Abstract: Blood/material interaction is critical to the success of implantable medical devices, ranging from simple catheters, stents and grafts, to complex extracorporeal artificial organs which are used in thousands of patients every day. There are two major limiting factors to clinical application of blood contacting materials: 1) platelet activation leading to thrombosis, and 2) infection. Despite a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of blood–surface interactions, and decades of bioengineering research effort, the ideal non-thrombogenic prosthetic surface remains an unsolved problem. One approach to improving the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting devices is to develop materials that release nitric oxide (NO), a known potent inhibitor of platelet adhesion/activation and also an antimicrobial agent. Healthy endothelial cells exhibit a NO flux of 0.5-4x10-10 mol cm-2 min-1, and materials that mimic this NO release are expected to have similar anti-thrombotic properties. The potential of incorporating NO donor molecules such as S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) into various polymers, and their hemocompatibility and antibacterial properties in short-term (4 h) and long-term (9 d) animal models will be discussed
Bio: Dr. Hitesh Handa is a faculty member in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Georgia. Dr. Handa's area of focus is in translational research for development of medical device coatings, wound healing materials, therapeutic nanoparticles, and microfluidic artificial lungs. This work in designing innovative materials and testing them in animal models has resulted in over 70 publications and 12 patent applications. Hitesh’s work has been funded by NIH, CDC, Department of Veteran Affairs, US Army, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Geneva Foundation, and industrial grants. Hitesh is also the founder of inNOveta Biomedical LLC which is exploring possibilities of using nitric oxide releasing materials for medical applications. With his experience in biomolecular interactions, materials/surface science, polymeric coatings, blood-surface interactions and animal models, his goal is to bridge the gap between the engineers and clinical researchers in the field of biocompatible materials.
]]>Day Two: Clinical and translational science advances within the state of Georgia will be showcased through abstract and poster presentations, a KL2 panel discussion, and dynamic keynote speakers.
Objectives:
1. Describe how the Georgia CTSA can support your research and increase grant funding
2. Network with national leaders and NIH staff in translational science and education
3. Share research with others and develop new collaborations
Danny Dilks, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Emory University
Our ability to perceive the visual environment is remarkable: we can recognize a place or “scene” (e.g., a kitchen, a beach, Georgia Tech) within a fraction of a second – even if we have never seen that particular place before (Potter, 1976) – and almost simultaneously use that information to seamlessly navigate. Given the ecological importance of scene recognition, it is perhaps not surprising then that particular regions of the human brain are specialized for processing visual scene information: the parahippocampal place area (PPA) (Epstein & Kanwisher, 1998), the retrosplenial complex (RSC) (Aguirre & D’Esposito, 1999), and the occipital place area (OPA) (Dilks et al., 2013). While the exact function each of these regions plays in scene processing remains unknown, it is currently believed that the scene processing system as a whole (comprised of the three scene-selective cortical regions) is a monolithic system in the service of navigation. However, in this talk, I will present multiple lines of evidence challenging the pervasive theory that all three scene-selective cortical regions serve the purpose of navigation. Instead, I propose that scene processing is comprised of two distinct pathways: one responsible for navigation, including RSC and OPA, and another responsible for scene categorization (e.g., recognizing a scene as a kitchen, a beach, Georgia Tech), including PPA.
This presentation can be seen via videoconference on the Emory Campus HSRB E260
]]>Alaa Ahmed, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Departments of Integrative Physiology and Mechanical Engineering
University of Colorado, Boulder
Decisions depend on the reward at stake and the effort required. However, these same variables influence the vigor of the ensuing movement, suggesting that factors that affect evaluation of action also influence performance of the selected action. In this talk, I will describe a mathematical framework that links decision-making with motor control. Each action has a utility that combines the reward at stake with its effort requirements, both discounted as a function of time. The critical assumption of this model is to represent effort via the metabolic energy expended to produce the movement. I will show that a single mathematical formulation of action predicts both the decisions that animals make as well as the vigor of the movements that follow. This framework accounts for choices that birds make in walking vs. flying, choices that people make in reaching and force production, and the curious fact that pedestrians walk faster in certain cities. I suggest that decision-making and movement control share a common utility in which the expected rewards and the energetic costs are discounted as a function of time.
This presentation can be seen via videoconference on the Emory Campus HSRB E260
]]>Erin Buckley, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Pediatrics
Emory University/Georgia Tech
This talk will provide an overview of diffuse optical spectroscopies used to non-invasively measure cerebral blood flow, oxygen metabolism, oxygen saturation, and blood volume. Further it will highlight how quantification of these parameters can provide insight into hypoxic-ischemic injury and efficacy of therapeutic strategies when applied in infants and children at high risk of brain injury.
Erin Buckley is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University/Georgia Tech and the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University. She received her Ph.D. in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011; followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Bio-sketch
Erin Buckley is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University/Georgia Tech and the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University. She received her Ph.D. in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011; followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and at Massachusetts General Hospital.
