|
|
|
Events & Seminars
Fridays at 12 noon, Room 236 SEO Building, 851
S. Morgan Street*
(*for ALL seminars unless otherwise announced)
| Date |
: |
Aug. 28, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Prof S. Ramasamy, Ph.D., M.Sc. |
| Position |
: |
CSIR Emeritus Scientist, Crystal Growth
Centre, Anna University, India |
| Title |
: |
Process for Synthesis and a few Nanomaterial
applications |
| Abstract |
: |
A brief introduction to the
nanomaterials and their advantages compared to bulk materials
will be given. These small tiny grains/ tubes/ plates ( graphene
sheets ) can be synthesized by inert gas condensation technique,
sol-gel route, co-precipitation method, spray pyrolysis, mechanical
milling ( which otherwise is called as ball milling), sonochemical
method etc. Because of the high aspect ratio namely either surface
to bulk atoms or length to diameter large amount of atoms/ molecules
having non bonded ( dangling bonds ) their chemical, physical,
and mechanical properties get changed. These changes result
in emission of light with varied wave lengths as a function
of grain size, high catalytic activity, soft( paramagnetic)
and hard magnetic properties, high affinity to attach themselves
to the nearby molecules and so on. Due to the cited grain size
tuned properties they find applications in chemical industry
as good catalytic candidates, in nanomedicines for better diagnosis
and treatment of deceases, better optoelectronic materials etc.
The synthesis of hydroxyapatite having calcium hydroxide and
ortho-phosphoric acid as stating materials in nanoform, loading
of ciproflaxocin drug and testing the same for antimicrobial
activity will be presented. Alginate nanoparticles have been
prepared starting with sodium alginate. Encapsulation of anticancer
drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, doxorbucin
and letrozol in these nanoalginate particles are in progress.
This field is a totally interdisciplinary area having contributions
from physics, chemistry, electrical and electronic engineering,
biology and medicine. A joint effort will yield the best results.
|
| Sponsor |
: |
M. Stroscio |
|
| Date |
: |
Sep. 4, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Milivoje M. Kostic, Ph.D., P.Eng |
| Position |
: |
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Northern
Illinois University |
| Title |
: |
The Second Law of Energy Degradation,
Including Biological and Intelligent Processes |
| Abstract |
: |
The Second Law made its appearance
around 1850, and almost a century later, the physicist/philosopher
Bridgman (1941) still complained that “there are almost as many
formulations of the Second Law as there have been discussions
of it.” Even today, the Second Law remains so obscure, due
to the lack of its comprehension, that it continues to attract
new efforts at clarification, including this one. Einstein,
whose early writings were related to the Second Law, remained
convinced throughout his life that “thermodynamics is the only
universal physical theory that will never be refuted.” Namely,
the phenomenological Laws of Thermodynamics have much wider,
including philosophical significance and implication, than their
simple expressions based on the experimental observations. It
is only possible to produce work during energy exchange between
systems in non-equilibrium, therefore, the work potential is
measure of the systems’ non-equilibrium, thus the work potential
could be conserved only in processes if the non-equilibrium
is preserved (conserved, i.e. rearranged), and such ideal processes
could be reversed (reversible processes). Therefore, it is impossible
to produce work from a single thermal reservoir in equilibrium,
then a non-equilibrium will be spontaneously created. All natural
spontaneous, or over-all processes (proceeding by itself and
without interaction with the rest of the surroundings) between
systems in non-equilibrium have tendency towards common equilibrium
and thus irreversible loss of the original work potential, by
converting other energy forms into the thermal energy accompanied
with increase of entropy (randomized equi-partition of energy
per absolute temperature level). The Second Law has been challenged
by some, since certain technical, physical, chemical, biological,
and/or intelligent processes produce local non-equilibrium,
like moving fluid or refrigeration-heat to higher elevation/temperature,
cyclone or crystal formation, in life-creating processes or
cognitive reasoning (by increasing local non-equilibrium, i.e.,
energy density/potential/organization); however the over-all
non-equilibrium, including all interacting boundary systems,
i.e. affected environment (very important) only proceed towards
over-all (global) equilibrium with over-all entropy increase.
