2013 News Archives
Successful Entrepreneur in Biomedical Devices Offers Advice
The biomedical devices domain is one of the toughest for an entrepreneur to break into. It is highly regulated, not only by the FDA in the United States, but by FDA-comparable regulatory agencies in just about every other developed country, which means a company may have to repeat, at great expense, the same clinical trials that were conducted to gain approval elsewhere. Venture capital is scarce, and many of the remaining VCs are more interested in funding projects that are at or near commercialization rather than start-ups.
Professor Laurel Carney Receives NIH-NIDCD Grant Renewal
Professor Laurel Carney received a renewal for another five years for her NIH-NIDCD grant entitled Auditory Processing of Complex Sounds.
The new emphasis for the next five years is to investigate neural coding of speech sounds, starting with vowels. This new direction is possible thanks to the collaboration with Professor Joyce McDonough from the Linguistics Department. This grant will support graduate students and a post-doc in BME, Linguistics, or related fields who are interested in speech coding in the brain.
Van Hove, Wilson, Benoit Publish Paper in Jove
Amy Van Hove, Brandon Wilson and Danielle Benoit, Ph.D. have published an article entitled, Microwave-assisted Functionalization of Poly(ethylene glycol) and On-resin Peptides for Use in Chain Polymerizations and Hydrogel Formation, in the Journal of Visualized Experiments (Jove). The paper discussed one of the main benefits to using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macromers in hydrogel formation is synthetic versatility. The ability to draw from a large variety of PEG molecular weights and configurations (arm number, arm length, and branching pattern) affords researchers tight control over resulting hydrogel structures and properties, including Young's modulus and mesh size. To view the video which illustrates a rapid, efficient, solvent-free, microwave-assisted method to methacrylate PEG precursors into poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDM) click here.
Super-Thin Membranes Clear the Way for Chip-Sized Pumps
The ability to shrink laboratory-scale processes to automated chip-sized systems would revolutionize biotechnology and medicine. For example, inexpensive and highly portable devices that process blood samples to detect biological agents such as anthrax are needed by the U.S. military and for homeland security efforts. One of the challenges of lab-on-a-chip
technology is the need for miniaturized pumps to move solutions through micro-channels. Electroosmotic pumps (EOPs), devices in which fluids appear to magically move through porous media in the presence of an electric field, are ideal because they can be readily miniaturized. EOPs, however, require bulky, external power sources, which defeats the concept of portability. But a super-thin silicon membrane developed at the University of Rochester could now make it possible to drastically shrink the power source, paving the way for diagnostic devices the size of a credit card.
BMES 2013 HIghlights: Coulter College, BME-IDEA, and the Distinguished Service Award
A University of Rochester student team won third place at Coulter College, a workshop that ran in conjunction with the Biomedical Engineering Society annual meeting that took place in Seattle, WA. Coulter College, which was comprised of fourteen schools from across the nation, was a two-day long workshop that involved student teams working with physicians to identify clinical needs. Once the needs were addressed, the teams then considered each idea as potential commercialization opportunities. The process involved brainstorming the ideas and coming up with possible solutions, while ultimately choosing the best idea to cultivate as a business venture. The idea is then pitched to a panel of judges and event participants. The University of Rochester team, comprised of CMTI students Spencer Klubben, Laura Hobbs, Erin Keegan, and BME undergrads Amanda Chen, Tiffany Kobee, and Matthew Levasseur, focused on opportunities in cardiovascular and rehabilitative health and their pitch focused on rehabilitative systems for the physical therapy market. Dr. Chandra and Dr. Gdowski led the student team. Congratulations!
Close Ties with Med Center Aid Quest to Heal Traumatic Injuries
A recent article in Hajim School of Engineering' and Applied Sciences' newsletter, The Full Spectrum, features examples of how tissue engineering research at the Biomedical Engineering Department, much of which is conducted in preclinical models to heal traumatic injuries, is bolstered by the work of BME faculty and graduate students in the laboratories of professors Awad, Benoit, and Buckley, capitalizing on close ties with the Center for Musculoskeletal Research.
Upcoming Seminar Featuring Dr. Yoav Medan
On September 24th, join us for a special seminar featuring Dr. Yoav Medan. Yoav Medan is the Chief Systems Architect at InSightec Ltd. in Israel, where he works on MRI-guided focused ultrasound technology. InSightec has been voted a top innovator by TIME Magazine for its revolutionary ultrasound system for noninvasive surgery. Prior to InSightec, he spent 17 years in research and management at the IBM Research Division and was elected to the IBM Academy of Technology. Dr. Medan has taught at the EE department at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, in addition to serving as a lecturer for Avionic Systems at the Aeronautical Engineering faculty, and mentors young entrepreneurs as part of the Technion AlumniTechnion for Life
program. Dr. Medan is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and holds over two dozen patents. He received his D.Sc. and B.Sc. (Summa Cum Laude) in Aeronautical Engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and a M.B.A diploma from Bradford University, UK.
Faculty to be featured on radio show
Several University faculty members are scheduled to be featured this week on WXXI's 1370 Connection. Benjamin Hayden, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences, will be the guest at noon today. He'll talk about neuroeconomics, the intersection of neuroscience and financial matters (e.g. gambling, investing in the stock market). At 1 p.m., the guests will be James McGrath, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Gregory Gdowski, executive director of the Center for Medical Technology Innovation. They'll discuss the process of converting biomedical research into commercially viable devices. Tomorrow at noon, Lynda Powell, professor of political science, will be on the program to talk about the effects of campaign contributions on the political process.
BME Students Participate in 2013 David T. Kearns Center Research Symposium
Fourteen BME students participated in this year's David T. Kearns Center Research Symposium. The symposium consists of research presentations by the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program Scholars and the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Xerox Engineering Fellows. This year's symposium was held in the Hoyt Auditorium on Friday, July 26, 2013.
New University/Industry Partnership Will Advance Optical Science and Engineering
A new center led by the University of Rochester will receive over $4 million in combined federal, industry and academic funding to advance the emerging area of freeform optics. Freeform optics could transform 21st century optical science. It could allow for a wider range of shapes for lenses and mirrors, which until recently had been mostly limited to spherical shapes, and they could be targeted to their use. Although the production of freeform surfaces became possible just a few years ago, researchers have already identified broad applications, including mobile displays, LED lighting, remote sensing devices and astronomical instrumentation.
Danielle Benoit Awarded Two Year Grant From New York Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM)
Danielle Benoit, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a two year grant from New York Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM), for the project, entitled: Promoting MSC-mediated musculoskeletal tissue regeneration using sustained, localized sirna delivery.This research will develop hydrogel-based, sustained and localized delivery systems for small interfering RNA (siRNA) to promote mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-mediated tissue regeneration. Our initial application for this approach is as a delivery system to enhance fracture healing.
Engineering Students to Help Doctors Bring Their Ideas to Life
Physicians can often name a medical device or procedure that would improve patient care - if only that device or procedure existed.
BMEidea 2013: Competition Winners
The BMEidea competition recognizes the best of the best in student-driven, innovative biomedical engineering design with high commercial potential and social impact. First held in 2005, winners of this annual competition are selected from some of the nation's top biomedical engineering departments and are judged by a panel of faculty and industry representatives. Winning entries solve a clinical problem; meet technical, economic, legal, and regulatory requirements; feature novel and practical designs; and show potential for commercialization.
BME Undergraduate Awarded Scholarship for 2013-14
BME undergraduate Amanda Chen has been awarded a Tau Beta Pi Scholarship for 2013-14, in the amount of $2,000 for a year of full-time academic study, or $1,000 for a semester or two quarters of full-time academic study. Amanda is currently studying therapeutic biomaterials for treating bone remodeling disorders in Dr. Danielle Benoit's lab. Congratulations Amanda!
Lemonade Calls Attention to Child Cancer Treatments
On most days, Danielle Benoit can be found in her lab developing better ways to administer medicines for treating diseases, particularly childhood cancer. This weekend, Benoit and the other researchers in her lab will show their support for the foundation that helps fund their research. They'll put down their beakers and syringes in favor of pitchers of lemonade in the spirit of the little girl who made it all possible.
Dr. Hocking's Work Recognized with TechConnect Innovation Award
Fibronectic Matrix Mimetic technology, developed by Professor Denise Hocking (Pharmacology and Physiology, BME), was recently recognized with a TechConnect Innovation Award. The TechConnect Innovation Awards recognize the top 20% of technologies at the TechConnect World Summit & Innovation. The technology was presented at TechConnect World by Patrick Emmerling Ph.D, M.B.A. from the UR Office of Technology Transfer. TechConnect World is designed to accelerate the translation of innovations from the laboratory to industry commercialization. Innovation rankings are based on the potential impact of the technology on the industry sector. Fibronectin matrix mimetics are novel extracellular matrix protein-based biologics developed to promote the healing of chronic wounds. The technology falls under a new and exciting class of therapies known as wound biologics.
Kelley Madden Receives 2-year DOD IDEA Expansion Grant
Kelley S. Madden, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor in Edward Brown's lab, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering has received a 2-year DOD IDEA Expansion Grant worth $575,000 for her project entitled, Alpha2-Adrenergic Receptors and Breast Tumor Stroma: A Novel Pathway Driving Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis. The project is based on the stress neurotransmitter norepinephrine which promotes breast tumor progression and metastasis. The grant will investigate how selective activation of one of the receptors for norepinephrine, the alpha2-adrenergic receptor, impacts tumor stromal cells and their modulation of the tumor extracellular matrix to promote tumor metastasis. The proposed research may lead to new therapies to treat metastatic breast cancer by targeting alpha2-adrenergic receptors.
BME Alumni Jess Snyder leads her team to International Victory!
The University of Rochester women's team beat out the others, completing the 3.5-mile course of Corporate Challenge Championship in a combined 1 hour, 24 minutes and 41 seconds. UR's Jessica Snyder (running the course in 20 minutes, 19 seconds) led Sarah Loerch, Kristina Maletz, and Christina deVries across the finish line.
BME Students Publish Paper on Novel Metric to Help NICU Nurses
A group of 2011 BME graduates have published an article in the journal of Early Human Development. This article started up as a class project in the Fall of their sophomore year, in BME 201P, that involved development of a Matlab tool to help nurses track painful procedures performed on babies in the NICU. At the end of that course, these students formed a research team to continue collaborating with Dr. Martin Schiavenato, who was then in the School of Nursing. This paper is the culmination of that two and a half year effort.
W. Spencer Klubben Wins Walt and Bobbi Makous Prize
The second recipient of the Walt and Bobbi Makous Prize has been awarded to: W. Spencer Klubben, a Biomedical Engineering senior working in Ania Majewska's laboratory. As a biomedical engineer, Spencer concentrated in medical optics and developed a strong interest in visual perception and development. Spencer's work has primarily focused on quantifying microglia's effect on neuroplasticity within the visual cortex and visual system. Most experimental methods have been focused around the utilization of optical imaging to analyze neuronal activity within mouse cortex. Experiments were conducted on mice with a varying dosage of CX3CR1, a single allele genetic fractalkine receptor responsible for the mobility of microglia. Spencer will receive the Makous Prize at a College-wide award ceremony on Saturday, May 19.
Richard Waugh Appointed Associate Vice President for Research
Richard Waugh, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been appointed to the newly-created position of associate vice president for research.
CVEL Awarded CTSI/UNYTE Pilot Collaborative Research Grant
The URMC Cardiovascular Engineering Lab (CVEL) has been awarded the 2013 CTSI/UNYTE pilot Collaborative research grant. The project, entitled, Regional Ultrasound Wall Strain Measurements to Predict Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) rupture, is led by PI's Ankur Chandra, M.D., RPVI, Karl Schwarz, M.D., Steven Day, Ph.D., and Dan Phillips, Ph.D.
URMC Lab Mixes Medicine and Engineering to Tackle Challenges in Vascular Surgery
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are one of the top ten causes of death in men over the age of 55, and upstate New York has higher rates of this condition than the rest of the country. Researchers are now working on patient-specific diagnosis and treatment, as the Innovation Trail's Kate O'Connell reports.
Jason Inzana Wins 2013 Alice L. Jee Award
Jason Inzana, Ph.D. candidate in Professor Hani Awad's Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering laboratory, has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2013 Alice L. Jee Young Investigator Award. For winning this award, Jason will have the honor of an invited presentation of a poster entitled Skeletally Immature Mice are More Susceptible than Mature Mice to the Detrimental Effects of High Fat Diet on Cancellous Bone in the Distal Femur
at the 42nd International Sun Valley Workshop poster session in Sun Valley, Idaho, in August 2013.
Forbes Competition Winners Named
Undergraduate engineering and applied science students presented their technical business plans to a panel of alumni and faculty judges to compete for cash prizes in the 2013 Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition. First place was Ovitz (Joungyoon Felix
Kim '14). Tied for second place were TrakOR (Sonja Page '13, Erin Schnellinger '13, Ankit Medhekar '13, W. Spencer Klubben '13, Matt Plakosh '13, and Michael Nolan '13) and Formation 3D (Steven Trambert '13, Alex Feiszli '14, and Eric Frank '13). Bio ReSolutions (Kyle Fedorchak '14 and Wai Ling Ye '13) was also a finalist.
