Deepak Vashishth, Ph.D.

In an article published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Dr. Deepak Vashishth and Joan Llabre, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, presented evidence of a link between Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and diabetes. While recent evidence showed loss of bone mineral density with Alzheimer’s disease, this is the first study to demonstrate the effects of the Alzheimer’s disease phenotype on bone quality and link changes in bone and amyloid formation in the brain.

Currently there is no way to measure amyloid load in brain. Modifications in bone can predict amyloids in the brain. Additionally, the protein modifications in bone are caused by sugar and are commonly seen in diabetes and aging. This finding therefore provides a potential mechanism of links between diabetes and Alzheimer’s… Continue reading.

A loss of enzymatic processes within the body can increase a person’s risk of bone fracture. This new insight was recently published in eLife by an international team of scientists and engineers led by Deepak Vashishth, the director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Enzymatic processes are essential to any number of chemical reactions that occur within the body, including the production of the extracellular matrix within bone that is critical for mechanical support. Phosphorylation — one of those key enzymatic processes — is the attachment of a phosphoryl to a protein, and is critical for cellular regulation. This process plays a role in many diseases, but until now, researchers didn’t know if it altered tissue integrity and organ function… Continue reading.

New device for making masks reusable in fight against COVID-19 being tested at Mount Sinai

The shortage of critical personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a persistent problem for medical and other front-line workers as they battle the COVID-19 pandemic at close range day after day. A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has developed a potential solution: a machine that uses ultraviolet (UVC) light to sterilize thousands of protective masks each day, rendering them safe for reuse.

“At Rensselaer, we are focused on solving global challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly among the most significant of these in our lifetimes,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “Our interdisciplinary approach, combined with the passion and ingenuity of our researchers, enables us to contribute solutions in this crisis that will continue to be helpful even after it has passed… Continue reading.

Troy, N.Y. – As we age, our bones grow more brittle and more susceptible to fracture. Individuals with diabetes or with certain types of osteoporosis often are similarly afflicted with brittle bones.

A new study from biomedical engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute demonstrates how the compound N-phenacylthiazolium bromide, or PTB, dissolves the sugary impurities within bone tissue that cause our femurs, fibulas, and other bones to become more fragile.

Using PTB to reduce bone fragility and boost bone flexibility could lead to new strategies for preventing bone fractures in elderly individuals, as well as accelerated bone healing in patients with diabetes or osteoporosis.

“This study opens the door to new ways of thinking about the well-established, highly serious problem of brittle bones,” said Deepak Vashishth, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer, who led the study. “These research findings are an important milestone on the path to our long-term goal of realizing a drug-based intervention for reducing age-related changes in bone tissue.”

Deepak Vashishth, a bone and tissue engineering expert, and current head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been appointed director of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS), effective April 16. He succeeds Jonathan Dordick, who is now vice president for research.

“Deepak Vashishth is well recognized as a prominent leader within his field, which is itself an embodiment of the interdisciplinary work that is at the heart of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “He is a tireless researcher and an established leader, and I am confident that the center will continue to develop and flourish under his direction.”

The findings by engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture.

Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the study details how fractures in healthy bones begin with the creation of incredibly tiny holes, each measuring only about 500 atoms in diameter, within the bone’s mineral structure.

In the case of a slip, trip, or fall, the force of the impact on a bone physically deforms a pair of joined proteins, osteopontin and osteocalcin, and results in the formation of nanoscale holes. These holes, called dilatational bands, function as a natural defense mechanism, and help to prevent further damage to the surrounding bone. However, if the force of the impact is too great—or if the bone is lacking osteopontin, osteocalcin, or both—the bone will crack and fracture.

The multi-university study, led by Deepak Vashishth, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer, is the first to give evidence of fracture at the level of bone’s nanostructure. Partnering with Rensselaer on the study were Villanova University, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and Yale University.

A team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has found—for the first time—how the protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture. This work, led by Deepak Vashishth, Ph.D., head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer, is the first to give evidence of fracture at the level of bone’s nanostructure. Additional partners include Villanova University, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and Yale University.

A study from engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture.

Funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the study details how fractures in healthy bones begin with the creation of incredibly tiny holes, each measuring only about 500 atoms in diameter, within the bone’s mineral structure. In the case of a slip, trip, or fall, the force of the impact on a bone physically deforms a pair of joined proteins, osteopontin and osteocalcin, and results in the formation of nanoscale holes. These holes, called dilatational bands, function as a natural defense mechanism, and help to prevent further damage to the surrounding bone. However, if the force of the impact is too great—or if the bone is lacking osteopontin, osteocalcin, or both—the bone will crack and fracture.

The multi-university study, led by Deepak Vashishth, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer, is the first to give evidence of fracture at the level of bone’s nanostructure. Partnering with Rensselaer on the study were Villanova University, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and Yale University.

Engineering Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Have Developed New Process for the Microdissection and In-Depth Biochemical Analysis of Bone Tissue

A new technique developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute allows researchers to collect large amounts of biochemical information from nanoscale bone samples.

Along with adding important new insights into the fight against osteoporosis, this innovation opens up an entirely new proteomics-based approach to analyzing bone quality. It could even aid the archeological and forensic study of human skeletons.

“We’re able to take very small, nanoscale-sized bone samples, and determine the protein signatures of the bone,” said Deepak Vashishth, head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer, who led the study. “This is a relatively quick, easy way for us to determine the history of the bone – how and when it formed – as well as the quality of the bone, and its likelihood to fracture.”

Results of the study, titled “Biochemical Characterization of Major Bone-Matrix Proteins Using Nanoscale-Size Bone Samples and Proteomics Methodology,” were released online in late May by the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics . The journal, published by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, will also feature the paper in an upcoming print edition. The study may be viewed online at: http://bit.ly/lAfSfI.

A new five-year study is likely to lead to the development of new ways of diagnosing osteoporosis and more effective drugs to combat the disease, it has been claimed.

The research, which has been funded by the US National Institutes of Health, will be led by Deepak Vashishth, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer.

In conjunction with researchers from Yale University and the Hospital of Special Surgery, Professor Vashishth will assess the long-term impact of the proteins osteocalcin and osteopontin on bone fractures.

A $1.76 million study at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeks to identify new methods of diagnosing osteoporosis and inform the development of next-generation drugs to treat the bone disease.

The five-year study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), is led by Deepak Vashishth, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer. Partnering with researchers from Yale University and the Hospital of Special Surgery, Vashishth will investigate what role two proteins, osteocalcin and osteopontin, play in bone fractures over time.

“Age-related bone fractures are a major health problem in the United States, and the risk of suffering this kind of fracture increases as we get older and our bones grow more fragile,” Vashishth said. “Our study examines how the proteins osteocalcin and osteopontin may impact bone fragility and fracture. We’re confident that our results will lead to new methods of diagnosing osteoporosis, provide new targets for drug development, and advance the fight against this devastating disease.”