SUNMONTUEWEDTHUFRISAT
Events for the 4th week of March
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Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Tue, Mar 19, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Wilson Wong, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering an Allen Distinguished Investigator
Talk Title: Engineering Vaccines, Cell and GeneTherapies using Synthetic Biology
Abstract: In this seminar, I will share with you some of the work that my trainees and colleagues have done on using synthetic biology in various areas, such as foundational circuit engineering, cellular immunotherapy, and vaccines. I will discuss our work on improving the specificity and safety of CAR T cell therapy against cancer using synthetic biology and biomaterials. I will also share our recent discovery on engineering self-amplifying RNA with reduced innate immune response and improved protein expression, leading to a highly potent COVID-19 vaccine as demonstrated in a lethal live virus challenge in mice.
Biography: Dr. Wilson Wong is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and an Allen Distinguished Investigator at Boston University. He is an expert in immune cell engineering and synthetic biology for therapeutic applications. Dr. Wong’s research has been published in numerous high-impact journals, including Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Cell, and PNAS. Dr. Wong has been recognized with multiple academic career awards, including the NIH New Innovator Award, the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Investigator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Allen Distinguished Investigator Award. He has co-founded three companies, with one in the clinical stage. Dr. Wong has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Wong completed his postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Professor Wendell Lim at the University of California, San Francisco.
Host: Peter Wang
Location: Corwin D. Denney Research Center (DRB) - 145
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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USC SleepHuB Special Seminar
Thu, Mar 21, 2024 @ 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Rebecca Spencer, Ph.D., Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Director of the Sleep Lab Core Facility -University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Talk Title: Cognitive benefits of sleep in spite of sleep loss in older adults
Abstract: Sleep benefits memory consolidation in young adults. Evidence suggests that this benefit reflects the active reorganization of memories, moving them from short-term hippocampal storage which is susceptible to interference to long-term more stable storage in the neocortex. Synchronized oscillations in the hippocampus and neocortex during slow wave sleep underlie this memory stabilization. Older adults have reduced slow wave sleep and yet, in many cases, sleep-dependent memory consolidation is preserved. It is important to understand this resilience as it may speak to ways to prevent or intervene in age-related memory loss. In my talk, I will present studies demonstrating the benefits of sleep on memories in older adults as well as the limitations of this process. I will also present some evidence of possible mechanisms supporting memory consolidation in the face of reduced slow wave sleep with aging. These studies hold relevance for those studying aging from a clinical and cognitive perspective.
Biography: Rebecca Spencer, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Director of the Sleep Lab Core Facility in the Institute of Applied Life Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research focuses on the role of sleep in cognition and brain changes, specifically lifespan changes in sleep-dependent cognitive processing. In young children, she is interested in how the high levels of sleep during development relate to the massive amount of learning and brain development at this age. In old adults, she studies how age-related changes in sleep contribute to changes in memory and emotion processing. After graduating from Purdue with a PhD in neuroscience in 2002, she went to UC Berkeley where she was a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist in the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute until 2008. She was the recipient of a NIH Pathways to Independence Award (K99/R00). Her work is currently funded by 3 NIH R01 awards and an NSF grant. She chairs the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) Program Committee.
Host: Dr. Michael Khoo
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 224
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
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Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Fri, Mar 22, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Tejal Desai, Ph.D., The Sorensen Family Dean of Engineering Brown University
Talk Title: Therapeutic Biomaterials: Engineering Material Structure to Modulate Biologic Delivery
Abstract: The ability to deliver therapeutics within and across biologic barriers is a much sought after goal. In this talk, I will discuss our recent work in developing nanostructured materials for biologic delivery as well as injectable micro/nanoscale materials for the reduction of fibrosis and immune activation. By incorporating micro and nanoscale features into biomaterials, one can modulate properties such as tissue permeability, matrix production, and cell activation. The understanding of how small-scale topographies can influence the biological microenvironment allows us to design platforms for applications in therapeutic delivery and tissue regeneration. Micro and nanostructured materials can add functionality to current drug delivery platforms while becoming an enabling technology leading to new basic discoveries in the pharmaceutical and biological sciences
Biography: Tejal A. Desai assumed the role of Sorensen Family Dean of Engineering at Brown University, effective September 1, 2022. An accomplished biomedical engineer and academic leader, Desai’s research spans multiple disciplines including materials engineering, cell biology, tissue engineering, and pharmacological delivery systems to develop new therapeutic interventions for disease. She seeks to design new platforms, enabled by advances in micro and nanotechnology, to overcome challenges in therapeutic delivery. With more than 260 peer-reviewed articles and patents, Desai’s research has earned her numerous recognitions including Technology Review’s Top 100 Young Innovators, Popular Science’s Brilliant 10 and the Dawson Biotechnology Award. She served as president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering from 2020 to 2022 and is a fellow of AIMBE, IAMBE, CRS, and BMES. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015, the National Academy of Inventors in 2019, and to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024. Desai was also awarded the 2023 Robert A. Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting — the highest honor the organization can bestow upon an individual who has demonstrated impactful leadership and accomplishments in biomedical engineering science and practice. Prior to coming to Brown, she was the Deborah Cowan Endowed Professor of the Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); and Professor in Residence, Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley (UCB). She served as director of the NIH training grant for the Joint UCSF/UCB Graduate Program in Bioengineering for over 15 years and founding director of the UCSF/UCB Master’s Program in Translational Medicine. She was also chair of the department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF from 2014-2021 and the Inaugural Director of the UCSF Engineering and Applied Sciences Initiative known as HIVE (Health Innovation Via Engineering). A vocal advocate for education and outreach to historically underrepresented groups in STEM, Desai’s work to break down institutional barriers to equity and cultivate a climate of inclusion has earned numerous honors and awards, including the AWIS Judith Poole Award in Mentorship, the 2021 UCSF Chancellors Award for the Advancement of Women, and the 2022 Controlled Release Woman in Science Award. As president of AIMBE (2020-2022), she led advocacy efforts for increased scientific funding and addressing workforce disparities in science/engineering. To foster the next generation of scientists, she was involved in the SF Science Education partnership and has worked with outreach organizations such as the Lawrence Hall of Science, PBS, and the UN Women’s council to develop hand-on exhibits and videos related to nanotechnology and women in engineering.
Host: Eunji Chung
Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 100B
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard