Day 2 :
Keynote Forum
Hansen A Mansy
University of Central Florida, USA
Keynote: Pulmonary vibro-acoustics: a tool for aiding medical diagnosis
Time : 09:30-10:05
Biography:
Hansen A Mansy has received his PhD in Engineering from IIT, Chicago, IL in 1990. After Post-doctoral training and working in industry, he joined the faculty of Rush University in 2003 and moved to University of Central Florida in 2013. His research has focused on investigating vibro acoustic phenomena and developing related medical diagnostic tools. He has received significant federal and foundation research funding, published scientific articles, received patents, and continues to serve as an Editorial Board Member and grant reviewer for many national and international organizations (including NIH, NSF, DoD, AFOSR).
Abstract:
Body sounds and vibrations have been used in medicine for diagnoses and monitoring of a wide range of conditions. There is potentially unique and diagnostically important information in audible and sub-audible frequency vibrations since characteristic times for many physiological processes and resonances of many anatomical structures are in that range. Traditional use of the stethoscope to access vibro-acoutic changes is skill-dependent and can only briefly provide qualitative information at a single or a few measurement points simultaneously. To fully reap the potential of this rich signal source requires: Better understanding of: Acoustic source and its relation to pathology and acoustic propagation from the source to the sensor, which can be more complex than ultrasonic frequencies due to the potential for multiple reflections, multiple wave types, and multi-path behavior; Development of realistic mechanical, computational and animal models; more accurate measurements of vibro-acoustic properties of materials; Use of better sensors and sensor arrays; and Implementation of optimal signal processing methods for noise removal, feature extraction, and classification. This talk will focus on examples of pathologies that may be diagnosed and monitored via their vibro-acoustic signatures, in an attempt to demonstrate how combining information from several disciplines can provide a potentially powerful tool to aid in medical diagnosis. The presented vibro-acoustic approach offers several potential advantages including: safety, prompt results, low cost, portability, noninvasiveness, and lack of ionizing or other radiation risks.
Keynote Forum
D Subbaram Naidu
University of Minnesota Duluth, USA
Keynote: Fusion of hard and soft control strategies in biomedical engineering: robotic/prosthetic hand
Time : 10:05-10:40
Biography:
D Subbaram Naidu received his MTech and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering (with specialization in Control Systems Engineering), from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. He taught, visited and/or conducted research at IIT; as National Research Council (NRC) Senior Research Associate at Guidance and Control Division at NASA Langley Research Center; Old Domain University; as Professor, Associate Dean and Director, School of Engineering at Idaho State University and Measurement and Control Engineering Research Center; as National Research Council (NRC) Senior Research Associate at Center of Excellence in Advanced Flight Research at United States (US) Air Force Research Laboratory; as Visiting Research Fellow at Center of Excellence for Ships and Ocean Structures at Norwegian University of Science and Technology;
Abstract:
There are now over 20 million people in the world with missing limbs resulting from combat and non-combat operations and by 2050 there will be 50 million amputees all over the world. The availability of artificial limbs will help these people to lead a better normal life. The overall goal of the research on prosthetic hand technology is to develop a smart prosthetic hand using intelligent strategies for electromyography (EMG) signal extraction, analysis, identification, kinematic synthesis, and embedded hierarchical real-time systems and control by fusion of soft computing and hard computing techniques. The fusion of soft and hard control synergetic strategy alleviates the present problems associated with prosthetic devices. A highlight of the presentation is to reenact the recent (2016-August-12) TED talk on 3-D printed prosthetic hand for the world given by Professor Naidu.
Keynote Forum
Mariusz Ziejewski
North Dakota State University, USA
Keynote: A professional life that took a non-linear path
Time : 11:00-11:35
Biography:
Mariusz Ziejewski, PhD, is a Professor in the College of Engineering at North Dakota State University where he is the Director of the Impact Biomechanics Laboratory and the Director of the Automotive Systems Laboratory. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University Of North Dakota School Of Medicine. He has performed human body dynamics research for the Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, Human System Division which is part of the United States Air Force. He has been a member of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Collaboration Group on Human Brain Modeling. He has been involved in Emergency Room (ER) Biomechanical Brain Injury Evaluation, at Meritcare’s Trauma Center, Fargo, ND. He was appointed as an Editor-in-Chief for North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS) Conferences and Proceedings. He was also named the founding chair of the Blast Injury Institute of NABIS.
Abstract:
This presentation will be an overview of the educational and professional life of a University Professor of Mechanical Engineering, researcher and expert witness. The presenter will demonstrates how a combination of events, and life’s circumstances, can dramatically change the direction of a career. The presenter will also encourage others to not be fearful of those changes, but to rather embrace them as unknowns that have the potential to expose individuals to exciting challenges that may enrich their careers. Power point slides will be used to reflect on the forty years that have taken the presenter from being a student of mechanical engineering in Poland to being an expert witness in traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States. The slides will also emphasize how the presenter followed a career path, but remained open to new opportunities, needs for research, communication, and technology that emerged along the way. Sometimes, professionals find themselves stuck in a career, or reaching the stage of burn-out. The goal of the presenter is to motivate conference participants to continually look for new opportunities where they can use their energy and talents, and to remember that their professional life does not have to be a linear path.
Keynote Forum
Raphael Ap Sanches Nascimento
Federal University of Lavras, Brazil
Keynote: Intracellular glucose sensing
Time : 11:35-12:10
Biography:
Raphael Ap Sanches Nascimento has completed his PhD. He is an Adjunct Professor and also faculty in Department of Physics- Federal University of Lavras (UFLA). He has published more than 10 papers in various journals and serving as Reviewer of International Journal of Medical Imaging.
