as several books, which span application areas including transportation systems, telecommunication networks, and multiprocessor and defense systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe was also named a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iitsec.org\/\u0022\u003E2019 Interservice\/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I\/ITSEC) Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E. The announcement for both of these recognitions came only two years after he was named an\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/awards.acm.org\/fellows\u0022\u003EAssociation for Computing Machinery Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in 2017.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESarkar, the Stephen P. Fleming Chair of Telecommunications in the School of Computer Science and co-director of the Center for Research into Novel Computing Hierarchies, received his distinction\u0026nbsp;for contributions to compiler technologies for high-performance computing. His work in this area spans multiple aspects of parallel computing software including programming languages, compilers, runtime systems, and debugging and verification systems for high performance computers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESarkar has numerous recognitions in the field. He became a member of the IBM Academy of Technology in 1995 and an ACM Fellow in 2008. He has been serving as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy\u0026rsquo;s Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC) since 2009 and has served on CRA\u0026rsquo;s Board of Directors since 2015.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe IEEE \u0026ndash; short for\u0026nbsp;the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers \u0026ndash;\u0026nbsp;is the world\u0026rsquo;s leading professional association for advancing technology for humanity. Through its 420,000-plus members in more than 160 countries, the association is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications, biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes nearly one-third of the world\u0026rsquo;s literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 1,300 active industry standards.\u0026nbsp; The association also sponsors or co-sponsors more than 1,900 international technical conferences and events each year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher among three Georgia Tech faculty members named IEEE Fellows"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute researcher among three Georgia Tech faculty members named IEEE Fellows\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher among three Georgia Tech faculty members named IEEE Fellows"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2020-01-27 22:57:28","changed_gmt":"2020-01-27 22:57:28","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-01-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-01-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"630056":{"id":"630056","type":"image","title":"Stanislav Emelianov, a jointly appointed professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and professor in the School of Electrical \u0026 Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1576512794","gmt_created":"2019-12-16 16:13:14","changed":"1576512794","gmt_changed":"2019-12-16 16:13:14","alt":"Stanislav Emelianov, a jointly appointed professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and professor in the School of Electrical \u0026 Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"239941","name":"Stas-lo-res-BHP_4098.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stas-lo-res-BHP_4098.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stas-lo-res-BHP_4098.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":143176,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Stas-lo-res-BHP_4098.jpg?itok=JNHxj1iZ"}}},"media_ids":["630056"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"630564":{"#nid":"630564","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Fast, Accurate Scientific CMOS Noise Correction Advances Imaging for Fluorescence Microscopy ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA fluorescence microscope is an optical microscope that uses fluorescence to study the properties of organic or inorganic substances. In today\u0026rsquo;s laboratories, these microscopes are equipped with more and more sophisticated digital cameras, which are a vital tool for scientists working in the field of bio-imaging who need to capture images to determine how living cells and tissues function. Scientific CMOS, or sCMOS, is the newest breakthrough technology that overcomes many drawbacks of past image capturing sensors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearcher \u003Cstrong\u003EShu Jia\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and his team are further advancing scientific imaging with the development of a new algorithm for the automatic correction of sCMOS-related noise (ACsN) for fluorescence microscopy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a study published \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-019-13841-8\u0022\u003EJanuary 3, 2020 by \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Jia\u0026rsquo;s team describes how they overcame extra noise and demonstrated significant improvements in both fluorescence microscopy images and their downstream analysis in a wide range of imaging conditions and modalities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The sCMOS cameras have advanced the imaging field, but they often suffer from additional noise compared to CCD sensors,\u0026rdquo; said Jia. \u0026ldquo;So we have circumvented this issue devising a content-adaptive algorithm for the correction of sCMOS-related noise in fluorescence microscopy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EACsN combines camera physics and layered sparse filtering to address the most relevant noise sources in a sCMOS sensor while preserving the fine details of the signal.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, the image acquisition of a sCMOS camera is modeled taking into account the different sources of noise present in the imaging process. Some parameters in the equation are estimated by a one-time calibration, while others are estimated directly from the captured images\u0026mdash;including noise statistics. In addition, a layered approach to collaborative filtering is used to decompose the image in patches and sort them into 3D groups. Then, each group is jointly denoised and the new patches recombined to form the final denoised image.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe paper further illustrates how ACsN was able to improve the image quality of many common techniques such as wide-field microscopy; deconvolution and light-field microscopy; single-molecule localization microscopy; fluorescence microscopy with low-cost CMOS cameras; and selective plane illumination microscopy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In fluorescence microscopy, the noise introduced by the electronics of the camera is still the main limiting factor for both speed and accuracy. With ACsN, we have shown that it is possible to push such limits further without loss of information,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EBiagio Mandracchia\u003C\/strong\u003E, postdoctoral fellow in Jia\u0026rsquo;s group who led the research. \u0026ldquo;This has many implications, especially in fields like diagnostics or neural imaging of freely-moving animals, where cumbersome high-end cameras cannot be adopted.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health grant R35GM124846, and the National Science Foundation grants CBET1604565 and EFMA1830941. This research project was supported in part by the Emory University Integrated Cellular Imaging Microscopy Core and by PHS Grant UL1TR000454 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award Program, National Institutes of Health, and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. We wish to acknowledge the core facilities at the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology for the use of their shared equipment, services and expertize. T. Urner is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. We thank Drs. A. Marcus and R. A. Kahn\u0026rsquo;s laboratories at Emory University for providing live-cell imaging data with lattice light-sheet microscopy.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION:\u003C\/strong\u003E Biagio Mandracchia, Xuanwen Hua, Changliang Guo, Jeonghwan Son, Tara Urner and Shu Jia\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E Fast and accurate sCMOS noise correction for fluorescence microscopy. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-019-13841-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003E11, \u003C\/strong\u003E94 (2020) doi:10.1038\/s41467-019-13841-8\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New algorithm advances scientific imaging by automatically correcting scientific CMOS-related noise "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-01-06 16:28:54","changed_gmt":"2020-01-06 19:19:29","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-01-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-01-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"630561":{"id":"630561","type":"image","title":"Figure: Dual-color image before and after ACsN denoising of F-actin (cyan) and mitochondria (orange) in fixed bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells obtained by TIRF microscopy with an exposure time of 2 ms. Scale bar 4 um.","body":null,"created":"1578327869","gmt_created":"2020-01-06 16:24:29","changed":"1578327869","gmt_changed":"2020-01-06 16:24:29","alt":"Figure: Dual-color image before and after ACsN denoising of F-actin (cyan) and mitochondria (orange) in fixed bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells obtained by TIRF microscopy with an exposure time of 2 ms. Scale bar 4 um.","file":{"fid":"240067","name":"ACsN-screenshot_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ACsN-screenshot_.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ACsN-screenshot_.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":348868,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ACsN-screenshot_.jpg?itok=Q7hrNEt6"}},"630562":{"id":"630562","type":"image","title":"Biagio Mandracchia, postdoctoral fellow in Jia\u2019s group who led the research, and Shu Jia,\u00a0assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering","body":null,"created":"1578328038","gmt_created":"2020-01-06 16:27:18","changed":"1578328038","gmt_changed":"2020-01-06 16:27:18","alt":"Pictured left to right:\u00a0Biagio Mandracchia, postdoctoral fellow in Jia\u2019s group who led the research, and Shu Jia,\u00a0assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering","file":{"fid":"240068","name":"Shu and Biagio-1024px-edited-IMG_1892.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shu%20and%20Biagio-1024px-edited-IMG_1892.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Shu%20and%20Biagio-1024px-edited-IMG_1892.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":290954,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Shu%20and%20Biagio-1024px-edited-IMG_1892.jpg?itok=HMkLnssu"}}},"media_ids":["630561","630562"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629728":{"#nid":"629728","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Levels of Brain Understanding","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere is a growing national community of researchers taking our understanding of brain function to the next level, and some of them recently gathered at the Georgia Institute of Technology to share their vision at the Intelligent Interactions with the Brain (I2B) Workshop.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInvestigators and students from Georgia Tech, Emory University, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh, Rice University, and Florida International University came together to explore research in areas such as computational engineering, computational neuroscience, and the clinical use of emerging neurotechnologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;With this great community of faculty and students, we have unique opportunities to do cutting-edge research using sophisticated computational methods to understand neural activity and their relationship to behaviors in health and disease,\u0026rdquo; said Lena Ting, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We need new theories and technologies to understand brain as a dynamic and adaptive system that changes moment-by-moment, and in individual specific ways,\u0026rdquo; said Ting, who co-directed the event with fellow Coulter Department\/Petit Institute investigators, Chris Rozell and Garrett Stanley. \u0026ldquo;Ultimately such research can lead to smart neural technologies that adapt and change with us and which could treat neurological and psychiatric disorders.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe workshop evolved over two days (Nov. 6-7), starting at the Petit Institute, and concluding at the new Kendeda Building, the most sustainable building in the Southeast, one designed to generate more on-site electricity than it uses. An event like I2B injected its own kind of energy, covering a range of issues, including a few that aren\u0026rsquo;t typically part of neurotech development, including neuroethics (the impact of technologies on the human experience), \u0026ldquo;and the challenges of getting the technologies into humans in the first place,\u0026rdquo; Ting said. \u0026ldquo;We wanted to have public discussion that could seed these ideas in the next generation of students who will be advancing these technologies so they could think about these challenges at the beginning of their research careers.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a field, neuro research is exploding, according to Stanley, making interfaces between technology and the brain and nervous system inevitable \u0026ndash; and making the resulting technical, educational, and ethical challenges also inevitable.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As neurotechnology starts to move from the lab to the clinic and industry, there are a lot of issues for our community to tackle,\u0026rdquo; Stanley said. \u0026ldquo;And I think we brought in a good team of people from different areas within neuro research to talk about these high-level issues, people who can help us move forward.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research enterprise is on the cusp of understanding the brain well enough now to consider what could be a robust commercial venture around neurotechnologies, including investigators engaged in basic research. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re certainly motivated by the idea that basic discoveries can have an impact on people down the road,\u0026rdquo; said Rozell, who is also a professor in Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. And we\u0026rsquo;ve got some powerful things to think about as we shape the future of the field.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the leadership team looks ahead to the next I2B workshop (there will be another, Stanley said), they remain committed to an inclusive, collaborative approach within the current six-university consortium, and beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Neural engineering has to be a highly collaborative endeavor to be successful, reflecting the many perspectives and values of society,\u0026rdquo; said Ting, reflecting on her takeaways from the November workshop.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe effort she envisions would include not only the usual participants \u0026ndash; research engineers, scientists, and clinicians \u0026ndash; but also government, industry, patients, ethicists, the general public, \u0026ldquo;even artists,\u0026rdquo; Ting said. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s a tall order, but we are hoping to influence how we educate students and go about our research and be more inclusive of diverse perspectives and approaches.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"First-time neuro-workshop at Georgia Tech brings together consortium of universities to focus on research, technology, education, and ethics"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFirst-time neuro-workshop at Georgia Tech brings together consortium of universities to focus on research, technology, education, and ethics\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"First-time neuro-workshop at Georgia Tech brings together consortium of universities to focus on research, technology, education, and ethics"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-12-05 18:04:26","changed_gmt":"2019-12-20 17:13:45","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629721":{"id":"629721","type":"image","title":"Chris Rozell presiding","body":null,"created":"1575567389","gmt_created":"2019-12-05 17:36:29","changed":"1575567631","gmt_changed":"2019-12-05 17:40:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239798","name":"Chris presiding.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chris%20presiding.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chris%20presiding.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3481224,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Chris%20presiding.jpg?itok=EATW5hio"}},"629725":{"id":"629725","type":"image","title":"Cope and Ting","body":null,"created":"1575568547","gmt_created":"2019-12-05 17:55:47","changed":"1575568547","gmt_changed":"2019-12-05 17:55:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239802","name":"Tim and Lena.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tim%20and%20Lena.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tim%20and%20Lena.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1053494,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tim%20and%20Lena.jpg?itok=JwEMgNDj"}},"629727":{"id":"629727","type":"image","title":"Garrett Stanley","body":null,"created":"1575568677","gmt_created":"2019-12-05 17:57:57","changed":"1575568677","gmt_changed":"2019-12-05 17:57:57","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239804","name":"Garrett.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Garrett_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Garrett_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":807500,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Garrett_0.jpg?itok=c0njWqev"}},"629724":{"id":"629724","type":"image","title":"Annabelle presentation","body":null,"created":"1575567937","gmt_created":"2019-12-05 17:45:37","changed":"1575567937","gmt_changed":"2019-12-05 17:45:37","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239801","name":"Annabelle Singer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Annabelle%20Singer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Annabelle%20Singer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2004063,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Annabelle%20Singer.jpg?itok=-ropPesV"}},"629723":{"id":"629723","type":"image","title":"Chethan Pandarinath","body":null,"created":"1575567851","gmt_created":"2019-12-05 17:44:11","changed":"1575567851","gmt_changed":"2019-12-05 17:44:11","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239800","name":"Chethan.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chethan.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chethan.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2648158,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Chethan.jpg?itok=28stKhkM"}},"629726":{"id":"629726","type":"image","title":"I2B group","body":null,"created":"1575568618","gmt_created":"2019-12-05 17:56:58","changed":"1575568618","gmt_changed":"2019-12-05 17:56:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239803","name":"Group shot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Group%20shot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Group%20shot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":490296,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Group%20shot.jpg?itok=2LsbaR8k"}}},"media_ids":["629721","629725","629727","629724","629723","629726"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"126201","name":"go-neural"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"183370","name":"go-nec"},{"id":"126591","name":"go-NeuralEngineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"630132":{"#nid":"630132","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Moths and Perhaps Other Animals Rely on Precise Timing of Neural Spikes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EExtracting nectar from flowers that may be dancing in the wind requires precise, millisecond timing between the brain and muscles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy capturing and analyzing nearly all of the brain signals sent to the wing muscles of hawk moths (\u003Cem\u003EManduca sexta\u003C\/em\u003E), which feed on such nectar, researchers have shown that precise timing within rapid sequences of neural signal spikes is essential to controlling the flight muscles necessary for the moths to eat.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research shows that millisecond changes in timing of the action potential spikes, rather than the number or amplitude of the spikes, conveys the majority of information the moths use to coordinate the five muscles in each of their wings. The importance of precise spike timing had been known for certain specific muscles in vertebrates, but the new work shows the general nature of the connection.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We were able to record simultaneously nearly every signal the moth\u0026rsquo;s brain uses to control its wings, which gives us an unprecedented and complete window into how the brain is conducting these agile and graceful maneuvers,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/simon-sponberg\u0022\u003ESimon Sponberg\u003C\/a\u003E, Dunn Family Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u0026ldquo;These muscles are coordinated by subtle shifts in the timing at the millisecond scale rather than by just turning a knob to create more activity. It\u0026rsquo;s a more subtle story than we might have expected, and there are hints that this may apply more generally.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research was reported Dec. 16 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Esther A. \u0026amp; Joseph Klingenstein Fund, and the Simons Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers Joy Putney, Rachel Conn and Sponberg set out to study how the brain coordinates agile activities such as running or flying that require compensating for perturbations in the air or variations on the ground. While the size of the signals could account for gross control of the behavior, the fine points of choreographing the tasks had to come from elsewhere, they reasoned.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecording motor control signals in humans and other vertebrates would be a daunting task because so many neurons are used to control so many muscles in even simple behaviors. Fortunately, the researchers knew about the hawk moth, whose flight muscles are each controlled by a single or very few motor neurons. That allowed the researchers to study neural signals by measuring the activity of the corresponding muscles, using tiny wires inserted through the insect\u0026rsquo;s exoskeleton.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPutney and Conn determined the location of each wing muscle inside the moth exoskeleton, and learned where to create tiny holes for the wires \u0026mdash; two for each muscle \u0026mdash; that capture the signals. After inserting the wires in the anesthetized moths, the graduate students closed the holes with superglue to hold the wires in place. Connections to a computer system allowed recording and analysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The first time I did the surgery by myself, it took six hours,\u0026rdquo; said Putney. \u0026ldquo;Now I can do it in under an hour.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile connected to the computer, the moths were able to fly on a tether as they viewed a moving 3D-printed plastic flower. To measure the torque forces the moths created as they attempted to track the flower, the wired-up moths were suspended from an accelerometer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe torque information was then correlated with the spiking signals recorded from each wing muscle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe importance of the work relates to the completeness of the signal measurement, which brought out the importance of the timing codes to what the moth was doing, Putney said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;People have recorded lots of muscles together before, but what we have shown is that all of these muscles are using timing codes,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;The way they are using these codes is consistent, regardless of the size of the muscle and how it is attached to the body.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIndeed, researchers have seen hints about the importance of precision timing in higher animals, and Sponberg believes the hawk moth research should encourage more study into the role of timing. The importance and prevalence of timing across the moth\u0026rsquo;s motor program also raises questions about how nervous systems in general create precise and coordinated motor commands.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We think this raises a question that can\u0026rsquo;t be ignored any longer \u0026mdash; whether or not this timing could be the real way that the brain is orchestrating movement,\u0026rdquo; Sponberg said. \u0026ldquo;When we look at specific signals in vertebrates, even up to humans, there are hints that this timing could be there.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study could also lead to new research on how the brain produces the agile motor control needed for agile movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Now that we know that the motor control is really precise, we can start trying to understand how the brain integrates precise sensory information to do motor control,\u0026rdquo; Sponberg said. \u0026ldquo;We want to really understand not only how the brain sets up signals, but also how the biophysics of muscles enables the precise timing that the brain uses.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis material is based upon work supported by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships DGE-1650044 and DGE-1444932, an NSF CAREER award (1554790), and a Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in the Neurosciences. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring organization.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Joy Putney, Rachel Conn, and Simon Sponberg, \u0026ldquo;Precise timing is ubiquitous, consistent and coordinated across a comprehensive, spike-resolved flight motor program.\u0026rdquo; (\u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,\u003C\/em\u003E 2019.) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2019\/12\/11\/1907513116\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2019\/12\/11\/1907513116\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBy capturing and analyzing nearly all of the brain signals sent to the wing muscles of hawk moths, researchers have shown that precise timing within rapid sequences of neural signal spikes is essential to controlling the flight muscles necessary for the moths to eat.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have captured and analyzed nearly all of the brain signals sent to the wings of hawk moths."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2019-12-17 18:21:46","changed_gmt":"2019-12-19 22:27:58","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"630127":{"id":"630127","type":"image","title":"Hummingbird-sized hawk moth","body":null,"created":"1576605880","gmt_created":"2019-12-17 18:04:40","changed":"1576605880","gmt_changed":"2019-12-17 18:04:40","alt":"Hawk moth in researcher\u0027s hand","file":{"fid":"239953","name":"hawkmoth8.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hawkmoth8.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hawkmoth8.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":369786,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/hawkmoth8.jpg?itok=C4N9VMa2"}},"630129":{"id":"630129","type":"image","title":"Recording hawk moth brain signals","body":null,"created":"1576606015","gmt_created":"2019-12-17 18:06:55","changed":"1576606015","gmt_changed":"2019-12-17 18:06:55","alt":"Recording signals from a hawk moth flapping its wings","file":{"fid":"239954","name":"moth-brain-006.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/moth-brain-006.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/moth-brain-006.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1073842,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/moth-brain-006.jpg?itok=H-4wwwUd"}},"630130":{"id":"630130","type":"image","title":"Researchers analyze hawk moth brain signals","body":null,"created":"1576606148","gmt_created":"2019-12-17 18:09:08","changed":"1576606148","gmt_changed":"2019-12-17 18:09:08","alt":"Researchers discussing brain signal analysis","file":{"fid":"239955","name":"moth-brain-016.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/moth-brain-016.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/moth-brain-016.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1421849,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/moth-brain-016.jpg?itok=MKRy4RDg"}},"630131":{"id":"630131","type":"image","title":"Researcher holds hawk moth","body":null,"created":"1576606348","gmt_created":"2019-12-17 18:12:28","changed":"1576606348","gmt_changed":"2019-12-17 18:12:28","alt":"Researcher holding hawk moth","file":{"fid":"239956","name":"hawkmoth12.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hawkmoth12_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/hawkmoth12_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":285420,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/hawkmoth12_1.jpg?itok=k7pCdGec"}}},"media_ids":["630127","630129","630130","630131"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"175598","name":"hawk moth"},{"id":"170414","name":"Simon Sponberg"},{"id":"68461","name":"neural signals"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"176956","name":"action potential"},{"id":"183345","name":"brain spike"},{"id":"183341","name":"neural spike"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"630142":{"#nid":"630142","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Physicists Expand Access to Biophysics Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents who want to study complicated biophysics problems used to have to rely on pricey supercomputers. A new paper from School of Physics researchers promises a less expensive, more hands-on approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThanks to advances in microcontrollers \u0026mdash; powerful, integrated single chips \u0026mdash; students will be able to simulate biophysical phenomena such as the movement of electric waves, including the spiral waves emanating from cardiac tissue.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It is another way to visualize and interact with different biophysics equations\u0026rdquo; says Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/flavio-fenton\u0022\u003EFlavio Fenton\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBiophysicists apply the methods of physics to study biological systems. Because those systems can be complex, scientists rely on computational simulations to study them. Before the rise of microcontrollers, students had to use simulations and visualizations from high-end computers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;However, due to advances in microcontrollers, it is now possible to run what once were considered large-scale simulations using a very small and inexpensive single integrated circuit that can furthermore send and receive information to and from the outside world in real time,\u0026rdquo; Fenton and others say in the paper \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aip.scitation.org\/doi\/10.1063\/1.5094351\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Simulating waves, chaos, and synchronization with a microcontroller\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026rdquo; Published on Dec. 9, 2019, in the journal \u003Cem\u003EChaos, \u003C\/em\u003Ethe work was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe paper\u0026rsquo;s first author, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/article\/andrea-welsh-phd-physics\u0022\u003Enew Ph.D. graduate Andrea Welsh\u003C\/a\u003E, says the work would be of interest to non-expert audiences because it includes instructions on setting up the microcontroller, along with different visualization methods. All of these items are inexpensive, and the software code to use them is provided in the paper.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Science enthusiasts, educators, and hobbyists can do these simulations at home or in the classroom while also learning about the biophysical problems,\u0026rdquo; Welsh says. \u0026ldquo;The interactive part is the interesting part or me. Users can learn about phenomena such as wave collapsing, period doubling, and spiral waves by stopping and initializing waves at different times and in different places.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The paper is more of a teaching tool to start undergraduate and graduate students to be familiarized with microcontrollers and learn how to use them so they can extend them to\u0026nbsp;other problems,\u0026rdquo; Fenton adds. \u0026ldquo;We show how simple and inexpensive it is to program microcontrollers and demonstrate their use in solving biophysical problems.\u0026rdquo; He cites two examples from the paper: How certain fireflies sync their flashes, and how electric waves spread from heart tissue.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Study shows how to use less pricey, more powerful computer processors for simulations"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo School of Physics scientists have published instructions for using powerful, lower-cost microcontrollers that can make biophysics research more accessible.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Study shows how to use less pricey, more powerful computer processors for simulations"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2019-12-17 20:09:33","changed_gmt":"2019-12-19 22:24:00","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"630150":{"id":"630150","type":"image","title":"Andrea Welsh and Flavio Fenton of the School of Physics.","body":null,"created":"1576680411","gmt_created":"2019-12-18 14:46:51","changed":"1576680594","gmt_changed":"2019-12-18 14:49:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239963","name":"2019 Andrea Welsh.Flavio Fenton graduation.SQ4_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Andrea%20Welsh.Flavio%20Fenton%20graduation.SQ4_.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Andrea%20Welsh.Flavio%20Fenton%20graduation.SQ4_.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":164726,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2019%20Andrea%20Welsh.Flavio%20Fenton%20graduation.SQ4_.jpg?itok=MLIVmFxo"}}},"media_ids":["630150"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"178775","name":"Andrea Welsh"},{"id":"112191","name":"Flavio Fenton"},{"id":"183347","name":"microcontrollers"},{"id":"180645","name":"processors"},{"id":"5230","name":"Biophysics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"630249":{"#nid":"630249","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Round Two for SCMB Symposium","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scmb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESoutheast Center for Mathematics and Biology (SCMB)\u003C\/a\u003E will host its annual SCMB Symposium at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Feb. 17-18, in the Marcus Technology Building.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2019, the inaugural event, also at Georgia Tech,\u0026nbsp;had to be cut short due to inclement weather, but many of last year\u0026rsquo;s speakers are returning. SCMB Director \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/christineheitsch\/\u0022\u003EChristine Heitsch\u003C\/a\u003E is expecting a great turnout and a jolt of kinetic energy as a world-class community of researchers descends on the Georgia Tech campus to advance the mathematics of complex biological systems, highlighting the challenges and opportunities at the math-bio interface, and sharing their latest research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe talks will be delivered at a colloquium level of detail, with the aim of engaging mathematicians and biologists alike.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The research that will be presented at the symposium are motivating examples of the power of pursuing questions at the interface of math and biology,\u0026rdquo; says Heitsch, professor in the School of Mathematics at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;And I\u0026rsquo;m very excited about the new ideas and synergy that will emerge from this event, where there will be lots of time to engage in casual discussions between the formal presentations.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the scheduled talks, the symposium will include meals, snack breaks, and a poster session for maximum interaction.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe speakers are among the best and brightest in their field, from across the country:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull;\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/users.math.msu.edu\/users\/wei\/\u0022\u003EGuo-Wei Wei\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Michigan State University)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.qutublab.org\/\u0022\u003EAmina Qutub\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(University of Texas at San Antonio)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/engineering.virginia.edu\/naegle-lab\u0022\u003EKristen Naegle\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(University of Virginia)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/sites.math.rutgers.edu\/~mischaik\/\u0022\u003EKonstantin Mischaikow\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Rutgers University)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/labpages.moffitt.org\/andersona\/\u0022\u003EAlexander Anderson\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Moffitt Cancer Center)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/asmlab.web.unc.edu\/\u0022\u003EAmy Shaub Maddox\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(University of North Carolina\/Chapel Hill)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.carolineuhler.com\/\u0022\u003ECaroline Uhler\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe SCMB is one of four \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.simonsfoundation.org\/grant\/nsf-simons-research-centers-for-mathematics-of-complex-biological-systems\/\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation (NSF) \u0026shy;\u0026ndash; Simons Research Centers for Mathematics and Complex Biological Systems\u003C\/a\u003E. It is headquartered at Georgia Tech; other member regional institutions of the SCMB are the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tulane University, the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, Clemson University, and Duke University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scmb.gatech.edu\/symposium\u0022\u003ESCMB Registration Information\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Annual gathering of mathematicians and bio-scientists returns to Georgia Tech, Feb. 17-18"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnnual gathering of mathematicians and bio-scientists returns to Georgia Tech, Feb. 17-18\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Annual gathering of mathematicians and bio-scientists returns to Georgia Tech, Feb. 17-18"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-12-19 20:20:54","changed_gmt":"2019-12-19 22:21:22","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"630247":{"id":"630247","type":"image","title":"symposium poster","body":null,"created":"1576786640","gmt_created":"2019-12-19 20:17:20","changed":"1576786640","gmt_changed":"2019-12-19 20:17:20","alt":"","file":{"fid":"240000","name":"Symposium_2020_horizontal_flyer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Symposium_2020_horizontal_flyer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Symposium_2020_horizontal_flyer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1705498,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Symposium_2020_horizontal_flyer.jpg?itok=qogoS-ji"}}},"media_ids":["630247"],"groups":[{"id":"604684","name":"Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology (SCMB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"178088","name":"SCMB"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629023":{"#nid":"629023","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Scholars for a New Decade","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA 21\u003Csup\u003Est\u003C\/sup\u003E\u0026nbsp; class of Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars has been selected. These 14 scholars will immerse themselves into the multidisciplinary pool of research at the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology in January 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;This is a diverse cohort of students whose expertise spans a wide range of majors, and not only at Georgia Tech, but other Atlanta universities also,\u0026rdquo; notes Raquel Lieberman, Petit Scholar faculty advisor, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and a Petit Institute researcher.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith eight women and six men in the new class, next year\u0026rsquo;s group of Scholars reflect a growing trend of more women entering STEM fields. Of the 14 students, 10 are from Georgia Tech, two are from Emory University, with one each from Agnes Scott College and Georgia State University. Five of the students are based in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026#39;m excited for all of them, because this is a unique opportunity, an entire year diving deep into an actual research project,\u0026rdquo; Lieberman says. \u0026ldquo;They\u0026#39;ll also contribute substantially to papers that will be published and have a chance to present their work at conferences and other gatherings.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeet the 2020 class of Petit Scholars (listed here with their\u0026nbsp;university, major, the principal investigator\u0026rsquo;s lab they\u0026rsquo;ll be a part of, and their mentor):\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Cindy Aguilera-Navarro, Agnes Scott College, Neuroscience, Tim Cope (mentored by Travis Rotterman);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Berna Aliya, Georgia Tech, Neuroscience, Young Jang (mentored by\u0026nbsp;Mahir Mohiuddin);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Kasey Cervantes, Emory, Biology, Arijit Raychowdhury (mentored by Yan Fang);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Ana Cristian, Georgia Tech, Biomedical Engineering, James Dahlman (mentored by Kalina Paunovska);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Carolann Espy, Georgia Tech, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ingeborg Schmidt-Krey (mentored by Kasahun Neselu);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Rachel Fitzgerald, Georgia Tech, Chemistry and Biochemistry, M.G. Finn (mentored by Asheley Chapman);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Mariana Holguin-Lopez, Georgia State, Neuroscience, Todd Sulchek (mentored by\u0026nbsp;Katherine Young);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Brandon Kassouf, Georgia Tech, Biomedical Engineering, Mike Davis (mentored by Sruti Behri);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Amy Liu, Georgia Tech, Biomedical Engineering, Shuichi Takayama (mentored by Eric Parigoris);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Krishna\u0026nbsp;Pucha, Emory, Neuroscience, Nick Willett (mentored by Jay McKinney);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Milan Riddick, Georgia Tech, Biomedical Engineering, Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a (mentored by Pranav Kalelkar);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Kevin Tao, Georgia Tech, Biomedical Engineering, Gabe Kwong (mentored by Ida Su);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Paxton Threatt, Georgia Tech, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Neha Garg (mentored by Andrew McAvoy);\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Kevin Yin, Georgia Tech, Mathematics, Shuyi Nie (mentored by Mary Kho).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Undergraduate Research Scholarship program began in 2000 with the goal of developing a new generation of leading bio-researchers by providing them with an opportunity to conduct independent research in Petit Institute labs, and other bio-related labs at Georgia Tech, for a full year. Since 2000, the program has funded more than 300 students, with about 80 percent of them moving on to pursue graduate degrees.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENews Contact Info:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Introducing the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars for 2020"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIntroducing the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars for 2020\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Introducing the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars for 2020"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-11-15 00:41:13","changed_gmt":"2019-12-16 17:09:59","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-11-14T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-11-14T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629022":{"id":"629022","type":"image","title":"Petit Scholars Kendreze","body":null,"created":"1573778193","gmt_created":"2019-11-15 00:36:33","changed":"1573778193","gmt_changed":"2019-11-15 00:36:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239561","name":"kendreze.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kendreze.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kendreze.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4537664,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kendreze.jpg?itok=GMCXiMWZ"}}},"media_ids":["629022"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629881":{"#nid":"629881","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Enterprise for LymphaTech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA small company built around technology developed by researchers in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech is realizing some big dreams with the announcement of a new business partnership.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech alumni Nate Frank and Mike Weiler, co-founders of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lymphatechnology.com\/\u0022\u003ELymphaTech\u003C\/a\u003E, announced their partnership with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mediusa.com\/\u0022\u003Emedi\u0026reg;\u003C\/a\u003E to launch medi vision, a new compression garment measuring experience that creates a fast and accurate digital scan for patients affected by edema and other conditions requiring medical compression. LymphaTech and medi\u0026reg; made the announcement at the National Lymphedema Network conference in Boston in October.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeiler was still pursuing his Ph.D. in Bioengineering as a member of researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/llbb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBrandon Dixon\u0026rsquo;s lab\u003C\/a\u003E in the Petit Institute when he met Frank in 2012 while participating in the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/centers-initiatives\/tiger\/index.html\u0022\u003ETI:GER\u0026reg;\u003C\/a\u003E (Technology Innovation: Generating Economic Results) program. Frank was an MBA student at the time. \u0026nbsp;They teamed up and started the company originally built using technology\u0026nbsp;Weiler developed in Dixon\u0026rsquo;s lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDixon, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Tech, a co-founder of LymphaTech, heads the company\u0026rsquo;s scientific advisory board. Weiler is CEO and Frank is COO\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a great success story\u0026rdquo; says Margi Berbari, former TI:GER\u0026reg; director. \u0026ldquo;The current LymphaTech team is the original TI:GER\u0026reg; team and they are employing the technology innovation they developed in the TIGER\u0026reg; program.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeiler adds, \u0026ldquo;The TI:GER\u0026reg; curriculum enabled us to perform the initial market assessments and identify the opportunity within the industry. Our business model today is similar to the business model canvas that we developed during TI:GER\u0026reg;. We have continued to make improvements to the technology, but our original product-market fit and market segmentation still accurately reflect our business.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst the team had to generate convincing clinical data to gain partnerships and sales. They partnered with a research group from Washington University in St. Louis that participated with several other organizations, including the Task Force for Global Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Frank and Weiler conducted their first field study at a lymphedema clinic in Sri Lanka where they completed a comprehensive measurement validation study collecting data necessary to develop partnerships in the U.S.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEdema is the accumulation of excess fluid in the body, which may arise from a variety of conditions including diseases of the blood vasculature and the lymphatic system. One of the main treatments for edema is the application of medical compression garments, which can take the form of standardized, ready-to-wear garments and custom-made garments. Medi\u0026reg; is one of the industry leaders in medical compression, providing a wide array of medical compression garments targeting venous and lymphatic conditions, while also providing orthopedic products as a worldwide leader in orthopedic bracing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026shy;LymphaTech\u0026rsquo;s core technology is a hand-held clinical tool for mobile 3D measuring that provides fast, accurate and reliable human body imaging and measurements. In only 60 seconds, the LymphaTech software generates a full 3D model of the limbs with limb volume and circumference measurement outputs. These measurements enable a high-resolution assessment of the geometry of the limb, which can be useful for single timepoint measurements and longitudinal tracking over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe partnership between LymphaTech and medi\u0026reg; and the launch of medi vision is the first commercial implementation of a hand-held, high-resolution 3D scanning tech specifically utilized for sizing and fitting compression garments. Medi vision utilizes a custom version of the LymphaTech 3D measuring software that is optimized to automatically generate the measurements specific for medi\u0026reg; compression garments. The platform then allows the measurements to be directly sent to the medi\u0026reg; custom E-shop for immediate garment ordering and product configuration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Until now, compression garments were measured\u0026nbsp;with a standard tailor\u0026#39;s tape measure, which is time consuming and is prone to significant measurement error,\u0026rdquo; says Frank.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E. The synergy of our 3D measuring system applied to optimize the compression garment fitting process is clear - the more accurate the measurement, the better fitting and performing garment. The result is a faster and more reliable measuring process leading to a better fitting, more effective compression garment.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe current LymphaTech device can be used widely for measuring and monitoring human body geometry. Applications include physical therapy, vein diseases, lung care, orthopedics, and monitoring recovery after ACL surgeries. Weiler and Frank plan to expand use of LymphaTech innovations across multiple brands to better penetrate multiple markets.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis partnership currently operates in the U.S. and Germany but will expand to more countries in the near future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Company founded on innovation developed at Georgia Tech forms partnership with leading compression garment manufacturer"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECompany founded on innovation developed at Georgia Tech forms partnership with leading compression garment manufacturer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Company founded on innovation developed at Georgia Tech forms partnership with leading compression garment manufacturer"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-12-10 16:19:33","changed_gmt":"2019-12-12 20:25:05","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629880":{"id":"629880","type":"image","title":"Frank and Weiler","body":null,"created":"1575994286","gmt_created":"2019-12-10 16:11:26","changed":"1575994286","gmt_changed":"2019-12-10 16:11:26","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239870","name":"lymphatech-founders.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lymphatech-founders.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lymphatech-founders.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":719887,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lymphatech-founders.jpg?itok=BUOKuICC"}}},"media_ids":["629880"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"125381","name":"lymphadema"},{"id":"183243","name":"LymphaTech"},{"id":"183244","name":"compression garments"},{"id":"14595","name":"therapeutics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629955":{"#nid":"629955","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two BME Alumni Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur List","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech biomedical engineering (BME) alumni \u003Cstrong\u003ERob Mannino\u003C\/strong\u003E (B.S. BMED, 2013; Ph.D. BMED, 2018) and \u003Cstrong\u003EErika Tyburski\u003C\/strong\u003E (B.S. BMED, 2012) were recognized as top young entrepreneurs on the 2020 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/30-under-30\/2020\/#58fd8c5c33fa\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EForbes\u003C\/em\u003E 30 Under 30 list\u003C\/a\u003E in the healthcare category. \u003Cem\u003EForbes\u003C\/em\u003E identified the top 30 entrepreneurs under 30 years old in 20 industry categories after evaluating more than 15,000 nominees.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMannino and Tyburski are startup employees of Sanguina, which has raised over $2.1 million in financial backing. Tyburski, cofounder, is the chief executive officer and has been at Sanguina since it was launched\u0026nbsp;in 2014. She invented the company\u0026rsquo;s AnemoCheck technology as an undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer co-founder, \u003Cstrong\u003EWilbur Lam\u003C\/strong\u003E, is Sanguina\u0026rsquo;s chief medical officer and supervises technical development of AnemoCheck. Lam, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech, leads an interdisciplinary laboratory dedicated to developing novel, inexpensive diagnostics for hematologic and childhood diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMannino, who has worked extensively with Dr. Lam, is the chief technology officer at Sanguina and worked on new diagnostic technologies while completing his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech as a student in Lam\u0026rsquo;s lab. Both Tyburski and Mannino are graduates of the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESanguina, which is focused on the development and distribution of simple-to-use and standalone point-of-care diagnostics, developed a safe, simple, quick and accurate hemoglobin test that was approved by the FDA in September, 2017.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe product, AnemoCheck, is a color-based hemoglobin determination method that requires less than half a drop of blood from a finger stick. Blood is collected into a capillary tube, then delivered to a test vial. After mixing and waiting for 2 minutes, the resulting color correlates to a person\u0026rsquo;s hemoglobin level.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESanguina is currently working on an over the counter (OTC) version of their AnemoCheck technology. This at home test will be simple, disposable, and available for anyone curious about their hemoglobin levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe company is also developing a non-invasive smartphone application technology for non-invasive anemia detection based on previous work developed by Mannino during his time as a biomedical engineering doctoral student at Georgia Tech and Emory University. This new application, AnemoCheck Mobile, should be available in early 2020 to download from the App Store and Google Play.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Rob Mannino and Erika Tyburski were named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-12-12 15:15:54","changed_gmt":"2019-12-12 19:19:29","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629954":{"id":"629954","type":"image","title":"Forbes 30 under 30 2020","body":null,"created":"1576163601","gmt_created":"2019-12-12 15:13:21","changed":"1576163601","gmt_changed":"2019-12-12 15:13:21","alt":"Rob Mannino (B.S. BMED, 2013; Ph.D. BMED, 2018) and Erika Tyburski (B.S. BMED, 2012) were recognized as top young entrepreneurs on the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.","file":{"fid":"239894","name":"78864254_1219641154894766_7457679349035040768_n.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/78864254_1219641154894766_7457679349035040768_n.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/78864254_1219641154894766_7457679349035040768_n.png","mime":"image\/png","size":397539,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/78864254_1219641154894766_7457679349035040768_n.png?itok=pnJZOSue"}}},"media_ids":["629954"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629949":{"#nid":"629949","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Question of Ethics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology bioethicist Aaron Levine said there is merit in a proposal from researchers at two universities calling on crowdfunding platforms to stop accepting campaigns for unproven medical treatments. But Levine said the proposal could be tough to implement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJeremy Snyder of Simon Fraser University and I. Glenn Cohen of Harvard Law School made the call for crowdfunding platforms to stop accepting campaigns for unproven treatments in an\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/hast.1066\u0022\u003Earticle\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EThe Hastings Center Report\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;published Dec. 8. The paper follows a recent\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EWashington Post\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national\/health-science\/clinic-pitches-unproven-treatments-to-desperate-patients-with-tips-on-raising-the-cash\/2019\/12\/01\/fe94cfcc-d3c6-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html\u0022\u003Earticle\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on the use of crowdfunding to pay for unproven stem cell treatments at a Florida clinic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/levine\u0022\u003ELevine\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor of public policy who was not involved in the study, said crowdfunding campaigns for dubious treatments help clinics that skirt the FDA approval process by providing revenue. They can also help spread misleading information through the social nature of crowdfunding platforms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECutting off the funding and word-of-mouth advertising would be beneficial but hard to do, he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPatients turn to crowdfunding for all sorts of medical issues, from broken bones and chronic conditions to FDA-approved cancer therapies, and it could be difficult for platforms like GoFundMe to efficiently and accurately determine which treatments are unproven.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELevine argued that what ultimately is needed is stronger regulation and an overhaul of a medical system that places expensive treatments out of reach for too many.