| BME Department News |
2012 |
December
Job Opening!!
Academic Lab Supervisor
Biomedical Engineering, IUPUI, Indianapolis
The primary responsibility of the Academic Laboratory Supervisor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering is to manage and provide teaching support for the teaching laboratories in the department. Tasks include providing academic and resource support for BME courses, design experiments that support teaching and research areas, oversee the weekly laboratory portion of these courses, and ensure all lab materials and resources are accurate and up-to-date. Other duties include developing all lab training materials as needed, grading lab reports, and evaluating student performance for accreditation agencies. This position will also develop and maintain a database of cost effective sources for consumable lab supplies as well as design and implement a preventive maintenance program that will keep equipment ready for classroom and research project use. |
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field required plus two years of classroom laboratory experience in electrical circuits, mechanics, biology, and chemistry required. |
Apply online at jobs.iu.edu. Job# 7403
May
Congratulations to the Undergrad Class of 2012!
2011 |
December
AGABA NAMED LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
Senior becomes second Lowe's Senior CLASS All-American in IUPUI men's soccer history
Ed Holdaway, IUPUI Sports Information
IUPUI senior men's soccer standout Perez Agaba was recently named a Lowe's Senior CLASS First Team All-American as the awards were announced in conjunction with this past weekend's College Cup in Hoover, Ala.. Creighton goalkeeper Brian Holt was honored with the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award while Agaba was one of five first teamers, joined by Adam Glick (Florida Gulf Coast), Holt, Greg Klazura (Notre Dame) and Colin Rolfe (Louisville).
He becomes the second men's soccer player in IUPUI history to be named a Lowe's Senior CLASS All-American, joining Eric Weigman who was a second team honoree in 2009.
Earlier this year, Agaba was named a second team Academic All-American as the Uganda-native was the lone representative from The Summit League among the three teams chosen.
Agaba has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in biomedical engineering at IUPUI. This season, he contributed three goals and two assists for the Jaguars in 15 games and made 12 starts.
The 6-foot forward/midfielder has racked up the honors throughout his four-year career, including being tabbed The Summit League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year a year ago. He's a two-time Academic All-American and earned the IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Scholarship prior to this season, based on his work in the community, academic prowess and athletic achievements.
In his four seasons, Agaba totaled 14 goals and eight assists in 69 games and was in the starting lineup 50 times. Of his 14 goals, five were game-winners. (article)
October
Vote daily through November 16th.
Congratulations Perez on this well deserved nomination!
Dr. Hiroki Yokota has received a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study a chemical compound with potential to fight osteoporosis and accelerate broken bone healing.
Dr. Yokota, professor of biomedical engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and adjunct professor of anatomy and cell biology at the IU School of Medicine, will investigate the effect of salubrinal -- a chemical compound originally developed to encourage insulin production in individuals with diabetes -- on human bone strength and growth. Early laboratory research supported by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) suggests weakened bones treated with salubrinal experience a statistically significant increase in strength, as well as accelerated healing in bones that have been fractured.
"People are getting older," Yokota said, "and when people get older, particularly women, they tend to develop osteoporotic bones. As a mechanical engineer, I was originally exploring mechanical stimulation, which is similar to exercise, to strengthen bones. But by studying these mechanisms, I came across a molecular pathway that became the beginning of this discovery."
Acute pelvic and hip fractures account for about 350,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States, with 76 percent of patients being female and annual cases expected to reach 650,000 by 2050. Moreover, Yokota said approximately 25 percent of fracture patients previously living independently require full-time nursing care post-fracture, with only a quarter returning to pre-injury levels of activity and half never fully recovering.
Older populations are increasingly affected by weakened and broken bones as aging cells are no longer able to produce sufficient levels of collagen, the protein from which bones derive their strength. Salubrinal prevents this cellular decline by strengthening the body's "protein-producing machinery," which creates collagen and keeps bones strong.
"In preliminary studies, particularly in bone fractures, we've see an effect in as little as a week," said Yokota, "and the effect is even stronger in two weeks. We're not ready to cite numbers, but I can say it appears significant."
The process by which salubrinal heals fractures may also apply to type 2 diabetes, the disease for which salubrinal was originally conceived.
"Salubrinal stimulates a cellular 'rescue program' in response to stress," said Yokota, noting some diabetes may be caused by the pancreas killing insulin-producing eyelet cells in response to increased insulin needs -- a process similar to the cellular shutdown that can occur in bones overtaxed by collagen production.
