Andrew Laine, Ph.D.
Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor
Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Radiology (Physics), Department of Radiology
Director, Heffner Biomedical Imaging Laboratory
Columbia University, New York, NY

“Advances in Quantitative Analysis of Medical Images: Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart, Brain and Vasculature”

Dynamic cardiac metrics, including strains and displacements, can provide a quantitative approach to evaluate cardiac function. However, in current clinical diagnosis, strain measures in 2D are used despite the fact that cardiac motions are complex changes in 4D. Recent advances in 4D ultrasound enable the capability to capture such complex motion in real time. In our previous work, a 4D optical flow based motion tracking algorithm was developed to extract full 4D dynamic cardiac metrics from such 4D ultrasound data. In order to quantitatively evaluate this method, coronary artery occlusion experiments at various locations were performed on five canine hearts with 4D ultrasound and sonomicrometry data acquired during the occlusion. Optical flow displacement was then mapped onto a finite element field fitted model. Corresponding 4D ultrasound data from these experiments were then analyzed. Estimated principal strains were directly compared to those recorded by sonomicrometry showing strong agreement. This was the first validation study of optical flow based strain estimation for 4D cardiac ultrasound including a direct comparison with sonomicrometry on in vivo data. Finally, a clinical study is presented to validate the performance of 4D cardiac ultrasound strain measures to cardiac MRI using 3D DENSE and 3D CSPAMM as gold standards of myocardial strain.

The talk will also include recent research on other methods to quantify dynamic metrics in medical imaging such as hyper-spectral imaging of the retina for classification of dusen related to AMD, biomedical informatics and the integration of multimodal longitudinal data for diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases.

When: Thursday, May 16, 2013 4:10 PM

Where: 1005 GBSF

]]> http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/articles/2013/05/09/distinguished-seminar-andrew-laine/feed/ 0 http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/articles/2013/05/03/alumni-seminar-series-andy-hamel/ http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/articles/2013/05/03/alumni-seminar-series-andy-hamel/#comments Sat, 04 May 2013 00:05:34 +0000 Holly Ober http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/?p=6441 Industry vs. Academia, and the Future of Heath Care

BME Alumni Seminar given by Dr. Andrew Hamel on Thursday, May 9 at 4:10pm in the GBSF Auditorium, 1005 GSBF for our final Alumni seminar of this academic year.

Dr. Hamel received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Materials Science, as well as his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from UC Davis. He then completed his Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University in 2000.  Dr. Hamel currently works in the Endoscopy Division of Stryker, which focuses on development, manufacturing and distribution of endoscopic medical devices used in minimally invasive surgery.

Steven L. Jacques

Depts. of Biomedical Engineering & Dermatology, Oregon Health & Science University

“Optically probing the nanoarchitecture of cells and tissues.”

Optical measurements are sensitive to structures on the size scale of a wavelength of light. Hence, cellular and extra-cellular structures with sizes in the range of 200-2000 um dominate optical measurements of biological tissues. The contribution from very small structures (<200 um) is still detectable, however, as apparent “Rayleigh scattering” which is significant in tissues with collagen. Two measurements are able to discern the size distribution:

(1) Confocal reflectance measurements as the depth position (z) of the focus is scanned down into the tissue, R(z) = rho exp(-mu z). In this case, the factor rho is especially sensitive to the size distribution of the scattering structure within a tissue. Using rho, we have detected a single gene mutation (osteogenesis imperfecta) in mouse skin. We have detected the degradation of collagen fibers into fibrils by metal-metalloproteinases. We have detected the effects of “optical clearing” of dermis when dermis is soaked in glycerol.

(2) Wavelength dependence of diffuse light reflectance. In this case, the size distribution of structures in a tissue is described by A (d/1nm)^-B, a fractal distribution of sizes (d = diameter of structure). Such a distribution yields a wavelength (lambda [nm]) dependent reduced scattering coefficient, mus’(lambda) = a (lambda/1nm)^-b. The relationship of b versus B will be shown, along with values of b and apparent B for soft tissues and skin from the literature. Hence a diffuse light spectrum can characterize the sub-micron size distribution of the tissue structures.

Such measurements offer an opportunity to assess and monitor the nanoarchitecture and microarchitecture of skin and other tissues. Detecting the effects of pathology, actinic damage, and pharmaceuticals on the skin are potential applications of these non-invasive optical methods.

Biography

Steven L. Jacques, Ph.D., received a B.S. degree in Biology at M.I.T., and an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a Ph.D. degree in Biophysics and Medical Physics from the University of California-Berkeley (1984), where he used dielectric microwave measurements to explore the in vivo distribution of water in the stratum corneum of human skin.

His postdoctoral work was at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, rising to the position of Lecturer in Dermatology/Bioengineering, Harvard Medical School. His team developed the use of Monte Carlo computer simulations to study optical transport in biological tissues, which is now widely used in the field of biophotonics.

In 1988, he joined the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer as an Assistant Professor of Urology/Biophysics and established a laboratory developing novel laser and optical methods for medicine, later achieving a tenured position as Associate Professor. He developed a hand-held spectrometer and the analysis software to noninvasively measure hyperbilirubinemia in newborns. This device was patented, licensed, and FDA approved to replace painful heel stick tests, and is now in practice in neonatal care. As of 2009, over 20 million newborns had been tested with the device.

In 1996, he joined the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, where he now serves as Professor of Dermatology and Biomedical Engineering. His work continues on developing novel uses of optical technologies for both therapy and diagnosis. He developed a hand-held polarized light camera to visualize skin cancer margins and guide surgical excision, tested in clinical trials and licensed to a company. He developed in vivo sub-nm measurements of vibration of the cochlear membrane of the inner ear in animal models.

He currently works on bridging between the possibilities afforded by optical technologies and the needs of molecular and cellular biology. In particular, he is developing novel microscopes that are sensitive to the ultrastructure of cells and tissues. A current project is imaging the interaction of extracellular matrix and cancer cells (breast, head and neck).

When: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 4:10 PM

Where: 1005 GBSF

Reception Follows

Professor and Chair
Department of Bioengineering
Director, Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology
University of California, Los Angeles

“Biomimetic Strategies for Bone Regeneration”

This talk will highlight two biomimetic strategies that are being utilized for tissue regeneration, including a promising strategy to deliver novel growth factors to induce bone formation with biomimetic apatites which self-assemble to form ordered calcium phosphate minerals under near-physiological conditions. Despite the vast interest in these materials, relatively little is known about its detailed formation mechanism, and even less is known about its precise biological interactions during wound repair. This talk will review some of our current knowledge.

Prof. Ben Wu received his residency training in prosthodontics from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prof. Wu is currently Professor and Chair of the UCLA Department of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering, and the Chairman of the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics in the School of Dentistry. He is Director for the Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, and maintains a specialty practice limited to advanced oral rehabilitation.

When: Thursday May 2, 2013 4:10 PM

Where: 1005 GBSF

Shyni Varghese, Associate Professor of Bioengineering, UC San Diego

“Unraveling the Impact of Extracellular Matrix in Tissue Regeneration and Disease”

Reciprocal interactions of cells with their surrounding microenvironment are fundamental to multiple cellular processes necessary for tissue development, homeostasis, and regeneration. It is becoming increasingly apparent that while the extracellular environment normally maintains tissue homeostasis, when negatively perturbed, it may also contribute to disease progression and age dependent pathologies. However, it is still unknown how the extracellular matrix contributes to tissue regeneration and how changes in the extracellular matrix induces differential cellular responses in diseases. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts to delineate the role of the extracellular matrix on various cellular responses relevant to tissue regeneration and disease progression. First, we have developed a bone-like synthetic matrix by utilizing biomimetic approaches and studied the role of extracellular matrix cues on stem cell commitment both in vitro and in vivo. When used to treat bone defects, these biomimetic matrices recruited endogenous cells to repair the defects, in addition to directing cell fate. These biomimetic matrices have also allowed us to further unravel the molecular mechanism by which the biomimetic matrices promote bone tissue formation and to delineate the role of native bone-matrix on bone physiology. Second, we developed a single cell invasion assay to gain a quantitative understanding of cancer metastasis and the role of extracellular matrix properties during this process. Our findings how that the cells transition from a proteolytic independent mode of invasion into a dependent mode upon an increase in the mechanical resistance from the extracellular environment. The cells apply a finite amount of force to activate the “switch” between proteolytic independent blebmediated invasion to proteolytic dependent invadopodiamediated invasion. We have also uncovered the mechanism by which MT1-MMP, a key component of invadopodia, is transported from the cytoplasm of the cells to its periphery and the role of traction force on this process.

