{"215841":{"#nid":"215841","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH Director Visits Georgia Research Community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia university research community welcomed Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday, May 30, 2013.\u0026nbsp; On the heels of learning the specifics on how the sequestration will impact the NIH, Collins spent time with administrators and researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, University of Georgia (UGA), Georgia State University and Morehouse School of Medicine. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe group spent the morning highlighting NIH funded research. Scientists representing Georgia Tech included Robert Guldberg, Ph.D., executive director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and professor in mechanical engineering, who spoke to Collins about the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center, a partnership between Emory University and Georgia Tech focused on endogenous repair and healing of nerves, bone, metabolic and cardiac applications.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETodd McDevitt, Ph.D., director of the Stem Cell Engineering Center and associate professor in biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech, presented four projects funded with NIH dollars, including wound healing studies from a \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/commonfund.nih.gov\/highrisk\/index.aspx\u0022\u003ETransformative Research Award\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d a program developed to fund \u201chigh-risk, high-reward\u201d science under the NIH\u2019s Common Fund.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGiven that Dr. Collins \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/directorsblog.nih.gov\/exploiting-stem-cell-stickiness-for-sorting\/\u0022\u003Erecently dedicated a blog post\u003C\/a\u003E on the ongoing research of Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda, Todd McDevitt, Hang Lu and Steve Stice from UGA, we were excited to share the great work being done in regenerative medicine and in stem cells,\u201d explained Stephen Cross, Ph.D., executive vice president for research.\u0026nbsp;\u201cBob and Todd were able to present ongoing NIH funded work for which Dr. Collins expressed both admiration and strong support.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELater that morning, administration from each university traveled to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where they were joined by representatives from Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Regents University, Georgia Southern University and Mercer University for further discussions with Congressman Jack Kingston, Collins and Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H, director for the Center for Disease Control.\u0026nbsp; Each representative highlighted their NIH and\/or CDC funded research as well as shared concerns regarding sequestration impacts on each university\u2019s budget and ultimately the state\u2019s economy.\u0026nbsp; Representatives also provided Collins and Frieden with suggestions on specific grant programs and reporting, peer review processes and programs aimed at diversifying the healthcare workforce. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDue to the sequestration, the NIH\u2019s budget will fall by $1.71 billion in 2013, which represents a 5% decrease.\u0026nbsp; As a result, NIH expects to fund 703 fewer new and competing research grants this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis decline in funding will have an impact on our Georgia universities, including Georgia Tech, which was awarded $41.3 million from the NIH in 2012.\u0026nbsp; NIH estimates that every \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nih.gov\/about\/impact\/economy.htm\u0022\u003E$1 in NIH funding generates $2.21 in local economic growth\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs for how these cuts will affect individual research labs, that may not be known for some time. However, Collins is already seeking anecdotes of the sequestration\u2019s impact via a twitter discussion using the hashtag #NIHSequesterImpact.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Tech has created a sequestration information webpage, which includes the latest updates from Georgia Tech and many of its federal search sponsors.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tlw-proxy.gatech.edu\/research\/faculty-and-staff-resources\/sequestration-updates\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/tlw-proxy.gatech.edu\/research\/faculty-and-staff-resources\/sequestration-updates\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The Georgia university research community welcomed Francis Collins."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia university research community welcomed Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday, May 30, 2013.\u0026nbsp; On the heels of learning the specifics on how the sequestration will impact the NIH, Collins spent time with administrators and researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, University of Georgia (UGA), and Morehouse School of Medicine. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Timely visit on heels of learning the specifics on how the sequestration will impact the NIH"}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2013-05-31 17:58:49","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:20","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"215851":{"id":"215851","type":"image","title":"Bob Guldberg and Steve Cross with Francis Collins","body":null,"created":"1449180114","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:54","changed":"1475894879","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:59","alt":"Bob Guldberg and Steve Cross with Francis Collins","file":{"fid":"197112","name":"photo_copy_2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/photo_copy_2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/photo_copy_2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2766081,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/photo_copy_2_0.jpg?itok=1LtSPlsh"}},"215861":{"id":"215861","type":"image","title":"Todd McDevitt presenting to Francis Collins","body":null,"created":"1449180114","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:54","changed":"1475894879","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:59","alt":"Todd McDevitt presenting to Francis Collins","file":{"fid":"197113","name":"photo_copy_3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/photo_copy_3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/photo_copy_3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2048410,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/photo_copy_3_0.jpg?itok=G-1s0NLZ"}}},"media_ids":["215851","215861"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/directorsblog.nih.gov\/exploiting-stem-cell-stickiness-for-sorting\/","title":"Francis Collins Blog"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.nih.gov\/","title":"National Institutes of Health"},{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"url":"http:\/\/guldberglab.gatech.edu\/","title":"Guldberg Musculoskeletal Research Lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/mcdevitt.gatech.edu\/","title":"McDevitt Research Lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"497","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"11629","name":"Robert Guldberg"},{"id":"167317","name":"Steve Cross"},{"id":"760","name":"Todd McDevitt"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Efor Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:tnagel@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETeri A. Nagel, APR\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gov.gatech.edu\/community\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Government \u003Cbr \/\u003Eand\u0026nbsp;Community Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kirk.englehardt@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKirk Englehardt\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\u0022\u003EOffice of the Executive Vice \u003Cbr \/\u003EPresident for Research\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/comm\/\u0022\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"214191":{"#nid":"214191","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Emory, Georgia Tech receive first human exposome center grant in U.S.","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EInvestigators at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, along with partners at the Georgia Institute of Technology, have received a $4 million grant over four years to establish the HERCULES Center at Emory University (Health and Exposome Research Center: Understanding Lifetime Exposures). The grant is the first exposome-based center grant awarded in the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe HERCULES Center is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health as an Environmental Health Sciences Core Center. This NIEHS initiative is designed to establish leadership and support for programs of excellence in environmental health sciences by providing scientific guidance, technology and career development opportunities for promising investigators.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe exposome is a relatively new concept that incorporates all of the exposures encountered by humans. It is proposed to be the environmental equivalent of the human genome and includes lifetime exposures to environmental pollutants in food, water, physical activity, medications, homes and daily stressors. Exposome research looks at the holistic view of the human body\u2019s exposures, how the body responds to those exposures, and their combined effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHERCULES is more than an acronym,\u201d explains Gary W. Miller, PhD, professor and associate dean for research at the Rollins School of Public Health, and director of the HERCULES Center. \u201cSequencing of the human genome project was a Herculean task, and determining the impact of the complex exposures we face throughout our lives represents a similarly difficult challenge. The exposome itself represents all of the external forces that act upon us. We know that measuring the exposome will be extremely difficult, but very worthwhile.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists believe that when coupled with a growing understanding of genetics, the exposome will help uncover the causes of many complex disorders, such as autism, asthma and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased at Emory\u2019s School of Public Health, the HERCULES Center comprises 38 investigators from both Emory and Georgia Tech. The center aims to promote the importance of the environment at a level equivalent to that of genetics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA key feature of the HERCULES Center is the Systems Biology Core headed by Eberhard Voit, PhD, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Voit is a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. The Systems Biology Core will provide expertise in computational approaches used to analyze and integrate large datasets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAssessing the enormous complexity of the exposome means entering uncharted territory and a unique opportunity for exploring and applying concepts and computational technologies that are just emerging in the nascent field of systems biology,\u201d says Voit, who is also the David D. Flanagan Chair in the biomedical engineering department. \u201cWe are very excited that Georgia Tech and Emory will venture into this new field together to learn and gain a greatly improved understanding of health and disease.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is such exciting news for us all,\u201d explains Paige Tolbert, PhD, chair of Environmental Health at Rollins School of Public Health and deputy director of the HERCULES Center. \u201cThis is a terrific development for the department, the school, the university and our bridge with Georgia Tech and beyond.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe HERCULES Center aims to promote the concept of the human exposome project on both a national and international level and welcomes research outside of Emory and Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EInvestigators at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, along with partners at the Georgia Institute of Technology, have received a $4 million grant over four years to establish the HERCULES Center at Emory University (Health and Exposome Research Center: Understanding Lifetime Exposures). The grant is the first exposome-based center grant awarded in the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u2013 Investigators at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, along with partners at the Georgia Institute of Technology, have received a $4 million grant over four years to establish the HERCULES Center at Emory University."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2013-05-22 12:00:04","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:16","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"71738":{"id":"71738","type":"image","title":"Eberhard Voit (CSE, BME) Headshot Fall 2011","body":null,"created":"1449177396","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:16:36","changed":"1475894642","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:02","alt":"Eberhard Voit (CSE, BME) Headshot Fall 2011","file":{"fid":"193575","name":"12c1002-p1-160.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12c1002-p1-160_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12c1002-p1-160_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":8894,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12c1002-p1-160_0.jpg?itok=WUdyMiGF"}}},"media_ids":["71738"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/","title":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=81","title":"Eberhard Voit"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"36141","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University"},{"id":"251","name":"Eberhard Voit"},{"id":"2305","name":"Emory University"},{"id":"66731","name":"Rollins School of Public Health"}],"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\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"213961":{"#nid":"213961","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Soft Matter Offers Ways to Study Arrangement of Ordered Materials in Non-spherical Spaces","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA fried breakfast food popular in Spain provided the inspiration for the development of doughnut-shaped droplets that may provide scientists with a new approach for studying fundamental issues in physics, mathematics and materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe doughnut-shaped droplets, a shape known as toroidal, are formed from two dissimilar liquids using a simple rotating stage and an injection needle. About a millimeter in overall size, the droplets are produced individually, their shapes maintained by a surrounding springy material made of polymers. Droplets in this toroidal shape made of a liquid crystal \u2013 the same type of material used in laptop displays \u2013 may have properties very different from those of spherical droplets made from the same material.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology don\u2019t have a specific application for the doughnut-shaped droplets yet, they believe the novel structures offer opportunities to study many interesting problems, from looking at the properties of ordered materials within these confined spaces to studying how geometry affects how cells behave.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur experiments provide a fresh approach to the way that people have been looking at these kinds of problems, which is mainly theoretical. We are doing experiments with toroids whose geometry can be precisely controlled in the lab,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/alberto-fernandez-nieves\u0022\u003EAlberto Fernandez-Nieves\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThis work opens up a new way to experimentally look at problems that nobody has been able to study before. The properties of toroidal surfaces are very different, from a general point of view, from those of spherical surfaces.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDevelopment of these \u201cstable nematic droplets with handles\u201d was described May 20 in the early edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E (PNAS). The research has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and also involves researchers at the Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics at Leiden University in The Netherlands and at York University in the United Kingdom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDroplets normally form spherical shapes to minimize the surface area required to contain a given volume of liquid. Though they appear to be simple, when an ordered material like a crystal or a liquid crystal lives on the surface of a sphere, it provides interesting challenges to mathematicians and theoretical physicists.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA physicist who focuses on soft condensed matter, Fernandez-Nieves had long been interested in the theoretical aspects of curved surfaces. Working with graduate research assistant Ekapop Pairam and postdoctoral fellow Jayalakshmi Vallamkondu, he wanted to extend the theoretical studies into the experimental world for a system of toroidal shapes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut could doughnut-shaped droplets be made in the lab?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe partial answer came from churros Fernandez-Nieves ate as a child growing up in Spain. These \u201cSpanish doughnuts\u201d \u2013 actually spirals \u2013 are made by injecting dough into hot oil while the dough is spun and fried.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the lab at a much smaller size scale, the researchers found they could use a similar process with two immiscible liquids such as glycerine or water and oil, a needle and a magnetically-controlled rotating stage. A droplet of glycerine is injected into the rotating stage containing the oil. In certain conditions, a jet forms at the needle, which closes up into a torus because of the imposed rotation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou can control the two relevant curvatures of the torus,\u201d explained Fernandez-Nieves. \u201cYou can control how large it is because you can move the needle with respect to the rotation axis. You can also infuse more volume to make the torus thicker.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf the stage is then turned off, however, the drop of glycerine quickly loses its doughnut shape as surface tension forces it to become a traditional spherical droplet. To maintain the toroidal shape, Fernandez-Nieves and his collaborators replace the surrounding oil with a springy polymeric material; the springy character of this material provides a force that can overcome surface tension forces.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen you are making the toroid, the forces on the needle are large enough that the surrounding material behaves as a fluid,\u201d he explained.\u0026nbsp; \u201cOnce you stop, the elasticity of the outside fluid overcomes surface tension and that freezes the structure in place.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers have been using the doughnut shapes to study how liquid crystal materials, which are well known for their applications in laptop displays, organize inside the torus. These materials have degrees of order beyond those of simple liquids such as water. For these materials, the toroidal shape provides a new set of study opportunities from both theoretical and experimental perspectives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis changes how you think about a liquid inside a container,\u201d said Fernandez-Nieves. \u201cThe materials will still adopt the shape of the container, but its energy will be different depending on the shape. The materials feel distortions and will try to minimize them. In a given shape, the molecules in these materials will rearrange themselves to minimize these distortions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the surprises is that the nematic droplets created with toroidal shapes become chiral, that is, they adopt a certain twisting direction and break their mirror symmetry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn our case, the materials we are using are not chiral under normal circumstances,\u201d he noted. \u201cThis was a surprise to us, and it has to do with how we are confining the molecules.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond looking at the dynamics of creating the droplets and how ordered materials behave when the torus transforms into a sphere, Fernandez-Nieves and colleagues are also exploring potential biological applications, applying electrical fields to the droplets, and sharing the unique structures with scientists at other institutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is the first time that stable nematic droplets have been generated with handles, and we have exploited that to look at the nematic organization inside those spaces,\u201d said Fernandez-Nieves. \u201cOur experiments open up a versatile new approach for generating handled droplets made of an ordered material that can self-assemble into interesting and unexpected structures when confined to these non-spherical spaces. Now that theoreticians realize we can generate and study these systems, there may be much more development in this area.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the paper\u2019s authors included V. Koning, B.C. van Zuiden and V. Vitelli from Leiden University, M.A. Bates from the University of York in the United Kingdom, and P.W. Ellis from Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research described here has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation under CAREER award DMR-0847304. The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: E. Pairam, et al., \u201cStable nematic droplets with handles,\u201d (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA fried breakfast food popular in Spain provided the inspiration for the development of doughnut-shaped droplets that may provide scientists with a new approach for studying fundamental issues in physics, mathematics and materials.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A fried breakfast food helped inspire development of doughnut-shaped droplets that may lead to new fundamental studies."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-05-20 20:47:47","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:16","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"213901":{"id":"213901","type":"image","title":"Toroidal droplets","body":null,"created":"1449180096","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:36","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"Toroidal droplets","file":{"fid":"197010","name":"toroidal-droplets401.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toroidal-droplets401_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toroidal-droplets401_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1155081,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/toroidal-droplets401_0.jpg?itok=BIlkrLaR"}},"213921":{"id":"213921","type":"image","title":"Toroidal droplets3","body":null,"created":"1449180096","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:36","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"Toroidal 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droplets5","file":{"fid":"197014","name":"toroidal-droplets291.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toroidal-droplets291_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toroidal-droplets291_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":972280,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/toroidal-droplets291_0.jpg?itok=hKsU5V6x"}},"213951":{"id":"213951","type":"image","title":"Toroidal droplets6","body":null,"created":"1449180096","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:36","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"Toroidal droplets6","file":{"fid":"197015","name":"toroidal-droplets71.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toroidal-droplets71_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/toroidal-droplets71_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1761609,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/toroidal-droplets71_0.jpg?itok=6DrLV2kB"}}},"media_ids":["213901","213921","213911","213931","213941","213951"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"66681","name":"Alberto Fernandez-Nieves"},{"id":"66651","name":"nematic"},{"id":"66671","name":"non-spherical"},{"id":"66661","name":"ordered materials"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"167858","name":"soft matter"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"213701":{"#nid":"213701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Principles of Ant Locomotion Could Help Future Robot Teams Work Underground","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFuture teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire ant, a much despised insect whose painful bites and extensive networks of underground tunnels are all-too-familiar to people living in the southern United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/youtu.be\/3TQzY_HRAgE\u0022\u003EWatch\u003C\/a\u003E a YouTube video of this project.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy studying fire ants in the laboratory using video tracking equipment and X-ray computed tomography, researchers have uncovered fundamental principles of locomotion that robot teams could one day use to travel quickly and easily through underground tunnels. Among the principles is building tunnel environments that assist in moving around by limiting slips and falls, and by reducing the need for complex neural processing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the study\u2019s surprises was the first observation that ants in confined spaces use their antennae for locomotion as well as for sensing the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur hypothesis is that the ants are creating their environment in just the right way to allow them to move up and down rapidly with a minimal amount of neural control,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/daniel-goldman\u0022\u003EDaniel Goldman\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and one of the paper\u2019s co-authors. \u201cThe environment allows the ants to make missteps and not suffer for them. These ants can teach us some remarkably effective tricks for maneuvering in subterranean environments.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was reported May 20 in the early edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E. The work was sponsored by the National Science Foundation\u2019s Physics of Living Systems program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a series of studies carried out by graduate research assistant Nick Gravish, groups of fire ants (\u003Cem\u003ESolenopsis invicta\u003C\/em\u003E) were placed into tubes of soil and allowed to dig tunnels for 20 hours. To simulate a range of environmental conditions, Gravish and postdoctoral fellow Daria Monaenkova varied the size of the soil particles from 50 microns on up to 600 microns, and also altered the moisture content from 1 to 20 percent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the variations in particle size and moisture content did produce changes in the volume of tunnels produced and the depth that the ants dug, the diameters of the tunnels remained constant \u2013 and comparable to the length of the creatures\u2019 own bodies: about 3.5 millimeters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIndependent of whether the soil particles were as large as the animals\u2019 heads or whether they were fine powder, or whether the soil was damp or contained very little moisture, the tunnel size was always the same within a tight range,\u201d said Goldman. \u201cThe size of the tunnels appears to be a design principle used by the ants, something that they were controlling for.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGravish believes such a scaling effect allows the ants to make best use of their antennae, limbs and body to rapidly ascend and descend in the tunnels by interacting with the walls and limiting the range of possible missteps.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn these subterranean environments where their leg motions are certainly hindered, we see that the speeds at which these ants can run are the same,\u201d he said. \u201cThe tunnel size seems to have little, if any, effect on locomotion as defined by speed.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers used X-ray computed tomography to study tunnels the ants built in the test chambers, gathering 168 observations. They also used video tracking equipment to collect data on ants moving through tunnels made between two clear plates \u2013 much like \u201cant farms\u201d sold for children \u2013 and through a maze of glass tubes of differing diameters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe maze was mounted on an air piston that was periodically fired, dropping the maze with a force of as much as 27 times that of gravity. The sudden movement caused about half of the ants in the tubes to lose their footing and begin to fall. That led to one of the study\u2019s most surprising findings: the creatures used their antennae to help grab onto the tube walls as they fell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of us who have studied social insects for a long time have never seen antennae used in that way,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/people\/michael-goodisman\u0022\u003EMichael Goodisman\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biology\u003C\/a\u003E and one of the paper\u2019s other co-authors. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible that they catch themselves with their antennae. This is an adaptive behavior that we never would have expected.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy analyzing ants falling in the glass tubes, the researchers determined that the tube diameter played a key role in whether the animals could arrest their fall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn future studies, the researchers plan to explore how the ants excavate their tunnel networks, which involves moving massive amounts of soil. That soil is the source of the large mounds for which fire ants are known.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the research focused on understanding the principles behind how ants move in confined spaces, the results could have implications for future teams of small robots.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe problems that the ants face are the same kinds of problems that a digging robot working in a confined space would potentially face \u2013 the need for rapid movement, stability and safety \u2013 all with limited sensing and brain power,\u201d said Goodisman. \u201cIf we want to build machines that dig, we can build in controls like these ants have.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhy use fire ants for studying underground locomotion?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese animals dig virtually non-stop, and they are good, repeatable study subjects,\u201d Goodisman explained. \u201cAnd they are very convenient for us to study. We can go outside the laboratory door and collect them virtually anywhere.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research described here has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant POLS 095765, and by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Nick Gravish, et al., \u201cClimbing, falling and jamming during ant locomotion in confined environments,\u201d (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFuture teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire ant, a much despised insect whose painful bites and extensive networks of underground tunnels are all-too-familiar to people living in the southern United States.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Future teams of subterranean robots could benefit from research into how ants move in confined spaces."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-05-19 20:52:53","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:16","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"213651":{"id":"213651","type":"image","title":"Confined Spaces Locomotion - 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J. Brandon Dixon, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled \u201cLymphatic on a chip as a model for lymphatic filariasis (LF) parasites.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrand Challenges Explorations (GCE) funds individuals worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges. Dixon\u2019s project is one of the Grand Challenges Explorations Round 10 grants announced May 21 by the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo receive funding, Dixon and other Grand Challenges Explorations Round 10 winners demonstrated in a two-page online application a bold idea in one of four critical global heath and development topic areas that included agriculture development, neglected tropical diseases and communications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe grant will fund development of a tissue-engineered model of the human lymphatic system that will support laboratory research into lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease known to cause elephantiasis. According to the World Health Organization, the mosquito-borne disease affects more than 120 million persons in tropical areas of the world, and can cause severe disfigurement. The parasitic worms that cause lymphatic filariasis are difficult to study because the most common species of the parasite can survive only in humans. While less common species can be maintained in felines or gerbils, they are challenging to culture long-term outside the host. The model that Dixon plans to develop would use human cells housed within fabricated microfluidic devices to closely simulate the environment where the adult worms live within their hosts, allowing the parasites to be studied longer term in vitro.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe would use this human lymphatic environment on a microfluidic chip to study the progression of the disease and the communication between the host and the parasite,\u201d explained Dixon, who is also a member of Georgia Tech\u2019s Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u201cWe could also scale this up to evaluate new pharmaceutical compounds that could potentially target the worm.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe microfluidic system will include human lymphatic endothelial cells, which are the primary cell type in contact with the worms in the body. Researchers will also include human dermal fibroblasts \u2013 an important cell type in the skin where the mosquito first delivers the parasitic infection \u2013 and the immune cells that fight infection long-term. Beyond creating the cellular environment needed to support the worms, the researchers will also design a matrix to house the living cells, determine which hormones and nutrients are needed, and establish appropriate fluid flow rates for the microfluidic devices to recreate the hydrodynamic forces the worms encounter in the body. The devices will be integrated into an optical platform that would allow researchers to quantify the activity of the worms over extended periods of time using automated image analysis algorithms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond studying lymphatic filariasis, Dixon believes a lymphatic system on a chip could ultimately support broader areas of research into disorders of this bodily system. The human lymphatic system has historically been underappreciated and is challenging to study because it is difficult to image, the vessels involved are small and the flow rates are very low compared to blood vasculature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Grand Challenges Explorations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGrand Challenges Explorations is a $100 million initiative funded by the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. Launched in 2008, over 800 people in more than 50 countries have received Grand Challenges Explorations grants. The grant program is open to anyone from any discipline and from any organization. The initiative uses an agile, accelerated grant-making process with short two-page online applications and no preliminary data required. Initial grants of $100,000 are awarded two times a year. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of up to $1 million.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has won a Grand Challenges Explorations Grant from the Bill \u0026amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.\u0026nbsp; J. Brandon Dixon, assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled \u201cLymphatic on a chip as a model for lymphatic filariasis (LF) parasites.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech has won a Grand Challenges Exploration grant to support development of a lymphatic system on a chip."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-05-20 11:14:39","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:16","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"213751":{"id":"213751","type":"image","title":"Lymphatic on a Chip","body":null,"created":"1449180096","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:36","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"Lymphatic on a Chip","file":{"fid":"197005","name":"lymphatic-system22273.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lymphatic-system22273_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lymphatic-system22273_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":912466,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lymphatic-system22273_0.jpg?itok=oOKu1zNN"}},"213761":{"id":"213761","type":"image","title":"Lymphatic on a Chip2","body":null,"created":"1449180096","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:36","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"Lymphatic on a Chip2","file":{"fid":"197006","name":"lymphatic-system79385.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lymphatic-system79385_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lymphatic-system79385_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":711158,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lymphatic-system79385_0.jpg?itok=ZL9fK7Lb"}}},"media_ids":["213751","213761"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"23201","name":"brandon dixon"},{"id":"9315","name":"Gates Foundation"},{"id":"66571","name":"Grand Challenges Explorations"},{"id":"5634","name":"Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"66561","name":"lymphatic"},{"id":"66581","name":"lymphatic filariasis"},{"id":"12427","name":"microfluidics"},{"id":"7631","name":"parasite"},{"id":"167377","name":"School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"213721":{"#nid":"213721","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Suggests Drug Side Effects Inevitable; Basic Physics Enabled Early Biochemistry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets \u2013 sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins \u2013 is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid. The study also found that the fundamental biochemical processes needed for life could have been enabled by the simple physics of protein folding. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudying a set of artificial proteins and comparing them to natural proteins, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have concluded that there may be no more than about 500 unique protein pocket configurations that serve as binding sites for small molecule ligands. Therefore, the likelihood that a molecule intended for one protein target will also bind with an unintended target is significant, said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/people\/jeffrey-skolnick\u0022\u003EJeffrey Skolnick\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biology\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur study provides a rationalization for why a lot of drugs have significant side effects \u2013 because that is intrinsic to the process,\u201d said Skolnick. \u201cThere are only a relatively small number of different ligand binding pockets. The likelihood of having geometry in an amino acid composition that will bind the same ligand turns out to be much higher than anyone would have anticipated. This means that the idea that a small molecule could have just one protein target can\u2019t be supported.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch on the binding pockets was published May 20 in the early edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESkolnick and collaborator Mu Gao have been studying the effects of physics on the activity of protein binding, and contrasting the original conditions created by the folding of amino acid residues against the role played by evolution in optimizing the process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe basic physics of the system provides the mechanism for molecules to bind to proteins,\u201d said Skolnick, who is director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cssb.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for the Study of Systems Biology\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech. \u201cYou don\u2019t need evolution to have a system that works on at least a low level. In other words, proteins are inherently capable of engaging in biochemical function without evolution\u2019s selection. Beyond unintended drug effects, this has a lot of implications for the biochemical component of the origins of life.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBinding pockets on proteins are formed by the underlying secondary structure of the amino acids, which is directed by hydrogen bonding in the chemistry. That allows formation of similar pockets on many different proteins, even those that are not directly related to one another.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou could have the same or very similar pockets on the same protein, the same pockets on similar proteins, and the same pockets on completely dissimilar proteins that have no evolutionary relationship. In proteins that are related evolutionarily or that have similar structures, you could have very dissimilar pockets,\u201d said Skolnick, who is also a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. \u201cThis helps explain why we see unintended effects of drugs, and opens up a new paradigm for how one has to think about discovering drugs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe implications of this \u201cbiochemical noise\u201d for the drug discovery process could be significant. To counter the impact of unintended effects, drug developers will need to know more about the available pockets so they can avoid affecting binding locations that are also located on proteins critical to life processes. If the inevitable unintended binding takes place on less critical proteins, the side effects may be less severe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, drug development could also move to a higher level, examining the switches that modulate the activity of proteins beyond binding sites. That may require a different approach to drug development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe strategy for minimizing side effects and maximizing positive effects may have to operate at a higher level,\u201d Skolnick said. \u201cYou are never going to be able to design unintended binding effects away. But you can minimize the undesirable effects to some extent.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn their study, Skolnick and Gao used computer simulations to produce a series of artificial proteins that were folded according the laws of physics, but not optimized for function. Using an algorithm that compares pairs of pockets and assesses the statistical significance of their structural overlap, they analyzed the similarity between the binding pockets in the artificial proteins and the pockets on a series of native proteins. The artificial pockets all had corresponding pockets on the natural proteins, suggesting that the simple physics of folding has been a major factor in development of the pockets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is how life, at least the biochemistry of life, could have gotten started,\u201d said Skolnick. \u201cEvolution would have optimized the functions, but you don\u2019t need that to get started at a low level of efficiency. If you had a soup of our artificial proteins, even with no selection you could at least do low-level biochemistry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough the basic biochemistry of life was made possible by simple physics, optimizing the binding process to allow the efficiencies seen in modern organisms would have required evolutionary selection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is the first time that it has been shown that side effects of drugs are an inherent, fundamental property of proteins rather than a property that can be controlled for in the design,\u201d Skolnick added. \u201cThe physics involved is more important than had been generally appreciated.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch reported in this news release was supported by the Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number GM48835. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Jeffrey Skolnick and Mu Gao, \u201cInterplay of physics and evolution in the likely origin of protein biochemical function,\u201d (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013).\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets \u2013 sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins \u2013 is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid. The study also found that the fundamental biochemical processes needed for life could have been enabled by the simple physics of protein folding.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A study of computer-created and natural proteins suggests that drug side effects may be impossible to avoid."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-05-19 21:12:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:16","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"213711":{"id":"213711","type":"image","title":"Drug Side Effects","body":null,"created":"1449180096","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:36","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"Drug Side Effects","file":{"fid":"197004","name":"binding-pockets.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/binding-pockets_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/binding-pockets_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":623102,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/binding-pockets_0.jpg?itok=EPvEEMXp"}}},"media_ids":["213711"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"919","name":"Biochemistry"},{"id":"692","name":"drug"},{"id":"11937","name":"Jeffrey Skolnick"},{"id":"7031","name":"pharmaceutical"},{"id":"3003","name":"protein"},{"id":"169575","name":"side effects"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"213621":{"#nid":"213621","#data":{"type":"news","title":"RNA Was Capable of Catalyzing Electron Transfer on Early Earth with Iron\u2019s Help, Study Shows","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth. Because electron transfer, the moving of an electron from one chemical species to another, is involved in many biological processes \u2013 including photosynthesis, respiration and the reduction of RNA to DNA \u2013 the study\u2019s findings suggest that complex biochemical transformations may have been possible when life began.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is considerable evidence that the evolution of life passed through an early stage when RNA played a more central role, before DNA and coded proteins appeared. During that time, more than 3 billion years ago, the environment lacked oxygen but had an abundance of soluble iron.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur study shows that when RNA teams up with iron in an oxygen-free environment, RNA displays the powerful ability to catalyze single electron transfer, a process involved in the most sophisticated biochemistry, yet previously uncharacterized for RNA,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~williams\/\u0022\u003ELoren Williams\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results of the study were published online on May 19, 2013, in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Chemistry\u003C\/em\u003E. The study was sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute, which established the Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution (Ribo Evo) at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFree oxygen gas was almost nonexistent in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere more than 3 billion years ago. When free oxygen began entering the environment as a product of photosynthesis, it turned the earth\u2019s iron to rust, forming massive banded iron formations that are still mined today. The free oxygen produced by advanced organisms caused iron to be toxic, even though it was \u2013 and still is \u2013 a requirement for life. Williams believes the environmental transition caused a slow shift from the use of iron to magnesium for RNA binding, folding and catalysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWilliams and Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry postdoctoral fellow Chiaolong Hsiao used a standard peroxidase assay to detect electron transfer in solutions of RNA and either the iron ion, Fe2+, or magnesium ion, Mg2+. For 10 different types of RNA, the researchers observed catalysis of single electron transfer in the presence of iron and absence of oxygen. They found that two of the most abundant and ancient types of RNA, the 23S ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA, catalyzed electron transfer more efficiently than other types of RNA. However, none of the RNA and magnesium solutions catalyzed single electron transfer in the oxygen-free environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur findings suggest that the catalytic competence of RNA may have been greater in early Earth conditions than in present conditions, and our experiments may have revived a latent function of RNA,\u201d added Williams, who is also director of the Ribo Evo Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis new study expands on research published in May 2012 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EPLoS ONE\u003C\/em\u003E. In the previous work, Williams led a team that used experiments and numerical calculations to show that iron, in the absence of oxygen, could substitute for magnesium in RNA binding, folding and catalysis. The researchers found that RNA\u2019s shape and folding structure remained the same and its functional activity increased when magnesium was replaced by iron in an oxygen-free environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn future studies, the researchers plan to investigate whether other unique functions may have been conferred on RNA through interaction with a variety of metals available on the early Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Williams and Hsiao, Georgia Tech School of Biology professors Roger Wartell and Stephen Harvey, and Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor Nicholas Hud, also contributed to this work as co-principal investigators in the Ribo Evo Center at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by NASA (Award No. NNA09DA78A). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of NASA.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Chiaolong Hsiao, et al., \u201cRNA with iron(II) as a cofactor catalyses electron transfer,\u201d (Nature Chemistry, 2013). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nchem.1649\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nchem.1649\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Abby Robinson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth. The study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-05-19 13:46:04","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:16","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"213601":{"id":"213601","type":"image","title":"RNA Catalysis","body":null,"created":"1449180076","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:16","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"RNA Catalysis","file":{"fid":"196996","name":"electron-transfer72.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/electron-transfer72_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/electron-transfer72_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1618860,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/electron-transfer72_0.jpg?itok=Eb-ycPKS"}},"213611":{"id":"213611","type":"image","title":"RNA Catalysis2","body":null,"created":"1449180076","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:01:16","changed":"1475894876","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:56","alt":"RNA Catalysis2","file":{"fid":"196997","name":"electron-transfer117.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/electron-transfer117_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/electron-transfer117_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1453417,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/electron-transfer117_0.jpg?itok=l6ifec4B"}}},"media_ids":["213601","213611"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2507","name":"catalysis"},{"id":"12661","name":"Early Earth"},{"id":"66501","name":"electron transfer"},{"id":"3028","name":"evolution"},{"id":"10720","name":"Loren Williams"},{"id":"984","name":"RNA"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"211731":{"#nid":"211731","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Biomaterial Shows Promise for Type 1 Diabetes Treatment","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech engineers and Emory University clinicians have successfully engrafted insulin-producing cells into a diabetic mouse model, reversing diabetic symptoms in the animal in as little as 10 days.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team engineered a biomaterial to protect the cluster of insulin-producing cells \u2013 donor pancreatic islets \u2013 during injection. The material also contains proteins to foster blood vessel formation that allow the cells to successfully graft, survive and function within the body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s very promising,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s\u0026nbsp;Garcia\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech professor of mechanical engineering. \u201cThere is a lot of excitement because not only can we get the islets to survive and function, but we can also cure diabetes with fewer islets than are normally needed.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0142961213002949\u0022\u003Eresearch article\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 a partnership with Emory\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=46\u0022\u003EDr. Robert Taylor\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/peter-thule\u0022\u003EDr. Peter Thule\u003C\/a\u003E that was funded in part by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/jdrf.org\/\u0022\u003EJDRF\u003C\/a\u003E, the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research \u2013 will be published in the June issue of the journal \u003Cem\u003EBiomaterials\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOrganizations such as JDRF\u0026nbsp;are dedicated to finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes, a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone that allows the transport of sugar and other nutrients into tissues where they are converted to energy needed for daily life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPancreatic islet transplantation re-emerged as a promising therapy in the late 1990s. Patients with diabetes typically find it difficult to comply with multiple daily insulin injections, which only partially improve long-term outcomes. Successful islet transplantation would remove the need for patients to administer insulin. While islet transplantation trials have had some success, and control of glucose levels is often improved, diabetic symptoms have returned in most patients and they have had to revert to using some insulin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnsuccessful transplants can be attributed to several factors, researchers say. The current technique of injecting islets directly into the blood vessels in the liver causes approximately half of the cells to die due to exposure to blood clotting reactions. Also, the islets \u2013 metabolically active cells that require significant blood flow \u2013 have problems hooking up to blood vessels once in the body and die off over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and Emory researchers engineered a hydrogel, a material compatible with biological tissues that is a promising therapeutic delivery vehicle. This water-swollen, cross-linked polymer surrounds the insulin-producing cells and protects them during injection. The hydrogel containing the islets was delivered to a new injection site on the outside of the small intestine, thus avoiding direct injection into the blood stream.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce in the body, the hydrogel degrades in a controlled fashion to release a growth factor protein that promotes blood vessel formation and connection of the transplanted islets to these new vessels. In the study, the blood vessels effectively grew into the biomaterial and successfully connected to the insulin-producing cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFour weeks after the transplantation, diabetic mice treated with the hydrogel had normal glucose levels, and the delivered islets were alive and vascularized to the same extent as islets in a healthy mouse pancreas. The technique also required fewer islets than previous transplantation attempts, which may allow doctors to treat more patients with limited donor samples. Currently, donor cells from two to three cadavers are needed for one patient.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the new biomaterial and injection technique is promising, the study used genetically identical mice and therefore did not address immune rejection issues common to human applications. The research team has funding from JDRF to study whether an immune barrier they created will allow the cells to be accepted in genetically different mice models. If successful, the trials could move to larger animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cWe broke up our strategy into two steps,\u201d said Garcia, a member of Georgia Tech\u0027s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cWe have shown that when delivered in the material we engineered, the islets will survive and graft. Now we must address immune acceptance issues.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost people with Type 1 diabetes currently manage their blood glucose levels with multiple daily insulin injections or by using an insulin pump. But insulin therapy has limitations. It requires careful measurement of blood glucose levels, accurate dosage calculations and regular compliance to be effective.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis work was also funded by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/regenerativeengineeringandmedicine.com\/\u0022\u003ERegenerative Engineering and Medicine Center at Georgia Tech and Emory\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.actsi.org\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta Clinical and Translation Science Institute \u003C\/a\u003Eunder PHS grant UL RR025008 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award Program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cphti.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Pediatric Healthcare Technology Innovation\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.research.va.gov\/services\/blrd\/merit_review.cfm\u0022\u003Ethe\u0026nbsp;Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review Program\u003C\/a\u003E and the\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.niddk.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003E National Institutes of Health\u2019s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases\u003C\/a\u003E (Grant R01 DK076801-01) helped fund the project as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION: \u003C\/strong\u003EEdward A. Phelps, Devon M. Headen, W. Robert Taylor, Peter M. Thule and Andr\u00e9s J.\u0026nbsp;Garcia. Vasculogenic Bio-Synthetic Hydrogel for Enchancement of Pancreatic Islet Engraftment and Function in Type 1 Diabetes, Biomaterials, June 2013, Pages 4602-4611.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2013-05-07 12:48:50","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:12","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-05-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-05-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"211761":{"id":"211761","type":"image","title":"Professor Andr\u00e9s Garcia - Hydrogel as possible diabetes treatment","body":null,"created":"1449180039","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:39","changed":"1475894874","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:54","alt":"Professor Andr\u00e9s Garcia - Hydrogel as possible diabetes treatment","file":{"fid":"197065","name":"vascularization_r086_hires.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/vascularization_r086_hires.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/vascularization_r086_hires.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":833544,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/vascularization_r086_hires.jpg?itok=SbhKm7W7"}}},"media_ids":["211761"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.emory.edu\/home\/index.html","title":"Emory University"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/","title":"George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"65991","name":"Biomaterials journal"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"65941","name":"Dr. Peter Thule"},{"id":"65951","name":"Dr. Robert Taylor"},{"id":"2305","name":"Emory University"},{"id":"3356","name":"hydrogel"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"65981","name":"islet cells"},{"id":"66001","name":"March 2013"},{"id":"65971","name":"transplantation"},{"id":"65961","name":"Type 1 Diabetes"},{"id":"2378","name":"Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"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\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"209671":{"#nid":"209671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Pathway Competition Affects Early Differentiation of Higher Brain Structures","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESand-dwelling and rock-dwelling cichlids living in East Africa\u2019s Lake Malawi share a nearly identical genome, but have very different personalities. The territorial rock-dwellers live in communities where social interactions are important, while the sand-dwellers are itinerant and less aggressive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose behavioral differences likely arise from a complex region of the brain known as the telencephalon, which governs communication, emotion, movement and memory in vertebrates \u2013 including humans, where a major portion of the telencephalon is known as the cerebral cortex. A study published this week in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E shows how the strength and timing of competing molecular signals during brain development has generated natural and presumably adaptive differences in the telencephalon much earlier than scientists had previously believed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the study, researchers first identified key differences in gene expression between rock- and sand-dweller brains during development, and then used small molecules to manipulate developmental pathways to mimic natural diversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have shown that the evolutionary changes in the brains of these fishes occur really early in development,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/people\/todd-streelman\u0022\u003ETodd Streelman\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biology\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u201cIt\u2019s generally been thought that early development of the brain must be strongly buffered against change. Our data suggest that rock-dweller brains differ from sand-dweller brains \u2013 before there is a brain.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor humans, the research could lead scientists to look for subtle changes in brain structures earlier in the development process. This could provide a better understanding of how disorders such as autism and schizophrenia could arise during very early brain development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was supported by the National Science Foundation and published online April 23 by the journal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want to understand how the telencephalon evolves by looking at genetics and developmental pathways in closely-related species from natural populations,\u201d said Jonathan Sylvester, a postdoctoral researcher in the Georgia Tech School of Biology and lead author of the paper. \u201cAdult cichlids have a tremendous amount of variation within the telencephalon, and we investigated the timing and cause of these differences. Unlike many previous studies in laboratory model organisms that focus on large, qualitative effects from knocking out single genes, we demonstrated that brain diversity evolves through quantitative tuning of multiple pathways.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn examining the fish from embryos to adulthood, the researchers found that the mbuna, or rock-dwellers, tended to exhibit a larger ventral portion of the telencephalon, called the subpallium \u2013 while the sand-dwellers tended to have a larger version of the dorsal structure known as the pallium. These structures seem to have evolved differently over time to meet the behavioral and ecological needs of the fishes. The team showed that early variation in the activity of developmental signals expressed as complementary dorsal-ventral gradients, known technically as \u201cWingless\u201d and \u201cHedgehog,\u201d are involved in creating those differences during the neural plate stage, as a single sheet of neural tissue folds to form the neural tube. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo specifically manipulate those two pathways, Sylvester removed clutches of between 20 and 40 eggs from brooding female cichlids, which normally incubate fertilized eggs in their mouths. At about 36 to 48 hours after fertilization, groups of eggs were exposed to small-molecule chemicals that either strengthened or weakened the Hedgehog signal, or strengthened or weakened the Wingless signal. The chemical treatment came while the structures that would become the brain were little more than a sheet of cells. After treatment, water containing the chemicals was replaced with fresh water, and the embryos were allowed to continue their development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe were able to artificially manipulate these pathways in a way that we think evolution might have worked to shift the process of rock-dweller telencephalon development to sand-dweller development, and vice-versa. Treatment with small molecules allows us incredible temporal and dose precision in manipulating natural development,\u201d Sylvester explained. \u201cWe then followed the development of the embryos until we were able to measure the anatomical structures \u2013 the size of the pallium and subpallium \u2013 to see that we had transformed one to the other.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two different brain regions, the dorsal pallium and ventral subpallium, give rise to excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the forebrain. Altering the relative sizes of these regions might change the balance between these neuronal types, ultimately producing behavioral changes in the adult fish.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEvolution has fine-tuned some of these developmental mechanisms to produce diversity,\u201d Streelman said. \u201cIn this study, we have figured out which ones.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers studied six different species of East African cichlids, and also worked with collaborators at King\u2019s College in London to apply similar techniques in the zebrafish.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a next step, the researchers would like to follow the embryos through to adulthood to see if the changes seen in embryonic and juvenile brain structures actually do change behavior of adults. It\u2019s possible, said Streelman, that later developmental events could compensate for the early differences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results could be of interest to scientists investigating human neurological disorders that result from an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Those disorders include autism and schizophrenia. \u201cWe think it is particularly interesting that there may be some adaptive variation in the natural proportions of excitatory versus inhibitory neurons in the species we study, correlated with their natural behavioral differences,\u201d said Streelman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the researchers already mentioned, the study included undergraduate coauthors Constance Rich and Chuyong Yi from Georgia Tech, and Joao Peres and Corinne Houart from King\u2019s College in London. Rich is presently in the neuroscience PhD program at the University of Cambridge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grants IOS 0922964 and IOS 1146275. The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Sylvester, J.B., et al., \u201cCompeting Signals Drive Telencephalon Diversity,\u201d (Nature Communications, 2013).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study in fish shows how the strength and timing of competing molecular signals during brain development has generated natural and presumably adaptive differences in a brain region known as the telencephalon -- much earlier than scientists had previously believed.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Competing molecular signals during brain development have generated natural and presumably adaptive differences in a brain region known as the telencephalon."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-04-26 13:09:41","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:08","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"209651":{"id":"209651","type":"image","title":"Cichlid 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development3","file":{"fid":"196851","name":"brain-development141.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/brain-development141_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/brain-development141_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1056140,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/brain-development141_0.jpg?itok=IWqoWT0B"}},"209621":{"id":"209621","type":"image","title":"Cichlid brain development","body":null,"created":"1449180001","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:01","changed":"1475894869","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:49","alt":"Cichlid brain development","file":{"fid":"196849","name":"brain-structure6.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/brain-structure6_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/brain-structure6_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1684107,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/brain-structure6_0.jpg?itok=6_1qxaaE"}}},"media_ids":["209651","209631","209661","209641","209621"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1912","name":"brain"},{"id":"65081","name":"brain development"},{"id":"3083","name":"cichlid"},{"id":"65111","name":"Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences"},{"id":"170997","name":"signalling"},{"id":"65101","name":"telencephalon"},{"id":"2863","name":"Todd Streelman"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"208861":{"#nid":"208861","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Sea Turtles and FlipperBot Show How to Walk on Granular Surfaces like Sand","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor sea turtle hatchlings struggling to reach the ocean, success may depend on having flexible wrists that allow them to move without disturbing too much sand. A similar wrist also helps a robot known as \u201cFlipperBot\u201d move through a test bed, demonstrating how animals and bio-inspired robots can together provide new information on the principles governing locomotion on granular surfaces.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth the baby turtles and FlipperBot run into trouble under the same conditions: traversing granular media disturbed by previous steps. Information from the robot research helped scientists understand why some of the hatchlings they studied experienced trouble, creating a unique feedback loop from animal to robot \u2013 and back to animal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research could help robot designers better understand locomotion on complex surfaces and lead biologists to a clearer picture of how sea turtles and other animals like mudskippers use their flippers. The research could also help explain how animals evolved limbs \u2013 including flippers \u2013 for walking on land.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was published April 24 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EBioinspiration \u0026amp; Biomimetics\u003C\/em\u003E. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory\u2019s Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) Program, the U.S. Army Research Office, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are looking at different ways that robots can move about on sand,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/daniel-goldman\u0022\u003EDaniel Goldman\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u201cWe wanted to make a systematic study of what makes flippers useful or effective. We\u2019ve learned that the flow of the materials plays a large role in the strategy that can be used by either animals or robots.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research began in 2010 with a six-week study of hatchling loggerhead sea turtles emerging at night from nests on Jekyll Island, one of Georgia\u2019s coastal islands. The research was done in collaboration with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENicole Mazouchova, then a graduate student in the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biology\u003C\/a\u003E, studied the baby turtles using a trackway filled with beach sand and housed in a truck parked near the beach. She recorded kinematic and biomechanical data as the turtles moved in darkness toward an LED light that simulated the moon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMazouchova and Goldman studied data from the 25 hatchlings, and were surprised to learn that they managed to maintain their speed regardless of the surface on which they were running.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOn soft sand, the animals move their limbs in such a way that they don\u2019t create a yielding of the material on which they\u2019re walking,\u201d said Goldman. \u201cThat means the material doesn\u2019t flow around the limbs and they don\u2019t slip. The surprising thing to us was that the turtles had comparable performance when they were running on hard ground or soft sand.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe key to maintaining performance seemed to be the ability of the hatchlings to control their wrists, allowing them to change how they used their flippers under different sand conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOn hard ground, their wrists locked in place, and they pivoted about a fixed arm,\u201d Goldman explained. \u201cOn soft sand, they put their flippers into the sand and the wrist would bend as they moved forward. We decided to investigate this using a robot model.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat led to development of FlipperBot, with assistance from Paul Umbanhowar, a research associate professor at Northwestern University. The robot measures about 19 centimeters in length, weighs about 970 grams, and has two flippers driven by servo-motors. Like the turtles, the robot has flexible wrists that allow variations in its movement. To move through a track bed filled with poppy seeds that simulate sand, the robot lifts its flippers up, drops them into the seeds, then moves the flippers backward to propel itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMazouchova, now a Ph.D. student at Temple University, studied many variations of gait and wrist position and found that the free-moving mechanical wrist also provided an advantage to the robot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn the robot, the free wrist does provide some advantage,\u201d said Goldman. \u201cFor the most part, the wrist confers advantage for moving forward without slipping. The wrist flexibility minimizes material yielding, which disturbs less ground. The flexible wrist also allows both the robot and turtles to maintain a high angle of attack for their bodies, which reduces performance-impeding drag from belly friction.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers also noted that the robot often failed when limbs encountered material that the same limbs had already disturbed. That led them to re-examine the data collected on the hatchling turtles, some of which had also experienced difficulty walking across the soft sand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen we saw the turtles moving poorly, they appeared to be suffering from the same failure mode that we saw in the robot,\u201d Goldman explained. \u201cWhen they interacted with materials that had been previously disturbed, they tended to lose performance.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMazouchova and Goldman then worked with Umbanhowar to model the robot\u2019s performance in an effort to predict how the turtle hatchlings should respond to different conditions. The predictions closely matched what was actually observed, closing the loop between robot and animal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe robot study allowed us to test how principles applied to the animals,\u201d Goldman said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the results may not directly improve robot designs, what the researchers learned should contribute to a better understanding of the principles governing movement using flippers. That would be useful to the designers of robots that must swim through water and walk on land.