"With this drug," Yokota said, "the cells just enjoy the body's rescue response without really experiencing any new negative pressure. Using salubrinal is basically about trying to treat cells a little better."
The Department of Defense grant will support continued research into the effectiveness of salubrinal on broken and weakened bones and contribute to determining dosing guidelines, said Yokota, with an eye toward moving the drug into early clinical trials for patients with osteoporosis or bone fractures.
"In a sense, step one is done," he said. "This support will move us towards step two."
Developing a pill from the compound's current, injectable form -- making it easier to administer as well as increase its potential marketability -- is also a priority.
Altogether, Yokota sets an ambitious agenda.
"Our ultimate goal is FDA approval to provide a safe, efficacious, easy-to-use drug therapy that will heal hip fractures in the geriatric population," he said.
Additional support for Yokota's other projects related to bone strength and growth comes from the National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which has invested in his research for its potential to reduce bone loss experienced by astronauts due to weightlessness.
The Indiana CTSI provided key support to Yokota's early investigation into salubrinal with a $20,000 Research Inventions and Scientific Commercialization Grant. The funds fueled research identifying a chemical partner that combines with the salubrinal to create a safe, non-toxic drug easily absorbable by the human body. The early study also benefitted from a program managed by the Indiana CTSI, in partnership with the IU Kelley School of Business, which partners investigators looking to turn their discoveries into viable startup projects with MBA students seeking real-life experience in the business of life science.
The Indiana CTSI is a statewide organization supported by the National Institutes of Health. It includes Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame, as well as public and private partners, and aims to accelerate the rate that promising discoveries in the lab can be "translated" into new treatments and therapies in the community.
Biomedical Engineering Program Receives ABET Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering degree program in the Purdue School of Biomedical Engineering at IUPUI has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET accreditation demonstrates a program’s commitment to providing its students with a quality education.
“Accreditation of our undergraduate biomedical engineering program is an assurance that the program has met quality standards set by the biomedical engineering profession.” commented Dr. David Russomanno, Dean of the School. “To employers, graduate schools, and licensure and registration boards, graduation from an accredited program signifies adequate preparation for entry into the profession. ABET accreditation is an important indicator of our program’s commitment to quality.”
In addition to providing colleges and universities a structured mechanism to assess, evaluate, and improve their programs, accreditation also helps students and their parents choose quality college programs, enables employers and graduate schools to recruit graduates they know are well-prepared, and is used by registration, licensure, and certification boards to screen applicants.
ABET is a not-for-profit organization, owned and operated by its more than 25 professional and technical member societies. An internationally respected organization with some 1,500 volunteers, ABET has set the higher-educational standards in its fields for nearly 75 years. More information about ABET, its member societies, and the evaluation criteria used to accredit programs can be found at www.abet.org.
May
2010 |
September
Chien-Chi Lin, Ph.D.
Dr. Lin joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering on August 2nd, 2010 after 3 years at the University of Colorado at Boulder as a HHMI Postdoctoral Fellow. He received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at Clemson University. His primary research interest is in: the development of functional hydrogels for tissue regeneration and controlled release applications. Hydrogels have evolved as promising materials for cell/tissue encapsulation and carriers for delivering biomacromolecules such as proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids. Potential applications include the treatment and/or prevention of musculoskeletal and neuronal degeneration, cardiovascular complications, and immune/inflammation related diseases. His specific research goals are to: (1) Develop versatile hydrogel platforms for directing 3D cell organization; (2) Exploit autocrine/paracrine mechanisms for enhancing pancreatic beta-cell survival and function in hydrogels; and (3) Explore controlled release strategies for regulating proliferation and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Dr. Lin is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society, the Controlled Release Society, the Society for Biomaterials, and the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society.
Joseph Wallace, Ph.D.
Dr. Wallace joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering on September 1st, 2010 after 3 years at The University of Michigan as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at The University of Michigan. His primary research interest is in: understanding how biological and environmental factors influence the organization and assembly of bone. At its smallest hierarchical level of organization, bone is a two-phase composite material which represents the intimate interaction between organic and inorganic elements. However, the nanoscale size of these fundamental constituents of bone inhibits the roles of each component from being completely understood. In order to develop rational approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of defects, damage and disease of skeletal tissues, it is imperative that we understand the link between the biological and mechanical roles that these tissues play. By investigating structure/function relationships at discrete hierarchical levels and trying to understand how properties in one level influence the levels above it, the link between biology and mechanics can be elucidated. The goal of his work is to translate findings into rational and clinically-relevant diagnostic and treatment options for defects, damage and disease of musculoskeletal tissues. To this end, his work focuses on tying morphology and composition to mechanical function at discrete size scales throughout bone’s hierarchical structure. Dr. Wallace is a member of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and the Materials Research Society (MRS).