When: Thursday 4/25 4:10 pm

Where: 1005 GBSF

The David L. Weaver Endowed Lectures in Biophysics and Computational Biology

The University of California, Davis Genome Center Presents

Professor Joanna Aizenberg

Harvard University, School of Engineering and Applied Science

“Novel biomimetic ‘spiny’ surfaces in medical applications”

Dr. Aizenberg’s lecture will discuss the ability of organisms to respond to various stimuli, thereby providing an inspiration for modern engineering and science that seek to develop a new generation of materials with dynamic, adaptive properties. She will describe the synthesis, fabrication and characterization of new hybrid nano/micro-structures that mimic the echinoderm skin. She will demonstrate that these surfaces can be reversibly actuated and assembled into a variety of previously unseen structures with uniform, periodic or chiral nano/micro-patterns. The application of these novel substrates as a multifunctional platform for controlling mammalian and bacterial cell patterning, differentiation and function will be described.

Dr. Aizenberg pursues a broad range of research interests that include biomineralization, biomimetics, self-assembly, crystal engineering, surface chemistry, nanofabrication, biomaterials, biomechanics and biooptics. She received the B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1981, the M.S. degree in Physical Chemistry in 1984 from Moscow State University, and the Ph.D. degree in Structural Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1996. She then went to Harvard University where she did postdoctoral research with George Whitesides on micro/nanofabrication and near-field optics. In 2007 Aizenberg joined the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Dr. Aizenberg’s research is aimed at understanding some of the basic principles of biomineralization and the economy with which biology solves complex problems in the design of functional inorganic materials. She then uses biological principles as guidance in developing new, bio-inspired synthetic routes and nanofabrication strategies that would lead to advanced materials and devices. Aizenberg is one of the pioneers of this rapidly developing field of biomimetic inorganic materials synthesis.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

4:00PM – 5:00PM

1005 GBSF

Lecture will be streamed live to the Comprehensive Cancer Center rm 1101 on the UCDHS campus.

Reception to follow

The lecture is free and open to the community. The series honors the memory of David L. Weaver, a distinguished biophysicist and professor at Tufts University for whom the endowment was established in 2006. Its objective is to bring prominent scientists to UC Davis whose original research has been widely recognized as having a major impact in the fields of Biophysics and Computational Biology.

“The (Radically) Changing Landscape in Biomedical Technology Innovation”

We are in the early stages of an historic shift in medical technology innovation in which global developing economies will play a critical role. The markets for medical technologies are expanding much more rapidly in the BRIC countries than in the West, particularly China and India. The dynamics of these markets are spawning new technologies with a much lower cost profile than in the U.S. or Europe. At the same time in America we have entered a “perfect storm” for medical technology innovation, with increased regulatory barriers, uncertain reimbursement reform and diminished venture funding combining to slow the rate of new technology introduction here. One positive aspect of this situation for America is the potential for a “virtuous cycle” of low-cost innovation– that is, more affordable technologies developed for markets abroad will enter the U.S. market, which, in turn, will help force a new emphasis on cost effectiveness for products developed here. We will discuss the implications for training the next generation of medical technology innovators.

This year’s Maroney-Bryan Distinguished Lecturer is Paul Yock, M.D.Martha Meier Weiland Professor of Medicine and Director of Biodesign at Stanford University. He is Founding Co-Chair of Stanford’s new Department of Bioengineering, and also holds a courtesy appointment on Operations, Information and Technology in the Stanford School of Business.

Dr. Yock is internationally known for his work in inventing, developing and testing new devices, including the Rapid Exchange ™ balloon angioplasty system, which is now the primary system in use worldwide. He also invented a Doppler-guided access system known as the Smart Needle™ and PD-Access™.

The main focus of Dr. Yock’s research program has been in the field of intravascular ultrasound. He authored the fundamental patents for mechanical intravascular ultrasound imaging and helped conduct the initial clinical trials. In 1986 he founded Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, which was acquired by Boston Scientific in 1994. Dr. Yock has co-founded several other medical technology companies.

