AIMBE
Fellowbook News
AIMBE Fellowbook collects news stories highlighting the members of the AIMBE College of Fellows. Read the latest stories, jump to the College Directory, or search below to find the newest research, awards, announcements and more for the leaders of the medical and biological engineering community.
New Cancer Treatment Uses Enzymes to Boost Immune System and Fight Back
George Georgiou | Via The University of Texas at Austin | August 30, 2018Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a new approach to treating cancer using enzyme therapy. The enzyme, PEG-KYNase, does not directly kill cancer cells but instead empowers the immune system to eradicate unwanted cells on its own. PEG-KYNase is designed to degrade kynurenine, a metabolite produced by numerous tumors that suppresses […]
Decoding the Brain
Karen Moxon | Via UC Davis | August 30, 2018In the last decade, researchers in academia and the technology sector have been racing to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence. In parallel with federally-funded efforts from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, heavy-hitters such as Microsoft, Facebook and Google are deeply invested in artificial intelligence. As part of the BRAIN Initiative, […]
Scientists alter membrane proteins to make them easier to study
Shuguang Zhang | Via MIT | August 27, 2018About 30 percent of the proteins encoded by the human genome are membrane proteins — proteins that span the cell membrane so they can facilitate communication between cells and their environment. These molecules are critical for learning, seeing, and sensing odors, among many other functions. Despite the prevalence of these proteins, scientists have had difficulty […]
Mass. General study defines mechanisms behind focused-ultrasound-assisted treatment of brain tumors
Rakesh Jain | Via Massachusetts General Hospital | August 27, 2018A study led by a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has analyzed, for the first time, the mechanisms underlying the use of focused ultrasound to improve the delivery of anti-cancer drugs across the blood brain barrier into brain tumors. Their report published in PNAS uses advanced microcopy techniques and mathematical modeling to track […]
One step closer to bioengineered replacements for vessels and ducts
Ali Khademhosseini | Via EurekAlert | August 24, 2018A team of Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers have developed a way to bioprint tubular structures that better mimic native vessels and ducts in the body. The 3-D bioprinting technique allows fine-tuning of the printed tissues’ properties, such as number of layers and ability to transport nutrients. These more complex tissues offer potentially viable replacements […]
Deep Learning Attacks Joint Degeneration and Osteoarthritis: Musculoskeletal Imaging Research Published in ‘Radiology’
Sharmila Majumdar | Via University of California, San Francisco | August 23, 2018Deep learning has become a powerful tool in radiology in recent years. Researchers at the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging have started using deep learning methods to characterize joint degeneration and osteoarthritis, which will ultimately reduce the number of total joint replacements. In a recent paper published in Radiology (PubMed) they […]
Cleavage of the leptin receptor by matrix metalloproteinase–2 promotes leptin resistance and obesity in mice
Geert Schmid-Schoenbein | Via AAAS | August 22, 2018R. Mazor, D. Friedmann-Morvinski, T. Alsaigh, O. Kleifeld, E. B. Kistler, L. Rousso-Noori, C. Huang, J. B. Li, I. M. Verma, G. W. Schmid-Schönbein Restoring leptin’s effects in obesity Obesity is the most common metabolic disease in the developed world. Although obese individuals have increased plasma concentrations of the anorexigenic hormone leptin, they are refractory […]
Dean Loboa named vice chancellor for Strategic Partnerships
Elizabeth Loboa | Via University of Missouri | August 22, 2018University of Missouri Chancellor Alexander Cartwright appointed MU Engineering Dean Elizabeth Loboa as the vice chancellor for Strategic Partnerships during his campus address on Wednesday. She will hold the position in addition to her duties as dean. In this dual role, Loboa will be the primary MU contact for the UM System Precision Medicine Initiative, […]
Michele Grimm earns Fellow status from Biomedical Engineering Society
Michele Grimm | Via Wayne State University | August 21, 2018The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) has elected Michele Grimm, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Wayne State University, to the BMES Class of 2018 Fellows, a distinguished group of biomedical engineers who demonstrate exceptional achievements and experience in the field as well as a history of active membership in the Society. The Class of 2018 […]