Abstract:
To study energy production in individual cancer cells, nanopipettes were developed to measure glucose levels in single cells with temporal and spatial resolution. The nanopipettes were functionalized as glucose nanosensors by adhering Glucose Oxidase (GOx) covalently to the tip so that the interaction of glucose with GOx resulted in a catalytic oxidation of ï¢-D-glucose to D-gluconic acid, which could be measured as a change in impedance due to drop in pH of the medium at the nanopipette tip. Calibration studies showed a direct relationship between impedance changes at the tip and glucose concentration in solution. The glucose nanosensor quantified single cell intracellular glucose levels in human fibroblasts and the metastatic breast cancer lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 and revealed that the cancer cells expressed reproducible and reliable increases in glucose levels compared to the non-malignant cells. Because the tip diameter is so small (100 nm), the nanopipette make a really small incision on cell membrane keeping its viability during and after measurements have being taken. Then, if necessary, nanopipettes can be used to repetitively measure glucose levels in the same cells with minimal effects on cell function, providing an approach to compare changes in glucose transport to match the changes in energetics of cancer cells with changes in proliferative or metastatic state. It is possible to employ the platform as a diagnostic tool to distinguish cancer cells from non-malignant cells in heterogeneous tissue biopsies.
Keynote Forum
Costas Balas
Technical University of Crete, Greece
Keynote: Dynamic spectral imaging for the diagnosis and screening of epithelial neoplasia
Time : 12:10-12:45
Biography:
Costas Balas holds a Physics degree and a PhD degree in Medical Physics/Biomedical Engineering, both from the University of Patras, Greece. He is currently full Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece and Director of the Electronics Lab. He holds several issued international patents and is the Founder of three medical device companies with FDA approved products. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and has delivered numerous invited presentations in the field of biomedical optical imaging.
Abstract:
Dynamic imaging is progressively implemented to almost all biomedical imaging modalities including MRI, optical imaging, x-ray imaging, ultrasound imaging, etc., by developing and utilizing high-affinity magnetically, optically (fluorescent dyes) etc. labeled tracers. It relies on the imaging of the dynamic effects generated by the interaction of contrast agent (s) with organs, tissues, cells, proteins etc. The probing, modeling, parametric analysis and mapping of these dynamic signals offer a new insight into the disease state, physiology and progression. Dynamic Spectral Imaging (DSI) emerges as an advanced imaging modality, capable of probing and monitoring the uptake and washout kinetics of optical contrast agents and biomarkers. The study of the spatial-spectral-temporal characteristics of the generated dynamic optical signals in relation with the underlying disease type and grade would comprise the basis for development of a series of novel, non-invasive, real-time diagnostic methods and technologies. The DSI concept implemented for detecting cervical neoplasia, in vivo, underwent validation in large clinical trials, which demonstrated a remarkable improvement (85%) in diagnostic accuracy, over traditional methods. Recent developments involve the compartmental modeling of epithelial transport phenomena, combined with system’s biology methods. This innovative approach enabled the estimation of microscopic, neoplasia-related features from macroscopic optical characteristics measured in vivo. The method’s output is the mapping of model parameters directly correlated with cell packing, functionality of cell junctions and extracellular pH. This valuable information is available in office-based, noninvasive and non-ionizing examinations. By exploiting its unique characteristics, DSI would comprise a new platform for early detection and for personalizing/evaluating treatment strategies.
Keynote Forum
Brad A Amendt
University of Iowa, USA
Keynote: New microRNA biotechnology to inhibit inflammation and regenerate bone
Time : 12:45-13:20
Biography:
Brad A Amendt completed his PhD at the University of Iowa in 1994. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Texas A&M Health Science Center, Institute for Biosciences and Technology, Houston, TX. He is currently the Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. He has published more than 70 manuscripts, several books and book chapters and is the Founder and CSO of NaturemiRI, LLC. His team is developing clinical trials to test new biotechnology.
Abstract:
Current tools for the inhibition of microRNA (miR) function are limited to modified antisense oligonucleotides, sponges, and decoy RNA molecules and none have been used to understand miR function during development and they have very limited therapeutic applications. We report a novel plasmid-based miR inhibitor system (PMIS) that inhibits miR family members in cells and mice. The PMIS engineered optimal secondary structure, flanking sequences and specific antisense miR oligonucleotide sequence bind the miR in a stable complex to inhibit miR activity. In cells, one PMIS can effectively inhibit miR family members that share the same seed sequence. A complete family of miRs can be inhibited with a single plasmid. Different PMIS miR inhibitors can be linked together to knockdown multiple miRs expressed from different chromosomes. The PMIS shows no off-target effects or toxicity and is highly specific for miRs sharing identical seed sequences. Transgenic mice expressing PMIS-miRs reveal different developmental processes affected by miRs. Genome-wide analyses of PMIS transgenic mice and cells identified new miR regulated gene networks. We have identified miRs that control inflammation through the direct targeting of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We have developed a system to deliver the PMIS to regenerate bone, inhibit TMJ inflammation and osteoarthritis. Importantly, the non-toxic nature of the PMIS molecule makes it promising platform for the delivery of miR inhibiting effects that could have potential as a treatment of human diseases and genetic defects, something that has proven difficult for traditional oligonucleotide approaches to miR inhibition.