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s value in cutting off financing for these unproven treatments, and it has parallels to Google\u0026rsquo;s decision earlier this year to cut off advertising for some of the clinics that offer them,\u0026rdquo; said Levine, who recently published his own research on crowdfunding for a particular kind of cell-based cancer therapy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;But I think what you really want is stronger oversight from the FDA to cut these treatments and clinics off at the source,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a paper published in August in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EThe Lancet Oncology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003ELevine wrote about concerns over the rising use of crowdfunding to gain access to clinical trials for CAR-T cell therapy, a class of personalized cell-based treatments that have shown promise in treating some cancers, but can carry significant costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe need to raise money to access the trials, either to pay direct medical costs or indirect costs such as hotel stays, raises ethical issues as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As CAR-T cell therapy expands and moves from a last-resort therapy closer to the front-lines of cancer care, clinical trials will increasingly compare these novel cell therapies versus the existing standard of care,\u0026rdquo; Levine said in August. \u0026ldquo;These trials will yield more valuable information if the research participants are representative of the broader patient population, but the need for many patients to crowdfund to access such trials raises questions about how representative the clinical trial population will be.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELevine studies ethical and policy issues surrounding the development of cell therapies as a researcher associated with the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003ENSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(CMaT). The center, led by Georgia Tech, seeks to help transform cell-based therapeutics to expand the industry and lower costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe School is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMichael Pearson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nmichael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404.894.2290\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher supports ending crowdfunding for unproven treatments"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute researcher supports ending crowdfunding for unproven treatments\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher supports ending crowdfunding for unproven treatments"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-12-12 14:20:54","changed_gmt":"2019-12-12 14:23:28","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"583582":{"id":"583582","type":"image","title":"Aaron Levine","body":null,"created":"1478540612","gmt_created":"2016-11-07 17:43:32","changed":"1567618808","gmt_changed":"2019-09-04 17:40:08","alt":"A portrait photo of Aaron Levine, associate professor in the School of Public Policy","file":{"fid":"222478","name":"LevineWeb.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/LevineWeb.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/LevineWeb.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":104015,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/LevineWeb.jpg?itok=LTChU-3b"}}},"media_ids":["583582"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629908":{"#nid":"629908","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Future of Poster Sessions","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.coskunlab.org\/\u0022\u003EAhmet Coskun\u003C\/a\u003E has seen the future for the ubiquitous poster session and it is paperless. Coskun, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University, instead envisions a more vibrant way to present research to participants at scientific conferences and other gatherings.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Paper posters fail to explain the dynamic properties of our imaging data, so we cannot adequately connect our research with the audience,\u0026rdquo; says Coskun, who is also a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech, where he directs the Single Cell Biotechnology Laboratory. There, an interdisciplinary team of researchers interested in photons, ions, and electrons (and their interactions with cells) combines large-scale experiments and computational analysis to address fundamental challenges in infections, cancers, and immunology to create image-based technologies to reveal the spatial nature of biological systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo help address the issue of adequate representation of a biological system\u0026rsquo;s dynamic properties, Coskun earlier this year launched the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bioemedialab.com\/\u0022\u003EBioengineering (BioE) Media Lab\u003C\/a\u003E at BME, an interactive studio lab designed to integrate emerging digital technologies with cellular imaging and analysis tools for unconventional scientific explorations and innovative educational teaching platforms. It\u0026rsquo;s through the BioE Media Lab that Coskun and graduate researcher Mythreye Venkatesan have introduced their new concept for digital research posters. They write all about it in a in a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42003-019-0702-1\u0022\u003Erecently published paper\u003C\/a\u003E in \u003Cem\u003ECommunications Biology\u003C\/em\u003E (an open-access journal from Nature Research publishing).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a sense, Coskun and Venkatesan are like artists trying to develop the best medium to convey their vision. In this case, that vision involves images at the cellular scale, a changing biological landscape that doesn\u0026rsquo;t translate effectively to static pictures and graphs. So, taking a cue from the art community, they\u0026rsquo;ve employed multiplexed imaging for movies of cells as a demonstration of their digital poster idea, which provides, \u0026ldquo;an interactive and low-cost tool for next-generation sharing platforms,\u0026rdquo; they write.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We found that there is a crucial need for innovation that bridges the gap between old-fashioned poster presentations and current visual technologies,\u0026rdquo; says Coskun.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn their report, entitled, \u0026ldquo;Digital posters for interactive cellular media and bioengineering education,\u0026rdquo; the team presents a solution that they believe could be a transformative interactive tool in research fields that utilize complex molecular, cellular, organ-level, or structural media.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team uses a digital art frame developed by American technology company Meural, which developed a platform that enables the upload of digital art galleries via a wireless network. Coskun says the widely-available technology was the perfect canvas on which to design digital research posters.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The nice thing is, you can easily update the poster using a smartphone or computer app,\u0026rdquo; Coskun says. \u0026ldquo;We update our research every month, easily. We get new results and new discoveries of how cells are behaving. The digital poster concept allows a dynamic presentation that we can change as our results change.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the paper they also offer insight into future generations of digital posters, which will feature folding displays controlled by touchscreen and motion controls. Their idea would involve lightweight (i.e., easy to transport) interactive displays that unfold to poster size. They also envision digital technologies being deployed as instructional platforms, writing, \u0026ldquo;virtual reality offers training opportunities for students and researchers in engineering and medicine. Digital posters, therefore, have great potential for bioengineering education that generates cellular and medical imaging datasets.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the technological, functional, and educational potential for digital posters, Coskun and Venkatesan also offer economic argument in support of the new paradigm.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;On average, a paper poster will cost $100, and in a month or two, you need another one. The costs really add up,\u0026rdquo; Coskun says. \u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s an initial cost with the digital posters of about $500. But, as long as our hardware and software are compatible and stays current with state of the art visual technology, that poster will be very useable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Coskun lab presents concept for digital posters for interactive cellular media and bioengineering education"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECoskun lab presents concept for digital posters for interactive cellular media and bioengineering education\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Coskun lab presents concept for digital posters for interactive cellular media and bioengineering education"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-12-11 12:46:32","changed_gmt":"2019-12-11 14:46:44","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629906":{"id":"629906","type":"image","title":"Ahmet Coskun","body":null,"created":"1576067922","gmt_created":"2019-12-11 12:38:42","changed":"1576067922","gmt_changed":"2019-12-11 12:38:42","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239876","name":"Ahmet_Coskun_Photo.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ahmet_Coskun_Photo.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ahmet_Coskun_Photo.png","mime":"image\/png","size":6022712,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Ahmet_Coskun_Photo.png?itok=abOgk5OW"}},"629907":{"id":"629907","type":"image","title":"BioE Media Lab","body":null,"created":"1576068097","gmt_created":"2019-12-11 12:41:37","changed":"1576068097","gmt_changed":"2019-12-11 12:41:37","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239877","name":"BioE Media Lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/BioE%20Media%20Lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/BioE%20Media%20Lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":328301,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/BioE%20Media%20Lab.jpg?itok=AsCYRMbE"}}},"media_ids":["629906","629907"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"629584":{"#nid":"629584","#data":{"type":"news","title":"AfroBiotech Was About More Than Science\t","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECutting-edge research in topics such as regenerative medicine, DNA synthesis, and genome design and editing took center stage at the first-ever AfroBioTech Conference, which touched down in Atlanta in late October.\u0026nbsp;But there was a constant reminder of the solid foundation on which the research enterprise had been built, shout-outs to African American pioneers of science and engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The work presented was insightful, of the highest quality, covering the span of biomedical, agricultural, and computational space that falls under the umbrella of biological and chemical engineering,\u0026rdquo; noted Manu Platt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, who co-chaired the conference with event founder and fellow BME faculty member Karmella Haynes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I think it was important also that each session was led off with a reflective moment recognizing a scientist or engineer on whose shoulders we stand,\u0026rdquo; added Platt, a researcher in the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026ldquo;People like Charles Drew, Alexa Canady, Louis Sullivan, E.E. Just, James Bowman, Ruth Ella Moore, Katharine Johnson, and Shirley Malcom.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHaynes created the conference specifically as showcase of under-represented minority (URM) researchers, scientists who \u0026ldquo;often aren\u0026rsquo;t seen at other conferences that cover the same technical areas, which I think underscores the \u0026lsquo;invisibility\u0026rsquo; and marginalization of African-American scientists,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe tried to improve URM inclusion at conferences by serving as a committee chair, but often came up against resistance. \u0026ldquo;So I decided to launch a conference to make URM talent more visible,\u0026rdquo; said Haynes, who added that several speakers, \u0026ldquo;devoted a significant part of their presentations to narratives about their experiences as URMs in their fields \u0026ndash; the hurdles, discrimination, and their strategies for thriving in spite of these barriers. A common theme was the connection to and appreciation of family, friends, and community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe invited speakers included Stefan France, associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech and a Petit Institute member, as well as researchers from across the country, representing academic institutions, industry, and government agencies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA critical but unplanned outcome of the three-day conference (Oct. 27-29 at Hyatt Centric Midtown Atlanta) was the mentoring and networking that took place between sessions. \u0026ldquo;Many of the presenters are the \u0026lsquo;only\u0026rsquo; at their institutions or in their graduate programs, so they took the time to get to know others who were steps ahead of them in their careers, to get guidance on what success looks like,\u0026rdquo; said Platt.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor a group of students from Project ENGAGES, the minority high school program based at Georgia Tech in the Petit Institute, this was an opportunity to share their work and hang out with older minority researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, success of the event was represented by the numbers. Haynes was expecting 50 attendees. There were nearly 100. AfroBiotech, a conference of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), will return to Atlanta in the fall of 2020. Lead sponsor Thermo Fisher has already pledged to support the event next year. Other sponsors included Ginko Bioworks, the Coulter Department, and the Regenerative Engineering Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"First time conference, co-chaired by BME researchers, makes its debut in Atlanta"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFirst time conference, co-chaired by BME researchers, makes its debut in Atlanta\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"First time conference, co-chaired by BME researchers, makes its debut in Atlanta"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-12-03 03:59:25","changed_gmt":"2019-12-03 12:50:22","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-12-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-12-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"629581":{"id":"629581","type":"image","title":"AfroBiotech Group","body":null,"created":"1575344675","gmt_created":"2019-12-03 03:44:35","changed":"1575344675","gmt_changed":"2019-12-03 03:44:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239762","name":"Group shot2 twitter.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Group%20shot2%20twitter.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Group%20shot2%20twitter.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":866210,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Group%20shot2%20twitter.jpg?itok=GIxG3cvs"}},"629582":{"id":"629582","type":"image","title":"Simone","body":null,"created":"1575344898","gmt_created":"2019-12-03 03:48:18","changed":"1575344898","gmt_changed":"2019-12-03 03:48:18","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239763","name":"Simone.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Simone.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Simone.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":424128,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Simone.jpg?itok=e99BW8lT"}},"629583":{"id":"629583","type":"image","title":"Colorful Presentation","body":null,"created":"1575345047","gmt_created":"2019-12-03 03:50:47","changed":"1575345047","gmt_changed":"2019-12-03 03:50:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239764","name":"julio colorful2 twitter.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/julio%20colorful2%20twitter.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/julio%20colorful2%20twitter.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":759851,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/julio%20colorful2%20twitter.jpg?itok=ACTuGTNg"}}},"media_ids":["629581","629582","629583"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"628808":{"#nid":"628808","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Compound in Malted Barley Makes Colon Cells Move ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECan a pint of Pilsner increase your urgency to poop?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScientists at Georgia Tech have identified three antimicrobial agents\u0026mdash;including hordenine, a compound in malted barley\u0026mdash;that increase the motility of colon cells, which may result in your need to head to the restroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis finding comes from the researchers\u0026rsquo; interest in finding agents to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, or IBS-C. The condition is triggered when a special receptor of the compound serotonin is activated. This receptor, called serotonin receptor 4, is present throughout the human colon. It turns out that 95% of serotonin in the body is in the gut.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESerotonin is a well-known neurotransmitter associated with feelings of well-being and happiness. Its biological functions are myriad, modulating processes from cognition to physiology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/Peralta-Yahya\/Pamela\u0022\u003EPamela Peralta-Yahya\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, wanted to identify other compounds that would bind serotonin receptor 4. She and her team believed they could have potential as novel IBS-C treatments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey developed a rapid, high-throughput assay to screen chemicals for serotonin receptor 4 activation at a rate of one chemical per second. \u0026ldquo;This new screening technology alone was game changing,\u0026rdquo; Peralta-Yahya says. \u0026ldquo;Previously, the two-day culture time in colon cells prevented the testing of such a large number of chemicals.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEmily Yasi, the graduate student leading the research project, then screened more than 1,000 natural products and anti-infection agents. She identified three compounds that affected colon cells: Hordenine, halofuginone, and revaprazan either increased the movement of colon cells or hastened the healing of colon cells after being wounded. Any of the three compounds could be found in your gut, if you have imbibed a pint of Pilsner, eaten half an egg from a chicken treated with a common antiparastic agent, or are undergoing treatment with a certain gastritis medication.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe findings were published on Nov. 12, 2019, in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acssynbio.9b00310\u0022\u003EACS Synthetic Biology\u003C\/a\u003E. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This assay can now be used to screen large pharmaceutical libraries and potentially opens the door for the identification of new pharmaceuticals for the future treatment of IBS-C,\u0026rdquo; Peralta-Yahya says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo be clear, the findings are preliminary and have no clinical significance at this stage. Researchers emphatically reject the suggestion that beer might be good for you, given the well-known adverse effects of alcohol on human health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New high-throughput screen revealed hordenine\u2019s activity "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientists at Georgia Tech have identified three antimicrobial agents\u0026mdash;including hordenine, a compound in malted barley\u0026mdash;that increase the motility of colon cells, which may result in your need to head to the restroom.Scientists at Georgia Tech have identified three antimicrobial agents\u0026mdash;including hordenine, a compound in malted barley\u0026mdash;that increase the motility of colon cells, which may result in your need to head to the restroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New high-throughput screen revealed hordenine\u2019s activity."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-11-08 19:34:12","changed_gmt":"2019-11-15 16:50:15","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"628807":{"id":"628807","type":"image","title":"Pamela Peralta-Yahya with Ph.D. student Emily Yasi and research associate Widianti Sugianto (Photo by Renay San Miguel)","body":null,"created":"1573241101","gmt_created":"2019-11-08 19:25:01","changed":"1573241696","gmt_changed":"2019-11-08 19:34:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239473","name":"Pamela Peralta and two students 2.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Pamela%20Peralta%20and%20two%20students%202.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Pamela%20Peralta%20and%20two%20students%202.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":393252,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Pamela%20Peralta%20and%20two%20students%202.JPG?itok=Y_BN7aTt"}},"628809":{"id":"628809","type":"image","title":"These compounds make colon cells move","body":null,"created":"1573241743","gmt_created":"2019-11-08 19:35:43","changed":"1573241743","gmt_changed":"2019-11-08 19:35:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239474","name":"Hordenine.Serotonin.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hordenine.Serotonin_1.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hordenine.Serotonin_1.png","mime":"image\/png","size":10512,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hordenine.Serotonin_1.png?itok=hDDAWsNZ"}}},"media_ids":["628807","628809"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"183028","name":"colon cell motility"},{"id":"183029","name":"hordenine"},{"id":"183030","name":"irritable bowel syndrome"},{"id":"94301","name":"Pamela Peralta-Yahya"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"628110":{"#nid":"628110","#data":{"type":"news","title":"More Honors for David Hu","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn the heels of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/626798\u0022\u003E2019 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics\u003C\/a\u003E, two more awards have been bestowed on David Hu, professor in the Schools of Mechanical Engineering and of Biological Sciences,\u0026nbsp;adjunct professor in the School of Physics, and researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) selected \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aip.org\/news\/2019\/american-institute-physics-announces-2019-science-communication-award-winners\u0022\u003EHu as co-winner of the book award for its 2019 Science Communication Awards\u003C\/a\u003E. Organizers of China\u0026rsquo;s Pineapple Science Prizes have named Hu this year\u0026rsquo;s winner of the physics prize.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EUnderstanding Animal Locomotion\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAIP\u0026rsquo;s annual awards recognize journalists, authors, reporters and other diverse writers for their efforts in science communication.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHu\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/books\/paperback\/9780691204161\/how-to-walk-on-water-and-climb-up-walls\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHow to Walk on Water and Climb Up Walls\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; published by Princeton University Press, is one of two winners of AIP\u0026rsquo;s 2019 book award. \u0026ldquo;Hu\u0026rsquo;s book explores the astounding diversity and versatility of animal locomotion and how engineers are inspired by it as they design robotics. His team discovered how dogs shake dry, how insects walk on water, and how eyelashes protect the eyes from drying,\u0026rdquo; AIP said in a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aip.org\/news\/2019\/american-institute-physics-announces-2019-science-communication-award-winners\u0022\u003Epress release\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;A lot of people ask me where I get my ideas. I like to study things that relate to everyday life,\u0026rdquo; Hu told AIP. \u0026ldquo;I get inspiration from raising my children. From a diaper change with my son, I was inspired to study urination. From watching my daughter being born, I was inspired by her long eyelashes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to AIP, \u0026ldquo;Judges praised Hu\u0026rsquo;s book for featuring an interdisciplinary group of scientists working the front lines of their fields.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am honored to receive this award and to join the line of science communicators who have been recognized since the 1960s,\u0026rdquo; Hu says. \u0026ldquo;I was diligent about getting a diverse representation of scientists in my book, and I interviewed more than 30 scientists over three years to get that feeling. I think it takes a range of approaches to understand nature, and I wanted to convey that to the reader.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ESparking Public Enthusiasm for Science\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile in China, organizers of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.china.org.cn\/china\/2012-04\/08\/content_25088395.htm\u0022\u003EPineapple Science Prize\u003C\/a\u003E have named Hu the winner of the 2019 prize for physics. The prize recognizes researchers whose great imagination arouses the public\u0026rsquo;s enthusiasm for science. This is Hu\u0026rsquo;s third Pineapple Science Prize.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.cri.cn\/7146\/2015\/04\/13\/3262s874079.htm\u0022\u003EIn 2015, Hu received the Pineapple Science Prize\u003C\/a\u003E in physics for the work \u0026ldquo;Mosquitoes survive raindrop collisions by virtue of their low mass.\u0026rdquo; The insects \u0026ldquo;have extremely strong exoskeletons and are good at tai chi, dropping a little with the raindrop to discharge the force,\u0026rdquo; Hu said at the time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe discovery explains how small insects such as mosquitoes survive outdoors where air is moving fast or heavy rain is pouring. The finding suggests that the smaller an organism is, the stronger it is, Hu said. \u0026ldquo;They have some unforeseen advantages that really can\u0026#39;t get destroyed even if you hit [them] very hard.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/en.cncnews.cn\/news\/v_show\/55957_Pineapple_science_award_unveiled.shtml\u0022\u003EIn 2016, Hu won again, this time in biology,\u003C\/a\u003E for the work \u0026ldquo;Cleanliness is next to godliness,\u0026rdquo; about the mechanisms animals use to keep clean. In particular, why do flies rub their legs? They use the hair on their legs to brush off the dirt on their bodies. This mechanism could be used to keep solar panels clean, Hu said at the time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis month, Hu returned to China to collect the 2019 Pineapple Science Prize in physics. The award is for the work \u0026ldquo;Cats use hollow papillae to wick saliva into fur,\u0026rdquo; which explains the workings of cats\u0026rsquo; tongues.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This work shows that cats clean their bodies using the hollow spines on their tongue,\u0026rdquo; Hu says. His team 3D scanned and 3D printed the spines on the cat\u0026rsquo;s tongue and imbedded them into a bioinspired hairbrush. \u0026ldquo;The brush experiences lower grooming forces and could be used to apply medications or hair products directly to hair with a minimum of water or product. It is by using these spines that cats can groom with only two tablespoons of saliva per day,\u0026rdquo; Hu says, whereas humans use 10 liters of water for a shower.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026quot;Without awards like these, curiosity and science-minded thinking can be blown to smithereens by political winds.\u0026quot;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EKeeping Curiosity Alive\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The judges at the Ig Nobels, AIP, and the Pineapple Science Prizes are encouraging curiosity and enjoyment of science by the general public,\u0026rdquo; Hu says. \u0026ldquo;Curiosity is like a flame. It can be easily snuffed out if not encouraged. Without awards like these, curiosity and science-minded thinking can be blown to smithereens by political winds.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHu adds: \u0026ldquo;I am glad that China is taking care of the next generation of scientists by keeping their award alive. It\u0026rsquo;s good for China to be seen by the world as having a sense of humor.\u0026rdquo; Hu donned a giant cat costume at the award ceremony in China on Oct. 26.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHu couldn\u0026rsquo;t have done all this work just by himself. \u0026ldquo;Two Ig Nobel Prizes and three Pineapple Science Prizes wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be possible without my great group of Georgia Tech graduate students and undergraduates who volunteered to be urinated on by elephants, bitten by mosquitoes, and licked by cats,\u0026rdquo; Hu adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHu earned a doctorate in mathematics and a bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award for young scientists. Hu\u0026rsquo;s work has been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, Saturday Night Live, and Highlights for Children. He is originally from Rockville, Maryland.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Recognitions come from U.S. and Chinese groups"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn the heels of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/626798\u0022\u003E2019 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics\u003C\/a\u003E, two more awards have been bestowed on David Hu. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) selected \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aip.org\/news\/2019\/american-institute-physics-announces-2019-science-communication-award-winners\u0022\u003EHu as co-winner of the book award for its 2019 Science Communication Awards\u003C\/a\u003E. Organizers of China\u0026rsquo;s Pineapple Science Prizes have named Hu this year\u0026rsquo;s winner of the physics prize.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Recognitions come from U.S. and Chinese groups."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-10-27 20:38:42","changed_gmt":"2019-10-31 11:21:41","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"628106":{"id":"628106","type":"image","title":"Award-winning book (Credit: Princeton University Press)","body":null,"created":"1572207863","gmt_created":"2019-10-27 20:24:23","changed":"1572209013","gmt_changed":"2019-10-27 20:43:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239184","name":"Book Cover David Hu.4x6.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Book%20Cover%20David%20Hu.4x6.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Book%20Cover%20David%20Hu.4x6.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":131196,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Book%20Cover%20David%20Hu.4x6.jpg?itok=9i_C2Xok"}},"628107":{"id":"628107","type":"image","title":"David Hu in cat suit at 2019 Pineapple Science Prize award ceremony (Credit: Zhejiang Daily News)","body":null,"created":"1572207959","gmt_created":"2019-10-27 20:25:59","changed":"1572209103","gmt_changed":"2019-10-27 20:45:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239181","name":"2019 David Hu Pineapple Science Prize 1.10x8.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20David%20Hu%20Pineapple%20Science%20Prize%201.10x8.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20David%20Hu%20Pineapple%20Science%20Prize%201.10x8.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":334116,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2019%20David%20Hu%20Pineapple%20Science%20Prize%201.10x8.jpg?itok=KpBEJ84u"}},"628108":{"id":"628108","type":"image","title":"David Hu and former lab team member Patricia Wang at the 2019 Ig Nobels (Credit: AP Photo)","body":null,"created":"1572208019","gmt_created":"2019-10-27 20:26:59","changed":"1572208019","gmt_changed":"2019-10-27 20:26:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239182","name":"David Hu.Patricia Wang.AP Photo.10x8.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/David%20Hu.Patricia%20Wang.AP%20Photo.10x8.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/David%20Hu.Patricia%20Wang.AP%20Photo.10x8.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":205132,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/David%20Hu.Patricia%20Wang.AP%20Photo.10x8.jpg?itok=EGRutAlk"}},"628109":{"id":"628109","type":"image","title":"David Hu receiving his first Pineapple Science Prize in 2015 (Credit: newsplusradio.cn)","body":null,"created":"1572208133","gmt_created":"2019-10-27 20:28:53","changed":"1572208133","gmt_changed":"2019-10-27 20:28:53","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239183","name":"Pineapple Science Prize 2015 David Hu.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Pineapple%20Science%20Prize%202015%20David%20Hu.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Pineapple%20Science%20Prize%202015%20David%20Hu.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":83286,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Pineapple%20Science%20Prize%202015%20David%20Hu.jpg?itok=q9SGhZlH"}}},"media_ids":["628106","628107","628108","628109"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/studying-wombats-cubic-poop","title":"Studying Wombats\u2019 Cubic Poop"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/science-matters\/season-2-episode-6-seeking-science-and-engineering-among-animals","title":"Pee Pee Pipes and Other Animal Curiosities"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"182810","name":"Ig Nobels"},{"id":"182811","name":"AIP communication award"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"182812","name":"Pineapple Science Award"},{"id":"297","name":"David Hu"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"628213":{"#nid":"628213","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Antibiotic-testing platform gets a shot at commercialization","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team with promising technology to combat antibiotic resistance has received funding to accelerate commercialization. The team includes \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/antibiotics.emory.edu\/faculty\/main\/weiss-david.html\u0022\u003EDavid Weiss\u003C\/a\u003E, a clinical investigator and associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/peter-yunker\u0022\u003EPeter Yunker\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the School of Physics. A biophysicist, Yunker is the team\u0026rsquo;s technical investigator.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWeiss and Yunker are developing a testing platform to quickly identify combinations of antibiotics to treat patients with highly resistant infections. Resistance to antibiotics is rising to dangerously high levels all over the world. According to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/features\/antibiotic-resistance-global\/index.html\u0022\u003ECenters of Disease Control \u0026amp; Prevention\u003C\/a\u003E, antibiotic-resistant infections cause 23,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDetails of the technology are under wraps, pending approval of a patent application. Its basis however is bacteria\u0026rsquo;s response to antibiotic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBacteria are currently classified as resistant or susceptible to an antibiotic. However, Yunker says, many bacterial populations consist mostly of antibiotic-susceptible cells along with a few antibiotic-resistant cells. When only a small subpopulation of bacteria is resistant to an antibiotic, the bacteria is said to be heteroresistant to that drug. \u0026ldquo;In fact, about 25% of bacteria-antibiotic combinations are heteroresistant,\u0026rdquo; Yunker says. \u0026ldquo;This form of resistance is undetectable by current diagnostics.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen heteroresistant bacteria are treated with a drug that kills susceptible cells, the unaffected resistant cells multiply rapidly. The treatment fails and resistant strains strengthen their grip on the infection. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team believes that heteroresistant bacteria ought to be treated with an antibiotic combo, one to attack susceptible cells, and the other to knock out resistant cells. \u0026ldquo;This strategy can kill even strains classified as \u0026lsquo;pan-resistant\u0026rsquo; and thus thought to be untreatable,\u0026rdquo; Yunker says. \u0026ldquo;For these reasons, detecting heteroresistance is critical to addressing the crisis of antibiotic resistance.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe technology to detect heteroresistance is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biolocity.gatech.edu\/2019\/10\/16\/technologies-selected-for-biolocity-commercialization-funding\/\u0022\u003Eone of five promising biomedical research innovations\u003C\/a\u003E to receive funding for commercialization from Biolocity. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biolocity.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBiolocity\u003C\/a\u003E provides university innovators with resources to advance translational science. Its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biolocity.gatech.edu\/programs\/\u0022\u003Efunding\u003C\/a\u003E comes primarily from Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team received $220,000 for one year. Weiss and Yunker will use the funding to continue developing their technology and prove that it works. \u0026ldquo;We are also being advised by the Biolocity team, who are experts on commercialization,\u0026rdquo; Yunker says. \u0026ldquo;This has already proven to be invaluable, as they provide us with expertise on the business side that will be necessary to make the leap to commercialization.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Development team includes Georgia Tech biophysicist Peter Yunker"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team with promising technology to combat antibiotic resistance has received funding to accelerate commercialization. The team includes \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/antibiotics.emory.edu\/faculty\/main\/weiss-david.html\u0022\u003EDavid Weiss\u003C\/a\u003E, a clinical investigator and associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/peter-yunker\u0022\u003EPeter Yunker\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the School of Physics and researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. A biophysicist, Yunker is the team\u0026rsquo;s technical investigator.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Antibiotic-testing platform developed by a team that includes Peter Yunker gets a shot at commercialization. "}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-10-28 20:47:04","changed_gmt":"2019-10-31 11:19:26","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627655":{"id":"627655","type":"image","title":"Peter Yunker, Georgia Tech: Heteroresistance AST","body":null,"created":"1571242989","gmt_created":"2019-10-16 16:23:09","changed":"1571242989","gmt_changed":"2019-10-16 16:23:09","alt":"Peter Yunker, Georgia Tech: Heteroresistance AST","file":{"fid":"238979","name":"Peter Yunker original (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Peter%20Yunker%20original%20%281%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Peter%20Yunker%20original%20%281%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4750443,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Peter%20Yunker%20original%20%281%29.jpg?itok=mL2HSSsQ"}}},"media_ids":["627655"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/more-complex-easier-assemble","title":"The More Complex, the Easier to Assemble"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/biosci\/physics\/cholera-bacterial-warfare","title":"Cholera Bacteria Stab and Poison Enemies so Predictably"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"174503","name":"antibiotic resistance"},{"id":"182840","name":"Biolocity"},{"id":"182841","name":"heteroresistance"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"627777":{"#nid":"627777","#data":{"type":"news","title":" NASA Research Isn\u2019t All Rocket Science","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBioscientists who want to shed light on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe don\u0026rsquo;t have to travel very far to do it. In fact, they\u0026rsquo;re doing it right now at the Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where multidisciplinary researchers are proving that not all space research is rocket science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, established in 1958 to lead the United States\u0026rsquo; space exploration efforts, started supporting the search for extraterrestrial life the following year with a grant for the development of the \u0026lsquo;Wolf Trap,\u0026rsquo; a tool designed to detect microbial life on the surface of another planet. Life beyond Earth hasn\u0026rsquo;t been found yet, but after 60 years we have a much better idea of what we should be looking for.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe quest continues today, with the aid of investigators at the Petit Institute where the NASA-supported research is not only focused on untangling the roots of life here and elsewhere in the galaxy, but also on protecting the health and safety of the next generation of astronauts who will explore outer space.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute researchers are actively engaged in what School of Biological Sciences Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosci.gatech.edu\/people\/frank-rosenzweig\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrank Rosenzweig\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E calls, \u0026ldquo;the twin pillars that have supported NASA since its inception \u0026ndash; human space exploration and astrobiology, the study of the origins and distribution of life in the universe.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey are compatible tracks, says \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~orlando\/epicslab\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThomas Orlando\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re definitely on a connective path with the people engaged in astrobiology,\u0026rdquo; declares Orlando, principal investigator for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reveals.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EREVEALS Project\u003C\/a\u003E (Radiation Effects on Volatiles and Exploration of Asteroids and Lunar Surfaces), a member of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sservi.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003ESSERVI\u003C\/a\u003E (Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute), formerly the NASA Lunar Science Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EREVEALS, based at Georgia Tech, is actually an international multidisciplinary team seeking to develop new materials to detect and shield future astronauts from radiation, and researching the interaction of radiation and micrometeorites with the surfaces of airless bodies, like the Earth\u0026rsquo;s moon, or an asteroid, or the moons of Mars (Phobos and Deimos).\u0026nbsp;These interactions can either produce molecules such as water, hydrogen and methane relevant to sustaining the presence of humans on the Earth\u0026#39;s moon.\u0026nbsp;They can also lead to the formation of molecules relevant to the emergence of life. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We want to develop material that could be integrated into the spacesuit,\u0026rdquo; says Orlando, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and adjunct professor in the School of Physics, associate director of the Strategic Energy Institute, and Co-founder and former director of the Center for Space Technology and Research. \u0026ldquo;Robust material that would be electrically conductive, good with regard to heat transport properties, and very strong mechanically \u0026ndash; no added weight, but added value. It\u0026rsquo;s about improving the tools that we have and changing the way we do things.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. has committed to returning people to the moon, and Orlando\u0026rsquo;s research could help with the success of future missions. To expand this, he is also a co-investigator of HOME, a NASA sponsored Space Technology Research Institute at the University of California Davis that focuses on keeping astronauts and their habitats \u0026ldquo;alive\u0026rdquo; for extended human missions. As a chemical physicist, he is also\u0026nbsp;particularly interested in what exploration of the moon\u0026rsquo;s polar regions might uncover, since they may be the \u0026ldquo;chemical libraries\u0026rdquo; of what was available during planet formation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re very interested in the poles because we know there are organics there,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;It would be useful to know what the organic inventory is, because it\u0026rsquo;s a pristine environment. It hasn\u0026rsquo;t seen solar wind, hasn\u0026rsquo;t seen photons, it\u0026rsquo;s really cold \u0026ndash; 25 Kelvin. It\u0026rsquo;s chemistry that\u0026rsquo;s been there a long time. I call it the Hotel California for molecules \u0026ndash; once they\u0026rsquo;re there, they never leave.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe makes a case for the moon\u0026rsquo;s polar regions as an excellent laboratory for finding potential clues to the roots of life. Easier to find a needle in a sparse haystack.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, some of Orlando\u0026rsquo;s Petit Institute NASA-supported colleagues are studying model systems on Earth that may offer hints of how to find life on distant moons. Others, working from different directions, are approaching the elusive golden spike linking prebiotic chemistry with modern biochemistry \u0026ndash; the origin of life. Some are studying the evolution of multicellularity. At least one is trying to ensure the healthy vision of astronauts. And a cluster of Petit Institute faculty that are engaged in astrobiological research have attained real literary immortality as comic book heroes \u0026ndash; all part of a day\u0026rsquo;s work when you\u0026rsquo;re a rock star in your field.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am, admittedly, a science geek, and I have been for years,\u0026rdquo; explains Linda Billings, a consultant to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003ENASA Astrobiology Program\u003C\/a\u003E, who spearheaded the graphic history project. \u0026ldquo;So my heroes and rock stars are scientists, and Georgia Tech has some real rock stars.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVisionary Thinking\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ethier.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERoss Ethier\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is interested in what happens to astronauts when they spend long periods of time in space. Specifically, he\u0026rsquo;s interested in what happens to their vision, because it turns out that 40 to 50 percent of them develop a condition called Space Flight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, or SANS.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Basically, the back of their eye gets a little bit flatter,\u0026rdquo; says Ethier, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0026ldquo;The sheath around the optic nerve swells up and we think it has profound effects on the function of the eye.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEthier\u0026rsquo;s team (which includes fellow Petit Institute researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/med.emory.edu\/directory\/profile\/?u=JNOSHIN\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Oshinski\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of radiology and imaging sciences at Emory) are using a combination of optical coherence tomography and computer modeling, \u0026ldquo;to quantify the effects and develop a risk profiling tool. NASA is also interested in countermeasures \u0026ndash; could we do something in space to help prevent this from happening? That\u0026rsquo;s a work in progress.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESANS is similar to an Earth condition, idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Some of the vision issues in space are cleared up when the astronaut gets back to Earth, \u0026ldquo;but it isn\u0026rsquo;t all recovered. It\u0026rsquo;s not a trifling matter,\u0026rdquo; Ethier says. \u0026ldquo;So hopefully we\u0026rsquo;re contributing to making sure our astronauts can keep great vision when they\u0026rsquo;re exploring.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Ethier and Orlando are both working on projects related directly to astronaut health and safety, most Petit Institute researchers engaged in NASA work have their feet and focus firmly on the ground \u0026ndash; or much, much deeper. These are the scientists engaged in different aspects of astrobiology. And three of them \u0026ndash; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/hud\/prof-nicholas-v-hud\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENick Hud\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Frank Rosenzweig, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~lw26\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026ndash; have helped chart the course of planetary research as part of the team of lead authors of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nai.nasa.gov\/media\/medialibrary\/2015\/10\/NASA_Astrobiology_Strategy_2015_151008.pdf\u0022\u003ENASA Astrobiology Strategy\u003C\/a\u003E. (Note: Another Georgia Tech researcher, but not affiliated with the Petit Institute, is \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/schmidt.eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBritney Schmidt\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;a national leader in astrobiology research from the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, also a lead author of the 2015 document).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As we were creating this large document I saw an opportunity to put together a team that would be a node of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, that would engage on activities related to the theme of the evolution of complex life,\u0026rdquo; says Rosenzweig, who was at the University of Montana at the time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The areas we\u0026rsquo;ve been interested in are what we\u0026rsquo;re calling major transitions,\u0026rdquo; he added. \u0026ldquo;There were a lot of people in the evolutionary biology community that were working on different problems and I thought, why not put all those people under one tent and call it an astrobiology institute? And we were real lucky to have a great bunch of curious investigators come on board.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of them is Petit Institute researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ratclifflab.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWill Ratcliff\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, who was named one of the 10 most brilliant people of 2016 by \u003Cem\u003EPopular Science\u003C\/em\u003E magazine for his explorations into the origin of multicellularity by experimentally evolving yeast.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;NASA\u0026rsquo;s interested in using laboratory models to really try and dial in on key factors that could unlock the potential to evolve increased complexity,\u0026rdquo; says Ratcliff, whose multidisciplinary team includes fellow Petit Institute researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/yunkerlab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeter Yunker\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant\u0026nbsp;professor in the School of Physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERatcliff hopes to continue the long-term evolution experiment for the next 30 years, so his snowflake yeast will keep evolving at a rapid pace, growing larger and becoming more complex. So far they\u0026rsquo;ve gone through more than 800 rounds of selection (about 4,000 generations) and have evolved yeast that are now about 10,000 times larger than their simpler multicellular ancestor, with novel genetically-regulated development. \u0026ldquo;They\u0026rsquo;re actually macroscopic,\u0026rdquo; says Ratcliff. \u0026ldquo;You can now see individuals with the naked eye.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut there are costs associated with size, \u0026ldquo;a soft constraint,\u0026rdquo; Ratcliff says. \u0026ldquo;If they can\u0026rsquo;t figure out how to get around that, it means they won\u0026rsquo;t be able to succeed, so they have to get around that constraint somehow, which means they have to evolve new, tougher bodies, and a lot of our research is trying to figure out how they do that.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince he can\u0026rsquo;t go to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, or further, to observe how life might evolve, Ratcliff is doing it at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;But I would be completely shocked if life was a really rare thing in the universe,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;The problem is, the universe is so spread out that it\u0026rsquo;s very difficult to encounter anything else, biotic or abiotic. So we have to think of new tools for studying evolutionary or ecological or even chemical transitions. I think our best bet for rapid progress is going to be a well-controlled laboratory system.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDeep Dive Into Space\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jenniferglass.com\/Jennifer_Glass\/Welcome.html\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJennifer Glass\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, who loves to do field work, doesn\u0026rsquo;t expect to visit Titan, Saturn\u0026rsquo;s exotic icy moon. But working in her lab at Georgia Tech, she\u0026rsquo;s trying to find clues of what may lie beneath Titan\u0026rsquo;s frozen surface. At the very least, she\u0026rsquo;s developing an understanding of what we should be looking for when NASA gets there in 2034 with the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasas-dragonfly-will-fly-around-titan-looking-for-origins-signs-of-life\u0022\u003EDragonfly\u003C\/a\u003E mission to get an intimate look at the moon\u0026rsquo;s nitrogen-based atmosphere (like Earth).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnlike Earth, Titan\u0026rsquo;s clouds and rain are made of methane. Other organics fall like snow and on the moon\u0026rsquo;s surface, which has the kind of organic chemistry that might have sparked life on Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Icy moons like Titan, or Jupiter\u0026rsquo;s moon, Europa, have interesting, potentially habitable ecosystems called hydrates, where waters are arranged around a gas molecule,\u0026rdquo; says Glass, associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. \u0026ldquo;We know life needs liquid water on Earth to survive, so we\u0026rsquo;re wondering, is it possible that bacteria can actually modulate the stability of those methane hydrates?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo she\u0026rsquo;s leading an interdisciplinary team of Georgia Tech researchers (geo-microbiologists, biochemists, and geo-engineers) on a NASA Exobiology Program project called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/news\/unlocking-mystery-methane-clathrates\u0022\u003EMicrobial Interactions with Methane Clathrate: Implications for Habitability of Icy Moons\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a search\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;DNA\u0026nbsp;blueprints of\u0026nbsp;potential clathrate-binding proteins. The investigators will reproduce those proteins in a lab and test their impact on\u0026nbsp;methane clathrate\u0026nbsp;properties.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re looking into the DNA that we find, deep, deep below the sea floor \u0026ndash; genes that have never been studied in a lab before \u0026ndash; and expressing them in a lab, then testing them in simulated deep ecosystems,\u0026rdquo; says Glass, who is collaborating on the NASA project with (among others) Petit Institute researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/lieberman\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERaquel Lieberman\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Lieberman\u0026rsquo;s lab is producing the proteins that Glass and her team identified from their ocean floor genomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGlass approached Lieberman about the astrobiology project last year, knowing her reputation as an expert in expressing and purifying proteins of all shapes and sizes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The proteins we\u0026rsquo;re producing in my lab have the potential to bind ice crystals that contain methane gas,\u0026rdquo; says Lieberman.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe motivation is to understand how these unique microbes, these bacteria, \u0026ldquo;are making a living in these deep, remote ecosystems,\u0026rdquo; says Glass. \u0026ldquo;They\u0026rsquo;ve never been cultivated in a lab before, so this is how we can explore, using biochemistry approaches. We\u0026rsquo;re interested in these deep sediment, deep biosphere ecosystems because they are, in a way, analogs to icy moons like Europa and Titan.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(Note: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/stockton\/amanda\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmanda Stockton\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E in the School of Chemistry, who isn\u0026#39;t a Petit Institute researcher,\u0026nbsp;is funded by NASA as part of a mission to Europa in a search for biomolecules).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Golden Spike\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENick Hud uses the golden spike analogy to describe how he and his longtime colleague Loren Williams are approaching their search for the origins of life on Earth. In the 19\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E century, he explains, \u0026ldquo;there were teams working from the west coast and the east coast, building the railroad, with the idea of a continuous link. They would meet somewhere to complete the link and drive home the golden spike. What we want to know is how life started and how it evolved to what it is today.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHud, Regents Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is associate director of the Petit Institute, and director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/centerforchemicalevolution.com\/\u0022\u003ENSF Center for Chemical Evolution\u003C\/a\u003E (CCE). Williams, a founding faculty member of the Petit Institute, and also a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cool.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for the Origin of Life\u003C\/a\u003E (COOL).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHud\u0026rsquo;s team takes a bottom up approach that begins with geology and chemistry and an understanding of the formation of the first polymers of life from a prebiotic age. Williams\u0026rsquo; top down approach starts with biology, genetics, and looking back in time, like counting back the rings in the cutting of a large tree. In Williams\u0026rsquo; view, \u0026ldquo;the essence of biology is the persistence of fragile molecules.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELike railroads being constructed from opposite ends of the country, Hud and Williams plan to meet somewhere in between, their approaches converging on the coevolution of the biopolymers of life. The golden spike.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We can look at elements within a cell and understand in some cases why something would have evolved, or what evolved before, in terms of different parts in the cell, different functions of the cell, and organisms,\u0026rdquo; Hud says. \u0026ldquo;We can get back pretty far, but we may never work our way all the way back in time, because life has evolved and changed so much that we lose some traces. On the other side is prebiotic chemistry. We can look there and ask, \u0026lsquo;can we go forward in time,\u0026rsquo; from the chemistry we\u0026rsquo;d expect would have been on the early Earth, go forward to get to molecules that look like, or may be identical to, what we still see in life today.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s wrapped within Hud\u0026rsquo;s proto-RNA hypothesis, as he and his colleagues search for ancient molecules with the ability to self-assemble into RNA- or protein-like polymers, which would represent a major advancement in the field of molecular self-assembly (persistent molecules).