Kelley Garvin receives Outstanding Dissertation Award
Kelley Garvin is the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award for Engineering. Kelley completed the requirements for the Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in December 2012 and her thesis is titled Ultrasound Technologies for the Spatial Patterning of Cells and Extracellular Matrix Proteins and the Vascularization of Engineered Tissue.
Kelley's Ph.D. research has exciting potential to provide new, noninvasive ultrasound-based fabrication processes that significantly advance the level of complexity of three-dimensional engineered tissues.
University of Rochester Students Showcase Innovative Solutions
Seniors at the University's Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have been spending much of the school year in problem-solving mode. In many cases, the students have been partnering with local companies and institutions over the past year to solve real-world engineering problems in the fields of medicine, alternative energy, optics, communications, and more.
Scott Seidman Named Engineering Professor of the Year
The University of Rochester Student's Association has named Biomedical Engineering and Neurobiology & Anatomy professor, Scott Seidman, The Undegraduate Engineering and Applied Sciences Professor of the Year.
BME Undergraduates Win President's, Dean's, and Professor's Choice Awards
Ian Marozas, a BME undergraduate in Danielle Benoit's lab, was awarded the President's Award for Undergraduate Research in Engineering and Applied Sciences, this afternoon at the Undergraduate Research Expo for his presentation Development of Targeted Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Osteoporosis. Also, Michael David won the Dean's Award for Undergraduate Research in Engineering & Applied Sciences for his talk Effect of High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes on Tendon Repair (Mentor: Dr. Robert Mooney) and Ka Lai Tsang won the Professor's Choice Award in Engineering and Applied Sciences for her poster Determination of Effective masses and parametric study of the organ of corti (Mentor:Jong-Hoon Nam).
BME Students Win Prestigious International da Vinci Award
The team of Biomedical Engineering undergraduate students who participated in the prestigious da Vinci Competiton has won a Student of da Vinci award!
Rochester Named One of Techie.com's Most Most Unexpected Cities for High-Tech Innovation
There are a handful of cities we think of, when we think of high-tech innovation and startups: San Francisco, New York, London, Bangalore, Tel Aviv . . . but today, high-tech development has been democratized. Easy and cheap availability of cloud-based resources, sophisticated telecommunications tools, platforms-as-a-service and lean models that accelerate the development and deployment process, and (sorry, California) a net outmigration from traditional tech centers, has already started to shift high-tech development to the most unlikely places.
BME Rochester Teams Advance in Business Plan Contest
Among the six University teams that have advanced to the New York Business Plan Competition finals, the Department of Biomedical Engineering has two teams vying for the top spot. The finalists include BME undergraduate team, TrakOR (W. Spencer Klubben, Ankit Medhekar, Michael Nolan, Sonja Page, Matt Plakosh, Erin Schnellinger) in the biotech/healthcare category and graduate team, MedThru ICT (Sarah Catheline, Nirish Kafle, Nick Lewandowski, Alvin Lomibao) in the information technology/software category.
BME Students at the University of Rochester Design Tricycle Controlled with One Hand
Five students at the University of Rochester have designed a tricycle control system that allows some people with disabilities to steer, brake and shift gears with one hand. The project is getting international recognition and is a finalist for a da Vinci Award this month. Martin Szeto is one of the students behind the MonoMano Cycling system. They worked under the guidance of Professors Laurel Carney and Amy Lerner at the U of R's Department of Biomedical Engineering.
BME Undergraduate, Amanda Chen, Named 2013 Goldwater Scholar
Biomedical Engineering (BME) Undergraduate, Amanda Chen ('14) has been selected as a 2013 Goldwater Scholar. Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 annually. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate.
NGP Graduate Student Ryan Dawes Awarded Grant from the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester
Neuroscience graduate student, Ryan Dawes, has been awarded a 2013 Breast Cancer Research Grant, from the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. The 1-year, $50,000 grant will fund his project, entitled Breast Cancer Exosomes, Novel Intermediaries in Psychosocial Stress-induced Tumor Pathogenesis and was only one of two applications to be awarded this prestigious grant. This work will investigate if psychosocial stress can modulate the number or content of secreted small vesicles (exosomes), and determine if this can alter the process of tumorigenesis in an animal model of spontaneous breast cancer as Ryan continues his research in Dr. Edward Brown's lab.