In many processes the latter could be confirmed experimentally
but some appear to be mysterious and self-organizing; however,
the miracles are until they are comprehended and understood.
|
| Sponsor |
: |
G A. Mansoori |
|
| Date |
: |
Sep. 11, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Peggy_Boyer, MS |
| Position |
: |
Marketing and Recruitment Manager for the
College of Health Sciences at Rush University |
| Title |
: |
Allied Health Careers |
| Abstract |
: |
Specifically the ones for
which we offer education programs at Rush |
| Sponsor |
: |
R. Magin |
|
| Date |
: |
Sep. 18, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Tae-Hong Lim, Ph.D. |
| Position |
: |
Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
The University of Iowa |
| Title |
: |
Degenerative Disc Disease and Innovative
Method for its Treatment |
| Abstract |
: |
Low back pain (LBP) is one
of the most significant ailments affecting the quality of life.
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a clinical entity representing
the degenerated disc causing severe low back pain. It is generally
agreed that LBP results from the combined effect of inflammation
and abnormal biomechanics caused from disc degeneration. In
fact, disc degeneration is known to produce biological, biochemical,
biomechanical and morphological changes which can produce the
conditions of inflammation and abnormal biomechanics in the
degenerated disc. Recent studies also showed that painful discs
had blood vessels and pain sensing nerve endings into the middles
of degenerated discs, indicating the pain sensory potential.
However, our understandings of the pathology, mechanism, and
consequence of disc degeneration remain still primitive. Furthermore,
there has been no investigation of the roles of back muscles
in governing the spinal biomechanical environment although it
may be the most crucial factor in controlling the normal function
of the spine because spinal muscles can produce mechanical loads
required for normal actions. Results of our current analytical
studies show that the spinal muscles are able to produce the
follower load in the spine which can maximize the spinal stability
without losing the segmental flexibilities. It was predicted
that the strength of short segmental muscles is utterly important
to produce the follower loads, indicating that the damage of
those short muscles during the surgery may cause the post surgical
problems later. Our in-vivo study results also demonstrate that
the application of shear force (occurring when the follower
load can not be established) induces the early disc degeneration
and pain behavior in rats. These indicate that the normal function
of the spinal muscles is crucial not only for DDD but also for
maintaining the treated conditions. Such understanding led us
to consider an innovative non-surgical method for treating DDD.
The underlying rationale is that most DDD patients can be treated
with the proper strengthening of back muscles. However, patients
can not have normal activities and muscle strengthening exercises
due to LBP. Thus, we have developed new temperature responsive
hydrogel and biodegradable microspheres which can deliver the
pain relieving agent into the painful disc through percutaneous
injection and release it in a controlled manner for active pain
control for about 6 months. Also suggested is a new clinical
paradigm for better diagnosis and treatment of discogenic LBP
using our new drug delivery system. |
| Sponsor |
: |
R. Magin, (Big 10 exchange) |
|
| Date |
: |
Sep. 25, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Dr. Kevin Otto |
| Position |
: |
Biomedical Engineering/Biological Sciences
at Purdue |
| Title |
: |
TBA |
| Abstract |
: |
TBA |
| Sponsor |
: |
P. Rousche |
|
| Date |
: |
Oct. 2, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Igor Titushkin, PhD. |
| Position |
: |
Research Assistant Professor of Bioengineering |
| Title |
: |
Real-time cellular responses to millimeter
wave electromagnetic radiation |
| Abstract |
: |
Exposure to millimeter-wave
(MMW) radiation is known to cause a rapid temperature rise in
biological tissues. Although this property of high-frequency
electromagnetic field is currently used, for example, in military
active denial systems and therapeutic applications, the exact
molecular mechanisms mediating physiological sensory responses
to such radiation exposure remain unexplored. Since MMW penetration
into biological tissues is rather shallow, the biological responses
to such stimulation are likely to occur in epidermal and dermal
skin layers with further activation of neural pathways. We therefore
used a custom-designed 94 GHz exposure system and mouse stem