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA multi-modal robot might need to use paddles for swimming in water, but it might also need to walk in an effective way on the beach,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cThis work can provide fundamental information on what makes flippers good or bad. This information could give robot designers clues to appendage designs and control techniques for robots moving in these environments.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research could ultimately provide clues to how turtles evolved to walk on land with appendages designed for swimming.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTo understand the mechanics of how the first terrestrial animals moved, you have to understand how their flipper-like limbs interacted with complex, yielding substrates like mud flats,\u201d said Goldman. \u201cWe don\u2019t have solid results on the evolutionary questions yet, but this certainly points to a way that we could address these issues.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research has been supported by the National Science Foundation under grant CMMI-0825480 and the Physics of Living Systems PoLS program, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory\u2019s (ARL) Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) Program under cooperative agreement W911NF-08-2-0004, the U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award. Any conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF, ARL or ARO.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Nicole Mazouchova, Paul B. Umbanhowar and Daniel I. Goldman, \u201cFlipper-driven terrestrial locomotion of a sea turtle-inspired robot, (Bioinspiration \u0026amp; Biomimetics, 2013).\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBased on a study of both hatchling sea turtles and \u0022FlipperBot\u0022 -- a robot with flippers -- researchers have learned principles for how both robots and turtles move on granular surfaces such as sand.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have learned principles for how both robots and turtles move on granular surfaces."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-04-23 16:52:25","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:08","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"208811":{"id":"208811","type":"image","title":"FlipperBot testing4","body":null,"created":"1449180001","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:01","changed":"1475894869","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:49","alt":"FlipperBot 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And he learns every student\u2019s name, even in large lectures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe lessons that stick with students over time are the ones that take them outside of their comfort zones,\u201d said Potter, an associate professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering who has taught at Georgia Tech since 2002.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, Potter\u2019s atypical techniques helped earn him the 2013 Teaching Excellence Award, given by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI tell my students\u0026nbsp; exactly what they need to do to succeed in my class, meaning that I lay out \u2014 in great detail \u2014 what it takes to get an A,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then I do my best to raise their excitement and motivation to a level that makes all that work seem like fun.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, for his introductory neuroscience course, Potter asks students to select a specific topic in the neuroscience field and become an expert on it by reading research papers and interviewing engineers and scientists working in the field.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce they\u2019ve done their due diligence, students are asked to create a Wikipedia article about their neuro-related topic to demonstrate understanding and to share what they\u2019ve learned with classmates and the general public. 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I always looked forward to going to his class, and I think other students did too.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERead on to learn more about Potter and his time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something that others might not know about your job.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EUnlike many courses where the subject matter is well understood, neuroscience is still in its infancy and is dominated by our pretty sketchy understanding of the brain. 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Why or why not?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt\u2019s a possibility, but the university needs to come up with new compensation models to make this worth my while.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to eat lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EMy office, and I usually eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich. But on those rare occasions when I have a social lunch, I really love the menu of the Coffee Snob in IBB. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the best advice you\u2019ve ever heard?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EHenry Ford once said, \u201cBelieve you can, believe you can\u2019t: either way you are right.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something about yourself that others might not know. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI had a very rough childhood from age 8 on, because my parents split up. The adversity required me to cope through optimism. Poverty taught me to really appreciate things and also to be resourceful. For example, I loved to mine the dumpsters for old TVs that could be fixed by just replacing one vacuum tube.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESteve Potter never wanted to be a conventional professor.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Steve Potter never wanted to be a conventional professor."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-04-15 15:21:48","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:04","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"206251":{"id":"206251","type":"image","title":"Steve Potter","body":null,"created":"1449179977","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:37","changed":"1475894864","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:44","alt":"Steve Potter","file":{"fid":"196734","name":"potter.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/potter_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/potter_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3424371,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/potter_0.jpg?itok=e9gVmwmu"}}},"media_ids":["206251"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"168365","name":"Steve Potter"}],"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:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"205461":{"#nid":"205461","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Surface Diffusion Plays a Key Role in Defining the Shapes of Catalytic Nanoparticles","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EControlling the shapes of nanometer-sized catalytic and electrocatalytic particles made from noble metals such as platinum and palladium may be more complicated than previously thought.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing systematic experiments, researchers have investigated how surface diffusion \u2013 a process in which atoms move from one site to another on nanoscale surfaces \u2013 affects the final shape of the particles. The issue is important for a wide range of applications that use specific shapes to optimize the activity and selectivity of nanoparticles, including catalytic converters, fuel cell technology, chemical catalysis and plasmonics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResults of the research could lead to a better understanding of how to manage the diffusion process by controlling the reaction temperature and deposition rate, or by introducing structural barriers designed to hinder the surface movement of atoms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want to be able to design the synthesis to produce nanoparticles with the exact shape we want for each specific application,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=158\u0022\u003EYounan Xia\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cFundamentally, it is important to understand how these shapes are formed, to visualize how this happens on structures over a length scale of about 100 atoms.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was reported April 8 in the early online edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E (PNAS). The research was sponsored by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E (NSF).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EControlling the shape of nanoparticles is important in catalysis and other applications that require the use of expensive noble metals such as platinum and palladium. For example, optimizing the shape of platinum nanoparticles can substantially enhance their catalytic activity, reducing demand for the precious material, noted Xia, who is a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gra.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Research Alliance\u003C\/a\u003E (GRA) eminent scholar in nanomedicine. Xia also holds joint appointments in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cControlling the shape is very important to tuning the activity of catalysts and in minimizing the loading of the catalysts,\u201d he said. \u201cShape control is also very important in plasmonic applications, where the shape controls where optical absorption and scattering peaks are positioned. Shape is also important to determining where the electrical charges will be concentrated on nanoparticles.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough the importance of particle shape at the nanoscale has been well known, researchers hadn\u2019t before understood the importance of surface diffusion in creating the final particle shape.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdding atoms to the corners of platinum cubes, for instance, can create particles with protruding \u201carms\u201d that increase the catalytic activity. Convex surfaces on cubic particles may also provide better performance. But those advantageous shapes must be created and maintained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENatural energetic preferences related to the arrangement of atoms on the tiny structures favor a spherical shape that is not ideal for most catalysts, fuel cells and other applications. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn their research, Xia and his collaborators varied the temperature of the process used to deposit atoms onto metallic nanocrystals that acted as seeds for the nanoparticles. They also varied the rates at which atoms were deposited onto the surfaces, which were determined by the injection rate at which a chemical precursor material was introduced. The diffusion rate is determined by the temperature, with higher temperatures allowing the atoms to move around faster on the nanoparticle surfaces. In the research, bromide ions were used to limit the movement of the added atoms from one portion of the particle to another.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing transmission electron microscopy, the researchers observed the structures that were formed under different conditions. Ultimately, they found that the ratio of the deposition rate to the diffusion rate determines the final shape. When the ratio is greater than one, the adsorbed atoms tend to stay where they are placed. If the ratio is less than one, they tend to move.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUnless the atomic reaction is at absolute zero, you will always have some diffusion,\u201d said Xia, who holds the Brock Family Chair in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. \u201cBut if you can add atoms to the surface in the places that you want them faster than they can diffuse, you can control the final destination for the atoms.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EXia believes the research may also lead to improved techniques for preserving the unique shapes of nanoparticles even at high operating temperatures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFundamentally, it is very useful for people to know how these shapes are formed,\u201d he said. \u201cMost of these structures had been observed before, but people did not understand why they formed under certain conditions. To do that, we need to be able to visualize what happens on these tiny structures.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EXia\u2019s research team also studied the impact of diffusion on bi-metallic particles composed of both palladium and platinum. The combination can enhance certain properties, and because palladium is currently less expensive than platinum, using a core of palladium covered by a thin layer of platinum provides the catalytic activity of platinum while reducing cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn that instance, surface diffusion can be helpful in covering the palladium surface with a single monolayer of the platinum. Only the surface platinum atoms will be able to provide the catalytic properties, while the palladium core only serves as a support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research is part of a long-term study of catalytic nanoparticles being conducted by Xia\u2019s research group. Other aspects of the team\u2019s work addresses biomedical uses of nanoparticles in such areas as cancer therapy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are very excited by this result because it is generic and can apply to understand and control diffusion on the surfaces of many systems,\u201d Xia added. \u201cUltimately we want to see how we can take advantage of this diffusion to improve the catalytic and optical properties of these nanoparticles.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team also included Xiaohu Xia, Shuifen Xie, Maochang Liu and Hsin-Chieh Peng at Georgia Tech; and Ning Lu, Jinguo Wang and Professor Moon J. Kim at the University of Texas at Dallas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DMR-1215034 and by startup funds from Georgia Tech. Any conclusions expressed are those of the principal investigator and may not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Xia, Xiaohu, et al., \u201cOn the role of surface diffusion in determining the shape or morphology of noble-metal nanocrystals,\u201d (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 2013). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2013\/04\/05\/1222109110\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2013\/04\/05\/1222109110\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u0026nbsp; John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EControlling the shapes of nanometer-sized catalytic and electrocatalytic particles made from noble metals such as platinum and palladium may be more complicated than previously thought.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study shows the importance of surface diffusion in forming catalytic nanoparticles."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-04-09 10:40:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:59","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"205451":{"id":"205451","type":"image","title":"Surface diffusion in nanocatalysts","body":null,"created":"1449179977","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:37","changed":"1475894861","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:41","alt":"Surface diffusion in nanocatalysts","file":{"fid":"196714","name":"catalyst-shapes.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/catalyst-shapes_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/catalyst-shapes_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":461612,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/catalyst-shapes_0.jpg?itok=ejTiE-dW"}}},"media_ids":["205451"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2506","name":"catalyst"},{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"2044","name":"Fuel Cell"},{"id":"63631","name":"nanocatalyst"},{"id":"2054","name":"nanoparticle"},{"id":"107","name":"Nanotechnology"},{"id":"169567","name":"surface diffusion"},{"id":"24841","name":"Younan Xia"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"205191":{"#nid":"205191","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Executive Vice President for Research Offers Strategic Plan Updates","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAt the end of the spring 2012 semester, the Strategic Plan Implementation Steering Committee (SPISC) successfully completed its direction of the work of the 16 task forces charged with developing initiatives for elements of the Institute\u2019s Strategic Plan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInvestments have since been made in several efforts to fulfill the SPISC\u2019s final recommendations. This year, the Institute has provided supplemental funding of approximately $2 million from both state and Georgia Tech Foundation resources to augment new work undertaken by units across the Institute, made possible through the prioritization of their own budgets. Projects are moving forward, embedded in the operating units responsible for piloting new ideas. The following links provide more information on the projects and activities the EVPR\u2019s Office is heavily involved or taking a lead.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E2010-2011 Strategic Initiatives\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBe the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q1\u0022\u003E\u201cInnovation Institute\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q2\u0022\u003EPursue Globally Significant Grand Challenges\u003C\/a\u003E Using the Campus and Region as a Test Bed for Research and Application \u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EExplore \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q3\u0022\u003ECollaborative Partnerships \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q4\u0022\u003EGT Journey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E2011-2012 Strategic Initiatives\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStrengthen \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q5\u0022\u003EIndustry-Focused Research and Translational Activities\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q6\u0022\u003EEnergy and Sustainability \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ERedefine and Re-energize \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q7\u0022\u003ELife Sciences, Health Sciences, and Biology\u003C\/a\u003E at the Institute Level \u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q8\u0022\u003EPolicy@Tech \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/office-executive-vice-president-research-georgia-tech-strategic-plan-update#Go%20to%20Q9\u0022\u003EIvan Allen Institute for Advanced Studies\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Office of the Executive Vice President for Research has released a summary of the strategic plan-related\u0026nbsp;projects and activities in which the EVPR\u2019s Office is heavily involved or taking a lead.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27299","created_gmt":"2013-04-08 13:23:29","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:59","author":"Michael Hagearty","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/vision","title":"Georgia Tech Strategic Vision"}],"groups":[{"id":"1182","name":"General"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7850","name":"EVPR"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"167488","name":"strategic plan"}],"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:kirk.englehardt@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKirk Englehardt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6015\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"204991":{"#nid":"204991","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Adhesive Differences Enable Separation of Stem Cells to Advance Potential Therapies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new separation process that depends on an easily-distinguished physical difference in adhesive forces among cells could help expand production of stem cells generated through cell reprogramming. By facilitating new research, the separation process could also lead to improvements in the reprogramming technique itself and help scientists model certain disease processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe reprogramming technique allows a small percentage of cells \u2013 often taken from the skin or blood \u2013 to become human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) capable of producing a wide range of other cell types. Using cells taken from a patient\u2019s own body, the reprogramming technique might one day enable regenerative therapies that could, for example, provide new heart cells for treating cardiovascular disorders or new neurons for treating Alzheimer\u2019s disease or Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the cell reprogramming technique is inefficient, generating mixtures in which the cells of interest make up just a small percentage of the total volume. Separating out the pluripotent stem cells is now time-consuming and requires a level of skill that could limit use of the technique \u2013 and hold back the potential therapies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo address the problem, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated a tunable process that separates cells according to the degree to which they adhere to a substrate inside a tiny microfluidic device. The adhesion properties of the hiPSCs differ significantly from those of the cells with which they are mixed, allowing the potentially-therapeutic cells to be separated to as much as 99 percent purity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe high-throughput separation process, which takes less than 10 minutes to perform, does not rely on labeling technologies such as antibodies. Because it allows separation of intact cell colonies, it avoids damaging the cells, allowing a cell survival rate greater than 80 percent. The resulting cells retain normal transcriptional profiles, differentiation potential and karyotype.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe principle of the separation is based on the physical phenomenon of adhesion strength, which is controlled by the underlying biology,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda\u003C\/a\u003E, the study\u2019s principal investigator and a professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWoodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThis is a very powerful platform technology because it is easy to implement and easy to scale up.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe separation process was described April 7 in the advance online publication of the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Methods\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Institutes of Health\u003C\/a\u003E (NIH) and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E (NSF), supplemented by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe scientists applied their new understanding of the adhesive properties of human pluripotent stem cells to develop a quick, efficient method for isolating these medically important cells,\u201d said Paula Flicker, of the National Institutes of Health\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nigms.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Institute of General Medical Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, which partly funded the research. \u201cTheir work represents an innovative conversion of basic biological findings into a strategy with therapeutic potential.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn improved separation technique is essential for converting the human induced pluripotent stem cells produced by reprogramming into viable therapies, said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=78\u0022\u003ETodd McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E, and director of Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/scec.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EStem Cell Engineering Center\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor research purposes, depending on labeling reagents for separation is not a major problem,\u201d said McDevitt, one of the paper\u2019s co-authors. \u201cBut when we move into commercialization and manufacturing of cell therapies for humans, we need a technology approach that is unbiased and able to be scaled up.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe separation technique, called micro stem cell high-efficiency adhesion-based recovery (\u00b5SHEAR), will allow standardization across laboratories, providing consistent results that don\u2019t depend on the skill level of the users.\u0026nbsp; \u201cBecause of the engineering and technology involved, and the characterization work, we now have a technology that is readily transferrable,\u201d McDevitt said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u00b5SHEAR process grew out of an understanding of how cells involved in the reprogramming process change morphologically as the process proceeds. Using a spinning disk device, the researchers tested the adhesive properties of the hiPSCs, the parental somatic cells, partially-reprogrammed cells and reprogrammed cells that had begun differentiating. For each cell type, they measured its \u201cadhesive signature\u201d \u2013 the level of force required to detach the cells from a substrate that had been coated with specific proteins.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team, which included Georgia Tech postdoctoral fellows Ankur Singh and Shalu Suri, tested their technique in microfluidic devices developed in collaboration with \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/faculty\/lu\u0022\u003EHang Lu\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the testing, cells from the culture were first allowed to attach to the substrate before being subjected to the flow of buffer fluid. Cells with a lower adhesive signature detached from the substrate at lower flow rates. By varying the flow rate, the researchers were able to separate specific types of cells, allowing production of stem cell cultures with purity as high as 99 percent \u2013 from mixtures in which those cells accounted for only a few percent of the total.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAt different stages of reprogramming, we see differences in the molecular composition and distribution of the cellular structures that control adhesion force,\u201d Garc\u00eda explained. \u201cOnce we know the range of adhesive forces for each cell type, we can apply those narrow ranges to select the populations that come off in each range.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing inexpensive disposable \u201ccassettes,\u201d the microfluidic system could be scaled up to increase the volume of cells produced and to provide specific separations, Garc\u00eda noted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnlike existing labeling techniques, the new separation process works on cell colonies, avoiding the need to risk damaging cells by breaking up colonies for separation. The separation process has been tested with both reprogrammed blood and skin cells. Cells were provided for testing by ArunA Biomedical, a company based in Athens, Ga., founded by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/stice.uga.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of Georgia professor Steven Stice\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond the direct application in producing stem cells, the separation technique could also help scientists with other research in which cells need to be separated \u2013 including potential improvements in the reprogramming technique, which won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 2012.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCell reprogramming has been a black box,\u201d said McDevitt. \u201cYou start the reprogramming process, and when the cells are fully reprogrammed, you can pick them out visually. But there are really interesting scientific questions about this process, and by isolating cells undergoing reprogramming, we may be able to make new discoveries about how the process occurs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the project also included graduate student Ted Lee and research technician Marissa Cooke of Georgia Tech, researcher Jamie Chilton of ArunA, and Weiqiang Chen and Jianping Fu of the University of Michigan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by an ARRA supplement to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards R01 GM065918 and R43 NS080407, the Stem Cell Engineering Center at Georgia Tech, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship, by the National Science Foundation under award DBI-0649833 and an ARRA sub-award under grant RC1CA144825, and by NSF award CMMI-1129611, the Georgia Tech-Emory Center for Regenerative Medicine (GTEC) and the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech. Any conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions of the NIH or NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Singh, Ankur, et al., \u201cAdhesion strength\u2013based, label-free isolation of human pluripotent stem cells,\u201d (Nature Methods, 2013). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nmeth.2437\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nmeth.2437\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new separation process that depends on an easily-distinguished physical difference in adhesive forces among cells could help expand production of stem cells generated through cell reprogramming. By facilitating new research, the separation process could also lead to improvements in the reprogramming technique itself and help scientists model certain disease processes.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A separation technique based on adhesive force differences could advance stem cell therapies."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-04-07 10:46:47","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:59","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"204931":{"id":"204931","type":"image","title":"Stem cell separation microfluidics1","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894861","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:41","alt":"Stem cell separation microfluidics1","file":{"fid":"196695","name":"adhesion-signature55.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature55_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature55_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2061220,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adhesion-signature55_1.jpg?itok=C44xxCeH"}},"204961":{"id":"204961","type":"image","title":"Stem cell separation device closeup","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894861","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:41","alt":"Stem cell separation device closeup","file":{"fid":"196698","name":"adhesion-signature95.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature95_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature95_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1986105,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adhesion-signature95_1.jpg?itok=kA6RKN3L"}},"204921":{"id":"204921","type":"image","title":"Stem cell separation researchers","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894861","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:41","alt":"Stem cell separation researchers","file":{"fid":"196694","name":"adhesion-signature20.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature20_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature20_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2069678,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adhesion-signature20_0.jpg?itok=s_wbPKBn"}},"204951":{"id":"204951","type":"image","title":"Stem cell separation microfluidics2","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894861","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:41","alt":"Stem cell separation microfluidics2","file":{"fid":"196697","name":"adhesion-signature63.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature63_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature63_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1862810,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adhesion-signature63_0.jpg?itok=ITTvOycZ"}},"204981":{"id":"204981","type":"image","title":"Stem cell separation human fibroblast cells","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894861","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:41","alt":"Stem cell separation human fibroblast cells","file":{"fid":"196700","name":"adhesion-signature-nucleus.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature-nucleus_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/adhesion-signature-nucleus_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":859307,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/adhesion-signature-nucleus_1.jpg?itok=AQou49qC"}}},"media_ids":["204931","204961","204921","204951","204981"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"63481","name":"adhesive force"},{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"63471","name":"cell reprogramming"},{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"63501","name":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"63491","name":"pluripotent"},{"id":"167377","name":"School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"169566","name":"separation"},{"id":"167413","name":"Stem Cell"},{"id":"760","name":"Todd McDevitt"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"203771":{"#nid":"203771","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Project Will Improve Heat Dissipation in 3-D Microelectronic Systems","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have won a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop three-dimensional chip-cooling technology able to handle heat loads as much as ten times greater than systems commonly used today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to higher overall chip heat dissipation demands, the new approach will also have to handle on-chip hot-spots that dissipate considerably more power per unit area than the remainder of the device. Such cooling demands may be needed for future generations of high-performance integrated circuits embedded in a wide range of military equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is really no good way to address this heat dissipation need with existing technology, and the problem is getting worse because computing power is increasing and the capabilities being put on chips are expanding,\u201d said Yogendra Joshi, a professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the project\u2019s principal investigator. \u201cThere is a real need for developing schemes that can address high power on the whole chip coupled with very high power dissipation areas that are only a few millimeters square.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDARPA\u2019s Microsystems Technology Office, which provided the three-year $2.9 million contract, is seeking techniques to dissipate heat of as much as one kilowatt per square centimeter in the overall integrated circuit, and five kilowatts per square centimeter on smaller areas. The research is part of DARPA\u2019s Intrachip\/Interchip Enhanced Cooling (ICECool) program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe approaches that we are talking about are relatively high-risk,\u201d said Joshi, who specializes in electronic cooling from the chip-level on up to full-sized data centers. \u201cThey have not been tried before, so there are real questions of reliability \u2013 whether they can hold up under repeated cycles of being powered up and powered down.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Joshi, the research team includes:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMuhannad Bakir, an associate professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who specializes in three-dimensional interconnected systems;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAndrei Fedorov, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering, who specializes in understanding and utilizing unique physical properties at the nanoscale, and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESuresh Sitaraman, also a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering, who specializes in evaluating electronic device reliability through innovative characterization techniques and physics-based modeling.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile applications for the high-powered chips aren\u2019t specified, their installation in systems intended for field use will add to the level of challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor speed and performance issues, this computing power may be embedded where it is needed in the field,\u201d Joshi said. \u201cThe challenges of cooling these high performance integrated circuits will be even more challenging because they will operate in environments that may be adverse compared to an office or computer room situation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the significant challenges ahead are:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EImplementing non-uniform cooling using liquid evaporation in three dimensional integrated circuits. The program calls for two dies to be cooled together, but the approaches developed for that could be used in multiple stacked dies. Being able to cool smaller areas with higher heat dissipation needs will provide an additional challenge.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMeeting reliability standards while ensuring that the coolant and vaporization within tiny microfluidic passages does not induce liquid dry-out, passage cracking, fluid leakage or undesirable electronic performance.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFabricating micron-scale cooling structures smaller than the thickness of a hair in the integrated circuit stack and understanding the flow and heat transfer physics taking place at that scale.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is well known that cooling constraints play a critical role in designing electronic systems,\u201d said Bakir. \u201cOften a favorable electronic system configuration may not be realizable due to lack of adequate cooling. The novel microscale thermal technologies that will result from this project will address the most demanding thermal needs of future heterogeneous 3-D nanoelectronic systems and will enable new levels of performance and energy efficiency.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond the technology challenges, the researchers will also need to develop a detailed and fundamental understanding of how liquids boil at the micron size scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe physics of how liquids boil has been well studied for large systems such as power plant boilers,\u201d Joshi noted. \u201cWhat we are talking about here is boiling that will take place in passages that are produced by microfabrication techniques that may be only 50 micrometers by 50 micrometers. The physics of what will be going on there is very different than what happens at the large scale, and how these liquids boil in the passages of interest will result in new scientific insights.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESelecting an appropriate coolant able to provide the necessary phase change performance \u2013 while not damaging the silicon chips \u2013 will be part of the project. In an earlier research program supported by the Office of Naval Research, Georgia Tech developed new coolant candidates that will be considered along with traditional dielectric fluids.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research will be done in collaboration with industry partner Rockwell-Collins, a major manufacturer of electronic systems for the military. That collaboration will help ensure that solutions developed will be compatible with defense system requirements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe challenges for material characterization and physics-based modeling are to consider the larger features of the electronic system without overlooking the micrometer and sub-micrometer scale features that are the main locations for fracture and failure,\u201d said Sitaraman. \u201cMechanical characterization and physics-based modeling will be important to understanding the reliability of microelectronic systems operating with fluid passages.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond meeting the project requirements, the research will produce technology advances that should be broadly useful for future microsystems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe technologies we have proposed aim to explore uncharted territory in multiple science and technology domains to bring about an order-of-magnitude improvement in the current state-of-the-art,\u201d said Fedorov. \u201cThe project represents a significant challenge on the most fundamental level of materials and fluid behavior down to the sub-micron scale. We\u2019re confident that this project will produce some really new technologies to address the needs of future 3-D microsystems.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under contract HR0011-13-2-0008. Any conclusions or opinions expressed in this article are those of the principal investigator and do not necessarily represent the official views of DARPA.\u003C\/em\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have won a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop three-dimensional chip cooling technology able to handle heat loads as much as ten times greater than systems commonly used today.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new DARPA grant will fund development of 3-D technology able to cool future generations of microsystems."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-04-02 09:49:04","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:59","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"203761":{"id":"203761","type":"image","title":"3D Cooling","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894859","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:39","alt":"3D Cooling","file":{"fid":"196660","name":"3d-cooling34.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/3d-cooling34_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/3d-cooling34_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1734655,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/3d-cooling34_0.jpg?itok=L61h49qo"}}},"media_ids":["203761"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"63131","name":"3-D microsystems"},{"id":"63151","name":"chip cooling"},{"id":"437","name":"cooling"},{"id":"63141","name":"heat dissipation"},{"id":"63161","name":"integrated circuits"},{"id":"166855","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"id":"2378","name":"Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"31901","name":"Yogendra Joshi"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"},{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"203921":{"#nid":"203921","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Researchers Attend White House Event Announcing New BRAIN Initiative","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPresident Barack Obama today announced a major new commitment to fund research to map the activity of the human brain. The goal of this grand challenge project is to develop new technologies that reveal in real time how brain cells and neural circuits interact to process information. The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative will be launched with $100 million in the President\u0027s FY 2014 Budget.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo researchers from Georgia Tech were invited by the White House to hear the announcement live. Robert E. Guldberg, executive director for the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and mechanical engineering professor along with Craig Forest, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering, were present to hear President Obama\u2019s pledge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTo hear the President\u2019s announcement was exciting,\u0022 Guldberg said. \u201cNeuroengineering is a major strength at Georgia Tech and along with our state-wide partners, we are well poised to make significant contributions to this new initiative.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project is modeled after previous scientific grant challenges, such as the Human Genome Project which mapped the human genome. Francis Collins, director, National Institute of Health, called the potential advancements from this research the next \u201cgreatest scientific frontier.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnlocking the human brain has the potential to impact dozens of diseases including, Parkinson\u2019s disease, eye diseases, mental health, traumatic brain injury, to name just a few. The NIH committed $40 million from its budget for the project and other government agencies, including the National Science Foundation as well as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency also made commitments. Additional funds will come from foundations and other non-profits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBRAIN represents a massive challenge across an interdisciplinary spectrum, for example, neuroengineering tool development, neuroscientific interpretation of the deluge of data to arise, and computing challenges in storage and processing,\u201d said Forest who is currently conducting research in this area. \u201cThe magnitude of the undertaking by mankind is analogous to the Apollo Space Program or Manhattan Project in its breadth, depth, technical complexity and the need for large teams focused on \u2018big science.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EForest recently collaborated with MIT to develop a way to automate the process of finding and recording information from individual neurons in the living brain. He was featured on CNN earlier this week for this work.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"President Barack Obama today announced a $100 million commitment to a new research initiative to map the activity of the human brain."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPresident Barack Obama today announced a major new commitment to fund research to map the activity of the human brain. The goal of this grand challenge project is to develop new technologies that reveal in real time how brain cells and neural circuits interact to process information. The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative will be launched with $100 million in the President\u0027s FY 2014 Budget.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"President Barack Obama today announced a $100 million commitment to a new research initiative to map the activity of the human brain."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2013-04-02 13:16:27","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:59","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"203911":{"id":"203911","type":"image","title":"Obama BRAIN Announcement","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894859","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:39","alt":"Obama BRAIN Announcement","file":{"fid":"196663","name":"img_3714.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_3714_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_3714_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":484579,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_3714_0.jpg?itok=MR_ZZ2JD"}},"204051":{"id":"204051","type":"image","title":"Bob Guldberg at  the White House","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894859","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:39","alt":"Bob Guldberg at  the White House","file":{"fid":"196666","name":"whitehouse.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/whitehouse_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/whitehouse_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":242448,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/whitehouse_0.jpg?itok=nIqNhrwO"}},"204061":{"id":"204061","type":"image","title":"White House Brain Mapping Press Conference","body":null,"created":"1449179967","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:27","changed":"1475894859","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:39","alt":"White House Brain Mapping Press Conference","file":{"fid":"196667","name":"white_house_-_craig_forest.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/white_house_-_craig_forest_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/white_house_-_craig_forest_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":383195,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/white_house_-_craig_forest_0.jpg?itok=VhVDiOi6"}}},"media_ids":["203911","204051","204061"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtresearchnews.gatech.edu\/robot-brain-recording\/","title":"Neural Recordings: Robot Reveals the Inner Workings of Brain Cells"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/03\/31\/health\/boyden-brain-map\/index.html?iref=allsearch","title":"Forest Featured on CNN"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"155","name":"Congressional Testimony"},{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"12333","name":"Craig Forest"},{"id":"11629","name":"Robert Guldberg"}],"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\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"203261":{"#nid":"203261","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Hang Lu Delivers 2013 Saville Lectureship","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn Wednesday, March 27, Hang Lu, Associate Professor and James R. Fair Faculty Fellow in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, delivered the 2013 Dudley A. Saville Lectureship at Princeton University. Her lecture was titled \u201cMicrotechnologies for High-throughput High-content Developmental Biology and Neurogenetics.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELu\u0027s lab is interested in engineering micro systems to address questions in systems neuroscience, developmental biology, and cell biology that are difficult to answer with conventional techniques. Microtechnologies provide the appropriate length scale for investigating molecules, cells, and small organisms; moreover, one can also take advantage of unique phenomena associated with small-scale flow and field effects, as well as unprecedented parallelization and automation, to gather quantitative and large-scale data about complex biological systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer lecture showed microfluidic systems coupled with artificial intelligence for automated high-resolution imaging and high-throughput genetic screens in C. elegans, as well as chips for imaging embryos and cells for developmental and functional studies.\u0026nbsp; She presented micro systems for optogenetic experiments to dissect the function of neural circuits and behavioral output. Lu\u2019s research group\u2019s methods enable such systems level studies 100-1,000 times faster than traditionally done and, in many occasions, yield unique quantitative data that cannot be obtained otherwise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrinceton University\u2019s Department of Chemical Engineering established the Dudley A. Saville Lectureship for exceptional early-career chemical engineers and scientists. Inspired by his family and colleagues, this series reflects Dudley Saville\u2019s longtime association with Princeton, his uncompromising pursuit of excellence, and his commitment to helping young people begin their academic careers.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27741","created_gmt":"2013-04-01 10:26:41","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:55","author":"Katie Brown","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"130251":{"id":"130251","type":"image","title":"Hang Lu","body":null,"created":"1449178647","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:27","changed":"1475894757","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:57","alt":"Hang Lu","file":{"fid":"194650","name":"lu4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lu4_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lu4_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1092762,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lu4_0.jpg?itok=3LFolEBS"}}},"media_ids":["130251"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.lulab.gatech.edu\/","title":"Lu lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.princeton.edu\/cbe\/events\/saville\/","title":"Dudley A. Saville Lectureship"}],"groups":[{"id":"1240","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKatie Brown\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 385-2299\u003Cbr \/\u003Enews@chbe.gatech.edu\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["news@chbe.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"202341":{"#nid":"202341","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Nanotechnology Research Study Turns Brain Tumors Blue","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers from Georgia Tech and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.choa.org\/\u0022\u003EChildren\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta\u003C\/a\u003E have developed a technique that assists in identifying tumors from normal brain tissue during surgery by staining tumor cells blue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technique could be critically important for hospitals lacking sophisticated equipment in preserving the maximum amount of normal tissue and brain function during surgery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPublished this week in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational Medicine, the research was led by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.choa.org\/Childrens-Hospital-Services\/Neurosciences\/Programs-and-Services\/Neurosurgery\/Meet-the-Team\/Barun-Brahma\u0022\u003EDr. Barun Brahma, M.D.\u003C\/a\u003E, Children\u0027s neurosurgeon and biomedical engineer, and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ravi.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ERavi Bellamkonda\u003C\/a\u003E, the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Chair in Biomedical Engineering at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBrahma initially approached the Georgia Tech-based laboratory of Bellamkonda to see if it would be possible to manually distinguish a tumor from normal tissue during surgery without using complex equipment that might be unavailable to some health facilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBellamkonda\u2019s lab developed a nanocarrier made of fat that carried a clinically approved dye called Evans Blue. The team demonstrated that these nanocarriers leak out of blood vessels in the tumor margin and stain brain tumors blue. Using tumor cells injected into a rat brain, the team proved nanocarriers are able to find their way to the brain tumor and selectively dye it blue while excluding normal brain tissue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings are significant for hospitals worldwide that lack machines to help guide tumor removal, such as an intraoperative MRI machine. This new technique could help neurosurgeons remove brain tumors in children more accurately all over the world, the researchers said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBrahma, Bellamkonda and other collaborators are developing a range of nanotechnologies designed to treat brain tumors and traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.\u0026nbsp;Other authors on the article include researchers from the Bellamkonda lab and Phil Santangelo, assistant professor and optical imaging expert in the joint biomedical engineering department at Georgia Tech and Emory University. The collaboration embodies the power and potential of the rapidly growing partnership between Children\u0027s, Georgia Tech and Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research effort is in collaboration with the Children\u0027s Neurosciences Center. This effort\u0026nbsp;is part of the Emory+Children\u2019s Pediatric Research Center led by Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, including partnerships with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Morehouse School of Medicine. The research was funded by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.choa.org\/Childrens-Hospital-Services\/Cancer-and-Blood-Disorders\/Stop-Childhood-Cancer-Alliance\/Ians-Friends-Foundation\u0022\u003EIan\u2019s Friends Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E in Atlanta and the Georgia Cancer Coalition.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Csub\u003EChildren\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/sub\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Csub\u003EChildren\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta, a not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to making kids better today and healthier tomorrow. The facility\u2019s specialized care helps children get better faster and live healthier lives. Managing more than half a million patient visits annually at three hospitals and 17 neighborhood locations, Children\u2019s is the largest healthcare provider for children in Georgia and one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country. Children\u2019s offers access to more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs and is ranked among the top children\u2019s hospitals in the country by U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report. With generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children\u2019s has made an impact in the lives of children in Georgia, the United States and throughout the world. Visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.choa.org\u0022\u003Ewww.choa.org\u003C\/a\u003E for more information\u003C\/sub\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Techn and\u0026nbsp;Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta announce new technique that increases precision in brain tumor removal.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Techn and Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta announce new technique that increases precision in brain tumor removal."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2013-03-27 08:35:03","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:55","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"202351":{"id":"202351","type":"image","title":"Staining Tumors Blue","body":null,"created":"1449179952","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:12","changed":"1475894856","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:36","alt":"Staining Tumors Blue","file":{"fid":"196615","name":"blue_brain_tumor.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/blue_brain_tumor_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/blue_brain_tumor_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1859642,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/blue_brain_tumor_0.jpg?itok=2O4Ujoi_"}}},"media_ids":["202351"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/","title":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"62631","name":"blue staining technique"},{"id":"62621","name":"brain tumor removal"},{"id":"9721","name":"Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta"},{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"36141","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University"},{"id":"62641","name":"Dr. Barun Brahma"},{"id":"2471","name":"Ravi Bellamkonda"}],"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\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"202641":{"#nid":"202641","#data":{"type":"news","title":"IRI Intros: 5 Questions with Bob Guldberg","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EYou\u2019ve probably heard that Georgia Tech has a number of Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs) \u2013 but do you know much about them?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis article is the second in a series of Q\u0026amp;As to introduce the Tech community to the eight IRIs and their faculty leaders. In this installment, Executive Director Bob Guldberg answers questions about the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EQ: What is unique about the bioengineering and bioscience community at Georgia Tech \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eand what has made the Petit Institute such a success?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience was created in 1995 as a new model to facilitate interdisciplinary research among faculty and students from different academic units on campus. The Petit Biotechnology Building was opened in 1999 and was uniquely designed to break down barriers to working across disciplines by creating open research neighborhoods composed of investigators with common collaborative interests \u2013 from different schools and colleges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the years, the Petit Institute has grown beyond the walls of the initial building and now serves as the heart of the biotechnology complex. Part of the uniqueness of the Institute lies in the amazing breadth of research, spanning from cancer biotechnologies, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery, to multi-scale biomechanics, molecular biophysics, and chemical biology. The Petit Institute currently supports 16 interdisciplinary research centers focused on applications related to pediatric healthcare, military medicine, cardiovascular disease, stem cell engineering, and even the origins of life itself. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Institute\u0027s success can be attributed first to a clear mission to add value by catalyzing research and education initiatives at the interface of bioengineering and the biosciences. As one example, the income from our endowment provided through the generosity of alumnus Parker H. \u201cPete\u201d Petit is used to support collaborative seed grants between faculty from different colleges at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; We also support a broad range of experimental core facilities, conferences and seminars, industry interactions, student activities, and outreach, combining to create a truly dynamic culture and ecosystem for interdisciplinary research. Another critical element of the Petit Institute\u0027s success has been coordination and partnership with participating academic units on campus as well as with external entities such as Emory and Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EQ: How is the Petit Institute making an impact locally, nationally, and internationally?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA:\u003C\/strong\u003E In the coming decades, our society will face the multifaceted challenges of providing energy, sustainable food sources, and cost-effective, accessible health care for 9 billion people worldwide. The complexity of these challenges will require solutions that draw on research conducted at the intersection of the life sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering: a concept called convergent science that is being promoted by the National Academies and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Petit Institute is actively contributing to these discussions and was recently recognized as a national model for promoting interdisciplinary research and education in partnership with academic departments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInternationally, the Petit Institute partners with institutions that share our ideology. Through various partnerships, we have held international workshops with researchers in Ireland, China, Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Norway, Egypt, and Canada, to name a few. Out of those events, research proposals are emerging, and the Petit Institute\u2019s global footprint is continually expanding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022ArticleText\u0022\u003ELocally, the Petit Institute acts as a liaison to our thriving local partnerships with the member institutions of the Georgia Research Alliance (Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Regents University, Clark-Atlanta University, and the University of Georgia) as well as other institutions such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta, Shepherd Center and Georgia Bio. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022ArticleText\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EQ:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EHow does the Petit Institute support interdisciplinary research?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022ArticleText\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA:\u003C\/strong\u003E An important part of the Petit Institute\u2019s mission is to provide a collaborative culture and environment that catalyzes the formation of new interdisciplinary activities and research centers. The Petit Institute, with its unique environment and entrepreneurial spirit, facilitates collaboration between engineers and scientists to create new opportunities through its seed grant programs, innovative education programs, and staff support of grants, facilities, public relations, proposals, and industry relations. Out of these types of collaboration, true interdisciplinary activities and innovations emerge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the core of our community is the shared core facilities, which facilitate and enhance the research taking place throughout the bio-complex. These facilities and their powerful capabilities, allow Georgia Tech researchers to take their interdisciplinary research to the next level, giving Tech a competitive advantage over our peer institutions. As a technology-driven research institute, it is also the Petit Institute\u2019s mission to support the advancement of fundamental knowledge and help drive the translation of new research discoveries into applications that benefit human health and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022ArticleText\u0022\u003EInnovative scientific research in the 21st century requires three critical factors:\u0026nbsp; the ability to form and deploy teams having diverse skill sets, the availability of state-of-the-art facilities, and the engagement of the world\u2019s brightest minds to understand and solve complex research problems. The Petit Institute, through its faculty, trainees, and partners, is fortunate to possess all of these essential ingredients. There are now over 140 faculty and nearly 1,000 graduate students, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who make up and contribute to the Petit Institute community.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EQ:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EHow does the Petit Institute support education throughout the bio-community?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA:\u003C\/strong\u003E The Petit Institute supports nontraditional education programs in a variety of ways and focuses on providing opportunities and experiences for students at all levels that extend beyond formal courses, integrating science and engineering principles into educational experiences. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the Petit Institute is not a school or department with traditional classes,\u0026nbsp;we are involved in graduate student education on many levels. The Petit Institute invests in education experiences to support the bio-community\u0027s growing graduate student population.\u0026nbsp;For instance, the Petit Institute is home to four research training grants that provide scholarships, fellowships, or stipends for graduate and postdoctoral fellows. Graduate students who are supported by training grants often get to experience deeper relationships with industry through internships and often develop an understanding of a specific field \u2013 all while building their life experiences. The Petit Institute is also the administrative home for both the Bioengineering Graduate Program and the Bioinformatics Graduate Program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, the Petit Institute is home to the Bioengineering and Bioscience Unified Graduate Students (BBUGS) group. The Petit Institute supports this group, which organizes over 30 of their own events each year as well as provides graduate students with a more well-rounded training experience, integrating social, policy, and industry activities into the classroom and lab work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022BasicParagraph\u0022\u003EThe Petit Institute is also supportive of undergraduate initiatives, one of which is the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, a competitive scholarship program for top undergraduates majoring in any of the bioscience or bioengineering fields. The program offers undergraduates a 12-month mentored research opportunity, providing a solid foundation to pursue advanced degrees in science or engineering. After graduating, 80 percent of Petit Scholars go on to obtain advanced degrees. Since its inception in 2000, the program has supported hundreds of top undergraduate researchers who have established distinguished careers in research, medicine, and industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EQ:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat will the bioengineering and bioscience community look like in the decade to come?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EWe look forward to continuing to strengthen and build the Georgia Tech bio-community as we head into a bright future. Since its investment in bioscience and bioengineering began almost 20 years ago, Georgia Tech has been at the forefront of the convergent science revolution. In 2015, we will see our bio-community expand with the addition of the Engineered Biosystems Building and recruitment of new faculty who believe in our mission. Talent is flocking to Georgia Tech to be a part of the culture we\u0027ve established and the regional growth in integrated biosciences and bioengineering. Together, we will quicken the pace of new discoveries, while promoting the commercialization and growth of biotechnologies in Georgia to benefit human health and society in the years ahead. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is the second in a series of Q\u0026amp;As to introduce the Tech community to the eight IRIs and their directors. In this installment, Executive Director Bob Guldberg answers five questions about the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The second in a series of Q\u0026As to introduce the Tech community to the eight IRIs and their directors."}],"uid":"27268","created_gmt":"2013-03-27 22:59:44","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:55","author":"Kirk Englehardt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"202631":{"id":"202631","type":"image","title":"Bob Guldberg","body":null,"created":"1449179952","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:12","changed":"1475894856","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:36","alt":"Bob Guldberg","file":{"fid":"196621","name":"bob_guldberg.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bob_guldberg_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bob_guldberg_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":768165,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bob_guldberg_0.jpg?itok=MK_JgKsJ"}}},"media_ids":["202631"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"url":"http:\/\/tlw-proxy.gatech.edu\/research\/institutes","title":"The Interdisciplinary Research Institutes of Georgia Tech"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"},{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9540","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"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:%20kirkeng@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKirk Englehardt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["kirkeng@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"202071":{"#nid":"202071","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Assistant Professor Mark Styczynski Receives NSF CAREER Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMark Styczynski, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, has been awarded the Early Faculty Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research into into developing a versatile, widely applicable approach to engineering cells to produce valuable products such as biofuels or pharmaceuticals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe CAREER Program offers NSF\u2019s 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 their organization\u2019s mission. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStyczynski, who is the 15\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E CAREER Award recipient in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, says that his project, \u201cAn Integrated, Metabolomics-based Method for Metabolic Engineering,\u201d will use measurement of biochemical intermediates of cellular metabolism, or metabolites, to identify improved routes to engineer cells that can yield valuable products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile people routinely use the measurement of one or a few metabolites to drive metabolic engineering, surprisingly no one has developed an effective approach to use measurements of many metabolites from across all of metabolism, called \u2018metabolomics,\u2019 for this purpose,\u201d Styczynski says. \u201cWe will take this metabolomics data and combine it with mathematical models of metabolism, as well as machine learning, to establish a process where alternating experimental and computational iterations will enable us to engineer cells more effectively.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of the CAREER Award, Styczynski received a grant, which will be used to synthesize his current research with metabolic goals in order to tackle the larger problems in biotechnology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the direct impacts of the grant will be enabling a biofuels-oriented metabolic engineering application of the approach we will develop,\u201d Styczynski says. \u201cMore broadly, this will enable us to expand the scope of what can be produced biologically rather than chemically, which would have significant industrial and environmental impacts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the award helps aid future research, Styczynski says it will also support his collaborations with elementary, middle, and high schools, including\u0026nbsp;Lambert High School in Forsyth County, Ga.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe school is starting a team for the International Genetically Engineered Machine Foundation\u2019s Synthetic Biology competition, and the award will provide them with critical supplies over the next five years, with the hope of establishing an active, successful team. \u201cWithout this award, those students might struggle for access to resources for their projects,\u201d he says.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMark Styczynski, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, has been awarded the Early Faculty Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research into into developing a versatile, widely applicable approach to engineering cells to produce valuable products such as biofuels or pharmaceuticals.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27741","created_gmt":"2013-03-26 09:24:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:55","author":"Katie Brown","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"68544":{"id":"68544","type":"image","title":"Dr. Mark Styczynski","body":null,"created":"1449177185","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:13:05","changed":"1475894594","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:14","alt":"Dr. Mark Styczynski","file":{"fid":"192600","name":"styczynski.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/styczynski_2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/styczynski_2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1311463,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/styczynski_2.jpg?itok=SHUxP8YY"}}},"media_ids":["68544"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/","title":"National Science Foundation"},{"url":"http:\/\/styczynski.chbe.gatech.edu\/","title":"Styczynski\u0027s Research Website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1240","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"9413","name":"CAREER Award"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"13510","name":"Mark Styczynski"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"167750","name":"School of Chemical \u0026 Biomolecular Engineering"}],"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\u003EKatie Brown\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 385-2299\u003Cbr \/\u003Enews@chbe.gatech.edu\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"202511":{"#nid":"202511","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH Biotechnology Training Program in Cell and Tissue Engineering (CTEng)","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech CTEng program provides advanced and integrated training for pre-doctoral engineering students in cell and tissue engineering to develop future leaders for the biotechnology industries.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECTEng supports PhD students from participating programs during their 2nd and 3rd years.\u0026nbsp; The training program includes integrative bioengineering courses, interactions with cell and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine faculty at Georgia Tech and Emory University School of Medicine, industrial fellowships and site visits, Graduate Leadership program, journal club and discussion groups, and exposure to clinical applications and industrial perspectives.\u0026nbsp; Graduates of this program will be well-positioned to significantly contribute to biomedical and biotechnological applications.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENOMINATIONS DUE APRIL 5!\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInterested students should contact \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:andres.garcia@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda, PhD\u003C\/a\u003E, (CTEng Director) for more information. Nominations for new trainees can only be made by participating faculty.