Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for October
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Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Wed, Oct 02, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Ji-Xin Cheng, Ph.D., Moustakas Chair Professor in Photonics and Optoelectronics; Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Professor of Electrical & Computer EnProfessor of Chemistry & Professor of Physics Boston University
Talk Title: Seeing the unseen using molecular fingerprints
Abstract: Spectrochemical imaging, using intrinsic fingerprint spectroscopic signals from molecules as a contrast mechanism, opens a new window for understanding life at the molecular level and also enables molecule-based precision diagnosis of diseases. Yet, the intrinsic spectroscopic signal, especially the vibrational signals from chemical bonds, is weaker than the fluorescence signal from a dye by many orders of magnitude. Detecting such weak signal from a tight focus (i.e., a small volume of ~1 femtoliter) under a microscope is extremely challenging and was considered nearly impossible. Ji-Xin Cheng devoted his career to overcoming such daunting barrier through developing advanced chemical microscopes over the past 25 years. In this lecture, Cheng will tell his journey of serendipity-driven innovation, scientific discovery, clinical translation, and entrepreneurship in the growing field of chemical imaging.
Biography: Ji-Xin Cheng attended University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) from 1989 to 1994. From 1994 to 1998, he carried out his PhD study on bond-selective chemistry at USTC. As a graduate student, he worked as a research assistant at Universite Paris-sud (France) on vibrational spectroscopy and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on quantum dynamics theory. After postdoctoral training on ultrafast spectroscopy at HKUST, he joined Sunney Xie’s group at Harvard University as a postdoc, where he spearheaded the development of CARS microscopy that allows high-speed vibrational imaging. Cheng joined Purdue University in 2003 as Assistant Professor in Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, promoted to Associate Professor in 2009 and Full Professor in 2013. He joined Boston University as the Inaugural Theodore Moustakas Chair Professor in Photonics and Optoelectronics in summer 2017.
Among his honors, Cheng is the recipient of the 2024 Raman Innovation Award at the International Conference of Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS, Rome), the 2024 Analytical Chemistry Spectrochemical Analysis Award from American Chemical Society, the 2024 Charles Delisi Award from Boston University College of Engineering, the 2024 Biophotonics Technology Innovator Award from International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), the 2022 Boston University Innovator of Year, the 2020 Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award from the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, the 2019 Ellis R. Lippincott Award from Optica, Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and Coblentz Society, the 2016 Research Award from Purdue University College of Engineering, and the 2015 Craver Award from Coblentz Society.
Host: Qifa Zhou
Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Fri, Oct 04, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Sanjay Kumar, M.D, Ph.D., Chancellor Professor and Director of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at UC Berkeley (QB3-Berkeley
Talk Title: Tales from the fourth dimension: Incorporating the element of time into biomaterial paradigms
Abstract: It is increasingly accepted that cell and extracellular matrix structure and mechanics can drive biology and disease, influencing everything from metabolism to stem cell differentiation to tumor progression. While significant progress has been made in developing culture technologies that mimic the complex physical microenvironment of tissue, many of these platforms are comparatively static in nature. There remains a need to understand how cell-matrix dynamics influence cell behavior. For example, how do cells remodel the carefully constructed matrices in which we place them, and how does this remodeling drive the biology we observe? And how does the time-dependent dissipation of cell-imposed stresses influence force-based signaling? While the answers are far from clear, I will describe efforts our team has made to attack these challenging problems, ranging from the use of proteomics to characterize the matrisome of invasive tumor cells ensconced within 3D matrices to to development and application of viscoelastic matrices to probe effects of stress relaxation on stem cell lineage commitment.
Biography: Sanjay Kumar, M.D., Ph.D., is Chancellor Professor and Director of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at UC Berkeley (QB3-Berkeley). His primary appointment is in the Department of Bioengineering (which he chaired from 2019-22), with joint appointments in the UC Berkeley Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Kumar earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota (1996) and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University (2003). He then completed postdoctoral training at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kumar has co-authored >100 peer-reviewed publications and mentored >30 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He and his group have been recognized with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, The Beckman Young Investigator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Stem Cells Young Investigator Award. Dr. Kumar is an elected fellow of AAAS, AIMBE, and BMES, and he is a member of the BMES Board of Directors.
Host: Peter Wang
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Fri, Oct 18, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: David Issadore, Ph.D., Professor of UPenn
Talk Title: Diagnosing disease on a microchip: Finding nanoscale needles in messy nanoscale haystacks
Abstract: The transformative growth in microelectronics in the latter half of the 20th century was fueled fundamentally by the ability to miniaturize complex circuits onto chips. The impact of this has been profound– computing is pervasive and portable and communication is instant and global. My research aims to harness this same engineering approach to solve high impact problems in medical diagnostics. To accomplish this goal my lab develops hybrid microchips, where microfluidics are built directly on top of semiconductor chips. In this talk I will focus on recent work at Penn on 'digital asays.' Digital assays — in which ultra-sensitive molecular measurements are made by performing millions of parallel experiments in picoliter droplets — have generated enormous enthusiasm due to their single molecule resolution. These assays have incredible untapped potential for disease diagnostics but are currently confined to laboratory settings due to the instrumentation necessary to generate, control, and measure tens of millions of droplets. To overcome this challenge, we are developing a hybrid microelectronic / microfluidic chip to ‘unlock’ droplet-based assays for mobile use. Our microDroplet Megascale Detector (µMD) takes inspiration from cellular networks, in which phones are identified by their carrier frequency and not their particular location. In collaboration with physicians at The Abramson Cancer Center, we are demonstrating the power of this approach by developing a multiplexed extracellular vesicle-based diagnostic for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. I will also discuss ongoing projects on the early diagnosis of lung cancer, treatment guidance for traumatic brain injury, and the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's versus Lewy body dementia.
Biography: The Issadore lab combines microelectronics, microfluidics, nanomaterials, and machine learning to solve big problems in healthcare. We create miniaturized platforms for the diagnosis of disease, we develop new platforms to manufacture micro and nanomaterials, and we dip our toes into an assortment of other areas where we can leverage our engineering training to improve healthcare. This work requires an interdisciplinary approach in which engineers, scientists, and physicians work together in teams. David received his PhD in applied physics from Harvard and his BS in both electrical engineering and physics from Penn State. Before coming to Penn, where he is now a Professor of Bioengineering, he was a postdoctoral fellow at MGH's Department of Systems Biology.
Host: Maral Mousavi
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard