Biomedical Engineering Magazine

MAGA ZINE / 2015

DETECTING MALARIA

WITH A SMARTPHONE

BUYING TIME P. 6 MENDING THE GAP P. 10 LONG-DISTANCE LIFE SAVER

P. 21

P. 18 Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 1

CONTENTS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 8 6 10 18 21 14

Letter from the Department Head Anthony Guiseppi-Elie Faculty Recognition Buying Time Mending the Gap

Long-Distance Life Saver Detecting Malaria with a Smart Phone Early Impact

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Exploring Collagen Growth

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Answering Problems with Prototypes

30 Student Recognition

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LEADERS IN ENGINEERING The department’s outstanding faculty members are are internationally recognized with collaborative relationships that span engineering, physical and natural sciences, medicine and veterinary sciences. They are committed to the department’s core mission of serving its students, the State of Texas and the biomedical engineering profession.

HIGH IMPACT Committed to solving the world’s greatest health problems through the exploration of new ideas, integrated research and innovation, the Department of Biomedical Engineering has unique strengths in regenerative medicine, medical augmentation, molecular diagnostics/theranostics, tele-health, and precision medicine.

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DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW Faculty Tenured/tenure-track faculty 20 Professors 7 Associate Professors 11 Assistant Professors 2 Professors of Practice 3 Professorship and Chair Holders 3 NSF Early Investigator Awards 7

Primary Areas of Study Biomaterials Biomechanics Biomedical Electronics and Instrumentation Biomedical Imaging Biomedical Optics Biomedical Signal Processing Biophotonics Cardiac, Vascular and Cellular Mechanics Computational Mechanics Computer Simulation of Biomolecules

NOTEWORTHY Research within the department has resulted in new patents, new companies and new economic activity. With increasing demands for quality medical devices, procedures and improved cost-effectiveness, the Department of Biomedical Engineering is positioned to lead the way in the development, testing and commercialization of products, systems and technologies.

STUDENTS Students within the department receive a broad education in engineering and the life and natural sciences for further graduate studies, careers in the medical device or biotechnology industries, or entry into medical or other professional schools. Graduates of both the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs are poised to become leaders in biotechnology industries, medicine and the public sector.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Nano and Micro Biosensing and Imaging Polymer Colloids and Hydrogels Tissue Engineering

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University COVER Professor Cote. Story, page 21 Photo by Igor Kraguljac ENGINEERING COMMUNICATIONS Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University

DESIGN Brian Gardner Rachel Mayor WRITING Ryan Garcia

EDITING Ryan Garcia Tim Schnettler

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 3

LE ADERS IN ENGINEERING

4 Department of Biomedical Engineering

Message from the Department Head

Howdy! It is my pleasure to join Texas A&M University as new head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

I am graced with the warm and enthusiastic welcome of the dean’s office and of my colleagues and am energized by the opportunity to lead a department that clearly has the correct trajectory but must face the multipronged challenges of growth, continued ascendance, national and international impact, globalization and student engagement. I am delighted to announce my Innovate-to-Achieve departmental initiative that is formulated in response to the Dwight Look College of Engineering’s 25 by 25 Initiative.

Elements of this departmental initiative include:

• The recruitment of five full-time, tenure-track faculty with appointments at the levels of assistant professor, associate professor and full professor throughout the next two years –5IN2.

• The design and implementation of a biomolecular and cellular engineering track within the undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum.

• Evaluation of the feasibility for the implementation of a curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Clinical Engineering.

• Evaluation of the feasibility for the implementation of a curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Clinical Engineering and the M.D. in six years - BSMD6.

• Appointment of a professor of practice to serve as director of instructional enhancement in biomedical engineering.

• Appointment of a professor of practice to serve as director of global engagement in biomedical engineering.

• A reorientation of our scholarly research to emphasize translational themes and innovation that takes us far forward into the clinic.

Allow me to expand on this last point. As biomedical engineers, we often share quite diverse technical origins with early emphasis in one or other of the engineering disciplines. Many of our departments were fledgling programs within other established departments. Our own biomedical engineering program at Texas A&M was incubated within industrial engineering. As a consequence, our traditional scholarly focus has been on technically enabling research areas such as “biomedical optics,” “cardiovascular biomechanics,” and “biomaterials”. As our programs mature and as we seek to develop engineered solutions to clinically important problems, we biomedical engineers must view ourselves in decidedly medical terms. Hence, the enabling research areas must now be replaced by clinically focused themes such as regenerative medicine, medical augmentation, molecular diagnostics, tele-health and precision medicine. These are the thematic areas that present the most pressing clinical need and are thus the areas where we are called upon to serve.

And to our students – I know that like me, you were drawn to biomedical engineering because you saw an opportunity to save lives, change patient morbidity and improve the quality of life for so many who suffer needlessly.

Yes, you have passion for service, and our faculty and staff here in the Department of Biomedical Engineering will nurture your passion. However, we encourage you to combine that passion with compassion. I encourage you to look to the global health challenges and health care disparities here at home as issues that demand both passion and compassion. I do not like that the past or precedent should hold the present and the future for ransom. We must make new paths, engage new frontiers, be bold and be first, we must “Gig ‘em” – early and often.

Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, Sc.D., FAIMBE, FRSC | TEES Professor and Head Department of Biomedical Engineering | Texas A&M University

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 5

HIGH IMPACT

Buying Time A Texas A&M-MIT-Harvard team is developing a field-ready, injectable treatment for soldiers wounded in battle intended to keep them alive long enough to transport them to a medical facility.

Internal bleeding is a leading cause of death on the battlefield, but a new, injectable material developed by a team of researchers from Texas A&M University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School could buy wounded soldiers the time they need to survive by preventing blood loss from serious internal injuries.

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The potentially life-saving treatment comes in the form of a biodegradable gelatin substance that has been embedded with nano-sized silicate discs that aid in coagulation. Once injected, the material locks into place at the site of the injury and rapidly decreases the time it takes for blood to clot – in some instances by a whopping 77 percent, says Akhilesh Gaharwar, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M and member of the research team. The team’s findings are detailed in the scientific journal “ACS Nano” and supported by the U.S. Army Research Office.

Though it’s still in early testing, Gaharwar envisions the biomaterial being preloaded into syringes that soldiers can carry with them into combat situations. If a soldier experiences a penetrating, incompressible injury – one where it is difficult if not impossible to apply the pressure needed to stop the bleeding – he or she can inject the material into the wound site where it will trigger a rapid coagulation and provide enough time to get to a medical facility for treatment, he says.

“The time to get to a medical facility can take a half hour to an hour, and this hour is crucial; it can decide life and death,” Gaharwar says. “Our material’s combination of injectability, rapid mechanical recovery, physiological stability and the ability to promote coagulation result in a hemostat for treating incompressible wounds in out-of-hospital, emergency situations,” Gaharwar says.

Unlike some injectable solutions, which pose the risk of flowing to other parts of the body and forming unintended and potentially harmful clot formations, the material designed by Gaharwar and his colleagues solidifies at the site of the wound and begins promoting coagulation in the targeted area. What’s more, it accomplishes this, Gaharwar explains, without the need for applied pressure, separating it from other types of wound treatments such as tourniquets, patches and sealants.

“Most of these penetrating injuries, which today are the result of explosive devices, rupture blood vessels and create internal hemorrhages through which a person is constantly losing blood,” Gaharwar notes. “You can’t apply pressure inside your body, so you have to have something that can quickly clot the blood without needing pressure.”

For example, a sheet of paper is 100,000 nanometers thick; Gaharwar’s nanoplatelets are one nanometer thick.

Gaharwar and his colleagues employ two-dimensional, discshaped particles known as synthetic silicate nanoplatelets. Because of their shape, these platelets have a high surface area, he explains.

The structure, composition and arrangement of the platelets result in both positive and negative charges on each particle. These charges, Gaharwar explains, cause the platelets to interact with the hydrogel in a unique way. Specifically, the interaction causes the gel to temporarily undergo a change in its viscosity when mechanical force is applied, much like ketchup being squeezed from a bottle. This change allows the hydrogel to be injected and regain its shape once inside the body, Gaharwar explains.

In addition to changing the mechanical properties of the hydrogel, these disc-shaped nanoplatelets interact with blood to promote clotting, Gaharwar says, noting that animal models have shown clot formation occurring in about one minute as opposed to five minutes without the presence of these nanoparticles. Animal model, he adds, also have demonstrated the formation of lifesaving clot formations when the enhanced biomaterial was used.

“These 2-D, silicate nanoparticles are unprecedented in the biomedical field, and their use promises to lead to both conceptual and therapeutic advances in the important and emerging field of tissue engineering, drug delivery, cancer therapies and immune engineering,” Gaharwar says.

Encouraged by its results, the team plans on further enhancing the biomaterial so that it can initiate regeneration of damaged tissues through the formation of new blood vessels, Gaharwar says. The result, he adds, could be a two-pronged wound treatment – one that not only aids in damage control but also assists the body’s natural healing process.

In order to engineer the material, Gaharwar and his fellow researchers went about modifying a substance known as a hydrogel. Hydrogels are biodegradable materials used in a Members of the research team include Ali Khademhosseini, number of biomedical applications because of their compatibility professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard with the body and its processes. By inserting two-dimensional Medical School; and Bradley D. Olsen, assistant professor of nanoplatelets into the hydrogel, the team was able to tweak the chemical engineering at MIT. mechanical properties of material. Essentially, they manipulated the material so that it could be injected into the body and then regain its shape once inside the body – something Using Synthetic Nanoplatelets to Expedite Wound Clotting necessary for locking itself in place at the wound site, Gaharwar explains.

The use of two-dimensional materials, Gaharwar says, represents a new direction in biomedical engineering. Two-dimensional materials are ultra thin substances with high surface area but a thickness of a few nanometers or less. Think of a sheet of paper but on a much smaller scale.

Once injected, nanoplatelets in the hydrogel interact with blood to promote clotting – in some instances decreasing normal clotting time by 77 percent.

Scan the QR code to learn more about this research.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 7

LE ADERS IN ENGINEERING D. Maitland Wins 2015 Innovation Award Duncan Maitland, the Stewart & Stevenson Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named recipient of the 2015 Innovation Award, presented by Texas A&M System Technology Commercialization (TTC).

The award recognizes individuals whose research and accomplishments exemplify the spirit of innovation within The Texas A&M University System. Maitland received the award during the annual Patent and Innovations Awards event, held in May at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.

“Dr. Maitland was recognized with an Innovation Award because he not only is a great scientist, but he has taken the leap into entrepreneurship by founding Shape Memory Therapeutics to commercialize his innovations,” noted Brett L. Cornwell, associate vice chancellor for commercialization for the TTC. “He has also applied his passion for commercialization to his work in TEES, assisting researchers with their commercial ideas.”

Earlier this year Maitland was appointed holder of the Stewart & Stevenson Professorship I in Engineering by M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering.

Maitland’s research focuses on novel treatments of cardiovascular disease with a focus on stroke. His research projects include endovascular interventional devices, microactuators, optical therapeutic devices and basic device-body interactions/physics including computational and experimental techniques.

Maitland earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cleveland State University, a master’s in physics from Cleveland State and his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University.

It is the mission of TTC to encourage broad practical application of system research for public benefit; to encourage and assist those associated with the system in the protection, licensing and commercialization of their discoveries; to ensure the equitable distribution of royalties and other monetary benefits resulting from the commercial application of intellectual property; and to see that commercialization activities benefit the research, education and outreach missions of the system into the future.

Jo Honored With Teaching Award

Javier Jo, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been honored with the 2014 Association of Former Students College Level Teaching Award.

Each fall, The Association of Former Students honors outstanding faculty members for their dedication to teaching.

Since the program’s inception in 1982, recipients have been recognized for their talent, expertise and devotion in conveying knowledge to students.

Recipients of the award are teachers who ensure academic rigor in their courses and recognize their responsibility in motivating and contributing to the overall development of their students.

Jo, who joined Texas A&M in 2006, teaches undergraduate courses in electronic circuits, digital signal processing, and statistics, applied to biomedical engineering. His teaching approach focuses on providing sound theoretical background with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate realworld applications. He also has supervised the research work of more than 30 graduate and undergraduate students since 2006.

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Jo’s research program focuses on developing optical technologies for molecular imaging that can be broadly applied in basic and clinical research.

Research efforts funded by the National Institutes of Health include developing clinical compatible optical systems that will have the potential to be used for the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis (in collaboration with the Texas Heart Institute in Houston) and oral cancer (in collaboration with the Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas).

In addition, Jo is actively involved in creating different academic and research opportunities between the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a number of academic institutions in Latin America. Specifically, he is co-advising several graduate students from Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi (San Luis Potosi, Mexico) and has established an undergraduate internship program with the Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City, Mexico). He also is exploring other opportunities with academic institutions in Brazil, Peru and Costa Rica.

Jo received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Catholic University of Peru. He received his master’s degree in electrical engineering and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California.

K. Maitland Elected SPIE Society Director Kristen Maitland, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been elected society director for SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

As a society director, Maitland will serve a three-year term to oversee the activities of the society. The board of directors acts on behalf of all SPIE members to establish policy and strategy, assure that the society bylaws are followed, and approve budgets for expenditure of resources.

Maitland’s research interests focus on the development of optical instrumentation for improved detection and diagnosis of disease, primarily cancer and bacterial infection. To improve detection of early cancer, Maitland’s lab has developed a multi-scale multi-modal optical imaging system that is being evaluated in a clinical trial. She also is developing optical sensing and imaging technologies to enable rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Maitland, who also serves as director of graduate programs for the department, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State University and her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

She is recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Select Young Faculty Award, the Tenneco Meritorious Teaching Award and the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching.

SPIE is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The society serves more than 235,000 constituents from approximately 155 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional networking and patent precedent. SPIE provided more than $3.2 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2012.

Cosgriff-Hernandez Appointed to NIH

Elizabeth Cosgriff-Hernandez, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Study Section of the Center for Scientific Review.

Cosgriff-Hernandez was selected based on achievement in her scientific discipline, as evidenced by the quality of her research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors, noted Richard Nakamura, director of the Center for Scientific Review, in a congratulatory letter.

As a member of the Health Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Study Section, Cosgriff-Hernandez will review grant applications submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on these applications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in her respective field.

“Service on a study section also requires mature judgment and objectivity as well as the ability to work effectively in a group, qualities we believe Dr. Cosgriff-Hernandez will bring to this important task,” Nakamura stated.

Cosgriff-Hernandez, who was named a Charles H. Barclay Jr. ’23 Fellow earlier this year, joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2007. Her laboratory specializes in the development of hybrid material systems that combine the advantages of synthetic and natural polymers (e.g. collagen) to advance tissue-engineering design.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 9

HIGH IMPACT

Mending the Gap Associate Professor Melissa Grunlan is developing a new treatment for bone defects occurring as gaps in the head, face or jaw regions.

A newly developed material that molds itself to fill gaps in bone while promoting bone growth could more effectively treat defects in the facial region, says a Texas A&M University researcher who is creating the shapeshifting material.

The research by Melissa Grunlan, associate professor in the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, is detailed in the scientific journal “Acta Biomaterialia.”

Working with colleagues at Texas A&M and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Grunlan has created a polymer foam that is malleable after treating with warm saline, allowing it to precisely fill a bone defect before hardening into a porous, sponge-like scaffold that promotes new bone formation.

The team envisions the material as a treatment for cranio-maxillofacial bone defects – gaps in bone occurring in the head, face or jaw areas. These defects, which can dramatically alter a person’s appearance, can be caused by injuries, birth defects such as cleft palates or surgical procedures such as the removal of tumors, Grunlan says.

In order to repair these defects, the polymer foam developed by Grunlan her team acts as a scaffold, a temporary structure that supports the damaged area while promoting healing by allowing bone cells to migrate into the area and repair the damage tissue. Ultimately, the scaffold dissolves, leaving behind new bone tissue, she explains.

“Try as hard as we do to create artificial materials to replace damaged or diseased tissues, it is nearly impossible to match the properties of native, healthy tissue – and so the whole idea behind tissue engineering is that if we can restore native-like, healthy tissue, that will be better than any artificial replacement,” Grunlan said.

“A problem,” she adds, “is directing that process in these areas where there is a critical bone defect. In these types of instances where large gaps exist the body doesn’t have the ability to heal the defect with new bone tissue growth;

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we have to help it along, and that is what our material is designed to do.”

Key to Grunlan’s material is its malleability after brief exposure to warm saline (140 degrees Fahrenheit), allowing surgeons to easily mold the material to fill irregularly shaped gaps in bone. Once a defect is filled, the material cools to body temperature and resumes its stiff texture, locking itself in place, she says.

This self-fitting aspect of the material gives it a significant edge over autografting, the most common treatment for these types of bone defects, Grunlan notes. Autografting involves harvesting bone from elsewhere in the body, such as the hip, and then arduously shaping it to fit the bone defect. In addition to its obvious limited availability, the bone harvested through autografting is very rigid, making it difficult to shape and resulting in a lack of contact between the graft and the surrounding tissue, Grunlan says.

When this occurs, complications can arise. For example, a graft can inadvertently dissolve through a process known as graft resorption, leaving behind the defect, she says.

Another therapy involves filling the defect with bone putty, but that material can be brittle once it hardens, and it lacks the pores necessary for bone cells to move into the area and repair the tissue, Grunlan notes.

By tweaking the polymer scaffold through a chemical process that bonds individual molecular chains, Grunlan and her team overcame that issue and produced a sponge-like material with interconnected pores. They also coated the material with a bioactive substance that helps lock it into place by inducing formation of a mineral that is found in bone, she adds.

The coating, Grunlan explains, help osteoblasts – the cells that produce bone – to adhere and spread throughout the polymer scaffold. Think of it as a sort of “boost” to the material’s healing properties.

A Closer Look at Polymer Foam

The polymer foam scaffold has interconnected pores that allow bone cells to migrate into the area and begin healing damaged tissue.

Thus far, the results have been promising; after only three days the coated material had grown about five times more osteoblasts than uncoated versions of the same material, Grunlan says. In addition, the osteoblasts present within the

scaffold produced more of the proteins critical for new bone formation. The team plans to continue studying the material’s ability to heal cranio-maxillofacial bone defects by moving testing into preclinical and clinical studies.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 11

LE ADERS IN ENGINEERING

Guiseppi-Elie Named Head of Department of Biomedical Engineering

serves as editor-in-chief of Bioengineering, and associate editor of Biomedical Microdevices and is a member of the editorial boards of The Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers, NanoBiotechnology, and Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology. He has been a guest editor for IEEE’s Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

Guiseppi-Elie’s research interests are in engineered bioanalytical microsystems in the service of human health and medicine. His specific areas of scholarship are bioelectrochemistry and bioelectronic devices, implantable bioactive hydrogels for the healing of chronic wounds, in vivo biosensors for the management of trauma-induced hemorrhage, and DNA biochips for biomedical diagnostics and prognostics.

He has published more than 145 archival scientific papers, 31 book or proceedings chapters, holds eight U.S. and foreign patents, and has given in excess of 200 invited lectures/colloquia.

Anthony Guiseppi-Elie has been appointed head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University and TEES Professor in the department by M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering.

Prior to joining Texas A&M this year, Guiseppi-Elie served as professor of life sciences and chemical engineering and professor of emergency medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia and later as professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, professor of bioengineering, and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clemson University where he was the Dow chemical professor and directed the Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors and Biochips.

Guiseppi-Elie spent more than 15 years in intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial industrial research and development. He is the founder, president and scientific director of ABTECH Scientific, Inc., a near-patient biomedical diagnostic company. He also

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Guiseppi-Elie has been a principal investigator on more than $20 million in funding of sponsored programs, gifts, and contracts including a recent $3,280,000 award from the U.S. Department of Defense.

He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Royal Society of Chemistry, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a lifetime member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and holds memberships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, the Materials Research Society and the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Guiseppi-Elie received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, and his bachelor’s degree in analytical chemistry, biochemistry and applied chemistry from the University of the West Indies.

Two New Faculty Additions to Department of Biomedical Engineering Balakrishna Haridas, a biomedical engineer with 24 years of experience in development of products for minimally invasive laparoscopic and endovascular surgery, and Roozbeh Jafari, a biomedical engineer whose research focuses on wearable computer design and signal processing, have joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

In addition, both faculty members will serves as researchers within the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s (TEES) Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems.