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Accepting nominations through April 5th"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENIH Biotechnology Training Program in Cell and Tissue Engineering (CTEng) - Accepting nominations through April 5th\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NIH Biotechnology Training Program in Cell and Tissue Engineering (CTEng)"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2013-03-27 12:26:59","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:55","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"202531":{"id":"202531","type":"image","title":"Research at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1449179952","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:12","changed":"1475894856","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:36","alt":"Research at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"196616","name":"al-haddad141_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/al-haddad141_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/al-haddad141_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":98347,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/al-haddad141_0_0.jpg?itok=e7uI6xCV"}}},"media_ids":["202531"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"62671","name":"NIH Biotechnology Training Program in Cell and Tissue Engineering"}],"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:andres.garcia@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAndres Garcia, PhD\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["andres.garcia@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"201371":{"#nid":"201371","#data":{"type":"news","title":"\u0022Terradynamics\u0022 Could Help Designers Predict How Legged Robots Will Move on Granular Media","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing a combination of theory and experiment, researchers have developed a new approach for understanding and predicting how small legged robots \u2013 and potentially also animals \u2013 move on and interact with complex granular materials such as sand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research could help create and advance the field of \u201cterradynamics\u201d \u2013 a name the researchers have given to the science of legged animals and vehicles moving on granular and other complex surfaces. Providing equations to describe and predict this type of movement \u2013 comparable to what has been done to predict the motion of animals and vehicles through the air or water \u2013 could allow designers to optimize legged robots operating in complex environments for search-and-rescue missions, space exploration or other tasks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe now have the tools to understand the movement of legged vehicles over loose sand in the same way that scientists and engineers have had tools to understand aerodynamics and hydrodynamics,\u201d said Daniel Goldman, a professor in the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u201cWe are at the beginning of tools that will allow us to do the design and simulation of legged robots to not only predict their performance, but also to optimize designs and allow us to create new concepts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research behind \u201cterradynamics\u201d was described in the March 22 issue of the journal \u003Cem\u003EScience\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation Physics of Living Systems program, the Army Research Office, the Army Research Laboratory, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science of the University of California, Berkeley.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERobots such as the Mars Rover have depended on wheels for moving in complex environments such as sand and rocky terrain. Robots envisioned for autonomous search-and-rescue missions also rely on wheels, but as the vehicles become smaller, designers may need to examine alternative means of locomotion, Goldman said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExisting techniques for describing locomotion on surfaces are complex and can\u2019t take into account the intrusion of legs into a granular surface. To improve and simplify the understanding, Goldman and collaborators Chen Li and Tingnan Zhang examined the motion of a small legged robot as it moved on granular media. Using a 3-D printer, they created legs in a variety of shapes and used them to study how different configurations affected the robot\u2019s speed along a track bed. They then measured granular force laws from experiments to predict forces on legs, and created simulation to predict the robot\u2019s motion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe key insight, according to Goldman, was that the forces applied to independent elements of the robot legs could be simply summed together to provide a reasonably accurate measure of the net force on a robot moving through granular media. That technique, known as linear superposition, worked surprisingly well for legs moving in diverse kinds of granular media.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe discovered that the force laws affecting this motion are generic in a diversity of granular media, including poppy seeds, glass beads and natural sand,\u201d said Li, who is now a Miller postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. \u201cBased on this generalization, we developed a practical procedure for non-specialists to easily apply terradynamics in their own studies using just a single force measurement made with simple equipment they can buy off the shelf, such as a penetrometer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more complicated granular materials, although the terradynamics approach still worked well, an additional factor \u2013 perhaps the degree to which particles resemble a sphere \u2013 may be required to describe the forces with equivalent accuracy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond understanding the basic physics principles involved, the researchers also learned that convex legs made in the shape of the letter \u201cC\u201d worked better than other variations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs long as the legs are convex, the robot generates large lift and small body drag, and thus can run fast,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cWhen the limb shape was changed to flat or concave, the performance dropped. This information is important for optimizing the energy efficiency of legged robots.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAerodynamic designers have long used a series of equations known as Navier-Stokes to describe the movement of vehicles through the air. Similarly, these equations also allow hydrodynamics designers to know how submarines and other vehicles move through water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTerradynamics\u201d could provide designers with an efficient technique for understanding motion through media that flows around legs of terrestrial animals and robots.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUsing terradynamics, our simulation is not only as accurate as the established discrete element method (DEM) simulation, but also much more computationally efficient,\u201d said Zhang, who is a graduate student in Goldman\u2019s laboratory. \u201cFor example, to simulate one second of robot locomotion on a granular bed of five million poppy seeds takes the DEM simulation a month using computers in our lab. Using terradynamics, the simulation takes only 10 seconds.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe six-legged experimental robot was just 13 centimeters long and weighed about 150 grams. Robots of that size could be used in the future for search-and-rescue missions, or to scout out unknown environments such as the surface of Mars. They could also provide biologists with a better understanding of how animals such as sand lizards run and kangaroo rats hop on granular media.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFrom a biological perspective, this opens up a new area,\u201d said Goldman, who has studied a variety of animals to learn how their locomotion may assist robot designers. \u201cThese are the kinds of tools that can help understand why lizards have feet and bodies of certain shapes. The problems associated with movement in sandy environments are as important to many animals as they are to robots.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond optimizing the design of future small robots, the work could also lead to a better understanding of the complex environment through which they will have to move.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe think that the kind of approach we are taking allows us to ask questions about the physics of granular materials that no one has asked before,\u201d Goldman added. \u201cThis may reveal new features of granular materials to help us create more comprehensive models and theories of motion. We are now beginning to get the rules of how vehicles move through these materials.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Army Research Laboratory Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology Collaborative Technology Alliance (CTA W911NF-08-2-004), the Army Research Office (W911NF-11-1-0514), the National Science Foundation (NSF) Physics of Living Systems program (PHY-1150760) and the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Any conclusions are those of the principal investigators, and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Army Research Laboratory, the Army Research Office or the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Chen Li, Tingnan Zhang, Daniel I. Goldman. \u201cA Terradynamics of Legged Locomotion on Granular Media,\u201d Science (2013): \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/science.1229163\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/science.1229163\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/science.1229163\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing a combination of theory and experiment, researchers have developed a new approach for understanding and predicting how small legged robots \u2013 and potentially also animals \u2013 move on and interact with complex granular materials such as sand.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have developed a new technique for predicting how robots will move on granular media."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-03-21 13:20:17","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:55","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"201321":{"id":"201321","type":"image","title":"Terradynamics robots 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data","file":{"fid":"196582","name":"terradynamics82.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/terradynamics82_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/terradynamics82_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1509551,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/terradynamics82_0.jpg?itok=hb2GQ5m1"}},"201331":{"id":"201331","type":"image","title":"terradynamics force testing","body":null,"created":"1449179943","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:03","changed":"1475894856","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:36","alt":"terradynamics force 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robot","file":{"fid":"196585","name":"robotsimulation_mars03.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/robotsimulation_mars03_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/robotsimulation_mars03_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":705999,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/robotsimulation_mars03_0.jpg?itok=Lh45vQma"}}},"media_ids":["201321","201311","201331","201341"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"12040","name":"Daniel Goldman"},{"id":"62231","name":"granular media"},{"id":"62251","name":"legged robot"},{"id":"1356","name":"robot"},{"id":"169242","name":"sand"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"62221","name":"terradynamics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"201001":{"#nid":"201001","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mechanical Forces Control Assembly and Disassembly of a Key Cell Protein","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have for the first time demonstrated that mechanical forces can control the depolymerization of actin, a critical protein that provides the major force-bearing structure in the cytoskeletons of cells. The research suggests that forces applied both externally and internally may play a much larger role than previously believed in regulating a range of processes inside cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing atomic force microscopy (AFM) force-clamp experiments, the research found that tensile force regulates the kinetics of actin dissociation by prolonging the lifetimes of bonds at low force range, and by shortening bond lifetimes beyond a force threshold. The research also identified a possible molecular basis for the bonds that form when mechanical forces create new interactions between subunits of actin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFound in the cytoskeleton of nearly all cells, actin forms dynamic microfilaments that provide structure and sustain forces. A cell\u2019s ability to assemble and disassemble actin allows it to rapidly move or change shape in response to the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was reported March 4 in the early online edition of the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E (PNAS). The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor the first time, we have shown that mechanical force can directly regulate how actin is assembled and disassembled,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=56\u0022\u003ELarry McIntire\u003C\/a\u003E, chair of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E and corresponding author of the study. \u201cActin is fundamental to how cells accomplish most of their functions and processes. This research gives us a whole new way of thinking about how a cell can do things like rearrange its cytoskeleton in response to external forces.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe external forces affecting a cell could arise from such mechanical actions as blood flow, trauma to the body, or the loading of bones and other tissue as organisms move around.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cForces are applied to cells all the time, and often they are directional, not uniformly applied in a certain direction,\u201d said McIntire. \u201cThe cell can rearrange its cytoskeleton to either accommodate the forces that are being applied, or apply its own forces to do something \u2013 such as moving to go after food.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause these forces regulate the polymerization and depolymerization of actin, they load the actin fibers in a specific direction, affecting the duration of bonds that may influence cellular growth in one direction, he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, tensile forces applied to the actin produce catch bonds, in which the bond lifetime increases as the force increases. These catch bonds have been shown to exist in other proteins, but actin is the most important protein known to form the structures. Most bonds at the cellular level are slip bonds which, unlike catch bonds, dissociate more quickly with application of force.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers used a specially-constructed AFM to conduct their experiments. The tip was coated with actin monomers, while a polystyrene surface below the AFM tip was coated with either monomeric or filamentous actin. To study the catch-slip bonds, the tip was driven close to the surface to allow bond formation, then retracted to pull on the bond. The tension was held stationary to measure the bond lifetime at a constant force.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team also used molecular dynamics simulations to predict the specific amino acids likely to be important in forming the catch bonds. Experiments using specialized reagents confirmed the molecular mechanism, a lysine-glutamic acid-salt bridge believed to be responsible for forming long-lived bonds between actin sub-units when force is applied to them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we found was that when you apply force, the force induces additional interactions at the atomic scale,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=4\u0022\u003ECheng Zhu\u003C\/a\u003E, a Regents\u2019 professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and co-corresponding author of the paper. \u201cWhen you apply force, you find that residues that had previously not been making contact are now interacting. These are force-induced interactions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProof that force application can play a role in the internal functions of cells demonstrates the growing importance of a relatively new field of research known as mechano-biology, which studies how mechanical activities affect living tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe know that the cell can sense the mechanical environment around it,\u201d said Zhu, who holds the J. Erskine Love Endowed Chair in Engineering. \u201cOne of the cell\u2019s responses to the mechanical environment is to change shape and reorganize the actin cytoskeleton. Previously, it was thought that sensory molecules at the cell surface were required to convert the mechanical cues into biochemical signals before the actin cytoskeleton could be altered. The mechanism we describe can bypass the cellular signaling mechanisms because actin bears the force in the cell.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe work sets the stage for additional research into other biochemical reactions that may be produced by the application of force.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s becoming more and more clear that the ability of the cell to vary its mechanical environment, in addition to responding to what\u2019s going on outside it, is crucial to a lot of what goes on with the biochemistry in the cell functions,\u201d McIntire added. \u201cIf you can change the structure of the amino acids by pulling on them, and that force is applied to an enzymatic site, you can increase or decrease the enzymatic activity by changing the local structure of the amino acids.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was inspired by a 2005 paper from the Shu Chien lab at the University of California at San Diego, and was carried out by Georgia Tech graduate student Cho-yin Lee (now at the National Taiwan University Hospital) and research scientist Jizhong Lou (now at the Chinese Academy of Sciences), with intellectual input from Suzanne B. Eskin from Georgia Tech and Shoichiro Ono from Emory University.\u0026nbsp; Kuo-kuang Wen and Melissa McKane from the laboratory of Peter A. Rubenstein at the University of Iowa provided actin mutants used in the research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under grants HL18672, HL70537, HL091020, HL093723, AI077343, AI044902, AR48615 and DC8803, and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China grants 31070827, 31222022 and 81161120424. The conclusions are those of the principal investigators and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Lee, Cho-Yin, et. al., \u201cActin depolymerization under force is governed by lysine 113:glutamic acid 195-mediated catch-slip bonds,\u201d (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2013\/03\/01\/1218407110\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2013\/03\/01\/1218407110\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/early\/2013\/03\/01\/1218407110\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have for the first time demonstrated that mechanical forces can control the depolymerization of actin, a critical protein that provides the major force-bearing structure in the cytoskeletons of cells. The research suggests that forces applied both externally and internally may play a much larger role than previously believed in regulating a range of processes inside cells.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study suggests that mechanical forces may play a much larger role in regulating cellular processes."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-03-20 14:48:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:51","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"200951":{"id":"200951","type":"image","title":"AFM Cantilever for Actin Study","body":null,"created":"1449179943","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:03","changed":"1475894853","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:33","alt":"AFM Cantilever for Actin Study","file":{"fid":"196569","name":"afm-cantilever.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/afm-cantilever_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/afm-cantilever_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":823628,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/afm-cantilever_0.jpg?itok=Io8TcY_T"}},"200971":{"id":"200971","type":"image","title":"Protein Progression in Actin","body":null,"created":"1449179943","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:59:03","changed":"1475894853","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:33","alt":"Protein Progression in Actin","file":{"fid":"196570","name":"protein-progression.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/protein-progression_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/protein-progression_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1311519,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/protein-progression_0.jpg?itok=JpKOaLiV"}}},"media_ids":["200951","200971"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"28591","name":"Actin"},{"id":"532","name":"cell"},{"id":"9893","name":"Cheng Zhu"},{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"62091","name":"cytoskeleton"},{"id":"62111","name":"depolymerization"},{"id":"14772","name":"Larry McIntire"},{"id":"62101","name":"mechanical force"},{"id":"3003","name":"protein"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"200161":{"#nid":"200161","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Startup Launched from Georgia Tech-Emory University Research Receives $7.9 Million","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EClearside Biomedical, Inc. an Atlanta-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company launched from research at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, has received $7.9 million in funding to continue drug and technology development for treatment of ocular diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new funding is in addition to a $4 million venture capital investment received by Clearside Biomedical in early 2012 that served as the foundation for the startup company.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESanten Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd in Osaka, Japan, will fund Clearside\u2019s technology development, and has also entered into a research collaboration agreement for posterior ocular diseases. Santen, along with new investor Mountain Group Capital and its affiliates, joins current investors Hatteras Venture Partners in Durham, NC, the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Fund, and the University of North Carolina\u2019s Kenan Flagler Business School Private Equity Fund.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClearside Biomedical is developing microinjection technology that uses hollow microneedles to precisely deliver drugs to a targeted area at the back of the eye. If the technique proves successful in clinical trials and wins regulatory approval, it could provide an improved method for treating diseases including age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, as well as other ocular conditions related to diabetes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technology was developed in a collaboration between the research groups of Henry Edelhauser, PhD, professor of ophthalmology at Emory University School of Medicine, and Mark Prausnitz, PhD, a Regents\u2019 professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The National Institutes of Health sponsored research leading to development of the technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn contrast to standard treatments, this microneedle technology provides a more targeted approach for treating retinal diseases that confines the drug to the site of disease and reduces side effects from exposing other parts of the eye. Prior to the development of this technology, drugs could be delivered to the retinal tissues at the back of the eye in three ways: injection by hypodermic needle into the eye\u2019s vitreous humor (the gelatinous material that fills the eyeball); eye drops, which have limited ability to reach the back of the eye; and pills taken by mouth that expose the whole body to the drug.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technology developed by Georgia Tech and Emory uses a hollow micron-scale needle to inject drugs into the suprachoroidal space located between the outer surface of the eye \u2013 known as the sclera \u2013 and the choroid, a deeper layer that provides nutrients to the rest of the eye. Preclinical research has shown that fluid can flow between the two layers, where it can spread out along the circumference of the eye, targeting structures like the choroid and retina that are now difficult to reach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy targeting the suprachoroidal space using microscopic needles, the researchers believe they can reduce trauma to the eye, make drugs more effective and reduce complications. The new delivery method could help advance a new series of drugs being developed to target the retina, choroid and other structures in the back of the eye.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI cannot imagine a better alliance as we continue to understand the role the suprachoroidal space will play in dosing medicine directly to the site of retinal disease in patients experiencing retinal blindness,\u201d says Daniel White, president and CEO of Clearside Biomedical. \u201cThe collaboration with Santen prepares an avenue to develop state-of-the-art medications for the critical treatment of sight-threatening diseases.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn November 2012, Clearside announced its first successful human dosing with the device in a safety and tolerability study in patients with retinal disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed Clearside Biomedical to pursue testing related to its Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for CLS1001 (triamcinolone acetonide) Suprachoroidal Injectable Suspension. This IND would treat sympathetic ophthalmia, temporal arteritis, uveitis and ocular inflammatory conditions unresponsive to topical corticosteroids. Clinical testing is scheduled to proceed within the next few months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESamirkumar Patel and Vladimir Zarnitsyn, researchers from the Prausnitz lab who were involved in development of the ocular drug delivery technique, have joined Clearside Biomedical. Edelhauser serves as vice president of scientific affairs and Prausnitz serves on the board of directors of Clearside Biomedical.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe company was formed with the assistance of Georgia Tech\u2019s VentureLab program, Georgia Tech\u2019s center for commercialization, serving faculty, staff and students who want to form startup companies based upon their research or invention.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EHenry Edelhauser, Samirkumar Patel, Mark Prausnitz, Vladimir Zarnitsyn, Emory University and Georgia Tech have financial interests in Clearside Biomedical and its ocular platform and own equity in Clearside. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Emory University and Georgia Tech in accordance with their conflict of interest policies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: Georgia Tech, John Toon (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)(404-894-6986) or Emory University, Holly Korschun (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:hkorsch@emory.edu\u0022\u003Ehkorsch@emory.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)(404-727-3990).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Holly Korschun\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Clearside Biomedical Receives Venture Capital, Pharma Investment"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EClearside Biomedical, Inc. an Atlanta-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company launched from research at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, has received $7.9 million in funding to continue drug and technology development for treatment of ocular diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A startup has received $7.9 million for drug and technology development."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-03-18 13:01:17","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:51","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"200121":{"id":"200121","type":"image","title":"Microneedle for Eye Treatment","body":null,"created":"1449179934","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:54","changed":"1475894853","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:33","alt":"Microneedle for Eye Treatment","file":{"fid":"196541","name":"microneedle-eye199_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye199_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye199_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1317731,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microneedle-eye199_0_0.jpg?itok=GhQPBbcP"}},"200131":{"id":"200131","type":"image","title":"Microneedle for Eye Treatment2","body":null,"created":"1449179934","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:54","changed":"1475894853","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:33","alt":"Microneedle for Eye Treatment2","file":{"fid":"196542","name":"microneedle-eye51.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye51_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye51_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":792430,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microneedle-eye51_0.jpg?itok=df9Nu-d1"}}},"media_ids":["200121","200131"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"61811","name":"Clearside Biomedical"},{"id":"692","name":"drug"},{"id":"495","name":"Mark Prausnitz"},{"id":"494","name":"Microneedle"},{"id":"61791","name":"ophthalmic"},{"id":"7031","name":"pharmaceutical"},{"id":"167445","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"},{"id":"3554","name":"Venture capital"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"198621":{"#nid":"198621","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Graduate Programs Recognized Nationally","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology graduate programs have earned high marks from U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u2019s annual rankings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute\u2019s College of Engineering is ranked No. 5 and all 11 Engineering programs ranked within the top 10, including industrial engineering (No. 1), biomedical and bioengineering (No. 2), civil (No. 4), aerospace (No. 5), electrical (No. 5), environmental (No. 5) computer (No. 5), mechanical (No. 5), materials (No. 9), chemical (No. 10) and nuclear (No. 10).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech\u2019s continued recognition within the U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report graduate rankings is a reflection of the consistent quality and ongoing success of our graduate programs,\u201d said Georgia Tech President G. P. \u201cBud\u201d Peterson.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Scheller College of Business MBA program ranked No. 27, while the part-time evening MBA program also ranked highly at No. 24.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EU.S. News and World Report\u0027s annual rankings have tabbed Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Engineering as the 5th best program in the nation.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"U.S. News and World Report ranks the College of Engineering at #5 in the nation."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2013-03-12 08:07:18","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:48","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/best-graduate-schools\/articles\/2013\/03\/12\/us-news-releases-2014-best-graduate-schools-rankings","title":"U.S. News World and World Report Rankings"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"516","name":"engineering"},{"id":"834","name":"Rankings"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["nagel@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"198421":{"#nid":"198421","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Neural \u201cSynchrony\u201d May be Key to Understanding How the Human Brain Perceives","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDespite many remarkable discoveries in the field of neuroscience during the past several decades, researchers have not been able to fully crack the brain\u2019s \u201cneural code.\u201d The neural code details how the brain\u2019s roughly 100 billion neurons turn raw sensory inputs into information we can use to see, hear and feel things in our environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a perspective article published in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Neuroscience\u003C\/em\u003E on Feb. 25, 2013, biomedical engineering professor Garrett Stanley detailed research progress toward \u201creading and writing the neural code.\u201d This encompasses the ability to observe the spiking activity of neurons in response to outside stimuli and make clear predictions about what is being seen, heard, or felt, and the ability to artificially introduce activity within the brain that enables someone to see, hear, or feel something that is not experienced naturally through sensory organs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStanley also described challenges that remain to read and write the neural code and asserted that the specific timing of electrical pulses is crucial to interpreting the code. He wrote the article with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Stanley has been developing approaches to better understand and control the neural code since 1997 and has published about 40 journal articles in this area.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNeuroscientists have made great progress toward reading the neural code since the 1990s, but the recent development of improved tools for measuring and activating neuronal circuits has finally put us in a position to start writing the neural code and controlling neuronal circuits in a physiological and meaningful way,\u201d said Stanley, a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith recent reports that the Obama administration is planning a decade-long scientific effort to examine the workings of the human brain and build a comprehensive map of its activity, progress toward breaking the neural code could begin to accelerate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe potential rewards for cracking the neural code are immense. In addition to understanding how brains generate and manage information, neuroscientists may be able to control neurons in individuals with epilepsy and Parkinson\u2019s disease or restore lost function following a brain injury. Researchers may also be able to supply artificial brain signals that provide tactile sensation to amputees wearing a prosthetic device.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStanley\u2019s paper highlighted a major challenge neuroscientists face: selecting a viable code for conveying information through neural pathways. A longstanding debate exists in the neuroscience community over whether the neural code is a \u201crate code,\u201d where neurons simply spike faster than their background spiking rate when they are coding for something, or a \u201ctiming code,\u201d where the pattern of the spikes matters. Stanley expanded the debate by suggesting the neural code is a \u201csynchrony code,\u201d where the synchronization of spiking across neurons is important.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA synchrony code argues the need for precise millisecond timing coordination across groups of neighboring neurons to truly control the circuit. When a neuron receives an incoming stimulus, an electric pulse travels the neuron\u2019s length and triggers the cell to dump neurotransmitters that can spark a new impulse in a neighboring neuron. In this way, the signal gets passed around the brain and then the body, enabling individuals to see, touch, and hear things in the environment. Depending on the signals it receives, a neuron can spike with hundreds of these impulses every second.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEavesdropping on neurons in the brain is like listening to a bunch of people talk\u2014a lot of the noise is just filler, but you still have to determine what the important messages are,\u201d explained Stanley. \u201cMy perspective is that information is relevant only if it is going to propagate downstream, a process that requires the synchronization of neurons.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeuronal synchrony is naturally modulated by the brain. In a study published in \u003Cem\u003ENature Neuroscience\u003C\/em\u003E in 2010, Stanley reported finding that a change in the degree of synchronous firing of neurons in the thalamus altered the nature of information as it traveled through the pathway and enhanced the brain\u2019s ability to discriminate between different sensations. The thalamus serves as a relay station between the outside world and the brain\u2019s cortex.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESynchrony induced through artificial stimulation poses a real challenge for creating a wide range of neural representations. Recent technological advances have provided researchers with new methods of activating and silencing neurons via artificial means. Electrical microstimulation had been used for decades to activate neurons, but the technique activated a large volume of neurons at a time and could not be used to silence them or separately activate excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Stanley compared the technique with driving a car that has the gas and brake pedals welded together.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENew research methods, such as optogenetics, enable activation and silencing of neurons in close proximity and provide control unavailable with electrical microstimulation. Through genetic expression or viral transfection, different cell types can be targeted to express specific proteins that can be activated with light.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMoving forward, new technologies need to be used to stimulate neural activity in more realistic and natural scenarios and their effects on the synchronization of neurons need to be thoroughly examined,\u201d said Stanley. \u201cFurther work also needs to be completed to determine whether synchrony is crucial in different contexts and across brain regions.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis study was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (IIS-0904630 and IOS-1131948) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)(2R01NS048285). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigator and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF or NIH.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Stanley, Garrett B., \u201cReading and writing the neural code,\u201d Nature Neuroscience (2013): \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nn.3330\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nn.3330\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/nn.3330\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Abby Robinson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a perspective article published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, biomedical engineering professor Garrett Stanley detailed research progress toward \u201creading and writing the neural code.\u201d The neural code details how the brain\u2019s roughly 100 billion neurons turn raw sensory inputs into information we can use to see, hear and feel things in our environment.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A perspective article describes progress toward reading and writing the neural code."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-03-11 12:47:26","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:48","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-03-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"198401":{"id":"198401","type":"image","title":"Neural Synchrony","body":null,"created":"1449179918","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:38","changed":"1475894851","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:31","alt":"Neural Synchrony","file":{"fid":"196496","name":"stanleyr137.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stanleyr137_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stanleyr137_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3651768,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/stanleyr137_0.jpg?itok=85pq77h1"}},"198411":{"id":"198411","type":"image","title":"Neural Synchrony2","body":null,"created":"1449179918","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:38","changed":"1475894851","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:31","alt":"Neural Synchrony2","file":{"fid":"196497","name":"stanleyr126.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stanleyr126_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/stanleyr126_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3277349,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/stanleyr126_0.jpg?itok=jP7spjod"}}},"media_ids":["198401","198411"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1912","name":"brain"},{"id":"14462","name":"Garrett Stanley"},{"id":"2250","name":"neural"},{"id":"60951","name":"neural code"},{"id":"1304","name":"neuroscience"},{"id":"169563","name":"synchrony"},{"id":"3264","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"198291":{"#nid":"198291","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Medical and Biological Engineering Group Names Bellamkonda President-Elect","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has named Ravi Bellamkonda as the organization\u2019s president-elect. He will begin his term as president in 2014.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBellamkonda represents the fourth Georgia Tech bioengineer elected to serve as president of the prestigious organization, reflecting the Institute\u2019s leadership in biological and medical engineering. He follows in the footsteps of Georgia Tech\u2019s Robert Nerem, Don Giddens and Larry McIntire.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBellamkonda is the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Chair in Georgia Tech and Emory University\u2019s Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), where he directs the Neurological Biomaterials and Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory. He also serves as Georgia Tech\u2019s associate vice president for research and is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHeadquartered in in Washington, D.C., \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aimbe.org\/\u0022\u003EAIMBE\u003C\/a\u003E provides leadership and advocacy in medical and biological engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Tech Researcher Begins Duties as President in 2014"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has named Ravi Bellamkonda as the organization\u2019s president-elect. He will begin his term as president in 2014.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has named Ravi Bellamkonda as the organization\u2019s president-elect"}],"uid":"27281","created_gmt":"2013-03-10 23:57:02","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:48","author":"Lisa Grovenstein","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-03-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"72314":{"id":"72314","type":"image","title":"Ravi Bellamkonda","body":null,"created":"1449177454","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:17:34","changed":"1475894656","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:16"}},"media_ids":["72314"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.aimbe.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/03.25-Press-Release-Ravi-Bellamkonda.pdf","title":"AIMBE Announcement"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"}],"keywords":[{"id":"60841","name":"American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering"},{"id":"9492","name":"bellamkonda"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"60851","name":"resesarch"}],"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":""}},"198331":{"#nid":"198331","#data":{"type":"news","title":"BioEngineering Graduate Program Announced 2013 Awardees","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe 2013 BioEngineering Graduate Program awards were announced during the poster session which was held to welcome potential new recruits to the program.\u0026nbsp; This is the second year that the program has honored graduate students with the Best Thesis and Paper awards and a faculty advisor whose dedication advising and mentoring graduate students in the program goes above and beyond. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESarah Sharpe, Ph.D. candidate in Dan Goldman\u2019s laboratory in the School of Physics, was awarded the Best Paper Award for a journal article featured in the Journal of Experimental Biology entitled, \u201cEnvironmental interaction influences muscle activation strategy during sand-swimming in the sandfish lizard Scincus scincus.\u201d\u0026nbsp; Sarah\u2019s work has been ground breaking because while there has been a lot of work looking at organisms swimming in fluids, flying, and running on relatively flat rigid hard ground, there has been much less work done on the movement of organisms on and within materials like sand that can behave as fluids and solids. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECatherine Rivet, a Ph.D. graduate student supervised by Melissa Kemp, Ph.D., (BME) and Hang Lu, Ph.D., (ChBE), received the Best Thesis Award for her dissertation entitled, \u201cImpaired Signaling in Senescing T Cells: Investigation of the Role of Reactive Oxygen Species Using Mircrofluidic Platforms and Computational Modeling.\u201d This research resulted in 5 publications and Rivet was also named as the 2012 Suddath award winner. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFaculty member, Todd McDevitt, Ph.D., (BME) was recognized with the Best Advisor Award. Supporting letters for McDevitt were provided by both his graduate students as well as trainees in the National Science Foundation (NSF)- funded Integrated Graduate Education Research Training (IGERT) program which he co-directs. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGraduate students and advisors are nominated by students in the program for contributions during the 2012 calendar year, and the nominations are evaluated by the Faculty Advisory Committee. Winners receive monetary prizes and commemorative plaques.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cWe had very strong nominations for each of the award categories and the awardees are very deserving and reflect the strong interdisciplinary, cutting-edge, and collaborative nature of the program,\u201d said the director of the BioEngineering Graduate Program, Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda, Ph.D. (ME). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the first BioE Awards presented last year, Rolando Gittens (Barbara Boyan advisor) and Ed Phelps (Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda advisor) received the Best Paper and Best Thesis awards, respectively. Melissa Kemp, Ph.D., (BME) was recognized with the Best Advisor Award.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Awards given for Best Thesis, Best Paper and Best Advisor"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBioEngineering Graduate Program Announced 2013 Awardees - Awards given for Best Thesis, Best Paper and Best Advisor\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u0027s BioEngineerings awards given for Best Thesis, Best Paper and Best Advisor"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2013-03-11 10:18:51","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:48","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-03-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"198351":{"id":"198351","type":"image","title":"Bioengineering program director, Andres Garcia, PhD, and Best Paper awardee, Sarah Sharpe","body":null,"created":"1449179918","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:38","changed":"1475894851","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:31","alt":"Bioengineering program director, Andres Garcia, PhD, and Best Paper awardee, Sarah Sharpe","file":{"fid":"196494","name":"sharpesarah_and_garciaandres_300x292.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sharpesarah_and_garciaandres_300x292_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sharpesarah_and_garciaandres_300x292_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":102066,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sharpesarah_and_garciaandres_300x292_0.jpg?itok=UImB7njP"}},"198361":{"id":"198361","type":"image","title":"BioEngineering program director, Andres Garcia, and Best Advisor awardee, Todd McDevitt","body":null,"created":"1449179918","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:38","changed":"1475894851","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:31","alt":"BioEngineering program director, Andres Garcia, and Best Advisor awardee, Todd McDevitt","file":{"fid":"196495","name":"todd-andres_300x300.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/todd-andres_300x300_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/todd-andres_300x300_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":59251,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/todd-andres_300x300_0.jpg?itok=_u4gcvIG"}}},"media_ids":["198351","198361"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bioengineering.gatech.edu\/","title":"BioEngineering website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"35431","name":"BioEngineering Awards"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"6500","name":"Petit Institute"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDirector Communications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"194131":{"#nid":"194131","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Study Adhesion System of Remora Fish to Create Bio-Inspired Adhesive","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen a shark is spotted in the ocean, humans and marine animals alike usually flee. But not the remora \u2013 this fish will instead swim right up to a shark and attach itself to the predator using a suction disk located on the top of its head. While we know why remoras attach to larger marine animals \u2013 for transportation, protection and food \u2013 the question of how they attach and detach from hosts without appearing to harm them remains unanswered.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new study led by researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) provides details of the structure and tissue properties of the remora\u2019s unique adhesion system. The researchers plan to use this information to create an engineered reversible adhesive inspired by the remora that could be used to create pain- and residue-free bandages, attach sensors to objects in aquatic or military reconnaissance environments, replace surgical clamps and help robots climb.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile other creatures with unique adhesive properties \u2013 such as geckos, tree frogs and insects \u2013 have been the inspiration for laboratory-fabricated adhesives, the remora has been overlooked until now,\u201d said GTRI senior research engineer Jason Nadler. \u201cThe remora\u2019s attachment mechanism is quite different from other suction cup-based systems, fasteners or adhesives that can only attach to smooth surfaces or cannot be detached without damaging the host.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study results were presented at the Materials Research Society\u2019s 2012 Fall Meeting and will be published in the meeting\u2019s proceedings. The research was supported by the Georgia Research Alliance and GTRI.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe remora\u2019s suction plate is a greatly evolved dorsal fin on top of the fish\u2019s body. The fin is flattened into a disk-like pad and surrounded by a thick, fleshy lip of connective tissue that creates the seal between the remora and its host. The lip encloses rows of plate-like structures called lamellae, from which perpendicular rows of tooth-like structures called spinules emerge. The intricate skeletal structure enables efficient attachment to surfaces including sharks, sea turtles, whales and even boats.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo better understand how remoras attach to a host, Nadler and GTRI research scientist Allison Mercer teamed up with researchers from the Georgia Tech School of Biology and Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering to investigate and quantitatively analyze the structure and form of the remora adhesion system, including its hierarchical nature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERemora typically attach to larger marine animals for three reasons: transportation \u2013 a free ride that allows the remora to conserve energy; protection \u2013 being attacked when attached to a shark is unlikely; and food \u2013 sharks are very sloppy eaters, often leaving plenty of delectable morsels floating around for the remora to gobble up.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut whether this attachment was active or passive had been unclear. Results from the GTRI study suggest that remoras utilize a passive adhesion mechanism, meaning that the fish do not have to exert additional energy to maintain their attachment. The researchers suspect that drag forces created as the host swims actually increase the strength of the adhesion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDissection experiments showed that the remora\u2019s attachment or release from a host could be controlled by muscles that raise or lower the lamellae. Dissection also revealed light-colored muscle tissue surrounding the suction disk, indicating low levels of myoglobin. For the remora to maintain active muscle control while attached to a marine host over long distances, the muscle tissue should display high concentrations of myoglobin, which were only seen in the much darker swimming muscles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe were very excited to discover that the adhesion is passive,\u201d said Mercer. \u201cWe may be able to exploit and improve upon some of the adhesive properties of the fish to produce a synthetic material.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers also developed a technique that allowed them to collect thousands of measurements from three remora specimens, which yielded new insight into the shape, arrangement and spacing of their features. First, they imaged the remoras in attached and detached states using microtomography, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. From the images, the researchers digitally reconstructed each specimen, measured characteristic features, and quantified structural similarities among specimens with significant size differences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDetailed microtomography-based surface renderings of the lamellae showed a row of shorter, more regularly spaced and more densely packed spinules and another row of longer, less densely spaced spinules. A quantitative analysis uncovered similarities in suction disk structure with respect to the size and position of the lamellae and spinules despite significant specimen size differences. One of the fish\u2019s disks was more than twice as long as the others, but the researchers observed a length-to-width ratio of each specimen\u2019s adhesion disk that was within 16 percent of the average.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough additional experiments, the researchers found that the spacing between the spinules on the remoras and the spacing between scales on mako sharks was remarkably similar.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cComplementary spacing between features on the remora and a shark likely contributes to the larger adhesive strength that has been observed when remoras are attached to shark skin compared to smoother surfaces,\u201d said Mercer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers are planning to conduct further tests to better understand the roles of the various suction disk structural elements and their interactions to create a successful attachment and detachment system in the laboratory.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are not trying to replicate the exact remora adhesion structure that occurs in nature,\u201d explained Nadler. \u201cWe would like to identify, characterize and harness its critical features to design and test attachment systems that enable those unique adhesive functions. Ultimately, we want to optimize a bio-inspired adhesive for a wide variety of applications that have capabilities and performance advantages over adhesives or fasteners available today.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the following researchers also contributed to this work: Georgia Tech mechanical engineering research engineer Angela Lin, professor Robert Guldberg and graduate student Michael Culler; Georgia Tech biology graduate student Ryan Bloomquist and associate professor Todd Streelman; GTRI research scientist Keri Ledford, and Georgia Aquarium Director of Research and Conservation Dr. Alistair Dove.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Lance Wallace (404-407-7280)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:lance.wallace@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elance.wallace@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Abby Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study provides details of the structure and tissue properties of the unique adhesion system used by remora fish to attach themselves to sharks and other marine animals. The information could lead to a new engineered reversible adhesive that could be used to create pain- and residue-free bandages, attach sensors to objects in aquatic or military reconnaissance environments, replace surgical clamps and help robots climb.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Details of the unique adhesion system used by remoras could lead to new bio-inspired adhesives."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-02-20 22:08:22","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:40","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"194101":{"id":"194101","type":"image","title":"Remora adhesive disk","body":null,"created":"1449179891","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:11","changed":"1475894843","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:23","alt":"Remora adhesive disk","file":{"fid":"196370","name":"remora38.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/remora38_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/remora38_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4317762,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/remora38_0.jpg?itok=WXtZRF20"}},"194111":{"id":"194111","type":"image","title":"Remora adhesive disk2","body":null,"created":"1449179891","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:11","changed":"1475894843","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:23","alt":"Remora adhesive disk2","file":{"fid":"196371","name":"remora104.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/remora104_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/remora104_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4685823,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/remora104_0.jpg?itok=7Z-5u-GJ"}},"194121":{"id":"194121","type":"image","title":"Remora adhesive disk3","body":null,"created":"1449179891","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:11","changed":"1475894843","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:23","alt":"Remora adhesive disk3","file":{"fid":"196372","name":"remora128.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/remora128_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/remora128_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3826456,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/remora128_0.jpg?itok=oj0g5Sef"}}},"media_ids":["194101","194111","194121"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7163","name":"adhesive"},{"id":"59331","name":"bio-inspired"},{"id":"416","name":"GTRI"},{"id":"12176","name":"Jason Nadler"},{"id":"59321","name":"remora"}],"core_research_areas":[{"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":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"193741":{"#nid":"193741","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Molecules Assemble in Water, Hint at Origins of Life","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe base pairs that hold together two pieces of RNA, the older cousin of DNA, are some of the most important molecular interactions in living cells. Many scientists believe that these base pairs were part of life from the very beginning and that RNA was one of the first polymers of life. But there is a problem. The RNA bases don\u2019t form base pairs in water unless they are connected to a polymer backbone, a trait that has baffled origin-of-life scientists for decades. If the bases don\u2019t pair before they are part of polymers, how would the bases have been selected out from the many molecules in the \u201cprebiotic soup\u201d so that RNA polymers could be formed?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are exploring an alternate theory for the origin of RNA: they think the RNA bases may have evolved from a pair of molecules distinct from the bases we have today. This theory looks increasingly attractive, as the Georgia Tech group was able to achieve efficient, highly ordered self-assembly in water with small molecules that are similar to the bases of RNA. These \u201cproto-RNA bases\u201d spontaneously assemble into gene-length linear stacks, suggesting that the genes of life could have gotten started from these or similar molecules. The research is \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1021\/ja312155v\u0022\u003Epublished online\u003C\/a\u003E in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe discovery was made by a team of scientists led by Georgia Tech Professor Nicholas Hud, who has been trying for years to find simple molecules that will assemble in water and be capable of forming RNA or its ancestor. Hud\u2019s group knew that they were on to something when they added a small chemical tail to a proto-RNA base and saw it spontaneously form linear assemblies with another proto-RNA base. In some cases, the results produced 18,000 nicely ordered, stacked molecules in one long structure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThinking about the origin of RNA reminds me of the paradox of your grandfather\u2019s ax,\u201d said Hud, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. \u201cIf your father changed the handle and you changed the head, is it the same ax? We see RNA the same way. Its chemical structure might have changed over time, but it was in continual use so we can consider it to be the same molecule.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHud concedes that scientists may never be 100 percent sure what existed four billion years ago when a complex mixture of chemicals started to work together to start life. His next goal is to determine whether the proto-RNA bases can be linked by a backbone to form a polymer that could have functioned as a genetic material.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech partnered with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, Spain on the project. The proto-RNA\u2019s two-component, self-assembling system consisted of cyanuric acid (CA) and TAPAS, a derivative of triaminopyrimidine (TAP).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to addressing the origin-of-life questions, Hud suggests the self-assembly process could be used in the future to create new materials, such as nanowires.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA (Award Number CHE-1004570), and by NASA Exobiology (Award Number NNX08A014G). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF or NASA. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have spontaneously assemble \u0022proto-RNA bases\u0022 in water, \u0026nbsp;suggesting that the genes of life could have gotten started from these or similar molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have spontaneously assemble \u0022proto-RNA bases\u0022 in water,  suggesting that the genes of life could have gotten started from these or similar molecules."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2013-02-20 11:39:50","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:40","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"193731":{"id":"193731","type":"image","title":"Nicholas Hud in lab","body":null,"created":"1449179891","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:11","changed":"1475894843","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:23","alt":"Nicholas Hud in lab","file":{"fid":"196356","name":"10p1000-69-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/10p1000-69-004_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/10p1000-69-004_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1388730,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/10p1000-69-004_0.jpg?itok=JO-ypzl3"}}},"media_ids":["193731"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1021\/ja312155v","title":"JACS study"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/","title":"College of Sciences"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1041","name":"dna"},{"id":"4504","name":"Nicholas Hud"},{"id":"984","name":"RNA"}],"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\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"173991":{"#nid":"173991","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Announces its 2013 Class of Petit Scholars","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech announces its 2013 class of Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars.\u0026nbsp; The \u0022Petit Scholars\u0022 are top undergraduate students from Atlanta-area universities chosen from a highly competitive selection process to conduct independent research projects for a full year at the Petit Institute. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Petit Scholars program is administered by the Petit Institute and Todd McDevitt, a Petit Faculty Fellow and associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, who serves as the faculty advisor for the program.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0022This year we saw the largest and most diverse applicant pool to date,\u0022 McDevitt said.\u0026nbsp; \u0022With the program\u0027s prestige growing within the biotech research community, we had an extremely competitive application process.\u0026nbsp; From the generosity of our supporters, we were able to award sixteen research scholarships for 2013.\u0022\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom January through December of 2013, each of the 16 scholars will be mentored by a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in a Petit Institute laboratory.\u0026nbsp; During this period, the scholars will work to develop their own research projects which they themselves have selected after a thorough interview process with potential mentors.\u0026nbsp; Research is conducted within the areas of cancer biology, biomaterials, drug design, development and delivery, molecular evolution, molecular cellular and tissue biomechanics, regenerative medicine, stem cell engineering and systems biology.\u0026nbsp; Many scholars will have made enough progress in their research by the end of the year to participate on scientific publications and\/or present at conferences. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe class of 2013 is represented by students from Georgia Tech, Emory University, Morehouse College and Agnes Scott College.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E2013 Class of Petit Scholars:\u003Cbr \/\u003EDerrius Anderson - Morehouse\u003Cbr \/\u003ERebecca Byler - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EMarisa Casola - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EDabin Choi - Emory\u003Cbr \/\u003ECamden Esancy - Agnes Scott College\u003Cbr \/\u003EMeredith Fay - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EDavid Heaner - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EJaheda Khanam - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlicia Lane - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EBryant Menn - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EIvan Morales - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EDylan Richards - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003ESanjay Sridaran - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EMax Stockslager - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EAditya Suresh - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003EJose Vasquez Porto-Viso - GT\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince its inception in 2000, the program has supported hundreds of top undergraduate researchers who have gone on to distinguished careers in research, medicine and industry.\u0026nbsp; Originally established as a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program from a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to the Georgia Tech\/Emory Center for Tissue Engineering, the program was expanded to a full year research opportunity and has now funded nearly two hundred students.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFunding for the Petit Scholars is supported by Atlanta area community members, including the Friends of the Petit Institute, as well as corporate sponsorship.\u0026nbsp; If you are interested in donating to this valuable program, please \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/contact\u0022\u003Econtact us\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Sixteen top undergraduate scholars awarded full-year research opportunity"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute Announces its 2013 Class of Petit Scholars - Sixteen top undergraduate scholars awarded full-year research opportunity\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Sixteen top undergraduate scholars awarded full-year research opportunity"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-11-29 10:22:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:18","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"193451":{"id":"193451","type":"image","title":"Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars Class of 2013","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894843","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:23","alt":"Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars Class of 2013","file":{"fid":"196351","name":"scholars_group_2013-small.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/scholars_group_2013-small_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/scholars_group_2013-small_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":94412,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/scholars_group_2013-small_0.jpg?itok=ENpSQzE9"}}},"media_ids":["193451"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/petit-scholars","title":"Petit Scholars website"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"51631","name":"Petit Institute Announces its 2013 Class of Petit Scholars"}],"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 - Program administrator\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETodd McDevitt, PhD - Program faculty advisor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"192401":{"#nid":"192401","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Designer Blood Clots: Artificial Platelets Could Treat Injured Soldiers on the Battlefield","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen it comes to healing the terrible wounds of war, success may hinge on the first blood clot \u2013 the one that begins forming on the battlefield right after an injury.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers exploring the complex stream of cellular signals produced by the body in response to a traumatic injury believe the initial response \u2013 formation of a blood clot \u2013 may control subsequent healing. Using that information, they\u2019re developing new biomaterials, including artificial blood platelets laced with regulatory chemicals that could be included in an injector device the size of an iPhone. Soldiers wounded in action could use the device to treat themselves, helping control bleeding, stabilizing the injury and setting the right course for healing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFormation of \u201cdesigner\u201d blood clots from the artificial platelets would be triggered by the same factor that initiates the body\u2019s natural clotting processes. In animal models, the synthetic platelets reduced clotting time by approximately 30 percent, though the materials have not yet been tested in humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe idea is to have on the battlefield technologies that would deliver a biomaterial capable of finding where the bleeding is happening and augmenting the body\u2019s own clotting processes,\u201d said Thomas Barker, an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u201cSimultaneously, the material would help instruct the biochemistry and biophysics of the clot structure that would govern subsequent healing.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBarker presented information on the research Friday, Feb. 15 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The research has been sponsored in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Center for Advanced Bioengineering for Soldier Survivability at Georgia Tech, and by an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship to Ashley Brown, a postdoctoral fellow working on the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter an injury, the most critical need is to stop the bleeding. But as traumatic injuries heal, they often produce significant scarring that is difficult to treat. Georgia Tech researchers are working on both sides of the problem, developing cell signaling techniques that may head off the formation of scars \u2013 as well as techniques for addressing the fibrosis that is often the long-term result. Beyond helping halt the bleeding, the synthetic platelets would deliver regulatory chemicals designed to prevent scarring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe blood clot actually ends up directing how the entire wound healing process is going to occur,\u201d Barker said. \u201cThe initial clot matrix instructs very specific cellular behaviors which have consequences for the next wave of cells that comes in to do specific jobs, which have consequences for the next wave of cells. If we can modify that initial clot, it can become the three-dimensional matrix needed to build the regenerated or repaired tissue.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe synthetic platelets, made from tiny structures known as hydrogels, could be injected into the bloodstream where they would circulate until activated by the body\u2019s own clotting processes. Once activated, the particles \u2013 which are about one micron in diameter \u2013 would change shape, converting to a thin film that would help seal wounds. To develop these hydrogels, Barker is collaborating with Andrew Lyon, a professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe bloodstream contains proteins known as fibrinogen that are the precursors for fibrin, the polymer that provides the basic structure for natural blood clots. When they receive the right signals from a protein called thrombin, these precursors polymerize at the site of the bleeding. To prevent unintended activation of their synthetic platelets, the researchers use the same trigger.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers followed a process known as molecular evolution to develop an antibody that could be attached to the hydrogels to cause their form to change when they encounter thrombin-activated fibrin. The resulting antibody has high affinity for the polymerized form of fibrin and low affinity for the precursor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe knew the molecule that we wanted and we knew the domains that were critical for recognition,\u201d Barker said. \u201cThe primary design concept was the ability to recognize an active, forming clot from the soluble, inactive precursor.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe artificial platelets have so far been tested in rats, and separately using \u003Cem\u003Ein vitro\u003C\/em\u003E simulated endothelial systems in the laboratory of Wilbur Lam, an assistant professor at Emory University in Atlanta. Though the work is a long way from a device that could be used on the battlefield, Barker envisions transitioning the research to a startup company that develop the technology to improve survivability for wounded soldiers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou could have it literally in the pocket of any soldier, who could pop it out when needed,\u201d Barker explained. \u201cAs the needle is extended, you would break the package of freeze-dried particles. The device would then be placed on the abdomen, where the particles would be injected into the bloodstream. They would circulate inactive until they encountered the initiation of clotting.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce the bleeding was stopped, cytokines and anti-inflammatory compounds within the \u201cdesigner\u201d clot could help determine the phenotype that should be adopted by healing cells and regulate their behavior. That would set the stage for the subsequent healing process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo help soldiers already suffering from the effects of fibrosis \u2013 the contraction of scarred tissue \u2013 the researchers are developing a polymer to which a natural peptide is attached. The peptide helps regulate the repair process that produces scars and could ultimately help reduce or reverse the effects of fibrosis. The technique has reversed the effects of pulmonary fibrosis in an animal model.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough the research focuses on the needs of soldiers injured on the battlefield, many of the technologies could ultimately find civilian use. Because the artificial platelets would only activate when the encounter thrombin-activated fibrin, they could be used by emergency medical technicians treating patients in which internal bleeding is suspected, Barker said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under contract R21EB013743 and by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) under contract W81XWH110306. The conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the DoD.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Technology Sets Stage for Healing Process"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen it comes to healing the terrible wounds of war, success may hinge on the first blood clot \u2013 the one that begins forming on the battlefield right after an injury.