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re like molecular archaeologists,\u0026rdquo; says Williams.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two researchers, Hud and Williams, have been working closely, though from opposite angles, for years. Hud is an affiliate member of COOL (a NASA-funded research center launched in 2018), and Williams is a scientific collaborator in CCE (an NSF\/NASA center formed in 2007). In fact, the CCE team includes a number of other Petit Institute researchers: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/grover.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMartha Grover\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Thomas Orlando, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/fernandez\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFacundo Fernandez\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~sfrance3\/Stefan_France.html\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStefan France\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMost of them are now comic book heroes thanks to the NASA Astrobiology graphic history series (Issue No. 7, released over the summer, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/uploads\/filer_public\/9a\/c8\/9ac837be-4e90-4066-90ba-8909bfb13b5b\/issue7_highres.pdf\u0022\u003EAstrobiology: The Story of our Search for Life in the Universe\u003C\/a\u003E). Hud, Williams, Grover, Fernandez, France, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/hud\/bradley-burcar\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBradley Burcar\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (research scientist in Hud\u0026rsquo;s lab) are given the comic book treatment, which is appropriate according to Williams (referring specifically to he and his old friend Hud), who quips, \u0026ldquo;a comic book is the optimum medium by which we should be immortalized.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Next Generation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENASA has been supporting Petit Institute researchers for years as they search for the secrets of life in laboratories, deep under the ocean, or on distant planets and moons. And the space agency is helping to ensure the success of future missions by helping to develop the next generation of space scientists at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESeveral undergraduate students in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering have worked as NASA interns over the past several years. Right now, fourth-year student Julia Woodall is interning at the Kennedy Space Center, where she\u0026rsquo;s studying the mechanical effects of microgravity on cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I conduct research on cell mechanics, specifically on red blood cell fragmentation in clotting disorders,\u0026rdquo; explains Woodall, who says she actually became interested in microgravity through her work through the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/unique-concentration-postdoctoral-talent\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMicah Schaible\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E research, meanwhile, is supported through the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP), which allows promising Ph.D. scientists and engineers to perform research on problems mostly of their own choosing, but compatible with the research interests of the NASA Astrobiology Program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESchaible, who earned his Ph.D. in applied physics at the University of Virginia (UVA), is examining the potential effects of charged dust grains on humans in space as part of Thomas Orlando\u0026rsquo;s NASA SSERVI REVEALS team, in the EPICS (Electron and Photon Induced Chemistry on Surfaces) lab at Georgia Tech. He got involved in space science by accident, after walking into the first lab at UVA that had funding for a grad student.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;They happened to be doing space science, and I saw all these hoses hanging everywhere, wires going every which way \u0026ndash; kind of like the EPICS lab \u0026ndash; and I thought, \u0026lsquo;I really like this environment,\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; Schaible says. \u0026ldquo;Let\u0026rsquo;s figure out what all this stuff does.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EToday he\u0026rsquo;s running his own experiment, collaborating with SSERVI teams at the University of Colorado-Boulder and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, studying how ionizing radiation causes changes to organic molecules and dust grains found in asteroids, comets, and moons. He uses UV light and electron sources to electrostatically charge dust grains, which he brings into contact with organic films, with the ultimate goal of understanding the potential toxic effects encountered by astronauts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s the fundamental science questions that keep us interested,\u0026rdquo; Schaible says. \u0026ldquo;What\u0026rsquo;s out there? How does it work? What can it tell us about our world, about ourselves? How can we extend our technology into space in a way that can make things better here at home?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese are not rhetorical questions and Schaible expects to be part of the answers as he moves forward in his career, which is exactly the kind of thing that more experienced researchers like Thomas Orlando or Nick Hud want to hear: Going forward, the research is in good, eager, inquisitive hands.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s something significant about this, about NASA funding great young researchers that want to become postdocs at Georgia Tech,\u0026rdquo; Hud says. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s the kind of support and investment that speaks well for the maturity of this discipline at Tech, about the depth and breadth of our research here.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVideo\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I5rK_yLQHr8\u0026amp;feature=youtu.be\u0022\u003EPetit Institute NASA researchers\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/video.gpb.org\/video\/gpb-to-the-moon-future-moon-exploration-5xnalx\/\u0022\u003EFuture Moon Exploration (featuring Orlando lab)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFurther Reading\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/uploads\/filer_public\/9a\/c8\/9ac837be-4e90-4066-90ba-8909bfb13b5b\/issue7_highres.pdf\u0022\u003ENASA Comic Book (Astrobiology: The Story of our Search for Life in the Universe)\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/598138\u0022\u003EAstrobiology Rising at Georgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/news\/unlocking-mystery-methane-clathrates\u0022\u003EUnlocking the Mystery of Methane Clathrates\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/nasa-administrator-gets-closeup-look-georgia-techs-role-future-space-missions\u0022\u003ENASA Administrator Visits Georgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2019\/01\/23\/helix-dna-fame-may-have-arisen-startling-ease\u0022\u003EDNA Helix May have Arisen with Startling Ease\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/astrobiology.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003EAstrobiology at NASA\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EComing Up\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/spaceinnovations.org\/\u0022\u003ESymposium on Space Innovations\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Petit Institute\u2019s multidisciplinary investigators at Georgia Tech working to discover life and protect astronauts"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute\u0026rsquo;s multidisciplinary investigators at Georgia Tech working to discover life and protect astronauts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute\u2019s multidisciplinary investigators at Georgia Tech working to discover life and protect astronauts"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-10-18 15:14:03","changed_gmt":"2019-10-29 18:24:13","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627766":{"id":"627766","type":"image","title":"NASA comic book","body":null,"created":"1571408781","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:26:21","changed":"1571415616","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 16:20:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239053","name":"NASAcomicbook.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/NASAcomicbook_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/NASAcomicbook_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5754570,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/NASAcomicbook_1.jpg?itok=ADJVgaLy"}},"627770":{"id":"627770","type":"image","title":"Williams and Hud","body":null,"created":"1571410031","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:47:11","changed":"1571410031","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 14:47:11","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239043","name":"Nick and Loren.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Nick%20and%20Loren.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Nick%20and%20Loren.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":799348,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Nick%20and%20Loren.jpg?itok=QcK14TB7"}},"627769":{"id":"627769","type":"image","title":"Glass and Lieberman","body":null,"created":"1571409981","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:46:21","changed":"1571409981","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 14:46:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239042","name":"Jen and Raquel.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Jen%20and%20Raquel.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Jen%20and%20Raquel.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2124533,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Jen%20and%20Raquel.jpg?itok=fztlutCR"}},"627761":{"id":"627761","type":"image","title":"Thomas Orlando","body":null,"created":"1571398648","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 11:37:28","changed":"1571398648","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 11:37:28","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239037","name":"ThomasOrlando2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ThomasOrlando2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ThomasOrlando2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":592297,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ThomasOrlando2.jpg?itok=0BUlfkFj"}},"627773":{"id":"627773","type":"image","title":"Ratcliff and Yunker","body":null,"created":"1571410142","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:49:02","changed":"1571410142","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 14:49:02","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239045","name":"Will and Peter.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Will%20and%20Peter.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Will%20and%20Peter.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2656782,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Will%20and%20Peter.jpg?itok=cyjzpNmf"}},"627768":{"id":"627768","type":"image","title":"Ross Ethier","body":null,"created":"1571409927","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:45:27","changed":"1616597049","gmt_changed":"2021-03-24 14:44:09","alt":"Ross Ethier sits at a bench in his research lab.","file":{"fid":"239041","name":"Ross in lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ross%20in%20lab_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ross%20in%20lab_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3417053,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Ross%20in%20lab_0.jpg?itok=Fw9a0moT"}},"627775":{"id":"627775","type":"image","title":"Frank Rosenzweig","body":null,"created":"1571410329","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:52:09","changed":"1571410329","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 14:52:09","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239047","name":"Frank.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Frank.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Frank.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2511963,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Frank.jpg?itok=m4-x_GvO"}},"627771":{"id":"627771","type":"image","title":"MIcah Schaible","body":null,"created":"1571410092","gmt_created":"2019-10-18 14:48:12","changed":"1571410092","gmt_changed":"2019-10-18 14:48:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"239044","name":"micah.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/micah.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/micah.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2154770,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/micah.jpg?itok=fCr6dYjp"}}},"media_ids":["627766","627770","627769","627761","627773","627768","627775","627771"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"722","name":"Astrobiology"},{"id":"182695","name":"SANS"},{"id":"182696","name":"astronaut vision"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"628136":{"#nid":"628136","#data":{"type":"news","title":"King of Hearts","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMick Jagger\u0026nbsp;owes some thanks for the fact he\u0026rsquo;s alive and strutting to \u003Cstrong\u003EAjit Yoganathan\u003C\/strong\u003E and his lab crew. In fact, millions of people do.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe rock icon received a replacement heart valve in the spring of 2019 in a New York City hospital, and Yoganathan has led the testing of every prosthetic heart valve design on the U.S. market for safety and effectiveness. His Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (CFM Lab) has served as a valve approval site for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for four decades.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYoganathan invented the science of prosthetic heart valve engineering in that lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1979. It is his\u0026nbsp;signal achievement,\u0026nbsp;and the primary reason for\u0026nbsp;his 2015\u0026nbsp;induction into the National Academy of Engineering. He and his fellow lab members have had a profound influence on prosthetic valve design \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;including the advanced model in Jagger\u0026rsquo;s chest.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor surgeons and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of how the heart pumps blood and how to fix it when the flow goes wrong, Yoganathan and the\u0026nbsp;CFM Lab\u0026nbsp;crew are bigger icons than the Rolling Stones.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/features\/king-hearts\u0022\u003EFor the full Georgia Tech Research Horizons story: Meet \u0026#39;Dr. Y\u0026#39;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mick Jagger owes some thanks for the fact he\u2019s alive and strutting to Ajit Yoganathan and his lab crew"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-10-28 14:22:37","changed_gmt":"2019-10-28 14:30:39","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"628133":{"id":"628133","type":"image","title":"Ajit Yoganathan","body":null,"created":"1572272293","gmt_created":"2019-10-28 14:18:13","changed":"1572278614","gmt_changed":"2019-10-28 16:03:34","alt":"Ajit Yoganathan,\u00a0Regents Professor at Georgia Tech and Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering\u00a0at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u00a0","file":{"fid":"239200","name":"Dr. Y.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dr.%20Y.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dr.%20Y.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":98986,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Dr.%20Y.jpg?itok=Gu3rjkOX"}}},"media_ids":["628133"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"627954":{"#nid":"627954","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Linking Biomedical Engineering and Sociology","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents taking \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/platt.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EManu Platt\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/a\u003E BMED 3600 class this year will be exposed to much more than the physiology of cellular and molecular systems. Platt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and his students are collaborating across campus with a sociology class to gain a better understanding of race, science, and medicine across social and cultural boundaries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis semester, BMED 3600 (a required course for third-year BME students) is joining with HTS 3088 (Race, Medicine, and Science), a course taught by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singh.hsoc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJennifer Singh\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of History and Sociology\u003C\/a\u003E, challenging students from both classes to think more critically about the historical, social and economic challenges and considerations and disparities within the nation\u0026rsquo;s healthcare system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our goal is to link our courses through shared lectures and service learning opportunities with HIV\/AIDS and Sickle Cell communities in Atlanta,\u0026rdquo; explains Singh. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re working with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia to identify learning opportunities for our students that benefit these communities.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPlatt and Singh met through a working group called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.racebiomed.org\/\u0022\u003ERace and Racism in Contemporary Biomedicine\u003C\/a\u003E in 2015, \u0026ldquo;and we thought we could develop something really interesting together by linking our courses through the theme of \u0026lsquo;community health\u0026rsquo;,\u0026rdquo; says Singh.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis past summer they were able to acquire funding for the program through the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Serve, Learn, Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E (SLS), the service learning initiative at Georgia Tech. Last spring, SLS was accepting proposals to link different disciplinary courses around the theme of community health, a framework that encompass social and environmental elements of health and their effects at the macro, micro, and molecular levels of analysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESingh, who has been teaching \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/professor-jennifer-singh-winner-2019-sls-award-excellence-community-engaged-sustainability-teaching\u0022\u003ESLS courses\u003C\/a\u003E since 2016, wanted to collaborate with someone from BME and connected with Platt.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe budding biomedical engineers in Platt\u0026rsquo;s class will be challenged to think more critically about the scientific knowledge they produce, who it actually benefits, and who it doesn\u0026rsquo;t; who has access to the drugs they design, and who doesn\u0026rsquo;t. The final project in BMED 3600 is to design a specific treatment for either HIV\/AIDS or Sickle Cell. The students from HTS 3088 will serve as consultants to identify the potential social, ethical, and economic issues that may arise when these drugs go to market.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This type of interdisciplinary work is critical for our future in biomedicine because everything that is made in the lab must integrate and work within the realities of people\u0026rsquo;s everyday lives,\u0026rdquo; explains Singh, who points out that, for conditions such as sickle cell or HIV\/AIDS, as well as the contemporary shortcomings of race-based medicine such as BiDil (a heart-failure medicine designed specifically for self-identified African-American patients).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Understanding the racial history of these conditions is essential for future biomedical researchers,\u0026rdquo; Singh says. \u0026ldquo;We hope to open up this conversation at the very moment students are learning about the science and developing research questions and projects.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Platt, BMED 3600 always has been an opportunity to expose his students to the downstream ramifications of their research \u0026ndash; addressing those questions of access and lack of access.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In the past we\u0026rsquo;ve brought in professors from other Atlanta institutions, like Spelman and Emory, to discuss the impact of race and racism within the context of biomedicine,\u0026rdquo; says Platt, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;But this year is a little different. Dr. Singh is an expert with a deep understanding of the implications of ethnic disparities in medicine and society. This is also a chance for students on completely different paths to develop a better awareness of these challenges, and of each other.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Singh\u0026rsquo;s students, it\u0026rsquo;s a chance to discover the science behind the complications in these diseases. \u0026ldquo;Sickle Cell, for example, can lead to disability and reduce life expectancy, so we\u0026rsquo;ll talk about the biological mechanisms at work and some of the solutions engineers are working on,\u0026rdquo; Platt says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents are gaining first-hand knowledge from different guest speakers, including patients who share their personal stories. This is coursework that goes beyond academics, according to Platt. \u0026ldquo;This takes us inside and outside of the science,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;We can have the best solutions in mind, but if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t get to the people who need it, what good is the solution? There are hurdles beyond figuring out the science.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn past years, Platt has asked his students to explain why a product or treatment is scientifically and commercially relevant. This year he\u0026rsquo;s adding another challenge: Identify the societal barriers to getting a product to market and to the patients who need it most.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPlatt and Singh are working together to help their students find the answers to these questions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We want our students to work with community partners to identify and better understand how resources, access, and agency shape community health,\u0026rdquo; Singh says. \u0026ldquo;By linking our courses, we will be able to bring together social and natural sciences in new ways that relate to social, environmental, and economic issues of biomedicine.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHSOC is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThis story has been repurposed from\u0026nbsp;Jerry Grillo at the Petit Institute\u0026nbsp;for Bioengineering and Bioscience. The original article can be found \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/news\/linking-biomedical-engineering-and-sociology\u0022\u003Ehere.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New approach to an old course brings together the components of cell biology with social reality"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew approach to an old course brings together the components of cell biology with social reality\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New approach to an old course brings together the components of cell biology with social reality"}],"uid":"34559","created_gmt":"2019-10-23 15:46:54","changed_gmt":"2019-10-23 15:47:17","author":"pdemerritt3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627216":{"id":"627216","type":"image","title":"Platt and Singh","body":null,"created":"1570452321","gmt_created":"2019-10-07 12:45:21","changed":"1570452321","gmt_changed":"2019-10-07 12:45:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238815","name":"Manu and Jennifer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu%20and%20Jennifer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu%20and%20Jennifer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5168135,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Manu%20and%20Jennifer.jpg?itok=TasPFvup"}}},"media_ids":["627216"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"182601","name":"biomedical engineering and society"},{"id":"182602","name":"sociology of disease"},{"id":"182581","name":"health disparities"},{"id":"169317","name":"Sickle Cell"},{"id":"11239","name":"HIV\/AIDS"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"627530":{"#nid":"627530","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Setting the Standards for New Therapeutics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERepresentatives from the world of cell manufacturing attended a workshop on the role of standards in cell and tissue manufacturing, Oct. 2 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and event that organizers see as another critical step on the road to developing new technologies and therapies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe workshop, which provided a forum for sharing some of the latest developments in cell manufacturing from researchers, clinicians, industry, and regulatory bodies, was hosted and sponsored by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003ENSF Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies \u003C\/a\u003E(CMaT), the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, in conjunction with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.astm.org\/\u0022\u003EASTM International \u003C\/a\u003E(formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials), a 120-year-old standards organization that develops and provides technical standards in a wide range of processes, materials, products, and services.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EATSM\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.astm.org\/COMMIT\/E55\/index.html\u0022\u003ECommittee E55\u003C\/a\u003E on the Manufacture of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Products and CMaT organized the workshop, which took place in the Krone Engineered Biosystems Building at Georgia Tech. Then E55 stuck around for a series of open technical meetings the next two days, Oct. 3-4.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Our main goal was to demonstrate to members of ATSM International the need for, and crucial role of, standards as we move forward with the translation and commercialization of cell and tissue-based therapeutics,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/temenoff.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJohnna Temenoff\u003C\/a\u003E, deputy director of CMaT, professor and Associate Chair for Translational Research in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Equally important, though, was offering a forum for scientists to discuss how their technologies, and even how they report their data, could promote further understanding of what \u0026lsquo;product quality\u0026rsquo; means in this field,\u0026rdquo; Temenoff added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOf the 120 or so participants in the workshop, about 25 were members and officers of E55, which has 200 members worldwide, technical experts from the public and private sectors who write voluntary consensus standards designed to drive new innovations in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing and process control. Members of E55 develop standardized language and definitions of terms, recommended practices, guides, test methods, specifications, and performance standards.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We feel that we were very successful in getting the right people \u0026lsquo;in the room\u0026rsquo; for this workshop,\u0026rdquo; said Temenoff, who managed the event for Georgia Tech-based CMaT, a National Science Foundation engineering research center that also includes the University of Georgia, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. \u0026ldquo;During the course of the day we saw important connections being made between ASTM and other standards organizations and industry representatives to determine how E55 in particular can play a key role in developing future standards for cell therapy products.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom the point of view of the standards makers, the workshop provided some helpful insights.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;At a fundamental level, there is a need for standardization in approaches within different labs, and between different institutions in order to minimize variability through harmonization of materials and methods in order to leverage information and further understanding across the field,\u0026rdquo; noted E55 officer Duncan Low. \u0026ldquo;The stated purpose of several groups was to enable reproducible, affordable manufacture of cells. Determining what to measure, how to measure it and how to manufacture with high quality and low cost at large scale were recurring themes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIndustry representatives were front and center at the workshop, as panel participants and as sponsors (which included IFPAC, RoosterBio, and TerumoBCT). RoosterBio also took part in the industry panel discussion, along with representatives from MilliporeSigma, Celgene, and Immulus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our industry panel, many of whom are partners in CMaT, represented diverse viewpoints, from start-ups to large, multi-national companies,\u0026rdquo; Temenoff declared. And they hammered home the theme of this workshop.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Each spoke about the need from their company\u0026rsquo;s perspective for further standards and best practices in shortening the approval process and streamlining commercialization of cell-based therapies,\u0026rdquo; Temenoff said. \u0026ldquo;These are inherently very complex products that require long time-lines and tremendous investment to produce.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech and CMaT host ASTM International workshop focused on cell and tissue manufacturing"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and CMaT host ASTM International workshop focused on cell and tissue manufacturing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech and CMaT host ASTM International workshop focused on cell and tissue manufacturing"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-10-13 18:06:26","changed_gmt":"2019-10-14 13:32:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627527":{"id":"627527","type":"image","title":"Krish and Johnna","body":null,"created":"1570988763","gmt_created":"2019-10-13 17:46:03","changed":"1570988763","gmt_changed":"2019-10-13 17:46:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238926","name":"Johnna and Krish.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Johnna%20and%20Krish.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Johnna%20and%20Krish.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3921690,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Johnna%20and%20Krish.jpg?itok=gN3nor_m"}},"627528":{"id":"627528","type":"image","title":"Crowded room","body":null,"created":"1570989485","gmt_created":"2019-10-13 17:58:05","changed":"1570989485","gmt_changed":"2019-10-13 17:58:05","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238927","name":"crowded room.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crowded%20room_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crowded%20room_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":513227,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/crowded%20room_0.jpg?itok=023EZICh"}},"627529":{"id":"627529","type":"image","title":"Poster Session","body":null,"created":"1570989550","gmt_created":"2019-10-13 17:59:10","changed":"1570989550","gmt_changed":"2019-10-13 17:59:10","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238928","name":"poster session.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/poster%20session.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/poster%20session.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5156950,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/poster%20session.jpg?itok=yjpQ23_L"}}},"media_ids":["627527","627528","627529"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"176933","name":"go-cmat"},{"id":"182657","name":"go_cmat"},{"id":"182655","name":"go-marcuscentercell"},{"id":"172218","name":"go_marcuscentercell"},{"id":"93181","name":"Cell Manufacturing"},{"id":"175498","name":"CMaT"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"182654","name":"ASTM standards"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"627217":{"#nid":"627217","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Linking Biomedical Engineering and Sociology","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents taking \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/platt.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EManu Platt\u0026rsquo;s\u003C\/a\u003E BMED 3600 class this year will be exposed to much more than the physiology of cellular and molecular systems. Platt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and his students are collaborating across campus with a sociology class to gain a better understanding of race, science, and medicine across social and cultural boundaries.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis semester, BMED 3600 (a required course for third-year BME students) is joining with HTS 3088 (Race, Medicine, and Science), a course taught by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singh.hsoc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJennifer Singh\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of History and Sociology, challenging students from both classes to think more critically about the historical, social and economic challenges and considerations and disparities within the nation\u0026rsquo;s healthcare system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our goal is to link our courses through shared lectures and service learning opportunities with HIV\/AIDS and Sickle Cell communities in Atlanta,\u0026rdquo; explains Singh. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re working with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia to identify learning opportunities for our students that benefit these communities.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPlatt and Singh met through a working group called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.racebiomed.org\/\u0022\u003ERace and Racism in Contemporary Biomedicine\u003C\/a\u003E in 2015, \u0026ldquo;and we thought we could develop something really interesting together by linking our courses through the theme of \u0026lsquo;community health\u0026rsquo;,\u0026rdquo; says Singh.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis past summer they were able to acquire funding for the program through the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Serve, Learn, Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E (SLS), the service learning initiative at Georgia Tech. Last spring, SLS was accepting proposals to link different disciplinary courses around the theme of community health, a framework that encompass social and environmental elements of health and their effects at the macro, micro, and molecular levels of analysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESingh, who has been teaching \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/professor-jennifer-singh-winner-2019-sls-award-excellence-community-engaged-sustainability-teaching\u0022\u003ESLS courses\u003C\/a\u003E since 2016, wanted to collaborate with someone from BME and connected with Platt.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe budding biomedical engineers in Platt\u0026rsquo;s class will be challenged to think more critically about the scientific knowledge they produce, who it actually benefits, and who it doesn\u0026rsquo;t; who has access to the drugs they design, and who doesn\u0026rsquo;t. The final project in BMED 3600 is to design a specific treatment for either HIV\/AIDS or Sickle Cell. The students from HTS 3088 will serve as consultants to identify the potential social, ethical, and economic issues that may arise when these drugs go to market.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This type of interdisciplinary work is critical for our future in biomedicine because everything that is made in the lab must integrate and work within the realities of people\u0026rsquo;s everyday lives,\u0026rdquo; explains Singh, who points out that, for conditions such as sickle cell or HIV\/AIDS, as well as the contemporary shortcomings of race-based medicine such as BiDil (a heart-failure medicine designed specifically for self-identified African-American patients).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Understanding the racial history of these conditions is essential for future biomedical researchers,\u0026rdquo; Singh says. \u0026ldquo;We hope to open up this conversation at the very moment students are learning about the science and developing research questions and projects.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Platt, BMED 3600 always has been an opportunity to expose his students to the downstream ramifications of their research \u0026ndash; addressing those questions of access and lack of access.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In the past we\u0026rsquo;ve brought in professors from other Atlanta institutions, like Spelman and Emory, to discuss the impact of race and racism within the context of biomedicine,\u0026rdquo; says Platt, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;But this year is a little different. Dr. Singh is an expert with a deep understanding of the implications of ethnic disparities in medicine and society. This is also a chance for students on completely different paths to develop a better awareness of these challenges, and of each other.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Singh\u0026rsquo;s students, it\u0026rsquo;s a chance to discover the science behind the complications in these diseases. \u0026ldquo;Sickle Cell, for example, can lead to disability and reduce life expectancy, so we\u0026rsquo;ll talk about the biological mechanisms at work and some of the solutions engineers are working on,\u0026rdquo; Platt says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents are gaining first-hand knowledge from different guest speakers, including patients who share their personal stories. This is coursework that goes beyond academics, according to Platt. \u0026ldquo;This takes us inside and outside of the science,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026ldquo;We can have the best solutions in mind, but if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t get to the people who need it, what good is the solution? There are hurdles beyond figuring out the science.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn past years, Platt has asked his students to explain why a product or treatment is scientifically and commercially relevant. This year he\u0026rsquo;s adding another challenge: Identify the societal barriers to getting a product to market and to the patients who need it most.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPlatt and Singh are working together to help their students find the answers to these questions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We want our students to work with community partners to identify and better understand how resources, access, and agency shape community health,\u0026rdquo; Singh says. \u0026ldquo;By linking our courses, we will be able to bring together social and natural sciences in new ways that relate to social, environmental, and economic issues of biomedicine.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New approach to an old course brings together the components of cell biology with social reality"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew approach to an old course brings together the components of cell biology with social reality\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New approach to an old course brings together the components of cell biology with social reality"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-10-07 12:49:56","changed_gmt":"2019-10-07 12:49:56","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627216":{"id":"627216","type":"image","title":"Platt and Singh","body":null,"created":"1570452321","gmt_created":"2019-10-07 12:45:21","changed":"1570452321","gmt_changed":"2019-10-07 12:45:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238815","name":"Manu and Jennifer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu%20and%20Jennifer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu%20and%20Jennifer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5168135,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Manu%20and%20Jennifer.jpg?itok=TasPFvup"}}},"media_ids":["627216"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"182601","name":"biomedical engineering and society"},{"id":"182602","name":"sociology of disease"},{"id":"182581","name":"health disparities"},{"id":"169317","name":"Sickle Cell"},{"id":"11239","name":"HIV\/AIDS"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"627116":{"#nid":"627116","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Lachance Gets $1.88 million Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Institutes of Health know a good investment when they see one, and they definitely see one in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/popgen.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJoe Lachance\u003C\/a\u003E, researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology. And to prove it, the NIH recently granted Lachance an R35 Maximizing Investigators\u0026rsquo; Research Award (MIRA).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe grant, valued at $1.88 million over five years, will support Lachance\u0026rsquo;s research strategy, which includes\u0026nbsp;the analysis of ancient and modern genomes, mathematical modeling, and the development of new bioinformatics tools.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELachance, whose research bridges the gap between evolutionary genetics and genetic epidemiology, is motivated by several questions: How have hereditary disease risks evolved in the recent past? What sorts of genetic architectures are more likely to result in health inequities? How can genomic medicine be extended to people with different ancestries?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve taken an evolutionary perspective toward genetic medicine and global health,\u0026rdquo; says Lachance, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, whose research is\u0026nbsp;directly related to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/allofus.nih.gov\u0022\u003ENIH\u0026rsquo;s All of Us initiative\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe R35 MIRA program was designed to increase the stability of funding for NIGMS-supported investigators like Lachance, improving their ability to take on ambitious projects and take more creative approaches to biomedical problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This grant, I think, demonstrates great confidence in our approach to the research,\u0026rdquo; Lachance said. \u0026ldquo;It enables us to devote more our time and energy on doing the actual science and developing the next generation of researchers.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"NIH supporting Petit Institute\/School of Biological Sciences researcher\u2019s research strategy"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENIH supporting Petit Institute\/School of Biological Sciences researcher\u0026rsquo;s research strategy\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NIH supporting Petit Institute\/School of Biological Sciences researcher\u2019s research strategy"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-10-03 19:09:14","changed_gmt":"2019-10-03 22:05:45","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627115":{"id":"627115","type":"image","title":"Joe Lachance","body":null,"created":"1570129512","gmt_created":"2019-10-03 19:05:12","changed":"1570129512","gmt_changed":"2019-10-03 19:05:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238784","name":"Lachance.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lachance_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lachance_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":202525,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lachance_0.jpg?itok=CTveKMAZ"}}},"media_ids":["627115"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"1896","name":"Genomics"},{"id":"182580","name":"genetic medicine"},{"id":"14886","name":"global health"},{"id":"182581","name":"health disparities"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626978":{"#nid":"626978","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Dahlman and Santangelo Awarded $3.5M NIH Grant to Develop a New mRNA-based Drug that Corrects DNA in Genes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhil Santangelo\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, and \u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, were awarded a $3.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to create an mRNA-based drug that safely and specifically corrects hematopoietic stem cells (HSPCs) using gene-editing. Hematopoietic stem cells are stem cells that give rise to other blood cells. By creating an mRNA-based drug that safely edits HSPCs, the project aims to advance gene editing as a viable therapeutic approach for blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs co-principal investigators, they aim to iteratively evolve new drug delivery nanoparticles that target HSPCs in vivo, reduce mRNA immunogenicity (reduce the immune response to make this type of treatment more effective), and further analyze gene editing. They will work with Francois Villinger, a professor at the University of Louisiana Lafeyette. The team will combine a DNA barcoded nanoparticle technology to screen thousands of nanoparticles \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E, synthesize mRNA-based drugs with low immunogenicity and cell type-specific expression, and utilize a customized bioinformatics pipeline that facilitates \u0026lsquo;big data\u0026rsquo; nanoparticle experiments to more quickly identify treatment options.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project is being funded by the NIH Somatic Cell Genome Editing program. Making changes to a patient\u0026rsquo;s DNA can have powerful implications for the treatment of disease. To tap into this immense potential, NIH recently awarded 24 Somatic Cell Genome Editing grants \u0026mdash; totaling approximately $89 million over the next four years \u0026mdash; to support research aimed at improving methods to edit the human genome.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA genome is an individual\u0026rsquo;s complete set of DNA, the molecules that carry genetic information. Many diseases are caused by DNA changes that can be inherited from parents or can happen during a person\u0026rsquo;s lifetime. In the past decade, scientists have developed techniques to edit DNA in order to treat disease. The newly awarded grants focus on editing DNA in somatic cells, which are cells in the body other than reproductive cells. Since somatic cells do not pass DNA to the next generation, genome editing changes in somatic cells cannot be inherited.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am excited to be working with Professors Santangelo and Villinger, and am grateful to the NIH for funding it,\u0026rdquo; said Dahlman. He added, \u0026ldquo;all three of us hope to make scientific discoveries that help patients suffering from genetic disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about somatic cell genome editing, visit ncats.nih.gov\/somatic. For a list of program grantees and information about their awards, see commonfund.nih.gov\/editing\/fundedresearch.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers are targeting a therapy for inherited blood disorders using gene editing"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-10-01 18:30:48","changed_gmt":"2019-10-01 20:34:31","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626977":{"id":"626977","type":"image","title":"Phil Santangelo\u00a0(pictured right), professor, and James Dahlman\u00a0(pictured left) assistant professor, in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.","body":null,"created":"1569954535","gmt_created":"2019-10-01 18:28:55","changed":"1569954535","gmt_changed":"2019-10-01 18:28:55","alt":"Phil Santangelo\u00a0(pictured right), professor, and James Dahlman\u00a0(pictured left) assistant professor, in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.","file":{"fid":"238720","name":"Dahlman and Santangelo-v1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dahlman%20and%20Santangelo-v1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dahlman%20and%20Santangelo-v1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":306221,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Dahlman%20and%20Santangelo-v1.jpg?itok=iUa2wvNO"}}},"media_ids":["626977"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626899":{"#nid":"626899","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Santangelo Awarded NIH Grant to Develop New Reversible Immunocontraception Method","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhil Santangelo\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R61\/R33 grant valued at more than $800,000 to develop a new, synthetic mRNA-mediated reversible immunocontraception method.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, 72 percent of women who practice contraception use hormonal methods, but there is frequent dissatisfaction with these methods, due to quality of life and safety concerns. \u0026ldquo;There is a clear need for new approaches to non-hormonal female contraceptives that are easy to use by women, and have a controllable duration of action,\u0026rdquo; said Santangelo.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis team\u0026rsquo;s reversible immunocontraception offers a non-hormonal solution, where antisperm antibodies are introduced into the female reproductive tract (FRT) and inhibit sperm function. They have identified an anti-sperm antibody with well-characterized mechanisms of action that impact fertility, and an innovative method has been identified to deliver the antibody to the FRT. They will use a synthetic mRNA-based approach to deliver their sperm agglutinating and mucus trapping antibody to the FRT.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESantangelo\u0026rsquo;s short-term goals are to optimize the approach, improve their overall understanding of the method and its biological interactions, and demonstrate pre-clinical feasibility. If successful, this method will create a new paradigm for contraception that is non-hormonal, reversible, and easy to use.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New contraception method will offer an easy to use, reversible, non-hormonal solution"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-09-30 17:51:03","changed_gmt":"2019-10-01 18:39:21","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626897":{"id":"626897","type":"image","title":"Phil Santangelo, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","body":null,"created":"1569865747","gmt_created":"2019-09-30 17:49:07","changed":"1569865756","gmt_changed":"2019-09-30 17:49:16","alt":"Phil Santangelo, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","file":{"fid":"238688","name":"web-cropped-phil-19C10200-P19-003.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-cropped-phil-19C10200-P19-003.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/web-cropped-phil-19C10200-P19-003.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":615604,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/web-cropped-phil-19C10200-P19-003.jpg?itok=SuPfEEqT"}}},"media_ids":["626897"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626656":{"#nid":"626656","#data":{"type":"news","title":"James Dahlman Wins BMES Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, is this year\u0026rsquo;s winner of the 2019 Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award given by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe BMES Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award is offered each year to stimulate research careers in biomedical engineering. As the winner, Dahlman will present the 20-minute Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Lecture at the BMES national convention in Philadelphia in mid-October, and the text of his lecture will be published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDahlman\u0026rsquo;s lab at Georgia Tech is using DNA barcodes to improve the design and function of nanoparticles so that they can safely deliver drugs to diseased cells. Dahlman explained that using DNA barcodes allows researchers to overcome what had been a laborious and time-consuming process. Now hundreds of different nanoparticle types can be tested at once to see which are more effective to safely deliver drugs. His research has spawned the creation of a new company called GuideRX. GuideRx is aiming to test 30,000 lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in vivo per year, and building a process that can be scaled up to 150,000 LNPs a year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn honor of former BMES Executive Director Rita Schaffer, the Society established the Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award in 2000.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Biomedical Engineering Society is a professional association, which was established to serve as the lead society and professional home for biomedical engineering and bioengineering students, academics, and professionals. The mission of the Society is to promote and enhance biomedical engineering knowledge worldwide and its utilization for human health and well-being.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Award given to a young investigator whose published work demonstrates originality and ingenuity"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-09-24 15:03:08","changed_gmt":"2019-09-25 14:20:08","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626655":{"id":"626655","type":"image","title":"James Dahlman Wins BMES Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award","body":null,"created":"1569337314","gmt_created":"2019-09-24 15:01:54","changed":"1569337314","gmt_changed":"2019-09-24 15:01:54","alt":"James Dahlman Wins BMES Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award","file":{"fid":"238594","name":"Dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416R353-DEV.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416R353-DEV.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416R353-DEV.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":362251,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Dahlman-lo-res-cropped-180416R353-DEV.jpg?itok=Vi0VCwY6"}}},"media_ids":["626655"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626501":{"#nid":"626501","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Forcing a Stronger Immune Response","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs your immune cells travel through the gauntlet of organs and tissues via the blood and lymphatic circulation systems, doing the jobs their supposed to do, they are buffeted by myriad mechanical forces.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s a process that demands further exploration, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zhu-lab-website.appspot.com\/\u0022\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor and J. Erskine Love Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, is leading the expedition, studying how immune cells sense, respond to, and adapt to this dynamic, internal, and infinitesimal mechanical landscape.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd as an international authority in the nascent field of mechanoimmunology, Zhu was invited to share his research progress and his outlook in a new \u003Cem\u003EPerspective\u003C\/em\u003E article for the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Immunology\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This was an opportunity to review and summarize our work and those of others in the field, to describe our point of view, and identify some promising directions for research going forward,\u0026rdquo; said Zhu, lead author of the paper entitled, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41590-019-0491-1\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Mechanosensing through immunoreceptors.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E His co-authors are Wei Chen of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China, Georgia Tech graduate and former member of the Zhu lab); Jizhong Lou of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China, another former member of the Zhu lab); and two investigators from Zhu\u0026rsquo;s Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory, William Rittase (postdoctoral researcher) and Kaitao Li (research scientist).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELymphocyte recognition of \u0026ldquo;foreign\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;bad self\u0026rdquo; antigens is a crucial process in the initiation of adaptive immune responses against infections or cancer. The function of each immune cell is determined by the collective signals from various immunoreceptors, whose expression and activity are dependent on the developmental stages and environmental context of the cell.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecent studies have highlighted the presence of mechanical force on several immunoreceptor-ligand pairs and the important role that this force plays in regulating the cells\u0026rsquo; interaction and function. \u0026ldquo;This lays the foundation in the emerging field of mechanoimmunology,\u0026rdquo; says Zhu, whose team of researchers used the T-cell antigen receptor as an example through which they could review the current understanding of mechanosensing properties of immunoreceptors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey explore the types of forces that immunoreceptors may encounter and the effects of force on ligand bonding, conformational change and the triggering of immunoreceptors, as well as the effects of force on the downstream signal transduction, cell-fate decisions, and the effector function of immune cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We also highlight the novel biophysical tools and advanced imaging techniques that have helped in our understanding of the role of forces in immune cell functions,\u0026rdquo; says Zhu, who believes the new insights gained from further studies of immunoreceptor-mediated mechanosensing may have translational applications, including the development of anti-cancer vaccines, and more efficient cell-based treatments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Zhu points out, the molecular mechanism underlying the triggering of cancer-fighting CAR-T cells (chimeric antigen receptor T cells) is not fully understood, and that prevents them from achieving optimal efficacy. \u0026ldquo;What we learn going forward may be important in helping to design the next generation of CAR-T therapies, and further training the immune system to defend against cancer,\u0026quot; he says. \u0026quot;Ultimately, it\u0026rsquo;s about saving lives.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher Cheng Zhu and collaborators share their perspective in Nature Immunology"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researcher Cheng Zhu and collaborators share their perspective in \u003Cem\u003ENature Immunology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher Cheng Zhu and collaborators share their perspective in Nature Immunology"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-09-20 16:47:56","changed_gmt":"2019-09-20 16:50:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626500":{"id":"626500","type":"image","title":"Zhu and Li","body":null,"created":"1568997992","gmt_created":"2019-09-20 16:46:32","changed":"1568997992","gmt_changed":"2019-09-20 16:46:32","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238532","name":"19C10200-P14-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P14-004.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10200-P14-004.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":580449,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/19C10200-P14-004.jpg?itok=CNYAiafW"}}},"media_ids":["626500"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"170582","name":"mechanosensing"},{"id":"182426","name":"mechanoimmunology"},{"id":"1895","name":"Immunology"},{"id":"182427","name":"CAR-T cells"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623423":{"#nid":"623423","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Soaring Like the Astronauts","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnna Romanov and Julia Woodall, undergraduate students in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, will probably never leave the Earth\u0026rsquo;s orbit. But they each embody the characteristics of astronauts, such as intelligence, ambition, tenacity, creativity, self-motivation, high ethical standards, and wide ranging interests, like a passion for science, exploration, and innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd, as if all that wasn\u0026rsquo;t enough to impress you, these two young women now have the support of actual astronauts to help them pursue their hopes and dreams, wherever that may lead.