cell-derived neurons for investigation of real-time subcellular
processes (e.g., calcium oscillation and nitric oxide production)
induced by 94 GHz radiation exposure. Application of a 94 GHz
electromagnetic field at the 18.5 kW/m2 power density causes
~8°C temperature rise and also results in an increase of intracellular
Ca2+ oscillation frequency in neurodifferentiated cells exhibiting
Ca2+ activity. Reorganization of the actin microfilaments by
a 94 GHz field seems to play a crucial role in modulating not
only Ca2+ activity but also cell biomechanics. Many, but not
all observed cellular responses to MMW are similar to thermally-induced
effects. For example, cell exposure to a 94 GHz radiation induced
nitric oxide production in some morphologically distinct neuronal
cells, which could not be reproduced by thermal heating of cells
up to 42 °C. Our findings may be useful to establish quantitative
molecular benchmarks for elucidation of nociception mechanisms
and evaluation of potential adverse bioeffects associated with
MMW exposure. Moreover, control of Ca2+ dynamics by MMW irradiation
may offer new tools for regulation of Ca2+-dependent cellular
and molecular activities, for example, in tissue engineering
applications. |
| Sponsor |
: |
M. Cho |
|
| Date |
: |
Oct. 9, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Patrick Salmon, PhD |
| Position |
: |
University of Geneva in Switzerland |
| Title |
: |
Genetic Engineering using Lentiviral
Vectors |
| Abstract |
: |
Lentiviral vectors have evolved
over the last decade as powerful, >reliable and safe tools for
stable gene transfer in a wide variety of >mammalian cells.
Contrary to other vectors derived from oncoretroviruses, >they
allow for stable gene delivery into most non-dividing primary
cells. In >particular, lentivectors (LVs) derived from HIV-1
have gradually evolved to >display many desirable features aimed
at increasing both their safety and >their versatility. This
is why lentiviral vectors are becoming the most >useful and
promising tools for genetic engineering, to generate cells that
>can be used for research, diagnosis and therapy. We will review
basics and >latest designs in LV technology. |
| Sponsor |
: |
J. Oberholzer |
|
| Date |
: |
Oct. 16, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Qingbo K. Li, Ph.D. |
| Position |
: |
Asst. Professor, Center for Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology & Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
University of Illinois at Chicago |
| Title |
: |
A systems biology approach to study
the phagosomal proteome modulated by mycobacterial infections
|
| Abstract |
: |
Systems biology and proteomics
have recently contributed significantly to the insight into
the biogenesis and immunity-related functions of the phagosome.
To gain insight into the modulation of the phagosomal proteome
by the wild-type Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv reference
strain, an attenuated mutant of the H37Rv strain, and the BCG
Pasteur vaccine strain, we employed the nano-liquid chromatography/LTQ-FTMS
based proteomics approach and a systems biology approach to
analyze the bacillus-containing phagosomes purified from the
bone-marrow-derived BMA3.A3 macrophages infected with the three
different mycobacterial strains. We identified 322 proteins
at a false-discovery rate of 2%. These proteins were quantified
with a label-free proteomics method. All but one of these proteins
is mouse proteins. The gene ontology analysis of these mouse
proteins suggests that lysosomal proteins represented <3% of
the detected proteins, supporting the observation that these
mycobacterial strains inhibit or limit the phagosome maturation
process. The results also indicate that the endoplasmic reticulum
(ER) proteins do not constitute a major part of the phagosome
proteome, supporting the phagosome maturation model of the role
of ER in phagosome biogenesis. This phagosome maturation model
is in contrast to the phagocytosis model which predicts that
half of the phagosome membrane is derived from ER. This pilot
study demonstrates that a combination of proteomics, multivariate
analysis, and systems biology promises to bring forward new
insights into the mycobacterial pathogenesis and the interconnected
phagosome biology. |
| Sponsor |
: |
|
|
| Date |
: |
Oct. 23, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Bob Eisenberg, Ph.D. |
| Position |
: |
Bard Professor and Chairman, Dept of Molecular
Biophysics & Physiology, Rush Medical Center |
| Title |
: |
TBA |
| Abstract |
: |
Ion channels are appealing
objects for physical investigation because conformation changes
are not involved in channel function, once the channel is open.