Haridas is professor of practice within the department and head of entrepreneurship programs for the TEES Division of Entrepreneurship & Commercialization. Prior to joining Texas A&M, Haridas was director of the Medical Device Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program, the Master of Engineering program, and associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

Projects in Haridas’ lab include collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital aimed at developing a viable replacement for neonatal/pediatric trachea as a treatment for congenital tracheal stenosis. This same technology also is being engineered to serve as a tracheal repair/replacement implant for adult patients who have airway injury as a result of blunt or penetrating trauma or cancer.

Another new research project in his laboratory is in the development of biomaterials/synthetic matrices and minimally invasive delivery systems for endoscopic repair of gastro-intestinal perforations that result from trauma, cancer, chronic ulcers and other related pathologies. Haridas has directed research and product development projects exceeding $70 million, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health, industry, the NSF SBIR program, and venture capital sources with a total product impact of $2 billion during his career.

Jafari received his Master of Science and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Los Angeles prior to serving in a postdoctoral position in electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

About the Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems (CRHTS) The Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems is designing and developing advanced health technologies and systems to enable healthy living through health monitoring and disease diagnosis, management and prevention. The center’s mission is to identify and overcome the unmet needs of patients and health care providers through the development of breakthrough remote health care devices, biosignal mapping algorithms, remote health analytics and information systems that will improve access, enhance quality, and reduce the cost of health care.

About the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) As an engineering research agency of Texas, TEES performs quality research driven by world problems; strengthens and expands the state’s workforce through educational partnerships and training; and develops and transfers technology to industry. TEES partners with academic institutions, governmental agencies, industries and communities to solve problems to help improve the quality of life, promote economic development and enhance educational systems.

TEES, a member of the Texas A&M University System is in its 100th year of engineering solutions.

New Faculty Additions

Haridas received his Master of Science in engineering mechanics from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Jafari is associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M. His research focuses on wearable computer design and signal processing with applications in health care, wellness and enhancing productivity and safety of the users. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army's Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, SRC and industry.

Balakrishna Haridas

Roozbeh Jafari

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 13

NOTEWORTHY

Early Impact Biomedical engineering undergraduate Mikayla Barry has hit the ground running, becoming the university’s first Beckman Scholar and working to develop a coating for medical devices designed to prevent clotting and infection.

Mikayla Barry always knew she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, but the undergraduate biomedical engineering major had no idea she would be helping develop a potentially life-saving technology so soon after embarking upon her academic career at Texas A&M University.

Merely a year into the pursuit of her degree, the 20-year-old Barry is working to develop a coating for medical devices that prevents clotting as well as infection. She’s part of a research team led by Associate Professor Melissa Grunlan, an authority on biomaterials and regenerative therapies from the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Though it’s still in its initial stages of development, early tests indicate the coating – which can be applied to a variety of implantable medical devices such as catheters – demonstrates a reduction in protein adhesion as well as common bacteria adhesion, Grunlan notes. In other words, blood and bacteria are less able to

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stick to the coating, meaning fewer clots and a decreased chance of infection. That’s particularly important for patients treated with catheters, Grunlan explains.

“People who have end-stage renal disease may receive dialysis with a catheter, but these catheters are very prone to failure due to thrombosis, or clotting, on the device, Grunlan says. “The worst-case scenario is that the clot can be dislodged and lead to a potentially fatal embolism.”

Looking to overcome this serious issue, medical professionals have relied on the anti-clotting drug heparin, which is typically locked within the catheter, but that approach can result in the inadvertent leaking of heparin into a patient. When this happens, Grunlan notes, the patient is essentially on a blood thinner during a time when he or she may require surgery due to poor health. It’s a bad combination, and what’s more, the outer surfaces of the catheter remain susceptible to clotting, she explains.

A better solution, Grunlan believes, lies in the manufacturing of a better catheter – one that’s more effective at preventing clotting and infection and less of a risk to patients. Achieving this, however, is no easy task; it requires manipulating the materials from which

the catheter is made on a molecular level…that’s where Barry comes in.

While such work may seem exceedingly complex for the average sophomore, the biomaterials research being conducted by Barry is right in her wheelhouse. An academic standout with a lifelong love for chemistry (her mother is a chemistry teacher) and the medical field, the Bryan, Texas native was eager to work in a lab environment.

“Coming to Texas A&M I was amazed by the biomedical engineering department and the applications that were available in pretty much anything medically related,” she said. “When I realized that I could combine that with chemistry, I knew I had a future in this and I’m excited.”

The acclimation process was a rapid one for Barry; within weeks of joining Grunlan’s lab, she was producing the polymer coatings for the catheters and studying how the coatings interacted with the devices on which they were applied.

“She took a typical path that a lot of our undergraduate student researchers do, although she started earlier than is typical – being a freshman is quite young to start research,” Grunlan said. “She is a very bright and motivated student and has demonstrated a strong research ability.”

Barry acknowledged her initial days in the lab were defined by a steep learning curve.

“Those first couple of weeks were quite exhausting, but considering where I am now, I am really glad I was put in head first because it gave me such a great opportunity to grow as a researcher and scholar,” Barry said. “While it’s a lot of time investment, it’s also time that is invested in my ability to learn, and what I learn in the lab corresponds with other things that I’m learning in my classes.”

It’s the ultimate hands-on experience for someone with Barry’s aspirations. Spending about 10 hours a week in the lab, she conducts a range of experiments and tests that involve not only manufacturing the polymer coating but constantly measuring its effectiveness through a variety of different techniques that enable her to assess and refine the design of the coating.

This coating, Barry explains, works by blending in a polymer additive that when incorporated into the main catheter material causes a specific interaction when the device surface contacts blood. When this happens, she says, a molecular reorganization of the surface takes place, and a hydrophilic, or water-attracting, polymer blooms to the surface. Because bacteria and proteins don’t adhere well to hydrophilic surfaces the polymer coating prevents potential clots and infections from forming, she says.

“One of the greatest things about working in Dr. Grunlan’s lab is that while I am an undergraduate they don’t treat me like one,” Barry said. “They include me in all of the theory, and they help me understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. It’s not like a part-time job where I am just fulfilling tasks; it’s a learning experience that integrates what I am learning in the classroom with what I would like to do in a laboratory environment someday after I graduate.”

For now, it’s a fast and furious start to an academic career that’s already seen Barry honored as Texas A&M’s first Beckman Scholar through an intensive written application and interview process that probed her goals, values and commitment to a career in scientific research and community service. The award honors the memory of Arnold O. Beckman. Beckman was founder-chairman emeritus of Beckman Instruments, Inc., and inventor of several scientific instruments, including the Beckman DU Spectrophotometer, which revolutionized chemical analysis.

Through the scholars program, Barry and Grunlan attended the Beckman Symposium in Newport Beach to meet other Beckman Scholars and mentors and hear presentations from prominent scientists from across the nation.

As a sophomore, Barry engaged in additional activities as part of her Beckman Scholars Program, including a University Scholars seminar through which she is further developing her leadership skills. In addition, she meets periodically with the executive and editorial boards of “Explorations: the Texas A&M Undergraduate Journal” to discover how review and publication decisions are made, and she is preparing applications for several national fellowships in STEM areas.

Barry also has taken on leadership roles in the Texas A&M Wind Symphony and Advocates for Christ Today, a church-based social justice organization, while maintaining a 4.0 GPR and her status as an honors student in the Dwight Look College of Engineering Honors Program.

This spring, she presented her research from Grunlan’s lab at a meeting of the National American Chemical Society in Denver where she had the opportunity to speak with people from around the world about her work and also learn more about graduate school and a career in the biomaterials field, areas Barry intends to pursue with the same fervor that’s characterized her undergraduate studies.

“After I graduate from Texas A&M with my biomedical engineering degree I hope to continue graduate studies, preferably in polymer chemistry or some sort of biomaterials field,” she said. “I would like to earn my Ph.D. and do postdoctoral research and become a faculty member at a research university where I can be in a position to enable other undergraduates with the same type of experience I am having with Dr. Grunlan at Texas A&M.”

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 15

LE ADERS IN ENGINEERING Five Biomedical Engineering Faculty Members Honored for Teaching and Research Five faculty members from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University have been recognized for excellence in teaching and research by M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering and director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).

Associate professors Elizabeth Cosgriff-Hernandez and Javier Jo, and professors Duncan Maitland, Michael McShane and Vladislav Yakovlev were each honored at the 2015 Faculty and Staff Awards banquet.

“I believe that excellence should be recognized and rewarded,” Banks said. “This year 50 faculty and 17 staff members were honored for their contributions, their passion and commitment to elevating our programs.”

Jo, who joined Texas A&M in 2006, is recipient of the Association of Former Students College Level Distinguished Teaching Award. He teaches undergraduate courses in electronic circuits, digital signal processing, and statistics, applied to biomedical engineering. His teaching approach focuses on providing sound theoretical background with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate real-world applications.

Maitland, who joined the department in 2008, was named a TEES Senior Fellow. His research focuses on novel treatments of cardiovascular disease with a focus on stroke. In addition to his research and teaching duties, Maitland is the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s assistant agency director for commercialization and entrepreneurship.

McShane, who joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2006, was named a TEES Fellow. His research and educational activities cover many areas of biomedical engineering, including biomaterials, molecular biology, biomedical optics, biotransport, bioinstrumentation, signal processing and medical device design.

Yakovlev, who was named the Herbert H. Richardson Faculty Fellow, joined Texas A&M in 2012. His research focuses on nanoscopic optical imaging of molecular and cellular structures; single-molecule spectroscopy and manipulation; protein spectroscopy and structural dynamics; bioanalytical applications of optical technology and spectroscopy; and deep-tissue imaging and sensing.

Cosgriff-Hernandez, who was named a Texas A&M Engineering Faculty Fellow, joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2007. Her laboratory specializes in the development of hybrid material systems that combine the advantages of synthetic and natural polymers to advance tissue-engineering design.