URMC Orthopaedics Ranks No. 1 in Nation in NIH Funding
The University of Rochester Medical Center's Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding for orthopaedic research, according to data released by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.
Rob Clark Named Senior Vice President for Research, Reappointed Dean of Hajim School
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Robert Clark has been named senior vice president for research at the University of Rochester, and has been appointed to a second, five-year term as dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. University President Joel Seligman made this announcement at a special March 5 event in Munnerlyn Atrium, Goergen Hall for Biomedical and Engineering. Both five-year appointments have been approved by the Board of Trustees and are effective April 1.
Hani Awad receives an Established Investigator grant from the MTF
Hani Awad, Ph.D., has received a 3-year, $300,000 grant from the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) for an Established Investigator research project entitled Teriparatide and Allograft Cartilage Derived Matrix for Regenerative Repair of Articular Cartilage.
The funded preclinical study will investigate the hypothesis that parathyroid hormone (PTH) therapy can enhance repair of knee cartilage defects grafted with a novel cartilage allograft derived matrix (CDM) compared to standard surgical methods currently in clinical practice. For more information please visit the Awad Lab.
Danielle Benoit Awarded Five Year Grant From NIH
Danielle Benoit, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering, has been awarded a five year grant from National Institutes of Health, specifically the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), for the project, entitled: Tissue engineering strategies to revitalize bone allografts. This project focuses on the revitalization of allografts using tissue-engineering strategies to recapitulate critical healing functions of the periosteum. Our objective is to develop periosteum mimetics composed of synthetic hydrogels (poly(ethylene glycol), PEG) for MSC transplantation to:
Laurel Carney Receives UR Research Mobility Travel Grant
Laurel Carney, Ph.D., has received a $5000 UR Research Mobility Travel Grants for the project, Establishing a Facility for Auditory Physiology in Awake Animals. The funds will be used in the summer of 2013 in a collaboration with the University of Malaysia and former Carney Lab Postdoctoral Fellow, Muhammad S. A. Zilany, Ph.D.
Hocking and Roy Research Image Featured on Cover of Tissue Engineering
An immunofluorescence image captured by Dan Roy has been featured on the cover of the February 2013 issue of the journal Tissue Engineering Part B. The image is from the recently published paper by Roy and Hocking titledRecombinant fibronectin matrix mimetics specify integrin adhesion and extracellular matrix assembly.
Dan Roy recently completed his PhD in BME in the laboratory of Professor Denise Hocking and is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Hocking is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and member of the Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound. For further details, see the article by Roy and Hocking in Tissue Engineering, Part A, 19:558-570; 2013.
Diane Dalecki and Kevin Parker Inducted Fellows of AIMBE
Diane Dalecki (Biomedical Engineering) and Kevin J. Parker (Electrical and Computer Engineering) were recently inducted as Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Diane Dalecki was recognized for The national and international leadership in the study of the biological effects of ultrasound and establishment of standards for ultrasound applications.
Kevin Parker was recognized For leadership and scientific contributions to biomedical imaging, including digital image enhancement, multi-modal image representation, and sonoelastography.
Dalecki and Parker are both members of the Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound (RCBU). The AIMBE Fellow Induction Ceremony was held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC.
URMC Orthopaedics Research Student Wins National Video Contest
Youssef Farhat, a BME MD/PhD student in the Awad Lab, has won first place in the Orthopaedic Research Society Video Outreach Competition for his 3-minute video raising awareness of Orthopaedic research in a way that is enjoyable and easy to understand.
URMC Orthopaedists Connect Science, Common Health Burdens
At a major orthopaedics meeting this weekend, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center are showcasing studies that merge some of the most significant modern health problems - obesity and type 2 diabetes, infections, and joint degeneration, for example -- with the latest musculoskeletal science.
UR, RIT Researchers Face New Pressure to Commercialize Work
When University of Rochester scientist James McGrath started his career, doing research that would lead to marketable products was not a priority.
Reasearchers Working on Dialysis Machine Small Enough to Hold in Your Hand
Imagine a dialysis machine small enough that a patient could wear it. A super-thin filtering material may allow researchers at the University of Rochester to revolutionize dialysis for patients with kidney disease. Jim McGrath, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, says the thinner the membrane that blood passes through, the more efficient its filtering capacity.