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers are developing synthetic platelets that could treat injured soldiers on the battlefield."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-02-14 20:18:09","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:37","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"192361":{"id":"192361","type":"image","title":"Evolving Molecules2","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Evolving Molecules2","file":{"fid":"196313","name":"artificial-platelets61.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets61_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets61_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":898969,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/artificial-platelets61_0.jpg?itok=JEkSsl7M"}},"192371":{"id":"192371","type":"image","title":"Evolving Molecules3","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Evolving Molecules3","file":{"fid":"196314","name":"artificial-platelets145.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets145_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets145_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1071409,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/artificial-platelets145_0.jpg?itok=iJMHOOkT"}},"192351":{"id":"192351","type":"image","title":"Evolving Molecules","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Evolving Molecules","file":{"fid":"196312","name":"artificial-platelets8.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets8_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets8_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1047306,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/artificial-platelets8_0.jpg?itok=MNh7_0Rs"}},"192381":{"id":"192381","type":"image","title":"Evolving Molecules4","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Evolving Molecules4","file":{"fid":"196315","name":"artificial-platelets171.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets171_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets171_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1195688,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/artificial-platelets171_0.jpg?itok=JfSMJTJI"}},"192391":{"id":"192391","type":"image","title":"Synthetic platelets","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Synthetic platelets","file":{"fid":"196316","name":"artificial-platelets-microgels.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets-microgels_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/artificial-platelets-microgels_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":132699,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/artificial-platelets-microgels_0.jpg?itok=iswbRI-y"}}},"media_ids":["192361","192371","192351","192381","192391"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1440","name":"blood"},{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"9317","name":"Fibrin"},{"id":"31441","name":"fibrosis"},{"id":"56151","name":"healing"},{"id":"58521","name":"platelet"},{"id":"14574","name":"Thomas Barker"},{"id":"529","name":"wound"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"192341":{"#nid":"192341","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Sticky Cells: Cyclic Mechanical Reinforcement Extends Longevity of Bonds Between Cells","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch carried out by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and The University of Manchester has revealed new insights into how cells stick to each other and to other bodily structures, an essential function in the formation of tissue structures and organs. It\u2019s thought that abnormalities in their ability to do so play an important role in a broad range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study\u2019s findings are outlined in the journal \u003Cem\u003EMolecular Cell\u003C\/em\u003E and describe a surprising new aspect of cell adhesion involving the family of cell adhesion molecules known as integrins, which are found on the surfaces of most cells. The research uncovered a phenomenon termed \u201ccyclic mechanical reinforcement,\u201d in which the length of time during which bonds exist is extended with repeated pulling and release between the integrins and ligands that are part of the extracellular matrix to which the cells attach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Martin Humphries, dean of the faculty of life sciences at the University of Manchester and one of the paper\u2019s co-authors, says the study suggests some new capabilities for cells: \u201cThis paper identifies a new kind of bond that is strengthened by cyclical applications of force, and which appears to be mediated by complex shape changes in integrin receptors. The findings also shed light on a possible mechanism used by cells to sense extracellular topography and to aggregate information through \u2018remembering\u2019 multiple interaction events.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe cyclic mechanical reinforcement allows force to prolong the lifetimes of bonds, demonstrating a mechanical regulation of receptor-ligand interactions and identifying a molecular mechanism for strengthening cell adhesion through cyclical forces.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMany cell functions such as differentiation, growth and the expression of particular genes depend on cell interaction with the ligands of the intracellular matrix,\u201d said Cheng Zhu, a professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and the study\u2019s corresponding author.\u0026nbsp; \u201cThe cells respond to their environment, which includes many mechanical aspects. This study has extended our understanding of how connections are made and how mechanical forces regulate interactions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was published online by the journal on February 14th. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Wellcome Trust.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECells of the body regulate adhesion in response to both internally- and externally-applied forces. This is particularly important to adhesion mediated by proteins such as integrins that connect the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton \u2013 and provide cells with both mechanical anchorages and the means to initiate signaling.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing delicate force measuring equipment, researchers in Zhu\u2019s lab and the laboratory of Andres Garcia \u2013 a professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech \u2013 collaborated to study adhesion between integrin and fibronectin, a protein component of the extracellular matrix. What they found was that cyclic forces applied to the bond switch it from a short lived state \u2013 with lifetimes of about one second \u2013 to a long-lived state that can exist for more than a hundred seconds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cForce can be very important in biology,\u201d said Zhu. \u201cForce has direction, magnitude and duration, so in describing its effects on biological systems, you have to use a more complete language.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EZhu, Garcia and Georgia Tech graduate students Fang Kong, William Parks and David Dumbauld \u2013 along with postdoctoral fellow Zenhai Li \u2013 used two different mechanical techniques to study the strength of bonds between integrin and fibronectin. One technique measured the bond strengths in purified molecules, while the other studied the effects of them in their native cellular environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have very precise force transducers that allow us to measure force on the scale of pico-newtons,\u201d said Zhu. \u201cWe prepare the samples in such a way that we engage only one bond, then we control the application of force and observe what happens.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers first used an atomic force microscope to bring the integrin molecule together with the fibronectin, then separate the two. Instruments measured the pico-newton forces required to separate the molecules, and found that the duration of the bonds increased with the repetition of the contacts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe second technique, known as BFP, involved the use of a fibronectin-bearing glass bead attached to a red blood cell aspirated by a micropipette. Integrin expressed on the micropipette-aspirated cell was pressed into the bead, then pulled away over repeated cycles.Lifetime measurement confirmed that repeated pulling increased the longevity of the bonds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers studied two integrins, part of a family of 24 related molecules that operate in humans. In future work, they hope to determine whether or not the cyclic mechanical reinforcement they observed is a universal property of many cellular adhesion molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers also hope to explore how cells use this cyclic mechanical reinforcement. Because many disease processes result from abnormal cellular adhesion mechanisms, a better understanding could provide insights into how cardiovascular disease, cancer and immune system disorders operate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe findings of the paper have deep implications for our understanding of force-regulated signaling,\u201d added Humphries. \u201cThere is abundant biological evidence for profound effects of extracellular tensility and elasticity in controlling processes such as cancer cell proliferation and stem cell differentiation, but the mechanisms whereby this information is transduced across the outer cell membrane are unclear.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under grants AI44902 and GM065918. The conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Kong, F., et al., Cyclic Mechanical Reinforcement of Integrin-Ligand Interactions, Molecular Cell (2013). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.molcel.2013.01.015\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.molcel.2013.01.015\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.molcel.2013.01.015\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\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study provides insights into how cells stick to each other and to other bodily structures, an essential function in the formation of tissue structures and organs. It\u2019s thought that abnormalities in their ability to do so play an important role in a broad range of disorders.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study provides insights into how cells stick to each other and to other bodily structures."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-02-14 18:32:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:37","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-14T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-14T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"192301":{"id":"192301","type":"image","title":"Cyclic Mechanical Reinforcement","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Cyclic Mechanical Reinforcement","file":{"fid":"196308","name":"cyclic-mechanical22.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cyclic-mechanical22_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cyclic-mechanical22_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1648073,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cyclic-mechanical22_1.jpg?itok=WkoVus-u"}},"192321":{"id":"192321","type":"image","title":"Cyclic Mechanical Reinforcement2","body":null,"created":"1449179879","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:59","changed":"1475894841","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:21","alt":"Cyclic Mechanical Reinforcement2","file":{"fid":"196310","name":"cyclic-mechanical130.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cyclic-mechanical130_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cyclic-mechanical130_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1483223,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cyclic-mechanical130_1.jpg?itok=wYULTwTQ"}}},"media_ids":["192301","192321"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"58461","name":"cell adhesion"},{"id":"58491","name":"cell bonds"},{"id":"9893","name":"Cheng Zhu"},{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"58451","name":"integrin"},{"id":"167377","name":"School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"189571":{"#nid":"189571","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cross Discusses Resources that Support Researchers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEvery day, researchers at Tech are hard at work discovering new information and creating new devices. But what happens after the research is completed \u2014 and what impact does it have on the world around us? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech has always had a focus on industry and economic development,\u201d said Steve Cross, executive vice president for research. \u201cWe seek to grow our impact in ways that directly support the research enterprise and maximize the benefit Georgia Tech brings to our region, state, nation and the world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn part two of this Q\u0026amp;A, Cross elaborates on the resources that Tech has in place to help faculty, staff and students ensure that their research has an impact once the lab work is completed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is an Interdisciplinary Research Institute supposed to be, and how does it contribute? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/institutes\u0022\u003EInterdisciplinary Research Institute (IRI)\u003C\/a\u003E is a research organization that includes representation from across Tech and that administratively reports to me. Each IRI is led by a research-active faculty member who is a thought leader in a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/areas\u0022\u003Ecore research area\u003C\/a\u003E and is committed to supporting those doing research in that area. Additionally, IRIs provide laboratory and shared administrative support, as well as new collaborative research opportunities, to faculty-led research centers and groups that elect to be affiliated with the IRI.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has Tech done so far to advance the commercialization\/startup process?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter the strategic plan was published, we created strategic initiatives to look at what we could do to move us closer to our vision. One of the efforts was to experiment with accelerated startup formations, and that resulted in the Georgia Tech Integrated Program for Startups (GT:IPS), where faculty members can license their intellectual property much more quickly to create a startup company. Another example is Flashpoint, a startup accelerator for our region. Tech also won a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to be among a select group of universities to host the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. I-Corps is an accelerator for NSF grantees at universities around the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the past, 16 or 17 companies were created annually with help from Tech. Just last year, Tech participated in projects that supported the formation of more than 100 new companies. They are not all based on Institute research, but with a combination of Flashpoint, I-Corps, GT:IPS and other activities already in place, we have increased the number of startup companies being formed in our region. We have also attracted venture capital from parts of the country that have never before invested in the Southeast.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy is economic development so woven into the research strategy? Are we talking about that more than we used to?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Institute was created to support economic development in the state of Georgia, and, today, research universities are recognized as key elements in regional innovation ecosystems, which are vital to economic development. In this regard, we have several competitive advantages at Tech, including our state-sponsored economic development functions in the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2). Additionally, the Advanced Technology Development Center \u2014 incidentally the first and largest university-based incubator in the country \u2014 is consistently rated as one of the top 10 facilitators of startup companies. We now seek to link each core research area to economic development opportunities, while increasing our industry sponsorship and opening new facilities like the Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Building to directly support industry work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is also significant that our students are seeking more opportunities to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The InVenture Prize and Georgia Tech Research and Innovation Conference, in part, address this.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeople are starting to use the term \u201cinnovation ecosystem.\u201d How do you define that?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn ecosystem consists of many different organizations (companies, government entities, nonprofits, universities, etc.) each with different goals that are aligned to do something for the greater good. In this case, the greater good is to provide an environment in which innovation can thrive, while leading to successful commercialization activity and societal benefit in this region and beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat progress has been made with regard to the innovation ecosystem?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECompanies such as NCR, Panasonic, General Motors, Coca-Cola and AT\u0026amp;T are increasing their work with Tech as a direct result of our role in helping lead our regional innovation ecosystem. Other countries have taken note. The Republic of Korea has entered into an agreement with Tech to help incubate companies in Technology Square. Our Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus and its regional partners recently dedicated the Lafayette Institute to pursue the same kind of opportunities in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gra.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Research Alliance (GRA)\u003C\/a\u003E also plays a key role in our innovation ecosystem. GRA co-funds chairs through its Eminent Scholar Program. There are more than 75 Eminent Scholars across five universities in Georgia; more than half of them are at Georgia Tech. GRA also funds infrastructure for equipment and laboratories, supports our Georgia Tech-focused incubator (Venture Lab), and provides funding (via a competitive selection process) for startups from Georgia Tech research. GRA is a very important partner in our research strategy, and we are grateful for its ongoing support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFive years from now, what successes are you hoping this initiative will produce?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETech should have a more diversified sponsorship base and have doubled its level of industry-sponsored research. We should also have more facilities around the perimeter of campus where industry can work with us and engage with students. We will have an integrated industry relations team providing unparalleled service to our industry partners, and we\u2019ll be regarded as one of the country\u2019s most industry-friendly research universities. We will be recognized as the best in the world for use-inspired and translational research in our core research areas.\u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u2019m confident that the strategic vision will become reality as long as we continue to develop a professional support structure to help faculty develop large proposals, access state-of-the-art facilities, complete the administrative requirements associated with many research contracts and move their research from the lab to the real-world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESubmit questions and comments regarding research at Tech at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/contact\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Ewww.gatech.edu\/research\/contact\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;To read the Q\u0026amp;A, in its entirety, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/a89ndkx\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn part two of this Q\u0026amp;A, Steve Cross,\u0026nbsp;executive vice president for research, elaborates on the resources that Tech has in place to help faculty, staff and students ensure that their research has an impact once the lab work is completed.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In part two of this Q\u0026A, Steve Cross, executive vice president for research, elaborates on the resources that Tech has in place to help faculty, staff and students ensure that their research has an impact once the lab work is completed."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-02-04 16:14:21","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:33","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-02-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-02-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"189471":{"id":"189471","type":"image","title":"General Motors Announcement","body":null,"created":"1449179848","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:57:28","changed":"1475894838","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:18","alt":"General Motors Announcement","file":{"fid":"196231","name":"gm_announcement.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/gm_announcement_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/gm_announcement_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3392936,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/gm_announcement_0.jpg?itok=vsTy_6MF"}}},"media_ids":["189471"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/research-strategy-interview","title":"Full Version of Q\u0026A"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"57681","name":"excutive vice president for research"},{"id":"57671","name":"interdisciplinary research institute"},{"id":"57441","name":"IRI"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"167317","name":"Steve Cross"}],"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:kirkeng@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKirk Englehardt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"187111":{"#nid":"187111","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Finds Substantial Microorganism Populations in the Upper Troposphere","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms \u2013 principally bacteria \u2013 in the middle and upper troposphere, that section of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles above the Earth\u2019s surface.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhether the microorganisms routinely inhabit this portion of the atmosphere \u2013 perhaps living on carbon compounds also found there \u2013 or whether they were simply lofted there from the Earth\u2019s surface isn\u2019t yet known. The finding is of interest to atmospheric scientists, because the microorganisms could play a role in forming ice that may impact weather and climate. Long-distance transport of the bacteria could also be of interest for disease transmission models.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe microorganisms were documented in air samples taken as part of NASA\u2019s Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) program to study low- and high-altitude air masses associated with tropical storms. The sampling was done from a DC-8 aircraft over both land and ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and portions of the Atlantic Ocean. The sampling took place before, during and after two major tropical hurricanes \u2013 Earl and Karl \u2013 in 2010.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research, which has been supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation, was published online January 28th by the journal \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe did not expect to find so many microorganisms in the troposphere, which is considered a difficult environment for life,\u201d said Kostas Konstantinidis, an assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u201cThere seems to be quite a diversity of species, but not all bacteria make it into the upper troposphere.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAboard the aircraft, a filter system designed by the research team collected particles \u2013 including the microorganisms \u2013 from outside air entering the aircraft\u2019s sampling probes. The filters were analyzed using genomic techniques including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing, which allowed the researchers to detect the microorganisms and estimate their quantities without using conventional cell-culture techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the air masses studied originated over the ocean, the sampling found mostly marine bacteria. Air masses that originated over land had mostly terrestrial bacteria. The researchers also saw strong evidence that the hurricanes had a significant impact on the distribution and dynamics of microorganism populations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study showed that viable bacterial cells represented, on average, around 20 percent of the total particles detected in the size range of 0.25 to 1 microns in diameter. By at least one order of magnitude, bacteria outnumbered fungi in the samples, and the researchers detected 17 different bacteria taxa \u2013 including some that are capable of metabolizing the carbon compounds that are ubiquitous in the atmosphere \u2013 such as oxalic acid.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe microorganisms could have an impact on cloud formation by supplementing (or replacing) the abiotic particles that normally serve as nuclei for forming ice crystals, said Athanasios Nenes, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn the absence of dust or other materials that could provide a good nucleus for ice formation, just having a small number of these microorganisms around could facilitate the formation of ice at these altitudes and attract surrounding moisture,\u201d Nenes said. \u201cIf they are the right size for forming ice, they could affect the clouds around them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe microorganisms likely reach the troposphere through the same processes that launch dust and sea salt skyward. \u201cWhen sea spray is generated, it can carry bacteria because there are a lot of bacteria and organic materials on the surface of the ocean,\u201d Nenes said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research brought together microbiologists, atmospheric modelers and environmental researchers using the latest technologies for studying DNA. For the future, the researchers would like to know if certain types of bacteria are more suited than others for surviving at these altitudes. The researchers also want to understand the role played by the microorganisms \u2013 and determine whether or not they are carrying on metabolic functions in the troposphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor these organisms, perhaps, the conditions may not be that harsh,\u201d said Konstantinidis. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if there is active life and growth in clouds, but this is something we cannot say for sure now.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther researchers have gathered biological samples from atop mountains or from snow samples, but gathering biological material from a jet aircraft required a novel experimental setup. The researchers also had to optimize protocols for extracting DNA from levels of biomass far lower than what they typically study in soils or lakes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have demonstrated that our technique works, and that we can get some interesting information,\u201d Nenes said. \u201cA big fraction of the atmospheric particles that traditionally would have been expected to be dust or sea salt may actually be bacteria. At this point we are just seeing what\u2019s up there, so this is just the beginning of what we hope to do.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech team also included Natasha DeLeon-Rodriguez and Luis-Miguel Rodriguez-R from the Georgia Tech School of Biology, Terry Lathem from the Georgia Tech School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and James Barazesh and Michael Bergin from the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Georgia Tech team received assistance from researchers Bruce Anderson, Andreas Beyersdorf, and Luke Ziemba with the Chemistry and Dynamics Branch\/Science Directorate at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Natasha DeLeon-Rodriguez, et al., \u201cMicrobiome of the upper troposphere: Species composition and prevalence, effects of tropical storms, and atmospheric implications,\u201d Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2013): \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.pnas.org\/cgi\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.1212089110\u0022 title=\u0022www.pnas.org\/cgi\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.1212089110\u0022\u003Ewww.pnas.org\/cgi\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.1212089110\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported, in part, by NASA grant number NNX10AM63G, by a GAANN Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education, a NASA-NESSF fellowship, and by a National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellowship. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NASA, the Department of Education or the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms \u2013 principally bacteria \u2013 in the middle and upper troposphere, that section of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles above the Earth\u2019s surface.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Using genomic techniques, researchers have documented substantial populations of microorganisms in the middle and upper troposphere."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-01-27 18:17:11","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:33","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-01-28T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-01-28T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"187061":{"id":"187061","type":"image","title":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Sampling","body":null,"created":"1449179090","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:50","changed":"1475894835","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:15","alt":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Sampling","file":{"fid":"196178","name":"troposhere-microbiome-lathem.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposhere-microbiome-lathem_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposhere-microbiome-lathem_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":266757,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/troposhere-microbiome-lathem_0.jpg?itok=SzfXesTu"}},"187101":{"id":"187101","type":"image","title":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Genomics3","body":null,"created":"1449179090","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:50","changed":"1475894835","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:15","alt":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Genomics3","file":{"fid":"196182","name":"troposphere-microbiome147.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposphere-microbiome147_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposphere-microbiome147_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1150100,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/troposphere-microbiome147_0.jpg?itok=PdutZ8O3"}},"187091":{"id":"187091","type":"image","title":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Genomics2","body":null,"created":"1449179090","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:50","changed":"1475894835","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:15","alt":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Genomics2","file":{"fid":"196181","name":"troposphere-microbiome88.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposphere-microbiome88_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposphere-microbiome88_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1330827,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/troposphere-microbiome88_0.jpg?itok=HeSOuvGs"}},"187081":{"id":"187081","type":"image","title":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Genomics","body":null,"created":"1449179090","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:50","changed":"1475894835","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:15","alt":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Genomics","file":{"fid":"196180","name":"troposphere-microbiome34.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposphere-microbiome34_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/troposphere-microbiome34_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1300891,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/troposphere-microbiome34_0.jpg?itok=u-xaRu8i"}},"187071":{"id":"187071","type":"image","title":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Hurricane","body":null,"created":"1449179090","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:50","changed":"1475894835","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:15","alt":"Troposphere-Microbiome-Hurricane","file":{"fid":"196179","name":"tropospshere-microbiome-earl-eye1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tropospshere-microbiome-earl-eye1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tropospshere-microbiome-earl-eye1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":652984,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tropospshere-microbiome-earl-eye1_0.jpg?itok=ARBQXrwh"}}},"media_ids":["187061","187101","187091","187081","187071"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"56541","name":"Athanasios Nenes"},{"id":"2868","name":"atmosphere"},{"id":"7077","name":"bacteria"},{"id":"807","name":"environment"},{"id":"7084","name":"genomic"},{"id":"12758","name":"Kostas Konstantinidis"},{"id":"7079","name":"microorganism"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"56531","name":"precipitation"},{"id":"35141","name":"rain"},{"id":"167864","name":"School of Civil and Environmental Engineering"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"},{"id":"11463","name":"troposphere"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"186141":{"#nid":"186141","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cross Explains Tech\u2019s Evolving Research Strategy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom leading the way in cybersecurity to improving flood predictions in developing nations, Georgia Tech researchers are internationally known for their discoveries. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut there is still much to be done to make it easier for faculty members, students and others to pursue the well-respected research that occurs at Tech. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur goal is for people around the world to ask \u2018What does Georgia Tech think?\u2019 when they have a question or problem,\u201d said Steve Cross, executive vice president for research. \u201cTo do this, we need to find new ways for faculty, students and post docs to explore and solve exciting problems by working together across traditional academic disciplines.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn this two-part Q\u0026amp;A series, Cross will discuss Tech\u2019s relationship with research and respond to common questions. In this installment, he explains the Institute\u2019s evolving research strategy and the establishment of 12 core research areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIs research separate from the educational component of Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey are intimately linked. We do research because it is reputationally important (helping attract the best faculty, students, and postdocs) and because of its importance in economic development. But, of course, research is also key to enhancing our educational role. Our main product is, and will always be, well-educated students. It is significant that this focus remains connected to our history, specifically the initial shops and foundries of Tech. When the Institute opened its doors, students worked in those shops and foundries in parallel with their coursework \u2014 as is the case today with the research many of our students do in campus laboratories.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is Georgia Tech\u2019s research strategy?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EThe research strategy has three objectives. The first is pursuing transformative research. We want to make it even easier to pursue research that is game-changing and leading edge, and have people asking, \u201cWhat does Georgia Tech think?\u201d The second objective is strengthening collaborative partnerships with industry, government and nonprofits. We want to be viewed as leaders who define grand challenges and engage communities in collaborative problem solving.\u0026nbsp;The third objective is maximizing the economic and societal impact of our research. This strategy involves the entire Tech research enterprise: the colleges and schools, the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, our contracting and licensing operations, our development and support functions, and our Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs).\u0026nbsp;We strive to be a research environment that is powered by ideas, led by faculty, energized by students and supported by professionals as \u201cone Georgia Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you see as your role in this?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EMy main role, and that of my team, is to support those who do the research. We are behind the scenes helping make others\u0026nbsp;successful. I also have an important role in communicating and marketing the impact of our research to various stakeholders, including sponsors and alumni. In addition, I serve as an internal advocate for faculty and students, and sometimes I challenge us to do more than we may think possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you define interdisciplinary research? How does the Institute support it?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EAn interdisciplinary pursuit can be contrasted with a multidisciplinary one where two or more existing disciplines are involved in achieving some outcome. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/institutes\u0022\u003EIRIs\u003C\/a\u003E were created to provide intellectual crossroads where different academic pursuits could merge to explore and solve problems. They provide an environment where interaction among traditional academic disciplines is natural. It is the intersection of these fields at the boundaries of their knowledge that creates new ways of thinking about problems and new ways to solve them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExplain our 12 core research areas.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EShortly after I was selected for this position, I was looking at a website that listed many of the centers, labs and groups across Tech. There was not much rhyme or reason to how they were grouped, and many were not even listed. Unless you had intimate knowledge about the Institute\u2019s internal structure, it did not make much sense. Given my role in communicating and marketing our research capabilities, I wanted a better way to describe our research to the outside world.\u0026nbsp;So, with help from the associate deans of research and school chairs, we constructed a master list of all the centers, labs, groups and institutes. A list of around 300 dictated that we group many into similar thematic areas.\u0026nbsp;Out of this distillation process came \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/areas\u0022\u003E12 areas\u003C\/a\u003E. It is not cast in concrete and can change when it makes sense to describe it differently.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESubmit questions and comments regarding research at Tech at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/contact\u0022\u003Ewww.gatech.edu\/research\/contact\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;To read the Q\u0026amp;A, in its entirety, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/a89ndkx\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom leading the way in cybersecurity to improving flood predictions in developing nations, Georgia Tech researchers are internationally known for their discoveries.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From leading the way in cybersecurity to improving flood predictions in developing nations, Georgia Tech researchers are internationally known for their discoveries."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-01-23 13:24:43","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:29","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-01-21T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-01-21T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"186001":{"id":"186001","type":"image","title":"Robert Guldberg and Steve Cross","body":null,"created":"1449179081","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:41","changed":"1475894833","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:13","alt":"Robert Guldberg and Steve Cross","file":{"fid":"196151","name":"cross_research.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cross_research_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cross_research_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3896590,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cross_research_0.jpg?itok=hUiz421j"}}},"media_ids":["186001"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/research\/evpr\/crosstalk\/documents\/research-strategy-interview","title":"Full Version of Q\u0026A"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"56171","name":"12 core research areas"},{"id":"3671","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"8402","name":"Executive Vice President for Research"},{"id":"1506","name":"faculty"},{"id":"415","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"56191","name":"Interdisciplinary Research Institutes"},{"id":"56201","name":"IRIs"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"56181","name":"researchers"},{"id":"167317","name":"Steve Cross"},{"id":"166847","name":"students"}],"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:kirkeng@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKirk Englehardt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"184801":{"#nid":"184801","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Craig Forest awarded Engineer of the Year in Education","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gspe.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Society of Professional Engineer\u003C\/a\u003E (GSPE) and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.engineersweek.com\/awards.htm\u0022\u003E2013 Georgia Engineers Week\u003C\/a\u003E Planning Committee has selected Dr. Craig Forest as the 2013 Engineer of the Year in Education recipient.\u0026nbsp; Dr. Forest\u0027s nomination entry was selected by engineers representing various engineering organizations and educational institutions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Georgia Engineers Week is a cooperative effort of the professional engineering organizations in the State of Georgia, and is coordinated through the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers. This week is dedicated to the annual Engineers Week programs in the State of Georgia and additional programs across the Nation. These programs are designed to promote the engineering disciplines to students, help expand public recognition of the engineering profession and celebrate engineering accomplishments.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe GSPE and the Engineers Week Planning Committee will host the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/events.r20.constantcontact.com\/register\/event?oeidk=a07e6uxx6de5b6df48d\u0026amp;llr=tnqftnkab\u0022\u003EAnnual Engineers Week Awards Gala\u003C\/a\u003E on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta, during which Dr. Forest will recieve his well-deserved award.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECongratulations to Dr. Forest for being selected as the Engineer of the Year in Education.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Presented by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineer (GSPE)"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECraig Forest, PhD, awarded Engineer of the Year in Education - Presented by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineer (GSPE)\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Presented by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineer (GSPE)"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2013-01-17 12:35:57","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:29","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"68626":{"id":"68626","type":"image","title":"Craig Forest, PhD - Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering","body":null,"created":"1449177185","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:13:05","changed":"1475894597","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:17","alt":"Craig Forest, PhD - Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering","file":{"fid":"192621","name":"forest.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/forest_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/forest_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6910,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/forest_0.jpg?itok=7iDCnO5X"}}},"media_ids":["68626"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/pbl.gatech.edu\/","title":"Forest lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"55651","name":"Engineer of the Year in Education"}],"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:melissa.zbeeb@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMelissa Zbeeb\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["melissa.zbeeb@me.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"182231":{"#nid":"182231","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Quantifies the Size of Holes Antibacterials Create in Cell Walls to Kill Bacteria","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has initiated a quest for alternatives to conventional antibiotics. One potential alternative is PlyC, a potent enzyme that kills the bacteria that causes strep throat and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. PlyC operates by locking onto the surface of a bacteria cell and chewing a hole in the cell wall large enough for the bacteria\u2019s inner membrane to protrude from the cell, ultimately causing the cell to burst and die.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch has shown that alternative antimicrobials such as PlyC can effectively kill bacteria. However, fundamental questions remain about how bacteria respond to the holes that these therapeutics make in their cell wall and what size holes bacteria can withstand before breaking apart. Answering those questions could improve the effectiveness of current antibacterial drugs and initiate the development of new ones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland recently conducted a study to try to answer those questions. The researchers created a biophysical model of the response of a Gram-positive bacterium to the formation of a hole in its cell wall. Then they used experimental measurements to validate the theory, which predicted that a hole in the bacteria cell wall larger than 15 to 24 nanometers in diameter would cause the cell to lyse, or burst. These small holes are approximately one-hundredth the diameter of a typical bacterial cell. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur model correctly predicted that the membrane and cell contents of Gram-positive bacteria cells explode out of holes in cell walls that exceed a few dozen nanometers. This critical hole size, validated by experiments, is much larger than the holes Gram-positive bacteria use to transport molecules necessary for their survival, which have been estimated to be less than 7 nanometers in diameter,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ecotheory.biology.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJoshua Weitz\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the School of Biology at Georgia Tech. Weitz also holds an adjunct appointment in the School of Physics at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was published online on Jan. 9, 2013 in the \u003Cem\u003EJournal of the Royal Society Interface\u003C\/em\u003E. The work was supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommon Gram-positive bacteria that infect humans include \u003Cem\u003EStreptococcus\u003C\/em\u003E, which causes strep throat; \u003Cem\u003EStaphylococcus\u003C\/em\u003E, which causes impetigo; and \u003Cem\u003EClostridium\u003C\/em\u003E, which causes botulism and tetanus. Gram-negative bacteria include \u003Cem\u003EEscherichia\u003C\/em\u003E, which causes urinary tract infections; \u003Cem\u003EVibrio\u003C\/em\u003E, which causes cholera; and \u003Cem\u003ENeisseria\u003C\/em\u003E, which causes gonorrhea.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGram-positive bacteria differ from Gram-negative bacteria in the structure of their cell walls. The cell wall constitutes the outer layer of Gram-positive bacteria, whereas the cell wall lies between the inner and outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and is therefore protected from direct exposure to the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech biology graduate student Gabriel Mitchell, Georgia Tech physics professor Kurt Wiesenfeld and Weitz developed a biophysical theory of the response of a Gram-positive bacterium to the formation of a hole in its cell wall. The model detailed the effect of pressure, bending and stretching forces on the changing configuration of the cell membrane due to a hole. The force associated with bending and stretching pulls the membrane inward, while the pressure from the inside of the cell pushes the membrane outward through the hole.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe found that bending forces act to keep the membrane together and push it back inside, but a sufficiently large hole enables the bending forces to be overpowered by the internal pressure forces and the membrane begins to escape out and the cell contents follow,\u201d said Weitz.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe balance between the bending and pressure forces led to the model prediction that holes 15 to 24 nanometers in diameter or larger would cause a bacteria cell to burst. To test the theory, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibbr.umd.edu\/profiles\/daniel-nelson\u0022\u003EDaniel Nelson\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, used transmission electron microscopy images to measure the size of holes created in lysed \u003Cem\u003EStreptococcus pyogenes\u003C\/em\u003E bacteria cells following PlyC exposure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENelson found holes in the lysed bacteria cells that ranged in diameter from 22 to 180 nanometers, with a mean diameter of 68 nanometers. These experimental measurements agreed with the researchers\u2019 theoretical prediction of critical hole sizes that cause bacterial cell death.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the researchers, their theoretical model is the first to consider the effects of cell wall thickness on lysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBecause lysis events occur most often at thinner points in the cell wall, cell wall thickness may play a role in suppressing lysis by serving as a buffer against the formation of large holes,\u201d said Mitchell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe combination of theory and experiments used in this study provided insights into the effect of defects on a cell\u2019s viability and the mechanisms used by enzymes to disrupt homeostasis and cause bacteria cell death. To further understand the mechanisms behind enzyme-induced lysis, the researchers plan to measure membrane dynamics as a function of hole geometry in the future.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Mitchell GJ, Wiesenfeld K, Nelson DC, Weitz JS, \u201cCritical cell wall hole size for lysis in Gram-positive bacteria,\u201d J R Soc Interface 20120892 (2013): \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1098\/rsif.2012.0892\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1098\/rsif.2012.0892\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1098\/rsif.2012.0892\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Abby Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers recently created a biophysical model of the response of a Gram-positive bacterium to the formation of a hole in its cell wall, then used experimental measurements to validate the theory, which predicted that a hole in the bacteria cell wall larger than 15 to 24 nanometers in diameter would cause the cell to lyse, or burst.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study has quantified the size holes made in bacteria by new antibacterial compounds."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-01-09 22:24:52","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:26","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-01-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"182211":{"id":"182211","type":"image","title":"Bursting a Bacteria Cell Wall","body":null,"created":"1449179062","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:22","changed":"1475894828","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:08","alt":"Bursting a Bacteria Cell Wall","file":{"fid":"196061","name":"lysis_cover.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lysis_cover_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lysis_cover_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2717232,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lysis_cover_0.jpg?itok=TsqxqPAL"}},"182221":{"id":"182221","type":"image","title":"Bursting a Bacteria Cell Wall2","body":null,"created":"1449179062","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:44:22","changed":"1475894828","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:08","alt":"Bursting a Bacteria Cell Wall2","file":{"fid":"196062","name":"lysis5a.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lysis5a_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lysis5a_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2439483,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lysis5a_0.jpg?itok=J1cX_maV"}}},"media_ids":["182211","182221"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"54711","name":"antibacterial"},{"id":"7077","name":"bacteria"},{"id":"54701","name":"cell wall"},{"id":"11599","name":"Joshua Weitz"},{"id":"7234","name":"lysis"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"178681":{"#nid":"178681","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Announces 2013 Suddath Symposium Award Winners","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience awarded the 2013 Suddath Symposium Awards to three graduate students for their grand achievements in biological or biochemical research at the molecular or cellular level.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0022The applicant pool was extremely competitive and we received the most number of applications ever this year,\u0022 said Nick Hud, associate director for the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first place award was given to Melissa Kinney who is pursuing her PhD in biomedical engineering in the lab of Todd McDevitt, PhD.\u0026nbsp; Kinney was selected from amongst numerous submissions in the most competitive selection process to date for the award.\u0026nbsp; Her research is focused on understanding the complexity of embryonic stem cell interactions within three dimensional microenvironments in order to control spatial and temporal aspects of pluripotent cell fate and morphogenesis and ultimately enable the derivation of complex, functional tissues for the replacement or regeneration of damaged tissue.\u0026nbsp; Kinney was a NSF Pre-Doctoral Fellow 2009-2012, and more recently was awarded an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. She currently has six publications, one more currently in revision, and is the coauthor of a textbook chapter on pluripotent stem cells, and co-inventor on a patent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cI am very honored to receive the prestigious Suddath award,\u201d said Kinney.\u0026nbsp; \u201cI am thankful to the reviewers for recognizing my accomplishments and grateful for all of the opportunities and resources that have been provided through my advisor, Todd McDevitt, as well as through Georgia Tech\u2019s BME department and the Petit Institute.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKinney will receive a $1,000 as the first place awardee and will give a research presentation to the Petit Institute community at the 2013 Suddath Symposium to be held on February 21, 2013 at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; She will also have her name added to the Suddath Award recognition plaque at the Petit Institute.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cMelissa is a stellar student in all regards - diligent, creative, inquisitive and persistent.\u0026nbsp; Her innate leadership skills and intuitions consistently have and will guide her intellectual pursuits as she continues to develop into a successful, young independent scientist,\u0022 said her advisor, Todd McDevitt, PhD.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBerkley Gryder received the 2nd place award for his research in bioorganic chemistry, biochemistry and drug design in the lab of Yomi Oyelere, PhD. He has developed gold nanoparticle conjugates to target prostate cancer, novel proteasome inhibitors for treating cancers and M. tuberculosis infections, triazole-based histone deacetylase inhibitors for cancer and antimalarial treatment, and duel-acting conjugates that bind hormone receptors for drug delivery.\u0026nbsp; During his time at Georgia Tech, Gryder has been a CD4 GAANN fellow, and most recently a School of Chemistry and Biochemistry GAANN fellow.\u0026nbsp; Over the past 3 years, these projects have resulted in 5 publications (with 4 more in preparation) and 3 patent applications. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJames Kratzer, a doctoral student in the school of Biology, was recognized for a 3rd place award for his leadership in the lab of Eric Gaucher, PhD, where he conducts research in the field of evolutionary synthetic biology, protein engineering, ancestral sequence reconstruction and directed evolution.\u0026nbsp; Kratzer was a member of the TI:GER program in biotechnology and he played a major role in the establishment of General Genomics, a startup company that has recently received funding from Peter Thiel\u2019s Breakout Labs. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKratzer and Gryder will each receive cash awards.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Three trainees honored from McDevitt, Oyelere and Gaucher labs"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree trainees honored from McDevitt, Oyelere and Gaucher labs\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Three trainees honored from McDevitt, Oyelere and Gaucher labs"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-12-19 15:51:47","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:26","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-12-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-12-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"178721":{"id":"178721","type":"image","title":"2013 Suddath Award Winner, Melissa Kinney, with Lee Suddath","body":null,"created":"1449179039","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:59","changed":"1475894825","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:05","alt":"2013 Suddath Award Winner, Melissa Kinney, with Lee Suddath","file":{"fid":"195961","name":"melissa_kinney_with_lee_suddath.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/melissa_kinney_with_lee_suddath_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/melissa_kinney_with_lee_suddath_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":979854,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/melissa_kinney_with_lee_suddath_0.png?itok=P1PO2Gs6"}}},"media_ids":["178721"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"url":"http:\/\/mcdevitt.gatech.edu\/","title":"McDevitt Research Lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/ww2.chemistry.gatech.edu\/~oyelere\/","title":"Oyelere lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gauchergroup.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"Gaucher Group"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"6500","name":"Petit Institute"}],"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","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"178691":{"#nid":"178691","#data":{"type":"news","title":"2012 Petit Institute \u201cAbove and Beyond\u201d Award Winners Announced","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience announced the winners of its annual \u201cAbove and Beyond\u201d awards given annually to staff, a junior faculty member, a senior faculty member, a staff member, and, for the first time in 2012, to three graduate student or postdoc trainees. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETodd Streelman, PhD, an associate professor in the School of Biology, received the senior faculty award for his time and dedication in the planning phase one of the portion of the bio-complex on Georgia Tech\u2019s biotechnology campus. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EManu Platt, PhD, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, was the junior faculty member recognized for his leadership and organization of the new Graduate and Postdoc (GaP) Seminar Series as well as numerous minority outreach activities, including the new ENGAGE program and diversity events for Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe trainee awards were given to graduate students, Ashley Allen, Stacie Gutowski and Jenna Wilson for their dedication to the broader community through graduate student group activities as well as volunteering.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAllen, from the lab of Bob Guldberg, PhD, was recognized for her numerous volunteer activities over the years.\u0026nbsp; She served as chair and member of Bioengineering Graduate Student Association (BGSAC) for two years, and as chair of the outreach committee for the Bioengineering and Bioscience Unified Graduate Students (BBUGS). \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGutowski, who also gives generously of her time to volunteering in many capacities, has been very active in BBUGS, serving as the organization\u2019s co-chair for two years as well as the co-chair for the education and outreach committee.\u0026nbsp; She was the co-chair for the biotechnology career fair and served as a trainee and then a mentor for the graduate leadership program (GLP) on campus. \u0026nbsp;Gutowski\u0027s adviser, Andres Garcia, PhD, nominated her for the award.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWilson, a doctoral student in the lab of Todd McDevitt, PhD, is another standout amongst Petit Institute trainees.\u0026nbsp; She served as event chair of BGSAC, volunteered for numerous outreach activities with BBUGS, was a leader for the IGERT mentoring meetings, a graduate student mentor for Georgia Tech\u2019s BMES, a mentor for Georgia Tech\u2019s Women in Engineering and served on the graduate recruitment committee for BMES.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe staff awards were given to James Godard, Administrative Manager II, and Matthew Myskowski, web developer for the Petit Institute.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \u0022Above and Beyond\u0022 Awards were started in 2009 to recognize team-based individuals who demonstrate exemplary service to the institute and contribute to its collegial, collaborative environment.\u0026nbsp; All awardees are selected by the Petit Institute Faculty Steering Committee.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Senior faculty, junior faculty, trainees and staff recognized"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESenior faculty, junior faculty, trainees and staff recognized\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Senior faculty, junior faculty, trainees and staff recognized"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-12-19 15:56:51","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:26","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-12-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-12-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"178711":{"id":"178711","type":"image","title":"2012 Petit Institute \u0022Above and Beyond\u0022 Trainee Award Winners - Jenna Wilson, Stacie Gutowski and Ashley Allen","body":null,"created":"1449179039","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:59","changed":"1475894825","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:05","alt":"2012 Petit Institute \u0022Above and Beyond\u0022 Trainee Award Winners - Jenna Wilson, Stacie Gutowski and Ashley Allen","file":{"fid":"195960","name":"jenna_wilson_stacie_gutowski_ashley_allen-usethis.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jenna_wilson_stacie_gutowski_ashley_allen-usethis_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jenna_wilson_stacie_gutowski_ashley_allen-usethis_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":714894,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jenna_wilson_stacie_gutowski_ashley_allen-usethis_0.png?itok=hmmFn8kI"}}},"media_ids":["178711"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"53591","name":"above and beyond awards"}],"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","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"176871":{"#nid":"176871","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Bioengineering Graduate Program Accepts Nominations for Annual Awards","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s Bioengineering (BioE) graduate program is accepting nominations for its annual best student paper, best PhD thesis and best advisor awards.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECriteria\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBest BioE Student Paper\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAll BioE students are eligible - MUST BE CURRENTLY ENROLLED\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E$1,000 cash and plaque award\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENominated by Advisor - nominations must include a letter of support from advisor discussing impact and significance of the work\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EElectronic copy of paper must accompany nomination\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPaper must be published, in press or accepted in the time frame Jan 1-Dec 31, 2012\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBest BioE Ph.D. Thesis\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAll BioE students are eligible - DO NOT HAVE TO BE CURRENTLY ENROLLED\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E$1,000 cash and plaque award\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENominated by Advisor\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENominations must include a letter of support from advisor\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EElectronic copy of Ph.D. thesis must accompany nomination\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThesis Certificate of Completion form must be signed by ALL committee members in the time frame Jan 1-Dec 31, 2012\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBest BioE Advisor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAll BioE Program Faculty are eligible\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E$500 discretionary funds and plaque\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENominated by graduate student(s) \u2013 SUBMIT AN LETTER EXPLAINING WHY YOU ARE NOMINATING FACULTY MEMBER.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENominations should be submitted to \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:chris.ruffin@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EChris Ruffin\u003C\/a\u003E in the BioE Office. Nominations will be reviewed by the BioE Faculty Advisory Committee and winners will be announced at the BioE Reception on March 8, 2013 (Recruitment Day).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"January 31st deadline for nominations"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGT\u0027s BioE Program accepts nominations for annual awards\u0026nbsp;- January 31st deadline for nominations\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"January 31st deadline for nominations"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-12-12 08:43:21","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:22","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"120721":{"id":"120721","type":"image","title":"Bioengineering Graduate Students","body":null,"created":"1449178279","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:31:19","changed":"1475894741","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:41","alt":"Bioengineering Graduate Students","file":{"fid":"194373","name":"11c3022-p1-176.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/11c3022-p1-176_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/11c3022-p1-176_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3017792,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/11c3022-p1-176_0.jpg?itok=Cr3d-QlN"}}},"media_ids":["120721"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bioengineering.gatech.edu\/","title":"BioEngineering website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"52891","name":"BioE Program news"},{"id":"52791","name":"GT\u0027s BioE Program accepts nominations for annual awards"}],"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:chris.ruffin@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EChris Ruffin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["chris.ruffin@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"174651":{"#nid":"174651","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Seven Named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESeven Georgia Institute of Technology faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world\u2019s largest general scientific society. They were awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s AAAS Fellows were announced in the journal \u003Cem\u003EScience\u003C\/em\u003E on November 30, 2012. The new AAAS Fellows from Georgia Tech are:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShuming Nie\u003C\/strong\u003E, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University: For distinguished contributions to single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as well as the development of semiconductor quantum dots for molecular and cellular imaging.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garcia\u003C\/strong\u003E, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering: For distinguished contributions to the field of biomaterials and regenerative medicine, particularly for the engineering of materials for therapeutic and cell delivery and tissue repair.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPaul Goldbart\u003C\/strong\u003E, School of Physics: For distinguished contributions to theoretical condensed-matter physics, especially in the areas of nanosuperconductivity and mesoscopic physics, liquid crystals, quantum entanglement, and vulcanization.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJulia Kubanek\u003C\/strong\u003E, School of Biology: For distinguished contributions to chemical ecology, particularly for advances in aquatic ecology, marine natural products, drug discovery and chemical signaling.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArthur Ragauskas\u003C\/strong\u003E, School of Chemistry \u0026amp; Biochemistry: For distinguished fundamental contributions to the field of green chemistry and biorefining of biomass to biofuels and bio-based chemicals and materials.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMohan Srinivasarao\u003C\/strong\u003E, School of Materials Science \u0026amp; Engineering: For fundamental studies in the optical and physical properties of liquid crystals, insect wing iridescence, biomimetic synthesis of periodic structures through breath figures, and for public educational efforts in color science.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEberhard Voit\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University: For distinguished research and the development of innovative teaching tools in the fields of computational systems biology and metabolic pathway analysis.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world\u2019s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, \u003Cem\u003EScience\u003C\/em\u003E. AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. \u003Cem\u003EScience\u003C\/em\u003E has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESeven Georgia Tech faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world\u2019s largest general scientific society. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"They were awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-12-02 19:24:24","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:18","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-12-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-12-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"1629","name":"AAAS"},{"id":"11718","name":"AAAS Fellow"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"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 \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"173981":{"#nid":"173981","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Emory\/Georgia Tech Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center Awards 11 Collaborative Seed Grants","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Emory\/Georgia Tech Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center recently awarded 11 seed grants, totaling $630,000,\u0026nbsp;for promising new research in regenerative medicine. The seed grants focus on how the body\u2014including bone, muscle, nerves, blood vessels and tissues\u2014can harness its own potential to heal or regenerate following trauma or disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cWe looked for projects along the innovation spectrum, including early-stage projects for which the potential payoffs justified taking the risk and projects supported by preliminary data that were at an advanced preclinical or early clinical stage,\u201d said Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center Co-Director Robert Guldberg, a mechanical engineering professor at Georgia Tech. Guldberg is also executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwenty-eight seed grant proposals from across the Georgia Tech and Emory campuses were submitted and those with the strongest potential for impacting the field of regenerative medicine were selected for funding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cWe are very excited that the funded proposals will initiate new partnerships among regenerative medicine researchers at institutions across Atlanta,\u201d said Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center Co-Director W. Robert Taylor, the Marcus Chair in Vascular Medicine and Director of the Division of Cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Taylor is also a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe collaborative regenerative medicine initiative at Georgia Tech and Emory University began in 1998 with the establishment of the Georgia Tech\/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues (GTEC), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. Since then, more than 15 technologies have been licensed, 13 startup companies have been formed and three clinical trials are under way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EToday, more than 40 researchers from Georgia Tech and Emory University are working together as members of the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center, which launched in 2011, to develop integrated technologies and therapies that harness the body\u2019s own cells and repair mechanisms to heal itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn interdisciplinary team of stem cell biologists, stem cell engineers and a surgeon from Georgia Tech, Emory University and Morehouse College received one of the $50,000 seed grants. The team plans to improve the quality of stem cells derived from the bone marrow of individuals with critical limb ischemia so that they can be used as a cellular therapy to prevent amputation in this patient population. Critical limb ischemia\u2014a severe blockage in the arteries of the lower extremities that reduces blood flow\u2014affects more than 500,000 people annually and can cause pain, tissue loss and lead to amputation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cMesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow of healthy individuals have been shown to support new blood vessel growth and help re-establish blood flow to an affected area, but the quality of mesenchymal stem cells in individuals with critical limb ischemia is known to be poor because of the typical patient\u2019s age and medical condition,\u201d said Luke Brewster, an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo overcome this challenge, the research team plans to develop techniques for rejuvenating mesenchymal stem cells cultured from amputated ischemic patient limbs in a novel manner that will enhance cell expansion and reduce the inflammatory response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn addition to Brewster, the research team also includes Todd McDevitt, an associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University; Ian Copland, an assistant professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University; and Alex Peister, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Morehouse College.