2009 |
August
Dr. Na joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in August 2009 after working for 3 years at University of Illinois as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University. His primary research interest is in: Physical and molecular basis of cell migration in the cardiovascular system; the role of angiogenesis in bone development; and Pro- and anti-apoptotic regulation in response to mechanical stimuli. The primary objective of his research is to understand the biophysical and molecular mechanism by which cells sense and respond to specific physical stimuli in the environment, including dimensionality, geometry, and rigidity of the extracellular matrix as well as mechanical force. To contribute to this exciting area, his group uses experimental tools and techniques, including: Optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, magnetic tweezers, computational image analysis such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), dynamic traction force, and intracellular displacement, extracellular matrix fabrication, and traditional biochemical methods. Dr. Na is a member of the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).
May
Congratulation to those who earned their bachelors degree from Biomedical Engineering in 2009.
From left: Kellen Knowles, David Sempsrott, Kevin Mauser, Lora Perry, Nate Glass, Renuka Sugumar, Kaitlin Tulloh, Mike Howard, Neha Bhargava, Nick Blacklock, Jimmy DuPriest, Matt Galley, Ahmed Bouchou, Mike Hendon, Waqar Siddiqui
2008 |
September
Congratulations to Dr. Ping Zhang, MD (Assistant Research Professor of BME)! Dr. Zhang received NIH R03 awards for his research on mechanical loading effects on bone lengthening. The awards are for three years and total $231,000.
April
Congratulations to Dr. Charles Turner! Dr. Charles Turner was recently appointed as a Chancellor's Professor at the Chancellor's Honors Convocation. He was one of three selected among all of the senior faculty on the campus. He joins Dr. Akay as the only Chancellor's Professors in our school.
March
Congratulations to BME Senior Rachel Meyer! Rachel Meyer was recently selected Most Outstanding Female at IUPUI during the Top 100 Banquet held on March 28, 2008. Congratulations to BME senior Eddie Shmukler who was named in the Top 10 during the banquet.
Professor Ghassan Kassab creates new device. Dr. Kassab's device is called LumenRECON and is being produced by a start-up company called FlowCo.
Dr. Kassab's device uses electricity to measure the dimensions of a blood vessel by mounting small electrical wires on a standard catheter. Electrical currents are sent to the electrodes, which give the cardiologist a digital output in real time of the blood vessel's diameter to provide a better fit for an implanted stent that the cardiologist will place to improve blood flow to the heart muscle.
For more information visit the website at www.electro-cat.com/
Dr. Kassab's technology was featured in an article for the Indiana Business Journal by Scott Olson.
BME Departmental Awards. Congratulations to the following recipients of our first ever undergraduate departmental awards!
Outstanding Senior Eddie Shmukler
BME Community Service Hazel Gomes
Exemplary Internship Performance Rachel Meyer
Best Senior Design Team Jennifer Doyle, Rachel Meyer, & Mark Williamson
Bepko Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in the Junior Year
Kellen Knowles, Kevin Mauser, Lora Perry and David Sempsrott
Bepko Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in the Sophomore Year
Jonathan Landes
BME Club becomes IUPUI BMES-Student Chapter! The Biomedical Engineering Club has joined the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). The BME Club will now be known as the IUPUI BMES Student Chapter. President Eddie Shmukler states, "We are excited to be a part of the BMES, and having our club members enjoy many of the perks that come with being a BMES member. These perks include discounts for BMES conferences, networking with other students and professors from all over the country, and finally, being able to add the membership on their resume."
Congratulations to 5 BME students! Hazel Gomes, Kellen Knowles, Rachel Meyer, Lora Perry and Eddie Shmukler have been named in the IUPUI Top 100.
February
Prof. Ghassan Kassab wins $1.8M grant from the National Institutes of Health. more
January
Biomechanics and Biomaterials Research Center is named a Signature Center at IUPUI. Ten proposals have been selected for funding in the second round of the Signature Centers Initiative at IUPUI, bringing the total number of potential IUPUI signature centers to 29...more.