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERomanov and Woodall are winners of prestigious Astronaut Scholarships through the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), which was created in 1984 by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts to help the United States retain a leadership position in technology and innovation by supporting the best and brightest scholars in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics \u0026ndash; the STEM fields \u0026ndash; while commemorating the legacy of the nation\u0026rsquo;s pioneering space explorers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is actually a repeat honor for Woodall, who was an Astronaut Scholar last year as well. A rising fourth-year student at Tech who has also won a Goldwater Scholarship, Woodall will spend this fall interning for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center researching the mechanical effects of microgravity on cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;ASF is not just for aerospace-oriented student researchers. Many students like me have research in a variety of different science fields,\u0026rdquo; says Woodall, who is from Cincinnati, but spent this summer in Atlanta at Tech, doing research and working out with the Georgia Tech crew team.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I conduct research on cell mechanics, specifically on red blood cell fragmentation in clotting disorders,\u0026rdquo; Woodall explains. \u0026ldquo;The Astronaut Scholar program does, however, expose you to a variety of different career paths in the aerospace industry, which is quite interesting. Through ASF, I became interested in how microgravity, which causes weightlessness in space, mechanically affects cells.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERomanov, a rising fourth-year BME student who is minoring in German, is spending the summer as a research intern at Rheinisch-Westf\u0026auml;lische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, the largest technical university in German.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My project is focused on developing modelling techniques for biomedical processes using artificial intelligence,\u0026rdquo; says Romanov, who grew up in Roswell, just few miles north of the Georgia Tech campus. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026nbsp;am studying BME and\u0026nbsp;German,\u0026nbsp;this summer\u0026nbsp;experience has been a unique opportunity to combine these two areas.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERomanov has spent the past several years at Georgia Tech working in the lab of Gabe Kwong, assistant professor in the Coulter Department and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;ve been developing precise drug delivery methods for immune cells, which may significantly\u0026nbsp;improve\u0026nbsp;immunotherapies for cancer and infections,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;I hope to continue studying precision medicine and immunoengineering\u0026nbsp;as a Ph.D. student. Research has clearly\u0026nbsp;been important in shaping my Georgia Tech experience, and it is actually what made me a candidate\u0026nbsp;for the Astronaut Scholarship. I am really grateful for the coming opportunity to meet hundreds of accomplished engineers through the ASF\u0026nbsp;community. I\u0026rsquo;m hoping to learn as much as I can through this experience, as both a researcher and leader.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth students will attend the Innovators Gala in Washington, D.C., this August, when current and past Astronaut Scholars come together to share their research and meet astronauts and other professionals from the aerospace industry. The program also features a mentorship program in which new scholars are paired with professionals in their fields of interest.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe scholars themselves become a great nationwide network for career opportunities, advice for post-undergraduate paths, and even for social meet-ups when fellow scholars visit each other\u0026rsquo;s cities, Woodall points out. \u0026ldquo;The program also has an outstanding staff who are really there to support you,\u0026rdquo; she notes. \u0026ldquo;Just as an example, I was having trouble finding housing in Florida for my NASA internship this fall, and the ASF director reached out to a realtor friend of hers in Florida who helped me find housing.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWoodall, who has won a Goldwater Scholarship, says the ASF awards have helped expand her expectations of what a biomedical engineer can do.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;ASF is similar to other fellowships in that it connects a diverse pool of STEM undergraduates to each other, but it is unique in its connection to the space industry,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;While my career plans have always pertained to biomechanics before, the program has helped me better understand biomechanics applications outside of the medical industry realm. I am excited to intern at NASA, to be exposed to an entirely different industry where my skills and interest in cellular mechanics research are uniquely applicable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond academics, Woodall has been involved in athletics at Georgia Tech, including a stint with the women\u0026rsquo;s soccer team during her first year, and continuing involvement with the Tech women\u0026rsquo;s CREW team the past two years.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;These experiences have really helped me maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle,\u0026rdquo; says Woodall, who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve always enjoyed athletics, mainly soccer growing up, but I think rowing has been my favorite sport of all. While it has made me a physically strong individual, it has also challenged my mental strength and discipline more than anything else in my life. I have found that even with the additional time the sport takes up in my life, I perform better in academics because of it, all-the-while getting some awesome views of the stars in morning practice and just great outdoors time. Sports has also helped me develop long-term, non-workaholic habits that will surely help me have an enjoyable, balanced life in the future.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe plans on attending graduate school and will probably pursue an Ph.D. in bioengineering, biomechanics, or possibly mechanical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My thinking is that as long as I continue to research the things I love, opportunities will present themselves career-wise,\u0026rdquo; says Woodall, who uses her passion for athletics as a visioning tool for her research. \u0026ldquo;Maybe it\u0026rsquo;s the \u0026lsquo;bio\u003Cem\u003Emech\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026rsquo; nerd in me, but I think it\u0026rsquo;s cool to imagine rowing as a large scale, cell motility model, with oars as cilia and the boat hull as the cell body, but my non-BME teammates don\u0026rsquo;t quite get my fascination with this.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to her work as an undergraduate researcher, Romanov is co-founder of a startup, TheGirlCodeProject, which\u0026nbsp;helps involve women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). She also serves a Georgia Tech Student Ambassador.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I love giving back to the Georgia Tech community that has given me so much,\u0026rdquo; says Romanov, who also has been a dancer and violinist since she was young and danced a few semesters with the DanceTech Performing company on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe used to believe art and science were distinct disciplines with clearly defined boundaries, but has come to the realization that, \u0026ldquo;having an artistic background actually helps me with my engineering. A performing\u0026nbsp;arts background\u0026nbsp;ingrained\u0026nbsp;a lot of discipline and patience in me, which are helpful qualities for an aspiring engineer. Another advantage is that engineers who are also artists engage more areas of their brain. This allows us to visualize problems differently\u0026nbsp;and think more creatively.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Two BME students win prestigious Astronaut Scholar Foundation awards"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo BME students win prestigious Astronaut Scholar Foundation awards\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Two BME students win prestigious Astronaut Scholar Foundation awards"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-16 14:18:04","changed_gmt":"2019-09-18 14:56:56","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623421":{"id":"623421","type":"image","title":"Anna Romanov","body":null,"created":"1563285998","gmt_created":"2019-07-16 14:06:38","changed":"1563285998","gmt_changed":"2019-07-16 14:06:38","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237421","name":"AC5I8799.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/AC5I8799.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/AC5I8799.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":732754,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/AC5I8799.jpg?itok=2gTEhRay"}},"623422":{"id":"623422","type":"image","title":"Julia Woodall","body":null,"created":"1563286050","gmt_created":"2019-07-16 14:07:30","changed":"1563286050","gmt_changed":"2019-07-16 14:07:30","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237422","name":"Julia Woodall High Res Headshot.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Julia%20Woodall%20High%20Res%20Headshot.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Julia%20Woodall%20High%20Res%20Headshot.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2452146,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Julia%20Woodall%20High%20Res%20Headshot.JPG?itok=dZSFUaDu"}}},"media_ids":["623421","623422"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626333":{"#nid":"626333","#data":{"type":"news","title":"SCMB Hosts Undergraduate Workshop","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat happens when you bring a group of really smart college math students together with another group of really smart biology students? The quick, short term answer is: the first Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology (SCMB) Undergraduate Workshop, which took place August 5-9 on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut the long term answer is: This is how you begin to train the next generation of researchers to answer the central questions about living systems and tackle the toughest problems in bio-research. That, in a nutshell, is what the SCMB was created to do, as one of four centers established by The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Simons Foundation. Together they have invested $40 million to establish the four centers. The global mission of the centers is to interrogate complex biological systems, including parsing the relationship between genome and phenome.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe first step, as SCMB Director Christine Heitsch (professor of mathematics at Georgia Tech and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience) has said from the beginning, \u0026ldquo;is getting mathematicians and bioscience investigators collaborating on research.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 24 students who participated in the workshop at Georgia Tech just before the fall semester started represented 18 different colleges, including Georgia Tech. The others were: American University, Calvin College, the College of William \u0026amp; Mary, Converse College, Duke, Olivet College, Robert Morris University, Spelman, Texas A\u0026amp;M, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech, the University of Chicago, University of Georgia, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, and the University of Virginia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe idea behind the workshop \u0026ldquo;was to expose mathematics and biology students to research topics from the other field in an accessible, hands-on manner,\u0026rdquo; explained Daniel Cruz, a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech, and part of the SCMB team, working collaboratively with Elena Dimitrova (associate professor at\u0026nbsp;California Polytechnic State University) and Melissa Kemp (associate professor at Georgia Tech, and a researcher in the Petit Institute). The workshop topic was \u0026ldquo;Molecular Origami,\u0026rdquo; an area with rich conceptual interplay between math and biology, and also very contemporary, technology-driven applications. In addition to the research discussions, \u0026ldquo;we also incorporated advice on career development in and out of academia,\u0026rdquo; Cruz said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne highlight that all of the undergrad participants seemed to have enjoyed was a tour of Francesca Storici\u0026rsquo;s lab. Storici is an SCMB team lead, professor in the School of Biological Sciences, and\u0026nbsp; Petit Institute researcher. \u0026ldquo;Students were excited about this tour because it provided them with nontrivial activities in a laboratory setting,\u0026rdquo; Cruz said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Storici\u0026rsquo;s lab, Ph.D. student and SCMB researcher Youngkyu Jeon demonstrated that DNA fragments can be digested by \u0026ldquo;cutting\u0026rdquo; proteins which cleave to DNA molecules at specific recognition sites determined by the DNA sequence itself. Because the recognition sequence is relatively short, longer DNA molecules may contain multiple recognition sites and would therefore be cut into multiple pieces. Jeon visualized the DNA molecules by running them through a gel using an electrical current (a process called gel electrophoresis), which separated out the molecules by size.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe undergrads caught on quickly to the principles of the experiment. \u0026ldquo;They asked insightful questions,\u0026rdquo; said Jeon, who is pursuing his Ph.D. in biology. \u0026ldquo;Different restriction endonucleases target different recognition sites, but there can be overlap in what they recognize. One student correctly figured out that multiple endonucleases could be used to cut the same site, and choosing the best one will depend on things like the state of the DNA ends once they are sheared.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudent feedback also gave high marks to the lectures provided by Cruz and Margherita Maria Ferrari (a postdoc at the University of South Florida), who together managed the math component of the workshop. \u0026ldquo;We gave them opportunities to collaborate with their fellow students in applying what we had discussed,\u0026rdquo; said Cruz, who thought the activities the students engaged in, \u0026ldquo;gave them an appreciation for mathematics as a way to understand the world outside, apart from just numerical equations.\u0026rdquo; The development of the mathematics component of the workshop was guided by Nata\u0026scaron;a Jonoska of the University of South Florida, Ferrari\u0026rsquo;s academic mentor and Cruz\u0026rsquo;s former Ph.D. advisor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECruz makes an important point here \u0026ndash; many people tend to believe that math is only about proofs or calculations, or cold numbers. SCMB and its fellow NSF centers (at Harvard, Northwestern, and the University of California-Irvine) intend to develop and apply mathematics as a useful tool to study nature, and the complex processes that underlie biology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I think that mathematicians and biologists are opening up to the idea that there are both interesting mathematical questions that arise from biology settings and plenty of biology questions that can be answered in unexpected ways through mathematics,\u0026rdquo; Cruz said. \u0026ldquo;These cross-disciplinary collaborations give both students and researchers a larger perspective when it comes to understanding problems and forming solutions, and I hope that more and more researchers see this as time goes on.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Students explore \u201cmolecular origami\u201d at the intersection of math and biology"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents explore \u0026ldquo;molecular origami\u0026rdquo; at the intersection of math and biology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students explore \u201cmolecular origami\u201d at the intersection of math and biology"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-09-17 23:56:15","changed_gmt":"2019-09-17 23:56:15","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626331":{"id":"626331","type":"image","title":"SCMB lab scene","body":null,"created":"1568763931","gmt_created":"2019-09-17 23:45:31","changed":"1568763931","gmt_changed":"2019-09-17 23:45:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238453","name":"lab scene 2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lab%20scene%202.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lab%20scene%202.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2493214,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lab%20scene%202.jpg?itok=o3v6eZUz"}},"626332":{"id":"626332","type":"image","title":"SCMB Undergrad Workshop","body":null,"created":"1568764236","gmt_created":"2019-09-17 23:50:36","changed":"1568764236","gmt_changed":"2019-09-17 23:50:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238454","name":"SCMB undergrad.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SCMB%20undergrad.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/SCMB%20undergrad.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5672466,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/SCMB%20undergrad.jpg?itok=XtYcw0CF"}}},"media_ids":["626331","626332"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"182378","name":"Southeastern Center for Mathematics and Biology"},{"id":"182379","name":"CMB"},{"id":"2748","name":"mathematics"},{"id":"277","name":"Biology"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626328":{"#nid":"626328","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A New Term in Biophysics: force\/time = \u201cyank\u201d","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBiologists and biomedical engineers are proposing to define the term \u0026ldquo;yank\u0026rdquo; for changes in force over time, something that muscles cause and nerves can feel and respond to.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir ideas were published on September 12 in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jeb.biologists.org\/content\/222\/18\/jeb180414\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EJournal of Experimental Biology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EExpressed mathematically, acceleration is the derivative of speed or velocity with respect to time. The term for the time derivative of acceleration is \u0026ldquo;jerk,\u0026rdquo; and additional time derivatives after jerk are called \u0026ldquo;snap,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;crackle\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;pop.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe corresponding term for force \u0026ndash; in physics, force is measured in units of mass times acceleration \u0026ndash; has never been defined, the researchers say.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScientists that study sports often use the term \u0026ldquo;rate of force development\u0026rdquo;, a measure of explosive strength. Scientists who study gait and balance -- in animals and humans -- also often analyze how quickly forces on the body change. It could be useful in understanding spasticity, the abnormal activation of muscles from reflexes seen in multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, stroke and cerebral palsy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Understanding how reflexes and sensory signals from the muscles are affected by neurological disorders is how we ended up needing to define the rate change in force,\u0026rdquo; says Lena Ting, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and professor of rehabilitation medicine in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHer co-authors are David Lin (Washington State University), Craig McGowan (University of Idaho), and Kyle Blum, a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern who previously worked with Ting.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETing says Lin originally introduced her and Blum to the term \u0026ldquo;yank\u0026rdquo;.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Dr. Ting and I were thinking similarly \u0026ndash; but separately \u0026ndash; that current terminology describing the time derivative of force was too unwieldy and limiting,\u0026rdquo; Lin says. \u0026ldquo;During an American Society of Biomechanics meeting, I suggested that \u0026lsquo;yank\u0026rsquo; was a possible term that we could use.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOn a large scale, yank is relevant to the study of jumping, sprinting, capturing prey and maintaining balance, the researchers say. It is similarly useful in analyzing the behavior of muscles and tendons, sensory feedback and spinal reflexes, all the way down to the contributions of individual cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jeb.biologists.org\/content\/222\/15\/jeb196287.long\u0022\u003E companion paper from Blum and Ting\u003C\/a\u003E shows that in the leg muscles of a rat, yank in muscle fibers corresponds to the firing rates of muscle spindles, which are stretch receptors that detect changes in length of the muscle. Muscle spindles send signals to the nervous system so that the animal is aware of the body\u0026rsquo;s position in space. (see graph)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe authors\u0026rsquo; research is supported by the Army Research Office (ARO 66554-EG), the National Science Foundation (NSF 1553550) and the National Institutes of Health (R01HD90642, R01HD46922, F31NS093855).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Researchers enhance the vocabulary in the study of study of jumping, sprinting, capturing prey and maintaining balance"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers enhance the vocabulary in the study of study of jumping, sprinting, capturing prey and maintaining balance\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Research enhance the vocabulary in the study of study of jumping, sprinting, capturing prey and maintaining balance"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-09-17 23:15:14","changed_gmt":"2019-09-17 23:16:43","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626327":{"id":"626327","type":"image","title":"Yank","body":null,"created":"1568761553","gmt_created":"2019-09-17 23:05:53","changed":"1568761553","gmt_changed":"2019-09-17 23:05:53","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238451","name":"940pxwide-Lena-Yank-diagram.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/940pxwide-Lena-Yank-diagram.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/940pxwide-Lena-Yank-diagram.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":314218,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/940pxwide-Lena-Yank-diagram.jpg?itok=w9p0UcDL"}}},"media_ids":["626327"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"182376","name":"yank"},{"id":"182377","name":"spasticity"},{"id":"171587","name":"cerebral palsy"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626170":{"#nid":"626170","#data":{"type":"news","title":"There\u0027s no Quit in Cassie Mitchell","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA former track star with dreams of becoming an orthopedic surgeon, Cassie Mitchell is now an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. She\u0026rsquo;s also a Paralympic medalist.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is not the path she would have chosen, but Mitchell is proud of her accomplishments as a researcher and an athlete, and she\u0026rsquo;s nowhere near finished.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERead the story and watch the video \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ml.gatech.edu\/content\/cassie-mitchell-assistant-professor-pioneering-research-predictive-medicine-while-chasing\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ehere.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME assistant professor is pioneering research in predictive medicine while chasing Paralympic gold"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME assistant professor is pioneering research in predictive medicine while chasing Paralympic gold\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME assistant professor is pioneering research in predictive medicine while chasing Paralympic gold"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-09-13 21:16:09","changed_gmt":"2019-09-13 21:17:42","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626169":{"id":"626169","type":"image","title":"Cassie Mitchell","body":null,"created":"1568408942","gmt_created":"2019-09-13 21:09:02","changed":"1568408942","gmt_changed":"2019-09-13 21:09:02","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238388","name":"Screen Shot 2019-09-13 at 5.07.21 PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-09-13%20at%205.07.21%20PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-09-13%20at%205.07.21%20PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1599550,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-09-13%20at%205.07.21%20PM.png?itok=R5hODJUW"}}},"media_ids":["626169"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"625834":{"#nid":"625834","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Studying  Wombats\u0027 Cubic Poop","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESerious nature lovers and forest hikers might keep track of wildlife by the shape of animal droppings on the trail. Deer leave a pile of pellets, a large tubular mass suggests a bear, whereas smaller tubules indicate a fox. What about scat that is shaped like ice cubes?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn southeastern Australia, cube-shaped scat is found around the home range of wombats. These marsupials have been likened to a hybrid between a pig, a bear, and a gopher. They have another distinction: They are the only known animals that excrete cubic feces.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHow wombats produce the distinctively shaped poop has been of interest to the research teams of Georgia Tech mechanical engineering professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/hu\u0022\u003EDavid Hu\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.utas.edu.au\/profiles\/staff\/zoology\/scott-carver\u0022\u003EScott Carver\u003C\/a\u003E, a lecturer in wildlife ecology in University of Tasmania, Australia. Wombats are poised to gain acclaim, because Hu, Carver, and their coworkers just received a 2019 Ig Nobel Prize, awarded by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.improbable.com\/about\/\u0022\u003EImprobable Research\u003C\/a\u003E for research that initially makes people laugh and then think.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat seven-year-old would not be mesmerized by the idea of bringing a stop watch to the bathroom to check the claim that all mammals pee in about 20 seconds or tickled with the hilarity of a gif image of a wet dog shaking off water\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019 Ig Nobel is the second for Hu, who also has appointments in the Georgia Tech School of Biological Sciences and School of Physics. Hu is a leading expert in the biomechanics of animal locomotion, from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/scientists-do-the-wet-dog-shake-1.11177\u0022\u003Ewet-dog shake\u003C\/a\u003E, to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/biosci\/physics\/frog-tongue-high-speed-adhesive\u0022\u003Elightning-fast tongues of frogs\u003C\/a\u003E, to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-018-07069-7\u0022\u003Ewagging of elephant tails\u003C\/a\u003E, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHu is also an expert in fluid dynamics, including of biological fluids like urine. With then-Ph.D. student Patricia Yang, Hu reported in 2015 that the average urination time of mammals is about 20 seconds. That finding earned Hu and Yang their \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/10\/15\/david-hu-takes-home-ig-nobel-prize-improbable-research\u0022\u003Efirst Ig Nobel Prize\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EFIRST WE LAUGH\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYang extended her studies to defecation. In one conference, she proposed a mathematical theory suggesting that the average time for mammals to move their bowels is 12 seconds. According to Hu\u0026rsquo;s account in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/10\/15\/david-hu-takes-home-ig-nobel-prize-improbable-research\u0022\u003EAustralasian Science last spring\u003C\/a\u003E, \u0026ldquo;A scientist raised his hand and said that his 8-year-old children were fascinated by cubic wombat feces,\u0026rdquo; Hu wrote. \u0026ldquo;Could our theory account for that shape? This is the first time we heard of such a thing, so we searched for the feces on our phones and were amazed.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECurious, Hu recruited students to research wombats. They found Carver, one of the world\u0026rsquo;s few experts on wombats, who studies them for conservation. \u0026ldquo;They face a lot of threats from animals, humans, and diseases,\u0026rdquo; he says. \u0026nbsp;Currently, he studies the wombats\u0026rsquo; affliction with sarcoptic mange, or scabies, which can be fatal to whole populations. As such, Carver receives calls from a Tasmanian wildlife sanctuary when wombats have been humanely put down by a veterinarian.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECarver opens the cadaver with a slice from the mouth to the anus to gain access to tissues and organs for his biological work. The first time he did this, he was surprised by another wombat distinction: the extraordinarily long intestines, about 33 feet. In contrast, human intestines are only 23 feet long. Partially because of wombats\u0026rsquo; long colons, Carver says, \u0026ldquo;wombat scat is dry. Human colons are not that long; we don\u0026rsquo;t pull as much water from feces.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe dissections revealed something else: \u0026ldquo;My lab discovered that the cubes formed in the intestine,\u0026rdquo; Carver says. That discovery dismissed the idea that the cubes formed by passing through a square-shaped sphincter.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith wombat intestines supplied by Carver, Hu\u0026rsquo;s team began investigating. Before working on the specimen, they practice with pig intestine sourced from the Asian supermarket the Great Wall. They also create models made of cloth to try to mimic how the cubes are formed.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELast summer undergraduate researchers Kelly Qiu and Michael Kowalski joined the wombat team. A third-year biomedical engineering major, Qiu says she got interested in the work after reading about Yang\u0026rsquo;s research and \u0026ldquo;how they blew up intestines with balloons.\u0026rdquo; She says the research is \u0026ldquo;an enjoyable experience.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs part of this research Kowalski, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major, has learned how to sew. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re sewing cloth to replicate the intestine. We do it in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/studentcenter.gatech.edu\/paper-clay\u0022\u003EPaper \u0026amp; Clay\u003C\/a\u003E. We put sewing lines to create the stiff regions of the intestine.\u0026rdquo; That\u0026rsquo;s because the team found that the wombat intestine is not uniformly flexible. Some parts are rigid. Some parts are soft.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Hu writes in Australasian Science: \u0026ldquo;As brown slurry fills the intestine, a stiff zone would resist bending in that particular region. Four such stiff zones could create the tell-tale four walls of the cube. The corners of the cube would be a consequence of the intermediary soft zones.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u0026rsquo;s the hypothesis for now. The cloth models are part of the process of testing the hypothesis. Alexander Lee, a Ph.D. student of Hu\u0026rsquo;s, is working on a theoretical model. \u0026ldquo;Can we also recreate cubic poop in a math simulation?\u0026rdquo; he asks. \u0026ldquo;Can we make other shapes come up? Right now, we mostly get potatoes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENot surprisingly, Hu\u0026rsquo;s research on animal locomotion and biological fluids has attracted much mainstream coverage. What seven-year-old would not be mesmerized by the idea of bringing a stop watch to the bathroom to check the claim that all mammals pee in about 20 seconds or tickled with the hilarity of a gif image of a wet dog shaking off water?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlas, popularity is a double-edged sword. Those two studies, and another on eyelashes, caught the eye of then-Senator Jeff Flake, of Arizona. In Flake\u0026rsquo;s 2016 list of the top 20 most wasteful uses of government fund, three were work by Hu.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026quot;The easiest questions are still among the most difficult to answer.\u0026quot;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ETHEN WE THINK\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHu rebutted with a guest blog, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/blogs.scientificamerican.com\/guest-blog\/confessions-of-a-wasteful-scientist\/\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Confessions of a Wasteful Scientist,\u0026rdquo; in Scientific American.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;[M]ost of what animals do is completely a mystery to scientists. When I was a student, I thought that 95 percent of all knowledge was already solved. But in fact, we only understand a small amount of the world around us, especially in the world of biology. For example, we can\u0026rsquo;t understand why a dog walks as easily as it does. Robots still cannot move as well as dogs, which have a complex interplay of tendons, bones and specially placed sensors that make it look like magic. The easiest questions are still among the most difficult to answer,\u0026rdquo; Hu wrote.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Hu, the wet-dog shake study is relevant to clothes drying, which takes up a lot of energy. The study of eyelashes could help explain how allergens enter the eye. And the urination study could be used as an early, noninvasive way to detect urinary malfunction as people age.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This science helps us learn about the natural world. It\u0026rsquo;s extremely unusual to get a cube out of what looks like a tube. So there is a manufacturing side to this.\u0026rdquo; Carver says. \u0026ldquo;Pure science has been incredibly productive in finding something useful for humans that didn\u0026rsquo;t have a clear application. Lasers and many other useful things have come about because of people looking just out of curiosity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026quot;Lasers and many other useful things have come about because of people looking just out of curiosity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Not at all!\u0026rdquo; Yang says when asked whether winning two Ig Nobels might be a black mark on her professional record. \u0026ldquo;It actually promotes my science. It attracts people who are interested in my research. After the Ig Nobel, my paper got downloaded 10 times as much as before.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn fact, Yang says, \u0026ldquo;the application side for this research could be an early screening for colon cancer. Because with colon cancer, the tissue starts getting harder. That will change the shape of feces.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research that makes people laugh and then think"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHow wombats produce the distinctively shaped poop has been of interest to the research teams of Georgia Tech mechanical engineering professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/hu\u0022\u003EDavid Hu\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.utas.edu.au\/profiles\/staff\/zoology\/scott-carver\u0022\u003EScott Carver\u003C\/a\u003E, a lecturer in wildlife ecology in University of Tasmania, Australia. Wombats are poised to gain acclaim, because Hu, Carver, and their coworkers just received a 2019 Ig Nobel Prize, awarded by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.improbable.com\/about\/\u0022\u003EImprobable Research\u003C\/a\u003E for research that initially makes people laugh and then think.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Studies of the distinctively shaped animal feces have won a 2019 Ig Nobel Prize for researchers in Georgia Tech and the University of Tasmania."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-09-09 15:30:41","changed_gmt":"2019-09-13 16:35:58","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"625857":{"id":"625857","type":"image","title":"Wombats (Courtesy of Scott Carver)","body":null,"created":"1568049952","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 17:25:52","changed":"1568049952","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 17:25:52","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238270","name":"Wombat from Scott Scarver.sq_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wombat%20from%20Scott%20Scarver.sq_.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wombat%20from%20Scott%20Scarver.sq_.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2812592,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Wombat%20from%20Scott%20Scarver.sq_.jpg?itok=RXlJI-jV"}},"625859":{"id":"625859","type":"image","title":"Wombats\u0027 cubic poop (Courtesy of Scott Carver) ","body":null,"created":"1568050481","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 17:34:41","changed":"1568050481","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 17:34:41","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238272","name":"Wombat poo in colon and ground.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wombat%20poo%20in%20colon%20and%20ground.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wombat%20poo%20in%20colon%20and%20ground.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1295978,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Wombat%20poo%20in%20colon%20and%20ground.png?itok=-rDWTImC"}},"625830":{"id":"625830","type":"image","title":"Scott Carver (left) and David Hu (Photo by Renay San Miguel)","body":null,"created":"1568042385","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 15:19:45","changed":"1568042385","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 15:19:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238260","name":"Scott Carver David Hu two shot 2 smiling.16x9.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scott%20Carver%20David%20Hu%20two%20shot%202%20smiling.16x9.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scott%20Carver%20David%20Hu%20two%20shot%202%20smiling.16x9.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":523101,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Scott%20Carver%20David%20Hu%20two%20shot%202%20smiling.16x9.jpg?itok=K6Dy6WSj"}},"625831":{"id":"625831","type":"image","title":"Patricia Yang (right) and Scott Carver (Photo by Renay San Miguel)","body":null,"created":"1568042437","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 15:20:37","changed":"1568042518","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 15:21:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238261","name":"Scott and student 2.sq10.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scott%20and%20student%202.sq10.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scott%20and%20student%202.sq10.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":371817,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Scott%20and%20student%202.sq10.jpg?itok=7yaWlgD4"}},"625832":{"id":"625832","type":"image","title":"Kelly Qiu working on pig intestine (Photo by Maureen Rouhi)","body":null,"created":"1568042486","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 15:21:26","changed":"1568042486","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 15:21:26","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238262","name":"Kelly Qiu.sq10.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Kelly%20Qiu.sq10.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Kelly%20Qiu.sq10.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":402964,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Kelly%20Qiu.sq10.jpg?itok=mrNWhdGc"}},"625833":{"id":"625833","type":"image","title":"Michael Kowalski (left) and Scott Carver (Photo by Renay San Miguel)","body":null,"created":"1568042582","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 15:23:02","changed":"1568042582","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 15:23:02","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238263","name":"Carver and students 2.sq_.10.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Carver%20and%20students%202.sq_.10.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Carver%20and%20students%202.sq_.10.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":417435,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Carver%20and%20students%202.sq_.10.jpg?itok=K7zmF0Zu"}},"625842":{"id":"625842","type":"image","title":"Intestine mockup made of cloth (Photo by Renay San Miguel) ","body":null,"created":"1568043751","gmt_created":"2019-09-09 15:42:31","changed":"1568043751","gmt_changed":"2019-09-09 15:42:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238264","name":"Intestine mockup.sq10.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Intestine%20mockup.sq10.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Intestine%20mockup.sq10.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":334487,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Intestine%20mockup.sq10.jpg?itok=J9KZuys0"}}},"media_ids":["625857","625859","625830","625831","625832","625833","625842"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"182254","name":"cubic feces"},{"id":"182253","name":"wombat"},{"id":"174263","name":"defecation"},{"id":"2584","name":"fluid dynamics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"626007":{"#nid":"626007","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Conversation With Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/andres-garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/a\u003E assumed his role as executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience in August 2018, he faced the usual challenges that wait for every new leader of an organization \u0026ndash; identify and support what works well, then put energy into addressing what doesn\u0026rsquo;t work so well, and steer the ship.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESounds easy when you put it like that. But not so easy when one considers the size and complexity of the ship: more than 220 interdisciplinary faculty researchers from six universities; about 1,300 trainees (students and postdocs); almost $90 million in research funding for discoveries designed to transform health care and improve the global human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a, a Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, began his career at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1998, along with his wife \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/michelle-laplaca\u0022\u003EMichelle LaPlaca\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory\u003C\/a\u003E. Since then, Garc\u0026iacute;a has built a reputation as one of the leading researchers in biomaterials and cellular\/tissue engineering, and he remains focused on developing revolutionary new biomaterials and therapies for diseases such as type 1 diabetes, infections and bone repair.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENever a spotlight seeker, Garc\u0026iacute;a is a roll-up-the-sleeves kind of leader, the consummate team player \u0026ndash; qualities that were embedded in his DNA while growing up in Puerto Rico as the oldest of three children in a tightknit family. He also was an avid basketball player. So, the concepts of teamwork and collaboration are at his core.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a sat down with us to take stock of his first year as executive director of the Petit Institute, and to talk a little bit about leadership, research, family, and why he became a bioengineer instead of a power forward.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer: \u003C\/strong\u003ETell us about your family and growing up in Puerto Rico.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EI\u0026rsquo;m the oldest of three children. My father was an engineer and my mother is a nutritionist. When I was growing up on the island, family always was very important \u0026ndash; my grandparents still lived with us. I always did very well in school and had very strong support from my family, whatever I was doing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E What did you like to do?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EI loved playing basketball. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a basketball player. That\u0026rsquo;s what I thought.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E What happened?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EI guess you\u0026rsquo;d call it one of the defining moments that made me get into bioengineering. When I was 11, my leg started bothering me. I couldn\u0026rsquo;t run. I would trip. They found out that I had a condition in which the growth plate in the femur was slipping. Needless to say, that significantly altered my biomechanics. The solution was to take three stainless steel pins and fuse the growth plate. So, I had that surgery on my right leg. And then rehab. I was on crutches for about three months.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E That couldn\u0026rsquo;t have been easy, especially at that age.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EWell, I was starting at a new school \u0026ndash; seventh grade, all boys. They could be pretty tough on you. But I did the rehab, and then it happened on the other leg. So the plan was to put pins in the other leg. I remember waking up and my mother telling me everything had gone fine, but there was a slight problem. To make a long story short, they basically used the wrong type of screw on the right leg. But I was a growing boy with very strong bones, and the bone grew around the threads and they couldn\u0026rsquo;t take the screws out. So they left those three screws in there. Then on the other leg, my bones were very hard, so they only put in two.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E So you still have the other pins in your bones?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EYep. And my parents were very worried, because stainless steel is really not the best material for long term implantation, especially when you\u0026rsquo;re 11, because it\u0026rsquo;s going to be corroding in your body forever. We talked to a couple of specialists, and the recommendation was not to mess with it because you could break the head of the femur, and then that\u0026rsquo;s probably worse. \u003Cem\u003ES\u003C\/em\u003Eo I became very interested in biomaterials at that point, for personal reasons.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E How have those procedures affected you physically, long term?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s been great. I\u0026rsquo;ve lived a normal life. I played basketball, I go hiking with my sons, and I work out. I\u0026rsquo;m about three inches shorter than I should have been. One of my legs grew a little longer than the other.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E So your interest in bioengineering and biomaterials really did come naturally.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a:\u003C\/strong\u003E Yes it did. When I was in school, I originally thought that I would go on to med school or maybe start an implant company in Puerto Rico. My senior year of college, I ended up doing research on senior design, and I liked it. My undergraduate supervisor said I had what it takes to go to grad school and got a NSF Scholarship to do that. Originally I was working on a computational project, but I really didn\u0026rsquo;t like it. I did it for a year or two, got the paper out. But at the time, the field was really moving more into working with cells. I was one of my advisor\u0026rsquo;s first students to work with cells. It probably helps that I\u0026rsquo;m a real nerd, because I just fell in love with research. This stuff is really cool to me!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E So tell us about connecting with Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a:\u003C\/strong\u003E We were very fortunate that Michelle\u0026rsquo;s advisor was friends with Bob Nerem, the founding director of the Petit Institute. So, we were able to meet Bob and apply at Georgia Tech. We had our interviews and got hired after we finished our postdocs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E You spent 10 years directing Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Bioengineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. What can you tell us about that experience, and how it helped prepare you for your role as executive director?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a:\u003C\/strong\u003E I learned how to manage a very large group of faculty from many different schools. So, I had to make sure we had good interactions with the different school chairs, even though it was clear early on that not all the schools understood the benefits and strengths of bioengineering, yet. I worked very hard on that message \u0026ndash; explaining how the partnership is critical. I needed the support of all the school chairs, and the College of Engineering, to move the bioengineering program forward. Mainly, that experience showed me that you have to listen to people, and you have to create partnerships. It\u0026rsquo;s getting everyone to line up and identify the things we care about. So I think the experience of managing the Bioengineering Program certainly helped me a lot in this transition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer: \u003C\/strong\u003ETell us about taking on this job a year ago? What was it like, once you\u0026rsquo;d made that transition?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003E(chuckles) I have to say, the first six months were rough \u0026ndash; like drinking from three firehoses! I think part of it was na\u0026iuml;ve surprise. I\u0026rsquo;d been here 20 years and considered myself one of the key contributors to the institute. I know both former directors very well, as friends and collaborators. But you know, it\u0026rsquo;s very different seeing how the sausage is made. My respect for my predecessors, Bob Nerem and Bob Guldberg, has only grown.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E So, what was your agenda? What did you set out to accomplish at first?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EWell, I tried to talk to everybody and get an understanding of what are the things that are working well, and what are the things that are not working as well. The stuff that\u0026rsquo;s working well, we\u0026rsquo;re just going to continue supporting it and I\u0026rsquo;m not going to mess with that. I\u0026rsquo;m going to put my energy into the stuff that isn\u0026rsquo;t working as well. And there were other challenges. I made a lot of commitments that I intended to fulfill. For example, I was president of the Society for Biomaterials. Also, I think my lab was a little freaked out because they thought I wasn\u0026rsquo;t going to be around that much. But they understand now that I\u0026rsquo;m still here and very much engaged. My research program is a very high priority.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E As a leader, and as a basketball fan, you recognize the value of a strong support network \u0026ndash; the people who dish out the rock so the shooters can score the points. Tell us about your support network since becoming executive director.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s been amazing \u0026ndash; Georgia Tech administration, my faculty and lab colleagues, school chairs, staff, trainees, my family and friends. Fantastic. Very positive. One of the things that has made the job great is that we have a very strong leadership structure here \u0026ndash; associate director Nick Hud and assistant director Michelle Wong have been tremendous. And I think we have the best staff on campus, and that\u0026rsquo;s part of the reason I enjoy this job so much. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer: \u003C\/strong\u003EI\u0026rsquo;ve heard you discuss the importance of building self-confidence among trainees \u0026ndash; grad students and postdocs \u0026ndash; who are really just beginning their research careers. Tell us a little more about that, and the role it plays in research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EWell, as researchers, if we\u0026rsquo;re not self-confident we\u0026rsquo;re not going to be successful. You have to pitch your ideas, you have to pitch what you do. You have to sell it. But there is a line between self-confidence and arrogance. You never want to be arrogant, but you always want to be self-confident.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer\u003C\/strong\u003E: The field your trainees are entering today isn\u0026rsquo;t the field you entered more than 20 years ago. There\u0026rsquo;s been so much change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a:\u003C\/strong\u003E Everything evolves, right? One of the things I\u0026rsquo;ve really enjoyed in my 20 years as a PI is that the research we do now is very different from what we did 20 years ago, and it\u0026rsquo;s even very different from what we did five years ago. Personally, that\u0026rsquo;s how I stay excited, by continuing to learn. But the field has matured a lot. The competition now is significantly more stiff than it was when I was a postdoc. At the same time, I think there is a bigger realization, particularly in biology and medicine, of what engineering can bring to the table. I think there are more opportunities to do interdisciplinary work. Science as a whole has exploded in the last 10 years. I think there are great opportunities out there. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer:\u003C\/strong\u003E You brought up the thrill of continuing to learn. Let\u0026rsquo;s follow up on that. What else excites you about this work today?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EI think the emphasis on scaling up and cell manufacturing, the work of the CMaT (NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies) is very exciting. It\u0026rsquo;s going to revolutionize medicine. But we have to make it more affordable. Something that costs $400,000 to treat a patient is not going to have a broad impact. But I think we have tremendous potential to change that with the research we\u0026rsquo;re doing now, and I\u0026rsquo;m excited about that.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer: \u003C\/strong\u003EThe core of the Petit Institute\u0026rsquo;s mission is to accelerate and facilitate bioengineering and bioscience research. Though it\u0026rsquo;s a fairly broad objective, how do think we\u0026rsquo;re doing, generally speaking?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EI think we do that very well at the individual faculty researcher level. But along those lines, we want to think big \u0026ndash; how do we position the Petit Institute to really be the international leader in this area? I\u0026rsquo;ve spent a lot of time looking at commercialization and translation, and that\u0026rsquo;s an area we can definitely improve. To be honest, for all the great discoveries that we have here, and innovations, if they\u0026rsquo;re never translated, they\u0026rsquo;re not going to be of much use to people, and they\u0026rsquo;ll have limited impact. We don\u0026rsquo;t want things to be an academic exercise, we want them to have an impact on society. That\u0026rsquo;s where I\u0026rsquo;m thinking big. There are times when people might say, \u0026ldquo;you\u0026rsquo;re not going \u0026nbsp;to be able to do that.\u0026rdquo; I say to that, \u0026ldquo;tell me why?\u0026rdquo; Because we\u0026rsquo;ll find a way around it. We\u0026rsquo;ll solve those problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInterviewer: \u003C\/strong\u003EYou keep saying \u0026ldquo;we.\u0026rdquo; It obviously takes a team, and as your old friend and colleague, Bob Nerem, is so fond of saying \u0026ldquo;research is a people business.\u0026rdquo; What does that mean to you?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGarc\u0026iacute;a: \u003C\/strong\u003EThat means it takes a lot more than me. I don\u0026rsquo;t want to dictate the research direction the Petit Institute should take. That\u0026rsquo;s what the faculty and the trainees are for. My job is really to facilitate that. My research is just one piece of the whole research enterprise here. But Bob is right. That\u0026rsquo;s how science is done. As for me, interacting with my trainees and having that discussion back and forth is what I love most. It\u0026rsquo;s never one person with one idea. It\u0026rsquo;s the multiple interactions with people. That\u0026rsquo;s what makes it all work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Petit Institute executive director discusses leadership, research, and why he chose bioengineering over basketball"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute executive director discusses leadership, research, and why he chose bioengineering over basketball\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute executive director discusses leadership, research, and why he chose bioengineering over basketball"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-09-11 01:12:33","changed_gmt":"2019-09-11 01:14:10","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"626005":{"id":"626005","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda ","body":null,"created":"1568163359","gmt_created":"2019-09-11 00:55:59","changed":"1568163359","gmt_changed":"2019-09-11 00:55:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238321","name":"Andres\u0027.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%27.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%27.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":424360,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Andres%27.jpg?itok=oQhPsasq"}},"626006":{"id":"626006","type":"image","title":"Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda ","body":null,"created":"1568163423","gmt_created":"2019-09-11 00:57:03","changed":"1568163423","gmt_changed":"2019-09-11 00:57:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238322","name":"Andres lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%20lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Andres%20lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":353809,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Andres%20lab.jpg?itok=mwki6sjk"}}},"media_ids":["626005","626006"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"625697":{"#nid":"625697","#data":{"type":"news","title":"An Improved Understanding of Spasticity Using the Pendulum Test","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESpasticity is a condition in which muscles are contract strongly, resulting\u0026nbsp;stiffness or tightness, and quite often, pain. Usually caused by damage to the brain or spinal cord, it\u0026rsquo;s particularly common in people with neurological maladies like cerebral palsy or stroke.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of physical disability in children in most developed countries, and spastic CP is the most common form of the disorder. For these patients (and others), spasticity can be severely debilitating, negatively impacting their movement, speech, gait, and overall quality of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe lab of \u003Cstrong\u003ELena Ting\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and in the Division of Physical Therapy in Emory\u0026rsquo;s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, is tackling the problem, shedding new light on issues underlying spasticity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETing\u0026rsquo;s lab is part of an international collaborative effort with a recently published research article in the open access scientific journal, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0205763\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPLOS One\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003EShe is corresponding author of, \u0026ldquo;Interaction between muscle tone, short-range stiffness and increased sensory feedback\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Egains explains key kinematic features of the pendulum test in spastic cerebral palsy: A\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Esimulation study.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe pendulum test is a sensitive clinical assessment of spasticity in which the lower leg is\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Edropped from the horizontal position and the features of leg motion are recorded. \u0026ldquo;This problem actually arose out of a homework problem for my Computational Neuromechanics class, where we simulate the leg as a pendulum,\u0026rdquo; said Ting.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn typically-developed people, the swinging leg behaves like a damped pendulum, with the angle of leg swing decreasing as it oscillates several times before coming to rest. In children with spastic CP, three key differences in the leg motion are observed: Reduced angle of leg swing in the first oscillation, \u0026nbsp;fewer oscillations, and the coming to rest at a less vertical angle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOverall, the decrease in the first swing has been found to be the best predictor of spasticity severity, but why this is the case is has not been clear. Ting\u0026rsquo;s team hypothesized that increased muscle tone\u0026ndash; the continual contraction of muscles while at rest\u0026shy;\u0026ndash;accounts for both the reduced leg swing and the non-vertical resting leg angle. This idea contrasts with the clinical explanation of spasticity as an abnormal increase in the activation of reflexes as the leg is stretched with higher velocities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;We were stumped because the clinical explanation of increased velocity-dependent reflexes didn\u0026rsquo;t generate realistic motion,\u0026rdquo; Ting said. \u0026ldquo;But we happened to be working on a different research project studying an interesting property of muscles called short-range stiffness, which increases when muscles are activated. We wanted to know if this very rapid rise and drop of resistive force in muscles when they are stretched could explain the parts of the pendulum test that were giving us a hard time in the simulation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo the researchers developed and tested a physiologically-plausible computer simulation of how muscle tone and reflexes would interact to reproduce key features of the pendulum test for spasticity across a range of severity levels. Their new model helps to explain a whole range of pendulum test kinematics in people with and without CP.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Increased muscle tone plays a primary role in generating a key feature of the leg motion that is most closely related to the level of spasticity,\u0026rdquo; Ting explained. \u0026ldquo;Even when reflexes are increased,\u0026nbsp; can only account for pendulum test results across the spectrum of spasticity severity if we also increase muscle tone and short-range stiffness. This is exciting because the pendulum test is more objective than a clinician\u0026rsquo;s subjective assessment of leg stiffness. And with our model we can now begin to understand how multiple mechanisms of spasticity might interact to cause abnormal body motion, not just in the pendulum test, but in everyday movements.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELead author of the paper was Friedl De Groote, assistant professor in the Department of Movement Sciences at KU Leuven in Belgium. Other authors were both researchers from Ting\u0026rsquo;s lab, Kyle Blum and Brian Horslen.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New model lends additional insight into physiological mechanisms of spasticity in cerebral palsy  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew model lends additional insight into physiological mechanisms of spasticity in cerebral palsy\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New model lends additional insight into physiological mechanisms of spasticity in cerebral palsy  "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-09-05 17:46:17","changed_gmt":"2019-09-05 17:49:04","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-09-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-09-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"625694":{"id":"625694","type":"image","title":"Lena Ting","body":null,"created":"1567705364","gmt_created":"2019-09-05 17:42:44","changed":"1567705364","gmt_changed":"2019-09-05 17:42:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238206","name":"Lena Ting-cropped (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lena%20Ting-cropped%20%281%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lena%20Ting-cropped%20%281%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":467333,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lena%20Ting-cropped%20%281%29.jpg?itok=RAO2e43f"}},"625695":{"id":"625695","type":"image","title":"Pendulum","body":null,"created":"1567705416","gmt_created":"2019-09-05 17:43:36","changed":"1567705416","gmt_changed":"2019-09-05 17:43:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238207","name":"PendulumTest-Lena-Lab-IMG_4895-export.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/PendulumTest-Lena-Lab-IMG_4895-export.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/PendulumTest-Lena-Lab-IMG_4895-export.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1814418,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/PendulumTest-Lena-Lab-IMG_4895-export.jpg?itok=-sXsi9oX"}}},"media_ids":["625694","625695"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"171587","name":"cerebral palsy"},{"id":"182233","name":"pendulum test"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"2266","name":"Lena Ting"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"624928":{"#nid":"624928","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH Award Supports Groundbreaking Brain Research at Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe inner-workings of the neural circuitry that underlies brain function is better understood today thanks to recent technological advances developing new tools that increasingly peel back the mysteries of the three pounds of gray tissue between our ears. Still, the neural circuits whose dysfunction lead to disorders like epilepsy, Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease, and depression (among others) remain shrouded and difficult to study and model, because of their complex network of interconnections and loops.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology wants develop intelligent closed-loop algorithms for turning measurements into precise actions in real time \u0026ndash; kind of like those used in technologies such as self-driving cars and robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;Intelligent algorithms for interacting with the brain holds promise to help us alleviate diseases with no current treatments, as well as better understanding the basis of human intelligence,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Cstrong\u003EChris Rozell\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who is leading the study with \u003Cstrong\u003EGarrett Stanley\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Both are researchers in the the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, where Rozell also is a member of the Center for Machine Learning and Stanley is co-director of the Neural Engineering Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir project just received a $1.6 million, five-year award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)\/National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and stroke (NINDS) through a long-standing and innovative NSF\/NIH partnership in the Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) program. The project leverages neurotechnology and engineering advances to pioneer a nascent field, closed-loop computational neuroscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;There has been an explosion of remarkable advances in both neuroengineering and machine learning, making the intersection of these fields one of the most exciting frontiers I can imagine,\u0026rdquo; adds Rozell. \u0026ldquo;I am excited that this collaborative project will allow us to pioneer these interactive neurotechnology advances.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERather than just analyzing data after an experiment, the team\u0026rsquo;s integrative approach will develop real-time algorithms that operate as a type of autopilot for a neural circuit, \u0026ldquo;where we can lock in a precise response, regardless of surrounding activity,\u0026rdquo; Rozell says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe five-year project, called \u0026ldquo;Closed-Loop Computational Neuroscience for Causally Dissecting Circuits,\u0026rdquo; will build on the theory, methods, and findings of engineering, \u0026nbsp;computer science, neuroscience, and other disciplines (machine learning and genetics, for example). Through the CRCNS program, the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health (along with several international partners) support collaborative activities designed to advance understanding of nervous system structure and function, the mechanisms underlying nervous system disorders, and the computational strategies used by the nervous system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The advances in tools that we and others have made in precisely measuring and manipulating neurons and neural circuits now make it possible to read \u003Cem\u003Eand\u003C\/em\u003E write brain activity at the same time, and communicate with the brain in the fast timescale on which it operates,\u0026rdquo; says Stanley, professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. \u0026ldquo;We think this is a game-changer, experimentally and computationally.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Rozell and Stanley leading five-year, $1.6 million study to develop new algorithms to interact with neural circuitry"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERozell and Stanley leading five-year, $1.6 million study to develop new algorithms to interact with neural circuitry\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Rozell and Stanley leading five-year, $1.6 million study to develop new algorithms to interact with neural circuitry"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-08-21 18:24:48","changed_gmt":"2019-09-04 15:49:47","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"624927":{"id":"624927","type":"image","title":"Stanley and Rozell","body":null,"created":"1566411708","gmt_created":"2019-08-21 18:21:48","changed":"1566411708","gmt_changed":"2019-08-21 18:21:48","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237935","name":"rozell and stanley.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rozell%20and%20stanley.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rozell%20and%20stanley.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":526891,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rozell%20and%20stanley.jpg?itok=dKoNhvsj"}}},"media_ids":["624927"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"111361","name":"BRAIN initiative"},{"id":"5443","name":"Neuroengineering"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"618600":{"#nid":"618600","#data":{"type":"news","title":"When Sand-Slithering Snakes Behave Like Light Waves","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDesert snakes slithering across the sand at night can encounter obstacles such as plants or twigs that alter the direction of their travel. While studying that motion to learn how limbless animals control their bodies in such environments, researchers discovered that snakes colliding with these obstacles mimic aspects of light or subatomic particles when they encounter a diffraction grating.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe effect of this \u0026ldquo;mechanical diffraction\u0026rdquo; allowed researchers to observe how the snakes\u0026rsquo; trajectories were altered through passive mechanisms governed by the skeletal and muscular dynamics of the animals\u0026rsquo; propagating body waves. The researchers studied live snakes as they slithered through an obstacle made up of six force-sensitive rigid pegs that buckled the animals\u0026rsquo; bodies, changing their paths in predictable ways.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe results, described February 25 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E, indicate that the Western Shovel-nosed snakes (\u003Cem\u003EChionactis occipitalis\u003C\/em\u003E) do not deliberately change direction when they encounter obstacles while speeding across the sand. Understanding the movement of these limbless animals could help engineers improve the control of autonomous search and rescue robots designed to operate on sand, grass and other complex environments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The idea behind passive dynamics is that there are waveform shape changes being made by the animal that are driven entirely by the passive properties of their bodies,\u0026rdquo; said Perrin Schiebel, a recent Ph.D. graduate of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u0026ldquo;Instead of sending a signal to activate a muscle, the interaction of the snakes\u0026rsquo; bodies with the external environment is what causes the shape change. The forces of the obstacles are pushing the snake bodies into a new shape.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe colorful shovel-nosed snake normally uses a sinusoidal S-shaped wave to move across the deserts of the Southwest United States. Running into rigid pegs in a laboratory environment doesn\u0026rsquo;t lead it to actively change that waveform, which Schiebel and colleagues studied using high-speed video cameras with eight different animals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a study supported by the National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, Defense Advanced Projects Agency, and a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, the researchers used 253 snake trips to build up a diffraction pattern. Remarkably, the pattern also revealed that the scattering directions were \u0026ldquo;quantized\u0026rdquo; such that the probability of finding a snake behind the array could be represented in a pattern mimicking wave interference. A computational model was able to capture the pattern, demonstrating how the snakes\u0026rsquo; direction would be altered by obstacle encounters via passive body buckling.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One problem with robots moving in the real world is that we don\u0026rsquo;t yet have principles by which we can understand how best to control these robots on granular surfaces like sand, leaf litter, rubble or grass,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/daniel-goldman\u0022\u003EDaniel Goldman\u003C\/a\u003E, Dunn Family Professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Physics and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026ldquo;The point of this study was to try to understand how limbless locomotors, which have long bodies that can bend in interesting ways using potentially complicated neuromechanical control schemes, manage to move through complicated terrain.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe snake experiment was suggested by a robotic study done by postdoctoral fellow Jennifer Rieser, who found similar behavior among robots encountering obstacles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The robot tends to have aspects that mimic features of the subatomic world \u0026mdash; the quantum world,\u0026rdquo; Goldman explained. \u0026ldquo;When it collides with barriers, a robot propagates through those barriers using waves of body bending. Its trajectory deviates as it exits the barriers, and many repeated trials reveal a \u0026lsquo;lumpy\u0026rsquo; scattering pattern, analogous to experiments. We realized that we could use this surprising and beautiful phenomenon, classical physics but with self-propulsion a key feature, as a scattering experiment to interrogate the control scheme used by the snakes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EExperimentally, the researchers used a \u0026ldquo;snake arena\u0026rdquo; covered with shag carpet to mimic sand. Undergraduate students Alex Hubbard and Lillian Chen released the snakes one at a time into the arena and encouraged them to slither through the grating.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe eyes of the desert snakes are naturally covered with scales to protect them. The researchers used children\u0026rsquo;s face paint to temporarily \u0026ldquo;blindfold\u0026rdquo; the animals so they would not be distracted by the researchers. The paint did not harm the animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When we put the snakes down in the arena, they started moving using the same waveform they use on desert sand,\u0026rdquo; explained Schiebel. \u0026ldquo;They would then encounter the dowel grating, pass through it, and continue on the other side still using that waveform.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstead of continuing to travel through the arena in a straight line, the snakes would exit at a different angle, though they did not grab the posts or use them to assist their movement. Schiebel worked with Zeb Rocklin, a Georgia Tech assistant professor of physics, to model the directional changes. The model showed how simple interactions between the snakes\u0026#39; wave pattern and the grating produce patterns of favored scattering directions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We think the snake is essentially operating in a model that control engineers would consider \u0026lsquo;open loop,\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; said Goldman. \u0026ldquo;It is setting a particular motor program on its body, which generates the characteristic wave pattern, and when it collides with the obstacle, its body mechanics allow it to deform and move the posts without degrading its speed.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGoldman believes the work could help developers of snake-like robots improve their control schemes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We think that our discoveries of the role of passive dynamics in the snake can facilitate new snake robot designs that will enable them to move through complex environments more fluidly,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;The goal would be to build search and rescue robots that can get into these complex environments and help first responders.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd as a bonus, Goldman said, \u0026ldquo;We find that the richness of interactions between self-propelled systems like snakes and robots with their environment is fascinating from the standpoint of \u0026lsquo;active matter\u0026rsquo; physics.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by National Science Foundation Physics of Living Systems program awards PHY-1205878, PHY-1150760 and CMMI-1361778; by the Army Research Office through award W911NF-11-1-0514; U.S. DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) 32 CFR 168a; and by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor organizations.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Perrin E. Schiebel, et al., \u0026ldquo;Mechanical diffraction reveals the role of passive dynamics in a slithering snake,\u0026rdquo; (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDesert snakes slithering across the sand at night can encounter obstacles such as plants or twigs that alter the direction of their travel -- and cause them to mimic aspects of light or subatomic particles when they encounter a diffraction grating.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study shows how the motion of snakes moving across a sandy surface can be affected by obstacles."}],"uid":"34829","created_gmt":"2019-02-28 17:40:53","changed_gmt":"2019-08-28 16:41:26","author":"Kimberly Short kshort6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-02-25T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-02-25T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"618431":{"id":"618431","type":"image","title":"Studying snakes on granular surfaces","body":null,"created":"1551122968","gmt_created":"2019-02-25 19:29:28","changed":"1551122968","gmt_changed":"2019-02-25 19:29:28","alt":"studying snakes on a granular surface","file":{"fid":"235389","name":"snakes-as-waves-012.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-012.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-012.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":725086,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/snakes-as-waves-012.jpg?itok=usL_fwXu"}},"618433":{"id":"618433","type":"image","title":"Snake moving through peg array","body":null,"created":"1551123245","gmt_created":"2019-02-25 19:34:05","changed":"1551123245","gmt_changed":"2019-02-25 19:34:05","alt":"Snake moving through peg array","file":{"fid":"235391","name":"snakes-as-waves-008.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-008.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-008.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":807876,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/snakes-as-waves-008.jpg?itok=dVFooHEN"}},"618432":{"id":"618432","type":"image","title":"Perrin Schiebel with snake arena","body":null,"created":"1551123114","gmt_created":"2019-02-25 19:31:54","changed":"1551123114","gmt_changed":"2019-02-25 19:31:54","alt":"Researcher Perrin Schiebel with snake","file":{"fid":"235390","name":"snakes-as-waves-007.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-007.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-007.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":476282,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/snakes-as-waves-007.jpg?itok=YY74NXrO"}},"618434":{"id":"618434","type":"image","title":"Snake research team","body":null,"created":"1551123354","gmt_created":"2019-02-25 19:35:54","changed":"1551123354","gmt_changed":"2019-02-25 19:35:54","alt":"Snake research team","file":{"fid":"235392","name":"snakes-as-waves-020.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-020.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/snakes-as-waves-020.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":600495,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/snakes-as-waves-020.jpg?itok=v-Zz5ZMl"}}},"media_ids":["618431","618433","618432","618434"],"groups":[{"id":"604684","name":"Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology (SCMB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"169001","name":"Snake"},{"id":"1356","name":"robot"},{"id":"169242","name":"sand"},{"id":"180635","name":"passive dynamics"},{"id":"180632","name":"light wave"},{"id":"7120","name":"wave"},{"id":"180631","name":"diffraction"},{"id":"47881","name":"Dan Goldman"},{"id":"181852","name":"scmb-research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"625023":{"#nid":"625023","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cassie Mitchell Receives 2019 Award from the American Neurological Association ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe American Neurological Association (ANA), the professional organization representing the nation\u0026rsquo;s top academic neurologists and neuroscientists, has announced the winners of its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/myana.org\/publications\/news\/american-neurological-association-announces-recipients-2019-awards-outstanding\u0022\u003E2019 scientific awards\u003C\/a\u003E, to be presented at the 144th ANA Annual Meeting, to be held at the Marriott St. Louis Grand, October 13-15, 2019. The awards recognize leaders in academic neurology and neuroscience who have exemplified excellence in research, teaching, and clinical practice across the gamut of clinical neurology and neuroscience disciplines.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This year\u0026rsquo;s awardees reflect the cutting\u0026ndash;edge research being done at every career stage across neurology and neuroscience,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EDavid M. Holtzman\u003C\/strong\u003E, MD, president of the ANA and Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine. \u0026ldquo;The pace of advances we\u0026rsquo;re seeing in translational neuroscience and the neurobiology of disease are extraordinary. We hope the gains will inspire the new generation of physician scientists to pursue careers that combine research and teaching with clinical practice. There has never been a more exciting time to work in academic neurology.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEach year, the ANA Annual Meeting convenes more than 900 of the nation\u0026#39;s top academic neurologists and neuroscientists to share updates and late-breaking research on the diseases that affect more than 100 million Americans each year including stroke, Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease, Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s disease, neuromuscular disorders, headache, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDerek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholars \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Awards are clinical awards given each year during the Annual Meeting to new members of the association who have achieved significant stature in neurological research, and who show promise and will continue making major contributions to the field of neurology.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award in Neuroscience went to \u003Cstrong\u003ECassie S. Mitchell\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology. Her presentation title: Literature-based discovery facilitates predictive medicine for neurological disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFull list of ANA 2019 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/myana.org\/publications\/news\/american-neurological-association-announces-recipients-2019-awards-outstanding\u0022\u003Ewinners\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Awards recognize work in the genetics of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, the microbiome and stroke, clinical trial design, and more"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-08-22 18:01:52","changed_gmt":"2019-08-27 18:09:52","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"611792":{"id":"611792","type":"image","title":"Cassie Mitchell, Ph.D.","body":null,"created":"1537544798","gmt_created":"2018-09-21 15:46:38","changed":"1566497036","gmt_changed":"2019-08-22 18:03:56","alt":"Cassie Mitchell, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.","file":{"fid":"232913","name":"17C10203-P2-002.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/17C10203-P2-002.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/17C10203-P2-002.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":380671,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/17C10203-P2-002.jpg?itok=eiYYxVf6"}}},"media_ids":["611792"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"23101","name":"cassie mitchell"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"625062":{"#nid":"625062","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Understanding the Flavors in our Heads","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrain waves \u0026ndash; or, oscillatory brain activity \u0026ndash; are thought to play an important role in how different areas of the brain communicate. They\u0026rsquo;re also altered in many diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We think these brain waves are like walkie talkies tuned to the same frequency,\u0026rdquo; says Annabelle Singer, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, who looks closely at brain waves in her research, which is focused on understanding how neural activity produces memories and protects brain health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Interestingly, one brain region can switch frequencies in order to control what other brain regions it talks to,\u0026rdquo; says Singer, who also is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe notes that current methods to assess brain waves average these over long time scales, obscuring rapid and dynamic changes in communication between different brain regions. But through combining signal processing and multiple machine learning methods, her lab has developed a new and better approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Singer team presented its research recently with publication of a new paper in the journal \u003Cem\u003EeLife. \u003C\/em\u003EThe paper, entitled, \u0026ldquo;Sub-second Dynamics of Theta-Gamma Coupling in Hippocampal CA1,\u0026rdquo; details a new approach to investigate oscillatory brain dynamics broadly without having to average over long periods of time. Instead, says Singer, \u0026ldquo;it reveals sub-second changes in how brain regions communicate with each other.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe adds, \u0026ldquo;The electric activity we record in the brain comes in different flavors, characterized by the frequency at which the brain wave is oscillating.\u0026rdquo; Characterizing these \u0026ldquo;flavors\u0026rdquo; is complicated by the fact that different oscillations are often coupled. For example, gamma oscillations may be nested within theta in the hippocampus. Changes in coupling are thought to reflect distinct brain states.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Singer team describe a new way to separate single oscillation cycles into distinct states based on frequency and phase coupling. Using their new method, the researchers identified four theta-gamma coupling states in animal models. \u0026ldquo;There are four flavors \u0026ndash; or theta-gamma coupling states \u0026ndash; that we have identified, but there are many more kinds of brain waves,\u0026rdquo; Singer says. \u0026ldquo;What\u0026rsquo;s exciting is, we can track them with millisecond precision.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo much in the realm of brain research involves not only listening to the noise that neurons are making and recording these micro-conversations, but understanding the language, and why it makes sense.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPrevious research by the Singer lab and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrated that a combination of light and sound can improve cognitive and memory impairments similar to those seen in Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s patients, a noninvasive treatment that induces gamma oscillations (brain waves that oscillate around 40 times per second) and reduces the number of amyloid plaques found in the brain. In Alzheimer patients, abnormal levels of amyloid (a naturally occurring protein) form plaques that gather between neurons and disrupt cell function.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis recent paper, Singer says, \u0026ldquo;is basically all about gaining a better understanding of naturally occurring gamma in the brain.\u0026rdquo; Led by first author Lu Zhang\u0026rsquo;s elegant solution combining signal processing and machine learning, the latest research represents another clarifying step on the road to a better understanding of brain function and treatment for Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Zhang and Singer, the other authors were Chris Rozell (Petit Institute researcher and a professor with joint appointments in the Coulter Department and the Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, where he directs the Sensory Information Processing Lab) and John Lee (former postdoctoral researcher in Rozell\u0026rsquo;s lab, now with DSO Laboratories in Singapore).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Annabelle Singer and team develop new approach to investigate oscillatory brain dynamics"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnnabelle Singer and team develop new approach to investigate oscillatory brain dynamics\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Annabelle Singer and team develop new approach to investigate oscillatory brain dynamics"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-08-23 14:16:13","changed_gmt":"2019-08-23 14:16:13","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"625061":{"id":"625061","type":"image","title":"Brain waves","body":null,"created":"1566569510","gmt_created":"2019-08-23 14:11:50","changed":"1566569510","gmt_changed":"2019-08-23 14:11:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237986","name":"ElifeTitle7-01.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ElifeTitle7-01.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ElifeTitle7-01.png","mime":"image\/png","size":458034,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ElifeTitle7-01.png?itok=uPsm18vL"}},"625060":{"id":"625060","type":"image","title":"Annabelle Singer","body":null,"created":"1566569360","gmt_created":"2019-08-23 14:09:20","changed":"1566569360","gmt_changed":"2019-08-23 14:09:20","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237985","name":"Singer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Singer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Singer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2331214,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Singer.jpg?itok=k6Sm3Kii"}}},"media_ids":["625061","625060"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"14757","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s"},{"id":"182123","name":"brain waves"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"181421","name":"Annabelle Singer"},{"id":"182124","name":"gamma waves"},{"id":"182125","name":"Lu Zhang"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"624917":{"#nid":"624917","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Celebrating Super Heroes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESome of the bravest super heroes fly under the radar and don\u0026rsquo;t wear a special suit, a la The Avengers. So Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta decided to honor and recognize these quiet heroes \u0026ndash; young patients, courageously battling illness and disease \u0026ndash; when it launched the first \u0026lsquo;Cape Day\u0026rsquo; in 2014.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe community was encouraged to become caped crusaders, donning capes to celebrate the young super heroes fighting obstacles and staring down challenges that most people couldn\u0026rsquo;t imagine. As a proud research partner of Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare, the Petit Institute community has responded each year \u0026ndash; if you look closely, you might catch Petit Institute staff, faculty, or students speeding through the atrium and halls, their capes flying behind them.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWell, the tradition has found a new and mighty supporter this year as the Georgia Tech football team partnered with Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare and adidas to unveil a new \u0026lsquo;Cape Day\u0026rsquo; uniform that will be worn by the Yellow Jackets when they host North Carolina, Oct. 5, at Bobby Dodd Stadium.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClick \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ramblinwreck.com\/georgia-tech-childrens-unveil-cape-day-adidas-uniform\/\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E for the whole story and an inspiring video.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta has a new partner as Georgia Tech\u0027s football team suits up for \u0027Cape Day\u0027"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EChildren\u0026#39;s Healthcare of Atlanta has a new partner as Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s football team suits up for \u0026#39;Cape Day\u0026#39;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta has a new partner as Georgia Tech\u0027s football team suits up for \u0027Cape Day\u0027"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-08-21 17:37:06","changed_gmt":"2019-08-21 19:00:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"624915":{"id":"624915","type":"image","title":"CHOA Capes","body":null,"created":"1566408764","gmt_created":"2019-08-21 17:32:44","changed":"1566413776","gmt_changed":"2019-08-21 18:56:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237933","name":"Trio3 copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Trio3%20copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Trio3%20copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2275675,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Trio3%20copy.jpg?itok=_OJyw47D"}},"624937":{"id":"624937","type":"image","title":"Cape Day Tech","body":null,"created":"1566414025","gmt_created":"2019-08-21 19:00:25","changed":"1566414025","gmt_changed":"2019-08-21 19:00:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237939","name":"Screen Shot 2019-08-21 at 2.57.10 PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-08-21%20at%202.57.10%20PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-08-21%20at%202.57.10%20PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1128046,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-08-21%20at%202.57.10%20PM.png?itok=cjn9mw_n"}}},"media_ids":["624915","624937"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"9721","name":"Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta"},{"id":"166852","name":"CHOA"},{"id":"182088","name":"Cape Day"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"624804":{"#nid":"624804","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Benkeser Elected to BMES Fellows","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPaul Benkeser\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor and senior associate chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has been elected to the 2019 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Class of Fellows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo be elected as a BMES Fellow, an individual must have demonstrated exceptional achievements and made significant contributions within the biomedical engineering field. This individual must also have extensive leadership within the biomedical engineering field and served within the Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, Benkeser has enhanced undergraduate biomedical engineering education, with interests in integrating problem-driven learning and global experiential learning opportunities in the curriculum. He developed two innovative study abroad programs, one in China and another in Ireland.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBenkeser - along with Professors Wendy Newstetter and Joe LeDoux - were recently awarded the National Academy of Engineering\u0026rsquo;s (NAE) 2019 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education for their efforts in \u0026ldquo;fusing problem-driven engineering education with learning-science principles to create a pioneering program that develops leaders in biomedical engineering.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp; The groundbreaking program they developed brought\u0026nbsp;best practices in education and learning to engineering. As part of the curriculum, students experience problem-driven learning (PDL), which replicates in class the industry environment that graduates will face as future industry leaders. This prize is the largest and most prestigious NAE award given in engineering education.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn support of BMES, he served the Society in numerous important roles since becoming a member in 2002.\u0026nbsp; Most notably, he has represented BMES in engineering accreditation activities for ABET since 2002, serving in a number of capacities including program evaluator, EAC Commissioner, and as a member of its Board of Delegates. Through these activities and associated consulting efforts, he has directly worked with faculty from over 35 undergraduate biomedical engineering programs in the U.S. and abroad, successfully contributing to improvements to their programs.\u0026nbsp; Additionally, over 100 other BME faculty have benefited from Benkeser\u0026rsquo;s insights and experiences with engineering accreditation through workshops and webinars sponsored by BMES.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BMES recognizes exceptional achievements and contributions"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-08-19 19:38:11","changed_gmt":"2019-08-19 19:48:26","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"624803":{"id":"624803","type":"image","title":"Paul Benkeser, professor and senior associate chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering ","body":null,"created":"1566243413","gmt_created":"2019-08-19 19:36:53","changed":"1566243413","gmt_changed":"2019-08-19 19:36:53","alt":"Paul Benkeser, professor and senior associate chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering ","file":{"fid":"237906","name":"Benkeser-NAE-cropped.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Benkeser-NAE-cropped.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Benkeser-NAE-cropped.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":639268,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Benkeser-NAE-cropped.jpg?itok=1DEFSqa_"}}},"media_ids":["624803"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623911":{"#nid":"623911","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Pre-Life Building Blocks Spontaneously Align in Evolutionary Experiment","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Earth was a lifeless planet about 4 billion years ago, chemical components came together in tiny molecular chains that would later evolve into proteins, crucial life building blocks. A \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2019\/07\/23\/1904849116\/tab-article-info\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Enew study\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has shown how fortuitously some early predecessors of protein may have fallen into line.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the laboratory, under conditions mimicking those on pre-life Earth, a small selection of amino acids linked up spontaneously into neat segments in a way that surprised researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. They had given these amino acids found in proteins today some stiff competition by adding amino acids not found in proteins, thinking these non-protein, or non-biological, amino acids would probably not allow predominantly biological segments to come together.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe non-biological amino acids had the potential to chemically react equally well or better than the biological ones and frequently become part of the tiny chains, perhaps serving as an in-between step in the greater evolution toward proteins. The experiment dashed those expectations -- but to the researchers\u0026rsquo; delight. The reactions resulted mostly in strings that were closer to today\u0026rsquo;s actual proteins and less in\u0026nbsp;chains that included non-biological amino acids.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The non-biological amino acids were being excluded to some extent,\u0026rdquo; said Nick Hud, one of the study\u0026rsquo;s principal investigators,\u0026nbsp;a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/hud\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERegents Professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and associate director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDoorway to evolution\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn particular, the researchers had thought the non-biological amino acids would outcompete the biological amino acid lysine, but it was not the case. They also thought lysine would often not fit neatly into the chains the way\u0026nbsp;it does in proteins. The reaction surprised them again.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Lysine went into the chains predominantly in the way that it is connected in proteins today,\u0026rdquo; said Hud, who is also director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/centerforchemicalevolution.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution\u003C\/a\u003E (CCE), which is headquartered at Georgia Tech and explores chemistry that may have paved the way to first life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research team, which included collaborators from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scripps.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Scripps Research\u003C\/a\u003E Institute, published their results \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2019\/07\/23\/1904849116\/tab-article-info\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ein the journal\u003Cem\u003E Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E on July 29, 2019. The research was funded by the NSF and NASA.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study\u0026rsquo;s experiment points to chemical evolution having prefabricated some amino acid chains useful in living systems before life had evolved a way to make proteins. The preference for the incorporation of the biological amino acids over non-biological counterparts also adds to possible explanations for why life selected for just 20 amino acids when 500 occurred naturally on the Hadean Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our idea is that life started with the many building blocks that were there and selected a subset of them, but we don\u0026rsquo;t know how much was selected on the basis of pure chemistry or how much biological processes did the selecting. Looking at this study, it appears today\u0026rsquo;s biology may reflect these early prebiotic chemical reactions more than we had thought,\u0026rdquo; said Loren Williams, another principal investigator in the study and a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~lw26\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eprofessor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;as well as a Petit Institute researcher.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Csup\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E[Ready for graduate school?\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gradadmiss.gatech.edu\/apply-now\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHere\u0026#39;s how to apply to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/a\u003E]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/sup\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMono, oligo, poly\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo help understand the study\u0026rsquo;s significance, let\u0026rsquo;s look at how proteins form, then at the study\u0026rsquo;s core experiment, which revealed an unexpectedly high preference for bonds between sites called alpha-amines (\u0026alpha;-amines) on the biological amino acids. Those bonds gave resulting molecular segments a protein-like shape in the lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a protein, one amino acid is a single chemical unit, or monomer. A few of them linked together is called an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/chemistry\/oligomer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eoligomer\u003C\/a\u003E, and really long chains are polymers. In proteins, the polymer is called a polypeptide -- named after the peptide bonds that link its monomers together.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPolypeptides are long chains that often form helices, like old phone cords, or flat sheets. They kink and fold up into specific, mostly functional wads, sheets, and other shapes, which are called proteins. The study looked at how amino acid monomers linked up to make interesting oligomers that look like small pieces of proteins.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHadean Eon experiment\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELate in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/quatr.us\/geology\/hadean-eon-earth-moon-proteins-rna.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHadean Eon\u003C\/a\u003E, Earth\u0026rsquo;s earliest phase, when prebiotic chemistry was taking shape, the planet\u0026rsquo;s surface was awash in vulcanism and rain, and large meteors pummeled it with new chemicals. The researchers\u0026rsquo; experimental lab setup reflected relatively mild conditions for those times and feasibly present ingredients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst author \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/hud\/moran-frenkel-pinter\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMoran Frenkel-Pinter\u003C\/a\u003E placed the biological amino acids lysine, arginine, and histidine together with three non-biological competitors in water containing hydroxy acids. Hydroxy acids are known to facilitate amino acid reactions and would have been common on prebiotic Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe mixture was heated to 85 degrees Celsius, pushing the reaction and evaporating the water, and the researchers analyzed the products formed.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We found this high preference for the inclusion of these biological amino acids and the linkage via the \u0026alpha;-amine,\u0026rdquo; said Frenkel-Pinter, a NASA postdoctoral researcher in the CCE.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAmine groups are made of nitrogen and hydrogen and are quite reactive, but the \u0026alpha;-amine is part of the core of an amino acid, and other amines in this experiment were at the end of a sidechain extending off the core. The latter is often more reactive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It surprised us that this chemistry favored the \u0026alpha;-amine connection found in proteins, even though chemical principles might have led us to believe that the non-protein connection would be favored,\u0026rdquo; Frenkel-Pinter said. \u0026ldquo;The preference for the protein-like linkage over non-protein was about seven to one.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEasy chemical evolution\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMost resulting oligomers had evenly placed links in the chain, which are used in life, as opposed to non-\u0026alpha;-amine bonded oligomers, which built more irregular chains.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe finished products were mostly \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/595443\/was-primordial-soup-hearty-pre-protein-stew\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Edepsipeptides\u003C\/a\u003E, which the CCE previously \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rh.gatech.edu\/news\/595443\/was-primordial-soup-hearty-pre-protein-stew\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eestablished as stepping stone products in an easy, reliable pathway to peptides\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn another reflection of life chemistry, the abiotic depsipeptide transition to peptides is the same basic reaction (ester-amide) carried out by ribosomes, the cellular machines that make proteins today.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESurprise reactions, in which potential pre-life chemistry casually falls into place, have happened often in the CCE\u0026rsquo;s research. They have shored up the center\u0026rsquo;s core\u0026nbsp;hypothesis that most biological polymers formed\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;wet and dry cycles, perhaps on rain-swept dirt flats or lakeshore rocks regularly baked by the sun\u0026rsquo;s heat.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDespite its grounded simplicity, the premise of everyday wet-dry cycles\u0026nbsp;being key to the origin of life is unconventional, challenging a more established narrative that improbable concurrences of cataclysms and multiple ingredients were necessary to produce life\u0026rsquo;s early materials in rare and volatile events.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAlso read:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rh.gatech.edu\/news\/616798\/helix-dna-fame-may-have-arisen-startling-ease\u0022 target=\u0022_top\u0022\u003EThe Helix, of DNA Fame, May Have Arisen with Startling Ease\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThese researchers coauthored the study: Jay Haynes, Martin C, Anton Petrov, and Bradley Burcar of Georgia Tech; and Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy and Luke Leman of Scripps. All researchers are members of the NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA under the center\u0026rsquo;s grant (CHE-1504217). Any findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and not necessarily of the funding agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter \u0026amp;\u0026nbsp;Media Representative\u003C\/strong\u003E: Ben Brumfield (404-660-1408), email:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia \u0026nbsp;30332-0181 \u0026nbsp;USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt nearly baffled researchers to see\u0026nbsp;amino acids that make up life today spontaneously link\u0026nbsp;up under lab conditions that mimicked those of pre-life Earth. The amino acids formed short predecessors of today\u0026#39;s proteins even though\u0026nbsp;researchers made it hard on the amino acids by adding non-biological competitor molecules. They thought the competitors would chemically out-game the biological amino acids, but instead, natural chemistry preferred the life building blocks by a very wide margin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Defying expectations, life building blocks spontaneously linked up in an experiment on how prebiotic chemistry took steps toward becoming the early life chemistry behind proteins."}],"uid":"31759","created_gmt":"2019-08-01 16:59:12","changed_gmt":"2019-08-19 14:30:06","author":"Ben Brumfield","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623913":{"id":"623913","type":"image","title":"NSF\/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution banner partial","body":null,"created":"1564680208","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 17:23:28","changed":"1564680225","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 17:23:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237633","name":"CCE.banner.outtake.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CCE.banner.outtake.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CCE.banner.outtake.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3134064,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CCE.banner.outtake.jpg?itok=MtnFQ2Qo"}},"623908":{"id":"623908","type":"image","title":"Hadean Eon Getty Images","body":null,"created":"1564676294","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 16:18:14","changed":"1564676445","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 16:20:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237630","name":"Hadean.GettyImages-112717369.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hadean.GettyImages-112717369.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Hadean.GettyImages-112717369.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":273986,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Hadean.GettyImages-112717369.jpg?itok=wP5lwF2Z"}},"623909":{"id":"623909","type":"image","title":"NSF Center for Chemical Evolution banner","body":null,"created":"1564676991","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 16:29:51","changed":"1564676991","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 16:29:51","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237631","name":"bannermural.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bannermural.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bannermural.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2003225,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bannermural.png?itok=0JxS01Kh"}},"588112":{"id":"588112","type":"image","title":"Nick Hud","body":null,"created":"1488314795","gmt_created":"2017-02-28 20:46:35","changed":"1488314795","gmt_changed":"2017-02-28 20:46:35","alt":"","file":{"fid":"224129","name":"nick-hud-ba-uracil_1__1_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nick-hud-ba-uracil_1__1__0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nick-hud-ba-uracil_1__1__0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":62652,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/nick-hud-ba-uracil_1__1__0.jpg?itok=Xax_G2Uq"}},"614074":{"id":"614074","type":"image","title":"Loren Williams portrait photo","body":null,"created":"1541784612","gmt_created":"2018-11-09 17:30:12","changed":"1541784612","gmt_changed":"2018-11-09 17:30:12","alt":"","file":{"fid":"233779","name":"Loren.portrait.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Loren.portrait.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Loren.portrait.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2571851,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Loren.portrait.jpg?itok=YhMRbHpl"}},"619362":{"id":"619362","type":"image","title":"Moran Frenkel-Pinter","body":null,"created":"1552921987","gmt_created":"2019-03-18 15:13:07","changed":"1564677391","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 16:36:31","alt":"","file":{"fid":"235788","name":"2019 Moran Frenkel-Pinter.sq250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Moran%20Frenkel-Pinter.sq250.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2019%20Moran%20Frenkel-Pinter.sq250.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":88850,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2019%20Moran%20Frenkel-Pinter.sq250.jpg?itok=o0jBy_R3"}}},"media_ids":["623913","623908","623909","588112","614074","619362"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"3028","name":"evolution"},{"id":"89971","name":"chemical evolution"},{"id":"109501","name":"amino acids"},{"id":"181866","name":"lysine"},{"id":"181867","name":"oligomer"},{"id":"10339","name":"center for chemical evolution"},{"id":"181868","name":"wet-dry cycle"},{"id":"175401","name":"depsipeptide"},{"id":"181869","name":"non-biological amino acids"},{"id":"181870","name":"biological amino acids"},{"id":"181871","name":"self-selecting"},{"id":"181872","name":"self-selection"},{"id":"6730","name":"ribosome"},{"id":"181873","name":"ester-amide"},{"id":"175402","name":"proto-peptide"},{"id":"181874","name":"Hadean Eon"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"624511":{"#nid":"624511","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Grows by a Dozen","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology has expanded its roster of world class scientists and engineers with the addition of 12 new faculty researchers from three different universities: the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Clark Atlanta University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs founding director of the institute, Bob Nerem, likes to say, \u0026ldquo;research is a people business.\u0026rdquo; Meet the 12 new people who have joined the Petit Institute community, bringing the total number of interdisciplinary researchers to 231.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGhassan AlRegib\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech. AlRegib is director of the Omni Lab for Intelligent Visual Engineering and Science (OLIVES) at Georgia Tech, where his group of more than 20 researchers (students and other investigators) work on projects related to machine learning, image and video processing, image and video understanding, seismic imaging, perception in visual data processing, healthcare intelligence, and video analytics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHyojung Choo\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor of cell biology, Emory School of Medicine. Choo is interested in elucidating the mechanisms behind vastly different susceptibilities of craniofacial muscles, which she believes could lead to the development of therapeutics that would target specific skeletal muscles involved in particular types of muscular dystrophy. Part of her research involves differentiation of skeletal muscle progenitor cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) as a model system of neuromuscular disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMarcus Cicerone\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Tech. A former group and project leader for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Cicerone joined Georgia Tech in January. His work is centered on the development and application of Raman imaging approaches and on the dynamics of amorphous condensed matter. His research group has logged many imaging firsts, including the first to obtain quantitative vibrational fingerprint spectra from mammalian cells using coherent Raman imaging, and the first to identify specific structural proteins from coherent Raman imaging.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECandace Fleischer\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory School of Medicine. Fleischer\u0026rsquo;s highly collaborative research group focuses on the development of new MR spectroscopy and imaging technologies for biomedical and translational applications. Her team\u0026rsquo;s projects include development of magnetic resonance-based methods for identifying inflammatory biomarkers in malignant brain tumors; and creating new tools for non-invasively measuring brain temperature with applications in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular injury.