This presentation can be seen via videoconference on the Emory Campus HSRB E260
]]>Danny Dilks, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Emory University
Our ability to perceive the visual environment is remarkable: we can recognize a place or “scene” (e.g., a kitchen, a beach, Georgia Tech) within a fraction of a second – even if we have never seen that particular place before (Potter, 1976) – and almost simultaneously use that information to seamlessly navigate. Given the ecological importance of scene recognition, it is perhaps not surprising then that particular regions of the human brain are specialized for processing visual scene information: the parahippocampal place area (PPA) (Epstein & Kanwisher, 1998), the retrosplenial complex (RSC) (Aguirre & D’Esposito, 1999), and the occipital place area (OPA) (Dilks et al., 2013). While the exact function each of these regions plays in scene processing remains unknown, it is currently believed that the scene processing system as a whole (comprised of the three scene-selective cortical regions) is a monolithic system in the service of navigation. However, in this talk, I will present multiple lines of evidence challenging the pervasive theory that all three scene-selective cortical regions serve the purpose of navigation. Instead, I propose that scene processing is comprised of two distinct pathways: one responsible for navigation, including RSC and OPA, and another responsible for scene categorization (e.g., recognizing a scene as a kitchen, a beach, Georgia Tech), including PPA.
This presentation can be seen via videoconference on the Emory Campus HSRB E260
]]>ORGANIZERS
The Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute (ACTSI), led by Emory University with partners Morehouse School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology, and Georgia Bio, the state’s life sciences industry association, organizes this conference an-nually to provide critical information on how academia and industry can work together to translate science into discovery and engage communities in clinical research efforts and outcomes. This half-day conference provides examples on how universities and industry can collaborate effectively, and subject matter experts representing academia, industry, foundations, investors, and governments.
For questions or sponsorship opportunities, please contact ACTSI’s Elizabeth Thompson (epthompson@emory.edu or 404-727-2579)
]]>John Krakauer, M.A., M.D.
Director, Center for the Study of Motor Learning and Brain Repair
Professor of Neurology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
There are critical differences in the potential for rehabilitation of impairment early and late after stroke. Early after stroke the proportional recovery rule for spontaneous biological recovery applies, as does the idea of a sensitive period. Late after stroke, rehabilitation relies on motor learning principles. We will need new behavioral treatments augmented by pharmacology and perhaps non-invasive brain stimulation to rectify the overall ineffectiveness of current neurorehabilitation.
This presentation can be seen via videoconference on the Emory Campus HSRB E160
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Participating Companies:
SEMDA
GT TRIBES
APDC
ATDC
GT BioID
RAPS
GaBIO
AICC
Ga PDMA
ACTSI
GCMI
ASQ
Ga HIMSS
Emory OTT
MACOC BLC
TAG Health
Cost: $10.00
Cash Bar and snacks available
Hosted by:
200 Office (formerly the historic downtown Macy’s building)
Discounted Self parking:
150 Carnegie Way
Directions and parking details are here.
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"Engineering Mesenchymal Stem Cell Based Gene Delivery Systems"
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are bone marrow-derived adult stem cells that are involved in wound healing and tissue regeneration. MSCs are good candidates for the development of cell-based therapeutics. They can be easily harvested from bone marrow, expanded in the lab, genetically manipulated, and differentiated into different types of tissues. However, ex vivo expansion of MSCs alters their morphology limiting their mobility after reinfusion. In vivo, the recruitment of MSCs to diseased or tumor tissues is mediated by pro-angiogenic proteins that are released by tumors or wound tissues and circulate in the blood. Previous studies have demonstrated that MSC treatment with pro-angiogenic proteins results in increased in vitro cell migration. However, little is known about the effects of these proteins on the mechanical properties of MSCs. We hypothesized that pro-angiogenic proteins, secreted by tumor or wound tissues, stimulate MSCs, inducing their migration, through rapid modification in cytoskeletal rigidity. The mechanical response of a cell to chemical or physical stimuli is regulated by the cytoskeleton, a dynamic network of protein filaments extending throughout the cytoplasm. The cytoskeletal filaments are linked to adhesion molecules in the extracellular environment by focal adhesion complexes. The organization of cytoskeletal filaments and focal adhesion complexes changes rapidly during cell migration. Using quantitative real-time microscopy techniques, including particle tracking microrheology and time-lapsed fluorescent microscopy, we monitored the effects of tumor-secreted soluble factors on intracellular rheology, cytoskeletal organization (including cytoskeletal filaments and focal adhesion proteins), and interaction with cell adhesion molecules. Together these techniques will be used to identify the mechanical and adhesive properties of migratory MSCs. Optimized MSCs, found to possess the mechanical properties associated with increased migration, will be tested in vivo for accumulation in tumors and then engineered to produce therapeutic proteins that will be used to treat cancer in mice.
Coffee and continental breakfast will be served.
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