Left to right: Dean M. K. Banks and Duncan Maitland, TEES Senior Fellow

Left to right: Dean M. K. Banks, Javier Jo, recipient of the Association of Former Students College Level Distinguished Teaching Award and Kathryn Greenwade, vice president of the Association of Former Students

16 Department of Biomedical Engineering

Yakovlev Part of Team Awarded $7M DOD MURI Grant

A multi-university team that includes Vladislav Yakovlev, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded a five-year grant, totaling more than $7 million from the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program.

The grant, which was issued by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, is in support of the project “Nanoelectropulse-induced electromechanical signaling and control of biological systems.” Yakovlev is joined by colleagues from Old Dominion University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

Yakovlev’s portion of the project, for which he received more $1,050,000 in funding, will focus on the development of new approaches to microscopic imaging of electric fields across cellular membranes and elastic properties of those membranes.

The highly competitive MURI program supports research by teams of investigators that intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline in order to accelerate research progress. Most of the program’s efforts involve researchers from multiple academic institutions and academic departments. The MURI program complements other DOD basic research efforts that support traditional, single-investigator university research grants by supporting multidisciplinary teams with larger and longer awards, in carefully chosen research topics identified for their potential for significant and sustained progress. MURI awards provide strong support for the education and training of graduate students in new, cutting-edge research.

The Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Office of Naval Research solicited proposals in 19 topics important to DOD and the military services and received a total of 289 white papers, which were followed by 76 proposals. The awards were selected based on merit review by a panel of experts and are subject to successful negotiation between the institution and DOD. Throughout the past 29 years, the DOD’s MURI program has resulted in significant capabilities for our military forces and opened up entirely

new lines of research. Examples include advances in laser frequency combs that have become the gold standard in frequency control for precision in navigation and targeting; atomic and molecular self assembly projects that have opened new possibilities for nanomanufacturing; the field of spintronics emerged from a MURI award on magnetic materials and devices research.

Earlier this year, Yakovlev was named recipient of the 2015 Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics for his work on random lasers. The Lamb Award is presented annually for outstanding contributions to the field and is sponsored by the Physics of Quantum Electronics (PQE).

Named for Willis E. Lamb, Jr., famous laser scientist and 1955 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, the Lamb Award is presented at the PQE Winter Colloquium in Snowbird, Utah. The conference, now in its 45th year, attracts researchers in laser physics and quantum electronics from around the globe.

Yakovlev has made many significant contributions to the field of optical instrumentation for biomedical sensing and imaging, including advancing the technology of ultrasfast solid-state lasers, making it an indispensable tool for multiphoton microscopy, imaging and sensing.

Yakovlev holds the rank of Fellow in the Optical Society of America, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and the International Society for Optics and Photonics. He has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals, given 50 invited public presentations and more than 100 presentations at different conferences. He also has edited one book on the biochemical applications of nonlinear optical spectroscopy and contributed to several books as coauthor.

Yakovlev received his master’s degree in physics and Ph.D. in quantum electronics from Moscow State University.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 17

HIGH IMPACT

Long-distance Life Saver Laser-based technology developed at Texas A&M is designed to identify explosives and biological agents from afar, keeping response personnel at safe distances.

Antiterrorism efforts could receive a major boost from technology developed at Texas A&M University that enables the identification of explosives, biological agents or hazardous chemicals from distances of a half mile and farther.

The technology, which was developed by a team of researchers that includes Professor Vladislav Yakovlev of the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, makes use of lasers to traverse long distances and identify dangerous materials present within powders that commonly act as carriers for explosive nitrates and lethal biological agents such as anthrax and ricin. In addition, the laser-guided system has agricultural applications, particularly as a tool for precision farming, and forensic capabilities.

The team’s work is funded by the National Science Foundation as well as the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and its findings are detailed in the scientific journals “Nature Communications” and “Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.”

The potentially life-saving technology is made possible by a high-powered laser that is beamed onto a powder for an extremely short amount of time (about a trillionth of a second), says Yakovlev, an authority on sensing instrumentation. When laser light contacts the molecules present within the powder, it experiences a scattering effect that researchers can analyze to construct a sort of molecular “fingerprint” that reveals the exact chemical makeup of the powder.

“As part of our research, we identified individual nitrates in powder at a distance of a half kilometer,” Yakovlev says. “In a single shot we were able to distinguish those chemicals with 99-percent accuracy, and now we’re working on identification from even greater distances.

The initial success of Yakovlev’s detection technology is due largely in part to the fact that he can generate an emission that can be detected by a spectrometer that’s positioned more than a half-mile away. Traditionally, collecting an excited signal from such long distances has been a significant obstacle for researchers who are developing remote-sensing technology, but by taking advantage of the inherent properties of the powder he is targeting, Yakovlev has been able to dramatically amplify the resulting emission.

“In very simple terms, we can take a powder, shine a laser on this powder, and we get a type of scattering effect that enhances our signal,” Yakovlev says. “This was the first demonstration that this is indeed possible with powders.”

The powder, Yakovlev explains, provides the conditions by which light is amplified. When a laser passes through the powder, its wavelength is not fully absorbed. Instead, some of the light from the laser scatters, and the path length increases because of this multiple scattering – something scientists refer to as the “Raman effect.” This scattered light, Yakovlev notes, is then emitted from the powder in a strong, diffuse form that is visually similar to a bright LED light. It’s this extremely bright emission that can be collected from long distances, Yakovlev says.

“We get a large amount of energy into the system in a very short amount of time. This is what allows the process

Using Laser Emissions To Detect Long Range Explosives

Left: Yakovlev in the lab.

Right: When a laser passes through the targeted powder it triggers a strong emission of light that can be used to analyze the sample.

18 Department of Biomedical Engineering

to happen,” Yakovlev says, noting that his team has been able to increase the scattering efficiency by nine orders of magnitude, meaning more light can be detected from greater distances. It’s an achievement that could pave the way for the technology’s use in military and homeland security applications.

“Ideally, you’d like to target a suspicious substance from an airplane, possibly, which could beam a laser at the powder and collect the resulting signal with a powerful parabolic antenna so that the signal could then be analyzed while keeping personnel out of harm’s way,” Yakovlev says.

Joining Yakovlev in this research effort are Hope T. Beier, Robert J. Thomas and Benjamin Rockwell of the 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate, Bioeffects Division, Optical Radiation Bioeffects Branch, Joint Base San Antonio; Gary D. Noonjin of TASC, Inc; Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy Marlan O. Scully; graduate students Brett Hokr, Joel Bixler and John Mason; Postdoctoral Researcher Georgi I. Petrov; and Leonard A. Golovan of Moscow State University.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 19

NOTEWORTHY exist in collagen that has formed bone and collagen that has formed the cornea? If you study this at the molecular level, you can begin to see the differences. Our research aims at providing a quantitative, detailed analysis of these differences.”

As part of his research, Hwang found that collagen fibrils assemble into an intricate network of triangular shapes in which larger shapes are filled with smaller ones, iteratively. This type of structured network is characterized by scientists as fractal, he explained. Fractal patterns, he says, aren’t unique to collagen; in fact, they occur throughout nature, such as in river networks, clouds, seashore lines and mountains. Similar networks even occur among the light-carrying nanofibers of optical-based electronics.

To explain this widely observed phenomena, Hwang developed a theory and computational model for the network formation process that allowed him to accurately predict and simulate the growth process. Hwang tested his models against actual collagen networks with the aid of a computer program he developed known as CAFE, or Computer-Aided Feature Extraction. CAFE can recognize individual fibrils in images of complex collagen networks, Hwang explains.

Exploring Collagen Growth Research by a biomedical engineer at Texas A&M University is shedding light on how collagen grows at the molecular level and helps form a diverse set of structures in the body, ranging from bone, tendon, blood vessels, skin, heart and even corneas.

Employing a computational model as well as a newly developed computer program, Wonmuk Hwang, associate professor in the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been able to distinguish molecular-level differences in complex collagen networks formed under different conditions. His findings are featured as the cover story for the scientific journal “Physical Review Letters.”

Collagen, while popularly known for its cosmetic uses, is the most abundant protein in the human body. As the main structural protein in connective tissues, it is found in tendons, ligaments and skin. It’s also abundant in corneas, cartilage, bones, blood vessels and teeth. Hwang’s research is investigating how collagen forms such a diverse range of materials.

Specifically, he’s examining how collagen fibrils assemble into ordered networks on surfaces.

The surface assembly of collagen, he says, is particularly relevant to biomedical engineers who are looking to use collagen-based coatings on implantable medical devices in order to prevent the devices from being rejected by the body’s immune system.

“We are comparing the differences in collagenformed structures,” Hwang said. “What are the real differences between these molecules from different parts of the body? What differences

20 Department of Biomedical Engineering

By combining both the model and CAFE, it is possible, Hwang says, to precisely distinguish different networks formed under slightly different experimental conditions, similar to distinguishing between two paintings that may look alike but have subtle differences. That’s an important milestone in scientists’ efforts to understand collagen and its versatility.

“With this program [CAFE] we can measure filament lengths and orientations in a complex image,” Hwang explained. “This is important because once we have this quantitative information we can have a direct comparison with simulations. We can simulate a network with the parameters and qualities of a real collagen network.

“When it comes to collagen formation, we need to understand what happens at the molecular level, and we need to be able to do this in a measurable way, quantitatively, to better understand how collagen grows and differentiates. The guided framework that has resulted from both this theory of collagen growth as well as the validation of our simulations provided by the CAFE program is helping achieve this goal.”

Colllagen Fibrils Image of a fractal-like network of collagen fibrils (left) and the corresponding computational model (right), with individually recognized fibrils colored randomly.

COVER STORY

DETECTING MALARIA

WITH A SMARTPHONE

Scan the QR code to learn more about this research.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 21

HIGH IMPACT

Detecting Malaria with a Smartphone New technology that transforms a cell phone into a powerful, mobile microscope could significantly improve malaria diagnoses and treatment in developing countries that often lack the resources to address the life-threatening disease, says a Texas A&M University biomedical engineer who has created the tool.

The add-on device, which is similar in look and feel to a protective phone case, makes use of a smart phone’s camera features to produce high-resolution images of objects 10 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair, says Gerard Coté, professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems. Coté’s development of the instrument, known as a mobile-optical-polarization imaging device (MOPID), is detailed in the online scientific journal Scientific Reports, published

by Nature. The article can be accessed at nature.com/articles/ srep13368.

MOPID, Coté explains, is capable of accepting a small cartridge containing a patient’s blood-smear sample. The sample is then imaged using polarized light in order to detect the presence of hemozoin crystals, Coté notes. Hemozoin crystals are the byproduct of the malaria parasite, and they occur in the blood of an infected host. As polarized light bounces off of these crystals, they appear as tiny bright dots when observed through the phone’s camera lens – enabling an instant, accurate diagnosis.

While polarized light has been the preferred option for malaria detection due to its increased sensitivity, its implementation into mainstream microscopy has been hindered by its complex configurations, maintenance, size and cost – up until now.

“What we’ve achieved with MOPID is the design of a polarized microscope platform using a cell phone, which can detect birefringence in histological specimens infected with the malaria parasite,” Coté says. “It’s a simple, low-cost, portable device that we believe is more sensitive than the standard microscope that uses white light and just as accurate as the more costly and complex benchtop version of a polarized microscope.”

MOPID could represent a significant advancement in the detection methods for malaria, a disease that the World Health Organization estimates was responsible for 584,000 deaths in 2013, along with an estimated 198 million new cases in that span of time. Given those numbers, a dire need exists for a low-cost, accurate and portable method of detection, particularly in areas of the world with few resources, Coté says. Many of these regions, he notes, suffer from misdiagnoses due to inadequate or even nonexistent medical infrastructures – and the consequences can be devastating.

While failure to treat malaria can be fatal, the administering of unnecessary malaria medications as a result of misdiagnoses can results in new, drug-resistant strains of the disease in addition to increasing costs for malaria medications, Coté notes.

Coté’s solution takes advantage of existing mobile phone technology and networks – something to which a whopping 75 percent of the world has access. This ever-increasing access to mobile networks and the fact that most mobile phones are equipped with advanced camera features make mobile phones the ideal platform for advanced imaging applications such as MOPID, Coté says.

MOPID The mobile-optical-polarization imaging device, MOPID, makes use of a smart phone’s camera features to produce high-resolution images of objects 10 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair.

22 Department of Biomedical Engineering

The MOPID system has demonstrated both the resolution and specificity to detect malaria with both iOS- and Androidbased devices and requires less user expertise than traditional microscopy, Coté says. That user-friendly aspect, coupled with the system’s portability and expected low cost of about $10 per unit, makes it an easily adoptable technology in low-resource areas ravaged by malaria, he adds.

What’s more, analysis of a blood sample can be instantaneously made with the patient in the field without the need for a mobile network, says Coté who notes that a network is only required for transmitting the images to a central location for further analysis or storage.

“These factors increase the likelihood of adoption of the technique in developing countries where cost, complexity and lack of expertly trained technicians can often prohibit the use of a polarized microscopy technique or even traditional laboratory microscopy as the standard of diagnosis,” Coté says.

For now, Coté and graduate student Casey Pirnstill are continuing to refine the design of the system by making it more compact as well as improving its durability. Plans for in vivo fieldtesting are scheduled to take place in Rwanda, Africa in the near future, Coté notes.

About the Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems The Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems is designing and developing advanced health technologies and systems to enable healthy living through health monitoring and disease diagnosis, management and prevention. The center’s mission is to identify and overcome the unmet needs of patients and health care providers through the development of breakthrough remote health care devices, biosignal mapping algorithms, remote health analytics and information systems that will improve access, enhance quality, and reduce the cost of health care.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 23

NOTEWORTHY

Texas A&M-led Effort for Treating Brain Aneurysms Receives $2.5 Million NIH Grant A Texas A&M University-led research effort aimed at treating potentially fatal brain aneurysms by filling them with polymer foams has received a $2.5M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the goal of beginning human trials by 2018.

filling method for aneurysms that relies on polyurethanebased SMP foam instead of platinum coils. These foams have the ability to be made into a primary shape and then transformed into another shape with an increase in temperature, Maitland notes.

The three-year grant, which is supported by the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), is led by Duncan Maitland, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M. Maitland’s team of researchers includes colleagues from his department, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M, and Mayo Medical School. The research is a collaboration between Maitland’s Biomedical Device Laboratory and the startup company Shape Memory Therapeutics.

Their shape-shifting ability makes these foams an ideal material for filling aneurysms, he explains. In Maitland’s system, the SMP foam remains in a temporary crimped shape so that it can be inserted into a blood vessel and delivered to the aneurysm with the use of a microcatheter.

Once at the aneurysm site, the foam is triggered to expand and fill the aneurysm sac by body temperature, Maitland says. Similar to how a sponge works, the SMP foam enables blood to fill the aneurysm, forming a clot and promoting and accelerating healing through the volume of the aneurysm and, importantly, at the neck or opening of the aneurysm.

The treatment, Maitland explains, makes use of special plastics called polyurethane-based shape memory polymer foams (SMPs) and could provide doctors with a more effective and less risky method for treating aneurysms – blood-filled, balloon-like bulges in the walls of a blood vessels that can rupture and cause neurological damage that is debilitating or even fatal, especially if near the brain.

Cerebral aneurysm ruptures occur in 30,000 people per year in the United States, and nearly 75 percent of those patients will either die or become neurologically debilitated, Maitland says.

Typically, treatment of aneurysms involves implanting platinum coils to reduce pressure on the vessel walls so that healing can occur before the aneurysm ruptures, Maitland says. These coils, he explains, can be effective but also can pose risks to the patient. In addition to sometimes causing inflammation that can inhibit healing, these coils can compact over time and cause subsequent rupture or re-rupture or lead to the formation of aneurysms adjacent to the original aneurysm, he says.

Maitland is working to overcome the limitations of conventional treatment methods by employing an alternate

24 Department of Biomedical Engineering

No current devices, Maitland says, match both the volume filling and surface area characteristics of the team’s SMPbased device. For the 2mm diameter coil, the surface area is 29 times more than the next best device, and the volume filling is 20 times better than the next best device, Maitland notes. That’s important because high surface area and improved volume filling lead to dramatically improved healing when compared to bare platinum coils, Maitland explains.

Test results have revealed SMP foams promote long-term health of the areas of the blood vessel affected by the aneurysm, reducing the chances of the aneurysm reforming, Maitland says. This is evidenced, he explains, by the formation of the types of cells and tissue that lead to a more stabilized healing. For example, aneurysms treated with SMP foams show an increased presence of collagen instead of fibrin.

Collagen, he says, is a far more mechanically stable tissue than fibrin, which is a short-term “patch” and abundant in aneurysms treated with coils. That’s a promising finding, Maitland says, because the more stabilized an aneurysm is, the less likely it will be to require re-treatment – something that unfortunately occurs in about 40 percent of aneurysms treated with coils.

In addition to demonstrating the promotion of an aggressive healing response in aneurysms, the SMP foams developed by Maitland and his team are showing strong signs of biocompatibility – their ability to be accepted by the body. In fact, the foams are outperforming other FDA-approved materials used in blood vessels, he notes.

That’s important, Maitland says, because it means less inflammation in the area, which can inhibit the healing process. Typically, foreign objects implanted in the body trigger an inflammatory response as the body attempts to reject them, but the SMP foams used by Maitland show minimal inflammation once they are inserted into the aneurysm. Histology studies comparing SMP foams to two types of commonly used FDA-approved sutures used in vascular surgeries show the foams to outperform both types of sutures, meaning fewer cells associated with inflammation are showing up near the foams, Maitland notes.

The team’s grant is titled, “Shape Memory Polymer Embolic Foams for Treating Cerebrovascular Aneurysms” and is funded under the NINDS Cooperative Program in Translational Research (U01).

Shape Memory Therapeutics has contracted with BioTex, Inc., a medical device manufacturer based in Houston to lead product development and manufacturing for the project. Ashok Gowda, president of BioTex, will work with the research team. Gowda is a 2014 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M. Additional senior team members include Elizabeth CosgriffHernandez, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M; Fred Clubb, director of the Cardiovascular Pathology Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M; Jonathan Hartman, chair of the Shape Memory Therapeutics advisory board; David Kallmes, M.D., at the Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic; and Linda Mummah-Schendel, NAMSA Medical Research Manager.

Pre-clinical, quality systems and regulatory support will be provided by NAMSA, a medical research organization providing expert regulatory, laboratory, clinical and compliance services to medical device and healthcare product manufacturers.

A. crimped SMP foam device delivered to the aneurysm via catheter B. intermediate image of the foam expanding within the aneurysm C. treated aneurysm with fully expanded foam

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 25

NOTEWORTHY

John Hanks ’86 Professor of Practice and Course Instructor for Senior Design

ANSWERING PROBLEMS

WITH PROTOTYPES

26 Department of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering Students Develop Solutions to Real-World Health Care Issues

By John Hanks

It wasn’t until my senior year in 1986 at Texas A&M University that I fell in love with engineering. From my freshman through junior years I did well in class, but I hadn’t experienced that one special course that truly inspired me— until my senior design class in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. A capstone course for seniors, the class enables students to work closely with external sponsors to design a device or system that can potentially offer a solution to a real-world need. For a fledgling engineer and soon-to-begraduate, my senior design project was both engaging and challenging, and left an indelible impression.

My team was tasked with developing a PC-based speechrecognition system capable of recognizing 10 words from four different speakers. Bear in mind, this was the mid-80s, and speech-to-text technology was still in its early days. I’m proud to say we succeeded, and I was thrilled to be part of a project. (Now, nearly 30 years later, every smartphone recognizes spoken words with amazing accuracy.)

The experience taught me about the drama that energizes the field of engineering. We had to meet strict deadlines.

Our designs either worked or they didn’t, and how they were engineered definitely affected the outcome. Unlike my other courses, the hands-on experience of building a product that had potential commercial value inspired me.

Senior design also taught me that engineering was a team effort, and teams with esprit de corps could accomplish great things. I learned that engineering was more than a job; it was meaningful and fun. These lessons helped me become a better engineer and eventually a business leader.

Senior design helped me realize that I could lead product development teams that make a significant impact on people’s lives—maybe I could even change the world.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 27

NOTEWORTHY Returning to His Roots

A Win-Win Partnership

After graduating, I spent the majority of my career at National Instruments, dreaming up new software and hardware products that would increase engineers’ and scientists’ productivity. During my tenure from 1990 to 2013, National Instruments grew into a $1.2 billion company, and I owe much of my personal success to my Texas A&M engineering education.