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESwati Gupta\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech. Gupta\u0026#39;s work focuses on speeding up fundamental bottlenecks that arise in learning problems due to the combinatorial nature of the decisions, as well as drawing from machine learning to improve traditional optimization methods. She has worked on providing optimized inventory routing decisions under uncertain demand, and pricing items optimally while incorporating effects of sales and promotions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYuhang Hu\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\/School of Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech. The Hu research team focuses on soft active materials, particularly those consisting of both solid and liquid. Their work lies at the interface of mechanics and materials chemistry, from fundamental mechanics to novel applications. Their current research is looking at chemomechanical modeling of soft materials, multi-scale mechanical characterization of soft materials, and the design and fabrication of new dynamic adaptive multi-functional materials for various applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENian Liu\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech. Liu\u0026rsquo;s lab focuses on the development of high-energy, low-cost, ultra-safe battery technologies; application-driven nanoscale materials design and manufacturing; and in-situ diagnosis and fundamental understanding of strategically important chemical and physical processes. Liu is the co-author of 60 published papers, and a former winner of the Young Investigator Award from the American Chemical Society\u0026rsquo;s Division of Inorganic Chemistry.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYajun Mei\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech. Mei\u0026#39;s research interests include change-point problems and sequential analysis in mathematical statistics; sensor networks and information theory in engineering; as well as longitudinal data analysis, random effects models, and clinical trials in biostatistics. Mei is president of the American Statistical Association, Georgia Chapter.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EValerie Odero-Marah\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, Department of Biology, Clark Atlanta University: Odero-Marah\u0026rsquo;s research team focuses on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process that occurs during normal embryonic development and epithelial tumor progression. Several factors such as Snail transcription factor, are associated with EMT, and contribute to motility, invasion, and tumor progression. Understanding the factors that contribute to EMT and prostate cancer metastasis is crucial for development of cancer therapies. So, her lab explores on the role of Snail transcription factor in prostate cancer progression and metastasis and antagonizing signaling with natural products.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnniruddh Sarkar\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. A new arrival in the Coulter Department (beginning Fall 2019), Sarkar\u0026rsquo;s research exploits physical phenomena at the micrometer to nanometer length scales to develop technology especially for applications in biology and medicine, with the goal of creating unique opportunities for micro-\/nano-engineered tools to help in understanding complex biological phenomena, such as diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), HIV\/AIDS, or cancer, and contribute to their prevention, diagnosis and therapy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGreg Sawicki\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\/School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech. Sawicki is director of the Human Physiology of Wearable Robotics (PoWeR) laboratory, where the goal is to combine tools from engineering, physiology and neuroscience to discover neuromechanical principles underpinning optimal locomotion performance and apply them to develop lower-limb robotic devices capable of improving both healthy and impaired\u0026nbsp;human locomotion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Wiese\u003C\/strong\u003E, assistant professor, School of Psychology, Georgia Tech. Wiese, who earned his undergraduate degree and his Ph.D. at the University of Central Florida, becomes the Petit Institute\u0026rsquo;s only researcher from the School of Psychology, where his research has focused on three main areas: understanding and improving worker well-being; temporal dynamics in team contexts; and research methods.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Faculty from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Clark Atlanta join interdisciplinary research community"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFaculty from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Clark Atlanta join interdisciplinary research community\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Faculty from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Clark Atlanta join interdisciplinary research community"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-08-14 17:09:05","changed_gmt":"2019-08-14 17:09:05","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"624508":{"id":"624508","type":"image","title":"New Faculty 2019","body":null,"created":"1565802325","gmt_created":"2019-08-14 17:05:25","changed":"1565802325","gmt_changed":"2019-08-14 17:05:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237804","name":"New Faculty mugs.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/New%20Faculty%20mugs.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/New%20Faculty%20mugs.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":433879,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/New%20Faculty%20mugs.jpg?itok=La4TmXdi"}}},"media_ids":["624508"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"624146":{"#nid":"624146","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Brianna Jones Awarded UNCF Scholarship","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFormer Project ENGAGES student Brianna Jones has been awarded a UNCF (United Negro College Fund) STEM Scholarship, and just in the nick of time \u0026ndash; Jones is a freshman this fall semester at Hampton University, where she\u0026rsquo;ll begin the next chapter in her quest to impact the healthcare industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is exciting, and it\u0026rsquo;s beginning to feel real,\u0026rdquo; said Jones. \u0026ldquo;I have Project ENGAGES to thank for getting me a long way down the road. It really helped me determine the direction I want to go in.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen she was a young child, Jones imagined what it would be like to be a doctor, because she loved the idea of helping people with their health care needs, and because it incorporated two of her favorite subjects, math and science. But there was one critical drawback to her daydream, something that gnawed at her.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I had to be realistic,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t like to deal with or see blood, and that\u0026rsquo;s a huge disadvantage for anyone who thinks they want to be a doctor.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo she began exploring different career paths as she immersed herself in the engineering class at Benjamin Mays High School in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I learned about biomedical engineering,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;My high school biology teacher told me about Project ENGAGES, and it sounded like a great opportunity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe applied, got accepted into the program, and for two years during high school, her junior and senior years, Brianna was part of a Project ENGAGES cohort based in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working in the lab of Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough Garc\u0026iacute;a, she learned about a summer pre-college engineering program at Hampton, and she\u0026rsquo;s been able to establish relationships with faculty there, something she\u0026rsquo;s managed to with self-assurance, \u0026ldquo;because I felt prepared, thanks to Project ENGAGES, which immersed me in different environments with different people,\u0026rdquo; Jones says. \u0026ldquo;It gave me the confidence I need to go out and make my way in the real world of science and research \u0026ndash; it helped me establish a networking system.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis fall at Hampton (a private, historical black university in Hampton, Virginia), she\u0026rsquo;ll begin pursuit of her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. After that, she plans to get a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe UNCF STEM Scholars Program is a 10-year initiative designed to identify and provide scholarships and academic support for a total of 500 African American high school students who aspire to earn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees and pursue careers in STEM fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScholars receive up to $2,500 per academic year for freshmen and sophomores, $5,000 for juniors, seniors, and fifth-year students. Scholarships are renewable for five years, and also include a $5,000 stipend based on a STEM-related project or internship.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Ultimately, I\u0026rsquo;d like to have an impact on improving health care and helping patients,\u0026rdquo; Jones says, adding, \u0026ldquo;but not deal with the blood!\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Former Project ENGAGES Student gets STEM support to attend Hampton University"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFormer Project ENGAGES Student gets STEM support to attend Hampton University\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Former Project ENGAGES Student gets STEM support to attend Hampton University"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-08-08 15:10:54","changed_gmt":"2019-08-08 17:10:22","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"624144":{"id":"624144","type":"image","title":"Brianna Jones","body":null,"created":"1565276879","gmt_created":"2019-08-08 15:07:59","changed":"1565276879","gmt_changed":"2019-08-08 15:07:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237705","name":"HEADSHOT.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/HEADSHOT.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/HEADSHOT.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":945467,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/HEADSHOT.jpg?itok=dv1a7Sc8"}}},"media_ids":["624144"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"114621","name":"Project ENGAGES"},{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"167258","name":"STEM"},{"id":"126581","name":"go-ProjectEngages"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"624100":{"#nid":"624100","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Patient\u2019s Story Stirs CMaT Audience","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBy the time he was 15 years old, Connor McMahon had spent at least a third of his life receiving chemotherapy to fight the cancer that would not leave him alone. Diagnosed at three and then 12 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, he had a 2-0 record against the devastating disease, while also playing youth hockey at an elite level. Then he was diagnosed a third time at age 15, and the prognosis was even worse than before.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe needed a bone marrow transplant, his doctors said, and even then he\u0026rsquo;d only have a 30 percent chance of survival. Connor\u0026rsquo;s father, Don, who looks like he could have been a professional hockey player, had to deliver the hard news to his son, a conversation neither man will ever forget, down in the basement of their home in Cumming, Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I told him the truth,\u0026rdquo; said Don, a New Jersey native and successful entrepreneur who has started and operated a diverse range of businesses. \u0026ldquo;I told him the prognosis was not good and that there was a good chance he would die from this disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDon was sharing his family\u0026#39;s story on Tuesday before a crowd of about 180 people who are attending the second annual CMaT ERC Retreat at the University of Georgia in Athens. He hestitated after telling the audience how he delivered the frightening news to his son. He composed himself.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;It doesn\u0026#39;t matter if I give this speech a million times,\u0026quot; he said. \u0026quot;It affects\u0026nbsp;me every time, because it\u0026#39;s personal.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, it was a personal story of triumph that the McMahons shared at this meeting of the\u0026nbsp;NSF Cell Manufacturing Technologies Engineering Research Center, launched in 2017 and based\u0026nbsp;at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The reason the 18-year-old rising freshman at Mississippi State University is alive, said his father, \u0026ldquo;is because of CAR T-cell therapy. This is the future of medicine. The manufacturing of cells is the direction the world needs to go. This should be first line defense.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDon was preaching to the choir as he delivered the retreat\u0026rsquo;s keynote address, with his son and Bruce Levine, the physician-researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, and the lead innovator in the cell and gene therapy world, who developed the therapeutic use of synthetic immune cells, or CAR T-cells, to attack cancer calls \u0026ndash; a\u0026nbsp;treatment unanimously approved by the FDA in 2017.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESetting the Tone\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir keynote presentation, which also featured an emotional slide show, set the tone for the second annual retreat, following opening remarks from CMaT Director Krish Roy, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, where he is based as a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (a joint department of Emory University and Georgia Tech).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a good time for us to take stock on how we are doing and what we really need to do to take our next steps,\u0026rdquo; said Roy, who also is director of the Marcus Center for Cell Therapy Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M) and technical lead of the National Cell Manufacturing Consortium. \u0026ldquo;No matter where we are from \u0026ndash; academia, industry, government, patient advocacy \u0026ndash; our goal, the reason we are all here, is to help patients.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe McMahons played the most critical role in the message that Roy and CMaT leadership want to convey \u0026ndash; they put a human face on the center\u0026rsquo;s primary ambition, and emphasized the importance of the goals to support the notion of helping patients: to achieve quality, lower-cost cell-based drugs to cure devastating diseases, like the leukemia that Connor, a talented goalie for his championship-level travel hockey team, has now defeated three times.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EConnor\u0026rsquo;s treatments in the Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta system was the old standard, and it worked twice. The third time required the groundbreaking therapy (Kymriah, licensed to Novartis) that Levine and his collaborator Carl June developed. Now cancer free, Connor is about to begin the next phase of his life as a college freshman. So his father had a message he wanted to deliver specifically to the CMaT trainees \u0026ndash; students and postdocs \u0026ndash; who are just a little bit older than Connor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;You guys are part of the solution,\u0026rdquo; Don said. \u0026ldquo;If you\u0026rsquo;re looking at a test tube or through a microscope or sitting in a cubicle wondering, \u0026lsquo;what the hell am I doing,\u0026rsquo; well, you are changing lives. Some of us go through our entire lives wondering if we made a difference in the world. None of you will have that problem.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith that, Connor and Don and Dr. Levine received a deafening applause, and the retreat progressed along usual means \u0026ndash; discussions of research and policy and, coming up on Thursday, the last day of the gathering, an update on the CMaT roadmap \u0026ndash; the industry-driven, 10-year national guide for cell manufacturing that provides a prioritized pathway for critical technology development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor one Petit Institute researcher, the first day of the retreat \u0026ndash; specifically, the keynote presentation by the McMahons \u0026ndash; provided a burst of inspiration and energy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Listening to Don and Connor made me want to rush back to the lab and work like a maniac,\u0026rdquo; Facundo Fernandez, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, shared on his Twitter page. \u0026ldquo;Although some days in science can be difficult, even being able to make the tiniest contribution to improve patients\u0026rsquo; outcomes makes it all worth it.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"NSF Cell Manufacturing Technologies Center gathering in Athens for annual retreat"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENSF Cell Manufacturing Technologies Center gathering in Athens for annual retreat\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NSF Cell Manufacturing Technologies Center gathering in Athens for annual retreat"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-08-07 18:02:28","changed_gmt":"2019-08-07 22:07:00","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"624097":{"id":"624097","type":"image","title":"CMaT Krish","body":null,"created":"1565200487","gmt_created":"2019-08-07 17:54:47","changed":"1565200487","gmt_changed":"2019-08-07 17:54:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237690","name":"krish.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/krish_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/krish_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2429990,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/krish_0.jpg?itok=eAKEKgjj"}},"624096":{"id":"624096","type":"image","title":"CMaT keynote","body":null,"created":"1565200430","gmt_created":"2019-08-07 17:53:50","changed":"1565200430","gmt_changed":"2019-08-07 17:53:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237689","name":"crowded keynote - small.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crowded%20keynote%20-%20small.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crowded%20keynote%20-%20small.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":589454,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/crowded%20keynote%20-%20small.jpg?itok=pTzKRd8s"}},"624125":{"id":"624125","type":"image","title":"CMaT Big Group","body":null,"created":"1565209153","gmt_created":"2019-08-07 20:19:13","changed":"1565209153","gmt_changed":"2019-08-07 20:19:13","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237701","name":"big group pic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/big%20group%20pic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/big%20group%20pic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":635009,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/big%20group%20pic.jpg?itok=zHL5wZ4G"}},"624098":{"id":"624098","type":"image","title":"CMaT Don Connor Levine","body":null,"created":"1565200587","gmt_created":"2019-08-07 17:56:27","changed":"1565200587","gmt_changed":"2019-08-07 17:56:27","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237691","name":"Three guys stage.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Three%20guys%20stage.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Three%20guys%20stage.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":468621,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Three%20guys%20stage.jpg?itok=MJtPU5-y"}},"624094":{"id":"624094","type":"image","title":"CMaT discussion","body":null,"created":"1565200286","gmt_created":"2019-08-07 17:51:26","changed":"1565200286","gmt_changed":"2019-08-07 17:51:26","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237687","name":"discussion.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/discussion.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/discussion.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1619875,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/discussion.jpg?itok=FnU2QQ79"}},"624095":{"id":"624095","type":"image","title":"CMaT Facundo","body":null,"created":"1565200357","gmt_created":"2019-08-07 17:52:37","changed":"1565200357","gmt_changed":"2019-08-07 17:52:37","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237688","name":"Facundo discussion.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Facundo%20discussion.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Facundo%20discussion.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1444571,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Facundo%20discussion.jpg?itok=QgaH4vSK"}}},"media_ids":["624097","624096","624125","624098","624094","624095"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"93181","name":"Cell Manufacturing"},{"id":"169829","name":"cell therapies"},{"id":"176933","name":"go-cmat"},{"id":"181926","name":"Connor McMahon"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"181927","name":"BME cancer"},{"id":"280","name":"Cancer research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623655":{"#nid":"623655","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Chethan Pandarinath Makes the Shortlist","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChethan Pandarinath\u003C\/strong\u003E, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has made the shortlist of finalists in the running for the top prize in the annual \u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E Research Awards for Driving Global Impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPandarinath, who is also a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, is among the 10 early-career researchers who were recently introduced as finalists. The overall winner, and two runners up will be announced in November.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe annual award program, headed by the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E in partnership with Tencent, a multinational investment firm, will focus on a different area of research each year. In 2019, the focus is on early-stage researchers that are revolutionizing mankind\u0026rsquo;s understanding of the brain, and whose work has made (or has the potential to make) a positive impact on society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe overall winner will receive a grant of $30,000, a feature profile in \u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E and on the award web site, and an expenses-paid invitation to speak at the 2019 Tencent WE Summit in Beijing. The runners-up receive a grant of $10,000 each and will be profiled in \u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E and on the award website.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on the awards program and to meet all of the finalists, go \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/collections\/ccjnyjxvmp\/about\u0022\u003Ehere.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME\/Petit Institute researcher a finalist Nature Research Awards for Driving Global Impact"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME\/Petit Institute researcher a finalist Nature Research Awards for Driving Global Impact\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME\/Petit Institute researcher a finalist Nature Research Awards for Driving Global Impact"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-23 19:35:13","changed_gmt":"2019-07-24 12:00:23","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623654":{"id":"623654","type":"image","title":"Chethan shortlist","body":null,"created":"1563910282","gmt_created":"2019-07-23 19:31:22","changed":"1563910282","gmt_changed":"2019-07-23 19:31:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237535","name":"Screen Shot 2019-07-23 at 3.28.42 PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-07-23%20at%203.28.42%20PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-07-23%20at%203.28.42%20PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":462001,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-07-23%20at%203.28.42%20PM.png?itok=iyMQxmWw"}}},"media_ids":["623654"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"3803","name":"nature"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623293":{"#nid":"623293","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Giving Scientific Research an Artistic Flair","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen all of her classmates graduated from their Arts magnet high school in Baltimore and were moving on to study art on college campuses across the country, multi-talented Emily Madsen decided to do things a bit differently.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I considered art school, too, because I really come from an artistic background. That\u0026rsquo;s what I was trained in,\u0026rdquo; says Madsen, whose favorite visual medium is oil paint, but who is also a musician. \u0026ldquo;But I wanted to be an engineer, because, you know, engineering is a very creative thing, too. And I\u0026rsquo;m also a very left-brained person. I like science and math. I\u0026rsquo;m a total nerd. I want to use those skills to help people. I have this need to try and solve problems and engineering fills that hole.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn particular, biomedical engineering captured Madsen\u0026rsquo;s imagination, which is how she landed at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. But she hasn\u0026rsquo;t had to mothball her paint brushes and canvases or her viola, and her artist\u0026rsquo;s heart has thrived at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a college student, Madsen has satisfied her music jones by playing in the Georgia Tech chamber orchestra. And for the past two years she has sated her passion for painting and visual art by creating a series of works designed to creatively interpret scientific research through a collaborative, student-run program based at Emory and Georgia Tech called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sciartwonderatl.wixsite.com\/sawatl\u0022\u003EScience.Art.Wonder.\u003C\/a\u003E (or, S.A.W.).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECreated to bring art together with science in an effort to spark discussion about complex scientific topics, S.A.W. matches college student artists with scientists to design works that effectively communicate the research, and the pieces are shared with the public \u0026ndash; a fresh way of promoting science awareness and education that literally puts the A (Art) in STEAM (an approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics as access points for guiding a science-based, multidisciplinary student educational experience).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ES.A.W. has \u0026ndash; pardon the pun \u0026ndash; gained steam since it was launched in 2018, with appointed student leaders from each campus and development of a new website. Madsen, who is entering her third year as a BME student, has been a part of the program from the beginning and has partnered with two different researchers from two different departments and one large interdisciplinary research institute, the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVisual Connections\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELast year she worked with Jianing Wu, a postdoctoral researcher from the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hu.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDavid Hu\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of mechanical engineering and biological sciences and a Petit Institute researcher. Wu was studying the biomechanics of an elephant\u0026rsquo;s trunk, and applying that knowledge to the future development of prosthetic arms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;They were hoping to develop tools for military situations, or disaster relief,\u0026rdquo; says Madsen, who has been spent the summer in Ireland as part of the BME Galway Summer Program (National University of Ireland\/Galway). \u0026ldquo;For some reason, I thought instantly of war. There was a lot going through my mind and I had a difficult time processing it all. I wanted a message of hope \u0026ndash; this mechanical arm that could go into disaster areas and help people.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn one painting (\u0026ldquo;A New Era\u0026rdquo;), she considered the question of a world threatened by disaster and destruction, and whether elephant biomechanics would be part of the solution, presenting an image of abstract calamity surrounding a powerful, forward-facing elephant. In the other painting (\u0026ldquo;Second Nature\u0026rdquo;), the worlds of technology and nature are intertwined in an image of an elephant trunk evolving into a new device, her depiction of biology and engineering fused into one, a future in which humans respect, understand, and coexist with nature.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In the process of creating the paintings, I used a lot of disaster imagery,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;Oddly enough, while taking inspiration from that imagery, it brought me some peace of mind. How can this elephant painting and the associated research make me feel better about potentially horrible things like war and disaster? I was able to make a connection with other people, that\u0026rsquo;s how. And that was cathartic.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESeeing the Whole Picture\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, Madsen partnered with Stephen Beckett, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Petit Institute researcher, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ecotheory.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJoshua Weitz\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Physics, and director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EQuantitative Biosciences\u003C\/a\u003E (QBios) graduate program at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeckett investigates the role of the multitude of viruses in the ocean. There are about 50 million viruses per teaspoon of saltwater, and they are so plentiful that they could have a huge impact on phytoplankton, which is the base of the ocean food chain. On a global scale, phytoplankton also produce as much oxygen through photosynthesis as the trees of the world. In his studies, Beckett develops mathematical and computational models exploring the ecological interactions and dynamics of microbial communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Viruses and the microbes they infect are the driving force behind Earth\u0026rsquo;s nutrient and energy transformations element cycling, and sustaining the planet\u0026rsquo;s biosphere,\u0026rdquo; Madsen explains. \u0026ldquo;Dr. Beckett and the Weitz group study the intimate relationship between marine viruses and how they shape ocean ecology.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe result was two different pieces, \u0026ldquo;Submerged,\u0026rdquo; an oil painting, and \u0026ldquo;Through a Different Model,\u0026rdquo; a combination of glass, wood, and acrylic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the narrative she submitted for \u0026ldquo;Submerged,\u0026rdquo; Madsen wrote that the piece, \u0026ldquo;explores the complexity between marine viruses, their hosts and their vital role in shaping oceanic ecosystems. As science aims to discover the inner workings of the planet, art offers a visualization of our understanding of the world. Take it upon yourself to find connections between the microbes and the energy transformations, insert yourself into the microbial community and the range of ecosystems from the depths of the ocean floor to coral reefs to the thawing permafrost. Learn to anticipate the changing DNA of our planet, ponder what happens miles below the surface of the ocean, and for a moment, appreciate the small but vital impact these tiny microbes have on our planet.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERegarding the three-dimensional work, she wrote, \u0026ldquo;the beauty of this concept lies in perceiving modelling as an artform. Both science and art aim to make sense of the multifaceted world around us. As an artist, I often find my intentions convoluted when creating a piece and figuring out how to best express the intricacies of my thoughts \u0026ndash; this seems to parallel the process of mathematically modelling viral interactions. How can we illustrate something that cannot be currently visualized? Sometimes we need to focus on a single layer; a line of code, a formula, a pattern, a color, a line. Sometimes we need to observe through a microscope, other times we need to put down the paint brush and see the \u0026lsquo;whole picture\u0026rsquo; and then adjust the details. Often we uncover beautiful relationships hidden in a sea of calculations, colors, and ideas. Hopefully, our end result is an illustration of the intangible, an understanding of the convoluted, and a contribution to something larger than ourselves.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeckett says the sculpture, \u0026ldquo;really explores how various types of abstractions can make us think and feel differently about our observations. For me, it really captures some of the key steps in the scientific process.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmbracing the Process\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Madsen, it\u0026rsquo;s always been about the process, particularly with her art. More than the final results, she finds her bliss in the act of doing and making.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m a process artist,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;As much as I care about the final painting or the final sculpture, I care more about the process, the art of laying the paint down and making decisions. In high school we were trained in all mediums, but were allowed to focus on one that really spoke to us. I didn\u0026rsquo;t start painting until my sophomore year, but I fell in love with it. With working the paint \u0026ndash; oil paint is very thick. It\u0026rsquo;s got a great texture, and there\u0026rsquo;s a lot of depth to it. I\u0026rsquo;m also a color person. I love color. So I really love feeling the paint, mixing it, working it, responding to it. That\u0026rsquo;s definitely my medium.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0026rsquo;s that same love of the process that is liable to make her a successful biomedical engineer, fully engaged in the development of the device or product.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As an engineer, of course you want a great final result, but you\u0026rsquo;re constantly challenging yourself until you get there,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;As an artist, one decision during the process affects subsequent decisions. It\u0026rsquo;s the same in engineering. So, being a process-focused person will help me in that regard.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMadsen isn\u0026rsquo;t pursuing a career in art because she wants to preserve her painting and sculpting as labors of love. She does the art for herself without worrying about the outcome \u0026ndash; although, making a connection is important to her. That\u0026rsquo;s part of why she got into biomedical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Why is there so much heart disease in Africa? It\u0026rsquo;s because people there don\u0026rsquo;t have access to the same stuff that we do, and I\u0026rsquo;m really troubled by that,\u0026rdquo; she says. \u0026ldquo;As much as I love all the technological innovation in the world and all around me, my main aspiration now is to pursue research and development on medical devices to make them more accessible and affordable for lower income people and communities around the world. I think that I can help people as a biomedical engineer. Like my art, it\u0026rsquo;s a way to connect with people. That\u0026rsquo;s what I want to do.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"BME student Emily Madsen uses her skills as a painter and sculptor to illuminate complex topics"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBME student Emily Madsen uses her skills as a painter and sculptor to illuminate complex topics\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"BME student Emily Madsen uses her skills as a painter and sculptor to illuminate complex topics"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-12 16:02:39","changed_gmt":"2019-07-23 00:53:53","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623288":{"id":"623288","type":"image","title":"Emily Madsen","body":null,"created":"1562945942","gmt_created":"2019-07-12 15:39:02","changed":"1562945942","gmt_changed":"2019-07-12 15:39:02","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237370","name":"image3.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image3_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image3_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":822117,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/image3_0.jpeg?itok=bbVhhcsl"}},"623290":{"id":"623290","type":"image","title":"Submerged","body":null,"created":"1562946285","gmt_created":"2019-07-12 15:44:45","changed":"1562946285","gmt_changed":"2019-07-12 15:44:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237371","name":"image1 (1).jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image1%20%281%29_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image1%20%281%29_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3452602,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/image1%20%281%29_0.jpeg?itok=QxbkrldG"}},"623292":{"id":"623292","type":"image","title":"A New Era","body":null,"created":"1562946528","gmt_created":"2019-07-12 15:48:48","changed":"1562946528","gmt_changed":"2019-07-12 15:48:48","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237373","name":"image2.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image2_1.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image2_1.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1302447,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/image2_1.jpeg?itok=Y78_O2wb"}},"623291":{"id":"623291","type":"image","title":"Second Nature","body":null,"created":"1562946488","gmt_created":"2019-07-12 15:48:08","changed":"1562946488","gmt_changed":"2019-07-12 15:48:08","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237372","name":"image1.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image1_5.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image1_5.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2192714,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/image1_5.jpeg?itok=vClP1AIc"}}},"media_ids":["623288","623290","623292","623291"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"168996","name":"steam"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623064":{"#nid":"623064","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Rising Tundra Temperatures Create Worrying Changes in Microbial Communities","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERising temperatures in the tundra of the Earth\u0026rsquo;s northern latitudes could affect microbial communities in ways likely to increase their production of greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, a new study of experimentally warmed Alaskan soil suggests.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAbout half of the world\u0026rsquo;s total underground carbon is stored in the soils of these frigid, northern latitudes. That is more than twice the amount of carbon currently found in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, but until now most of it has been locked up in the very cold soil. The new study, which relied on metagenomics to analyze changes in the microbial communities being experimentally warmed, could heighten concerns about how the release of this carbon may exacerbate climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We saw that microbial communities respond quite rapidly \u0026ndash; within four or five years \u0026ndash; to even modest levels of warming,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/people\/Faculty\/711\/overview\u0022\u003EKostas T. Konstantinidis\u003C\/a\u003E, the paper\u0026rsquo;s corresponding author and a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cee.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he also is a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0026ldquo;Microbial species and their genes involved in carbon dioxide and methane release increased their abundance in response to the warming treatment. We were surprised to see such a response to even mild warming.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new study was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, and reported July 8 in the early edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.\u003C\/em\u003E Researchers from the University of Oklahoma, Michigan State University and Northern Arizona University collaborated with Georgia Tech on the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study provides quantitative information about how rapidly microbial communities responded to the warming at critical depths, and highlights the dominant microbial metabolisms and groups of organisms that are responding to warming in the tundra. The work underscores the importance of accurately representing the role of soil microbes in climate models.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research began in September 2008 at a moist, acidic tundra area in the interior of Alaska near Denali National Park. Six experimental blocks were created, and in each block, two snow fences were constructed about five meters apart in the winter to control snow cover. Thicker snow cover in the winter served as an insulator, creating slightly elevated temperatures \u0026ndash; about 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) in the experimental plots.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther than the temperature difference, the soil conditions were similar in the experimental and control plots. Soil cores were taken from the experimental and control plots at two different depths at two different times: 1.5 years after the experiment began, and 4.5 years after the start. Microbial DNA was extracted from the cores and sequenced using the Genomics Core at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our analysis of the resulting data showed which species were there, in what abundances, which species responded to warming and by how much \u0026ndash; and what functions they possessed related to carbon use and release,\u0026rdquo; said Eric R. Johnston, now a postdoctoral researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who conducted the study\u0026rsquo;s analysis as a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECores from the experimental and control plots were compared to assess the effects of the warming. Cumulative ecosystem respiration was also sampled during the month following removal of the cores.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The response we observed differed markedly between the two soil depths (15 to 25 centimeters and 45 to 55 centimeters) that were sampled for this study,\u0026rdquo; said Johnston. \u0026ldquo;Specifically, at the upper boundary of the initial permafrost boundary layer \u0026ndash; 45 to 55 centimeters below the surface \u0026ndash; the relative abundance of genes involved in methane production (methanogenesis) increased with warming, while genes involved in organic carbon respiration \u0026mdash; the release of carbon dioxide \u0026mdash; became more abundant at shallower depths.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeasurement of the community respiration showed increases in the rate of carbon dioxide and methane release in the plots that were warmed. \u0026ldquo;Similar measurements have also shown that these gases are being released at a greater rate throughout the entire region in recent years as a result of climate warming,\u0026rdquo; Johnston added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two soil depths correspond to an active layer near the surface that freezes during the winter but thaws during warmer months, exposing the carbon. The deeper measurements examined soil just above the permafrost that thaws for only a brief time each year. These variations create fundamental differences in the biology and chemistry at the two depths.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We expected to observe warming responses that differed between the two sampling depths,\u0026rdquo; Johnston said. \u0026ldquo;Ongoing thaw of permafrost soil is being observed on the global scale, so we were particularly interested in evaluating microbiological responses to thawing permafrost.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research highlights the importance of microbial communities in contributing atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide to climate change, Konstantinidis said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Because of the very large amount of carbon in these systems, as well as the rapid and clear response to warming found in this experiment and other studies, it is becoming increasingly clear that soil microbes \u0026ndash; particularly those in the northern latitudes \u0026ndash; and their activities need to be represented in climate models,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Our work provides markers \u0026ndash; species and genes \u0026ndash; that can be used in this direction.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the paper\u0026rsquo;s authors included Janet K. Hatt from Georgia Tech, Zhili He and Liyou Wu from the University of Oklahoma, Xue Guo from Tsinghua University, Yiqi Luo and Edward A. G. Schuur from Northern Arizona University, James M. Tiedje from Michigan State University, and Jizhong Zhou from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by U.S. Department of Energy award DE-SC0004601 and by the National Science Foundation awards 1356288 and 1759831. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring organizations.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Eric R. Johnston, et al., \u0026ldquo;\u003Cem\u003EResponses of tundra soil microbial communities to half a decade of experimental warming at two critical depths\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026quot; (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERising temperatures in the tundra of the Earth\u0026rsquo;s northern latitudes could affect microbial communities in ways likely to increase their production of greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, a new study of experimentally warmed Alaskan soil suggests.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Rising temperatures could affect the microbial communities in northern latitude tundra."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2019-07-08 20:19:00","changed_gmt":"2019-07-21 21:27:19","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623061":{"id":"623061","type":"image","title":"Tundra test plot","body":null,"created":"1562616260","gmt_created":"2019-07-08 20:04:20","changed":"1562616260","gmt_changed":"2019-07-08 20:04:20","alt":"Test plot in Alaska tundra","file":{"fid":"237274","name":"Tundra-test-plot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tundra-test-plot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tundra-test-plot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":673309,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tundra-test-plot.jpg?itok=8lp8ECBT"}},"623062":{"id":"623062","type":"image","title":"Interior of Alaska","body":null,"created":"1562616365","gmt_created":"2019-07-08 20:06:05","changed":"1562616365","gmt_changed":"2019-07-08 20:06:05","alt":"Landscape of Alaska tundra","file":{"fid":"237275","name":"interior alaska.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/interior%20alaska.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/interior%20alaska.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":920622,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/interior%20alaska.jpg?itok=3imfFBFV"}},"623063":{"id":"623063","type":"image","title":"Flux chamber","body":null,"created":"1562616493","gmt_created":"2019-07-08 20:08:13","changed":"1562616493","gmt_changed":"2019-07-08 20:08:13","alt":"Sampling of emissions from test plot","file":{"fid":"237276","name":"flux chamber.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/flux%20chamber.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/flux%20chamber.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2054388,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/flux%20chamber.jpg?itok=Uuz37XLr"}}},"media_ids":["623061","623062","623063"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"51241","name":"microbial"},{"id":"831","name":"climate change"},{"id":"181669","name":"tundra"},{"id":"181671","name":"Alaksa"},{"id":"181672","name":"northern latitudes"},{"id":"12800","name":"methane"},{"id":"610","name":"carbon"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623325":{"#nid":"623325","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Next Frontier in Bioengineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWomen continue to be disproportionally affected by HIV around the world, but particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where three in four new HIV infections are among young girls. For women seeking care in developing countries, preventing and managing HIV is an expensive proposition. Truvada, the pre-exposure HIV treatment drug commonly known as PrEP, costs about $1,500 a month and must be taken daily for continual HIV protection. Likewise, the antiretroviral therapies that attempt to control HIV infection are costly at nearly $20,000 a year. These oral medications as therapy are a non-starter in developing nations like Africa, where nearly 30 million people are infected with HIV.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut \u003Cstrong\u003EPhil Santangelo\u003C\/strong\u003E, biomedical engineering professor at Georgia Tech, has another approach in mind. He\u0026rsquo;s working on an aerosolized RNA-based HIV preventative that eventually could protect women against the disease. It\u0026rsquo;s applied vaginally and, currently, the aerosol has been tested on sheep and monkeys. The early results are promising; it\u0026rsquo;s been shown to create HIV antibodies that ward off the infection. It also has the potential to protect against genital herpes and other pathogens, depending on what protein the RNA encodes for.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A single administration of this aerosol is showing expression of antibodies against HIV for up to three months in sheep,\u0026rdquo; said Santangelo. \u0026ldquo;Our hope is that this will be more affordable, granting easier access to women in developing countries, especially. With women\u0026rsquo;s health at the forefront of many conversations today, this has the potential to revolutionize disease prevention.\u0026rdquo;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEventually, Santangelo says RNA could be used for contraception as well \u0026ndash; the RNA would express antibodies that inhibit sperm. Again, if birth control can\u0026rsquo;t be accessed in developing countries, a self-administered, inexpensive aerosol could change the lives of many women.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2019\/07\/next-frontier-bioengineering\u0022\u003ERead the full story here.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new HIV treatment aimed at women could be on the horizon with Phil Santangelo\u2019s RNA-based solutions"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-07-15 16:00:11","changed_gmt":"2019-07-15 16:05:46","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623324":{"id":"623324","type":"image","title":"Professor Phil Santangelo","body":null,"created":"1563206222","gmt_created":"2019-07-15 15:57:02","changed":"1563206222","gmt_changed":"2019-07-15 15:57:02","alt":"Professor Phil Santangelo","file":{"fid":"237388","name":"nxtfrontiers_santangelo.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nxtfrontiers_santangelo.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nxtfrontiers_santangelo.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1509103,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/nxtfrontiers_santangelo.png?itok=P4UWOxOZ"}}},"media_ids":["623324"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623322":{"#nid":"623322","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Artificially Intelligent Neural Interfaces","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EParalyzed people moving their limbs or operating prosthetic devices by having machines decipher the electrical impulses in their nervous systems: it\u0026rsquo;s an appealing vision, and one that is getting closer.\u0026nbsp;Right now, when a computer \u0026ldquo;reads\u0026rdquo; someone\u0026rsquo;s brain, the interface between brain and machine does not stay the same, so the computer needs to be recalibrated once or multiple times a day. It\u0026rsquo;s like learning to use a tool, and having the weight and shape of the tool change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo address this challenge, biomedical engineers at Emory and Georgia Tech, working with colleagues at Northwestern University, were awarded a $1 million grant from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). The two-phase grant begins with $400,000 for six months, and can advance to a total of $1 million over 18 months.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/snel.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChethan Pandarinath\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Cstrong\u003ELee Miller\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;are combining artificial intelligence-based approaches that their laboratories have developed that enable the decoding of complex signals from the nervous system controlling movement. The scientists plan to develop algorithms that periodically and automatically recalibrate so that nervous system \u0026ldquo;intent\u0026rdquo; can be decoded smoothly and without interruption.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPandarinath and Miller\u0026rsquo;s project is being funded under\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.darpa.mil\/work-with-us\/ai-next-campaign\u0022\u003EDARPA\u0026rsquo;s $2 billion AI Next campaign\u003C\/a\u003E, which includes a \u0026ldquo;high-risk, high-payoff\u0026rdquo; Artificial Intelligence Exploration program. DARPA officials see the campaign as part of a \u0026ldquo;third wave\u0026rdquo; of artificial intelligence research. The first wave focused on rule-based systems capable of narrowly defined tasks. The second wave, beginning in the 1990s, created statistical pattern recognizers from large amounts of data, which are capable of impressive feats of language processing, navigation and problem solving. However, they do not adapt to changing conditions, offer limited performance guarantees, and are unable to provide users with explanations of their results.\u0026nbsp;The third wave, in contrast, will focus on contextual adaptation and enabling machines to function reliably despite massive volumes of changing or even incomplete information.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPandarinath, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, is\u0026nbsp;an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory (and part of\u0026nbsp;Emory\u0026#39;s Department of Neurosurgery and Neuromodulation Technology Innovation Center). Miller is a professor of physiology, physical medicine \u0026amp; rehabilitation, and biomedical engineering at Northwestern University. Pandarinath and Miller have an already established collaboration, and are part of a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/pandarinath-part-1-million-brain-research-team\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation-funded project\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on building new approaches to handle data from the nervous system at unprecedented scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPandarinath and colleagues previously developed an approach that uses artificial neural networks to decipher the complex patterns of activity in biological networks that make our everyday movements possible. Prior approaches focused on the activity of individual neurons in the brain, and attempted to relate their activity to movement variables like arm speed, movement distance or angle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstead, Pandarinath says, patterns that are spread out across the entire network are far more important, and uncovering these distributed patterns is the key to breakthroughs in neural interface technologies. The distributed patterns, or \u0026ldquo;manifolds,\u0026rdquo; are highly stable, lasting for months or years. Thus manifolds could provide a stable platform when engineers are seeking to build prosthetics or neural interface-controlled devices that can restore movement abilities for paralyzed people across months and years without needing any sort of manual recalibration.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPandarinath\u0026rsquo;s manifold decoding approach will be combined with a separate neural network approach called ANMA (Adversarial Neural Manifold Alignment), developed by Miller\u0026rsquo;s team, which can adjust the manifolds to any changes in the incoming data. Together, Pandarinath and Miller call their combined technology NoMAD, for Nonlinear Manifold Alignment Decoding.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir experiments will be based on data that has already been collected in non-human primates, in which monkeys control an on-screen cursor via wrist movements, or perform various natural behaviors. To test the resilience of their technology, the scientists plan to incorporate instabilities into their experiments, which would simulate the effects of shifting an electrode or changes in physiological conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe scientists say that NoMAD will be applicable to a wide variety of neural interfaces, since manifolds integrate neural patterns in the motor, sensory and cognitive realms. Thus, beyond prosthetic devices and movement control, NoMAD could eventually refine and improve electrical stimulation therapies for Parkinson\u0026rsquo;s, epilepsy, speech, depression, or psychiatric disorders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"DARPA funding researchers from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Northwestern"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDARPA funding researchers from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Northwestern\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"DARPA funding researchers from Georgia Tech, Emory, and Northwestern"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-15 15:39:06","changed_gmt":"2019-07-15 15:39:06","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623321":{"id":"623321","type":"image","title":"Pandarinath and Miller","body":null,"created":"1563203320","gmt_created":"2019-07-15 15:08:40","changed":"1563203320","gmt_changed":"2019-07-15 15:08:40","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237387","name":"PandarinathMiller_combo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/PandarinathMiller_combo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/PandarinathMiller_combo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":115601,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/PandarinathMiller_combo.jpg?itok=6xi7aiyU"}}},"media_ids":["623321"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EQuinn Eastman\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-727-7829\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:qeastma@emory.edu\u0022\u003Eqeastma@emory.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["qeastma@emory.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623136":{"#nid":"623136","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cheng Zhu Interviewed at ISTH 2019 Congress","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAt the ISTH 2019 Congress in Melbourne, Australia, thousands of the world\u0026rsquo;s leading experts on thrombosis, hemostasis and vascular biology come together to present the most recent advances, exchange the latest science and discuss the newest clinical applications designed to improve patient care.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) is a global not-for-profit membership organization advancing the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of thrombotic and bleeding disorders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELinked below is a short video interview of \u003Cstrong\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/strong\u003E, Regents Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, discussing [blood] platelets and shear forces.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/isthcongressdaily.org\/vwf-and-force\/?utm_source=ISTH+Congress+Daily\u0026amp;utm_campaign=e716320584-isth2019_dailynews_tuesday_COPY_01\u0026amp;utm_medium=email\u0026amp;utm_term=0_7d9cf5dec0-e716320584-64215231\u0022\u003EVIDEO LINK to ISTH 2019 Cheng Zhu Interview\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERelated work: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/mediating-middle\u0022\u003EIntegrin, vital proteins that play a major role in hemostasis and thrombosis, biomechanically facilitate platelet aggregation\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Zhu discusses platelets and activation by shear forces"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-07-10 13:47:27","changed_gmt":"2019-07-12 16:47:02","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623135":{"id":"623135","type":"image","title":"Cheng Zhu, Regents Professor","body":null,"created":"1562765129","gmt_created":"2019-07-10 13:25:29","changed":"1562765129","gmt_changed":"2019-07-10 13:25:29","alt":"Cheng Zhu, Regents Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.","file":{"fid":"237300","name":"screenshot_29-Cheng.