Ions move in a structure that does not vary even by 0.1 Å on
the biological time scale of 10 5 sec. Open channels are interesting
objects for chemical study because they effectively select among
chemically similar ions, under unfavorable circumstances. Channels
are interesting objects for physical study because they contain
an enormous density of charge, fixed, mobile, and induced. Direct
simulation of channel behavior in atomic detail is difficult
if not impossible, because ion transit takes ~ 10 nsec; concentrations
of 10 6 to 55 M must be accurately represented in a single calculation,
and macroscopic electric fields and concentration gradients
produce substantial flows, making equilibrium analysis unhelpful.
Simple models in the tradition of macroscopic engineering are
surprisingly successful in describing selectivity. The dramatic
selectivity of Ca channels arises automatically if the ions
and glutamic oxygens of the selectivity filter of the channel
are represented as charged spheres within a dielectric sheath.
The four permanent charges EEEE of the selectivity filter force
the channel to hold four positive mobile charges, making a concentration
of ~ 17M univalent charge. Four (monovalent) sodium ions occupy
twice the volume of two (divalent) calciums; the resulting difference
in crowding produces calcium selectivity, by changing ion specific
free energy. Amazingly, the same model with the same parameters
produces a highly selective Na+ channel if the selectivity filter
is mutated to DEKA. The resulting Na channel is both charge
selective for Na+ vs. Ca++ and size selective for Na+ vs. K+.
This model accounts for selectivity in a wide range conditions
with two parameters with the same unchanging values in both
calcium and sodium channels. The model does not involve any
traditional chemical energies. The binding free energy is an
output of the calculation, produced by the crowding of charged
spheres in a very small space. How can such a simple model give
such specific results when crystallographic wisdom and chemical
intuition says that selectivity depends on the precise structural
relation of ions and side chains? The answer is that structure
is the computed consequence of the forces in this model and
is very important, but as an output of the model, not as an
input. The relationship of ions and side chains vary with ionic
solution and are very different in simulations of Na and Ca
channels at different concentrations. Selectivity is a consequence
of the 'induced fit' of side chains to ions and vice versa.
The simplified model (probably) works because the structures
in both the model and the real channel are the most stable.
They are self-organized and at their free energy minimum, forming
different structures in different conditions. It seems that
an important biological function can be understood by an model
oversimplified in the engineering tradition if the model calculates
the 'most stable' structure as it changes from solution to solution,
and mutation to mutation. Calculations of 'free energy of binding'
in infinitely dilute or ideal solutions are not likely to give
useful estimates of binding in physiological solutions. |
| Sponsor |
: |
T. Royston |
|
| Date |
: |
Oct. 30, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Dr. William Olbricht, Ph.D. |
| Position |
: |
Professor Chemical and Biomolecular and
Department Chairman in Bioengineering at Cornell University |
| Title |
: |
Microfabricated Devices for Drug Delivery
to the Brain |
| Abstract |
: |
Convection-enhanced delivery
(CED) is a novel method of administering chemotherapeutics and
other compounds for the treatment of brain tumors and certain
neurological disorders. In CED, compounds are infused directly
into the interstitium of brain tissue through a needle or catheter
implanted in the brain. Transport of the infused compounds in
the vicinity of the needle is dominated by convection, which
enhances drug penetration into tissue compared with diffusion-mediated
delivery. Because CED bypasses the blood-brain barrier, it can
be used to deliver compounds that cannot be delivered to the
brain by systemic means, including proteins, viral vectors,
growth factors, and molecules packaged in nanoparticles and
liposomes. The challenge in CED is to achieve high infusion
rates into the brain while controlling the spatial and temporal
distribution of the infused material. We have developed a series
of microfabricated catheters and other tools to improve the
performance of CED in practice. The microfabricated catheters
have several advantages over needles: they are much smaller
than needles, which helps in achieving high infusion rates;
they can be equipped to deliver several fluids sequentially
to the same point in the brain, which is difficult to do with
needles; and they can be made flexible to minimize tissue damage.
This seminar will review some of the results achieved with these
devices during in vitro and in vivo CED experiments involving
infusions of a variety of materials including nanoparticles.
We will show how the devices can be used to modify properties
of the tissue to enhance transport of infused therapeutic compounds.