In his academic career Dr. Yock has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, chapters and editorials, a textbook and over 45 US patents. Recent awards include the Transcatheter Therapeutics (TCT) Career Achievement Award, the American College of Cardiology Distinguished Scientist Award and an honorary doctorate from Amherst College. Dr. Yock is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Current research interests of Dr. Yock’s group at Stanford focus on development and testing of catheter-based delivery systems for cardiac cell transplantation and new catheter and molecular imaging techniques for cardiology. Dr. Yock also founded and directs the Program in Biodesign, a unit of Stanford’s Bio-X initiative that focuses on invention and technology transfer related to biomedical engineering.

For a taste of what you’ll be hearing, watch a short video here: http://youtu.be/PBFzBtk-Gbg

Date: Friday, April 19, 2013

Time: 4:00 PM

Place: 1005 GBSF (GBSF Auditorium)

Reception in the lobby after the lecture.

“Interstitial Flow in the Tumor Microenvironment: Contributions to Cancer Invasion and Progression”

Cancer invasion and metastasis are major obstacles to successful therapeutic response. There are many contributing factors to the progression of cancer towards metastasis, including interactions with the surrounding microenvironment. Biophysical factors such as interstitial flow, mediated by increased drainage from the tumor, and matrix stiffening, mediated by activated fibroblasts, yield increased invasion of cancer cells and metastasis. In this talk, I will present data showing the role of interstitial flow in brain cancer invasion. I will provide evidence for a chemokine (CXCL12)-mediated mechanism, involving both increased cell motility and autologous chemotaxis, using in vitro 3D models of the tumor microenvironment. In order to understand the role of interstitial flow in vivo, I will present data involving manipulation of lymphangiogenesis in breast and skin cancer to alter drainage. Using these models, I will show support for a hypothesis that increased lymphangiogenesis is tightly linked to fibroblast-mediated stromal stiffening in the tumor and draining lymph node which is largely mediated by the growth factor TGFβ. I will discuss the implications of this research and generally interstitial flow and its effects on the stroma in cell-cell communication and immune response.

Bio:

Jennifer Munson earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and Neuroscience from Tulane University in 2006, receiving the Samuel L. Sullivan Award for Service and Scholarship. After working at Genentech for one year, she attended Georgia Tech in the Bioengineering Program. She focused her research on targeting brain cancer invasion to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy with funding from the National Science Foundation. During her time at Georgia Tech, she spent one year as a Fulbright Scholar in Switzerland to further expand her knowledge of the tumor microenvironment. She received her Ph.D. in 2011 and is now working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne as a Whitaker Scholar.

When:  Monday, 4/1/13 4:10 PM

Where: 1005 GBSF

David Meaney, S.R. Pollack Professor and Chair, Department of Bioengineering,University of Pennsylvania

“The Role of NMDA Receptor Mechanosensitivity in Regulating the Repair of Neural Circuitry after Traumatic Injury”

Mechanical forces influence the development, maintenance, and degeneration of the nervous system at many length scales. In this talk, we identify the molecular domains of the NMDA receptor that regulate its unique mechanosensitivity, and study how this mechanosensitivity is a key aspect that underlies the role of the NMDA receptor in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We use imaging-based methods to study how receptor mechanosensitivity influences the synchrony of neural circuits. We examine how the local coherence of activity in mechanically injured circuits regulates their repair, and test how neuroglial coupling regulates this repair process. We explore potential upstream therapeutic targets to reverse these mechanically-regulated changes in neural circuits, and identify a new therapeutic target for reducing impairments in a preclinical model of TBI.

David Meaney is S. R. Pollack Professor and Chair in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Meaney joined the Penn Engineering faculty in 1993 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MS and PhD degrees in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. His current research focuses on understanding the mechanical cues that regulate injury, repair, and growth in cells and tissues of the central nervous system. Applications of the work include understanding the causes and treatments for traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. He holds a secondary appointment in the department of neurosurgery within the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn. Dr. Meaney serves as the chair of the department of bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The author of numerous journal and conference publications, Dr. Meaney’s work has appeared in a broad spectrum of venues, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Clinical Neurology, the Journal of Neuroscience, and the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. He has received numerous awards including the William J. Stickel Gold Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the John Paul Stapp Award, and the Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award in the field of bioengineering.

When: Thursday March 14, 2013 4:10 PM

Where: 1005 GBSF