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJulie Champion, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, received a $50,000 seed grant to create an innovative biomaterial capable of suppressing immune activity in the body. The material, which is made from engineered regulatory T-cell proteins, will operate through direct contact with immune cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe success of many regenerative medicine therapies is limited because the introduction of foreign biomaterials, cells or tissues into the body causes an inflammatory response. According to Champion, the new material she is developing could be incorporated into regenerative biomaterials directly, combined with cell or tissue therapies, or used as pre-treatments prior to regenerative therapy to suppress immune activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cThis project demonstrates a new biomaterials platform that will interact directly with the immune system in both a physical and biological manner and could lead to innovative immune therapies for injured or sick patients that require regenerative medicine to heal and restore function,\u201d said Champion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA committee of investigators from Georgia Tech, Emory University, Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and the University of Georgia awarded the grants that spanned basic science and translational research to researchers from a broad range of disciplines including engineering, medicine and biology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EScores were based on the following primary criteria:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe ability of the project to address an important clinical problem;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe originality and innovation of the research; and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003Ethe quality and expertise of the research and investigator(s).\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cThe seed grants also allow the unique blend of engineers, scientists and clinicians at Georgia Tech and Emory University who have a successful history of collaboration in regenerative engineering and medicine to help train the next generation of leaders in this rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field,\u201d said Guldberg.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy: Abby Robinson, writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Grants focus on how the body harnesses its own potential to heal or regenerate following trauma or disease"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmory\/Georgia Tech Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center Awards 11 Collaborative Seed Grants, totaling $630,000.\u0026nbsp;Grants focus on how the body harnesses its own potential to heal or regenerate following trauma or disease.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Grants focus on how the body harnesses its own potential to heal or regenerate following trauma or disease"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-11-29 09:40:15","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:18","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-12-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-12-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"178371":{"id":"178371","type":"image","title":"Julie Champion","body":null,"created":"1449179039","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:59","changed":"1475894825","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:05","alt":"Julie Champion","file":{"fid":"195956","name":"13c7029-p1-009.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13c7029-p1-009_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13c7029-p1-009_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1681555,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13c7029-p1-009_0.jpg?itok=3FRW7NNy"}},"178351":{"id":"178351","type":"image","title":"Todd McDevitt, Luke Brewster, Jenna Wilson","body":null,"created":"1449179039","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:59","changed":"1475894825","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:05","alt":"Todd McDevitt, Luke Brewster, Jenna Wilson","file":{"fid":"195954","name":"13c7029-p1-032.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13c7029-p1-032_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13c7029-p1-032_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1702067,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13c7029-p1-032_0.jpg?itok=3c6q_rJ7"}},"178361":{"id":"178361","type":"image","title":"Bob Guldberg","body":null,"created":"1449179039","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:59","changed":"1475894825","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:05","alt":"Bob Guldberg","file":{"fid":"195955","name":"13c7029-p1-037.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13c7029-p1-037_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13c7029-p1-037_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1792562,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13c7029-p1-037_0.jpg?itok=KaXcmx9e"}}},"media_ids":["178371","178351","178361"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/regenerativeengineeringandmedicine.com\/","title":"Regenerative Engineering \u0026 Medicine Website"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"url":"http:\/\/mcdevitt.gatech.edu\/","title":"McDevitt Research Lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/champion.chbe.gatech.edu\/Champion.html","title":"Champion Research Lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/medicine.emory.edu\/divisions\/cardiology\/","title":"W. Robert Taylor, Director"},{"url":"http:\/\/guldberglab.gatech.edu\/","title":"Guldberg Musculoskeletal Research Lab"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"53551","name":"Endogenous repair"},{"id":"10961","name":"julie champion"},{"id":"1489","name":"Regenerative Medicine"},{"id":"11629","name":"Robert Guldberg"},{"id":"167130","name":"Stem Cells"},{"id":"760","name":"Todd McDevitt"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"173061":{"#nid":"173061","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Research Will Study How Diversity Helps Microbial Communities Respond to Change","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how complex microbial systems use their genetic diversity to respond to human-induced change. The work is important because these microbial communities play critical roles in the environment, breaking down pollutants, recycling nutrients \u2013 and serving as major sources of nitrogen and carbon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite the importance of the microbes, relatively few among the thousands of species that make up a typical microbial community have been studied extensively. The relatively unknown organisms within these communities may have genes that could help address critical environmental, energy and other challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are all dependent on these microbes,\u201d said Kostas Konstantinidis, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the grant\u2019s principal investigator. \u201cThere are many different species and a huge amount of diversity out there. This project will allow us to look at the details of how this diversity is generated, how redundant it is and how these microbes are changing in response to perturbations in the environment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe funding, from the NSF\u2019s \u201cDimensions of Biodiversity\u201d program, will support a collaborative effort involving Konstantinidis and two other Georgia Tech researchers: Eberhardt Voit and Jim Spain. Voit holds the David D. Flanagan Chair in Biological Systems within the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and is a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. Spain is a professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research will initially focus on Lake Lanier, a large man-made lake located near Atlanta. Beyond the experimental work, the research will involve extensive mathematical modeling of the complex microbial communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want to see how the microbial communities of the lake change over time, and how the perturbations affect that,\u201d said Konstantinidis, who holds the Carlton S. Wilder Chair in Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. \u201cWe then want to extend our understanding to other ecosystems, such as the Gulf of Mexico.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers will set up mesocosms \u2013 bioreactors \u2013 in the laboratory with microbial populations from Lake Lanier. They will feed these populations pollutants such as hydrocarbons, antibiotics and pesticides to see how they respond and how they deal with compounds to which they may not have been exposed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSometimes they may not have the genes to break down the pollutants and may not encode the right enzymes,\u201d Konstantinidis said. \u201cBut if you give them enough time, these microbes somehow innovate. We want to understand the genetic mechanisms that allow the microbes to break down a compound that they are seeing for the first time.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe grant will allow the Georgia Tech researchers to expand knowledge of \u201crare\u201d microbes, largely unknown organisms that may harbor useful genes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe think these unusual microbes may be the key ones,\u201d Konstantinidis said. \u201cThough they may be low in abundance, the whole community may depend on them. When you have a new pollutant, these rare microbes may become more important by providing the genetic diversity needed.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExtending this understanding will be challenging, however, because few species can be cultured in the laboratory. That difficulty is leading Konstantinidis and his team to develop new tools that allow studying the organisms in the field, without culturing them under laboratory settings. Addressing those challenges may lead to the creation of additional techniques that could benefit other areas of biology, engineering and medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the most common techniques is to take the microbial DNA and decode it,\u201d he explained. \u201cFrom the DNA, we can tell what the organism is and what it may be doing in the environment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut studying DNA brings another set of challenges. The genes are rarely recovered intact based on these genomic techniques, and frequently include only part of the genome or are contaminated by DNA from other species.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBioinformatics is a big issue for us, because that is how we can put the pieces together,\u201d Konstantinidis explained. \u201cWe have to make sense of pieces of DNA from perhaps thousands of organisms. This is where biology, computing and engineering are merging to find clever ways to accomplish such tasks.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPart of investigating how the microbial community responds to change will include assessing the effects of rising temperatures. Will global climate change cause increased respiration among the microbes and therefore boost carbon dioxide output, or will temperature change lead the organisms to store carbon, pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA big part of the scientific community is working on questions like this to get a better understanding and better model of how microbial systems will respond,\u201d Konstantinidis said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EModeling will be important to understand not only how microbial communities will respond to broad climate changes, but also how they might react to such dramatic perturbations as large oil spills.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFrom small experiments in the lab, the goal is to eventually model whole ecosystems \u2013 how Lake Lanier works or how the Gulf of Mexico works in terms of the microbes that are there,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to have a more predictive model of how these communities that are so diverse will respond to a perturbation like an oil spill or rising tempeartures. With so many thousands of organisms from different species, we need modeling to put it all together.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DEB-1241046 . The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how complex microbial systems use their genetic diversity to respond to human-induced change. The work is important because these microbial communities play critical roles in the environment, breaking down pollutants, recycling nutrients \u2013 and serving as major sources of nitrogen and carbon.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study will examine how diversity will help the microbial community respond to man-made changes."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-11-26 12:29:59","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:14","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-26T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-26T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"173011":{"id":"173011","type":"image","title":"Microbial diversity","body":null,"created":"1449178999","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:19","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Microbial diversity","file":{"fid":"195774","name":"microbial-diversity1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity1_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity1_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2500077,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microbial-diversity1_0.jpg?itok=I7SiftZx"}},"173021":{"id":"173021","type":"image","title":"Microbial diversity2","body":null,"created":"1449178999","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:19","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Microbial diversity2","file":{"fid":"195775","name":"microbial-diversity2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2047014,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microbial-diversity2_0.jpg?itok=J5K1KHaR"}},"173031":{"id":"173031","type":"image","title":"Microbial diversity3","body":null,"created":"1449178999","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:19","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Microbial diversity3","file":{"fid":"195776","name":"microbial-diversity3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":579804,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microbial-diversity3_0.jpg?itok=K4e6JTr7"}},"173041":{"id":"173041","type":"image","title":"Microbial diversity4","body":null,"created":"1449178999","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:19","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Microbial diversity4","file":{"fid":"195777","name":"microbial-diversity4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity4_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microbial-diversity4_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1188817,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microbial-diversity4_0.jpg?itok=LHTvPt4b"}}},"media_ids":["173011","173021","173031","173041"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8906","name":"genes"},{"id":"51251","name":"genetic diversity"},{"id":"51291","name":"human-induced change"},{"id":"12758","name":"Kostas Konstantinidis"},{"id":"51281","name":"microbial community"},{"id":"167864","name":"School of Civil and Environmental Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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 \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"173421":{"#nid":"173421","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Microneedle Patch May Advance World Measles Vaccination Effort","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMeasles vaccine given with painless and easy-to-administer microneedle patches can immunize against measles at least as well as vaccine given with conventional hypodermic needles, according to research done by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the study, the researchers developed a technique to dry and stabilize the measles vaccine \u2013 which depends on a live attenuated virus \u2013 and showed that it remained effective for at least 30 days after being placed onto the microneedles. They also demonstrated that the dried vaccine was quickly released in the skin and able to prompt a potent immune response in an animal model.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe microneedle technique could provide a new tool for international immunization programs against measles, which killed nearly 140,000 children in 2010. The research was reported online October 5 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EVaccine\u003C\/em\u003E, and will appear in a special issue of the journal. The research was supported by the Georgia Research Alliance \u2013 and indirectly by the Division of Viral Diseases and Animal Resources Branch of the CDC, and by the National Institutes of Health through its support of efforts to develop a microneedle-based influenza vaccine. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe showed in this study that measles vaccine delivered using a microneedle patch produced an immune response that is indistinguishable from the response produced when the vaccine is delivered subcutaneously,\u201d said Chris Edens, the study\u2019s first author and a graduate student in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeasles immunization programs now use conventional hypodermic needles to deliver the vaccine. Large global immunization programs therefore require significant logistical support because the vaccine must be kept refrigerated, large numbers of needles and syringes must be shipped, and the ten-dose vaccine vials must be reconstituted with sterile water before use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause it requires a hypodermic needle injection, measles immunization programs must be carried out by trained medical personnel. Finally, used needles and syringes must be properly disposed of to prevent potential disease transmission or reuse.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUse of microneedle patches could eliminate the need to transport needles, syringes and sterile water, reducing logistical demands. Vaccination could be done by personnel with less medical training, who would simply apply the patches to the skin and remove them after several minutes, making possible door-to-door campaigns similar to those used in polio vaccination. Single-use patches could also reduce the waste of vaccine that occurs when all ten doses in a vial cannot be used.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA major advantage would be the ease of delivery,\u201d said Mark Prausnitz, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and one of the inventors of the microneedle patch. \u201cMicroneedles would allow us to move away from central locations staffed by health care personnel to the use of minimally-trained personnel who would go out to homes to administer the vaccine.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany countries in the Western Hemisphere have eliminated endemic transmission of the disease, though travelers often serve as sources for imported cases. However, measles remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death among children elsewhere in the world, prompting interest in alternative vaccination techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMeasles is extremely infectious, and we need an immunization coverage rate of around 95 percent to interrupt its transmission,\u201d said Dr. Paul Rota, Measles Laboratory Team Lead of CDC\u2019s Division of Viral Diseases and one of the study\u2019s co-authors. \u201cMicroneedles represent a real potential game-changer in developing strategies to get high global coverage for a measles vaccine.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn their study, the CDC-Georgia Tech team first faced the challenge of converting a liquid vaccine to a formulation that could be readily applied to stainless steel microneedles and dried for packaging. The work was made more difficult by the fact that the vaccine contains an attenuated live virus whose integrity had to be maintained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers began by studying materials that could be combined with the vaccine to improve its stability in dry form. Ultimately, they obtained the best results by adding a sugar known as trehalose to the liquid vaccine. That formulation was applied to the microneedles \u2013 which were about 750 microns long \u2013 by dipping them into the solution and allowing the liquid to dry. The vaccine dose on the microneedles was controlled by the number of times the microneedles were dipped into the solution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECotton rats (\u003Cem\u003ESigmodon hispidus\u003C\/em\u003E) used in the study were divided into seven groups of five animals each for the testing. The comparison showed that vaccination with the microneedle technique produced an immune response that was statistically indistinguishable from that produced by vaccination with the hypodermic needles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe two major accomplishments of this study are that the vaccine can be stabilized on microneedles, and that it could dissolve in the skin to provide a good immune response,\u201d Rota said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo advance the microneedle technique, the researchers are now working to improve the stability of the dry vaccine with the goal of eliminating the need for refrigeration. They are also studying the use of polymer-based microneedles that would fully dissolve in the skin, removing the need to dispose of potentially infectious waste.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, a microneedle-based measles vaccine will need to be evaluated for safety and efficacy in a non-human primate model and in several clinical trials before it can be used routinely in humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMicroneedles are also being studied for administration of vaccines against influenza, polio, rotavirus, tuberculosis, and hepatitis B. The microneedle measles vaccine would likely find its first use in the developing world as part of measles elimination campaigns, and would probably not replace the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine used in the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis represents a different direction for us, which is campaign-mode global health vaccination,\u201d said Prausnitz. \u201cI see the greatest impact of the measles patch being in developing-country vaccination programs where the logistical advantages of this simple-to-use technology will have the most public health benefit.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the research team included Marcus L. Collins and Jessica Ayers, both from the CDC.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) with indirect support from the Division of Viral Diseases and Animal Resources Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH, CDC or GRA.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMark Prausnitz is an inventor on patents and has a significant financial interest in a company that is developing microneedle-based products. This potential conflict of interest has been disclosed and is being managed by Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Edens C., et al. \u201cMeasles vaccination using a microneedle patch,\u201d Vaccine (2012). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.vaccine.2012.09.062\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.vaccine.2012.09.062\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.vaccine.2012.09.062\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\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\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMeasles vaccine given with painless and easy-to-administer microneedle patches can immunize against measles at least as well as vaccine given with conventional hypodermic needles, according to research done by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Research shows that microneedle patches can be used to immunize against measles."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-11-27 11:25:03","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:14","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"173351":{"id":"173351","type":"image","title":"Measles vaccination","body":null,"created":"1449179012","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:32","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Measles vaccination","file":{"fid":"195785","name":"measles-microneedles27.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles27_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles27_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1326838,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/measles-microneedles27_0.jpg?itok=m2UHQDHq"}},"173391":{"id":"173391","type":"image","title":"Measles vaccination3","body":null,"created":"1449179012","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:32","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Measles vaccination3","file":{"fid":"195787","name":"measles-microneedles156.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles156_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles156_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":833118,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/measles-microneedles156_0.jpg?itok=NTnul1Oq"}},"173361":{"id":"173361","type":"image","title":"Measles vaccination2","body":null,"created":"1449179012","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:32","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Measles vaccination2","file":{"fid":"195786","name":"measles-microneedles125.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles125_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles125_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1468232,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/measles-microneedles125_0.jpg?itok=lk2vQAiL"}},"173401":{"id":"173401","type":"image","title":"Measles vaccination4","body":null,"created":"1449179012","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:32","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"Measles vaccination4","file":{"fid":"195788","name":"measles-microneedles166.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles166_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/measles-microneedles166_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":828331,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/measles-microneedles166_0.jpg?itok=wvIu-Dr5"}}},"media_ids":["173351","173391","173361","173401"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"123","name":"CDC"},{"id":"764","name":"immunization"},{"id":"7376","name":"Measles"},{"id":"13653","name":"microneedle patch"},{"id":"7496","name":"microneedles"},{"id":"7360","name":"vaccination"},{"id":"763","name":"vaccine"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"172141":{"#nid":"172141","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH awards Georgia malaria research consortium up to $19.4 million contract","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a five-year contract of up to $19.4 million, depending on contract options exercised, to establish the Malaria Host-Pathogen Interaction Center (MaHPIC).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe consortium includes researchers at Emory University, with partners at the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Georgia (UGA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University will administer the contract.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe MaHPIC team will use the comprehensive research approach of systems biology to study and catalog in molecular detail how malaria parasites interact with their human and animal hosts. This knowledge will be fundamental to developing and evaluating new diagnostic tools, antimalarial drugs and vaccines for different types of malaria. The project will integrate data generated by malaria research, functional genomics, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics cores via informatics and computational modeling cores.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaHPIC combines Emory investigators\u2019 interdisciplinary experience in malaria research, metabolomics, lipidomics and human and non-human primate immunology and pathogenesis with UGA\u2019s expertise in pathogen bioinformatics and large database systems, and Georgia Tech\u2019s experience in mathematical modeling and systems biology. The CDC will provide support in proteomics and malaria research, including nonhuman primate and vector\/mosquito infections.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe principal investigator is Mary Galinski, PhD, professor of medicine, infectious diseases and global health at Emory University School of Medicine and director of Emory\u2019s International Center for Malaria Research, Education \u0026amp; Development (ICMRED). She has been leading malaria research projects at the Emory Vaccine Center and Yerkes for 15 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are thankful to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for recognizing the enormous potential of taking a systems biology approach to studying malaria infections,\u201d Galinski says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis project will help us better understand malaria as a disease in depth and pave the way for new preventive and therapeutic measures. We expect to provide a groundbreaking wealth of information that will address current challenges in fighting malaria. The Georgia team we have assembled is outstanding and we also look forward to working closely with prominent international partners from malaria endemic countries.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA prestigious international Scientific Consultation Group is also involved, and met with the MaHPIC team at Emory recently, following the annual American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene conference held in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe MaHPIC project involves studying both nonhuman primate infections and clinical samples from humans around the world. For the study of malaria, \u201csystems biology\u201d means first collecting comprehensive data on how a \u003Cem\u003EPlasmodium\u003C\/em\u003E parasite infection produces changes in host and parasite genes, proteins, lipids, the immune response and metabolism.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComputational researchers will then design mathematical models to simulate and analyze what\u2019s happening during an infection and to find patterns that predict the course of the disease and its severity. Together, the insights will help guide the development of new interventions. Co-infections and morbidities will also come into play, as well as different cultural and environmental backgrounds of the communities involved.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team will use metabolomics techniques that will allow scientists to detect, analyze and make crucial associations with thousands of chemicals detectable in the blood via mass spectrometry. The techniques were developed at Emory by Dean Jones, PhD, professor and director of the Clinical Biomarkers Laboratory and MaHPIC\u2019s metabolomics core leader.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a wonderful opportunity to integrate multiple types of rich biological data into dynamic models that will help scientists around the world devise novel strategies to help control not just malaria but other infectious diseases,\u201d says Greg Gibson, PhD, professor and director of the Center of Integrative Genomics at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMaHPIC will generate experimental, clinical and molecular data associated with malaria infections in nonhuman primates on an unprecedented scale,\u201d says Jessica Kissinger, PhD, who will direct the project\u2019s informatics team. Kissinger is professor of genetics at UGA and director of UGA\u2019s Institute of Bioinformatics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn addition to mining the massive quantities of integrated data for trends and patterns that may help us understand host and pathogen interaction biology, we may identify potential targets for early and species-specific diagnosis of malaria, which is critical for proper treatment,\u201d Kissinger says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe MaHPIC team will develop an informative public website and specialized web portal to share the project\u2019s data and newly developed data analysis tools with the scientific community worldwide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe sheer amount of detailed, high-quality information amassed by the experimental groups will be unprecedented. With this project we have an incredible opportunity to integrate data with modern computational tools of dynamic modeling,\u201d says Eberhard Voit, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering and cofounder of the Integrative BioSystems Institute at Georgia Tech. \u201cThis integration will allow us to analyze the complex networks of interactions between hosts and parasites in a manner never tried before. Systems biology will be the foundation for this integration.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s involvement:\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EGreg Gibson, PhD, professor and director of the Center of Integrative Genomics, will be the director of the functional genomics core. Eberhard Voit, PhD., professor and David D. Flanagan Chair in biological systems, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and cofounder of the Integrative BioSystems Institute, will be the director of the computational modeling core.\u0026nbsp; Mark Styczynski, an assistant professor in Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering, will serve as deputy director of the computational modeling core.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech partners with Emory, UGA, CDC"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe research team will use the comprehensive research approach of systems biology to study and catalog in molecular detail how malaria parasites interact with their human and animal hosts.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The research team will use the comprehensive research approach of systems biology to study and catalog in molecular detail how malaria parasites interact with their human and animal hosts."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-11-19 16:23:54","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:14","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"100191":{"id":"100191","type":"image","title":"Greg Gibson","body":null,"created":"1449178150","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:10","changed":"1475894715","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:15"},"172131":{"id":"172131","type":"image","title":"MaHPIC Group Photo","body":null,"created":"1449178999","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:19","changed":"1475894814","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:54","alt":"MaHPIC Group Photo","file":{"fid":"195749","name":"mahpic_scg_group_photo__minus_a_few_nov_2012.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mahpic_scg_group_photo__minus_a_few_nov_2012_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mahpic_scg_group_photo__minus_a_few_nov_2012_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4895543,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mahpic_scg_group_photo__minus_a_few_nov_2012_0.jpg?itok=OCAWPF9e"}}},"media_ids":["100191","172131"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"247","name":"Emory"},{"id":"10645","name":"Greg Gibson"},{"id":"7629","name":"malaria"}],"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\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"170661":{"#nid":"170661","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Kistenberg Provides Prostheses to People in Need","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA one-time good deed that involved providing a man in\u0026nbsp;Belize with prosthetic legs has evolved into an ongoing \u2014 and\u0026nbsp;ever growing \u2014 nonprofit effort\u0026nbsp;for Robert Kistenberg.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt all started while Kistenberg, co-director of the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program in the School of Applied Physiology, was teaching at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern in Dallas in the 1990s.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA friend of mine was doing medical mission work in Belize when she met a man without legs, who had managed to make do with getting around on a skateboard,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen she asked if I could help, I told her that I couldn\u2019t send him a set of legs, that he\u2019d have to come to the United States and that I couldn\u2019t promise anything. Within three days, she\u2019d raised the money, and Adrian was on his way.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the fittings were a success, Kistenberg was concerned about how he\u2019d do follow-up visits with the man to ensure that the prostheses were successful, given the distance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI started taking an annual trip to do follow-up with Adrian in 1996, and before I knew it, we had established a permanent clinic \u2014 which remains the only prosthetic clinic in Belize,\u201d he said. \u201cThe name of the organization in Belize is called Project Hope Belize. The 501(c)(3) organization in the United States is Prosthetic Hope International, an organization that allows us to provide prostheses to people abroad and right here in Atlanta.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had a chance to learn more about Kistenberg and his time\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be when you were a child?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI always liked to take things apart and try to put them back together again. In college, I realized that I wanted to do something related to health care. My sophomore year, I decided to talk to a physical therapist at my university about his field. During our discussion, he told me that I\u2019d be a perfect fit for working with prosthetics and orthotics. As I learned more, I realized that this field offered me a position in the health care industry \u2014 that allowed me to \u201cplay\u201d in a workshop, too.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI worked with Chris Hovorka at UT Southwestern in Dallas. When Chris started the MSPO program at Tech in 2002, he asked me to come and work with him. I started in 2003 and have been here ever since.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you make learning engaging for your students?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout their coursework, students are working with patient models to create\u0026nbsp;prostheses. I also take students with me to Belize to work in the clinic. These opportunities to work firsthand with patients are the best way to help students learn the material in an engaging way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is one misconception people have about your field?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPeople think most of our patients are the amputees you see in the Olympics or soldiers who are returning from war, when in reality, they are older \u2014 and often diabetic \u2014 adults. Folks also tend to confuse the words \u201cprosthetist\u201d and \u201cprostitute,\u201d which can be problematic. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the one piece of technology you couldn\u2019t live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERemote desktop access, because it allows me to do work from anywhere in the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf I\u2019m being good, it\u2019s the salad bar in the Student Center. If I\u2019m not being good, it\u2019s Rocky Mountain Pizza. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the biggest risk you\u2019ve ever taken \u2014 did it pay off?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2010, I had an opportunity to teach a short course in upper limb prosthetics in Tehran, Iran. I was very conflicted about going but went, and it was a phenomenal experience.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something about yourself that others might not be aware of.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of my professors would mold leftover plastic from prostheses into objects, which gave me the idea to start making mushrooms out of the leftovers. I hate waste, and this allows me to recycle what\u2019s not being used. I\u2019ve included the mushrooms and other plastic sculptures in a couple of art shows, but I primarily give them as gifts.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA one-time good deed that involved providing a man in Belize with prosthetic legs has evolved into an ongoing \u2014 and ever growing \u2014 nonprofit effort for Robert Kistenberg.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A one-time good deed that involved providing a man in Belize with prosthetic legs has evolved into an ongoing \u2014 and ever growing \u2014 nonprofit effort for Robert Kistenberg."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-11-12 15:33:23","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:10","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"169931":{"id":"169931","type":"image","title":"Robert Kistenberg","body":null,"created":"1449178978","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:58","changed":"1475894809","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:49","alt":"Robert Kistenberg","file":{"fid":"195695","name":"rsk_in_lab_11-12.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rsk_in_lab_11-12_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rsk_in_lab_11-12_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3774902,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rsk_in_lab_11-12_0.jpg?itok=77Ia7EJ_"}}},"media_ids":["169931"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"50081","name":"Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program"},{"id":"50091","name":"MPSO program"},{"id":"50071","name":"Robert Kistenberg"},{"id":"167863","name":"School of Applied Physiology"}],"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:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"169461":{"#nid":"169461","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Awarded $1.2 Million Diabetes Training Grant","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology has been awarded $1.2 million by the National Institutes of Health for a training program for post-doctoral fellows to develop bioengineering skills and leadership applicable to research into type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).\u0026nbsp; The Innovation and Leadership in Engineering Technologies and Therapies (ILET\u003Csup\u003E2\u003C\/sup\u003E) for diabetes postdoctoral training grant is a cross-disciplinary training program in cell- and tissue-based therapies and novel insulin delivery technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ETen faculty members from Georgia Tech and Emory University will participate in the program, which is expected to train four postdoctoral fellows per year over a period of five years.\u0026nbsp; Athanassios Sambanis, a professor in the School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, will direct the effort, which will be administratively supported by the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cThe expertise of Georgia Tech researchers in biomaterials and cell therapies, combined with the clinical expertise of our Emory colleagues, should enable the development of new technologies and solutions to this complex health care problem,\u201d Sambanis said.\u0026nbsp; \u201cAs engineers and researchers, it is our job to look at obstacles in new ways and find improved answers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EIDDM is a health condition affecting millions of people worldwide. \u0026nbsp;The disease often has a much greater impact on a person\u2019s life than the more common, type 2 adult onset form of diabetes because it can begin in childhood.\u0026nbsp; IDDM patients are dependent on a careful diet and insulin to regulate the amount of glucose in their blood. Fluctuations in blood glucose levels put patients at risk of sugar build up, which can affect eye sight, kidneys, and cardiovascular disease; inadvertent reduction in sugar levels could, on the other hand, result in a coma.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ECompared to current insulin treatments based on injections or infusion by a pump, new generation therapies have the potential to provide a less invasive and ultimately less costly regulation of blood glucose levels, potentially reducing long-term complications in diabetes care. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cUpon successful completion of the program, the postdoctoral fellows will be prepared to move into leadership positions in industry and academia and develop new, cutting-edge technologies and therapies for diabetics aimed at improving their quality of life and reducing the economic burden on the diabetic population as well as the overall healthcare costs,\u201d Sambanis concluded.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u201cResearch reported in this article was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under grant numbers 1R90DK098981-01 and 1T90DK097787-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.\u201d\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"A training program for post-doctoral fellows to develop bioengineering skills and leadership applicable to research into type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe Innovation and Leadership in Engineering Technologies and Therapies for diabetes postdoctoral training grant is a cross-disciplinary training program in cell- and tissue-based therapies and novel insulin delivery technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A cross-disciplinary training program in cell- and tissue-based therapies and novel insulin delivery technologies."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-11-08 10:46:27","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:06","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"169481":{"id":"169481","type":"image","title":"Athanassios Sambanis","body":null,"created":"1449178968","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:48","changed":"1475894809","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:49","alt":"Athanassios Sambanis","file":{"fid":"195671","name":"image620.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image620_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/image620_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":90140,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/image620_0.png?itok=x_g5Yvh6"}}},"media_ids":["169481"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"49581","name":"Athanassios Sambanis"},{"id":"1303","name":"chbe"},{"id":"49591","name":"Diabetes"},{"id":"49571","name":"Training Grant"}],"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 class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-7001\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:john.toon@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJohn Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"167921":{"#nid":"167921","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Blood Testing Predicts Level of Enzymes that Facilitate Disease Progression","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPredicting how atherosclerosis, osteoporosis or cancer will progress or respond to drugs in individual patients is difficult. In a new study, researchers took another step toward that goal by developing a technique able to predict from a blood sample the amount of cathepsins\u2014protein-degrading enzymes known to accelerate these diseases\u2014a specific person would produce.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis patient-specific information may be helpful in developing personalized approaches to treat these tissue-destructive diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe measured significant variability in the amount of cathepsins produced by blood samples we collected from healthy individuals, which may indicate that a one-size-fits-all approach of administering cathepsin inhibitors may not be the best strategy for all patients with these conditions,\u201d said Manu Platt, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was published online on Oct. 19, 2012 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EIntegrative Biology\u003C\/em\u003E. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Georgia Cancer Coalition, Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Emory\/Georgia Tech Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlatt and graduate student Keon-Young Park collected blood samples from 14 healthy individuals, removed white blood cells called monocytes from the samples and stimulated those cells with certain molecules so that they would become macrophages or osteoclasts in the laboratory. By doing this, the researchers recreated what happens in the body\u2014monocytes receive these cues from damaged tissue, leave the blood, and become macrophages or osteoclasts, which are known to contribute to tissue changes that occur in atherosclerosis, cancer and osteoporosis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThen the researchers developed a model that used patient-varying kinase signals collected from the macrophages or osteoclasts to predict patient-specific activity of four cathepsins: K, L, S and V. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cKinases are enzymes that integrate stimuli from different soluble, cellular and physical cues to generate specific cellular responses,\u201d explained Platt, who is also a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar. \u201cBy using a systems biology approach to link cell differentiation cues and responses through integration of signals at the kinase level, we were able to mathematically predict relative amounts of cathepsin activity and distinguish which blood donors exhibited greater cathepsin activity compared to others.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPredictability for all cathepsins ranged from 90 to 95 percent for both macrophages and osteoclasts, despite a range in the level of each cathepsin among the blood samples tested.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe were pleased with the results because our model achieved very high predictability from a simple blood draw and overcame the challenge of incorporating the complex, unknown cues from individual patients\u2019 unique genetic and biochemical backgrounds,\u201d said Platt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Platt, the next step will be to assess the model\u2019s ability to predict cathepsin activity using blood samples from individuals with the diseases of interest: atherosclerosis, osteoporosis or cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur ultimate goal is to create an assay that will inform a clinician whether an individual\u2019s case of cancer or other tissue-destructive disease will be very aggressive from the moment that individual is diagnosed, which will enable the clinician to develop and begin the best personalized treatment plan immediately,\u201d added Platt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWeiwei A. Li, who received her bachelor\u2019s degree from the Coulter Department in 2010, also contributed to this study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch reported in this publication was supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number UL1TR000454 and the Office of the Director of the NIH under award number 1DP2OD007433. The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Park, Keon-Young et al., \u201cPatient specific proteolytic activity of monocyte-derived macrophages and osteoclasts predicted with temporal kinase activation states during differentiation,\u201d Integrative Biology (2012): \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1039\/C2IB20197F\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1039\/C2IB20197F\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1039\/C2IB20197F\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\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; USA\u0026nbsp; 30332-0177\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: Abby Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers are developing a technique for predicting from a simple blood sample the amount of cathepsins\u2014protein-degrading enzymes known to accelerate certain diseases\u2014a specific person would produce. This patient-specific information may be helpful in developing personalized approaches to treat these tissue-destructive diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers are developing a technique for predicting the amount of protein-degrading enzymes a specific person would produce."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-11-01 14:12:05","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:06","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-11-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"167891":{"id":"167891","type":"image","title":"Cathepsin prediction","body":null,"created":"1449178968","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:48","changed":"1475894806","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:46","alt":"Cathepsin prediction","file":{"fid":"195633","name":"cathepsin-prediction41.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cathepsin-prediction41_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cathepsin-prediction41_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1287075,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cathepsin-prediction41_0.jpg?itok=8Dh7au-_"}},"167901":{"id":"167901","type":"image","title":"Cathepsin prediction2","body":null,"created":"1449178968","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:48","changed":"1475894806","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:46","alt":"Cathepsin prediction2","file":{"fid":"195634","name":"cathepsin-prediction96.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cathepsin-prediction96_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cathepsin-prediction96_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1113462,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cathepsin-prediction96_0.jpg?itok=P0KeURw0"}}},"media_ids":["167891","167901"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7270","name":"atherosclerosis"},{"id":"385","name":"cancer"},{"id":"40431","name":"cathepsin"},{"id":"11533","name":"Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"7735","name":"enzyme"},{"id":"48841","name":"kinase"},{"id":"10832","name":"Manu Platt"},{"id":"48851","name":"osteopororis"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"166631":{"#nid":"166631","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Low-Resistance Connections Facilitate Use of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes for Interconnects","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing a new method for precisely controlling the deposition of carbon, researchers have demonstrated a technique for connecting multi-walled carbon nanotubes to the metallic pads of integrated circuits without the high interface resistance produced by traditional fabrication techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased on electron beam-induced deposition (EBID), the work is believed to be the first to connect multiple shells of a multi-walled carbon nanotube to metal terminals on a semiconducting substrate, which is relevant to integrated circuit fabrication. Using this three-dimensional fabrication technique, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology developed graphitic nanojoints on both ends of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes, which yielded a 10-fold decrease in resistivity in its connection to metal junctions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technique could facilitate the integration of carbon nanotubes as interconnects in next-generation integrated circuits that use both silicon and carbon components. The research was supported by the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and in its early stages, by the National Science Foundation. The work was reported online October 4, 2012, by the journal \u003Cem\u003EIEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor the first time, we have established connections to multiple shells of carbon nanotubes with a technique that is amenable to integration with conventional integrated circuit microfabrication processes,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/fedorov\u0022\u003EAndrei Fedorov\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech. \u201cConnecting to multiple shells allows us to dramatically reduce the resistance and move to the next level of device performance.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn developing the new technique, the researchers relied on modeling to guide their process parameters. To make it scalable for manufacturing, they also worked toward technologies for isolating and aligning individual carbon nanotubes between the metal terminals on a silicon substrate, and for examining the properties of the resulting structures. The researchers believe the technique could also be used to connect multi-layered graphene to metal contacts, though their published research has so far focused on carbon nanotubes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe low-temperature EBID process takes place in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) system modified for material deposition. The SEM\u2019s vacuum chamber is altered to introduce precursors of the materials that researchers would like to deposit. The electron gun normally used for imaging of nanostructures is instead used to generate low energy secondary electrons when the high energy primary electrons impinge on the substrate at carefully chosen locations. When the secondary electrons interact with hydrocarbon precursor molecules introduced into the SEM chamber, carbon is deposited in desired locations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnique to the EBID process, the deposited carbon makes a strong, chemically-bonded connection to the ends of the carbon nanotubes, unlike the weakly-coupled physical interface made in traditional techniques based on metal evaporation. Prior to deposition, the ends of the nanotubes are opened using an etching process, so the deposited carbon grows into the open end of the nanotube to electronically connect multiple shells. Thermal annealing of the carbon after deposition converts it to a crystalline graphitic form that significantly improves electrical conductivity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAtom-by-atom, we can build the connection where the electron beam strikes right near the open end of the carbon nanotubes,\u201d Fedorov explained. \u201cThe highest rate of deposition occurs where the concentration of precursor is high and there are a lot of secondary electrons. This provides a nanoscale sculpturing tool with three-dimensional control for connecting the open ends of carbon nanotubes on any desired substrate.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMulti-walled carbon nanotubes offer the promise of higher information delivery throughput for certain interconnects used in electronic devices. Researchers have envisioned a future generation of hybrid devices based on traditional integrated circuits but using interconnects based on carbon nanotubes. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUntil now, however, resistance at the connections between the carbon structures and conventional silicon electronics has been too high to make the devices practical.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe big challenge in this field is to make a connection not just to a single shell of a carbon nanotube,\u201d said Fedorov. \u201cIf only the outer wall of a carbon nanotube is connected, you really don\u2019t gain much because most of the transmission channel is under-utilized or not utilized at all.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technique developed by Fedorov and his collaborators produces record low resistivity at the connection between the carbon nanotube and the metal pad. The researchers have measured resistance as low as approximately 100 Ohms \u2013 a factor of ten lower than the best that had been measured with other connection techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis technique gives us many new opportunities to go forward with integrating these carbon nanostructures into conventional devices,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause it is carbon, this interface has an advantage because its properties are similar to those of the carbon nanotubes to which they are providing a connection.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers don\u2019t know exactly how many of the carbon nanotube shells are connected, but based on resistance measurements, they believe at least 10 of the approximately 30 conducting shells are contributing to electrical conduction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, handling carbon nanotubes poses a significant challenge to their use as interconnects. When formed through the electric arc technique, for example, carbon nanotubes are produced as a tangle of structures with varying lengths and properties, some with mechanical defects. Techniques have been developed to separate out single nanotubes, and to open their ends.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFedorov and his collaborators \u2013 current and former graduate students Songkil Kim, Dhaval Kulkarni, Konrad Rykaczewski and Mathias Henry, along with Georgia Tech professor Vladimir Tsukruk \u2013 developed a method for aligning the multi-walled nanotubes across electronic contacts using focused electrical fields in combination with a substrate template created through electron beam lithography. The process has a significantly improved yield of properly aligned carbon nanotubes, with a potential for scalability over a large chip area.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce the nanotubes are placed into their positions, the carbon is deposited using the EBID process, followed by graphitization. The phase transformation in the carbon interface is monitored using Raman spectroscopy to ensure that the material is transformed into its optimal nanocrystalline graphite state.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOnly by making advances in each of these areas can we achieve this technological advance, which is an enabling technology for nanoelectronics based on carbon materials,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is really a critical step for making many different kinds of devices using carbon nanotubes or graphene.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore the new technique can be used on a large scale, researchers will have to improve their technique for aligning carbon nanotubes and develop EBID systems able to deposit connectors on multiple devices simultaneously. Advances in parallel electron beam systems may provide a way to mass-produce the connections, Fedorov said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA major amount of work remains to be done in this area, but we believe this is possible if industry becomes interested,\u201d he noted. \u201cThere are applications where integrating carbon nanotubes into circuits could be very attractive.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Songkil Kim, et.al, Fabrication of an Ultra-Low-Resistance Ohmic Contact to MWCNT-Metal Interconnect Using Graphitic Carbon by Electron Beam Induced Deposition (EBID), IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology (2012). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TNANO.2012.2220377\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TNANO.2012.2220377\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1109\/TNANO.2012.2220377\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research has been supported by the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) under GRC grant 2008OJ1864.1281 and in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant DMI 0403671. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF or the SRC.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing a new method for precisely controlling the deposition of carbon, researchers have demonstrated a technique for connecting multi-walled carbon nanotubes to the metallic pads of integrated circuits without the high interface resistance produced by traditional fabrication techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new technique for connecting carbon nanotubes could facilitate use of the structures as interconnects."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-10-30 10:31:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:06","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"166591":{"id":"166591","type":"image","title":"Carbon nanotube interconnects2","body":null,"created":"1449178954","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:34","changed":"1475894804","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:44","alt":"Carbon nanotube interconnects2","file":{"fid":"195586","name":"cnt-interconnects116.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects116_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects116_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1199536,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cnt-interconnects116_0.jpg?itok=TM7Ix8ru"}},"166601":{"id":"166601","type":"image","title":"Carbon nanotube interconnects3","body":null,"created":"1449178954","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:34","changed":"1475894804","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:44","alt":"Carbon nanotube interconnects3","file":{"fid":"195587","name":"cnt-interconnects129.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects129_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects129_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1037955,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cnt-interconnects129_0.jpg?itok=Ck-_93qA"}},"166621":{"id":"166621","type":"image","title":"Carbon nanotube interconnects4","body":null,"created":"1449178954","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:34","changed":"1475894804","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:44","alt":"Carbon nanotube interconnects4","file":{"fid":"195588","name":"cnt-interconnects139.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects139_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects139_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":662243,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cnt-interconnects139_0.jpg?itok=_BHOBS90"}},"166571":{"id":"166571","type":"image","title":"Carbon nanotube interconnects","body":null,"created":"1449178954","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:34","changed":"1475894804","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:44","alt":"Carbon nanotube interconnects","file":{"fid":"195585","name":"cnt-interconnects22.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects22_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cnt-interconnects22_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1319122,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cnt-interconnects22_0.jpg?itok=uKN-AiGL"}}},"media_ids":["166591","166601","166621","166571"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2781","name":"Andrei Fedorov"},{"id":"610","name":"carbon"},{"id":"5116","name":"carbon nanotube"},{"id":"7339","name":"deposition"},{"id":"609","name":"electronics"},{"id":"48351","name":"interconnect"},{"id":"167377","name":"School of Mechanical Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[{"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":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"165671":{"#nid":"165671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Shows How a Hopping Robot Could Conserve its Energy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study shows that jumping can be much more complicated than it might seem. In research that could extend the range of future rescue and exploration robots, scientists have found that hopping robots could dramatically reduce their power demands by adopting a unique two-part \u201cstutter jump.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETaking a short hop before a big jump could allow spring-based \u201cpogo-stick\u201d robots to reduce their power demands as much as ten-fold. The formula for the two-part jump was discovered by analyzing nearly 20,000 jumps made by a simple laboratory robot under a wide range of conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf we time things right, the robot can jump with a tenth of the power required to jump to the same height under other conditions,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/daniel-goldman\u0022\u003EDaniel Goldman\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u201cIn the stutter jumps, we can move the mass at a lower frequency to get off the ground. We achieve the same takeoff velocity as a conventional jump, but it is developed over a longer period of time with much less power.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was reported October 26 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EPhysical Review Letters\u003C\/em\u003E. The work was supported by the Army Research Laboratory\u2019s MAST program, the Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the GEM Fellowship.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJumping is an important means of locomotion for animals, and could be important to future generations of robots. Jumping has been extensively studied in biological organisms, which use stretched tendons to store energy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/crablab.gatech.edu\/pages\/jumpingrobot\/index.html\u0022\u003Eresearch into robot jumping\u003C\/a\u003E began with a goal of learning how hopping robots would interact with complicated surfaces \u2013 such as sand, granular materials or debris from a disaster. Goldman quickly realized he\u2019d need to know more about the physics of jumping to separate the surface issues from the factors controlled by the dynamics of jumping.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInspired by student-directed experiments on the dynamics of hopping in his nonlinear dynamics and chaos class, Goldman asked Jeffrey Aguilar, a graduate student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, to construct the simplest jumping robot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAguilar built a one-kilogram robot that is composed of a spring beneath a mass capable of moving up and down on a thrust rod. Aguilar used computer controls to vary the starting position of the mass on the rod, the amplitude of the motion, the pattern of movement and the frequency of movement applied by an actuator built into the robot\u2019s mass. A high-speed camera and a contact sensor measured and recorded the height of each jump.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/crablab.gatech.edu\/pages\/jumpingrobot\/Demo.html\u0022\u003EWebsite shows how changes affect jumping\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAguilar and Goldman then collaborated with theorists Professor Kurt Wiesenfeld and Alex Lesov, from the Georgia Tech School of Physics, to explain the results of the experiments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers expected to find that the optimal jumping frequency would be related to the resonant frequency of the spring and mass system, but that turned out not to be true. Detailed evaluation of the jumps showed that frequencies above and below the resonance provided optimal jumping \u2013 and additional analysis revealed what the researchers called the \u201cstutter jump.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe preparatory hop allows the robot to time things such that it can use a lower power to get to the same jump height,\u201d Goldman explained. \u201cYou really don\u2019t have to move the mass rapidly to get a good jump.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe amount of energy that can be stored in batteries can limit the range and duration of robotic missions, so the stutter jump could be helpful for small robots that have limited power. Optimizing the efficiency of jumping could therefore allow the robots to complete longer and more complex missions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut because it requires longer to perform than a simple jump, the two-step jump may not be suitable for all conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you\u2019re a small robot and you want to jump over an obstacle, you could use low power by using the stutter jump even though that would take longer,\u201d said Goldman. \u201cBut if a hazard is threatening, you may need to generate the additional power to make a quick jump to get out of the way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the future, Goldman and his research team plan to study how complicated surfaces affect jumping. They are currently studying the effects of sand, and will turn to other substrates to develop a better understanding of how exploration or rescue robots can hop through them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoldman\u2019s past work has focused on the lessons learned from the locomotion of biological systems, so the team is also interested in what the robot can teach them about how animals jump. \u201cWhat we have learned here can function as a hypothesis for biological systems, but it may not explain everything,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe simple jumping robot turned out to be a useful system to study, not only because of the interesting behaviors that turned up, but also because the results were counter to what the researchers had expected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn physics, we often study the steady-state solution,\u201d Goldman noted. \u201cIf we wait enough time for the transient phenomena to die off, then we can study what\u2019s left. It turns out that in this system, we really care about the transients.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the Army Research Laboratory under cooperative agreement number W911NF-08-2-004, by the Army Research Office under cooperative agreement W911NF-11-1-0514, and by the National Science Foundation under contract PoLS PHY-1150760. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Army Research Laboratory, the Army Research Office or the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Aguilar, Jeffrey et al., \u201cLift-off dynamics in a simple jumping robot,\u201d Physical Review Letters (2012): \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/prl.aps.org\/abstract\/PRL\/v109\/i17\/e174301\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/prl.aps.org\/abstract\/PRL\/v109\/i17\/e174301\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/prl.aps.org\/abstract\/PRL\/v109\/i17\/e174301\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research Finds \u0022Stutter Jump\u0022 Could Improve Performance"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study shows that jumping can be much more complicated than it might seem. In research that could extend the range of future rescue and exploration robots, scientists have found that hopping robots could dramatically reduce their power demands by adopting a unique two-part \u201cstutter jump.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study could hopping robots accomplish their missions with less energy."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-10-26 15:25:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:02","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"165621":{"id":"165621","type":"image","title":"Study of Jumping","body":null,"created":"1449178936","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:16","changed":"1475894801","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:41","alt":"Study of Jumping","file":{"fid":"195547","name":"jumping-robot5.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot5_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot5_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1496744,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jumping-robot5_0.jpg?itok=w6ngPmJZ"}},"165631":{"id":"165631","type":"image","title":"Study of Jumping2","body":null,"created":"1449178936","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:16","changed":"1475894801","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:41","alt":"Study of Jumping2","file":{"fid":"195548","name":"jumping-robot47.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot47_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot47_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1460592,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jumping-robot47_0.jpg?itok=oHBvlkpo"}},"165641":{"id":"165641","type":"image","title":"Study of Jumping3","body":null,"created":"1449178936","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:16","changed":"1475894801","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:41","alt":"Study of Jumping3","file":{"fid":"195549","name":"jumping-robot71.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot71_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot71_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1282340,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jumping-robot71_0.jpg?itok=Ze3Q6xzh"}},"165661":{"id":"165661","type":"image","title":"Study of Jumping5","body":null,"created":"1449178936","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:16","changed":"1475894801","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:41","alt":"Study of Jumping5","file":{"fid":"195551","name":"jumping-robot143.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot143_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jumping-robot143_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":815195,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jumping-robot143_0.jpg?itok=wZYps8FG"}}},"media_ids":["165621","165631","165641","165661"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"47881","name":"Dan Goldman"},{"id":"7111","name":"dynamics"},{"id":"213","name":"energy"},{"id":"47901","name":"hopping"},{"id":"47891","name":"jump"},{"id":"2023","name":"Jumping"},{"id":"1356","name":"robot"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"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\u0026nbsp; \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"164821":{"#nid":"164821","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GT Chemists Ranked as Best in World","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has some of the best chemists in the world according to rankings published by Thomson Reuters Science Watch. For the past decade, 2000-2010, four professors in Tech\u2019s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry have been recognized as part of the Top 100 on their lists of Chemists and Materials Scientists. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYounan Xia, professor of chemistry with a joint appointment in the Georgia Tech\/Emory Department of Biomedical Engineering, is ranked No. 4 on the Top 100 Materials Scientists list and No. 35 on the Top 100 Chemists list.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMostafa El-Sayed, professor and director of the Laser Dynamics Laboratory, is ranked as No. 17 on the list of Top 100 Chemists. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProfessor John Reynolds is No. 69 on the list of Top 100 Materials Scientists. He holds a joint appointment with the School of Materials Science and Engineering.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJean-Luc Bredas, professor and co-director of the Center for Computational Molecular Science and Technology, is listed as No. 84 on Top 100 Materials Scientists. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EXia, who came to Tech this spring from Washington University in St. Louis, studies the chemistry of nanomaterials, from making them to using nanomaterials in biomedical research as well as in environmentally friendly technologies such as solar cells and fuel cells. He is currently a Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Nanomedicine and the Brock Family Chair. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEl-Sayed has been at Tech since 1994 and studies the conversion of electronic energy in a wide variety of structures such as semiconductors (quantum dots) and metallic nanostructures. Among his most promising areas of research are using lasers and gold nanorods to detect and fight cancerous tumors under the skin.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn 2007, El-Sayed received the U.S. National Medal of Science by then-President George W. Bush. His citation reads: \u201cfor his seminal and creative contributions to our understanding of the electronic and optical properties of nano-materials and to their applications in nano-catalysis and nano-medicine, for his humanitarian efforts of exchange among countries and for his role in developing the scientific leadership of tomorrow.\u201d The next year, he was listed among the 100 most influential people in the state of Georgia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEl-Sayed is currently a Regents\u2019 Professor and the Julius Brown Chair.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EReynolds arrived at Tech this spring from the University of Florida. He is widely considered to be an international leader in the field of polymer synthesis and electro-active polymers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBredas has been a Yellow Jacket since 2003. His work seeks to uncover the chemical and physical properties of novel organic materials and includes research on organic solar cells as well as organic light-emitting diodes for potential use in visual displays and lighting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBredas is a Regents\u2019 professor and a member of the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics. He is also a GRA Eminent Scholar and holds the GRA-Vasser Woolley Chair in Molecular Design. In addition, he holds an extraordinary professorship at the University of Mons in Belgium and an honorary professorship at the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech has some of the best chemists in the world according to rankings published by Thomson Reuters Science Watch."}],"uid":"27267","created_gmt":"2012-10-24 11:18:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:02","author":"Thomas Becher","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"164831":{"id":"164831","type":"image","title":"Younan Xia is ranked No. 4 on the Top 100 Materials Scientists list and No. 35 on the Top 100 Chemists list.","body":null,"created":"1449178920","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:00","changed":"1475894801","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:41","alt":"Younan Xia is ranked No. 4 on the Top 100 Materials Scientists list and No. 35 on the Top 100 Chemists list.","file":{"fid":"195507","name":"younan.xia_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/younan.xia__0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/younan.xia__0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":347882,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/younan.xia__0.jpg?itok=U8a5Y2QY"}},"164851":{"id":"164851","type":"image","title":"Mostafa El-Sayed is ranked as No. 17 on the list of Top 100 Chemists.","body":null,"created":"1449178920","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:00","changed":"1475894801","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:41","alt":"Mostafa El-Sayed is ranked as No. 17 on the list of Top 100 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Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"},{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDavid Terraso \u003Cbr \/\u003EDirector of Communications, College of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:david.terraso@cos.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edavid.terraso@cos.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-1393\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["david.terraso@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"164071":{"#nid":"164071","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and Emory University Host Annual Biomedical Engineering Meeting","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENearly 4,000 biomedical engineers, faculty and students from around the world will gather in Atlanta Oct. 24-27 for the Biomedical Engineering Society\u2019s annual conference, hosted by the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is slated to be the largest Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) meeting in history with a record number of abstracts submitted, 919 oral presentations and 1550 poster presentations, representing the broadest range of research tracks to date. More than 200 research presentations at the conference, including 122 oral and 85 posted presentations, will come from the growing partnership between the Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two schools formed the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering in 1997 and today the department\u2019s undergraduate and graduate programs in biomedical engineering are ranked second in the nation, according to the most recent rankings from \u003Cem\u003EU.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EConference Highlights include:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInauguration of the society\u2019s first female African-American president, Gilda Barabino, professor and vice chair for graduate studies in the Coulter Department. Barabino is a leading advocate for eliminating health disparities and broadening participation of underrepresented minorities in the discipline. This year she co-organized and will be a speaker in a special session addressing health care disparities facing African Americans, with presentations from Fred Gray, prominent civil rights attorney widely known for his litigation in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study; and Dr. Raphael Lee, president of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. Oct. 26, 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., Georgia World Congress Center A313\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPresentation of the Pritzker Distinguished Lectureship Award to Ajit Yoganathan, Regent\u2019s Professor and vice chair for research for the Coulter Department. One of the highest honors in the field of biomedical engineering, the Pritzker Award recognizes an individual\u0027s outstanding achievements and leadership in the science and practice of biomedical engineering. Yoganathan is being honored for his pioneering achievements in cardiovascular fluid mechanics and translational medicine.\u0026nbsp; Oct. 25, 10:30 am to noon, GWCC Sydney Marcus Auditorium.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESpecial symposium to honor the contributions and career of Larry V. McIntire, chair of the Coulter Department. The program recognizes McIntire\u2019s more than 40 years of outstanding contributions to biomedical engineering, research and service. Oct. 25, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., GWCC, RM A313\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThis year, up to 100 high school students will be recognized as the best and brightest of the next generation of biomedical engineers at the BMES 2012 High School Scholars Lunch. These scholars were nominated by their respective schools, which included Coretta Scott King Young Women\u0027s Leadership Academy and B.E.S.T. Academy, among others.\u0026nbsp;The BMES Scholars program is a joint initiative between the BMES Diversity Committee and the National Science Foundation-funded Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems (EBICS) Science and Technology Center -- a joint effort between Georgia Tech, MIT and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Students will be honored at a luncheon, participate in hands-on research demonstrations covering many areas of biomedical engineering, and then will be given access to the conference. Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., GWCC, RM A409\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHanjoong Jo, Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professor in Biomedical Engineering in the Coulter Department, serves as this year\u2019s conference chair. Coulter Department Associate Professor Julia Babensee is the program chair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENearly 4,000 biomedical engineers from around the world will gather in Atlanta Oct. 24-27 for the annual conference, hosted by the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Nearly 4,000 biomedical engineers from around the world will gather in Atlanta Oct. 24-27 for the annual conference, hosted by the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2012-10-22 11:41:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:02","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"72624":{"id":"72624","type":"image","title":"Gilda Barabino","body":null,"created":"1449177942","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:25:42","changed":"1475894661","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:21","alt":"Gilda Barabino","file":{"fid":"193692","name":"gilda_barabinosm.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/gilda_barabinosm_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/gilda_barabinosm_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1080741,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/gilda_barabinosm_0.jpg?itok=yJLgqbKy"}},"84971":{"id":"84971","type":"image","title":"Larry McIntire","body":null,"created":"1449178102","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:28:22","changed":"1475894706","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:06"}},"media_ids":["72624","84971"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/","title":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.bmes.org\/","title":"Biomedical Engineering Society"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"47201","name":"College of Engineering; Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University;  Gilda Barabino; Ajit Yoganathan; Larry V. McIntire"},{"id":"10832","name":"Manu Platt"}],"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:adrianne.proeller@bme.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAdrianne Proeller\u003C\/a\u003E, Coutler Department, 404-894-2357\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["adrianne.proeller@bme.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"160791":{"#nid":"160791","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech, MIT and Allen Institute for Brain Science Receive $4.3 Million NIH Grant","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn interdisciplinary team from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Allen Institute for Brain Science was awarded a $4.3 million National Institutes of Health grant. Led by Edward Boyden (associate professor, Media Lab and McGovern Institute, MIT), Hongkui Zeng (senior director, research science, Allen Institute for Brain Science), and Craig Forest (assistant professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech), the team will undertake a five-year effort (2012-2017) to develop new precision robotics, as well as relevant methods of use, that will enable biologists and clinicians to automatically assess the gene expression profile, shape and electrical properties of individual cells embedded in intact tissues such as the brain.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy enabling the automated characterization of cells in complex organ systems, the technology will empower scientists across biology to map the cell types present in organ systems (e.g., brain circuits) in disease states, enabling new mechanistic understandings of disease and enabling new molecular drug targets to be identified.\u0026nbsp; These robotic tools will also enable new kinds of biopsy analysis and diagnostic, helping empower personalized medicine in arenas ranging from epilepsy to cancer, to utilize information about cellular diversity in disease states to improve patient care.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;The grant was awarded through the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number R01EY023173.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research Aims to Enhance Personalized Medicine Capabilities"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn interdisciplinary team from the Georgia Tech, MIT and the Allen Institute for Brain Science was awarded a $4.3 million National Institutes of Health grant.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Research aims to enhance personalized medicine capabilities."}],"uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2012-10-09 13:43:29","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:54","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"128501":{"id":"128501","type":"image","title":"Craig Forest robotic neural recordings","body":null,"created":"1449178622","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:02","changed":"1475894751","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:51","alt":"Craig Forest robotic neural recordings","file":{"fid":"194578","name":"forest_autopatching_hires.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/forest_autopatching_hires_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/forest_autopatching_hires_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":775735,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/forest_autopatching_hires_0.jpg?itok=vdfef1_u"}},"68626":{"id":"68626","type":"image","title":"Craig Forest, PhD - Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering","body":null,"created":"1449177185","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:13:05","changed":"1475894597","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:17","alt":"Craig Forest, PhD - Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering","file":{"fid":"192621","name":"forest.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/forest_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/forest_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6910,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/forest_0.jpg?itok=7iDCnO5X"}}},"media_ids":["128501","68626"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.nih.gov\/","title":"National Institutes of Health"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/forest","title":"Craig Forest"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"12333","name":"Craig Forest"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"524","name":"medicine"},{"id":"2270","name":"National Institutes of Health"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Liz.Klipp@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"159261":{"#nid":"159261","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Squeezing Ovarian Cancer Cells to Predict Metastatic Potential","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they\u2019re able to spread. The findings, which are \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0046609\u0022\u003Epublished\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal PLoS One, found that highly metastatic ovarian cancer cells are several times softer than less metastatic ovarian cancer cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAssistant Professor Todd Sulchek and Ph.D. student Wenwei Xu used a process called atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the mechanical properties of various ovarian cell lines. A soft mechanical probe \u201ctapped\u201d healthy, malignant and metastatic ovarian cells to measure their stiffness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn order to spread, metastatic cells must push themselves into the bloodstream. As a result, they must be highly deformable and softer,\u201d said Sulchek, a faculty member in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. \u201cOur results indicate that cell stiffness may be a useful biomarker to evaluate the relative metastatic potential of ovarian and perhaps other types of cancer cells.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust as previous studies on other types of epithelial cancers have indicated, Sulchek also found that cancerous ovarian cells are generally softer and display lower intrinsic variability in cell stiffnesss than non-malignant cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESulchek\u2019s lab partnered with the molecular cancer lab of Biology Professor John McDonald, who is also director of Georgia Tech\u2019s newly established Integrated Cancer Research Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a good example of the kinds of discoveries that only come about by integrating skills and knowledge from traditionally diverse fields such as molecular biology and bioengineering,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cAlthough there are a number of developing methodologies to identify circulating cancer cells in the blood and other body fluids, this technology offers the added potential to rapidly determine if these cells are highly metastatic or relatively benign.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESulchek and McDonald believe that, when further developed, this technology could offer a huge advantage to clinicians in the design of optimal chemotherapies, not only for ovarian cancer patients but also for patients of other types of cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award Number CBET-0932510). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New Research Lists Cell Stiffness as Possible Biomarker"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they\u2019re able to spread. The findings, which are published in the journal PLoS One, found that highly metastatic ovarian cancer cells are several times softer than less metastatic ovarian cancer cells.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they\u2019re able to spread."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-10-04 10:55:06","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:54","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"159221":{"id":"159221","type":"image","title":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 1","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 1","file":{"fid":"195382","name":"13p1000-p5-007.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-007_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-007_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1867947,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13p1000-p5-007_0.jpg?itok=d_bhPgTO"}},"159211":{"id":"159211","type":"image","title":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 2","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Squeezing Cancer Cells 2","file":{"fid":"195381","name":"heya8_m23_0000.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heya8_m23_0000_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/heya8_m23_0000_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":61778,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/heya8_m23_0000_0.jpg?itok=0Wocm7NQ"}},"159231":{"id":"159231","type":"image","title":"Todd Sulchek and John McDonald","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Todd Sulchek and John McDonald","file":{"fid":"195383","name":"13p1000-p5-004.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-004_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-004_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2089143,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13p1000-p5-004_0.jpg?itok=m770Dcms"}},"159251":{"id":"159251","type":"image","title":"Todd Sulchek","body":null,"created":"1449178896","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:36","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Todd Sulchek","file":{"fid":"195384","name":"13p1000-p5-006.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-006_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/13p1000-p5-006_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2264455,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/13p1000-p5-006_0.jpg?itok=qZKma9NL"}}},"media_ids":["159221","159211","159231","159251"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"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\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"160501":{"#nid":"160501","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Seeking Mentors for Incoming Class of 2013 Petit Scholars","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience is accepting project submissions from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in mentoring a member of the incoming class of 2013 Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Petit Scholars program is a competitive scholarship program that offers highly innovative research opportunities to top undergraduate students for a full year.\u0026nbsp; The Petit Scholars mentoring program offers the mentor a unique, full-year mentoring and project management experience while simultaneously furthering their own research interests.\u0026nbsp; Mentors also receive travel funds and funds for materials and supplies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInterested candidates must be currently conducting their own research in an IBB laboratory and must be available from January through December of 2013.\u0026nbsp; Faculty approval will be required.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnline project submissions will be accepted through Friday, October 19, 2012 and should outline an independent research project for a potential undergraduate scholar.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; For full details about the Petit Mentor program, visit the website below.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Accepting project submissions through Friday, October 19, 2012"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute Seeking Mentors for Incoming Class of 2013 Petit Scholars\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Accepting project submissions through Friday, October 19, 2012"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-10-08 14:56:58","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:54","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"146471":{"id":"146471","type":"image","title":"Kevin Parsons and Matthew Nipper, Petit Scholar and Mentor","body":null,"created":"1449178751","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:11","changed":"1475894779","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:19","alt":"Kevin Parsons and Matthew Nipper, Petit Scholar and Mentor","file":{"fid":"195085","name":"12c3030-p1-126.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12c3030-p1-126_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12c3030-p1-126_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2362417,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12c3030-p1-126_0.jpg?itok=kQ83A1R2"}}},"media_ids":["146471"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/become-a-petit-scholar-mentor","title":"IBB Petit Mentor website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"45831","name":"petit mentor project submissions"}],"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, Program Administrator\u003Cbr \/\u003ETodd McDevitt, PhD, Program Faculty Advisor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"159041":{"#nid":"159041","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researcher Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda Recognized as Top Biomaterials Scientist","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAndr\u00e9s J. Garc\u00eda, a faculty member at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Clemson Award for Basic Research from the Society for Biomaterials. \u0026nbsp;This national award is given to an outstanding community member who has demonstrated significant contributions to and understanding of the interaction of materials with tissues within a biological environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I am truly honored by this award and recognition,\u201d said Garc\u00eda, who is a Woodruff Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. \u201cThe Society for Biomaterials has had a huge impact in my scientific and professional career and I am delighted to join past awardees from our community. I am also proud to represent my great colleagues along with past and present trainees from Georgia Tech who have contributed to this recognition.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Society for Biomaterials is the oldest scientific organization in the field of biomaterials and has a mission of encouraging, fostering, promoting and advancing education, and research and development, in biomaterials science. \u0026nbsp;The society has grown to more than 2,000 members since its inception in 1974.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Garc\u00eda is an outstanding recipient of this award,\u0022 said Buddy Ratner, Ph.D., professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering at the University of Washington, who recommended Garc\u00eda for the Clemson award. \u0022His strong commitment to polymeric biomaterials and to the modern biology of healing and regeneration, coupled with a fine intelligence, a charismatic personality and super-charged energy, has propelled his career and technical impact to the top of the discipline.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to this award, the society announced that a pioneering publication by Garc\u00eda was one of twenty-five articles selected as part of a special virtual edition of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EJournal of Biomedical Materials Research\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;celebrating the 100\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E volume of the journal. The criteria for inclusion of a paper in the special issue was the identification of articles that, in their time, were considered novel, original, state-of-the-art, ground-breaking, and opened new areas of biomaterials research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda\u2019s work established the paradigm that cell response to material properties could be mediated by protein adsorption. This research established an experimental framework to analyze adhesive mechanisms\u0026nbsp;controlling cell-surface interactions and provided a general strategy for surface-directed control of adsorbed protein activity to manipulate cell function in biomaterial and biotechnology applications.\u0026nbsp; This finding established a new strategy to direct cellular responses to biomaterials and has broad application to the engineering of materials to elicit specific biological responses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe article, \u201cSurface Chemistry Modulates Fibronectin Conformation and Directs Integrin Binding and Specificity to Control Cell Adhesion,\u201d was co-authored by collaborator David M. Collard, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech, and by Benjamin G. Keselowsky, who was then a graduate student in the Garc\u00eda laboratory. \u0026nbsp;Keselowsky is now an associate professor at the University of Florida.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda\u2019s research program focuses on engineering biomaterials that promote tissue repair and healing; quantitative analyses of mechanisms regulating cell adhesive forces; and cell-based therapies for regenerative medicine.\u0026nbsp; These integrated cellular engineering strategies have provided new insights into mechanisms regulating cell-material interactions and established new approaches for the rational design of biomaterials and cell-delivery vehicles for regenerative medicine applications, including bone repair, vascularization and inflammation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis laboratory\u2019s research has led to advances across many areas of regenerative medicine including applications related to the bone and cartilage, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, inflammation, and implant integration with tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda has co-authored papers in leading biomaterials, tissue engineering, and cell biology journals as well as several patents and invention disclosures. \u0026nbsp;He has received several distinctions throughout his successful career, including the NSF CAREER Award, Arthritis Investigator Award, Georgia Tech\u2019s CETL\/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, Young Investigator Award from the Society for Biomaterials, Petit Institute Above and Beyond Award and Georgia Tech\u2019s Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently Garc\u00eda serves as chair of the Interdisciplinary Bioengineering Graduate Program at Georgia Tech. He is also the director of a NIH\/NIGMS biotechnology training grant on cell and tissue engineering.\u0026nbsp; He serves on the editorial boards of leading biomaterial and regenerative medicine journals as well as NIH and NSF review panels. \u0026nbsp;Garc\u00eda has been recognized as a top Latino educator by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and has been elected a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering by the International Union of Societies of Biomaterials Science and Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda joined Georgia Tech as assistant professor in 1998.\u0026nbsp; He received a B.S. in mechanical engineering with honors from Cornell University in 1991. He received M.S.E. in 1992 and Ph.D. in 1996 in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Garc\u00eda honored in two ways by the biomaterials community."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAndr\u00e9s J. Garc\u00eda, a faculty member at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Clemson Award for Basic Research from the Society for Biomaterials. \u0026nbsp;This national award is given to an outstanding community member who has demonstrated significant contributions to and understanding of the interaction of materials with tissues within a biological environment.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Garc\u00eda honored in two ways by the biomaterials community."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-10-03 16:35:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:54","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"48186":{"id":"48186","type":"image","title":"Andres Garcia and vascularization hydrogels","body":null,"created":"1449175379","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:42:59","changed":"1475894455","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:55","alt":"Andres Garcia and vascularization hydrogels","file":{"fid":"101280","name":"tan24921.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tan24921_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tan24921_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":833544,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tan24921_0.jpg?itok=JU24rSM5"}},"71140":{"id":"71140","type":"image","title":"Andres Garcia + David Collard","body":null,"created":"1449177348","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:48","changed":"1475894630","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:50"}},"media_ids":["48186","71140"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"3024","name":"biomaterials"},{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"541","name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"497","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarketing Communications Director\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"158481":{"#nid":"158481","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Suggests Immune System Can Boost Regeneration of Peripheral Nerves","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EModulating immune response to injury could accelerate the regeneration of severed peripheral nerves, a new study in an animal model has found. By altering activity of the macrophage cells that respond to injuries, researchers dramatically increased the rate at which nerve processes regrew.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInfluencing the macrophages immediately after injury may affect the whole cascade of biochemical events that occurs after nerve damage, potentially eliminating the need to directly stimulate the growth of axons using nerve growth factors. If the results of this first-ever study can be applied to humans, they could one day lead to a new strategy for treating peripheral nerve injuries that typically result from trauma, surgical resection of tumors or radical prostectomy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBoth scar formation and healing are the end results of two different cascades of biological processes that result from injuries,\u201d said Ravi Bellamkonda, Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and member of the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u201cIn this study, we show that by manipulating the immune system soon after injury, we can bias the system toward healing, and stimulate the natural repair mechanisms of the body.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond nerves, researchers believe their technique could also be applied to help regenerate other tissue \u2013 such as bone. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and reported online Sept. 26, 2012, by the journal \u003Cem\u003EBiomaterials\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter injury, macrophages that congregate at the site of the injury operate like the conductor of an orchestra, controlling processes that remove damaged tissue, set the stage for repair and encourage the replacement of cells and matrix materials, said Nassir Mokarram, a Ph.D. student in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Materials Science and Engineering. Converting the macrophages to a \u201cpro-healing\u201d phenotype that secretes healing compounds signals a broad range of other processes \u2013 the \u201cplayers\u201d in the symphony analogy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you really want to change the symphony\u2019s activity from generating scarring to regeneration of tissue, you need to target the conductor, not just a few of the players, and we think macrophages are capable of being conductors of the healing symphony,\u201d said Mokarram.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMacrophages are best known for their role in creating inflammation at the site of injuries. The macrophages and other immune system components battle infection, remove dead tissue \u2013 and often create scarring that prevents nerve regeneration. However, these macrophages can exist in several different phenotypes depending on the signals they receive. Among the macrophage phenotypes are two classes \u2013 M2a and M2c \u2013 that encourage healing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBellamkonda\u2019s research team used an interleukin 4 (IL-4) cytokine to convert macrophages within the animal model to the \u201cpro-healing\u201d phenotypes. They placed a gel that released IL-4 into hollow polymeric nerve guides that connected the ends of severed animal sciatic nerves that had to grow across a 15 millimeter gap to regenerate. The IL-4 remained in the nerve guides for 24 hours or less, and had no direct influence on the growth of nerve tissue in this short period of time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree weeks after the injury, the nerve guides that released IL-4 were almost completely filled with re-grown axons. The treated nerve guides had approximately 20 times more nerve regeneration than the control channels, which had no IL-4-treated macrophages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch is now underway to develop the technique for determining how soon after injury the macrophages should be treated, and what concentration of IL-4 would be most effective.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe believe immune cells are the \u2018master knobs\u2019 that modulate the biochemical cascade downstream,\u201d Mokarram said. \u201cThey are among the \u2018first-responders\u2019 to injury, and are involved for almost the whole regeneration process, secreting several factors that affect other cells. With IL-4, we are doing something very early in the process that is triggering a cascade of events whose effects last longer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETissue engineering approaches have focused on encouraging the growth of nerve cells, using special scaffolds and continuous application of nerve growth factors over a period of weeks. Instead, the Bellamkonda group believes that influencing the immune system soon after injury could provide a simpler and more effective treatment able to restore nerve function.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBeyond neural tissue engineering, the implications of this approach can be significant for other types of tissue engineering,\u201d said Mokarram. \u201cNeural tissue may be just a model.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of their paper, the researchers defined a state they termed \u201cregenerative bias\u201d that predicts the probability of a regenerative outcome. The Bellamkonda group discovered that when it quantified the ratio of healing macrophages to scar-promoting macrophages at the site of injury early after the injury, the ratio \u2013 or regenerative bias \u2013 predicted whether or not the nerve regenerated after many weeks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe significance of this finding is that IL-4 and other factors may be used to make sure the regenerative bias is high so that nerves, and perhaps other tissues, can regenerate on their own after injury,\u201d Bellamkonda said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team also included Alishah Merchant, Vivek Mukhatyar and Gaurangkumar Patel, all from the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was supported by the National Institutes of Health under grants NS44409, NS65109 and 1R41NS06777. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National lnstitutes of Health.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Mokarram N, et al., Effect of modulating macrophage phenotype on peripheral nerve repair, Biomaterials (2012), \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2012.08.050\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2012.08.050\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2012.08.050\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research seeks the \u0027master knob\u0027 to turn on nerve repair"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EModulating immune response to injury could accelerate the regeneration of severed peripheral nerves, a new study in an animal model has found. By altering activity of the macrophage cells that respond to injuries, researchers dramatically increased the rate at which nerve processes regrew.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have shown that modulating the immune response to injury can boost nerve regeneration."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-10-02 09:03:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:54","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-10-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-10-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"158441":{"id":"158441","type":"image","title":"Polymer Nerve Guide","body":null,"created":"1449178883","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:23","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Polymer Nerve Guide","file":{"fid":"195354","name":"immune-regeneration127.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration127_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration127_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1200499,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/immune-regeneration127_0.jpg?itok=3MCj5EfA"}},"158461":{"id":"158461","type":"image","title":"Polymer Nerve Guide2","body":null,"created":"1449178883","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:23","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Polymer Nerve Guide2","file":{"fid":"195355","name":"immune-regeneration171.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration171_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration171_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":908889,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/immune-regeneration171_0.jpg?itok=LVTJSUkY"}},"158431":{"id":"158431","type":"image","title":"Growth of Axons","body":null,"created":"1449178883","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:23","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Growth of Axons","file":{"fid":"195353","name":"immune-regeneration80.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration80_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration80_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1338267,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/immune-regeneration80_0.jpg?itok=1p2DmvFa"}},"158471":{"id":"158471","type":"image","title":"Regrowth of nerve tissue","body":null,"created":"1449178883","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:23","changed":"1475894794","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:34","alt":"Regrowth of nerve tissue","file":{"fid":"195356","name":"immune-regeneration29.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration29_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/immune-regeneration29_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1383998,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/immune-regeneration29_0.jpg?itok=Fqg2SxjM"}}},"media_ids":["158441","158461","158431","158471"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"45231","name":"immune response"},{"id":"45251","name":"macrophage"},{"id":"7266","name":"nerve"},{"id":"9511","name":"Nerve regeneration"},{"id":"45241","name":"peripheral nerve"},{"id":"2471","name":"Ravi Bellamkonda"},{"id":"3264","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"156081":{"#nid":"156081","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Joins the NSF Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology has become the newest node in the National Science Foundation\u2019s (NSF) Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, Georgia Tech faculty members and graduate students who have a research interest in the physics of living systems will have the opportunity to interact with national and international peers and collectively help define the field\u2019s research agenda. In the physics of living systems field, researchers explore the most fundamental physical processes that living systems use to perform their functions in dynamic and diverse environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech will receive $1.2 million from the NSF over the next five years to support its network activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are very excited that graduate students at Georgia Tech will be able to easily interact with other scientists in the field, share training strategies and locate potential research collaborations that could influence the physics of living systems field in the future,\u201d said Daniel Goldman, a principal investigator on the project and an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdditional principal investigators contributing to the network include Georgia Tech School of Physics Assistant Professors Jennifer Curtis and Harold Kim; School of Biology Associate Professor Joshua Weitz, who also holds an adjunct appointment in the School of Physics; and Assistant Professor David Hu, who holds a joint appointment in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Biology. School of Physics Professor Kurt Wiesenfeld will serve as a senior adviser for the network.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech will join 11 U.S. institutions and organizations from Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Singapore and the United Kingdom in the network, which is also an NSF Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI) pilot project. SAVI is an innovative concept designed to foster interaction among scientists, engineers and educators around the globe to solve important societal challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough this program, Georgia Tech faculty members and graduate students will have the opportunity to visit peers at other research institutions in the network, which will expand their perspectives on how to approach difficult research topics and create collaborative ties between groups at the various sites. To further engage with other researchers in the network, Georgia Tech will host an annual meeting with network members from the other institutions and participate in monthly webinars. In addition, graduate students participating in the network will gain access to career opportunities that they might not have had otherwise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll of the institutions in the Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network stress the use of both theoretical and experimental physics to further the understanding of biology and biomedicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech brings to the network a strength in nonlinear science, with research programs dedicated to combining physical and biological realism at multiple scales within the same study and understanding the interaction between biological systems and their environments,\u201d noted Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, researchers in this field seek to understand how physics can inform questions of structure, function and dynamics in biological systems. They are also studying fundamental physics questions posed by biological systems. At the heart of the effort is a philosophy that many biological systems cannot be understood without study of their interaction with the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoldman and Hu both work to reveal principles of organism locomotion on complex substrates such as granular media and vertical surfaces. Curtis studies the mechanics of cell-substrate adhesive interaction and Kim measures gene regulation in the context of the physical structure of the chromosome. Weitz studies the evolutionary ecology of microbial and viral communities, and Wiesenfeld uses nonlinear dynamic modeling to investigate the role of stochastic environments in biological systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRecognition by the NSF of our growing program in biophysics is especially welcome,\u201d said Paul Houston, dean of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences. \u201cBeing a node in the Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network will allow Georgia Tech to connect our graduate student and faculty research to that of an international group of scientists studying how physics can enhance our understanding of biology.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech plans to use this program as the foundation to create a hub in the southeastern United States for physics of living systems research, said Goldman.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Abby Robinson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology has become the newest node in the National Science Foundation\u2019s (NSF) Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech is the newest node in NSF\u0027s Physics of Living Systems Student Research Network."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-09-21 13:21:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:50","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"156071":{"id":"156071","type":"image","title":"Physics of Living Systems","body":null,"created":"1449178872","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:41:12","changed":"1475894789","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:29","alt":"Physics of Living Systems","file":{"fid":"195298","name":"nsf_pols_srn_pis_0870_hires.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nsf_pols_srn_pis_0870_hires_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nsf_pols_srn_pis_0870_hires_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1598424,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/nsf_pols_srn_pis_0870_hires_0.jpg?itok=m3TJuHr-"}}},"media_ids":["156071"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"12040","name":"Daniel Goldman"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"},{"id":"167441","name":"student research"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"155181":{"#nid":"155181","#data":{"type":"news","title":"iPhone Attachment Designed for At-Home Diagnoses of Ear Infections","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new pediatric medical device being tested by Georgia Tech and Emory University could make life easier for every parent who has rushed to the doctor with a child screaming from an ear infection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESoon, parents may be able to skip the doctor\u2019s visit and receive a diagnosis without leaving home by using \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_c_ccTpwgA8\u0022\u003ERemotoscope\u003C\/a\u003E, a clip-on attachment and software app that turns an iPhone into an otoscope.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPediatricians currently diagnose ear infections using the standard otoscope to examine the eardrum. With Remotoscope, parents would be able to take a picture or video of their child\u2019s eardrum using the iPhone and send the images digitally to a physician for diagnostic review.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWilbur Lam, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, along with his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, developed the device with plans to commercialize it.\u0026nbsp;A clinical trial for the Remotoscope is currently under way at Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta to see if the device can obtain images of the same diagnostic quality as what a physician sees with a traditional otoscope.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUltimately we think parents could receive a diagnosis at home and forgo the late-night trips to the emergency room,\u201d said Dr. Lam, who is also a physician at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine. \u201cIt\u2019s known that kids who get ear infections early in life are at risk for recurrent ear infections. It can be a very big deal and really affect their families\u2019 quality of life.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERemotoscope\u0027s clip-on attachment uses the iPhone\u0027s camera and flash as the light source. It also relies on a custom software app --\u0026nbsp;enhanced by Brian Parise, a research scientist with Georgia Tech Research Institute\u2019s Landmarc Research Center --\u0026nbsp;that provides automatic zoom and crop, image preview and auto calibration. \u0026nbsp;The iPhone\u2019s data transmission capabilities seamlessly send images and video to a doctor\u0027s inbox or to the patient\u0027s electronic medical record.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe device has the potential to save money for both families and healthcare systems, Dr. Lam said. Ear infections, or otitis media, affect 75 percent of children by age 6, making it the most common diagnosis for preschoolers. They result in more than 15 million office visits per year in the United States and thousands of prescriptions for antibiotics, which are sometimes not needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the initial visit with a patient, physicians say it is difficult to differentiate between ear infections caused by viruses, which resolve on their own, and those caused by bacteria, which would require antibiotics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs pediatricians will likely only see the child once, they often err on the side of giving antibiotics for viral infections rather than risk not giving antibiotics for a bacterial infection, which can lead to complications,\u201d Dr. Lam said. \u201cSo, we are currently over-treating ear infections with antibiotics and consequently causing antibiotic resistance.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELam said Remotoscope may be able to change physicians\u2019 prescription patterns of antibiotics for ear infections. Receiving serial images of a child\u2019s ear over several days via the Remotoscope could allow physicians to wait and see if a child\u2019s infection improves or whether antibiotics are warranted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Food and Drug Administration, through the Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium, is partially funding the clinical trial. Andrea Shane, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics in Emory School of Medicine and a physician at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta, is principal investigator of the study.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFourth-year Emory medical student Kathryn Rappaport, who is part of the research team, is helping recruit families who come into the emergency department at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta hospitals for treatment of ear infection-type symptoms. Once a family agrees to be in the trial and the child has seen the emergency room doctor, Rappaport takes video of the child\u2019s ear with Remotoscope and a traditional otoscope linked to a computer. Next, a panel of physicians will review the quality of the samples, make a diagnosis from the Remotoscope video and see if it matches the original diagnosis by the ER doctor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of the clinical trial, Rappaport is also conducting a survey asking parents their opinions on using the device.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of parents said they would want to use it, which surprised me because I think it could be scary to look in someone\u2019s ear and because I think parents would be afraid they could hurt their child,\u201d Rappaport said. \u201cParents are enthusiastic and ask me where they can get it, but we\u2019re not there yet.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team hopes to publish the trial\u2019s results by the end of the year and then study whether the Remotoscope enables physicians to implement the \u201cwatchful waiting\u201d plan rather than prescribing antibiotics right away.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERemotoscope has had a long journey with many players to get to where it is today. Dr. Lam and a colleague, Erik Douglas, started the project while doctoral students at UC, Berkeley. The two researchers went on to create the startup CellScope Inc., which aims to commercialize Remotoscope once clinical studies are complete and the device has FDA approval.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2011, when Dr. Lam joined the faculty at Georgia Tech and Emory, he brought the project with him to Atlanta. Today resources from both institutions, as well as Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Atlanta Clinical \u0026amp; Translational Science Institute, are being used to take the medical device to the next level.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Remotoscope is one of nine medical device projects supported by the Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium, which is a partnership among Georgia Tech, Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University. The consortium, one of four in the U.S., provides assistance with engineering design, prototype development, pre-clinical and clinical studies and commercialization for pediatric medical devices.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe whole goal is to create, develop and commercialize pediatric medical devices specifically for kids,\u201d Dr. Lam said. \u201cKids are not just small adults. Physiologically they are different. So to only have medical devices scaled down from adult ones creates this void where there are many diseases that affect only the pediatric population but there are not any available devices to treat them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr. Wilbur Lam owns equity interest in CellScope Inc.,\u0026nbsp;and serves in a fiduciary role for the company. Dr. Lam is a co-inventor of the Remotoscope, which is licensed to CellScope for the purposes of development and commercialization, and he is entitled to royalties derived from CellScope\u2019s sale of products related to the research described in this press release.\u0026nbsp;The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Georgia Tech and Emory University in accordance with their conflict of interest policies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESoon, parents may be able to skip the doctor\u2019s visit and receive a diagnosis without leaving home by using Remotoscope, a clip-on attachment and software app that turns an iPhone into an otoscope.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Soon, parents may be able to skip the doctor\u2019s visit and receive a diagnosis without leaving home by using Remotoscope, a clip-on attachment and software app that turns an iPhone into an otoscope."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2012-09-18 13:12:58","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:50","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"155191":{"id":"155191","type":"image","title":"Remotoscope","body":null,"created":"1449178859","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:40:59","changed":"1475894789","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:29","alt":"Remotoscope","file":{"fid":"195266","name":"dscn1340.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dscn1340_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dscn1340_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2778402,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dscn1340_0.jpg?itok=1YgLPlkw"}}},"media_ids":["155191"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/pediatricdevicesatlanta.org\/remotoscope","title":"Remotoscope"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=152","title":"Wilbur Lam"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.emory.edu\/home\/index.html","title":"Emory University"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.choa.org\/","title":"Children\\\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_c_ccTpwgA8","title":"VIDEO - Remotoscope demo"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"43851","name":"College of Engineering; Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University; Wilbur Lam; pediatric medical devices; Remotoscope; otoscope; ear infections; screening; Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium"}],"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\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"154521":{"#nid":"154521","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Coulter Department, Potter Recognized by Regents","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Steve Potter, associate professor in the Coulter Department, are recipients of the 2013 Regents\u2019 Teaching Excellence Awards. This marks the first time that both awards have gone to the same department. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Coulter Department is an excellent example of an academic unit designing its curriculum and instructional approach to truly focus on student learning and achievement,\u201d said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. \u201cIt\u2019s no surprise that the department and one of its own, Steve Potter, would be selected to receive these awards.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe University System of Georgia (USG) Teaching Excellence Awards recognize both individual faculty and staff, and departments and programs for a strong commitment to teaching and student success. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Coulter Department was recognized for its design and implementation of a problem-focused curriculum. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cProblem-driven learning aims to develop empowered, self-directed inquirers who fearlessly seek and tackle local and global problems,\u201d said Wendy Newstetter, who helped develop the award-winning BME curriculum and is now director of educational research and innovation for the College of Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA team of BME faculty, including Newstetter, BME Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies Joe Le Doux and Director of Learning Sciences Innovation and Research Barbara Fasse, are scheduled to share their curriculum design approach in March 2013 during a workshop for faculty from across the state.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPotter, director of the Laboratory for NeuroEngineering, was recognized for his self-defined \u201creal world\u201d approach to teaching neuroscience courses. For example, students interview experts in the field and use what they learn from experts and readings to create new neuroscience articles for Wikipedia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNothing is more rewarding for me than to get an email from one of my former students telling me about where they are now and how much they still appreciate and use what they learned in a class of mine,\u201d Potter said. \u201cTo get recognition from the USG for leaving a lasting influence on my students is icing on the cake.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Steve Potter, associate professor in the Coulter Department, are recipients of the 2013 Regents\u2019 Teaching Excellence Awards.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Steve Potter, associate professor in the Coulter Department, are recipients of the 2013 Regents\u2019 Teaching Excellence Awards."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-09-17 09:43:30","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:50","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"154301":{"id":"154301","type":"image","title":"Steve Potter","body":null,"created":"1449178859","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:40:59","changed":"1475894787","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:27","alt":"Steve Potter","file":{"fid":"195249","name":"steve_potter.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/steve_potter_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/steve_potter_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1603996,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/steve_potter_0.jpg?itok=AhJTEuPx"}}},"media_ids":["154301"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/","title":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"},{"id":"728","name":"Board of Regents"},{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"43551","name":"Regents\u0027 Teaching Excellence Awards"},{"id":"168365","name":"Steve Potter"}],"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:adrianne.proeller@bme.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAdrianne Proeller\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECoulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"152691":{"#nid":"152691","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Study Identifies Genes Associated with Genomic Expansions that Cause Disease","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA study of more than 6,000 genes in a common species of yeast has identified the pathways that govern the instability of GAA\/TTC repeats. In humans, the expansions of these repeats is known to inactivate a gene \u2013 FXN \u2013 which leads to Friedreich\u2019s ataxia, a neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable. In yeast, long repeats also destabilize the genome, manifested by the breakage of chromosomes. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking with collaborators at Tufts University, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology identified genetic deficiencies associated with the instability of the repeats in four different classes of genes that control replication, transcription initiation, checkpoint response and telomere maintenance. They were surprised to find that the GAA\/TTC repeats could promote gene expression in yeast, suggesting that the repeats may play both positive and negative roles in cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the study examined the repeat metabolisms in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the researchers believe their discoveries may have implications for human disease because many components of genetic machinery have been conserved in evolution. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was reported online Sept. 6 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EMolecular Cell\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe expansions occur in GAA\/TTC sequences located on the FXN gene that plays a vital role in cell metabolism. Patients with Friedreich\u2019s ataxia can have as many as 1,700 copies of the nucleotide sequence, compared to fewer than 65 copies in individuals without the genetic expansion. Although not yet observed in humans, in yeast the expanded repeats can cause chromosomal fragility, which \u2013 despite cellular repair mechanisms \u2013 can produce errors resulting in dramatic genomic rearrangements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHow these expansions happen is a very mysterious process, and we do not know why some people get the disease and some people do not,\u201d said Kirill Lobachev, an associate professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Biology. \u201cWe are trying to develop a simplistic way to determine what individuals may be predisposed to the disease and to find the genotypes where these expansions occur with great frequency.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the core of the study was detailed screening of the yeast\u2019s entire genome, some 6,000 genes in all. Conducted by graduate research assistant Yu Zhang, the exhaustive assay identified 33 genes associated with the repeats fragility and expansions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe connection between genomic expansion and genes that initiate transcription came as a surprise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe found that these repeats can recruit transcription initiation factors and induce transcription,\u201d said Lobachev. \u201cThe repeats seem to work as non-traditional promoters for an abnormal type of transcription. It turns out that this ability to drive transcription is a significant factor in their instability. That makes this a more complicated story for sure, however, it also opens new avenues to examine the repeats.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ability of the repeats to affect the activity of genes may indicate a broader effect on the genome, and if the effect is also seen in humans, could account for some of the subtle differences between individuals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy some estimates, there may be a thousand locations in our chromosomes where these repeats can expand,\u201d said Lobachev. \u201cProbably each person differs in the number of repeats in specific locations. This is important because of their ability to change gene expression.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the next steps in the research is to determine how the expansions occur in cells that aren\u2019t dividing, such as neurons. The genetic mechanisms involved in cell replication offer clear opportunities for repeat expansions, but the mechanism for repeat amplification in non-dividing cells remains a mystery. The researchers believe the finding that GAA\/TTC repeats can promote transcription provides clues for understanding what is going on in terminally differentiated cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhy repeats with the detrimental ability to expand have remained a part of the genomes also remains a question. Genetic processes that hinder an organism\u2019s competitiveness are normally eliminated during the process of evolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPerhaps these repeats play a positive role in the cell when they are small, but because of their ability to expand, they sometimes get out of control and become larger,\u201d Lobachev said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings reported in the yeast, which is commonly used in wine-making and brewing, may help chart a new course in human studies. Scientists often begin genetic research with simpler organisms such as yeast, and use the findings to provide direction for examining similar mechanisms in humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of the processes that are going on in our cells and in yeast cells are the same,\u201d Lobachev noted. \u201cThese processes are highly conserved throughout evolution. The history of biology tells us that most probably what we find in yeast is going to turn out to be true in humans.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELobachev hopes the study will lead to new research, both in yeast genetics and humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have built a map for future analysis so that when people sequence the genome and find deficiencies in particular genes, that will be a clear prediction that individuals with those deficiencies will be predisposed to instability,\u201d Lobachev said. \u201cThere are now several directions for us and other labs to pursue to see what is really happening here.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the study\u2019s authors also included Alexander Shishkin, Dana Marcinkowski-Desmond and Sergei Mirkin from Tufts University, and Yuri Nishida, Natalie Saini and Kirill Volkov from Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was supported by award number R01GM0825950 from NIGMS\/NIH and MCB-0818122 from the NSF. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIGMS\/NIH or the NSF.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Zhang et al., Genome-wide Screen Identifies Pathways that Govern GAA\/TTC Fragility and Expansions in Dividing and Nondividing Yeast Cells, Molecular Cell (2012): (dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.molcel.2012.08.002)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA study of more than 6,000 genes in a common species of yeast has identified the pathways that govern the instability of GAA\/TTC repeats. In humans, the expansions of these repeats is known to inactivate a gene \u2013 FXN \u2013 which leads to Friedreich\u2019s ataxia, a neurodegenerative disease that is currently incurable. In yeast, long repeats also destabilize the genome, manifested by the breakage of chromosomes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A study of more than 6,000 genes in a common species of yeast has identified the pathways that govern instability in GAA\/TTC repeats."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-09-09 20:22:16","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:47","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"152681":{"id":"152681","type":"image","title":"Studying Trinucleotide Repeats","body":null,"created":"1449178848","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:40:48","changed":"1475894787","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:27","alt":"Studying Trinucleotide Repeats","file":{"fid":"195222","name":"genetic-repeats53.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/genetic-repeats53_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/genetic-repeats53_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1192430,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/genetic-repeats53_0.jpg?itok=KVz5RjO0"}}},"media_ids":["152681"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"43031","name":"chromosome integrity"},{"id":"43021","name":"genomic expansion"},{"id":"43011","name":"trinucleotide repeats"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"151701":{"#nid":"151701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Summer of Monks, Neuroscience","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESome spend their summers doing research abroad or enjoying family time at the beach \u2014 Lena Ting spends hers debating basic principles of neuroscience with Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns in India.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince 2008, Ting has participated in the Emory University Tibet Science Initiative that aims to educate a cohort of monks and nuns on the basics of math, biology, neuroscience and physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMany of the participants enter the monastery at age nine and only learn Buddhist philosophy,\u201d said Ting, an associate professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. \u201cBut in neuroscience, my area,\u0026nbsp; we challenge a lot of that philosophy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETing became involved with the program in fall of 2008. Since then, she has volunteered to spend much of her academic years planning lectures for the 60 hours the team spends teaching program participants over two weeks each summer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMost of these students are in their late 20s and 30s and have completed at least 10 years of Buddha study \u2014 similar to being on a PhD track,\u201d Ting said. \u201cThey have a tradition of lively debate in the monasteries, which leads to some of the most engaged in-class discussions I\u2019ve ever been a part of.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the challenges Ting has faced is that these students have centuries-old explanations for things such as pain and negative emotions \u2014 explanations that don\u2019t necessarily agree with the explanations that modern scientists, such as Ting, have to offer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis leads to the most interesting interactions, because who is to say who is right and who is wrong,\u201d she added. \u201cBoth sides offer valid points.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program includes two five-year cohorts, one of which graduated this year and the other will next year. Members of the cohorts will go on to start science programs in monasteries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had an opportunity to learn more about Ting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be when you were a child, and how did you end up at Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI initially wanted to be an astronaut. In college, I studied mechanical engineering, and gradually I became interested in robotics and animal movement, which translated into an interest in how humans walk and the role the nervous system plays in this process. When it was time to look for a job, Georgia Tech and Emory were two of the places I wanted to work, based on the neuroscience and engineering programs offered. I\u2019ve been at Tech for 10 years now.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExplain your research in a few sentences.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI study how your brain controls your body, especially when it comes to standing and walking. So a lot of my research focuses on working with people who have Parkinson\u2019s disease or have had a spinal injury or stroke.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us a few things about your research that others might not be aware of.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI took standing and managing to balance for granted \u2014 and used to think \u201cthis isn\u2019t even a movement!\u201d But this process is actually a lot harder than a lot of us realize. Also, I find inspiration in what animals are doing. For example, you can learn a lot from how a flamingo or an elephant moves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn graduate school, a peer told me to never use an alarm clock. That way, you sleep as much as your body needs to. To this day, I still try to follow this advice as often as possible, and I often share it with my students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your favorite spot on campus?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don\u2019t leave the office much. But I really like how the green space between Clough Commons and the Student Center has developed. It\u2019s much more open and enjoyable now.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch, and what do you order?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003ERibs N Blues, and I order the rib sandwich. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself that others might not be aware of.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI play ultimate Frisbee, and my team in grad school won a national championship.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESome spend their summers doing research abroad or enjoying family time at the beach \u2014 Lena Ting spends hers debating basic principles of neuroscience with Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns in India.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Some spend their summers doing research abroad or enjoying family time at the beach \u2014 Lena Ting spends hers debating basic principles of neuroscience with Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns in India."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-09-05 08:43:19","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:47","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"151631":{"id":"151631","type":"image","title":"Lena Ting","body":null,"created":"1449178848","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:40:48","changed":"1475894787","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:27","alt":"Lena Ting","file":{"fid":"195206","name":"lena.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lena_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lena_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":295496,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lena_0.jpg?itok=aeBQlEHg"}}},"media_ids":["151631"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14219","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"42541","name":"Emory University Tibet Science Initiative"},{"id":"2266","name":"Lena Ting"}],"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:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"149661":{"#nid":"149661","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Boyan Named Dean of VCU School of Engineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBarbara D. Boyan, currently the associate dean for research in Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Engineering and the Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Tissue Engineering at Georgia Tech, as well as a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has been named as the new dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoyan\u0027s new position will be effective Jan. 1, 2013.\u0026nbsp; She will be working with faculty, staff, students and administrators during the fall semester, however, to ensure a successful ABET accreditation site visit and forward progress on a strategic vision for the School of Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Under Barbara\u0027s leadership as our associate dean for research and innovation, the College of Engineering has made extraordinary progress in the areas of collaborative research with Emory University, Children\u0027s Healthcare, industry, and other partners,\u201d said Gary S. May, dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; \u201cShe has brought a cutting edge vision to biomedical research and translational research especially in the areas of pediatric devices and regenerative medicine.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoyan is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in the American Institute of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.\u0026nbsp; In 2012, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and just this past June inducted into the Fellows of the World Congress of Biomaterials. Boyan is also the recipient of numerous awards, the author of more than 370 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and book chapters and holds 14 U.S. patents.\u0026nbsp; She received her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in biology from Rice University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBarbara D. Boyan, currently the associate dean for research in Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Engineering\u0026nbsp;and the Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Tissue Engineering at Georgia Tech, as well as a professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, has been named as the new dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Barbara D. Boyan, currently the associate dean for research in Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Engineering, will assume the new position Jan. 2, 2013."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2012-08-27 15:40:17","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:43","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"109231":{"id":"109231","type":"image","title":"Dr. Barbara Boyan","body":null,"created":"1449178201","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:30:01","changed":"1475894728","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:28","alt":"Dr. Barbara Boyan","file":{"fid":"194040","name":"boyan.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/boyan_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/boyan_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4865995,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/boyan_0.jpg?itok=QPglXo42"}}},"media_ids":["109231"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=48","title":"Barbara Boyan"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"9548","name":"Barbara Boyan"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKay Kinard,\u0026nbsp;College of Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-385-7358\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["kay.kinard@coe.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"149331":{"#nid":"149331","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Video - BioEngineering Graduate Program at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new video has been launched for the BioEngineering Graduate program at Georgia Tech. The video showcases BioEngineering program faculty and students from different schools and departments at Georgia Tech and Emory University and highlights the diversity of research projects available within the program. The theme of the video, \u0022BioE is the degree for me!\u0022 emphasizes the creativity and flexibility of the program. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0022The program has never had marketing support before,\u0022 stated Megan McDevitt, director of communications and marketing for the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. \u0022This program is one of Georgia Tech\u0027s best kept secrets, and I look forward to telling the program\u0027s story through various communication channels.\u0022 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Georgia Tech Interdisciplinary Bioengineering Graduate Program was established in 1992. Although created twenty years ago, the program reflects Georgia Tech\u0027s strategic vision as it blends traditional academic colleges and units and allows students from very different backgrounds to chart their own path by integrating engineering with life sciences. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGraduate students choose a \u0022home school\/department\u0022 in any one of the four Georgia Tech colleges, however, through the support of the BioEngineering Graduate program, they can then choose to take classes in almost any relevant subject and conduct research with any one of the over \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bioengineering.gatech.edu\/program-faculty\u0022\u003E90 participating faculty\u003C\/a\u003E. This allows tremendous diversity and flexibility for classes, research topics and faculty advisors which literally translates into the student creating their perfect path. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0022Gone are the days of traditional, prescribed graduate studies. Students need the flexibility to create their own program,\u0022 said Andres Garcia, PhD, director of the program. \u0022If a student comes from a strong engineering background, they can tailor their coursework towards the basic sciences, if they have a strong science background, they can dive into the engineering. The BioEngineering Program also provides the flexibility to do cross-disciplinary training across engineering sub-fields. It is completely up to them.\u0022 \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver 185 students have graduated from the program working with faculty from the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, Sciences, and Architecture as well as Emory University School of Medicine. The program welcomes its newest class of 21 graduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Ranked 2nd in the nation by US News and World Report"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe BioE Graduate PhD and MS program is a unique and interdisciplinary program ranked 2nd in the nation by US News and World Report. Students apply through one of the 8 participating Georgia Tech home schools or departments and students are free to work with any of the 90+ participating program faculty members from the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, Sciences, and Architecture as well as Emory University School of Medicine. The BioE Graduate Program is one of the most innovative and integrative program available at Georgia Tech, giving the students the flexibility and creativity to pursue interdisciplinary research and create their own future.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ranked 2nd in the nation by US News and World Report"}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-08-25 19:17:25","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:43","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"149341":{"id":"149341","type":"image","title":"BioEngineering Video Image","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"BioEngineering Video Image","file":{"fid":"195146","name":"bioe-forme.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bioe-forme_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bioe-forme_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":31101,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bioe-forme_0.jpg?itok=2olwsaXM"}}},"media_ids":["149341"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bioengineering.gatech.edu\/","title":"BioEngineering website"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"569","name":"bioengineering"},{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"41681","name":"College of Engineering; Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences; Andres Garcia"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"41691","name":"Han Lu"},{"id":"10961","name":"julie champion"},{"id":"1924","name":"Robert Butera"},{"id":"167602","name":"SCEC Events"},{"id":"760","name":"Todd McDevitt"}],"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\u003Cp\u003ESpecial Projects\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications, Marketing \u0026amp; Events\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Chris%20Ruffin%20\u0026lt;chris.ruffin@ibb.gatech.edu\u0026gt;\u0022\u003EChris Ruffin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAcademic Advisor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBioEngineering Graduate Program\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"148951":{"#nid":"148951","#data":{"type":"news","title":"More Clues About Why Chimps and Humans Are Genetically Different","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENinety-six percent of a chimpanzee\u2019s genome is the same as a human\u2019s. It\u2019s the other 4 percent, and the vast differences, that pique the interest of Georgia Tech\u2019s Soojin Yi. For instance, why do humans have a high risk of cancer, even though chimps rarely develop the disease?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn research published in September\u2019s American Journal of Human Genetics, Yi looked at brain samples of each species. She found that differences in certain DNA modifications, called methylation, may contribute to phenotypic changes. The results also hint that DNA methylation plays an important role for some disease-related phenotypes in humans, including cancer and autism.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur study indicates that certain human diseases may have evolutionary epigenetic origins,\u201d says Yi, a faculty member in the School of Biology. \u201cSuch findings, in the long term, may help to develop better therapeutic targets or means for some human diseases. \u201c\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDNA methylation modifies gene expression but doesn\u2019t change a cell\u2019s genetic information. To understand how it differs between the two species, Yi and her research team generated genome-wide methylation maps of the prefrontal cortex of multiple humans and chimps. They found hundreds of genes that exhibit significantly lower levels of methylation in the human brain than in the chimpanzee brain. Most of them were promoters involved with protein binding and cellular metabolic processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis list of genes includes disproportionately high numbers of those related to diseases,\u201d said Yi. \u201cThey are linked to autism, neural-tube defects and alcohol and other chemical dependencies. This suggests that methylation differences between the species might have significant functional consequences. They also might be linked to the evolution of our vulnerability to certain diseases, including cancer.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYi, graduate student Jia Zeng and postdoctoral researcher Brendan Hunt worked with a team of researchers from Emory University and UCLA. The Yerkes National Primate Research Center provided the animal samples used in the study. It was also funded by the Georgia Tech Fund for Innovation in Research and Education (GT-FIRE) and National Science Foundation grants (MCB-0950896 and BCS-0751481). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn research published in September\u2019s American Journal of Human Genetics, Soojin Yi looked at brain samples of each species. She found that differences in certain DNA modifications, called methylation, may contribute to phenotypic changes. The results also hint that DNA methylation plays an important role for some disease-related phenotypes in humans, including cancer and autism.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research hints that DNA methylation plays an important role for some disease-related phenotypes in humans, including cancer"}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-08-23 12:38:26","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:43","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"99141":{"id":"99141","type":"image","title":"Chimpanzee","body":null,"created":"1449178142","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:02","changed":"1475894712","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:12"},"100361":{"id":"100361","type":"image","title":"Dr. Soojin Yi","body":null,"created":"1449178159","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:19","changed":"1475894717","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:17"}},"media_ids":["99141","100361"],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"385","name":"cancer"},{"id":"3029","name":"chimpanzee"},{"id":"1041","name":"dna"},{"id":"5718","name":"Genetics"},{"id":"168087","name":"Soojin Yi"}],"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\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"148501":{"#nid":"148501","#data":{"type":"news","title":"C. Ross Ethier Joins Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EC. Ross Ethier, Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in the area of biomechanics and mechanobiology recently joined the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University as the new Georgia Research Alliance Lawrence L. Gellerstedt, Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering. He is considered one of the world\u2019s leading researchers in the study of glaucoma, arterial disease and osteoarthritis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEthier\u2019s recruitment adds new dimensions to the Coulter Department\u2019s international reputation in biomedical engineering and biomechanics and we are delighted to welcome him to Atlanta,\u201d said Larry McIntire, Wallace H. Coulter Chair and Professor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEthier\u2019s research has the potential to create a new paradigm for treating glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness. His glaucoma research focuses on biomechanics of aqueous humor drainage in the normal and glaucomatous eye, and the mechanical and cellular response of optic nerve tissues to intraocular pressure.\u0026nbsp; Additionally, Ethier studies the hemodynamic basis of arterial disease and mechanobiology of osteoarthritis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDr. Ethier\u2019s strengths in applying his expertise in biomechanics to the understanding of glaucoma, arterial disease and osteoarthritis are world-class,\u201d said C. Michael Cassidy, President and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. \u201cWe anticipate that his work will lead to new treatments for these conditions that affect so many worldwide.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEthier comes to Georgia from Imperial College London, where he was Professor and Head of the Department of Bioengineering.\u0026nbsp; He also directed the $17 million Medical Engineering Solutions in Osteoarthritis Center of Excellence, one of four Wellcome Trust\/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Centers in the UK.\u0026nbsp; In addition, he directed the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter earning his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ethier joined the faculty of the University Toronto in 1986, where he built a strong program in biomaterials and biomedical engineering.\u0026nbsp; In 2007, he was recruited to Imperial College London.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEthier has published widely and has an extensive history of consulting with industry. He is the co-author of \u003Cem\u003EIntroductory Biomechanics,\u003C\/em\u003E a textbook widely used in the U.S., Canada and Europe. He is a Fellow of International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp align=\u0022center\u0022\u003E# #\u0026nbsp;#\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbout GRA\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA model public-private partnership between Georgia universities, business and state government, the Georgia Research Alliance helps build Georgia\u2019s technology-rich economy in three major ways: through attracting Eminent Scholars to Georgia\u2019s research universities; through investing in sophisticated research tools; and through converting research into products, services and jobs that drive the economy. To learn more about GRA, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gra.org\u0022\u003Ewww.gra.org\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbout the Coulter Department\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is a joint program of the Emory University School of Medicine and the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Engineering. The Coulter Department\u2019s mission is to shape and advance the discipline of biomedical engineering through innovative research and inspiring education, with the goal of comprehensive integration of engineering methods into the mainstream of health care. The program is ranked second in both undergraduate and graduate programs \u003Cem\u003Eby U.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u003C\/em\u003E. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ewww.bme.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Research Alliance Names Glaucoma and Cardiovascular Expert Ross Ethier New GRA Lawrence L. Gellerstedt, Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EC. Ross Ethier, Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in the area of biomechanics and mechanobiology recently joined the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University as the new Georgia Research Alliance Lawrence L. Gellerstedt, Jr. Eminent Scholar in Bioengineering. He is considered one of the world\u2019s leading researchers in the study of glaucoma, arterial disease and osteoarthritis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27182","created_gmt":"2012-08-22 10:44:39","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:43","author":"Adrianne Proeller","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"148511":{"id":"148511","type":"image","title":"Ross Ethier","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"Ross Ethier","file":{"fid":"195136","name":"rossethierheadshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rossethierheadshot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rossethierheadshot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":205272,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rossethierheadshot.jpg?itok=ZE8uHbz-"}}},"media_ids":["148511"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/","title":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gra.org\/","title":"Georgia Research Alliance"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"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\u003EKathie Robichaud, Georgia Research Alliance\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-332-9770, ext. 24 \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:krobichaud@gra.org\u0022\u003Ekrobichaud@gra.org\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdrianne Proeller, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-894-2357, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:adrianne.proeller@bme.gatech.edu?subject=Younan%20Xia\u0022\u003Eadrianne.proeller@bme.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"146461":{"#nid":"146461","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute Seeking Top Undergraduates for 2013 Class of Petit Scholars","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences is now accepting applications for the 2013 class of Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars. The Petit Scholars program is a competitive scholarship program that serves to develop the next generation of researchers by providing an opportunity to conduct independent research for a full year in Georgia Tech\u0027s state-of-the-art laboratories of Petit Institute faculty members.\u0026nbsp; Scholars work in a wide variety of bio-related research labs that span across all of the colleges of Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; Research is conducted in the areas of cancer biology, biomaterials, computing, drug design, development and delivery, molecular evolution, molecular cellular and tissue biomechanics, regenerative medicine, robotics, stem cell engineering and systems biology.\u0026nbsp; Scholars are given a stipend and additional funds to purchase materials and supplies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince its beginning in 2000, the program has supported hundreds of top undergraduate researchers who have gone on to distinguished careers in research, medicine and industry.\u0026nbsp; As biotechnology research has grown significantly throughout the Georgia Tech campus, so has the number of Petit Scholars with the funding of 19 scholars in 2012.\u0026nbsp; To date, the program has funded students from Georgia Tech, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Georgia State University, Emory University, Agnes Scott College and Georgia Gwinnett College.\u0026nbsp; The Petit Scholars program is funded by Friends of the Petit Institute donors in addition to its endowment from Parker H. \u0022Pete\u0022 Petit.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo make a donation to this program, visit:\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/support-institute-bioengineering-and-biosciences-georgia-tech\u0022\u003EPetit Scholars Donations\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor any faculty interested in applying for faculty membership in the Petit Institute, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/become-Petit-Institute-faculty\u0022\u003Eclick here\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBeginning September 24, 2012, thes Petit Institute will begin accepting research project submissions from graduate student and\/or postdocs to be considered to serve as mentors to the incoming class of Petit Scholars. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe application submission deadline for the 2012 Petit Scholars is Friday, September 21, 2012.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor complete program requirements and online application, visit:\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/petit-scholars\u0022\u003E2013 Petit Scholars \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProgram Administrator:\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EColly Mitchell\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFaculty Advisor:\u0026nbsp; Todd McDevitt, PhD\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Applications for 2013 Petit Scholars now being accepted.  Deadline Friday, September 21, 2012."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPetit Institute Seeking Top Undergraduates - Applications for 2013 Petit Scholars now being accepted.\u0026nbsp; Deadline Friday, September 21, 2012.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Applications for 2013 Petit Scholars now being accepted.  Deadline Friday, September 21, 2012."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-08-15 14:36:19","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"147791":{"id":"147791","type":"image","title":"Petit Scholar Daniel McGrail and Petit Mentor Deepraj Ghosh discuss research with Michelle Dawson, PhD","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"Petit Scholar Daniel McGrail and Petit Mentor Deepraj Ghosh discuss research with Michelle Dawson, PhD","file":{"fid":"195124","name":"12c3030-p1-096.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12c3030-p1-096_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12c3030-p1-096_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1777473,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12c3030-p1-096_1.jpg?itok=3zM6kOAQ"}}},"media_ids":["147791"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/petit-scholars","title":"Petit Scholars info and application"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"40671","name":"2013 class"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"858","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute"},{"id":"857","name":"Petit Scholars"}],"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 - program administrator\u003Cbr \/\u003ETodd McDevitt, PhD - faculty advisor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["colly.mitchell@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"147291":{"#nid":"147291","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Automated Worm Sorter Detects Subtle Differences in Tiny Animals Used in Genetic Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch into the genetic factors behind certain disease mechanisms, illness progression and response to new drugs is frequently carried out using tiny multi-cellular animals such as nematodes, fruit flies or zebra fish. Often, progress relies on the microscopic visual examination of many individual animals to detect mutants worthy of further study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, scientists have demonstrated an automated system that uses artificial intelligence and cutting-edge image processing to rapidly examine large numbers of individual \u003Cem\u003ECaenorhabditis elegans\u003C\/em\u003E, a species of nematode widely used in biological research. Beyond replacing existing manual examination steps using microfluidics and automated hardware, the system\u2019s ability to detect subtle differences from worm-to-worm \u2013 without human intervention \u2013 can identify genetic mutations that might not have been detected otherwise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy allowing thousands of worms to be examined autonomously in a fraction of the time required for conventional manual screening, the technique could change the way that high throughput genetic screening is carried out using \u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDetails of the research were reported August 19th in the advance online publication of the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Methods\u003C\/em\u003E. The research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile humans are very good at pattern recognition, computers are much better than humans at detecting subtle differences, such as small changes in the location of dots or slight variations in the brightness of an image,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/faculty\/lu\u0022\u003EHang Lu\u003C\/a\u003E, the project\u2019s lead researcher and an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u201cThis technique found differences that would have been almost impossible to pick out by hand.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELu\u2019s research team is studying genes that affect the formation and development of synapses in the worms, work that could have implications for understanding human brain development. The researchers use a model in which synapses of specific neurons are labeled by a fluorescent protein. Their research involves creating mutations in the genomes of thousands of worms and examining the resulting changes in the synapses. Mutant worms identified in this way are studied further to help understand what genes may have caused the changes in the synapses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne aspect the researchers are studying is why synapses form in the wrong locations, or are of the wrong sizes or types. The differences between the mutants and the normal or \u201cwild type\u201d worms indicate inappropriate developmental patterns caused by the genetic mutations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause of the large number of possible genes involved in these developmental processes, the researchers must examine thousands of worms \u2013 perhaps as many as 100,000 \u2013 to exhaust the search. Lu and her research group had earlier developed a microfluidic \u201cworm sorter\u201d that speeds up the process of examining worms under a microscope, but until now, there were two options for detecting the mutants: a human had to look at each animal, or a simple heuristic algorithm was used to make the sorting decision. Neither option is objective or adaptable to new problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELu\u2019s system, an optimized version of earlier work by her group, uses a camera to record three-dimensional images of each worm as it passes through the sorter. The system compares each image set against what it has been taught the \u201cwild type\u201d worms should look like. Worms that are even subtly different from normal can be sorted out for further study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe feed the program wild-type images, and it teaches itself to recognize what differentiates the wild type. It uses this information to determine what a mutant type may look like \u2013 which is information we didn\u2019t provide to the system \u2013 and sorts the worms based on that,\u201d explained Matthew Crane, a graduate student who performed the work. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to show the computer every possible mutant, and that is very powerful. And the computer never gets bored.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the system was designed to sort \u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E for a specific research project, Lu believes the machine learning technology \u2013 which is borrowed from computer science \u2013 could be applied to other areas of biology that use model genetic organisms. The system\u2019s hardware and software are currently being used in several other laboratories beyond Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur automated technique can be generalized to anything that relies on detecting a morphometric \u2013 or shape, size or brightness difference,\u201d Lu said. \u201cWe can apply this to anything that can be detected visually, and we think this could be expanded to studying many other problems related to learning, memory, neuro-degeneration and neural developmental diseases that this worm can be used to model.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIndividual \u003Cem\u003EC. elegans\u003C\/em\u003E are less than a millimeter long and thinner than a strand of hair, but have 302 neurons with well-defined synapses. While research using single cells can be simpler to do, studies using the worms are good in vivo models for many important processes relevant to human health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther researchers who contributed to this paper include student Jeffrey Stirman from Georgia Tech\u2019s interdisciplinary program in bioengineering, Professor James Rehg from Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Interactive Computing, and three researchers from the Department of Biology at Stanford University\u2019s Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Chan-Yen Ou, Peri Kurshan, and Professor Kang Shen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe autonomous processing facilitated by the new system could allow researchers to examine more animals more rapidly, potentially opening up areas of study that are not feasible today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are hoping that the technology will really change the approach people can take to this kind of research,\u201d said Lu.\u0026nbsp; \u201cWe expect that this approach will enable people to do much larger scale experiments that can push the science forward beyond looking what individual mutations are doing in a specific situation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe project described was supported by Award Numbers R01GM088333, R21EB012803 and R01AG035317 from the National Institutes of Health. This material is also based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CAREER CBET-0954578. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National lnstitutes of Health or the National Science Foundation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECitation\u003C\/strong\u003E: Matthew Crane, Jeffrey Stirman, Chan-Yen Ou, Peri Kurshan, James Rehg, Kang Shen \u0026amp; Hang Lu, \u003Cem\u003EAutonomous screening of C. elegans identifies genes implicated in synaptogenesis\u003C\/em\u003E, DOI: 10.1038\/NMETH.2141\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientists have demonstrated an automated system that uses artificial intelligence and cutting-edge image processing to rapidly examine large numbers of individual nematodes, a tiny animal widely used in biological research.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"An automated system allows rapid study of tiny animals used in genetic research."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-08-19 11:31:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"147271":{"id":"147271","type":"image","title":"Automated Worm Sorter2","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"Automated Worm Sorter2","file":{"fid":"195117","name":"automated-worm-sorter129.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/automated-worm-sorter129_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/automated-worm-sorter129_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":787310,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/automated-worm-sorter129_0.jpg?itok=cA8E67h3"}},"147261":{"id":"147261","type":"image","title":"Automated Worm Sorter","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"Automated Worm Sorter","file":{"fid":"195116","name":"automated-worm-sorter45.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/automated-worm-sorter45_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/automated-worm-sorter45_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1435211,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/automated-worm-sorter45_0.jpg?itok=TulC78Rm"}},"147281":{"id":"147281","type":"image","title":"Automated Worm Sorter3","body":null,"created":"1449178763","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:23","changed":"1475894782","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:22","alt":"Automated Worm Sorter3","file":{"fid":"195118","name":"automated-worm-sorter174.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/automated-worm-sorter174_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/automated-worm-sorter174_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":898313,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/automated-worm-sorter174_0.jpg?itok=5TdOgRnI"}}},"media_ids":["147271","147261","147281"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2556","name":"artificial intelligence"},{"id":"898","name":"Hang Lu"},{"id":"204","name":"image processing"},{"id":"40871","name":"image recognition"},{"id":"7346","name":"nematode"},{"id":"167750","name":"School of Chemical \u0026 Biomolecular Engineering"},{"id":"169516","name":"synapse"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"63206":{"#nid":"63206","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Wet Mammals Shake Dry in Milliseconds","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019ve ever bathed a dog, you know firsthand how quickly a drenched pup can shake water off.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found that furry mammals can shake themselves 70 percent dry in just a fraction of a second.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDavid Hu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and biology at Georgia Tech, and mechanical engineering graduate student Andrew Dickerson, who led the project, used high-speed videography and fur particle tracking to characterize the shakes of 33 different animals \u2013 16 species and five dog breeds \u2013 at Zoo Atlanta. The research was published in the \u003Cem\u003EJournal of Royal Society Interface\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnderstanding the physics of the wet dog shake could help engineers recreate the optimal oscillation frequency and use it to improve the efficiency of washing machines, dryers, painting devices, spin coaters and other machines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We hope the findings from our research will contribute to technology that can harness these efficient and quick capabilities of drying seen in nature,\u201d Dickerson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt may even lead to improved functioning for robotics, such as the Mars Rover, which suffered reduced power from the accumulation of dust on its solar panels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn the future, self-cleaning and self-drying may arise as an important capability for cameras and other equipment subject to wet or dusty conditions,\u201d Hu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver millions of years, animals have perfected the mechanism to dry quickly to avoid hypothermia. Wet fur, being a poor insulator, causes the animal to lose heat quickly and the evaporation of the entrapped water may zap an animal\u2019s energy reserves, making it a matter of life or death to remain dry in cold weather, Hu said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmall animals may trap substantial volumes of water in their fur for their size. For example, when emerging for a bath, a person carries one pound of water. A rat, however, carries five percent of its mass and an ant three times its mass.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers found that animals oscillate at frequencies sufficient to lose water droplets and that shaking frequency is a function of animal size.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe larger the animal, the more slowly it shakes dry, Hu and Dickerson said. For example, a mouse moves its body back and forth 27 times per second, but a grizzly bear shakes four times per second. The tinier mammals can experience more than 20 g\u2019s of acceleration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMammals with fur, unlike humans, tend to have loose skin that whips around as the animal changes direction, increasing the acceleration. This is crucial to shaking success, and subsequently, body heat regulation, Dickerson said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat would you do on a cold day if you were wet and could not towel off or change clothes? Every warm-blooded furry creature faces this dilemma often,\u201d Dickerson said. \u201cIt turns out that oscillatory shaking exhibited by mammals is a quite efficient way to dry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to observing live animals, the engineers also built a robotic wet-dog-shake simulator to further study how drops were ejected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHu and Dickerson will continue to look at how animals interact with water in the natural world. Specifically, the researchers want to investigate how animals such as beavers and otters have adapted to life in the water and how water droplets interact with hair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019ve ever bathed a dog, you know firsthand how quickly a drenched pup can shake water off.\u0026nbsp;Now researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found that furry mammals can shake themselves 70 percent dry in just a fraction of a second.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers have found that furry mammals can shake themselves 70 percent dry in just a fraction of a second."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2010-12-16 14:11:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:07:54","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"63204":{"id":"63204","type":"image","title":"Wet dog shake","body":null,"created":"1449176668","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:04:28","changed":"1475894554","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:34","alt":"Wet dog shake","file":{"fid":"191777","name":"dog_shake_cloud.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dog_shake_cloud_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dog_shake_cloud_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2744953,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dog_shake_cloud_0.jpg?itok=eFgK2hJK"}}},"media_ids":["63204"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www-old.me.gatech.edu\/hu\/","title":"David Hu\u0027s lab website"},{"url":"http:\/\/dickerson.gatech.edu\/file\/Wet-Dog_Shake.html","title":"Andrew Dickerson\u0027s website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"146081":{"#nid":"146081","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Atlanta Clinical \u0026 Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) receives $31 Million NIH grant renewal","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEMORY Health Sciences News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EATLANTA\u2014The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $30.7 million over the next five years to the Atlanta Clinical \u0026amp; Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) for the renewal of its NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The ACTSI is an Atlanta research partnership focused on transforming the quality and value of clinical research and translating research results into better outcomes for patients.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe ACTSI, led by Emory University and its Woodruff Health Sciences Center, was originally established in 2007 through an initial five-year NIH grant of $30.9 million, along with primary academic partners Morehouse School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cThe ACTSI has created a unique opportunity for synergy among historic partners in health care, education and cutting-edge research, and has emerged as an innovative and integrated environment where clinical and translational researchers in Atlanta can flourish,\u201d says David S. Stephens, MD, vice president for research in Emory\u2019s Woodruff Health Sciences Center and principal investigator and director of the ACTSI. \u201cThe ACTSI is a catalyst and incubator for clinical and translational research across the city of Atlanta, with impacts throughout Georgia, the Southeast and nationally.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cThe ACTSI has been an extremely successful research partnership that positions Georgia as a leader in improving access to new discoveries that improve health outcomes for all its citizens,\u201d says Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. \u201cThe refunding of this significant grant by the NIH is a recognition of the ACTSI\u2019s many accomplishments and Georgia partnerships and demonstrates confidence in our academic, research and health care leadership to continue advancing health care research and clinical care.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe ACTSI unites the strengths of its academic partners: Emory\u2019s national leadership in biomedical research and health care; Georgia Tech\u2019s leadership and vision in biomedical engineering, computation, and the application of innovative systems engineering to health care solutions; and Morehouse School of Medicine\u2019s national presence as a historically black institution that brings ethnic diversity to biomedical research, addresses health disparities through successful community engagement research, and serves as a pipeline for training minority investigators.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EACTSI health care partners include Emory Healthcare, Morehouse Medical Associates, Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta, Grady Health System, Atlanta VA Medical Center, the Atlanta Community Physicians Network and Kaiser Permanente of Georgia. Other key science partners include Emory\u2019s Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory\u2019s Winship Cancer Institute, the Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Bio, and the Prevention Research Centers of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cACTSI has established strong clinical and research partnerships by leveraging the infrastructure support of the NIH funded Research Centers at Minority Institutions (RCMI) at Morehouse School of Medicine. We are poised to implement innovative patient centered and participatory care delivery models, toward the elimination of health disparities,\u201d said Dr. Elizabeth Ofili, Associate Dean for Research at Morehouse School of Medicine and ACTSI Senior Co-Principal Investigator. \u201c\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EACTSI is an important partner to Georgia Tech\u2019s Translational Research Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Science (TRIBES) and its FDA-sponsored Atlanta Pediatric Device Consortium (APDC),\u201d says Dr. Barbara Boyan, associate dean for research and innovation in Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Engineering and executive director of TRIBES and APDC. TRIBES and APDC have the mission of developing novel technologies using systems engineering approaches, to enhance their commercialization and as a result, improve healthcare practice and delivery. Georgia Tech\u2019s educational programs, including capstone design in the joint Georgia Tech and Emory Department of Biomedical Engineering, the new professional master\u2019s degree program on Biomedical Innovation and Development, and the joint Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (Ti:ger) program form an ideal environment for ACTSI\u2019s success at Tech.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor more information, visit: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.actsi.org\u0022\u003EACTSI\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/whsc.emory.edu\/home\/news\/interact\/\u0022\u003EInteract with Emory Health Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.whsc.emory.edu\/home\/about\u0022\u003ERobert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center\u003C\/a\u003E of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focusing on teaching, research, health care and public service.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Research will continue to focus on transforming the quality and value of clinical research and translating research results into better outcomes for patients."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENIH awards $30.7 million renewal to ACTSI for its Clinical and Translational Science Award\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"NIH awards $30.7 million renewal to ACTSI for its Clinical and Translational Science Award"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-08-13 13:58:11","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"146091":{"id":"146091","type":"image","title":"The Atlanta Clinical \u0026 Translational Science Institute is a partnership aimed at improving clinical research and translating results into better patient outcomes.","body":null,"created":"1449178751","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:11","changed":"1475894779","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:19","alt":"The Atlanta Clinical \u0026 Translational Science Institute is a partnership aimed at improving clinical research and translating results into better patient outcomes.","file":{"fid":"195078","name":"actsi_renewal.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/actsi_renewal_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/actsi_renewal_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":64097,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/actsi_renewal_0.jpg?itok=aExhMZWN"}}},"media_ids":["146091"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/emoryhealthsciences.org\/","title":"The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.actsi.org\/","title":"ACTSI website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"40491","name":"Atlanta Clinical Translational Science Institute ACTSI receives $31 Million NIH grant renewal"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:hkorsch@emory.edu\u0022\u003EHolly Korschun\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-727-3990\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["hkorsch@emory.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"146041":{"#nid":"146041","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cathepsin Cannibalism: Enzymes Attack One Another Instead of Harming Proteins","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers for the first time have shown that members of a family of enzymes known as cathepsins \u2013 which are implicated in many disease processes \u2013 may attack one another instead of the bodily proteins they normally degrade. Dubbed \u201ccathepsin cannibalism,\u201d the phenomenon may help explain problems with drugs that have been developed to inhibit the effects of these powerful proteases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECathepsins are involved in disease processes as varied as cancer metastasis, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and arthritis. Because cathepsins have harmful effects on critical proteins such as collagen and elastin, pharmaceutical companies have been developing drugs to inhibit activity of the enzymes, but so far these compounds have had too many side effects to be useful and have failed clinical trials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing a combination of modeling and experiments, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have shown that one type of cathepsin preferentially attacks another, reducing the enzyme\u2019s degradation of collagen. The work could affect not only the development of drugs to inhibit cathepsin activity, but could also lead to a better understanding of how the enzymes work together.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese findings provide a new way of thinking about how these proteases are working with and against each other to remodel tissue \u2013 or fight against each other,\u201d said Manu Platt, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u201cThere has been an assumption that these cathepsins have been inert in relationship to one another, when in actuality they have been attacking one another. We think this may have broader implications for other classes of proteases.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Georgia Cancer Coalition. Details of the study were reported August 10 in the \u003Cem\u003EJournal of Biological Chemistry.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlatt and student Zachary Barry made their discovery accidentally while investigating the effects of cathepsin K and cathepsin S \u2013 two of the 11-member cathepsin family. Cathepsin K degrades both collagen and elastin, and is one of the most powerful proteases. Cathepsin S degrades elastin, and does not strongly attack collagen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the researchers combined the two cathepsins and allowed them to attack samples of elastin, they expected to see increased degradation of the protein. What they saw, however, was not much more damage than cathepsin K did by itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlatt at first believed the experiment was flawed, and asked Barry \u2013 an undergraduate student in his lab who specializes in modeling \u2013 to examine what possible conditions could account for the experimental result. Barry\u2019s modeling suggested that effects observed could occur if cathepsin S were degrading cathepsin K instead of attacking the elastin \u2013 a protein essential in arteries and the cardiovascular system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat theoretical result led to additional experiments in which the researchers measured a direct correlation between an increase in the amount of cathepsin S added to the experiment and a reduction in the degradation of collagen. By increasing the amount of cathepsin S ten-fold over the amount used in the original experiment, Platt and Barry were able to completely block the activity of cathepsin K, preventing damage to the collagen sample.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe saw that the cathepsin K was going away much faster when there was cathepsin S present than when it was by itself,\u201d said Platt, who is also a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar and a Fellow of the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology. \u201cWe kept increasing the amount of cathepsin S until the collagen was not affected at all because all of the cathepsin K was eaten by the cathepsin S.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers used a variety of tests to determine the amount of each enzyme, including fluorogenic substrate analysis, Western blotting and multiplex cathepsin zymography \u2013 a sensitive technique developed in the Platt laboratory.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond demonstrating for the first time that cathepsins can attack one another, the research also shows the complexity of the body\u2019s enzyme system \u2013 and may suggest why drugs designed to inhibit cathepsins haven\u2019t worked as intended.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe effect of the cathepsins on one another complicates the system,\u201d said Platt. \u201cIf you are targeting this system pharmaceutically, you may not have the types or quantities of cathepsins that you expect, which could cause off-target binding and side effects that were not anticipated.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlatt\u2019s long-term research has focused on cathepsins, including the development of sensitive tools and assays to quantify their activity in cells and tissue, as well as potential diagnostic applications for breast, lung and cervical cancer. Cathepsins normally operate within cells to carry out housekeeping tasks such as breaking down proteins that are no longer needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese enzymes are very powerful, but they have been overlooked because they are difficult to study,\u201d said Platt. \u201cWe are changing the way that people view them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the future, Platt plans to study interactions of additional cathepsins \u2013 as many as three or four are released during certain disease processes \u2013 and to develop a comprehensive model of how these proteases interact while they degrade collagen and elastin. That model could be useful to the designers of future drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs we build toward a comprehensive model of how these enzymes work, we can begin to understand how they behave in the extracellular matrix around these cells,\u201d said Platt. \u201cThat will help us be smarter about how we go about treating diseases and designing new drugs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe project described was supported by Award Number DP2OD007433 from the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, or the National lnstitutes of Health. This material is also based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Science and Technology Center Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular systems (EBICS) Grant No. CBET-0939511.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W, Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Assistance\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers for the first time have shown that members of a family of enzymes known as cathepsins \u2013 which are implicated in many disease processes \u2013 may attack one another instead of the proteins they normally degrade. Dubbed \u201ccathepsin cannibalism,\u201d the phenomenon may help explain problems with drugs that have been developed to inhibit the effects of these powerful proteases.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers for the first time have shown that enzymes that normally degrade proteins may attack each other instead."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-08-13 12:45:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"68625":{"id":"68625","type":"image","title":"Manu Platt, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering","body":null,"created":"1449177185","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:13:05","changed":"1475894597","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:17","alt":"Manu Platt, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering","file":{"fid":"192620","name":"platt_2010.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/platt_2010_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/platt_2010_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1277779,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/platt_2010_0.jpg?itok=EC2Vbd9_"}},"146021":{"id":"146021","type":"image","title":"Manu Platt - Cathepsin Cannibalism","body":null,"created":"1449178751","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:39:11","changed":"1475894779","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:19","alt":"Manu Platt - Cathepsin Cannibalism","file":{"fid":"195075","name":"manu-platt.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/manu-platt_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/manu-platt_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1025829,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/manu-platt_1.jpg?itok=xgN8-nrO"}}},"media_ids":["68625","146021"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"40431","name":"cathepsin"},{"id":"12515","name":"College of Engineering; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; Emory; Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta; pediatric nanomedicine;  Gang Bao"},{"id":"7735","name":"enzyme"},{"id":"40451","name":"inhibitor"},{"id":"10832","name":"Manu Platt"},{"id":"40441","name":"protease"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"144931":{"#nid":"144931","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Third Class of Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT Trainees Selected","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program in Stem Cell Biomanufacturing announced its third class of Ph.D. student trainees. The five new graduate students come from a wide variety of disciplines including the School of Chemical and Biomolecular \u0026nbsp;Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis grant provides a unique training opportunity for top engineering graduate students looking to understand how to control stem cells into clinically relevant numbers,\u201d stated Todd McDevitt, PhD.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcDevitt, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is co-directing the IGERT program with Robert M. Nerem, professor emeritus of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. \u0026nbsp;McDevitt is also director of the Stem Cell Engineering Center which administers this award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently highlighted by Nature magazine as one of the \u201cout of the box\u201d manufacturing educational programs in the country, the $3 million NSF-funded IGERT was awarded to Georgia Tech in 2010 to educate and train the first generation of Ph.D. students in the translation and commercialization of stem cell technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT program supports new incoming Georgia Tech Ph.D. students for their first two years of graduate school. The program offers a core curriculum in stem cell engineering and bioprocessing coupled with elective tracks in advanced technologies, public policy, ethics or entrepreneurship.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe current state of the field of stem cell research offers a unique opportunity for engineers to contribute significantly to the generation of robust, reproducible and scalable methods for phenotypic characterization, propagation, differentiation and bioprocessing of stem cells,\u201d McDevitt added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETrainees are afforded opportunities to meet with leading experts in the field who visit as part of the Stem Cell Engineering seminar series, attend the annual stem cell engineering workshop, participate in outreach activities and interact with representatives from leading companies during Georgia Tech\u2019s annual Bio Industry Symposium.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT award will support at least 30 graduate students over the 5 years of the award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E2012 Trainees \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOlivia Burnsed - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEfrain Cermeno - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlbert Cheng - Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJose Garcia - George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEmily Jackson - School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2011 Trainees \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETom Bongiorno \u2013 George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERob Dromms \u2013 School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDevon Headen \u2013 Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGreg Holst \u2013 George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETorri Rinker \u2013 Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShalini Saxena \u2013 School of Material Science \u0026amp; Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJosh Zimmerman \u2013 Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 2010 Trainees\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmy Cheng \u2013 George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlison Douglas \u2013 Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJennifer Lei \u2013 George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDouglas White \u2013 Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJenna Wilson \u2013 Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program in Stem Cell Biomanufacturing announced its third class of Ph.D. student trainees."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program in Stem Cell Biomanufacturing announced its third class of Ph.D. student trainees.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program in Stem Cell Biomanufacturing announced its third class of Ph.D. student trainees."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-08-08 10:07:36","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"71676":{"id":"71676","type":"image","title":"IGERT Trainees with NSF Director, Subra Suresh, PhD","body":null,"created":"1449177396","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:16:36","changed":"1475894642","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:02","alt":"IGERT Trainees with NSF Director, Subra Suresh, PhD","file":{"fid":"193554","name":"nsf_pres_igert_trainees_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nsf_pres_igert_trainees_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/nsf_pres_igert_trainees_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":7206,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/nsf_pres_igert_trainees_0_0.jpg?itok=QXNbopyx"}},"71716":{"id":"71716","type":"image","title":"Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT 2011 Trainee Class","body":null,"created":"1449177396","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:16:36","changed":"1475894642","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:02","alt":"Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT 2011 Trainee Class","file":{"fid":"193558","name":"igert_group_photo_fall_2011.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/igert_group_photo_fall_2011_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/igert_group_photo_fall_2011_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":116688,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/igert_group_photo_fall_2011_0.jpg?itok=7213Zx-M"}}},"media_ids":["71676","71716"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.stemcelligert.gatech.edu\/","title":"Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT"},{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"10506","name":"IGERT"},{"id":"497","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"540","name":"Robert M. Nerem"},{"id":"167603","name":"Stem Cell Engineering"},{"id":"760","name":"Todd McDevitt"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMegan McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarketing Communications Director\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"144741":{"#nid":"144741","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Using Millions of Years of Cell Evolution in the Fight Against Cancer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs the medical community continues to make positive strides in personalized cancer therapy, scientists know some dead ends are unavoidable. Drugs that target specific genes in cancerous cells are effective, but not all proteins are targetable. In fact, it has been estimated that as few as 10 to 15 percent of human proteins are potentially targetable by drugs. For this reason, Georgia Tech researchers are focusing on ways to fight cancer by attacking defective genes before they are able to make proteins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor John McDonald is studying micro RNAs (miRNAs), a class of small RNAs that interact with messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that have been linked to a number of diseases, including cancer. McDonald\u2019s lab placed two different miRNAs (MiR-7 and MiR-128) into ovarian cancer cells and watched how they affected the gene system. The \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biomedcentral.com\/1755-8794\/5\/33\/abstract\u0022\u003Efindings\u003C\/a\u003E are published in the current edition of the journal BMC Medical Genomics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEach inserted miRNA created hundreds of thousands of gene expression changes, but only about 20 percent of them were caused by direct interactions with mRNAs,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cThe majority of the changes were indirect \u2013 they occurred downstream and were consequences of the initial reactions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcDonald initially wondered if those secondary interactions could be a setback for the potential use of miRNAs, because most of them changed the gene expressions of something other than the intended targets. However, McDonald noticed that most of what changed downstream was functionally coordinated. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EmiR-7 transfection most significantly affected the pathways involved with cell adhesion, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) and other processes linked with cancer metastasis. The pathways most often affected by miR-128 transfection were different. They were more related to cell cycle control and processes involved with cellular replication \u2013 another process that is overactive in cancer cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cmiRNAs have evolved for millions of years in order to coordinately regulate hundreds to thousands of genes together on the cellular level,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cIf we can understand which miRNAs affect which suites of genes and their coordinated functions, it could allow clinicians to attack cancer cells on a systems level, rather than going after genes individually.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClinical trials for miRNAs are just beginning to be explored, but definitive findings are likely still years away because there are hundreds of miRNAs whose cellular functions must be fully understood. Another challenge facing scientists is developing ways to effectively target therapeutic miRNAs to cancer cells, something McDonald and his Georgia Tech peers are also investigating.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcDonald is a professor in the School of Biology in Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessor John McDonald is studying micro RNAs (miRNAs), a class of small RNAs that interact with messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that have been linked to a number of diseases, including cancer. McDonald\u2019s lab placed two different miRNAs (MiR-7 and MiR-128) into ovarian cancer cells and watched how they affected the gene system.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers are focusing on ways to fight cancer by attacking defective genes before they are able to make proteins"}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-08-07 12:36:49","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:36","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"101211":{"id":"101211","type":"image","title":"John McDonald","body":null,"created":"1449178159","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:29:19","changed":"1475894717","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:17"}},"media_ids":["101211"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.mcdonaldlab.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"John McDonald"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Biology"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/","title":"College of Sciences"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"385","name":"cancer"},{"id":"2371","name":"John McDonald"}],"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\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"143541":{"#nid":"143541","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery Announces the 2012-2013 Class of GAANN Fellows.","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program provides funds each year for doctoral students conducting research in drug design, development and delivery. \u0026nbsp;These focus areas are intended to broadly encompass topics relevant to pharmaceutical research. The GAANN program is open to eligible graduate students from all Georgia Tech schools and departments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis year\u2019s GAANN fellows were selected from an outstanding pool of applicants, who are carrying out high-impact research addressing a broad range of pharmaceutical needs\u201d said Mark Prausnitz, PhD, Regents\u0027 professor and Love Family professor in Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering and director of CD4, who serves as the principle investigator of the program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new class of fellows represent a diverse group of students from biomedical engineering, chemistry, chemical and biomolecular engineering and materials science and engineering. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile most academic training programs address one particular aspect of pharmaceutical research, at Georgia Tech, we have an integrative approach that brings together scientists and engineers from many disciplines to improve the process of pharmaceutical development that includes drug design, manufacturing and delivery. Through the GAANN training grant, we are training future leaders of pharmaceutical research who understand the complex, interconnected process of bringing a drug from idea to product,\u201d Prausnitz added\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the program\u2019s inception in 2003, over 130 fellowships have been awarded.\u0026nbsp; Solicitation for the 2013-2013 fellows will take place beginning in April 2013.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe 2012-2013 GAANN fellows:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERayaj Ahmed \u2013 Chemistry \u0026amp; Biochemistry\u003Cbr \/\u003ESamantha Au \u2013 Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EW. Chris Edens \u2013 Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EHiroyuki Ichikawa \u2013 Chemistry \u0026amp; Biochemistry\u003Cbr \/\u003ERussell Jampol \u2013 Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EYoo Chun Kim \u2013 Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EJonathan Park \u2013 Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EMichelle Razumov \u2013 Chemistry \u0026amp; Biochemistry\u003Cbr \/\u003EMark Spears \u2013 Chemistry \u0026amp; Biochemistry\u003Cbr \/\u003EMaeling Tapp \u2013 Material Science and Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EAubrey Tiernan \u2013 Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlex Weller \u2013 Material Science and Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EJenna Wilson \u2013 Biomedical Engineering\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Since the program\u2019s inception in 2003, over 130 fellowships have been funded."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program provides funds each year for doctoral students conducting research in drug design, development and delivery. \u0026nbsp;These focus areas are intended to broadly encompass topics relevant to pharmaceutical research. The GAANN program is open to eligible graduate students from all Georgia Tech schools and departments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Since the program\u2019s inception in 2003, over 130 fellowships have been awarded."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-08-01 14:24:32","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:36","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"133171":{"id":"133171","type":"image","title":"Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery (CD4)","body":null,"created":"1449178659","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:39","changed":"1475894759","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:59","alt":"Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery (CD4)","file":{"fid":"194733","name":"pills-200pxls.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pills-200pxls_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pills-200pxls_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":37265,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pills-200pxls_0.jpg?itok=QMOiCbll"}},"144621":{"id":"144621","type":"image","title":"Mark Prausnitz","body":null,"created":"1449178739","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:59","changed":"1475894777","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:17","alt":"Mark Prausnitz","file":{"fid":"195043","name":"prausnitz_portrait.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/prausnitz_portrait_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/prausnitz_portrait_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1281822,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/prausnitz_portrait_0.jpeg?itok=rW5WoTMa"}}},"media_ids":["133171","144621"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cd4.gatech.edu\/","title":"CD4 website"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"34621","name":"CD4 GAANN Fellows"},{"id":"495","name":"Mark Prausnitz"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMarketing Communications Director\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience (IBB)\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"141731":{"#nid":"141731","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Show Potential of Microneedles to Target Drugs to the Back of the Eye","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye. That could be important as the population ages and develops more eye-related illnesses \u2013 and as pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that otherwise could only be administered by injecting into the eye with a hypodermic needle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the first time, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have demonstrated that microneedles less than a millimeter in length can deliver drug molecules and particles to the eye in an animal model. The injection targeted the suprachoroidal space of the eye, which provides a natural passageway for drug injected across the white part (sclera) of the eye to flow along the eye\u2019s inner surface and subsequently into the back of the eye. The minimally-invasive technique could represent a significant improvement over conventional methods that inject drugs into the center of the eye \u2013 or use eyedrops, which have limited effectiveness in treating many diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was reported in the July issue of the journal \u003Cem\u003EInvestigative Ophthalmology \u0026amp; Visual Science\u003C\/em\u003E. The research was supported by the National Eye Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and by the organization Research to Prevent Blindness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis research could lead to a simple and safe procedure that offers doctors a better way to target drugs to specific locations in the eye,\u201d said Samirkumar Patel, the paper\u2019s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech when the research was conducted. \u201cThe design and simplicity of the microneedle device may make it more likely to be used in the clinic as a way to administer drug formulations into the suprachoroidal space that surrounds the eye.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPatel, who is now director of research for Clearside Biomedical \u2013 a startup company formed to commercialize the technology \u2013 said the study also showed that the suprachoroidal space could accommodate a variety of drugs and microparticles. That could open the door for the use of timed-release drugs that could reduce the need for frequent injections to treat chronic eye diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe suprachoroidal space is located between two important structures in the eye: the sclera and the choroid. Fluids injected into that space travel circumferentially around the eye, which flows drug solution directly over the choroid and adjacent retina \u2013 which are the targets for many drug compounds. The new study showed that injections of fluids containing molecules and particles into that space not only reach the targeted structures, but also remain there for extended time periods. And equally important, the molecules and particles do not significantly reach the lens or front part of the eye, where side effects from drugs can occur.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe study showed that if we inject non-degradable particles into the suprachoroidal space and wait as long as two months, the particles remain,\u201d said Mark Prausnitz, a Regents professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. \u201cThat means there is no natural mechanism to remove the particles from the eye. Knowing this, we can design biodegradable particles with drugs encapsulated in them that can slowly release those drugs over a period of time that we could control.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, doctors typically have two choices for administering drugs to the eye: eye drops and injection with a traditional hypodermic needle into the vitreous at the center of the eye. While injections into the vitreous do reach their target, they also affect other portions of the eye where the drug may not be desirable. Eye drops, which are simple to use, often fail to reach the structures being targeted, Prausnitz said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHenry Edelhauser, a professor of ophthalmology at Emory School of Medicine, said pharmaceutical companies are now developing new compounds to treat eye diseases. Those drugs will be most effective if they can be delivered directly to the portion of the eye that requires treatment, such as the choroid and retina that this new delivery method targets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWith this technique, we are keeping the drug right where it needs to be for most therapies of interest in the back of the eye,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe microneedles used in the technique are made of stainless steel and are less than one millimeter long. The researchers believe that they will cause less trauma to the eye than the larger hypodermic needles, and reduce the risk of infection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe model compounds used in this study fluoresced inside the eye, showing researchers that they had reached their targets. But the compounds studied were not drugs, so the next step, according to Edelhauser, will be to study how well the microneedle technique can get real drugs to the eye structures of interest.