We will also examine the motion of infused nanoparticles on
the cellular scale, which reveals information that is useful
in developing CED strategies. |
| Sponsor |
: |
A. Linninger |
|
| Date |
: |
Nov. 6, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Alex Tropsha, Ph.D. |
| Position |
: |
Professor and Chair, Medicinal Chemistry
and Natural Products, University of North Carolina, Eshelman
School of Pharmacy. |
| Title |
: |
Computational Geometry of Proteins:
Identification of family-specific residue packing motifs and
their application for structure-based protein function prediction. |
| Abstract |
: |
Protein function prediction
is one of the central problems in computational biology. We
have developed a novel automated protein structure-based function
prediction method using libraries of local residue packing patterns
that are common to most proteins in a known functional family.
Critical to this approach is the representation of a protein
structure as a graph (derived from Delaunay tessellation of
a structure) where residue vertices (residue name used as a
vertex label) are connected by geometrical proximity edges.
The approach employs a fast subgraph mining algorithm to find
all occurrences of family-specific labeled subgraphs for all
well characterized protein structural and functional families.
Then, it queries a new structure for occurrences of a set of
motifs characteristic of a known family. This method can assign
a new structure to a specific functional family in cases where
sequence alignments, sequence patterns, structural superposition
and active site templates fail to provide accurate annotation.
|
| Sponsor |
: |
J. Liang |
|
| Date |
: |
Nov. 13, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
Prof Qing Nie, PhD. |
| Position |
: |
Professor in Mathematics at University of
California at Irvine |
| Title |
: |
Systems Biology of Signaling and Patterning |
| Abstract |
: |
The proper growth, development,
and survival of an organism require extensive and accurate communication
among the cells of the organism. Hence, cells sense and react
to a wide variety of stimuli, which convey information such
as nutrients, harmful insults, and the state of neighboring
cells. Using a systems biology approach that integrates modeling
and experimentation, we study two signaling and patterning systems:
1) robust sensing and signal transduction during mating of yeast
cells, and 2) robust dorsal-ventral patterning in Zebrafish
and fly embryo development. |
| Sponsor |
: |
J. Liang |
|
| Date |
: |
** Nov. 20,
2009 12pm, Room 1043, ERF 842 W Taylor, Chicago, IL 60607 |
| Speaker |
: |
Dr.
Richard L Ehman, MD |
| Position |
: |
Professor and Chair of Radiology, Physiology
and Biomedical Engineering, Dept. of Radiology, Mayo Clinic |
| Title |
: |
Magnetic Resonance Elastography: A New
Touch in Medical Imaging |
| Abstract |
: |
Many disease processes cause
profound changes in the mechanical properties of tissues. This
accounts for the efficacy of palpation for detecting abnormalities
and provides motivation for developing practical methods to
quantitatively image tissue elasticity. Magnetic Resonance Elastography
(MRE) is an emerging imaging technique that uses a specialized
phase-contrast MRI technique to visualize propagating acoustic
waves generated by surface drivers, inertial effects, acoustic
radiation pressure, or endogenous mechanisms. MRE acquisition
sequences are capable of visualizing waves of less a micron
in amplitude in vivo. Inversion algorithms are used to process
the wave data to generate maps of properties such as stiffness,
viscosity, attenuation, and anisotropic behavior, providing
access to a new range of previously unexplored tissue imaging
biomarkers. Human studies have demonstrated that it is feasible
to quantitatively image the mechanical properties of normal
skeletal muscle, gray and white matter in the brain, thyroid,
myocardium, kidney, liver, and skin. Preliminary clinical studies
have used the technique to demonstrate and evaluate tumors of
the breast, brain, thyroid, and liver. The first established
clinical application of the technology is for detection of hepatic
fibrosis. Emerging evidence suggests that in addition to being
safer, more comfortable, and less expensive, MRE is at least
as accurate as liver biopsy for this diagnosis. In the expanding
field of the mechanobiology, MRE provides access to a new and
largely unexplored range of quantitative biomarkers.
|
| Sponsor |
: |
T. Royston |
|
| Date |
: |
Nov. 27, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
NO
SEMINAR - HOLIDAY - NO SEMINAR |
|
| Date |
: |
Dec. 4, 2009 |
| Speaker |
: |
|
| Position |
: |
|
| Title |
: |
TBA |
| Abstract |
: |
|
| Sponsor |
: |
|
|
|