Rory Cooper is Driven to Solve Problems for Disabled People
Rory Cooper | Via AAAS | August 20, 2018As a young man, facing life after suffering a spinal cord injury in a bicycling accident in 1980, AAAS Fellow and AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador Rory Cooper wanted three things — to become an engineer, to be able to support a family, and to make a difference in the world. But he didn’t think he could […]
ICME Approaches to Innovation in Biomedical Implants Workshop
Bikramjit Basu | Via AIMBE | August 11, 2018Proof-of-concept technique makes nanoparticles attractive for new medications
You Han Bae | Via MD Linx | August 9, 2018Since the development of insulin to manage diabetes, pharmacists have longed to create an insulin pill. Past attempts have failed because insulin does not survive the harsh conditions of the GI system and cannot easily cross the GI wall. Researchers at University of Utah Health developed a proof-of-concept technology using nanoparticles that could offer a […]
Genetic Mutations of Appendix Cancer Identified, May Impact Treatment
Trey Ideker | Via UC San Diego | August 8, 2018The rarity of appendix cancer, accounting for less than 1 percent of tumors that originate in the gastrointestinal tract, and the lack of scientific data for this disease means that current treatment guidelines recommend applying therapies to people with appendix cancer that are intended for those with colon cancer. To understand why some patients with […]
Denali Therapeutics Appoints Dana Andersen, Ph.D., as Chief Technical and Manufacturing Officer
Dana Andersen | Via GlobeNewsWire | August 7, 2018Denali Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing a broad portfolio of product candidates for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that Dr. Dana Andersen has joined the company as Chief Technical and Manufacturing Officer. Dr. Andersen joins Denali from Genentech, where he served in various roles for nearly 23 years, working most recently as Vice President and Global […]
Gilda Barabino earns second national award this summer
Gilda Barabino | Via CCNY | August 1, 2018The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers presents its 2018 Dr. Joseph N. Cannon Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering to Gilda A. Barabino, dean of The City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering this fall. The award recognizes her excellent achievements in chemical engineering. Barabino will […]
Inexpensive biology kits offer hands-on experience with DNA
James Collins | Via MIT | August 1, 2018To help students gain a better grasp of biological concepts, MIT and Northwestern University researchers have designed educational kits that can be used to perform experiments with DNA, to produce glowing proteins, scents, or other easily observed phenomena. Biology teachers could use the BioBits kits to demonstrate key concepts such as how DNA is translated […]
Student-Built Online Game Accompanies Online Class
Angelique Louie | Via UC davis | July 31, 2018When Professor Angelique Louie needed some help with her online course “Introduction to Research,” she enlisted a little help from experts such as science fiction author H.G. Wells, biochemist Rosalind Franklin and poet Alexander Pushkin. Well, sort of. Wells, Franklin and Pushkin are among the “nonplayer characters” who inhabit an online game developed to accompany […]
Professor Bischof named director of University’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine
John Bischof | Via University of Minnesota | July 30, 2018Distinguished McKnight University Professor John Bischof has been appointed for a three-year term as director of the University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM). He has served as interim director during the past year. As director of IEM, Bischof will report to both the University of Minnesota Dean of the Medical School and […]
Novel polymer foam device receives FDA clearance for cardiovascular treatments
Duncan Maitland | Via Texas A&M | July 27, 2018A lifesaving device more than 20 years in the making has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The clearance allows a company, co-founded by Associate Department Head Dr. Duncan Maitland from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, to begin to market the medical device. Maitland developed the […]
Doctors rely on more than just data for medical decision making
Roger Mark | Via MIT | July 20, 2018Many technology companies are working on artificial intelligence systems that can analyze medical data to help diagnose or treat health problems. Such systems raise the question of whether this kind of technology can perform as well as a human doctor. A new study from MIT computer scientists suggests that human doctors provide a dimension that, […]