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screenshot_29-Cheng.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/screenshot_29-Cheng.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":601664,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/screenshot_29-Cheng.jpg?itok=Xf3aWH9M"}}},"media_ids":["623135"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623074":{"#nid":"623074","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Training the Next Generation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have launched a training grant program in Computational Neural Engineering (CNE) with support from the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program is charged with training the next generation of multidisciplinary researchers working at the intersection of computational neuroscience, data science, and clinical\u0026nbsp;neurophysiology. It is designed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the explosion of new tools for measurement and manipulation of nervous system function,\u0026nbsp;and the challenges posed by the growing threat of neurological diseases and disorders on an expanding senior population. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program\u0026nbsp;will leverage past successes in federally-funded training efforts that have helped to catalyze rapid and recent growth in research and education in\u0026nbsp;Computational Neural Engineering across the Georgia Tech and Emory communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe award of\u0026nbsp;nearly\u0026nbsp;$1 million will support the traditional and innovative training\u0026nbsp;activities\u0026nbsp;of Ph.D. students in\u0026nbsp;Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, as well as Bioengineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Machine\u0026nbsp;Learning Ph.D. programs at Tech, leveraging \u0026nbsp;the growing strength of Neural Engineering at both universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;new CNE\u0026nbsp;Training\u0026nbsp;Program\u0026nbsp;is led by co-principal investigators Garrett Stanley and Lena Ting (both researchers in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, where they are co-directors of the Neural Engineering Center), along with co-investigators Christopher Rozell and Jon Willie.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStanley is the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan\u0026nbsp;Professor\u0026nbsp;in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical\u0026nbsp;Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. Ting is a professor in the Coulter Department and in the Division of Physical\u0026nbsp;Therapy in Emory\u0026rsquo;s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Rozell is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at\u0026nbsp;Tech (where he also is a Petit Institute researcher), and Willie is an assistant professor of neurological surgery and director of the Laboratory for Behavioral Neuromodulation at Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New program at Georgia Tech and Emory funded by NIH creating next wave of researchers in computational neural engineering "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew program at Georgia Tech and Emory funded by NIH creating next wave of researchers in computational neural engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New program at Georgia Tech and Emory funded by NIH creating next wave of researchers in computational neural engineering "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-09 14:05:40","changed_gmt":"2019-07-09 14:05:40","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623073":{"id":"623073","type":"image","title":"Lena Ting and Garrett Stanley","body":null,"created":"1562681098","gmt_created":"2019-07-09 14:04:58","changed":"1562681098","gmt_changed":"2019-07-09 14:04:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237280","name":"lena and garrett.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lena%20and%20garrett.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lena%20and%20garrett.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1294118,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lena%20and%20garrett.jpg?itok=t-gqRDPV"}}},"media_ids":["623073"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"623056":{"#nid":"623056","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Federov and Thomas Climb the ME Ladder","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo researchers with the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech have been promoted in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering (ME). Andrei Federov has been appointed a Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Chair, and Susan Thomas has been named a new Woodruff Professor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESelection for the professorships is based on research accomplishments, leadership, and contributions made to Georgia Tech and the Woodruff School. Each faculty member will receive funding to support their research activities during the five-year, renewable term.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Neely Visiting Professorship Fund was established by Rae S. and Frank H. Neely In 1960 and later became the Neely Professorship Endowment Fund in 1988. The fund supports faculty positions that most appropriately meet the needs of the school, such as director\u0026#39;s chairs; faculty chairs; professors of the practice; professorships and early career professorships. The Fund enhances the Woodruff School\u0026rsquo;s ability to attract and retain eminent teacher-scholars to positions of academic leadership. Frank H. Neely, business and civic leader in Atlanta, graduated from Georgia Tech in 1904. His ties to Tech remained strong throughout his life, and his philanthropy is visible throughout campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Woodruff Professorships are funded through the generosity of the George W. Woodruff Trust, which was established in 1988. George W. Woodruff received his degree in mechanical engineering in 1917. He served as a trustee and trustee emeritus of the Georgia Tech Foundation from 1941 until his death at the age of 91 in 1987, and he received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1963. In addition to providing a significant endowment for the School of Mechanical Engineering, his contributions to Georgia Tech provide National Merit Scholarships and scholarships for student athletes in nonrevenue producing sports and are an ongoing source of unrestricted support for the Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFedorov\u0026#39;s background is in thermal\/fluid sciences, chemical reaction engineering as well as in applied mathematics. His laboratory works at the intersection between mechanical and chemical engineering and solid state physics and analytical chemistry with the focus on portable\/distributed power generation with synergetic CO2 capture; thermal management of high power dissipation devices and electronics cooling; special surfaces and nanostructured interfaces for catalysis, heat and moisture management; and development of novel bioanalytical instrumentation and chemical sensors. He joined Georgia Tech in 2000 as an assistant professor after finishing his postdoctoral work at Purdue University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThomas joined Georgia Tech in November 2011 as an assistant professor. Prior to this appointment, she was a Whitaker postdoctoral scholar at \u0026Eacute;cole Polytechnique F\u0026eacute;d\u0026eacute;ral de Lausanne (one of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology) developing nanomaterials for cancer immunotherapy and studying the role of lymphatic transport in immunity. She received her Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow where she studied the role of fluid flow in regulating blood-borne metastasis and identified novel biomarkers for the detection of metastatic colon cancers. Thomas\u0026rsquo;s research focuses on the role of biological transport phenomena in physiological and pathophysiological processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Petit Institute researchers receive chair and professorship in Woodruff School"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute researchers receive chair and professorship in Woodruff School\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute researchers receive chair and professorship in Woodruff School"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-08 19:11:17","changed_gmt":"2019-07-08 19:23:58","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623055":{"id":"623055","type":"image","title":"Andrei Fedorov","body":null,"created":"1562613043","gmt_created":"2019-07-08 19:10:43","changed":"1562613043","gmt_changed":"2019-07-08 19:10:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237272","name":"original.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/original_7.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/original_7.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1122414,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/original_7.jpg?itok=FzCGfCKf"}},"599374":{"id":"599374","type":"image","title":"Susan Thomas in lab","body":null,"created":"1512147112","gmt_created":"2017-12-01 16:51:52","changed":"1512147112","gmt_changed":"2017-12-01 16:51:52","alt":"","file":{"fid":"228513","name":"Thomas lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Thomas%20lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Thomas%20lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2295144,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Thomas%20lab.jpg?itok=xy36X8Qk"}}},"media_ids":["623055","599374"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622955":{"#nid":"622955","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Seed Grants Awarded to Three Teams","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree pairs of interdisciplinary researchers have been awarded 2019 Petit Institute Seed Grants.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program annually pairs two researchers from the Petit Institute as co-principal investigators, providing early stage funding opportunities that serve as a catalyst for bio-related breakthroughs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe teams and their projects are:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVinny Agarwal\u003C\/strong\u003E (assistant professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry) and \u003Cstrong\u003EShu Takayama\u003C\/strong\u003E (professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory) are working on a project called, \u0026ldquo;Marine bromine bleach bomb net to fight pseudomonas aeruginosa,\u0026rdquo; which is an aggressive pathogen that has high antibiotic resistance. Infections caused by P. aeruginosa usually occur in people in the hospital or weakened immune systems, and they can be deadly. Agarwal and Takayma are joining forces to develop new interventions to treat this and other antibiotic resistant pathogens.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGreg Sawicki\u003C\/strong\u003E (associate professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering) and \u003Cstrong\u003ETim Cope\u003C\/strong\u003E (Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering) submitted a project called, \u0026ldquo;Modifying musculotendon neuromechanics to improve proprioception in aging.\u0026rdquo; Through their research into understanding the interaction between biological and engineering systems, the Sawicki-Cope team plans to develop a roadmap for designing better exoskeleton controllers that may improve mobility in aging by restoring proprioception.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGabe Kwong\u003C\/strong\u003E (assistant professor, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering) and \u003Cstrong\u003EM.G. Finn\u003C\/strong\u003E (professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry) have a project called, \u0026ldquo;Activity biosensors that implement Boolean logic as precision diagnostics for immunotherapy.\u0026rdquo; The researchers reason that disease detection and evaluation of treatment responses \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E depend on the ability to extract clinically useful information from complex biological systems. Noting that previous work in biological computing led to the use of genetic and cell-based tools, they propose that developing programmable biomaterials to perform basic computations, such as Boolean logic, may provide a new framework to increase detection precision and resistance to biological noise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Institute Seed Grants provide year-one funding of $50,000 with equivalent year-two funding contingent on submission of an NIH R21\/R01 or similar collaborative grant proposal within 12 to 24 months of the year-one start date (July 1, 2019).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Annual funding program supports diverse range of interdisciplinary research projects "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAnnual funding program supports diverse range of interdisciplinary research projects\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Annual funding program supports diverse range of interdisciplinary research projects "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-07-02 18:20:09","changed_gmt":"2019-07-02 18:20:33","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-07-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-07-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"622950":{"id":"622950","type":"image","title":"Vinny Agarwal and Shu Takayama","body":null,"created":"1562090984","gmt_created":"2019-07-02 18:09:44","changed":"1562090984","gmt_changed":"2019-07-02 18:09:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237236","name":"agarwal and takayama.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/agarwal%20and%20takayama.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/agarwal%20and%20takayama.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1674869,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/agarwal%20and%20takayama.jpg?itok=I4fxt-zn"}},"622948":{"id":"622948","type":"image","title":"Tim Cope and Greg Sawicki","body":null,"created":"1562090880","gmt_created":"2019-07-02 18:08:00","changed":"1562090880","gmt_changed":"2019-07-02 18:08:00","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237234","name":"Cope and Sawicki.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cope%20and%20Sawicki.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cope%20and%20Sawicki.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":740899,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cope%20and%20Sawicki.jpg?itok=BPRpskwE"}},"622949":{"id":"622949","type":"image","title":"M.G. Finn and Gabe Kwong","body":null,"created":"1562090929","gmt_created":"2019-07-02 18:08:49","changed":"1562090929","gmt_changed":"2019-07-02 18:08:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237235","name":"MG and Gabe.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MG%20and%20Gabe.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MG%20and%20Gabe.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":395675,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MG%20and%20Gabe.jpg?itok=D5HU0J-w"}}},"media_ids":["622950","622948","622949"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"172669","name":"go-icrc-news"},{"id":"126221","name":"go-immuno"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622643":{"#nid":"622643","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Building a Biomanufacturing Workforce","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003E(CMaT)\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology is contributing to a groundbreaking program that supports life sciences education in rural school systems in Georgia with the goal of preparing students for careers in biomanufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia BioEd teacher initiative (a program from statewide trade association, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gabio.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Bio\u003C\/a\u003E) was developed in collaboration with CMaT and will provide hands-on STEM learning to solidify what students are learning in their other classes while providing skills required for the workforce of the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The life sciences industry is a leading driver of employment nationally, but leaders express concern about the availability of a strong workforce,\u0026rdquo; says Georgia Bio President and CEO Maria Thacker-Goethe. \u0026ldquo;We need educators to be aware of the vast, high-paying jobs available in the life sciences industry here in Georgia. By expanding our proven teacher trainings statewide, we will equip educators with the academic, technical, and leadership skills to meet the students\u0026rsquo; interests and industry\u0026rsquo;s needs.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe training program, which was included in Georgia\u0026rsquo;s 2020 budget and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, will leverage public and private funds and be operated through the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia BioEd will establish eight cohorts of eight teachers each, and they will attend a two-day training symposium to learn about life science career opportunities and hands-on laboratory activities to deliver in their schools in support of these careers. The teachers will receive the equipment they need to support the lab activities in their classrooms, and the cohorts will take part in an online learning community, giving structured reports on their experiences delivering the hands-on activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, Georgia BioEd will hire two people to coordinate and orchestrate the program \u0026ndash; a project director and an equipment depot manager.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is the kind of educational initiative that Georgia Bio\u0026rsquo;s membership has been supporting for years. The addition of state support, the organization says, will help fuel a high growth, high income industry through educators and students in rural Georgia. Georgia Bio recently\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink\u0026amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fgabio.net%2Fgeorgias-life-science-industry-shows-14-9-employment-growth-over-past-decade%2F\u0026amp;esheet=52000993\u0026amp;newsitemid=20190618005227\u0026amp;lan=en-US\u0026amp;anchor=reported\u0026amp;index=2\u0026amp;md5=324ac0099d15abd332908545047300d6\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ereported\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;that employment in the life sciences industry grew by 14.9 percent between 2007 and 2017, a rate nearly twice the national average.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"CMaT collaborates with Georgia Bio to create new training program for rural Georgia"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECMaT collaborates with Georgia Bio to create new training program for rural Georgia\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"CMaT collaborates with Georgia Bio to create new training program for rural Georgia"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-06-20 15:49:33","changed_gmt":"2019-06-20 15:49:33","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-06-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-06-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"622642":{"id":"622642","type":"image","title":"CMaT logo","body":null,"created":"1561045755","gmt_created":"2019-06-20 15:49:15","changed":"1561045755","gmt_changed":"2019-06-20 15:49:15","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237140","name":"CMaT-text-logo-rgb-300dpi copy 2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CMaT-text-logo-rgb-300dpi%20copy%202.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/CMaT-text-logo-rgb-300dpi%20copy%202.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":214381,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/CMaT-text-logo-rgb-300dpi%20copy%202.jpg?itok=N3i9CjYS"}}},"media_ids":["622642"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"176933","name":"go-cmat"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622543":{"#nid":"622543","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Bringing Precision Medicine to the Developing World","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Precision medicine\u0026rdquo; is a relatively new term for a concept that has been part of health care for a long time. When you need a blood transfusion, for example, your donor\u0026rsquo;s blood type is carefully screened and matched to yours. That\u0026rsquo;s precision medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EModern precision medicine goes well beyond matching blood types, considering gene variability, environment, and lifestyle for each person, so that clinicians and researchers can accurately predict which strategies and treatments work best for which people.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of \u0026nbsp;the most promising approaches to precision medicine in the genomics era involves the study of how genetic makeup affects an individual\u0026rsquo;s response to drugs \u0026ndash; pharmacogenomics. Knowing the genetic variant-to-drug response interactions of a patient provides a path to optimum individual treatments, maximizing drug efficacy while minimizing adverse reactions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We respond to medication in different ways depending on our own unique genetic profile; that is, the sequence of our genome has a lot to say about our health and how we will be treated in the precision medicine paradigm,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/jordan.biology.gatech.edu\/page\/\u0022\u003EKing Jordan\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he directs the Bioinformatics Graduate Program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The idea here in the developed world with respect to precision medicine is that you take into account each individual\u0026rsquo;s genetic code when we make decisions about their healthcare,\u0026rdquo; continues Jordan, who is also a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It has tremendous potential, owing to the technological revolution in genome sequencing \u0026ndash; now it\u0026rsquo;s much faster and more cost effective to sequence all of your individual genomes and use that data to inform those healthcare decisions. Unfortunately, that approach is still prohibitively costly and out of reach for the developing world.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith that in mind, Jordan and colleagues at Georgia Tech have been collaborating with researchers in Colombia on a more feasible, broad-based approach, a concept called precision public health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The idea is to allow for the technological developments of precision medicine to make their way into the developing world. We\u0026rsquo;re trying to change the way precision medicine is done,\u0026rdquo; says Jordan, whose work is explained in a research paper he and his collaborators published earlier this spring in the journal \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fgene.2019.00241\/full\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFrontiers in Genetics\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We use a population level focus, to help ensure that resources are allocated where they will yield the most return on investment. That\u0026rsquo;s the idea of precision public health,\u0026rdquo; Jordan says. \u0026ldquo;So the focus is not on individual patients not initially. It\u0026rsquo;s on populations, and instead of doing cost prohibitive characterization of every individual patient\u0026rsquo;s genome, we\u0026rsquo;re characterizing the sequences of a sample of individuals from a population.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe work seeks to address global health disparities by bringing advanced bioinformatics technology and genomic research to Colombia, and adheres to Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s strategic mission, specifically Goal 4: \u0026ldquo;Expand our global footprint and influence.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe paper, entitled, \u0026ldquo;Population Pharmacogenomics for Precision Public Health in Colombia,\u0026rdquo; is a collaboration between Jordan\u0026rsquo;s lab at Georgia Tech, and a team of researchers from Colombia, including Juan Esteban Gallo, a former Fulbright Scholar under Jordan\u0026rsquo;s guidance at Tech, and now an associate professor at CES University and scientific director of GenomaCES Biotechnologies in Medellin (Antioquia).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.genomaces.com\/\u0022\u003EGenomaCES\u003C\/a\u003E is Colombia\u0026rsquo;s first clinical genomics laboratory, a company spun out of the university currently working to develop genomic diagnostic aids and treatments, based on next generation sequencing technologies. Other collaborators include the Universidad Tecnol\u0026oacute;gica del Choc\u0026oacute;, and the Biomedical Research Institute in Cali, Colombia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our research focused on two neighboring regions with distinct ancestry profiles,\u0026rdquo; explains the paper\u0026rsquo;s lead author, Shashwat Deepali Nagar, a Bioinformatics graduate student in Jordan\u0026rsquo;s lab. \u0026ldquo;Antioquia and Choc\u0026oacute;.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese disparate groups in Colombia, with an assist from Georgia Tech, have joined forces to understand their differences at a genomic level so that they can develop cost-effective and rapid pharmacogenomic assays, which can be efficiently deployed in resource-limited settings.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople in Antioquia have primarily European genetic ancestry, followed by Native American and African components, while people Choc\u0026oacute; show mostly African ancestry, with lower levels of Native American and European traces. The researchers performed a survey of the global distribution of pharmacogenomic variants, and a more tightly focused study of differences between the two different Colombian populations.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;What we expected and hypothesized to see in these two states with distinct ancestry profiles, are genetic variants found at different frequencies,\u0026rdquo; Jordan says. \u0026ldquo;If those variants mediate how individuals react to certain drugs, then one might expect a different profile of drug reactions in the two populations. That\u0026rsquo;s where the population pharmacogenomics comes in.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe basic idea is to interrogate the frequency of these pharmacogenomic variants in the two populations and use that data to inform healthcare decisions in Colombia, \u0026ldquo;so they can adopt best practices of precision medicine in a cost effective way,\u0026rdquo; Jordan says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe work required some deep data mining, as the researchers dug in the Pharmacogenomic Knowledgebase (PharmGKB) for human genetic variants with specific drug responses. One example of an important drug reaction, relevant to the populations that were part of the study, is related to one of the most prescribed medicines in the world, statins (cholesterol lowering drugs).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers developed an assay to test regional anecdotal knowledge: In Antioquia, physicians had noticed adverse reactions in more than 30 percent of their patients, but they had no idea why this was happening. The new assay demonstrated that 33 percent of individuals in Antioquia are predicted to have an adverse reaction based on their genetics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;So our collaborators in Colombia leveraged that information to build a specific, local, in-house genotyping assay, which they can run at a very low cost, to predict adverse reactions to statins\u0026rdquo; says Jordan, who has worked for many years with collaborators in Colombia, which all started as an effort to build capacity in bioinformatics and genomics. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re particularly excited about this latest work because it truly is the most translational research my lab has done so far, with the potential to make a direct and tangible impact on public health in a vibrant, developing country.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s work in Colombia continues this summer when Nagar heads back to Medellin to work with his colleagues at GenomaCES, developing a computational platform to integrate genomic information with clinical data taken from electronic health records, the idea, again being, \u0026ldquo;to help translate the best practices in precision medicine from the U.S. in a way that is cost effective and applicable to the on-ground conditions in Colombia.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech collaborates with researchers in Colombia to address public healthcare disparity "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech collaborates with researchers in Colombia to address public healthcare disparity\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech collaborates with researchers in Colombia to address public healthcare disparity "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-06-17 16:45:21","changed_gmt":"2019-06-18 18:26:29","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-06-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-06-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"622540":{"id":"622540","type":"image","title":"Genomic Data","body":null,"created":"1560789393","gmt_created":"2019-06-17 16:36:33","changed":"1560789393","gmt_changed":"2019-06-17 16:36:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237104","name":"bigstock-Genome-Data-Genetics-Sequence-284558842.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bigstock-Genome-Data-Genetics-Sequence-284558842.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bigstock-Genome-Data-Genetics-Sequence-284558842.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2950030,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bigstock-Genome-Data-Genetics-Sequence-284558842.jpg?itok=4AvryPka"}},"622542":{"id":"622542","type":"image","title":"King Jordan","body":null,"created":"1560789513","gmt_created":"2019-06-17 16:38:33","changed":"1560789513","gmt_changed":"2019-06-17 16:38:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237106","name":"King 2019.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/King%202019.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/King%202019.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":932802,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/King%202019.jpg?itok=MgcVyj5C"}},"622541":{"id":"622541","type":"image","title":"Shashwat Nagar","body":null,"created":"1560789484","gmt_created":"2019-06-17 16:38:04","changed":"1560789484","gmt_changed":"2019-06-17 16:38:04","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237105","name":"ShashwatDNagar.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ShashwatDNagar.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ShashwatDNagar.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5695158,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ShashwatDNagar.jpg?itok=3MqQ_8J3"}}},"media_ids":["622540","622542","622541"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"173581","name":"go-COS"},{"id":"1896","name":"Genomics"},{"id":"181526","name":"precision medicine"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"2546","name":"bioinformatics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622554":{"#nid":"622554","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Interdisciplinary by Design","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EColloids are all around you, on you, and inside of you. They are substances that are microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance \u0026ndash; mixtures whose particles are bigger than a molecule but smaller than particles that may ordinarily be seen with the naked eye. Some common examples of colloids include milk, mayonnaise, butter, whipped cream, gelatin, jelly, muddy water, plaster, colored glass, paper, and fog.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESurface science, the study of chemical and physical phenomena at the interface of two phases, such as solid-liquid, solid-gas, and liquid gas interfaces, is closely related to colloid science. In fact, the two disciplines, colloid science and surface science, are so closely related they share center stage each year at one of the longest-running science conferences in the U.S., the American Chemical Society (ACS) Colloid \u0026amp; Surface Science Symposium, which is happening right now in Atlanta, hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd if there is a theme to the 93\u003Csup\u003Erd\u003C\/sup\u003E annual version of this event, which runs through Wednesday, it is diversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Diversity is embroidered into the fabric of this conference,\u0026rdquo; says Sven Behrens, one of the three Georgia Tech researchers, with Valeria Milam and Seth Marder, serving as co-organizers of the symposium. \u0026ldquo;Diversity in every way \u0026ndash; age, gender, academia, industry, nationality. This might be the most international meeting we\u0026rsquo;ve ever had. We have 124 submissions of abstracts from abroad, and 24 different nations represented.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBehrens is associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Milam is associate professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, where Marder is Regents\u0026rsquo; Professor. Both Milam and Behrens are researchers in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This will be a great opportunity to showcase the breadth of research happening in this arena at Georgia Tech, an area of research that cuts across different disciplines and schools,\u0026rdquo; Milam says. \u0026ldquo;The interdisciplinary approach that Georgia Tech is known for will be of interest to the people attending this conference, people whose work really does reflect that interdisciplinary approach.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith 2,500 members, the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry is one of the most active within the ACS, and one of the most inherently interdisciplinary and diverse, from a wide range of backgrounds including chemistry, chemical physics, material science, nanoscience, biochemistry, electrochemistry, and chemical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0026rsquo;s symposium also features 42 invited speakers, more than usual the organizers say, \u0026ldquo;combining both well-established thought leaders in their fields, as well as new, up and coming shooting stars,\u0026rdquo; Behrens says. This year also features a separate student research award section, which will be judged by the keynote speakers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe busy event, which is drawing more than 500 people from academia and industry from across the globe, will present research in 15 different tracks, each one presided over mostly by a Georgia Tech or Emory researcher.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe last time Georgia Tech hosted this symposium was 2003. \u0026ldquo;This event isn\u0026rsquo;t typically hosted in the South,\u0026rdquo; Milam says. \u0026ldquo;We thought it was time to bring it back to Georgia Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech hosting 93rd ACS Colloid \u0026 Surface Science Symposium "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech hosting 93\u003Csup\u003Erd\u003C\/sup\u003E ACS Colloid \u0026amp; Surface Science Symposium\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech hosting 93rd ACS Colloid \u0026 Surface Science Symposium "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-06-17 20:25:07","changed_gmt":"2019-06-17 20:25:38","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-06-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-06-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"622551":{"id":"622551","type":"image","title":"ACS crowded room","body":null,"created":"1560802665","gmt_created":"2019-06-17 20:17:45","changed":"1560802665","gmt_changed":"2019-06-17 20:17:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237110","name":"big crowd room.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/big%20crowd%20room.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/big%20crowd%20room.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":623465,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/big%20crowd%20room.jpg?itok=ix4Fh2V3"}},"622553":{"id":"622553","type":"image","title":"Symposium leaders","body":null,"created":"1560802921","gmt_created":"2019-06-17 20:22:01","changed":"1560802921","gmt_changed":"2019-06-17 20:22:01","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237112","name":"ACS leaders.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ACS%20leaders.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ACS%20leaders.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2741374,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ACS%20leaders.jpg?itok=MwPyMXnC"}},"622552":{"id":"622552","type":"image","title":"Plenary speakers","body":null,"created":"1560802823","gmt_created":"2019-06-17 20:20:23","changed":"1560802823","gmt_changed":"2019-06-17 20:20:23","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237111","name":"Plenary for Twitter.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Plenary%20for%20Twitter.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Plenary%20for%20Twitter.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":448582,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Plenary%20for%20Twitter.jpg?itok=B37fu8Om"}}},"media_ids":["622551","622553","622552"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"181527","name":"Colloids"},{"id":"5477","name":"American Chemical Society"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622280":{"#nid":"622280","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Frugal Science","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Saad Bhamla noticed one of his students having trouble with his hearing aid, he asked the student about it and discovered the high cost of the sputtering device and found that hearing aids aren\u0026rsquo;t covered by insurance, yet they\u0026nbsp;are necessary for a good quality of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo\u0026nbsp;Bhamla decided he would create an affordable hearing aid that anyone can use. He and his team are now working on an ambitious ultra low-cost hearing aid, that would potentially cost less than a dollar.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERead the whole story and listen to the podcast from Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s College of Engineering \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2019\/06\/frugal-science-age-innovation\u0022\u003Eright here.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher Saad Bhamla creates medical equipment for pennies on the dollar"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute researcher Saad Bhamla creates medical equipment for pennies on the dollar\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Petit Institute researcher Saad Bhamla creates medical equipment for pennies on the dollar"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-06-06 12:48:17","changed_gmt":"2019-06-06 12:49:48","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-06-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-06-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"605779":{"id":"605779","type":"image","title":"Saad Bhamla","body":null,"created":"1525353459","gmt_created":"2018-05-03 13:17:39","changed":"1525353459","gmt_changed":"2018-05-03 13:17:39","alt":"","file":{"fid":"231010","name":"bhamla300.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bhamla300.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bhamla300.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":66827,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bhamla300.jpg?itok=junVHChI"}}},"media_ids":["605779"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"181392","name":"frugal science"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"181467","name":"hearing aids"},{"id":"4460","name":"Medical Devices"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622140":{"#nid":"622140","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Using Brain Wave Stimulation to Treat Alzheimer\u2019s","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENeuroscientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have demonstrated that by exposing mice to a unique combination of light and sound, they can improve cognitive and memory impairments similar to those seen in Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe noninvasive treatment, which induces brain waves known as gamma oscillations, also greatly reduced the number of amyloid plaques found in the brains of these mice \u0026ndash; in Alzheimer patients, abnormal levels of amyloid (a naturally occurring protein) form plaques that gather between neurons and disrupt cell function.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers published their work, entitled \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/fulltext\/S0092-8674(19)30163-1\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Multi-sensory Gamma Stimulation Ameliorates Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s-Associated Pathology and Improves Cognition,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E earlier this spring in the journal \u003Cem\u003ECell\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This research builds on our prior work by introducing multi-modal stimulation \u0026ndash; light and sound pulses together, as opposed to light alone \u0026ndash; which is able to affect neural activity in the memory centers of the brain,\u0026rdquo; said Abigail Paulson, co-lead author of the paper, and a graduate student in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singer.gatech.edu\/lab\/\u0022\u003EAnnabelle Singer\u003C\/a\u003E, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, and assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is really interesting to us as these brain regions are some of the first to be affected in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s disease,\u0026rdquo; added Paulson.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe other lead author was Anthony Martorell, a graduate student in the lab of Li-Huei Tsai, director of MIT\u0026rsquo;s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the senior author of the study. Singer, a co-author of the study who is developing a non-invasive means to drive precision neural activity while drafting the brain\u0026rsquo;s immune system to treat disease, was awarded an R01 grant ($2 million over five years) from the NIH last year to support further efforts in this arena.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Traditionally, stimulation methods have been invasive or they usually don\u0026rsquo;t reach deep brain structures,\u0026rdquo; Singer said. \u0026ldquo;There\u0026rsquo;s been some work in this area, but there aren\u0026rsquo;t many options \u0026ndash; for one thing, they\u0026rsquo;re not very fast, they don\u0026rsquo;t have millisecond precision.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis latest research with her former colleagues at MIT (where Singer was a postdoctoral researcher) proves, in mice, that the noninvasive treatment works not only in the visual cortex (as an earlier study demonstrated), \u0026ldquo;but also in hippocampus, in the brain\u0026rsquo;s memory centers,\u0026rdquo; said Singer, who believes the novel approach will spur new therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s and other neurological diseases, \u0026ldquo;and galvanize new basic science research with wide-ranging impact.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the future, Paulson said, \u0026ldquo;we are planning to investigate how this sensory stimulation affects neural activity during behavior and memory processes.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFurther study will be needed to determine if the treatment will work in human patients. Along those lines, Singer\u0026rsquo;s lab is collaborating with Emory physician researchers Jim Lah (who directs Emory\u0026rsquo;s Cognitive Neurology Program) and Allan Levey (director of the Emory Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s Disease Research Center).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech and MIT researchers develop noninvasive treatment to improve memory and reduce amyloid plaques in mice"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and MIT researchers develop noninvasive treatment to improve memory and reduce amyloid plaques in mice\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech and MIT researchers develop noninvasive treatment to improve memory and reduce amyloid plaques in mice"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-06-01 13:54:57","changed_gmt":"2019-06-01 13:54:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"622139":{"id":"622139","type":"image","title":"Abigail Paulson","body":null,"created":"1559396930","gmt_created":"2019-06-01 13:48:50","changed":"1559396930","gmt_changed":"2019-06-01 13:48:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236981","name":"ALP.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ALP.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ALP.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1055289,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ALP.jpeg?itok=cCOgdG24"}},"597407":{"id":"597407","type":"image","title":"Annabelle Singer","body":null,"created":"1508155250","gmt_created":"2017-10-16 12:00:50","changed":"1508155250","gmt_changed":"2017-10-16 12:00:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"227719","name":"Annabelle_Singer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Annabelle_Singer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Annabelle_Singer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2098126,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Annabelle_Singer.jpg?itok=qrVTCINo"}}},"media_ids":["622139","597407"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"181421","name":"Annabelle Singer"},{"id":"181422","name":"Alzheimer\u0027s research"},{"id":"30791","name":"gamma ray"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"622035":{"#nid":"622035","#data":{"type":"news","title":"DNA: Faster Data, More Storage, Better Drugs","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImagine dramatically increasing the amount of data we can create while at the same time shrinking the resources needed to store all of it. DNA, the molecule that evolution chose as the trusted repository for our treasured genetic code, makes that scenario a reality, a concept that Georgia Institute of Technology researcher \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.dahlmanlab.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames Dahlman\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E writes about in the June edition of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EScientific American\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;With recent technological breakthroughs that allow us to easily \u0026lsquo;read\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;write\u0026rsquo; DNA, scientists are now repurposing this age-old molecule to store new types of information \u0026ndash; the kind that humans are generating at an exponential rate in the age of big data,\u0026rdquo; writes Dahlman, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech and assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University in his essay, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.dahlmanlab.org\/uploads\/5\/8\/5\/6\/58561089\/scientificamerican0619-68.pdf\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;All the World\u0026rsquo;s Data Could Fit in an Egg: How DNA is used to store \u0026ndash; and generate \u0026ndash; information at extreme scales.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe essay illuminates the properties that make DNA ideal for both generating and storing information, explaining how improved sequencing methods, like DNA barcoding, have allowed researchers to use DNA as a molecular recorder, producing data at unprecedented speeds, the kind of progress that could have major implications for speeding drug development and treating diseases \u0026ndash; progress that led directly to the creation of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/guiderx.com\/\u0022\u003EGuideRx\u003C\/a\u003E, a barcoding company co-founded by Dahlman focused on efficiently developing safe gene therapies (which is also mentioned in the essay).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers in Dahlman\u0026rsquo;s lab at Georgia Tech are using DNA barcodes to improve the design and function of nanoparticles so that they can safely deliver drugs to diseased cells. \u0026ldquo;Nanotechnology, which relies primarily on physics and chemical engineering, may seem completely unrelated to DNA,\u0026rdquo; Dahlman writes in \u003Cem\u003EScientific American\u003C\/em\u003E. \u0026ldquo;But when you think of DNA as a way to track and store data, its utility as an organizational tool becomes apparent.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDNA barcodes, he explains, allow researchers to overcome what had been a laborious and time-consuming process. Now hundreds of different nanoparticle types can be tested at once.\u0026nbsp; GuideRx is aiming to test 30,000 lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo \u003C\/em\u003Eper year, and building a process that can be scaled up to 150,000 LNPs a year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s a fun engineering process to tackle,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Cstrong\u003ECory Sago\u003C\/strong\u003E, a former graduate researcher in Dahlman\u0026rsquo;s lab who co-founded GuideRx in late 2018. The company\u0026rsquo;s fundamental technology is based on the DNA barcoding technologies they developed in the Georgia Tech lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We hope that in utilizing our platform technology, we will be able to discover nanoparticles with tropisms to new cell types,\u0026rdquo; says Sago, who earned his Ph.D. in May. \u0026ldquo;When we do, we will decide to either develop and advance our own therapeutics programs or work with different companies in a manner that supports their programs within that specific cell type.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Dahlman, the company, \u0026ldquo;has just over 10 employees now, but we hope to be above 20 by end of summer. We\u0026rsquo;re growing pretty quickly.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGuideRx has an experienced chief executive officer \u0026ndash; Thomas Saylor, who has been a CEO of biotech companies in Europe and Asia, served in the Foreign Agriculture Service for the Jimmy Carter presidential administration, and is on the advisory board of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Sciences. It also has a major supporter in Boris Nikolic, the former chief advisor for science and technology to Bill Gates, and now managing partner of Biomatics Capital, a leading Seattle venture capital firm.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the company\u0026rsquo;s founding scientist, Sago says he is basically, \u0026ldquo;the principal investigator for Guide Rx. We have an incredible group of investors and scientific advisors and my job is to interact with them to help sculpt our company\u0026rsquo;s path from a 30,000-foot view. We envision the company has having three teams \u0026ndash; chemistry, platform, and therapeutics \u0026ndash; with significant crosstalk between each. I\u0026rsquo;m lucky to have many incredible scientists who can fully execute the vision that we had and, in most cases, make it way better than we ever imagined. They make my job fun.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOther Links:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2017\/02\/07\/dna-barcoding-allows-rapid-testing-nanoparticles-therapeutic-delivery\u0022\u003EDNA Barcoding Allows Rapid Testing of Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Delivery\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2018\/03\/05\/comparison-shows-value-dna-barcoding-selecting-nanoparticles\u0022\u003EComparison Shows Value of DNA Barcoding in Selecting Nanoparticles\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher James Dahlman pens essay for Scientific American as new DNA barcoding company continues to grow  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researcher James Dahlman pens essay for \u003Cem\u003EScientific American\u003C\/em\u003E as new DNA barcoding company continues to grow \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researcher James Dahlman pens essay for Scientific American as new DNA barcoding company continues to grow  "}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-05-28 19:13:58","changed_gmt":"2019-05-29 14:13:59","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-05-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-05-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"622034":{"id":"622034","type":"image","title":"James Dahlman","body":null,"created":"1559070565","gmt_created":"2019-05-28 19:09:25","changed":"1559070565","gmt_changed":"2019-05-28 19:09:25","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236939","name":"180416r012-dev_web.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/180416r012-dev_web.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/180416r012-dev_web.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1551722,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/180416r012-dev_web.png?itok=yprKeY7i"}},"622033":{"id":"622033","type":"image","title":"Cory Sago","body":null,"created":"1559070530","gmt_created":"2019-05-28 19:08:50","changed":"1559070756","gmt_changed":"2019-05-28 19:12:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236938","name":"Cory-1.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cory-1.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cory-1.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":384884,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cory-1.jpeg?itok=pBbhS81t"}}},"media_ids":["622034","622033"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"179935","name":"DNA barcode"},{"id":"173419","name":"DNA barcoding"},{"id":"1041","name":"dna"},{"id":"145161","name":"James Dahlman"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"621982":{"#nid":"621982","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Michael Davis Promoted to Full Professor","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMichael E. Davis\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;has been promoted to full professor with tenure effective September 1, 2019, by the Board of Trustees at Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDavis is an associate professor in both cardiology and biomedical engineering (BME) in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Tech. He is a faculty researcher with\u0026nbsp;of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and also serves as director of the Emory+Children\u0026#39;s Heart Research and Outcomes (HeRO) Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHis Center combines expertise from Emory, Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia Tech to develop the next generation of treatments for children with heart disease utilizing stem cell research, nanotechnology, and advanced imaging.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, Davis serves as the associate chair for graduate studies in the Coulter biomedical engineering department which offers world-class doctoral training and prepares graduates of the program for a variety of career paths.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe received his Ph.D. in molecular and systems pharmacology at Emory University working on molecular regulation of eNOS expression by shear stress. From 2003-2006, he completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School (Brigham and Women\u0026#39;s Hospital) working on cardiac tissue engineering with collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2006, he moved back to Emory to join the faculty in the Coulter Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Emory University promotes Davis to full professor with tenure"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-05-24 17:27:17","changed_gmt":"2019-05-24 19:06:14","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-05-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-05-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"621981":{"id":"621981","type":"image","title":"Mike Davis, PhD","body":null,"created":"1558718749","gmt_created":"2019-05-24 17:25:49","changed":"1558718749","gmt_changed":"2019-05-24 17:25:49","alt":"Michael E. Davis, Ph.D., has been promoted to full professor with tenure effective September 1, 2019 by the Board of Trustees at Emory University. ","file":{"fid":"236920","name":"mdavis-headshot-emorypic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mdavis-headshot-emorypic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mdavis-headshot-emorypic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":97325,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mdavis-headshot-emorypic.jpg?itok=TLOMsySa"}}},"media_ids":["621981"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"621635":{"#nid":"621635","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Collaborating with Purpose","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the first time in U.S. history, the Census Bureau projects that by 2035 seniors will outnumber children. And as the population grays, a cloud of uncertainty over rising healthcare costs looms over the near horizon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHealthcare spending is projected to accelerate over the next decade, and 60 percent of American adults are now living with at least one chronic condition. Chronic diseases like asthma, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease cost Georgia about $40 billion a year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESteven Stice, GRA Eminent Scholar of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Georgia and a researcher with the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech, believes one solution to combat the cost of chronic disease is to produce cell-based therapies in much larger quantities and more consistent quality.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd he isn\u0026rsquo;t alone.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/greatcommitments.uga.edu\/story\/collaborating-with-purpose\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERead all about it right here.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Steve Stice: Using Living Cells to Change the Course of Disease"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESteve Stice: Using Living Cells to Change the Course of Disease\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Steve Stice: Using Living Cells to Change the Course of Disease"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-05-13 17:55:49","changed_gmt":"2019-05-22 01:47:21","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-05-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-05-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"621634":{"id":"621634","type":"image","title":"CMaT UGA","body":null,"created":"1557769555","gmt_created":"2019-05-13 17:45:55","changed":"1557769555","gmt_changed":"2019-05-13 17:45:55","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236783","name":"Screen Shot 2019-05-13 at 1.39.33 PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-05-13%20at%201.39.33%20PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-05-13%20at%201.39.33%20PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2515900,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Screen%20Shot%202019-05-13%20at%201.39.33%20PM.png?itok=SbDbwF-k"}}},"media_ids":["621634"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"176933","name":"go-cmat"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"616162":{"#nid":"616162","#data":{"type":"news","title":"2019 Bernard M. Gordon Prize Awarded to Georgia Tech and Emory University Educators","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Academy of Engineering announced that the 2019 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education will be awarded to \u003Cstrong\u003EWendy Newstetter\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Cstrong\u003EJoseph Le Doux\u003C\/strong\u003E, and \u003Cstrong\u003EPaul Benkeser\u003C\/strong\u003E from the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, \u0026quot;for fusing problem-driven engineering education with learning-science principles to create a pioneering program that develops leaders in biomedical engineering.