As a former student and sponsor of a senior design project, I can say with confidence that students and sponsors benefit equally.

The program enables sponsors to tap into students’ knowledge and creativity to explore innovative ideas and prototypes that are early in the development cycle or that may not be internally funded. Students today are digital natives: They were born into and have grown up in a technology-laden world, and they want to use the latest technology to solve problems.

I believe in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and its senior design experience. That’s why after 25 years of industry work, I made the switch to academia and joined the biomedical engineering program as a professor of practice. As part of my new role, I’ll be succeeding Professor Mike McShane as lead instructor for our senior design program. For me, this is an incredible opportunity to give back by sharing my business, management and engineering experience with biomedical engineering students.

The Senior Design Experience

As an added benefit, sponsors receive access to these talented students at a fraction of the cost associated with hiring full-time employees. Sponsors can fund a senior design team for a $5,000 donation to the department. In many organizations, the total cost for a new hire is more than $120,000. Through the senior design program, a sponsor gets four to six engineering students for nine months. During this time, sponsors have the opportunity to conduct an “extended interview” of sorts with these soon-to-be graduates.

During their final year in the program, senior design projects dominate our students’ lives—they become immersed in the devicedesign process, project management and team dynamics. They also must meet stringent Food and Drug Administration guidelines for design control. Our students receive faculty guidance but are responsible for all aspects of their projects, from engineering to communications, including presenting their work to their respective faculty mentors and sponsors. Throughout two semesters, each student team spends a combined 1,500 hours on its project.

Our sponsors use senior design projects to evaluate a student’s work ethic as well as his or her communication, team and leadership skills. Our students sign non-disclosure agreements, so sponsors may request assignment of all intellectual property rights prior to the start of a project. In some standout cases, our students have applied for a joint provisional patent and even formed a company co-owned with their team sponsors.

A particular strength of the senior design program is its close connection with sponsors. For many students, interacting with a sponsor is their first taste of working with an engineer from an environment they are likely to encounter upon graduating. This is a pivotal aspect of bringing the real world into the classroom.

Projects come from a variety of sponsors who range from Fortune 500 companies to startups. These include various medical device companies, local clinicians, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and organizations such as Engineering World Health, the Texas Heart Institute and NASA contractor Wyle Laboratories. Other sponsors include National Instruments, Integra LifeSciences and PROFUSA.

Senior design projects are a great starting point for corporations, startups, individuals and other external sponsors who have an idea and want to develop a prototype solution. As a former student, sponsor and now professor, I encourage you to support the biomedical engineering senior design program and help provide our students with an eye-opening and inspiring experience. I know firsthand that this opportunity can be the foundation for a successful future.

Each sponsor assigns a project with requirements, milestones and deliverables. Working with their sponsors, students have developed a number of innovative projects, including wearable wireless sensors for tracking compliance and fit of back braces; a low-cost device for testing diabetic neuropathy; surgical instruments such as a new retractor for heart valve replacement; and an “organ-on-a-chip” that simulates responses of organs to drug therapies, reducing testing in animals and humans.

Join Us

To learn more about how you can support the senior design program in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, contact: Reagan Chessher ‘97, Director of Development Texas A&M Foundation (800) 392-3310 or (979) 862-1936 or rchessher@tamu.edu

Scan the QR code to learn more about the department’s senior design experience.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the 2014 Fall Spirit Magazine, published by the Texas A&M Foundation

28 Department of Biomedical Engineering

Texas New Ventures Competition Recognizes Cutting-edge Technology New medical technology that enables monitoring of a baby’s brain oxygen levels during labor and delivery is a step closer to reality after its startup company, Noninvasix, Inc., was awarded $100,000 in funding as the top company at the 2015 Texas New Ventures Competition (TNVC) at Texas A&M University.

The competition, which attracted more than 90 young companies, promoted the commercialization of emerging technology by recognizing companies with high growth potential. It was hosted by Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and sponsored by The Texas A&M University System, the Texas A&M Division of Research, the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, the Aggie Angel Network, Texas A&M System Technology Commercialization and the Research Valley.

“This is important; it’s important for Texas A&M, for the Texas A&M System, for the region, and I have never heard of an argument built that says this is not one of the core elements that makes this country strong and great,” said John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System.

Noninvasix, a Galveston-based company headed by President and CEO Graham Randall, received $50,000 as a first-place winner of the competition and an additional $50,000 from the Research Valley Partnership, via the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) – funding Randall said was important to companies attempting to make their ideas into realities.

“We’re still very early stage,” Randall said. “We’ve got pretty hefty patent expenses coming up, so this will help us. Lots of eyes have looked at us and said that there’s something here, and this will help us get through the door to potential investors.”

In addition to Noninvasix, seven other companies were recognized and received prize money. ScribeSense, an online service aimed at reducing the time it takes teachers to grade tests, earned second-place honors and received $30,000. Thermal Expansion Solutions, LLC ranked third and received $20,000 for its alloy technology intended for the opto-electronics industry. In addition, the company also received $30,000 in TETF money.

Fourth-place honors and $15,000 in prize money were awarded to Brevitest Technologies for its point-of-care device that performs clinical laboratory tests in 10 minutes. TeVido BioDevices, a company that uses 3D bio-printing of a woman’s living cells to build custom grafts for breast reconstruction, was awarded fifth place and $10,000. It also received $15,000 in TETF money. Sano Chemicals was ranked sixth and also was awarded $10,000 for its antifungal compound. As part of the TNVC elevator pitch competition, Guardian Sensors, Inc. took top honors, winning $10,000 for its one-minute pitch of its solution for vital sign monitoring of inpatients. ECM Technologies earned second place and $5,000 for its one-minute pitch of biomaterial dressing for chronic wounds.

Addressing the companies, Vice Chancellor and Dean of Texas A&M Engineering and Director of TEES M. Katherine Banks lauded their work and the efforts of the event sponsors.

“We are here to help close the gap between the lab and the marketplace,” Banks said. “TEES works to ensure entrepreneurs like you successfully transform your innovative ideas into reality and ultimately, into the hands of the public.”

The daylong competition, which was open to all Texas-based companies seeking to bring new or enhanced technology to the marketplace, required 20 companies in the pre-seed/seed, start-up or early growth stages to pitch their ideas to judges that included angels and venture capitalists, experienced entrepreneurs, non-profit founders, legal professionals, patent experts and banking/investment professionals. The esteemed group of companies was previously selected from a pool of more than 90 TNVC applicants. In the days leading to the competition, participants received personal coaching and access to mentor strategists as they developed their competition business plans and presentation pitches.

For James Monroe, whose company, Thermal Expansion Solutions, earned a total of $50,000 in prize money, the competition was his first exposure to the fast-paced environment of business plans and pitches, and he said it provided some validation of the personal investments he’s already made in his company.

“This is the first competition I’ve ever done, first competition for the company, and, honestly, the first influx of cash for the company,” Monroe said. “This is tremendously helpful. Really good companies competed today, and I feel lucky to be in the top tier of them. To win this money, it will really kind of launch us into the next stage, the next level. I really believe in the technology, and that’s why I’m investing a lot of my time, a lot of my effort into trying to make it a reality.”

Funding for TNVC was made possible by Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas A&M Division of Research. Additional funding was provided by the Research Valley Partnership through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.

For more information on the Texas New Ventures Competition, including a full list of the day’s competitors, visit www.texasnvc.org.

From left: Vice Chancellor and Dean of Texas A&M Engineering Dr. M. Katherine Banks, President and CEO of Noninvasix, Inc. Graham Randall and Vice Chancellor for Research Jon Mogford

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 29

STUDENTS Four Biomedical Engineering Grad Students Awarded LSAMP Fellowships Four graduate students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University have been awarded fellowships by the Texas A&M University System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TAMUS LSAMP).

Stacy Cereceres, David Chimene, Romina Del Bosque and Adam Orendain each have been named recipients of the Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, which entitles them to receive financial assistance for the first two years of their studies. The annual amount of each fellowship includes a $30,000 stipend and a $9,000 allowance for tuition and fees, research supplies, educational travel, health insurance and other fees.

As recipients of the fellowship, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, these students have been identified as having the potential to significantly impact their respective academic and research fields. In addition, they have been recognized as potential leaders and role models who will inspire and help mold the academic and career paths of their undergraduate and graduate student peers.

Cereceres, who is advised by Associate Professor Elizabeth CosgriffHernandez, is conducting research that focuses on fabricating bioactive hydrogel microspheres for use in chronic wound dressings

to promote active wound healing. Chimene is advised by Assistant Professor Akhilesh Gaharwar and is researching the use of hydrogel nanocomposites for musculoskeletal tissue engineering applications.

Del Bosque is advised by Associate Professor Mary McDougall, and her research interests focus on radiofrequency coils for imaging and spectroscopy. Orendain is advised by Professor Duncan Maitland and is conducting medical device design for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms.

In addition to pursuing their respective degrees, these student standouts, as part of the program, are required to attend the NSF Joint Annual Meeting each summer during the course of their fellowships where they will have the opportunity to network with peer fellowship holders from other LSAMP programs around the country as well as with the academic and research leaders among the NSF LSAMP Principal Investigators and Project Directors. They also must attend and present research at the annual TAMUS LSAMP symposium where they will have the opportunity to meet and form relationships with graduate and undergraduate LSAMP students and faculty across the Texas A&M University System.

TAMUS LSAMP is a partnership composed of Texas A&M University; Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi; and Prairie View

Zaballa Honored at Medical Device Competition for Tissue Treatment Research Vincent Zaballa, graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has earned top honors at a medical device design competition that evaluated the commercial potential of medical device projects.

“The Design of Medical Devices Three-inFive Competition,” hosted by the University of Minnesota, enabled researchers to get feedback about their projects from leaders in medical technology research, engineering and development. Participants were required to present their research in the form of a five-minute pitch to a panel of leading medical technology innovators. Winners of the competition were selected based on the quality of their problem statement, the technical soundness of their solution, overall presentation quality and fundability of their research.

Zaballa was recognized for a novel tissue treatment approach that involves applying biocompatible glues to damaged tissues in order to treat chronic wounds, ulcers, diffuse bleeding as well as surgically seal organs and vessel tissue. Working with Covidien, Zaballa has developed a low-cost nanofiber mesh that can be applied to damaged tissue to

30 Department of Biomedical Engineering

more effectively promote healing.

Zaballa, a Dallas native, works in the laboratory of Duncan Maitland, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and TEES assistant agency director for commercialization and entrepreneurship.

Earlier this year, Zaballa was recognized with the Whitaker International Fellowship and will have the opportunity to study at Queen Mary University of London and at Imperial College this summer.

The Whitaker International Program sends emerging leaders in U.S. biomedical engineering overseas to undertake a self-designed project that will enhance their careers within the field.

“Vincent is in the accelerated Master of Engineering program and has worked in the Biomedical Device Laboratory for the last two years,” Maitland said. “It is clear that he has found his calling in commercializing medical devices; I expect to see Vincent in a successful CTO role in a startup in the next 10 years.”

As an award recipient, Zaballa earned a cash prize and was encouraged to expand his research paper for expedited review and publication in the ASME Journal of Medical Devices.

A&M University, committed to increasing the number of underrepresented students participating in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The program offers a research program for promising undergraduate students in STEM fields and the Bridge to the Doctorate program for incoming master’s degree students interested in pursuing doctoral degrees in STEM

fields and, ultimately, entering the ranks of the faculty.

Originally named the Alliance for Minority Participation, the program was renamed the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in 1999 in honor of U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Zambrano Featured as Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow projects include the development of an in vitro system for reproducing the mechanical conditions associated with regions susceptible to vascular disease; pre- and postoperation ovine gait analysis of an implantable bone cuff system for long bone regeneration; and the development of a loading device for material testing of articular cartilage.

The purpose of the Alfred P. Sloan Graduate Scholarship Programs is to assist efforts to diversify the U.S. Ph.D. degree-holding workforce by increasing the recruitment, retention and graduation of underrepresented doctoral Steve Zambrano, graduate student in the Department of

students in sciences, technology, engineering and

Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University and an

mathematics, especially in fields where national trends

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation fellow is the featured scholar on

document persistent underrepresentation. A secondary

the foundation’s website, www.sloan.org.

aim is to change the demographics of STEM faculty in U.S. colleges and universities by paying special attention to the

Zambrano, who conducts research in the laboratory of Assistant Professor Michael Moreno, plans to specialize

preparation of doctoral students from underrepresented minorities for careers in academia.

in medical device design and prototyping. His research

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 31

STUDENTS Bergerson Awarded 2015 Gramm Doctoral Fellowship Christie Bergerson, graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded the 2015 U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Fellowship.

Bergerson received the fellowship based on her outstanding academic record and contributions in research, teaching and mentoring, noted Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies Karen Butler-Purry in a congratulatory letter to Bergerson. As a 2015 Gramm Fellow, Bergerson was formally recognized with a cash award of $5,000 and a framed certificate.

Bergerson, a Ph.D. candidate, conducts research that focuses on the development of a novel bone-implant interface for the tibial tray of total knee replacements. This research is a partnership with 4Web Medical, Inc. During the course of her research, Bergerson has mentored 11 undergraduate students, the majority of whom have entered graduate school. In addition, she has developed and taught a course on experimental design in biomechanical testing for undergraduate seniors. Bergerson also is founder of the BMEN Ambassadors, an organization dedicated to

enhancing accessibility to the department for the community, prospective students, visiting scholars and prospective faculty.

The Gramm Fellowship promotes, encourages and rewards outstanding teaching and research by doctoral students whose command of their respective disciplines exemplifies the meaning of scholar/mentor in the highest sense. Students who are awarded this fellowship excel in both research and teaching.

In 2007, the university’s Office of Graduate Studies began awarding deserving graduate students with the fellowship from an endowment created by the Texas A&M Foundation. The endowment was created from donations given in honor of Gramm, who, in addition to leading a distinguished legislative career, served as professor of economics at Texas A&M. Gramm spent two decades serving in the U.S. Congress and Senate, using his economic and financial expertise to create important laws and policies, and to provide advice to legislators and the White House. Gramm is senior partner of Gramm Partners, a public policy firm in Washington, D.C.

Gacasan Named Goldwater Scholar

Erica Gacasan, undergraduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named a Goldwater Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Goldwater Scholars are selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,206Â mathematics, science and engineering students who are nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. As a Goldwater Scholar, Gacasan will receive a one-year scholarship of $7,500 to apply towards the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board.

Gacasan is advised by Associate Professor Melissa Grunlan. Working in Grunlan’s research group for two years since her freshman year, Gacasan is developing tissue-engineering therapies to treat deteriorating joints such as the knee so that individuals do not require a total joint replacement. Specifically, her research is focused on producing synthetic hydrogel scaffolds that direct regeneration of osteochondral tissues.

In addition to being named a Goldwater Scholar, Gacasan has been selected as one of only 16 students in the nation to attend the 2015 Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program at the National Institutes of Health where she will participate in cutting-edge biomedical research projects under the mentorship of world-class scientists for a 10-week period. Gacasan also recently represented Texas A&M at Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Austin, during which she presented her research to Texas legislators as part of a select group of undergraduate students taking part in the event.

32 Department of Biomedical Engineering

Peak Awarded Best Poster at Biomaterials Day Charles Peak, first-year graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded Best Poster at Biomaterials Day, funded by the Society for Biomaterials (SFB).

Peak’s abstract was selected from more than 60 abstracts for the event’s graduate student competition, held at Rice University this year.

In addition, Peak was awarded second place in the oral presentation portion of the event for his four-minute “rapid fire” talk in which he discussed his research.

Peak, who is advised by Assistant Professor Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, was recognized for his project “Elastomeric cell-laden nanocomposite microfibers for engineering complex tissues.”

explained. These elastic microfibers may serve as model systems to explore the effect of mechanical stress on cell-matrix interactions for engineer scaffold structures, fabric sheets, bundles, or as building blocks for 3D tissue construction, he said.

“Charles is a creative and hard working researcher,” Gaharwar said. “Charles has demonstrated the ability to synergistically combine his background with new knowledge from various scientific and engineering disciplines to forge new ideas and develop simple yet innovative bioengineering tools and approaches.”

Biomaterials Day is a one-day symposium at six different locations throughout the United States. It is designed to enhance networking between academic, industrial and government sectors and increase student exposure to biomaterials research. Students throughout the area, SFB industry members as well as non-SFB members interested in the biomaterials field attend the event.

Working in Gaharwar’s laboratory, Peak has developed elastomeric microfibers-based cellular constructs from natural and synthetic polymer via ionic and covalent crosslinking. By controlling the interactions between nanoparticles and polymers, he was able to design the nanocomposite hydrogels with tunable mechanical and degradation properties. Gaharwar

“Not only is she very strong academically, Erica seizes opportunities for growth and training in research; she never backs away from a challenge,” Grunlan said.

Goldwater Scholars have impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs.

Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 86 Rhodes Scholarships, 123 Marshall Awards, 123 Churchill Scholarships and numerous other distinguished fellowships such as National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships.

Established 1986, the Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency, and the foundation’s scholarship program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater is designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Since its first award in 1989, the foundation has bestowed 7,428 scholarships worth approximately 48 million dollars.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 33

STUDENTS Horn Selected for Livermore Graduate Scholar Program John Horn, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been selected as a graduate scholar at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Through the Livermore Graduate Scholar Program, Horn will become an official employee of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory while completing his doctoral degree from Texas A&M. As a program scholar, Horn will have the opportunity to conduct research of interest to LLNL, spending about 75 percent of the year at LLNL while earning a highly competitive salary.

The laboratory’s scholar program plays a critical role in helping recruit new scientific and engineering talent, and a key feature of the program is the relationship between the student, the university thesis advisor, and the laboratory technical supervisor. While at LLNL, Horn will be supervised by Jason Ortega of the laboratory’s Engineering Technologies Division. Ortega also will serve on Horn’s dissertation committee.

As a graduate student at Texas A&M, Horn conducts research under the supervision of Duncan Maitland, professor in the Department of

Biomedical Engineering. Horn’s research interests include using particle image velocimetry and laser induced fluoroscopy to study the effects of cardiovascular devices on the fluid dynamics and heat transfer of blood flow.

“This scholar program provides a highly competitive fellowship that is available to all Ph.D. graduate students in U.S. institutions, with 10 or fewer awards made each year to students who have passed their preliminary or qualifying exam,” Maitland noted.

“John was selected based on his academic record and his strong preliminary work in multiscale, multiphysics simulations of blood clotting in porous media,” Maitland added. “Given that the program also considers long-term employment potential, John also was selected as someone that could excel in a national laboratory environment.”

For more than half a century, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has applied cutting-edge science and technology to enhance national security. Established in 1952 at the height of the Cold War to meet urgent national security needs, the laboratory remains focused on ensuring the nation’s security through scientific research and engineering development, responding to new threats in an ever-changing world, and developing new technologies that will benefit people everywhere.

Gibbs Named Outstanding Engineering Doctoral Graduate Student

Holly Gibbs, graduate student in the

laser technology to image embryonic brain development with the goal of

Department of Biomedical Engineering at

understanding how genetic programs drive the morphological changes

Texas A&M University, has been named

resulting in proper brain structure and function.

recipient of the 2014-2015 Outstanding Engineering Doctoral Graduate Student Award.

Gibbs has six refereed journal articles, with one under review, one under revision, and two more in preparation, as well as two proceedings. In addition, she was selected as a Teaching-as-Research Fellow by the Texas

The award recognizes exceptional

A&M Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning,

achievement and overall performance

applying for and gaining IRB approval to study the effects of learning

by a doctoral student. Awardees must

styles and nonlinguistic learning exercises in an introductory biology

be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative and degree GPA of at least 3.75. As a recipient of the award, Gibbs will receive a commemorative memento and a one-time scholarship of $5,000. She is scheduled to be formally honored this November at the Dwight Look College of Engineering Student Awards Banquet.

Gibbs, who is advised by Associate Professor Alvin Yeh, has maintained a 4.0 GPA while working in Yeh’s Tissue Microscopy Lab on a collaborative project with Professor Arne Lekven of the Department of Biology. Her interdisciplinary research has focused on the application of ultrashort pulse

34 Department of Biomedical Engineering

course.

Gibbs also has served in leadership roles for several student organizations, including President of Alpha Eta Mu Beta, Design Chair for Engineering World Health, Outreach Coordinator for SPIE, and Travel Awards Chair for the Graduate Student Council, for which she has received the Anat Almadani Emerging Leader, Lawrence Guseman Service, and Buck Weirus Spirit awards.

Jabbour Wins Distinguished Graduate Award for Research Joey Jabbour, former graduate

“Joey Jabbour stands out in her passion, motivation, drive and

student in the Department

commitment to research and education,” Maitland said. “Her

of Biomedical Engineering at

research applying tunable focus lenses to confocal microscopy has

Texas A&M University, has been

attracted attention in the field of optical imaging.”

named recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Graduate Award for Excellence in Research-Doctoral

by The Association of Former Students at Texas A&M.

The Association of Former Students at Texas A&M each year recognizes graduate students in one of three categories: Excellence in Research-Doctoral, Excellence in Research-Master’s and Excellence in Teaching. The award recipients are chosen by a panel of reviewers, which includes faculty and administrators.

During her time at Texas A&M, Jabbour was advised by Associate Professor Kristen Maitland. As an honoree, she will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony scheduled for April 27, during which she will receive a watch and framed certificate.

As a graduate student at Texas A&M, Jabbour designed, built and tested an in vivo confocal microscope to provide highresolution images of tissue in the oral cavity to detect cancer in its earliest stages. Her research involved the development and characterization of the instrument and preclinical and clinical testing of the device. To date, she has eight peer-reviewed publications based on her doctoral research.

Meng Awarded SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

Zhaokai Meng, a graduate student

In 2014 SPIE awarded $353,000 in education and travel scholarships

in the Department of Biomedical

to 144 outstanding individuals, based on their potential contribution

Engineering at Texas A&M University,

to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning

has been awarded a 2014 Optics

applicants were evaluated, selected and approved by the SPIE

and Photonics Education Scholarship

Scholarship Committee, chaired by SPIE volunteer Kevin Leonard.

by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

Meng, who is working as a research assistant in the Advanced Spectroscopy Lab directed by Professor Vladislav V. Yakovlev, was honored for his potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field.

Meng specializes in nonlinear optics microspectroscopy and the

To date, SPIE has distributed more than $3.5 million dollars in individual scholarships. SPIE scholarships are open to full- and part-time students studying anywhere in the world. All scholarship applications are judged on their own merit, based on the experience and education level of the individual student.

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a notfor-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The society serves nearly 256,000 constituents from

corresponding applications in biomedical engineering and sciences.

approximately 155 countries, offering conferences, continuing

His research interests include microscopic imaging for molecular,

education, books, journals and a digital library in support of

cellular and tissue structures, and extending these techniques into

interdisciplinary information exchange, professional networking, and

biomedical studies.

patent precedent. SPIE provided $3.2 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2013.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 35

STUDENTS Landsman Wins Top Honors at BioInterface Conference for Research Poster Todd Landsman, graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has earned top honors at the 2014 BioInterface Conference for his research poster detailing a new type of wound dressings for trauma situations.

Landsman, who worked with Associate Professor Elizabeth Cosgriff-Hernandez and Professor Duncan Maitland on the project, won first place for his poster, “Antibacterial Shape Memory Polymer-Hydrogel Composite Wound Dressing.”

The composite wound dressing detailed in Landsman’s poster combines the biocompatibility, volume filling, and hemostatic properties of shape memory polymer foams with the swellability, biocompatibility, and tunable properties of hydrogels. The use of this

36 Department of Biomedical Engineering

composite, Landsman says, results in rapid hemostasis, prevention of bacterial infection, and rapid application. The dressing, he says, is designed for use in military and civilian trauma situations.

The BioInterface aymposium has been presented annually by the Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation since 1991 and brings together engineers, scientists, clinicians and regulatory experts from all aspects of the biomedical community to openly discuss and debate recent innovations and research topics.

The Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation is dedicated to exploring creative solutions to technical challenges at the biointerface by fostering education and multidisciplinary cooperation among industrial, academic, clinical and regulatory communities.

Bailey Wins Acta Student Award Brennan Bailey, a former graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named recipient of the Acta Student Award for her contribution to the manuscript, “Continuous gradient scaffolds for rapid screening of cell-material interactions and interfacial tissue regeneration.”

As part of the award, which is presented by the Acta journal “Acta Biomaterialia,” Bailey will receive a $2,000 cash prize. She is scheduled to receive the award this October at the annual Materials Science and Technology meeting in Pittsburgh.

Fellow at the Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. While at Texas A&M, her research was focused on developing tissue engineering scaffolds to heal osteochondral tissue defects in knees and in other joints.

“Dr. Bailey’s efforts importantly form the foundation of an alternative treatment for total joint replacement,” Grunlan said.

Several factors are considered in the evaluation of each nominee: the quality of paper, or papers, for which he or she was nominated, recommendation letters, and leadership potential. The awardees were selected from papers published in 2013 in Acta Journals.

Bailey, who recently completed her dissertation under Associate Professor Melissa Grunlan, is a postdoctoral researcher and Marie Curie

Carrow Named Recipient of Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research James Carrow, graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named recipient of a Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research (GIAR).

Carrow, who is advised by Assistant Professor Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, was recognized for his project “Bioinspired Silicate Nanocomposites for Cartilage Tissue Engineering.”

The primary goal of the project is to design a new treatment for osteoarthritis, a leading cause of physical disability in the United States.

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage on the end of bones wears down.

Carrow is developing a new biomaterials-based strategy to induce cartilage regeneration in absence of growth factors – proteins that can lead to serious side effects due to the large amounts required to stimulate cells. His study, Gaharwar says, could alter the traditional paradigm of growth factor incorporation for cartilage regeneration.

As a recipient of the grant, Carrow joins a select group of student standouts (only 10-15 percent of all grant applicants are awarded) and will receive funding for travel expenses to and from a research site or for purchase of non-standard laboratory equipment necessary to complete a specific research project.

“James is a hardworking, intelligent, tenacious and creative researcher,” Gaharwar says. “One of his huge strengths is that he is able to take complex problems or concepts and explain them in an easily understandable manner. His combination of intelligence, leadership, work ethic and research talent is unique. His genuine curiosity, enthusiasm and mastery of biomedical research, combined with his solid background in biomedical engineering will make him an asset to our graduate program.”

The Sigma Xi GIAR program has provided undergraduate and graduate students with valuable educational experiences since 1922.

By encouraging close working relationships between students and mentors, the program promotes scientific excellence and achievement through hands-on learning.

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society is the international honor society of science and engineering. One of the oldest and largest scientific organizations in the world, Sigma Xi has a distinguished history of service to science and society for more than 125 years. Sigma Xi chapters can be found at colleges and universities, government laboratories, and industry research centers around the world.

Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 37

STUDENTS Biomedical Engineering Students Excel at Texas A&M Engineering Showcase

A team of undergraduate students from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University has received the Overall Showcase Winner Award at the third annual Texas A&M Engineering Project Showcase, hosted by the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

The “Thermoformable Shin Guard” team, which included Ala Tobeh, Deidre Jacqueline Higareda, Nicole Hayes, Robert William Reese and William Reyna, was awarded $2,000 as the event’s top team. The team was sponsored by RBC Technologies Inc. The showcase event has become a signature event for the Dwight Look College of Engineering and has grown every year, both in attracting more student participants and more industry representatives. The event captures both the innovativeness of Texas A&M engineering students and the wide range of problems for which they have developed technical solutions.

In addition, three $1,000 awards were given to the top three teams in the multidisciplinary/vertically integrated/research category. The biomedical student design team of Nicholas Abuid, Rahul Dhuka, Colin Dodson, Shannon Waters, Paige Adair and Cassandra Lutz was recognized in this category for its project “Self-Heating Exothermic Warmer for Biologics.” The team was sponsored by RBC Technologies Inc. The event was sponsored by the Look College, ConocoPhillips, Spectra Energy, Texas Instruments and Emerson.

For more information about the event, please visit engineering.tamu.edu/project-showcase.

For project sponsorship information, please contact Magda Lagoudas, executive director, industry and nonprofit partnerships.

More than 160 engineering teams participated in the showcase with posters and prototypes representing the work of more than 700 undergraduate engineering students. The student participants presented work from Senior Capstone Design courses, AggiE_Challenge projects, technical electives, undergraduate research projects, Startup Aggieland companies, freshman design teams and others.

The event attracted more than 140 industry representatives from 70 companies to campus. The showcase provided them with the opportunity to meet with faculty to discuss possible collaborations for future industry-sponsored student projects.

An awards ceremony at the end of the Showcase recognized the top teams, with more than $11,000 in prizes made possible by gold sponsor ConocoPhillips and silver sponsors Emerson, Spectra Energy and Texas Instruments.

The biomedical engineering capstone team of Jessica Reinhard, Zach Stone, Rachael Muschalek, Samantha Schott and Clayton Smith also was recognized for its project “Rapid Manufacturing of a Transtibial Prosthesis.” As a capstone winning team, the group was awarded $1,000. The team was sponsored by Hanger Medical Inc.

38 Department of Biomedical Engineering

Over 160 teams participated in the showcase with posters and prototypes representing the work of more than 700 students.

Committed to solving the world’s greatest health problems through the exploration of new ideas, integrated research and innovation, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University is producing the next generation of biomedical engineers, developing new technologies and new jobs, and achieving revolutionary advancements for the future of health care.

For information about giving opportunities, visit engineering.tamu.edu/biomedical and click “partner with us,” or contact: Reagan Chessher, Biomedical Engineering Development, Texas A&M Foundation 979.862.1936 or rchessher@tamu.edu Dwight Look College of Engineering • Texas A&M University 39

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID COLLEGE STATION TEXAS 77843 PERMIT NO. 215

Department of Biomedical Engineering 5045 Emerging Technologies Building 3120 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3120

E GIN BIOMEDICAL EN

ER

Committed to solving the world’s greatest health problems through the exploration of new ideas, integrated research and innovation, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University is producing the next generation of biomedical engineers, developing new technologies and new jobs, and achieving revolutionary advancements for the future of health care.

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