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technology has been licensed to an Atlanta-based startup, Clearside Biomedical, which plans to advance the micro-injection technology developed in collaboration between the research groups of Mark Prausnitz at Georgia Tech and Henry Edelhauser at Emory.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClearside Biomedical was formed with the assistance of Georgia Tech\u2019s VentureLab program, which helped obtain early-stage seed funding from the Georgia Research Alliance. Clearside has received $4 million in funding mostly from Hatteras Venture Partners, a venture capital firm based in Durham, N.C.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to those already mentioned, the study involved Damian Berezovsky and Bernard McCarey from the Emory Eye Center in the Emory University School of Medicine, and Vladimir Zarnitsyn from the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDevelopment of the intraocular microneedle demonstrates the strength of collaboration between researchers at Emory University and Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis project leveraged the skills of both institutions and came up with a solution that we could never have developed independently,\u201d Prausnitz said. \u201cWith support from the National Institutes of Health, we have developed a solution that could give patients with eye diseases the medication they need in a more effective way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EHenry Edelhauser, Samirkumar Patel, Mark Prausnitz, Vladimir Zarnitsyn, Emory University and Georgia Tech have financial interests in Clearside Biomedical and its ocular platform. Edelhauser, Patel, Prausnitz and Zarnitsyn own equity in Clearside and the terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Emory University or Georgia Tech in accordance with their conflict of interest policies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye. That could be important as the population ages and develops more eye-related illnesses \u2013 and as pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that otherwise could only be administered by injecting into the eye with a hypodermic needle.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration, thanks to tiny microneedles."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-07-22 20:32:56","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:33","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"141721":{"id":"141721","type":"image","title":"Microneedles for Ocular Injection3","body":null,"created":"1449178723","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:43","changed":"1475894774","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:14","alt":"Microneedles for Ocular Injection3","file":{"fid":"194955","name":"microneedle-eye212.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye212_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye212_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":786649,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microneedle-eye212_0.jpg?itok=5_CFJt0V"}},"141701":{"id":"141701","type":"image","title":"Microneedles for Ocular Injection","body":null,"created":"1449178723","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:43","changed":"1475894774","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:14","alt":"Microneedles for Ocular Injection","file":{"fid":"194953","name":"microneedle-eye18.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye18_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye18_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":722960,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microneedle-eye18_0.jpg?itok=Gvjz2Lbj"}},"141711":{"id":"141711","type":"image","title":"Microneedles for Ocular Injection2","body":null,"created":"1449178723","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:43","changed":"1475894774","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:14","alt":"Microneedles for Ocular Injection2","file":{"fid":"194954","name":"microneedle-eye199.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye199_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-eye199_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1317731,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microneedle-eye199_1.jpg?itok=13V72GCB"}}},"media_ids":["141721","141701","141711"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3346","name":"drug delivery"},{"id":"38581","name":"eye disease"},{"id":"495","name":"Mark Prausnitz"},{"id":"494","name":"Microneedle"},{"id":"38591","name":"ocular"},{"id":"167750","name":"School of Chemical \u0026 Biomolecular Engineering"}],"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\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"142011":{"#nid":"142011","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Petit Institute awards seed grants to three interdisciplinary teams","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (Petit Institute) awarded $50,000 to three interdisciplinary teams under its Petit Bioengineering and Bioscience Collaborative Seed Grant program, which was created to support early-stage innovative biotechnology research. Proposals were submitted by teams comprised of two Petit Institute faculty with appointments in different academic colleges. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cThe overall quality of the twelve collaborative proposals submitted this year was exceptionally high and we are very excited about the three projects selected for funding. In each case, we are bringing together a scientist and an engineer who have not previously worked together,\u201d said Robert E. Guldberg, PhD, executive director of the Petit Institute. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne team, Andrew Lyon, PhD, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, proposed a project which aims to reduce hemorrhage in trauma-related injuries by developing a new targeted drug-delivery system that uses the patient\u0027s own platelets as \u201cnanomachines\u201d to trigger controlled release of drugs and induce clotting at sites of active bleeding. This new \u201csmart\u201d drug delivery system has the potential to overcome the limited specificity and efficacy of current nanoparticle-based systems and could lead to much needed novel treatment strategies for acute bleeding. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrandon Dixon, PhD, assistant professor from George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Fredrik Vannberg, PhD, assistant professor from the School of Biology are partnering on a project entitled, \u201cNon-invasive NIR imaging towards establishing a role for lymphatic trafficking of exosomes in vivo.\u201d Although exosomes, vesicles 40-100 nanometers in size, were discovered over a decade ago their functional role in vivo is still uncertain. The hope of this project is to combine near-infrared imaging tools developed in the Dixon lab with exosomal biology and transcriptional regulation research from the Vannberg lab to establish lymphatic transport of exosomes as a universal mechanism to promote communication at a distance between cells outside of the lymph node with those in the node. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn addition, Lena Ting, PhD, associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Randy Trumbower, PT, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy at Emory and the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech, will explore a non-invasive approach to improving motor recovery after incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) using a novel breathing intervention. Combining Ting\u2019s expertise in neuromechanics of movement with Trumbower\u2019s expertise in spinal cord injury rehabilitation, they will use state-of-the-art computational methods to test whether acute intermittent hypoxia, or breathing low oxygen levels, induces neural plasticity in the spinal cord, altering muscle coordination in a manner that improves walking function in persons with incomplete SCI. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFunding for the new seed grants comes chiefly from the Petit Institute\u0027s endowment as well as contributions from the College of Sciences and the College of Engineering. Each team will receive $50,000 a year for two years; however, the second year of funding will be contingent on submission of an external collaborative grant proposal. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cThis initiative embraces the Petit Institute\u2019s mission, funding cutting-edge research at the interface of bioengineering and the biosciences,\u201d Guldberg added. \u201cWe look forward to seeing the progress made by these teams as they establish preliminary results to apply for large external grant proposals.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"$50,000 seed grants awarded to support early-stage innovative biotechnology research"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E$50,000 seed grants awarded to support early-stage innovative biotechnology research.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"$50,000 seed grants awarded to support early-stage innovative biotechnology research."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-07-23 13:30:51","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:33","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"69773":{"id":"69773","type":"image","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience","body":null,"created":"1449177264","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:14:24","changed":"1475894611","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:31","alt":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience","file":{"fid":"192836","name":"10c3041-p1-266.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/10c3041-p1-266_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/10c3041-p1-266_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2271177,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/10c3041-p1-266_0.jpg?itok=aplnv5pz"}}},"media_ids":["69773"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"497","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"38701","name":"Petit Institute awards seed grants"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E, CMP\u003Cbr \/\u003EDirector of Communications and Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"138621":{"#nid":"138621","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Giving Ancient Life Another Chance to Evolve","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a project 500 million years in the making. Only this time, instead of playing on a movie screen in Jurassic Park, it\u2019s happening in a lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing a process called paleo-experimental evolution, Georgia Tech researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene from bacteria and inserted it into modern-day Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. This bacterium has now been growing for more than 1,000 generations, giving the scientists a front row seat to observe evolution in action.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is as close as we can get to rewinding and replaying the molecular tape of life,\u201d said scientist Bet\u00fcl Kacar, a NASA astrobiology postdoctoral fellow in Georgia Tech\u2019s NASA Center for Ribosomal Origins and Evolution. \u201cThe ability to observe an ancient gene in a modern organism as it evolves within a modern cell allows us to see whether the evolutionary trajectory once taken will repeat itself or whether a life will adapt following a different path.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2008, Kacar\u2019s postdoctoral advisor, Associate Professor of Biology Eric Gaucher, successfully determined the ancient genetic sequence of Elongation Factor-Tu (EF-Tu), an essential protein in E. coli. EFs are one of the most abundant proteins in bacteria, found in all known cellular life and required for bacteria to survive. That vital role made it a perfect protein for the scientists to answer questions about evolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter achieving the difficult task of placing the ancient gene in the correct chromosomal order and position in place of the modern gene within E. coli,\u0026nbsp;Kacar produced eight identical bacterial strains and allowed \u201cancient life\u201d to re-evolve. This chimeric bacteria composed of both modern and ancient genes survived, but grew about two times slower than its counterpart composed of only modern genes. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe altered organism wasn\u2019t as healthy or fit as its modern-day version, at least initially,\u201d said Gaucher, \u201cand this created a perfect scenario that would allow the altered organism to adapt and become more fit as it accumulated mutations with each passing day.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe growth rate eventually increased and, after the first 500 generations, the scientists sequenced the genomes of all eight lineages to determine how the bacteria adapted. Not only did the fitness levels increase to nearly modern-day levels, but also some of the altered lineages actually became healthier than their modern counterpart.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen the researchers looked closer, they noticed that every EF-Tu gene did not accumulate mutations. Instead, the modern proteins that interact with the ancient EF-Tu inside of the bacteria had mutated and these mutations were responsible for the rapid adaptation that increased the bacteria\u2019s fitness. In short, the ancient gene has not yet mutated to become more similar to its modern form, but rather, the bacteria found a new evolutionary trajectory to adapt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese results were presented at the recent NASA International Astrobiology Science Conference. The scientists will continue to study new generations, waiting to see if the protein will follow its historical path or whether it will adopt via a novel path altogether.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe think that this process will allow us to address several longstanding questions in evolutionary and molecular biology,\u201d said Kacar. \u201cAmong them, we want to know if an organism\u2019s history limits its future and if evolution always leads to a single, defined point or whether evolution has multiple solutions to a given problem.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Scientists place 500-million-year-old gene in modern organism"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUsing a process called paleo-experimental evolution, Georgia Tech researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene from bacteria and inserted it into modern-day Escherichia coli(E. coli) bacteria. This bacterium has now been growing for more than 1,000 generations, giving the scientists a front row seat to observe evolution in action.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have placed a 500-million-year-old gene into modern-day E. Coli bacteria"}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2012-07-03 10:10:42","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:29","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"138591":{"id":"138591","type":"image","title":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 1","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 1","file":{"fid":"194879","name":"bacteria_iso.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bacteria_iso_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bacteria_iso_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1380991,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bacteria_iso_0.jpg?itok=IZyO44T2"}},"138611":{"id":"138611","type":"image","title":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 2","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 2","file":{"fid":"194881","name":"bacteria_iso_lit.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bacteria_iso_lit_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bacteria_iso_lit_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1022014,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bacteria_iso_lit_0.jpg?itok=63LTh7lM"}},"138581":{"id":"138581","type":"image","title":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 3","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 3","file":{"fid":"194878","name":"bacteria_iso_cu.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bacteria_iso_cu_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bacteria_iso_cu_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1117955,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bacteria_iso_cu_0.jpg?itok=mnapvnB2"}},"138601":{"id":"138601","type":"image","title":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 4","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Paleo-Experimental Evolution 4","file":{"fid":"194880","name":"12p1000-p29-006.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12p1000-p29-006_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/12p1000-p29-006_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1846708,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/12p1000-p29-006_0.jpg?itok=CNRz__Jx"}}},"media_ids":["138591","138611","138581","138601"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gauchergroup.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"Gaucher Group"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/","title":"College of Sciences"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Biology"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"277","name":"Biology"},{"id":"12760","name":"E. Coli"},{"id":"5079","name":"Eric Gaucher"},{"id":"3028","name":"evolution"}],"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 \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"138561":{"#nid":"138561","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Technique to Improve Blood Flow in Children Born with one Functional Ventricle Shows Promise","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo in every thousand babies born in the United States start life with just one functional ventricle, or pumping chamber, instead of the normal two. These babies typically undergo a series of two or three open-heart surgeries, culminating in a \u201ctotal cavopulmonary connection\u201d (TCPC), which is known as the Fontan procedure. During this process, surgeons redirect the circulation to allow oxygen-poor blood to flow from the body directly to the lungs passively, without the benefit of a pumping chamber.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA team of surgeons and university researchers recently reported promising results from a novel surgical connection intended to streamline blood flow between the heart and lungs of such infants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETypically, the final stage of the Fontan procedure is performed by connecting a cylindrical conduit to the pulmonary arteries, forming a \u2018T\u2019 shaped junction. In a pilot study, six patients at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta received a commercially available Y-shaped conduit for their Fontan procedure instead of the cylindrical conduit to create a smoother transition of the blood flow to the pulmonary arteries. Postoperative imaging data from the patients indicated improved blood flow distribution and similar energy efficiency when compared with computer simulations of two alternative connections the patients could have received instead of a Y-graft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBased on improved energy characteristics predicted by computer modeling for the Y-shaped conduit, we felt it was time to try it in the clinical realm,\u201d said Kirk Kanter, M.D., chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta and professor of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, who performed the operations. \u201cThe pilot study revealed that surgical implementation of a Y-graft for Fontan procedures is feasible and promising because early outcome was good in these patients.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe surgical procedure and the postoperative outcomes were detailed in two articles recently published online in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EJournal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E(articles available\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jtcvs.2012.05.015\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jtcvs.2012.03.076\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E). The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlso involved in the study were\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=5\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAjit Yoganathan\u003C\/a\u003E, Ph.D., Regents\u2019 professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E; W. James Parks, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics and radiology at Emory University and Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston; Mark A. Fogel, M.D., director of cardiac magnetic resonance at The Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech School of Interactive Computing\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\/people\/jarek-rossignac\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJarek Rossignac\u003C\/a\u003E, Ph.D., and Coulter Department graduate student Christopher Haggerty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe TCPC typically creates a four-way intersection. Blood from the upper half of the body enters the intersection from the top and blood from the lower body enters from the bottom. The blood flows collide and mix in the intersection before they are split and redirected 90 degrees toward the left or right pulmonary arteries. The collision of blood from the two veins at the intersection causes inefficient blood flow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause the blood flows passively from the body to the lungs without being pumped by the heart, it is assumed that any energy inefficiencies inherent in the construction of the Fontan pathway may translate into diminished life expectancy and quality of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESubstituting a Y-shaped conduit should avoid the collision of blood in the intersection and enable a smooth and streamlined transition of the blood to the pulmonary arteries, which carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the pilot study, Kanter surgically implanted a commercially available Y-graft, made of a synthetic polymer called polytetrafluoroethylene, in each patient to direct flow from the lower half of the body to the left and right pulmonary arteries. This was a variation of a conduit design, called the Optiflo, which was patented by Yoganathan and colleagues for its ability to efficiently direct an even distribution of blood flow to the left and right pulmonary arteries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter surgery, the researchers acquired magnetic resonance or computed tomography images to evaluate the operative connections. The images allowed Yoganathan and Haggerty to evaluate the hemodynamic outcomes of the surgical procedures for five of the six patients and compare them to the simulated outcomes of two alternative connections the patients could have received instead of a Y-graft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey used the images to model blood flow through the arteries under resting and exercise conditions. These simulations assessed the robustness of each connection geometry because small inefficiencies under resting conditions may be amplified with higher flows.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResults for the patients who received the Y-graft showed balanced distribution of flow to both pulmonary arteries with minimal flow disturbance. The resistance of the vessels to blood flow at the connections varied considerably among patients, but the Y-graft results demonstrated resistance levels similar to the alternative connections in four patients and marked improvement in a fifth patient.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe found desirable flow distribution characteristics using the Y-graft, but the flow efficiency performance fell short of the outcomes we previously predicted,\u201d said Yoganathan. \u201cThe results suggest that the Y-graft performs as well as the standard procedure with a T-graft even when the Y-graft design is theoretically sub-optimal.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study allowed the researchers to identify ways of refining the surgical technique that should help them improve the theoretical efficiency of the conduit design. Before conducting future clinical trials, the research team plans to address two features of the Y-graft design that limited hemodynamic efficiency in the current study. They plan to introduce curvature to the Y-graft branches and extend the distance between the Y-graft branches to reduce continued interaction and mixing between the two blood streams.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award numbers HL67622 and HL098252 and by a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) (10PRE372002). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E Georgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E 75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314\u003Cbr \/\u003E Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E Abby Robinson (abby@innovate.gatech.edu; 404-385-3364) or John Toon (jtoon@gatech.edu; 404-894-6986)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003EAbby Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA team of surgeons and university researchers recently reported promising results from a novel surgical connection intended to streamline blood flow between the heart and lungs of infants born with just one functional ventricle, or pumping chamber, instead of the normal two.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A team of surgeons and university researchers recently reported promising results from a novel surgical connection intended to streamline blood flow between the heart and lungs of infants born with just one functional ventricle, or pumping chamber, i"}],"uid":"27206","created_gmt":"2012-07-03 08:46:13","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:29","author":"Abby Vogel Robinson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"138691":{"id":"138691","type":"image","title":"Fontan procedure Y-graft","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Fontan procedure Y-graft","file":{"fid":"194883","name":"fontan_image.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fontan_image_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/fontan_image_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":191866,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/fontan_image_0.jpg?itok=5RRib9l9"}}},"media_ids":["138691"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2582","name":"Ajit Yoganathan"},{"id":"1440","name":"blood"},{"id":"37591","name":"blood flow"},{"id":"7104","name":"cardiovascular"},{"id":"9721","name":"Children\u0027s Healthcare of Atlanta"},{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"11533","name":"Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"2586","name":"Fontan"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAbby Robinson\u003Cbr \/\u003E Research News and Publications\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:abby@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eabby@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 404-385-3364\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"137121":{"#nid":"137121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Offers Master\u2019s Degree in Biomedical Innovation and Development","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology announces a unique\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioid.gatech.edu\/bioid\/\u0022\u003E Master of Biomedical Innovation and Development (BioID) Degree\u003C\/a\u003E. This new program, offered by the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, focuses education and clinical experience to transform unmet biomedical and clinical needs into practical, usable technologies and products for improving patient care. The application process for admissions will open Sept. 1, 2012, for the first class to matriculate in August 2013.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith the complexity of modern medical devices, engineers from multiple disciplines (mechanical, biomedical, electrical, software, and human factors engineering, systems analysis and manufacturing) are often required to translate clinical needs into safe and effective commercial products for healthcare. The BioID master\u2019s program will specifically address gaps in the crucial \u201cbedside-to-bench-to-bedside\u201d progression that identifies and connects unmet clinical needs with advances in science, biomaterials, processes and technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis program will prepare students from multiple undergraduate disciplines for careers in a wide range of medical specialties. Courses include: engineering design and development; FDA and ISO requirements; medical markets and clinical specialties; clinical practice\/protocols, strategy and planning; finance and economics; product costing; justifications; project planning and management; ethics; socio-economic influences; and sustainability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech BioID students will interact with healthcare industry experts and guest lecturers from areas such as clinical and surgical practices, engineering design and development, regulatory requirements, business planning, and commercialization. The program incorporates experience in healthcare environments, teamwork projects, and professional communications and will culminate in a master\u2019s level clinical\/medical team project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWith an emphasis on cross-disciplinary coursework and relevant clinical experience, this program fills a distinct market demand for broadly educated professionals at the intersection of biomedical device engineering, healthcare, and business development,\u201d said L. Franklin Bost, professor and executive director of the program. Bost\u2019s background in both the medical device industry and biomedical design instruction brings a distinctive professional education and commercialization perspective to the program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2012, \u003Cem\u003EU.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u003C\/em\u003E ranked Georgia Tech\u2019s B.S. and Ph.D. biomedical engineering programs second in the nation. The BioID master\u2019s program will build upon the strengths and global reputation of these existing programs, said Gilda Barabino, associate chair for graduate studies in the Coulter Department. \u201cThe BioID degree is a welcome and integral addition to our graduate programs. It is consistent with our collaborative and interdisciplinary culture for basic and translational research and provides specialized training for students seeking the best preparation to convert discoveries to the clinic to benefit patients,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIdeal candidates for the BioID master\u2019s program include early-career professionals in medical device or biomedicine-related industries; engineers seeking medical device specialization; and high-performing graduates from engineering disciplines. Graduates of this intensive 12-month master\u2019s program will be exceptionally well prepared to pursue and advance their careers in the dynamic field of biomedical device engineering, technology development and commercialization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;For more information, please contact \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:info@bioid.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Einfo@bioid.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology announces a unique Master of Biomedical Innovation and Development (BioID) Degree. This new program, offered by the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, focuses education and clinical experience to transform unmet biomedical and clinical needs into practical, usable technologies and products for improving patient care.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"This program focuses education and clinical experience to transform unmet biomedical and clinical needs into practical technologies for improving patient care."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2012-06-22 11:09:03","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:26","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"137131":{"id":"137131","type":"image","title":"Introducing the BioID Master\u0027s Program","body":null,"created":"1449178685","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:05","changed":"1475894766","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:06","alt":"Introducing the BioID Master\u0027s Program","file":{"fid":"194840","name":"bioid.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bioid_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bioid_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":241613,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bioid_0.jpg?itok=AKi95rNS"}}},"media_ids":["137131"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.bioid.gatech.edu\/","title":"Master of Biomedical Innovation and Development"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"36901","name":"Master\u0027s Degree in Biomedical Innovation and Development; Franklin Bost"},{"id":"3264","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShannon Sullivan\u003Cbr \/\u003Eshannon.sullivan@bme.gatech.edu\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2557\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["info@bioid.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"137061":{"#nid":"137061","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Beckman Coulter Foundation Endows Three Petit Undergraduate Research Scholarships for Life of Program","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Beckman Coulter Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program.\u0026nbsp; This donation will be used to establish the Beckman Coulter Undergraduate Research Scholars Endowment Fund that will support three \u201cBeckman Coulter Foundation Petit Scholars\u201d for the life of the program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program is a competitive scholarship program that serves to develop the next generation of leading bioengineering and bioscience researchers by providing a comprehensive research experience for a full year. \u0026nbsp;Open to all Atlanta area university students, the program allows undergraduates to conduct independent research in the state-of-the-art laboratories of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (Petit Institute). \u0026nbsp;Under the mentorship of a graduate student and faculty member, scholars develop\u0026nbsp;their own independent research project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This program provides top undergraduate students with the opportunity to experience firsthand the thrill of research discovery and innovation and hopefully encourages them to pursue an advanced degree in medicine or biotechnology,\u0022 said Bob Guldberg, Executive Director of the Petit Institute.\u0026nbsp; \u201cWe are deeply grateful to the Beckman Coulter Foundation and Russ Bell for this significant gift enabling us to expand the Petit Scholars program.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPetit Scholars receive training that provides a solid foundation for them to pursue advanced degrees in science or engineering with 62% entering a graduate degree program and 15% entering medical school indicating that close to 80% of Petit Scholars go on to obtain advanced degrees.\u0026nbsp; Many are already distinguishing themselves in research, medicine and industry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0022Every year the number of outstanding undergraduates who apply to the program grows,\u0022 added Todd McDevitt, program faculty advisor.\u0026nbsp; \u0022Our increasing challenge is to secure enough funding for all of the well-qualified students to work in the Petit Institute investigator\u2019s laboratories.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Beckman Coulter Foundation felt a real connection between its mission to support healthcare-related science education and the Petit Institute\u2019s innovative undergraduate research scholars program because of the impact it has made thus far. \u0026nbsp;Since its inception in 2000, the program has trained over 186 talented students and created opportunities for them to conduct research in state-of-the-art research facilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis grant not only honors Beckman Coulter founders, Arnold Beckman and Wallace Coulter, two of the most important scientific innovators of the 20th century,\u201d said Russ Bell, President of the Beckman Coulter Foundation, \u201cbut also honors their tradition of \u2018paying forward.\u2019\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach year, Georgia Tech hosts a fundraising dinner for the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program in order to support the next class.\u0026nbsp; This year\u2019s dinner will be held June 23, 2012 at the Piedmont Driving Club and world-class athlete, Scott Rigsby, will be the featured speaker. \u0026nbsp;Over 100 Atlanta-area community members and business leaders will attend. The Beckman Coulter Foundation will be recognized at the dinner as a platinum sponsor for their donation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was fortunate and blessed to have been asked as a Georgia Tech undergraduate in 1968 to do research in Nancy Walls\u2019 lab, so I am especially happy that the Beckman Coulter Foundation has recognized the excellence of the Petit Undergraduate Research program,\u201d Bell said. \u0026nbsp;\u201cWe know that our support will help produce the next generation of scientific leaders that would \u0026nbsp;make Beckman\u2019s Coulter\u2019s Founders proud.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Beckman Coulter Foundation is a separate, private foundation established in 2007 as an important part of Beckman Coulter\u0027s charitable giving efforts.\u0026nbsp; The Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of Beckman Coulter, by funding programs which are focused around science, science education and healthcare-related research that improves patient health and the quality of life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince its establishment, the Beckman Coulter Foundation has provided more than 5 million dollars of funding toward grants in the areas of: Clinical Fellowships, Clinical Laboratory Science Programs, President\u2019s Scholars Programs, Science Enrichment and numerous other educational and research-based programs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The Beckman Coulter Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E The Beckman Coulter Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program.\u0026nbsp; This donation will be used to establish the Beckman Coulter Undergraduate Research Scholars Endowment Fund that will support three \u201cBeckman Coulter Foundation Petit Scholars\u201d for the life of the program.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Beckman Coulter Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to the Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars program."}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-06-21 13:19:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:26","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"128681":{"id":"128681","type":"image","title":"Petit Scholars Class of 2012","body":null,"created":"1449178622","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:02","changed":"1475894754","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:54","alt":"Petit Scholars Class of 2012","file":{"fid":"194586","name":"2012_petit_scholars.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2012_petit_scholars_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2012_petit_scholars_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2731230,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2012_petit_scholars_0.jpg?itok=FEp7JlyP"}}},"media_ids":["128681"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"269","name":"endowment"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"13428","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience; Pete Petit; Robert Guldberg"},{"id":"6500","name":"Petit Institute"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing Director\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:MFRaudez@beckman.com\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMarci Raudez\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFoundation \u0026amp; Community Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003EBeckman Coulter Foundation\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"135791":{"#nid":"135791","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Atlanta Pharma Community Collaborates on Drug Development Education","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDoctoral students from four Atlanta universities worked together recently to learn how to develop new pharmaceutical products during a two-week interdisciplinary short course at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The course\u2019s final presentations were held June 11.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo dozen students from Georgia Tech, Mercer University, Georgia State University and Emory University heard lectures from Atlanta-based medical professionals, researchers, and pharmaceutical company leaders \u2013 and worked in teams to develop plans for how a drug company might convert a promising molecule into a real product. To demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of the drug development process, each team included pharmacists, bio-scientists, chemists and engineers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEach team was given information from the scientific literature on a drug in early stage development by a pharmaceutical company, and was asked to put together and justify a detailed plan for bringing that molecule forward into a drug product useful in clinical medicine,\u201d said Mark Prausnitz, the course\u2019s leader and a Regents\u2019 professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpeakers from the Atlanta pharmaceutical community talked to the students on such topics as drug discovery and design, drug manufacturing, formulation, pre-clinical studies, design of clinical trials, marketing, project teamwork and R\u0026amp;D reports. In addition to Prausnitz, other instructors included:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAjay Banga, professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences at Mercer University;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAndy Bommarius, professor of chemical \u0026amp; biomolecular engineering at Georgia Tech;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBobby Khan, chief medical officer at Atlanta Clinical Research Centers;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EJoseph Patti, co-founder and senior vice president of R\u0026amp;D at Inhibitex;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHarold Shlevin, director of bioscience commercialization at Georgia Tech and former CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EJames Sikorski, a consultant and former vice president of medicinal chemistry at AtheroGenics;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EJaipal Singh, adjunct professor of biology at Georgia Tech and former chief scientific officer at Saint Joseph\u2019s Translational Research Institute;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECharlie Thompson, a principal at Axtria;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWes Wynans, director of leadership education and development at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents were pleased with the opportunity to see the entire drug development process and to work closely with peers from other universities. \u201cWorking in an interdisciplinary team allowed us to connect the dots between all of the medical, scientific and business aspects of bringing a drug to the market,\u201d said Meera Gujjar, a graduate student in pharmaceutical sciences at Mercer University.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChris Quinto, a Ph.D. student from Georgia Tech, found students from other backgrounds helpful in sharing their expertise in the complex drug development process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Mercer students in my group were a great resource in helping explain and make sense of the data and terminology in the papers that we read,\u201d Quinto said. \u201cWhat I found most interesting in this class was how the drug development research teams consist of many different specialties, each of which is vital to the final outcome of the drug development process.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe course is expected to be offered once every two years. \u201cThis shows how Atlanta universities are working together and with local pharmaceutical companies to build a stronger pharmaceutical research and education community here,\u201d Prausnitz added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDoctoral students from four Atlanta universities worked together recently to learn how to develop new pharmaceutical products during a two-week interdisciplinary short course at the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Atlanta pharma community worked together to help doctoral students learn about drug development."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-06-16 13:17:02","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"135781":{"id":"135781","type":"image","title":"Drug Development Short Course","body":null,"created":"1449178685","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:05","changed":"1475894766","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:06","alt":"Drug Development Short Course","file":{"fid":"194801","name":"pharmaceutical_development_june_2012.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pharmaceutical_development_june_2012_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pharmaceutical_development_june_2012_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":997394,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pharmaceutical_development_june_2012_0.jpg?itok=78IQWAsC"}}},"media_ids":["135781"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1704","name":"chemical \u0026 biomolecular engineering"},{"id":"2777","name":"drug development"},{"id":"495","name":"Mark Prausnitz"},{"id":"7031","name":"pharmaceutical"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"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 \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"135701":{"#nid":"135701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Biomedical engineer\u2019s work on platelets wins NSF CAREER Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBiomedical engineer and pediatric hematologist\/oncologist Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, has earned a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation. The four-year, $450,000 award will support Lam\u2019s research on the biomechanical properties of platelets, the cells responsible for blood clot formation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELam is an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and the Division of Hematology\/Oncology within Emory\u2019s Department of Pediatrics. He sees patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnticoagulants, or blood thinners, are prescribed to millions to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. Lam\u2019s research focuses on platelet biophysics and how platelets contract at the single cell level. This could lead to new categories of platelet diagnostics and help scientists identify new types of blood thinning drugs, which would modify how stiff platelets are or how they contract. A better understanding of platelets\u2019 properties could also inform treatment of other diseases such as inflammatory disorders, sickle cell anemia, and infections.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELam has developed a technology allowing measurement of the forces generated by individual platelets as they contract. In a paper published in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature Materials\u003C\/em\u003E, he and colleagues isolated single platelets, which were made fluorescent with dye, in a customized atomic force microscope. With the CAREER award, he plans to refine the technology to permit the examination of thousands of platelets at once on a microchip using technology adapted from the computer chip industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat\u2019s exciting about this area of research is that it could open up a whole new category of potential diagnostics and therapies,\u201d Lam says. \u201cA blood clot is ultimately a physical entity, in that the platelets have to stitch a wound together and stop blood from flowing. We were able to show that platelets contract, acting somewhat like muscle cells, when they come into contact with a developing clot, and that they are able to \u2018sense\u2019 the local physical properties of the clot to adjust their force of contraction functioning like a finely tuned \u2018nanomachine\u2019.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENSF CAREER awards go to investigators in the early stages of their careers as they work on transformative ideas in their fields while also striving to educate the next generation of scientists. As part of his project and as a pediatrician who cares for children with cancer and chronic blood diseases, Lam plans to develop a K-12 science outreach program for hospitalized children, in which the children\u2019s own diseases are used as springboards for learning about science. The program will enable undergraduate, graduate and medical students to develop age-appropriate biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics modules centered around chronic diseases for which children at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta are hospitalized.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cChildren who have chronic illnesses often miss large amounts of school, and they have concrete educational disadvantages as a result,\u201d Lam says. \u201cWe want to use their natural interest in their own bodies as a way to introduce basic scientific and mathematic concepts that will hopefully inspire them to learn more and to actually use their diseases to their advantage.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWritten by Quinn Eastman, Emory Health Sciences Communications\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBiomedical engineer and pediatric hematologist\/oncologist Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, has earned a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation. The four-year, $450,000 award will support Lam\u2019s research on the biomechanical properties of platelets, the cells responsible for blood clot formation.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Biomedical engineer and pediatric hematologist\/oncologist Wilbur Lam has earned a Faculty Early Career Development  award from the National Science Foundation."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2012-06-15 11:34:05","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"135711":{"id":"135711","type":"image","title":"Dr. Wilbur Lam","body":null,"created":"1449178685","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:05","changed":"1475894766","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:06","alt":"Dr. Wilbur Lam","file":{"fid":"194798","name":"wilbur_lam.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/wilbur_lam_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/wilbur_lam_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1712852,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/wilbur_lam_0.jpg?itok=b34hQ3Q0"}}},"media_ids":["135711"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/news.emory.edu\/stories\/2012\/06\/nsf_career_award_on_platelets\/","title":"Emory news release"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9413","name":"CAREER Award"},{"id":"36141","name":"Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"36131","name":"platelets"},{"id":"14681","name":"Wilbur Lam"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["hkorsch@emory.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"134971":{"#nid":"134971","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Startup Secures Department of Defense Funding for Development of Cell Delivery Technology","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECell-based therapies have yet to reach their full potential in repairing damaged tissue because of the hostile environment the cells face once injected into the body. A patient\u2019s inflammatory response normally causes the majority of these therapeutic cells to die or migrate away from the area in need of repair.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo address this problem, a startup company based on technology developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology is creating an efficient, safe and repeatable delivery method that protects cells from death and migration from the treatment site. Using microbead technology developed in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.spheringenics.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESpherIngenics\u003C\/a\u003E is producing protective capsules for the delivery of cell-based therapies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESupported by a broad range of Georgia Tech initiatives, the company recently received a two-year $730,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to continue development of the technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen damaged tissue is being repaired by a cell-based therapy, our microbead technology ensures that cells travel to and remain in the targeted area while maintaining continued viability,\u201d said SpherIngenics CEO \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=107\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFranklin Bost\u003C\/a\u003E, who is also a professor in the Coulter Department. \u201cThis technology has the potential to reduce the cost of treatment by eliminating the need for multiple therapeutic procedures.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBost and Coulter Department Professors \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/facultystaff\/faculty_record.php?id=48\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EBarbara Boyan\u003C\/a\u003E and Zvi Schwartz founded the company in 2007. They worked with the Georgia Tech Research Corporation to license five patents from Boyan\u2019s lab for technology originally developed in the Georgia Tech\/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissue (GTEC), which was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Then they secured $450,000, which included a Phase I SBIR grant from the U.S. Department of Defense and grants from the Georgia Research Alliance and the Coulter Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring Phase I of the SBIR grant, the researchers confirmed that as many as 250 human adult stem cells could remain viable in culture if they were encapsulated in a 200-micron-diameter bead made of natural algae materials and that they could release factors that enhance tissue regeneration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor the Phase II SBIR grant, we\u2019re going to examine whether delivering microbeads full of stem cells can enhance cartilage repair and regeneration of craniofacial defects in an animal model,\u201d said Boyan, who is the company\u2019s chief scientific officer. Boyan is also the associate dean for research and innovation in the Georgia Tech College of Engineering, the Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Tissue Engineering at Georgia Tech, and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe company will perform this research in its laboratory space located in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/atdc.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAdvanced Technology Development Center\u003C\/a\u003E (ATDC) biosciences incubator.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe company\u2019s ultimate goal is to commercialize the microbead technology for use in hospitals and by cell therapy companies. To help reach this goal, a group of students wrote a business plan for SpherIngenics last year through the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/tiger.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETI:GER\u003C\/a\u003E) program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team -- which included Coulter Department doctoral student Christopher Lee, Georgia Tech MBA students Chris Palazzola and Eric Diersen, and Emory University law students Bryan Stewart and Natalie Dana -- won third place in the 2011 Georgia Tech Business Plan Competition. The competition, while largely an education experience, provided students an opportunity to develop their venture ideas and present them to a panel of highly experienced judges in the venture capital, technology transfer and legal fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe TI:GER team\u2019s business plan helped us learn about where the market for our technology is right now and where it is going in the future, which is extremely valuable knowledge as we work toward determining the most promising pathway to market,\u201d said Bost.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdditional members of the company include Anthony Nicolini, the principal investigator on the Phase II SBIR grant, and Joseph Williams, clinical director of craniofacial plastic surgery at Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch reported in this publication was supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command under award numbers W81XWH-07-1-0219 and W81XWH-11-C-0071. The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Government.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E Georgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E 75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314\u003Cbr \/\u003E Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E Abby Robinson (abby@innovate.gatech.edu; 404-385-3364) or John Toon (jtoon@gatech.edu; 404-894-6986)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter: \u003C\/strong\u003EAbby Robinson\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech startup SpherIngenics is using microbead technology to produce protective capsules for the delivery of cell-based therapies. The technology provides an efficient, safe and repeatable delivery method that protects cells from death and migration from the treatment site.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech cell delivery startup SpherIngenics secures defense funding."}],"uid":"27206","created_gmt":"2012-06-13 08:22:53","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"Abby Vogel Robinson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"134951":{"id":"134951","type":"image","title":"SpherIngenics microbeads","body":null,"created":"1449178671","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:51","changed":"1475894763","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:03","alt":"SpherIngenics microbeads","file":{"fid":"194777","name":"spheringenics_microbeads.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/spheringenics_microbeads_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/spheringenics_microbeads_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":107104,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/spheringenics_microbeads_0.jpg?itok=H9YnVwp1"}}},"media_ids":["134951"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9548","name":"Barbara Boyan"},{"id":"35801","name":"Cartilage Repair"},{"id":"35791","name":"cell delivery"},{"id":"9534","name":"cell therapy"},{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"35821","name":"cranial defect regeneration"},{"id":"11533","name":"Department of Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"8246","name":"Department of Defense"},{"id":"12154","name":"Franklin Bost"},{"id":"35781","name":"Microbead"},{"id":"167833","name":"SBIR"},{"id":"169504","name":"spheringenics"},{"id":"166973","name":"startup"},{"id":"167413","name":"Stem Cell"},{"id":"35771","name":"Zvi Schwartz"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAbby Robinson\u003Cbr \/\u003E Research News and Publications\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:abby@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eabby@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E 404-385-3364\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"134881":{"#nid":"134881","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Establishes a New Research Center Focused on Cancer","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech, which has had a long-standing history in cancer research, announces a new Integrated Cancer Research Center which will bring together 48 biologists, bioengineers, chemists and physicists from seven different schools and departments, to take new innovative approaches to basic cancer research.\u0026nbsp;John McDonald, PhD, professor of biology in the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB), will head the new center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe mission of the Integrated Cancer Research Center is to facilitate integration of the diversity of technological, computational, scientific and medical expertise at Georgia Tech and partner institutions in a coordinated effort to develop improved cancer diagnostics and therapeutics,\u201d McDonald explained.\u2028\u2028\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor years, the study of cancer has been concentrated at major medical research institutions and cancer research has been traditionally viewed as falling exclusively within the bailiwick of the biological sciences. This is now changing for the better, according to McDonald.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2028\u201cWe are at a truly exciting crossroads in the history of cancer research where molecular biology, the computational sciences, engineering and nanotechnology are joining together in a unified effort to develop more effective cancer diagnostics and therapeutics,\u201d added McDonald.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENew high-throughput methods to molecularly characterize cancer cells have, in recent years, lead to tremendous strides in the development of novel diagnostics and the identification of new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2028\u2028On the computational side, recently developed algorithms customized for the analysis of genomic, proteomic and other high volume datasets are providing a level of insight into cellular complexities never before imagined. The number of new technologies and devices arising from the fields of biomedical engineering and nanotechnology that have potential application to the area of cancer biology has tremendous promise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcDonald\u2019s enthusiasm for the new cancer center is shared by Robert Guldberg, PhD, executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech, particularly researchers throughout the IBB community, have been leaders in the development of collaborative approaches to both cancer diagnostics and therapeutics,\u201d Guldberg explained. \u201cThis new center will bring together researchers from a wide-variety of backgrounds to tackle complex research problems in new and exciting ways.\u201d \u2028\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/icrc.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003EVisit the new Integrated Cancer Research Center website\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Seven different schools and departments join together to form the new Integrated Cancer Research Center."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESeven different schools and departments join together to form the new Integrated Cancer Research Center.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Seven different schools and departments join together to form the new Integrated Cancer Research Center."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-06-12 10:58:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"134871":{"id":"134871","type":"image","title":"The human cell, like all robust systems, is highly integrated","body":null,"created":"1449178671","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:51","changed":"1475894763","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:03","alt":"The human cell, like all robust systems, is highly integrated","file":{"fid":"194773","name":"molecular1.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/molecular1_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/molecular1_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":16323,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/molecular1_0.png?itok=6xpdCB_1"}}},"media_ids":["134871"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/icrc.gatech.edu\/research","title":"ICRC website"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.mcdonaldlab.biology.gatech.edu\/","title":"John McDonald"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"35741","name":"Georgia Tech Establishes a New Research Center Focused on Cancer"},{"id":"2371","name":"John McDonald"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMegan McDevitt, CMP\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications and Marketing Director\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"134471":{"#nid":"134471","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nerem International Travel Award Winner Announced","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELucas Timmins, PhD, has been awarded the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u2019s (Petit Institute) Robert M. Nerem International Travel Award. Timmins, a post-doctoral fellow in Don Giddens\u2019, PhD, laboratory, will receive $3,000 to travel to the Imperial College of London to learn a unique model of atherosclerosis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFrom a professional standpoint I am looking forward to expanding my research training and skill-set, which will provide a solid foundation as I begin my independent career in academic research,\u201d said Timmins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETimmins\u2019 travel to London will enable him to develop computational methods and techniques required to construct computational fluid dynamic models.\u0026nbsp; He will use microtomography and magnetic resonance imaging data to understand biomechanical stimuli in the development of atherosclerosis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Luke will be working with a unique, hemodynamically altered model of atherosclerosis that allows for a multi-scale approach in understanding this disease. \u0026nbsp;Luke\u0027s knowledge of computational fluid dynamics will be a significant benefit to Rob Krams\u0027 research group,\u201d Giddens explained. \u0022In addition, Luke\u0027s visit will strengthen the long-standing professional relationship between my research group and Imperial College London, and serve as a greater benefit in further developing the linkages between bioengineering research in the Petit Institute and Imperial.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Nerem International Travel Award was endowed by Nerem\u2019s colleagues and friends in appreciation of the impact that Nerem has had on many. As the Petit Institute\u2019s founding director, Nerem passionately served the community for 14 years and successfully led the institute to national and international prominence in the fields of bioengineering and bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEveryone who knows Nerem, knows he loves to travel. His travels have brought him to all corners of the world and it is through his travel that he has served as a great champion of Georgia Tech, the Petit Institute and biocommunity as a whole,\u201d stated Robert Guldberg, executive director of the Petit Institute. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeginning in 2005, this award has allowed trainees an opportunity to travel to a wide variety of international research universities and institutes, including the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan; the National University of Singapore;\u0026nbsp;University of Twente,The Netherlands; Queensland University of Technology, Australia; and Consorzio Interuniversitario Lombardo per L\u2019Elaborazione Automatica, Milan, Italy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI am so proud of this annual award as it affords the opportunity for a trainee to broaden their research experiences by establishing an international collaboration and travel to another university or institution,\u201d Nerem stated. \u201cOpening one\u0027s eyes to new techniques and research facilities will have a profound impact on Timmins\u2019 research and training.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is truly is an honor to receive an award that bears Dr. Nerem\u0027s name given his distinguished dedication to bioengineering research and commitment to mentorship,\u201d said Timmins. \u201cI also want to sincerely thank the friends of Dr. Nerem\u2019s and the Petit Institute for providing such an outstanding opportunity to its graduate students and post-docs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETimmins has co-authored nine well-cited peer reviewed publications, serving as lead author on five. He is co-author on 20 conference abstract proceedings and has given numerous presentations at engineering and clinical professional conferences. Timmins\u0026nbsp;currently serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for over 12 journals and is a member of the Fluid Mechanics and Solid Mechanics Technical Committees of the ASME Bioengineering Division. In addition, Timmins also received an inaugural Whitaker International Fellowship from the Whitaker Program\u0026nbsp;and was awarded an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"An annual award given by the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELucas Timmins, PhD, has been awarded the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u2019s (Petit Institute) Robert M. Nerem International Travel Award. Timmins, a post-doctoral fellow in Don Giddens\u2019, PhD, laboratory, will receive $3,000 to travel to the Imperial College of London to learn a unique model of atherosclerosis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"An annual award given by the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"uid":"27224","created_gmt":"2012-06-10 09:47:02","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"Megan McDevitt","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"134481":{"id":"134481","type":"image","title":"Lucas Timmins","body":null,"created":"1449178671","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:51","changed":"1475894763","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:03","alt":"Lucas Timmins","file":{"fid":"194766","name":"lucas1.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lucas1_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lucas1_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":885272,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lucas1_0.jpeg?itok=ua2R2gFv"}}},"media_ids":["134481"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/robert-m-nerem","title":"About Robert M. Nerem"},{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/nerem-travel-award","title":"Nerem Interational Travel Award Information"},{"url":"http:\/\/ibb.gatech.edu\/","title":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2549","name":"Don Giddens"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"35501","name":"Lucas Timmins"},{"id":"1516","name":"Nerem"},{"id":"497","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"6500","name":"Petit Institute"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMegan Graziano McDevitt\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMarketing Communications Director\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"134191":{"#nid":"134191","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two Georgia Tech Leaders Inducted as Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBarbara Boyan, PhD, Price Gilbert, Jr. Chair in Tissue Engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and associate dean for research and innovation in the College of Engineering and Andr\u00e9s\u0026nbsp;Garc\u00eda, PhD, Woodruff Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, were inducted as Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering at the World Biomaterials Congress this week in Chengdu China.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFellows are appointed based on significant contributions to the biomaterials field as well as national and international recognition of accomplishments documented by a continuous productivity in biomaterials research and are considered role models in the biomaterials science and engineering field.\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Fellows program began in1992 after the constituent biomaterials societies of the World Biomaterials Congress recognized the need for public recognition of their members who have gained a status of excellent professional standing and earned high achievements in the biomaterials field. For this reason, the honorary status of \u0022Fellow, Biomaterials Science and Engineering\u0022 (FBSE) was established.\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EBoyan and Garc\u00eda have had significant accomplishments throughout their careers which include receiving awards from the Society for Biomaterials, authoring papers in leading biomaterials journals and they both have several biomaterials-related patents and invention disclosures.\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EBoyan\u2019s research laboratory focuses on bone and cartilage cell biology and tissue engineering of musculoskeletal tissues. Researchers are investigating signaling pathways involved in implant osseointegration, or the connection between the bone and a material. Specifically, they are exploring how surface properties influence biological processes and pathways such as cell proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis and apoptosis to better understand healing and regeneration.\u003Cbr \/\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EBoyan was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering and other 2012 awards include and the Orthopaedic Research Society Women\u0027s Leadership Forum Award and she was named a fellow of the International Team for Implantology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda\u2019s research activities center on analyses of cell adhesive forces and mechanotransduction, cell-biomaterial interactions and the engineering of biomaterials to control cell delivery and engraftment and tissue repair, including bone repair, therapeutic vascularization, pancreatic islet delivery for the treatment of diabetes, and inflammation and infection. These findings provide fundamental insights into mechanisms regulating cell-material interactions and constitute novel approaches to the engineering of bioactive materials for enhanced tissue repair.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGarc\u00eda was awarded the Clemson Award for Basic Research from the Society of Biomaterials and will be presented with that award in New Orleans in October 2012. Garc\u00eda serves on the editorial board of leading biomaterial and regenerative medicine journals as well as National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation review panels.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Barbara Boyan and Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda recognized for contributions to the biomaterials field."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo Georgia Tech Leaders Inducted as Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering -\u0026nbsp;Barbara Boyan and\u0026nbsp;Andr\u00e9s\u0026nbsp;Garc\u00eda recognized for contributions to biomaterials field.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Barbara Boyan and Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda recognized for contributions to the biomaterials field."}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2012-06-06 12:16:39","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"48186":{"id":"48186","type":"image","title":"Andres Garcia and vascularization hydrogels","body":null,"created":"1449175379","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:42:59","changed":"1475894455","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:55","alt":"Andres Garcia and vascularization hydrogels","file":{"fid":"101280","name":"tan24921.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tan24921_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tan24921_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":833544,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tan24921_0.jpg?itok=JU24rSM5"}},"109231":{"id":"109231","type":"image","title":"Dr. Barbara Boyan","body":null,"created":"1449178201","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:30:01","changed":"1475894728","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:28","alt":"Dr. Barbara Boyan","file":{"fid":"194040","name":"boyan.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/boyan_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/boyan_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4865995,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/boyan_0.jpg?itok=QPglXo42"}}},"media_ids":["48186","109231"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/garcialab.gatech.edu\/","title":"Garcia lab"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.boyanlab.gatech.edu\/","title":"Boyan \u0026 Schwartz Laboratory"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"539","name":"Andres Garcia"},{"id":"9548","name":"Barbara Boyan"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"248","name":"IBB"},{"id":"35401","name":"Two Georgia Tech Leaders Inducted as Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering"}],"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:mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan McDevitt\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarketing Communications Director\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioegineering \u0026amp; Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["megan.mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}