\u0026quot; The $500,000 annual award recognizes new methods and concepts in education aimed at developing engineering leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Gordon Prize ceremony will be held at the Academy of Medicine at Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Tuesday, May 14, 2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;I am honored to recognize these educators who have created a remarkably innovative biomedical engineering program to create future leaders in the field,\u0026quot; said NAE President \u003Cstrong\u003EC. D. Mote, Jr.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026quot;The Gordon Prize will help advance their program\u0026#39;s global impact on one of society\u0026#39;s great challenges - developing engineering leaders in service of human health and well-being.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is housed at both Georgia Tech and Emory. With the help of scientists who specialize in learning and engineering educators, the program is designed to foster the next generation of leaders in biomedical engineering who will play an integral role in improving health and well-being worldwide. This groundbreaking program pioneered bringing best practices in education and learning to engineering. As part of the curriculum, students experience problem-driven learning (PDL), which replicates in class the industry environment that graduates will face as future industry leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWendy Newstetter \u003C\/strong\u003Eis assistant dean for educational research and innovation in the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. She was a founding faculty member in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, where she was a cognitive and learning scientist (2000-2012). During this time, she worked with faculty to build an innovative curriculum both based on the principles of problem-based learning (PBL) and informed by the ethnographic studies she and her research team conducted in biomedical engineering research laboratories. The objective was to enhance fidelity between the authentic, unscripted learning environment of a research lab and the synthetic or designed environment of a classroom. What started as a single PBL class has grown to a suite of carefully designed engineering learning environments collectively referred to as PDL. This unique collection of classroom environments was recognized in 2013 with the Georgia Regents\u0026#39; Teaching Excellence Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJoseph Le Doux\u003C\/strong\u003E is associate chair for undergraduate learning and experience and an associate professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. He joined the department in 1999 as an assistant professor because he was inspired by the vision of the department\u0026#39;s founding chair, Don Giddens, to educate engineers who were integrative thinkers who could operate seamlessly between the engineering and life sciences. As part of his contribution to the department\u0026#39;s efforts to realize this vision, Le Doux invented the problem-solving studio approach for teaching engineering, which he implemented in 2008 in a sophomore-level introductory course. He has since worked with faculty and learning-science colleagues to refine and adapt the approach for use in multiple courses in biomedical and other engineering disciplines.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPaul Benkeser\u003C\/strong\u003E is a professor and senior associate chair in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. A member of the Georgia Tech faculty since 1985, he was one of the founding faculty of the Coulter Department in 1998 and served as its first associate chair for undergraduate studies. His early research interests were in therapeutic and diagnostic applications of ultrasound. After joining the department, he redirected his energies toward enhancing undergraduate biomedical engineering education, with particular interests in integrating problem-driven learning and global experiential learning opportunities in the curriculum. His research and education endeavors have been funded by grants from NIH, NSF, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Whitaker Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n###\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe Gordon Prize was established in 2001 as a biennial prize acknowledging new modalities and experiments in education that develop effective engineering leaders. Recognizing the potential to spur a revolution in engineering education, NAE announced in 2003 that the prize would be awarded annually.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe mission of the NAE is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology. The NAE is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to provide objective analysis and advice to the nation on matters of science, technology, and health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EContacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-385-2416\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewrich@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nHolly Korschun\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-727-3990\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nhkorsch@emory.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBrandon Green\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications\/Media Specialist\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n202-334-2226\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nemail\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:BGreen@nae.edu\u0022\u003EBGreen@nae.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDeborah M. Young\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nProgram Officer\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n202-334-1266\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\ne-mail\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:DYoung@nae.edu\u0022\u003EDYoung@nae.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Academy of Engineering recognizes pioneering engineering education.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The National Academy of Engineering recognizes pioneering engineering education."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-01-09 19:51:02","changed_gmt":"2019-05-15 20:14:35","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2019-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"616161":{"id":"616161","type":"image","title":"Joseph Le Doux, Paul Benkeser, and Wendy Newstetter","body":null,"created":"1547063133","gmt_created":"2019-01-09 19:45:33","changed":"1547063133","gmt_changed":"2019-01-09 19:45:33","alt":"(Left-to-right) Joseph Le Doux, Paul Benkeser, and Wendy Newstetter, from the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, are awarded the\u00a02019 Bernard M. Gordon Prize from the National Academy of Engineering.\u00a0","file":{"fid":"234516","name":"19C10302-P49-001.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10302-P49-001.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/19C10302-P49-001.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":641569,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/19C10302-P49-001.jpg?itok=mvh3qHI8"}},"616447":{"id":"616447","type":"image","title":"Gordon Prize","body":null,"created":"1547575478","gmt_created":"2019-01-15 18:04:38","changed":"1547575478","gmt_changed":"2019-01-15 18:04:38","alt":"\u0022I am honored to recognize these educators who have created a remarkably innovative biomedical engineering program to create future leaders in the field,\u0022 said the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) President\u00a0C. D. Mote, Jr.","file":{"fid":"234640","name":"Gordon-BME_feature-pic.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Gordon-BME_feature-pic.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Gordon-BME_feature-pic.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":316253,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Gordon-BME_feature-pic.jpg?itok=miRMjF13"}}},"media_ids":["616161","616447"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"276","name":"Awards"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"621616":{"#nid":"621616","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Trainees Gain Cell Manufacturing Industry Insight","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA group of 12 trainees from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a few other institutions, were treated to a close-up look at inner workings of a global biopharmaceutical company in late April with an extended tour of Celgene\u0026rsquo;s manufacturing facility in Summit, New Jersey. The trainees, from the NIH Cell and Tissue Engineering Training Program (CTEng) and the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), gained a deeper understanding of how a large drug manufacturer works and the potential career paths waiting for them in the industry sector.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It was interesting to see how much money goes into scaling up a product for large-scale use, and how important it is to be able to scale up a product prior to attempting to commercialize it,\u0026rdquo; noted Kalina Paunovska, a bioengineering Ph.D. student who works in the lab of James Dahlman, Petit Institute researcher and assistant\u0026nbsp;professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The company made a great point that it does not matter how good the product is if it can\u0026rsquo;t be manufactured at a scale where it can be distributed to a large number of people,\u0026rdquo; she added.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor most of the trainees, like Ph.D. student Juan Medina from the lab of Petit Institute Executive Director Andr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a, this was a first-time opportunity to visit a cell manufacturing facility.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was impressed by Celgene\u0026rsquo;s foresight, as it has enabled them to scale up their cell therapies while still working on their trials,\u0026rdquo; Medina said. \u0026ldquo;Prior to the visit I did not know that individual roles were so specific throughout the pipeline process. I quickly realized that this is set up in such a way to optimize efficiency. The visit was helpful in providing me with an idea of what work is like in a large industrial setting. Coupled with a tour I took of a much smaller company earlier this semester, our visit to Celgene made me realize how broadly applicable and valuable the skills developed during a Ph.D. can be.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Ph.D. students in the realm of cell therapy, it was a valuable experience. But it also paid off for trainees outside of the discipline.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t work in the cell therapy space, but I do appreciate the novelty and impact that these new techniques have,\u0026rdquo; said Andrew Raddatz, a BME Ph.D. student in the lab of Melissa Kemp, Petit Institute researcher and BME associate professor. \u0026ldquo;Being able to tour both the research and commercial space of Celgene was incredibly informative. Seeing that the research and development space was like a typical cell culture lab you might see on Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s campus made these employee positions more relatable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe trainees spent most of their visit touring Celgene\u0026rsquo;s analytics development section and process development section, noted Raddatz, who also added, \u0026ldquo;Being able to see people working in the commercial facility with more routine jobs of developing the CAR T cells, patient by patient, was also helpful. These people are saving lives in a heavily regulated area which carries a lot of stress along with it, so their diligence is not only impressive but necessary. The fact that CAR T manufacture cannot be scaled up, only scaled out, makes each dose a very finely monitored product. Overall, this trip highlighted the importance of the industry and how, in an ideal world, companies can find ways to maximize production, reduce costs, and help the most people possible.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Paunovska, Medina, and Raddatz (all based at Georgia Tech), the other participating trainees were, from Georgia Tech, Meghan O\u0026rsquo;Melia, Shannon Anderson, Alex Beach, Brian Liu, Nico Villa-Roel, and Thomas Turners. From the University of Georgia it was Emily Pendleton. Rocio Arroyo from the University of Puerto Rico and Aaron Simmons from the University of Wisconsin rounded out the group.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Grad students from Georgia Tech and three other universities get rare close-up look at big pharma facility"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGrad students from Georgia Tech and three other universities get rare close-up look at big pharma facility\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Grad students from Georgia Tech and three other universities get rare close-up look at big pharma facility"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-05-13 13:28:14","changed_gmt":"2019-05-14 18:57:57","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-05-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-05-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"621615":{"id":"621615","type":"image","title":"Celgene visit","body":null,"created":"1557753876","gmt_created":"2019-05-13 13:24:36","changed":"1557753876","gmt_changed":"2019-05-13 13:24:36","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236776","name":"Celgene 2019 (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Celgene%202019%20%281%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Celgene%202019%20%281%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":257626,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Celgene%202019%20%281%29.jpg?itok=AqQuNInT"}}},"media_ids":["621615"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"93181","name":"Cell Manufacturing"},{"id":"176933","name":"go-cmat"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"621295":{"#nid":"621295","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hollister and Team Study Long-term Effects of Tracheal Splint","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn February 2012 Kaiba Gionfriddo, just three-months old, had already run out of options to treat his tracheobronchomalacia, a birth defect that was causing his airways to collapse. So his parents took him to the University of Michigan Medical Center, where Scott Hollister and Glenn Green were working on a life-saving solution.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHollister (who at the time was associate professor of oral surgery and a professor of biomedical engineering) and Green (associate professor of pediatric otolaryngology) had spent the previous year working on their idea, a 3D-printed, patient specific airway splint that was bioresorbable.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey captured images of Kaiba\u0026rsquo;s trachea with a CT scan and, using a 3D printer, constructed a splint tailored to fit Kaiba. The tiny tube (actually, about three-quarters of a tube, as the device is designed to slip \u003Cem\u003Earound\u003C\/em\u003E the trachea) was attached to the surface of Kaiba\u0026rsquo;s airway, creating a kind of exoskeleton that actually pulls the trachea open. The effects were instantaneous as Kaiba\u0026rsquo;s lungs began to inflate and deflate normally.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis was a groundbreaking medical breakthrough that made national headlines. The new device gave hope to families with children who have the most relentless cases of tracheobronchomalacia, a condition that occurs once in 2,200 births (or about 1,500 to 1,800 babies a year), ranging in severity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA lot has happened since Kaiba\u0026rsquo;s case. For one thing, 21 patients have now received the device. For another, Hollister has become a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Tech. Kaiba, now seven, is doing well and is the oldest patient among 15 children who are part of a recently published study from Hollister and his colleagues in the journal \u003Cem\u003EThe Laryngoscope\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This paper really establishes how the device performs clinically, and the long term outcomes,\u0026rdquo; says Hollister. \u0026ldquo;So this study was focused more on the quality of life after the procedure.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELast year, three custom-printed tracheal splints, developed by Hollister\u0026rsquo;s lab at Georgia Tech, were placed in a seven-month-old patient at Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta, the first such procedure in Georgia. Hollister says he and his Atlanta team will continue moving their program forward with the hopes of running a clinical trial with Children\u0026rsquo;s.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat first Georgia patient was not part of the most recently published study, but as with the other babies who have received the device, the procedure was allowed to happen the physicians received emergency clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor their study, the researchers looked at the clinical safety and efficacy of the device, focusing on 15 patients (ranging in age from three to 25 months) who had received 29 splints on their trachea from 2012 to 2018. They took into account a patient\u0026rsquo;s history of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and other circumstances. For instance, 13 of the patients had been chronically hospitalized, and seven their entire lives.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers collected outcome information on respiratory support that may have been needed post-procedure, disposition, and splint-related complications and concluded that all surviving patients experienced significant improvement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;FDA has been extremely helpful and supportive through this process,\u0026rdquo; says Hollister. \u0026ldquo;We really hope our data will now support a clinical trial. That would be the next step, FDA approval and a broader application.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe device would be considered under humanitarian device exemption rules (applied in devices designed to treat diseases that affects fewer than 8,000 patients a year), and that would require only a Phase One trial, Hollister says, \u0026ldquo;to prove that it\u0026rsquo;s safe.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Hollister and Green (corresponding authors), the other researchers, all from the University of Michigan, include Andrea Les, Richard Ohye, Amy Filbrun, Maryam Ghadimi, Colleen Flanagan, Rodney Daniels, Kelly Kidwell, and David Zopf.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Coulter Department\/Petit Institute researcher at Georgia Tech says next step for groundbreaking device would be Phase One clinical trials"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECoulter Department\/Petit Institute researcher at Georgia Tech says next step for groundbreaking device would be Phase One clinical trials\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Coulter Department\/Petit Institute researcher at Georgia Tech says next step for groundbreaking device would be Phase One clinical trials"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-05-03 14:37:18","changed_gmt":"2019-05-03 14:37:18","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-05-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-05-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"621293":{"id":"621293","type":"image","title":"Scott Hollister","body":null,"created":"1556893942","gmt_created":"2019-05-03 14:32:22","changed":"1556893942","gmt_changed":"2019-05-03 14:32:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236665","name":"Scott front of EBB.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scott%20front%20of%20EBB.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Scott%20front%20of%20EBB.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":531698,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Scott%20front%20of%20EBB.jpg?itok=uYOXXBKp"}},"621294":{"id":"621294","type":"image","title":"Tracheal Splint","body":null,"created":"1556893980","gmt_created":"2019-05-03 14:33:00","changed":"1556893980","gmt_changed":"2019-05-03 14:33:00","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236666","name":"tracheal splint.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tracheal%20splint.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tracheal%20splint.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":211995,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tracheal%20splint.jpg?itok=yZCCf7_B"}}},"media_ids":["621293","621294"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"13351","name":"3d printing"},{"id":"181225","name":"tracheobronchomalacia"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"621177":{"#nid":"621177","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH selects biomedical engineer\/hematologist for Emerging Investigator Award and $5 million grant","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has chosen\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dev.ien.gatech.edu\/wilbur-lam\u0022\u003EWilbur Lam\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E, M.D., Ph.D., to receive an Emerging Investigator Award, including a seven-year grant of $5 million to Emory University. The award is one of only seven NHLBI emerging investigator awards nationally this year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam is an associate professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pediatrics.emory.edu\/\u0022\u003EDepartment of Pediatrics\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Emory University School of Medicine and in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECoulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech and Emory. He is a clinical pediatric hematologist\/oncologist at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the NIH, the purpose of the Emerging Investigator Award Program is to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility to experienced investigators who currently already hold several NHLBI awards and whose outstanding record of research demonstrates their ability to make major contributions to heart, lung, blood and sleep research. The award is intended to support a research program, rather than a research project, and to provide investigators with increased freedom to conduct research that breaks new ground or extends previous discoveries in new directions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Dr. Lam\u0026rsquo;s integration of medicine and engineering disciplines in novel platforms brings the clinical diagnostic lab to the patient,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Cstrong\u003ESusan Margulies\u003C\/strong\u003E, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam\u0026rsquo;s laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to developing new research tools in hematology that can be translated into better care for patients with disorders of the blood and bone marrow. This work spans biology, physics, engineering and medicine, with the aim of answering hematologic questions that are not technologically feasible with current research methods.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;While we are developing microtechnologies to investigate the biophysics of hematologic processes at the micro-to-nano-scale, these microdevices can be adapted to function as novel pre-clinical disease models, clinical diagnostics and drug discovery platforms,\u0026rdquo; says Lam. \u0026ldquo;Overall, we use a \u0026ldquo;basement-to-bench-to-bedside\u0026rdquo; approach in which the invention, translation and clinical assessment of diagnostic and therapeutic microtechnologies takes place under one scientific \u0026lsquo;roof\u0026rsquo; with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of patients with blood disorders.\u0026rdquo;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam\u0026rsquo;s background as a physician-scientist-engineer trained in clinical hematology and bioengineering has led him to several key discoveries:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EA technology allowing measurement of the forces generated by individual platelets as they contract during the blood clotting process was published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nmat2903\u0022\u003ENature Materials\u003C\/a\u003E. Using a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation, Lam then refined the technology to examine hundreds of platelets at once on a microchip-based platform. Specifically he and his team devised a \u0026ldquo;microfluidic testing ground\u0026rdquo; in which platelets can demonstrate their strength by squeezing two protein dots together.\u0026nbsp;This technology, which they call platelet contraction cytometry, was described in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nmat\/journal\/vaop\/ncurrent\/full\/nmat4772.html\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature Materials\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EIn addition, Lam and his team applied microfluidic techniques to develop a microvasculature-on-a-chip device that functions as an artificial blood vessel. This device enables researchers to recapitulate and study the pathological interactions that occur among different types of blood cells and the blood vessel wall in diseases such as sickle cell disease. This was first published in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EJournal of Clinical Investigation\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jci.org\/articles\/view\/58753\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.jci.org\/articles\/view\/58753\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EIn research published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/111\/40\/14430\u0022\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;Lam and colleagues discovered that platelets can \u0026ldquo;feel\u0026rdquo; the mechanical properties of the surface they attach to and physiologically respond to those physical cues of their environment to influence the blood clotting system. Their findings could influence the design of medical devices to decrease clotting caused by implants -- a major problem for patient care.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EUsing their microvasculature-on-chip technologies, Lam\u0026rsquo;s team also showed how drugs commonly used to fight inflammation or boost blood pressure cause white blood cells to soften, and that this white cell softening helps determine whether they remain in a dormant state along vessel walls or enter blood circulation to fight infection. The NIH-supported research was believed to be the first to show how biophysical effects can control where white blood cells are located within the blood circulation. It was reported in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/113\/8\/1987\u0022\u003EPNAS.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EThe research team developed a microchip \u0026ldquo;bleeding\u0026rdquo; device that allows for the simultaneous examination and visualization of all the major components of blood clotting. Because current clinical bleeding tests only assess one component at a time and in isolation, Lam and his team envision the system to serve an important unmet clinical need as a drug discovery platform and potential diagnostic tool. A description of the system, and representative movies were published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-018-02990-x\u0022\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\t\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EA smart phone app developed by Lam and colleague Robert Mannino uses photos of the fingernails of anemia patients to determine the level of hemoglobin in their blood, replacing the need to draw blood. The technology was published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-018-07262-2\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award is one of only seven NHLBI emerging investigator awards nationally this year."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2019-05-01 16:52:28","changed_gmt":"2019-05-01 17:35:29","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-05-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-05-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"614664":{"id":"614664","type":"image","title":"Wilbur Lam, associate professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","body":null,"created":"1543344724","gmt_created":"2018-11-27 18:52:04","changed":"1543344848","gmt_changed":"2018-11-27 18:54:08","alt":"Wilbur Lam, associate professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","file":{"fid":"234010","name":"WilburLam2a-cropped.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/WilburLam2a-cropped.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/WilburLam2a-cropped.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1628544,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/WilburLam2a-cropped.jpg?itok=6c6ei59_"}}},"media_ids":["614664"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"620976":{"#nid":"620976","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Desai Secures $2.8 Million Grant to Develop Steerable Robotic Guidewire","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJaydev Desai, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University (BME) and director of the Georgia Center for Medical Robotics (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/medicalrobotics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGCMR\u003C\/a\u003E), has spent his career developing robotic tools to address challenging clinical problems. And the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has taken notice.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough the years, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/robomed.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDesai\u003C\/a\u003E has secured several NIH R01 grants to support his work in this area, but recently the Institutes not only stepped up to support Desai\u0026rsquo;s latest project (which can fill a critical gap in the treatment of deadly atherosclerosis), it also ranked the researcher\u0026rsquo;s grant application with its highest degree of confidence \u0026ndash; a one percentile score.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That is highly encouraging,\u0026rdquo; Desai says. \u0026ldquo;It clearly demonstrates how critical and challenging the clinical problem is and why innovative engineering solutions need to be developed to address it.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NIH\u0026rsquo;s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded a $2.8 million grant to support Desai\u0026rsquo;s lab and his collaborators for an innovative project that features the first use of intravascular steerable robotic guidewire capable of forward-looking ultrasound imaging and image-guided navigation through vasculature and occluded vessels.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDesai explains that the ability to steer, visualize, and navigate the guidewire is highly novel and will eventually result in improvement of clinical workflow and patient treatment outcomes. \u0026ldquo;Think of a plumber\u0026rsquo;s snake,\u0026rdquo; Desai says. \u0026ldquo;And this is all about steering the tip of the long snake with visualization of where to go with ultrasound imaging.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDesai\u0026rsquo;s collaborators include \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lindsey.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBrooks Lindsey\u003C\/a\u003E (Coulter Department), \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ultrasound.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EStanislav Emelianov\u003C\/a\u003E (Coulter Department and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering), and from Emory, Muralidhar Padala (cardiothoracic surgery), Khusrow Niazi (interventional cardiology) and Zachary Bercu (interventional radiology).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPatients with atherosclerosis can develop a buildup of fatty deposits, or plaque, within their arteries. These can lead to total blockages in the arteries, a condition called chronic total occlusion (CTO), which are the riskiest and most challenging vascular lesions to treat with traditional stenting or endovascular devices. The structure of the lesion (including a fibrous, calcific plaque) presents a complex technical challenge \u0026ndash; the stiff formation can bend guidewire tips. Even successful procedures, Desai points out, \u0026ldquo;are time consuming, involve chance, and require prolonged patient and physician exposure to radiation.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The clinical challenge is well recognized in the community,\u0026rdquo; he adds. \u0026ldquo;Since endovascular approaches are increasingly utilized over conventional approaches, there is an urgent need to develop new technologies to meet this critical need!\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo Desai\u0026rsquo;s team plans to address three specific aims:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull;\u0026nbsp;Design and develop a robotically steerable, 0.014-inch diameter guidewire (0.355 mm) system to accommodate a .350 mm x .350 mm ultrasound transducer at its tip, and can be steered with image feedback from the transducer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Design and build a forward-looking transducer for the robotically steerable guidewire and an algorithm to reconstruct an image of the encountered occlusion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026bull; Iteratively optimize the ultrasound-steerable guidewire design using 3D printed, patient-specific models of CTOs, realistic human cadaver limbs with CTO, and a live animal model of CTOs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe highly interdisciplinary project combines expertise in medical robotics, ultrasound imaging, pulsatile flow models and image-guided interventions in animal models, interventional cardiology, and interventional radiology. The designed system, Desai says, \u0026ldquo;will have significant societal impact through improved patient outcomes, reduced radiation exposure for the physician and the patient, reduced rate of procedural failures, and lower healthcare costs.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"NIH ranks researcher\u2019s proposal with its best possible score"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENIH ranks researcher\u0026rsquo;s proposal with its best possible score\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NIH ranks researcher\u2019s proposal with its best possible score"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-04-27 00:01:01","changed_gmt":"2019-04-29 13:02:58","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"609741":{"id":"609741","type":"image","title":"Steerable Guidewire: Jaydev Desai, PhD ","body":null,"created":"1534269608","gmt_created":"2018-08-14 18:00:08","changed":"1556323292","gmt_changed":"2019-04-27 00:01:32","alt":"Steerable Guidewire: Jaydev Desai, PhD ","file":{"fid":"232208","name":"Jaydev-Desai.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Jaydev-Desai_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Jaydev-Desai_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1441404,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Jaydev-Desai_0.jpg?itok=_9ryjOc2"}}},"media_ids":["609741"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"2076","name":"NIH"},{"id":"181145","name":"NHLBI"},{"id":"7270","name":"atherosclerosis"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"},{"id":"181146","name":"guidewire"},{"id":"175342","name":"go-medicalrobotics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"620835":{"#nid":"620835","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Timothy Lee Wins Nerem Travel Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETimothy Lee, a graduate research assistant in the lab of Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience faculty researcher Craig Forest, is the winner of the 2019 Nerem International Travel Award, which he is using at this very minute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELee, in the final year of his Bioengineering (BioE) Ph.D. studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has spent most of April abroad. The first part of that is two weeks in Bonn, Germany, at the Center for Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), a neuroscience research institute associated with the Max Planck Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe also attended the Max Planck\/HHMI Connectomics Meeting in Berlin (April 14-17), joining his collaborator and Petit Institute faculty researcher Eva Dyer, who was invited to speak at this annual gathering of thought leaders in the growing field of high-resolution connectomics, which has become Lee\u0026rsquo;s area of interest, within his focus on neuroscience and neuroscience technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EConnectomics (previously known as hodology) is the study of connectomes, which is kind of like a wiring diagram for the brain. Researchers in connectomics study this complex synaptic network, comprised of billions of interconnected neurons with the intention of providing a deeper understanding of brain function and dysfunction.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELee went to Bonn to study with Kevin Briggman, \u0026ldquo;who has been pioneering this field,\u0026rdquo; Lee said. \u0026ldquo;He looks at thinly sliced neural tissue at an incredible resolution, down to nanometers, below light resolution.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBriggman and his colleagues image each section of neural tissue with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at high resolution, revealing fine structural details.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One of the reasons I wanted to work with Dr. Briggman is, his lab has one of the world\u0026rsquo;s latest and greatest scanning electron microscopes,\u0026rdquo; said Lee, who has worked extensively on the more traditional transmission electron microscope (TEM). Both platforms have their strengths.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith TEM, the microscope fires a broad, static beam of electrons through a specimen, producing a magnified, flat (two dimensional) image. With SEM, the beam is focused to a fine point, and can produce 3D images. TEM has better resolution, but samples must be cut thinner, so SEM allows for a large amount of sample to be studied at once, while TEM allows for a smaller amount. Essentially, Briggman and his team are using an advanced, SEM to bring more size and clarity to the connectome, the brain\u0026rsquo;s wiring diagram.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve been working on a project that deals in this technology space, so I\u0026rsquo;m very interested in collaborating with Dr. Briggman,\u0026rdquo; says Lee, who is also looking for potential post-doctoral research opportunities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELee works in the lab of Forest, who is an associate professor in both the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. He and Dyer were part of the research team, with Forest, that produced last fall\u0026rsquo;s paper, \u0026ldquo;Large-scale neuroanatomy using LASSO: Loop-based Automated Serial Sectioning Operation,\u0026rdquo; published in the journal \u003Cem\u003EPLOS ONE\u003C\/em\u003E. Lee was the lead author.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELee also recently was honored with a CTL Curriculum Award (part of the annual Georgia Tech Faculty and Staff Honors program). He was one of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/news\/petit-institute-researchers-score-big\u0022\u003E15 people from the Petit Institute \u003C\/a\u003Eto win one of the annual awards.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is the 14\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E year of the Nerem Travel Award, created by the friends and colleagues of the Petit Institute\u0026rsquo;s founding director, Bob Nerem, to honor his career of contributions in the field of bioengineering, and his dedication to the Petit Institute. The annual award of up to $3,000 supports travel and living expenses for post-docs and graduate students traveling outside the U.S. as part of their research training.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo date, this award has allowed winners an opportunity to travel and study at institutes such as Karolinska Institute, Sweden; RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan; the National University of Singapore, Singapore; the University of Twente, Netherlands; Weizmann Inst of Science, Israel; Queensland University of Technology, Australia; and now, caesar in Bonn, Germany.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech bioengineering grad student collaborates on connectomics research in Bonn, Germany"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech bioengineering grad student collaborates on connectomics research in Bonn, Germany\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech bioengineering grad student collaborates on connectomics research in Bonn, Germany"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-04-23 20:57:26","changed_gmt":"2019-04-23 21:01:02","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"620834":{"id":"620834","type":"image","title":"Timothy Lee","body":null,"created":"1556052904","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 20:55:04","changed":"1556052904","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 20:55:04","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236436","name":"Tim.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tim.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tim.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4272808,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tim.jpg?itok=8syYE0v8"}}},"media_ids":["620834"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"620675":{"#nid":"620675","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Researchers Score Big","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience scored big this year in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s annual Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon, on Friday, April 19. The event honors faculty and staff whose service, activities, and accomplishment have been particularly noteworthy over the previous year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 14 Petit Institute researchers who were recognized are: Craig Forest, Joe Lachance, Wilbur Lam, Timothy Lee (grad student in Forest\u0026rsquo;s lab), Manu Platt, Mark Prausnitz, James Rains, William Ratcliff, Amit Reddi, Chris Rozell, Todd Sulchek, Ray Vito, and Younan Xia, and Peter Yunker.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeet the honorees:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERozell, professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, won the Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award for senior faculty. One of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s most prestigious faculty honors, this award recognizes an individual who has displayed teaching excellence, including extraordinary efforts in teaching, inspiration transmitted to students, direct impact and involvement with students, intellectual integrity and scholarship, and impact on post graduate success of students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPrausnitz, who is the Regents Professor in the School of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, won the Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award, given to faculty who have contributed to highly impactful publications describing the results of research conducted at Georgia Tech and published between January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018. Prausnitz has been busy the past few years publishing his research on innovative microneedle-patch technology that could profoundly impact the way medicines and vaccines are administered.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELam, associate professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine and the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, won the Sigma Xi Faculty Best Paper Award. This award is given to faculty authors of an outstanding paper published in the previous calendar year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPlatt, associate professor in the Coulter Department, won the Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor Award. This award recognizes the achievements of a faculty member\u0026#39;s doctoral students who completed all degree requirements from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESulchek, associate professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, won the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor (Senior Faculty) Award, which is given to faculty who have demonstrated sustained outstanding achievement in mentoring undergraduates.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELachance and Reddi both won CTL\/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards, which recognizes excellence in teaching and educational innovations. LaChance, an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, strives to accommodate students\u0026rsquo; different learning styles, integrating lectures with other activities, such as discussions of the literature or computer activities. Reddi, associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, teaches core curriculum courses in biochemistry, where he has impressed colleagues and students alike with his personalized approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYounan Xia, professor of biomedical engineering, Brock Family Chair, GRA Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine, with joint appointments in chemistry and biochemistry, and chemical and biomolecular engineering, won the Sigma Xi Sustained Research Award. This faculty award recognizes sustained research in a given area. Xia, one of the world\u0026rsquo;s most cited chemistry and materials science researchers, previously received the Materials Research Society (MRS) Medal. The MRS Medal is awarded for a specific outstanding recent discovery or advancement that has a major impact on the progress of a materials-related field. It is one of the highest recognitions a materials scientist can receive.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERatcliff and Yunker received the Sigma Xi Faculty Best Paper Award which, as the name implies, recognizes authors of an outstanding research paper. Ratcliff and Yunker collaborated as co-principal authors of \u0026ldquo;Cellular Packing, mechanical stress and the evolution of multicellularity,\u0026rdquo;published in \u003Cem\u003ENature Physics\u003C\/em\u003E 2018. The paper was the first to recognize the role of mechanics in the early evolution of multicellular organisms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EForest, Lee, and Vito all won CTL Curriculum Innovation Awards. Forest is associate professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Lee, winner of this year\u0026rsquo;s Nerem Travel Award, is a graduate student in Forest\u0026rsquo;s lab. The award recognizes faculty (and in Lee\u0026rsquo;s case, a grad student) for improving the quality of education at Georgia Tech through pedagogical and curricular innovation. Vito, Professor Emeritus in the School of Mechanical Engineering, is a founding member of the Petit Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech recognizes top faculty and researchers for 2018-2019 academic year"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech recognizes top faculty and researchers for 2018-2019 academic year\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech recognizes top faculty and researchers for 2018-2019 academic year"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-04-19 16:03:39","changed_gmt":"2019-04-23 15:43:25","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"620674":{"id":"620674","type":"image","title":"GT Awards 2019 - IBB","body":null,"created":"1555689530","gmt_created":"2019-04-19 15:58:50","changed":"1555689530","gmt_changed":"2019-04-19 15:58:50","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236335","name":"GT Award winners.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/GT%20Award%20winners.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/GT%20Award%20winners.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":360724,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/GT%20Award%20winners.jpg?itok=e4SMjO9m"}},"620800":{"id":"620800","type":"image","title":"James Rains award","body":null,"created":"1556033348","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:29:08","changed":"1556033348","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:29:08","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236417","name":"Rains.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rains.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rains.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":796102,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Rains.jpg?itok=v1kXu6el"}},"620802":{"id":"620802","type":"image","title":"Manu Platt award","body":null,"created":"1556033493","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:31:33","changed":"1556033493","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:31:33","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236419","name":"Manu.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Manu.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":951209,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Manu.jpg?itok=YH3Y2NP7"}},"620804":{"id":"620804","type":"image","title":"Rob Butera","body":null,"created":"1556033601","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:33:21","changed":"1556033601","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:33:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236420","name":"Rob B.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rob%20B.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rob%20B.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":372789,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Rob%20B.jpg?itok=nrnTySFk"}},"620809":{"id":"620809","type":"image","title":"Peter Yunker award","body":null,"created":"1556034058","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:40:58","changed":"1556034058","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:40:58","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236425","name":"yunker.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yunker.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yunker.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4750443,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/yunker.jpg?itok=Pxcj04BC"}},"620808":{"id":"620808","type":"image","title":"Wilbur Lam award","body":null,"created":"1556033993","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:39:53","changed":"1556034082","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:41:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236424","name":"Wilbur award.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wilbur%20award.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Wilbur%20award.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1336301,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Wilbur%20award.jpg?itok=uK1UWHpb"}},"620805":{"id":"620805","type":"image","title":"Joe Lachance award","body":null,"created":"1556033729","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:35:29","changed":"1556033729","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:35:29","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236421","name":"Lachance.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lachance.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lachance.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1049347,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lachance.jpg?itok=Y8VO8ZOG"}},"620806":{"id":"620806","type":"image","title":"Chris Rozell award","body":null,"created":"1556033804","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:36:44","changed":"1556033804","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:36:44","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236422","name":"Rozell.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rozell.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Rozell.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":660025,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Rozell.jpg?itok=EE3qOk44"}},"620807":{"id":"620807","type":"image","title":"Todd Sulchek Award","body":null,"created":"1556033854","gmt_created":"2019-04-23 15:37:34","changed":"1556033854","gmt_changed":"2019-04-23 15:37:34","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236423","name":"sulchek.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sulchek.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sulchek.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":813159,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sulchek.jpg?itok=s4Nxgd5C"}}},"media_ids":["620674","620800","620802","620804","620809","620808","620805","620806","620807"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"172013","name":"Faculty Awards and Honors"},{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"620376":{"#nid":"620376","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Podcast from College of Engineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EToday, innovations in sports medicine are helping to both prevent and treat sports injuries, lengthening the careers of professional athletes, and getting weekend warriors back into the action quicker than ever.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/irl.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOmer Inan\u003C\/a\u003E, a researcher in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience as well as an associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is focused on developing clinically relevant medical devices and systems for patients, improving their odds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis endeavor hits close to home for Inan, who was a\u0026nbsp;varsity athlete himself at Stanford University. Listen to Inan\u0026#39;s story on the podcast from the College of Engineering \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/podcast.coe.gatech.edu\/podcasts\/uncommon-engineer\/inside-sports-medicine-omer-inan\u0022\u003Eright here\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Learn about sports medicine research from Petit Institute faculty member Omer Inan"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELearn about sports medicine research from Petit Institute faculty member Omer Inan\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Learn about sports medicine research from Petit Institute faculty member Omer Inan"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-04-12 17:35:24","changed_gmt":"2019-04-12 18:17:46","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"620378":{"id":"620378","type":"image","title":"Omer Inan","body":null,"created":"1555093030","gmt_created":"2019-04-12 18:17:10","changed":"1555093030","gmt_changed":"2019-04-12 18:17:10","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236221","name":"Inan GT.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Inan%20GT.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Inan%20GT.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":226763,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Inan%20GT.jpg?itok=_VGi5k1m"}}},"media_ids":["620378"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"620250":{"#nid":"620250","#data":{"type":"news","title":"How to Influence Perception","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMice have a bad and undeserved reputation as an animal that can\u0026rsquo;t see very well, a characterization upheld most notably (and somewhat tragically) by the song \u003Cem\u003EThree Blind Mice\u003C\/em\u003E. And also by the fact that mice really can\u0026rsquo;t see very well (they resolve less detail in a visual scene than humans).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut, they see well enough to quickly detect visual stimuli throughout their visual fields.\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/haider.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBilal Haider\u003C\/a\u003E says this makes mice an excellent model system, \u0026ldquo;for studying how neural circuits mediate rapid visual behaviors \u0026ndash; mice are a very good model for studying what can happen in humans making fast decisions about visual information.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHaider, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and his colleagues prove the value of mice while demonstrating how the brain visually detects and perceives visual stimuli in their latest research, entitled \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-reports\/pdf\/S2211-1247(19)30216-5.pdf\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;Cortical State Fluctuations across Layers of V1 during Visual Spatial Perception,\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/a\u003E published recently in the journal \u003Cem\u003ECell Reports\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This paper shows that mice can detect a small, faint object appearing very briefly and unpredictably in the visual field, and they can respond to this stimuli in less than half a second, and make a precise motor response,\u0026rdquo; explains Haider, corresponding author of the paper, whose co-researchers on the project were lead authors Anderson Speed and co-author Joseph Del Rosario, grad students in his lab, and Christopher P. Burgess, a researcher at Google DeepMind in the UK.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Actually, mice have a very fast visual system to produce actions, not that much slower than ours,\u0026rdquo; Haider adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the paper, the authors explain that behavioral factors like sleep, wakefulness, and movement have strong effects on the state of cortical activity. And while Haider and others have previous established that cortical states have profound effects on sensory responses, there remain unresolved questions about cortical states and their effects on the speed and accuracy of sensory perception.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, to address the questions they trained mice to detect visual stimuli appearing in discrete portions of the visual field. And they simultaneously measured local field potentials (an electrophysiological signal generated by the electric current flowing from large populations of neurons) and excitatory and inhibitory neuron populations across layers of the primary visual cortex that receives visual information.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough their experiments, Haider\u0026rsquo;s team showed that changes in cortical activity states exert strong, widespread effects in a mouse\u0026rsquo;s primary visual cortex, and can play a prominent role for visual spatial behavior.\u0026nbsp; Haider\u0026rsquo;s team could use this neural activity to \u0026ldquo;mind read\u0026rdquo; and accurately predict perceptual outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBasically, the team figured out, Haider says, \u0026ldquo;that the properties of the visual system in mice, especially the way they use vision for behavior, and the neural activity that we see in their visual system, is remarkably similar to what\u0026rsquo;s seen in primates and humans.\u0026nbsp; This will allow us to use the mouse as a platform for studying neural circuits underlying visual dysfunctions in models of neurological diseases.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research from Haider lab demonstrates that visual behavior is impacted by the moment-to-moment state of activity in the primary visual cortex"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch from Haider lab demonstrates that visual behavior is impacted by the moment-to-moment state of activity in the primary visual cortex\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Research from Haider lab demonstrates that visual behavior is impacted by the moment-to-moment state of activity in the primary visual cortex"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2019-04-09 19:34:39","changed_gmt":"2019-04-09 19:34:39","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"620249":{"id":"620249","type":"image","title":"Haider lab","body":null,"created":"1554837939","gmt_created":"2019-04-09 19:25:39","changed":"1554837939","gmt_changed":"2019-04-09 19:25:39","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236157","name":"Haider lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Haider%20lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Haider%20lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":518503,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Haider%20lab.jpg?itok=BhMTK3MJ"}}},"media_ids":["620249"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"126571","name":"go-PetitInstitute"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"180997","name":"cortical vision"},{"id":"180998","name":"visual cortex"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"180999","name":"mice"},{"id":"181000","name":"visual field"},{"id":"181001","name":"cortical activity"},{"id":"181002","name":"motor response"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}