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Category Archives: BioEngineering

Brief: Anthem Blue Cross is unbrazen as it’s vindictive business practices lay exposed in California

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Note: I don't have much time nowadays so I am switching to quick updates on key issues rather than wait till I have time to post in the long form I am used to.

I first came across this article on the erstwhile ducknetweb, and it makes for an incredible read. I generally do not like reproducing other peoples' hard work as a blog post, but I think Anthem Blue Cross's vindictive business could use all the bad publicity it can get, especially since they plan to appeal a decision against them, rather than apologize to the victims, including the Doctor they rejected from their network and the several patients on whose behalf he fought with Anthem Blue Cross.

Jeffrey Nordella, a doctor who doubled as a patient advocate stood up against Anthem Blue Cross when they rejected patient claims. He put up a brave fight, and in return Anthem Blue Cross barred him from participating in their network. The Supreme Court of California had clearly stated in a 2000 case that when insurance companies kick doctors out of their network, they must give them due process.

Such minor details or a clear verdict from a jury are of no consequence to Anthem Blue Cross apparently. Read for yourself.

I am going to post the links here, and I hope that you will go through them, read and understand what happened here, and, if you happen to be in a similar situation, you will be ready for a long fight!

Links:

1. http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2013/04/doctor-wins-38-million-dollar-law-suit.html

2. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-anthem-doctor-verdict-20130410,0,2796259.storySource:
http://chaaraka.blogspot.com/2013/04/brief-anthem-blue-cross-is-unbrazen-as.html

reGeneRations 2013 – Biosciences

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reGeneRations 2013 - Biosciences Bioengineering, IIT Bombay Welcomes You!
The Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering (BSBE) is a nodal center for applying science and engineering principles to further fundamental knowledge and applications in biology and biomedical engineering. The BSBE department aims to create an ambience for the smooth pursuit of scholarly activities in research and education, to make an international impact, and to produce future leaders in the field of Biosciences and Bioengineering.

By: Sandeep Kumar Khichar

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reGeneRations 2013 - Biosciences

Bioinformatics and Bioengineering – Todd McDevitt, Georgia Institute of Technology – NSF – Video

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Bioinformatics and Bioengineering - Todd McDevitt, Georgia Institute of Technology - NSF
Stem cell biomanufacturing is the conduit for fundamental scientific discoveries about stem cell biology to be translated into biomedical diagnostics and therapies. Robust new approaches to control the expansion and differentiation of stem cells in a scalable manner are required for cell production purposes. In addition, non-destructive means of assaying cell fate are needed to introduce feedback control processes and ensure the safety and efficacy of stem cell-derived products. These objectives are being met by the research currently being carried out by Stem Cell Biomanufacturing IGERT trainees at Georgia Tech who are preparing to become the scientific leaders of this rapidly emerging field that exists at the crossroads of stem cell biology, bioengineering and bioprocessing. Specific research efforts include the development of biomaterials approaches for the culture and delivery of stem cells, computational modeling of stem cell fate decisions, label-free non-destructive cell sorting technologies and "real-time" gene expression analysis. Overall, these projects represent the next generation of technologies to be integrated into the biomanufacturing pipeline for the production and ultimately translation of stem cells for biomedical applications.

By: Todd McDevitt

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Bioinformatics and Bioengineering - Todd McDevitt, Georgia Institute of Technology - NSF - Video

‘Soft’ side of bioengineering poised to make big impacts – Arizona State University

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Arizona researchers, educators, students and representatives of industry, government agencies and health care institutions gathered at the annual ASU Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Symposium in 2016 and 2017 to discuss the potential these fields hold for sparking medical advances. Photo by: Marco-Alexia Chaira/ASU Download Full Image

The main thrust of biomedical engineering has long involved the hardware that the field produces devices, tools, machines, electronics and prosthetic apparatuses.

Now the spotlight is rapidly being shared by engineers and scientists who are seeking to solve medical challenges through their increasing ability to manipulate cells, molecules, genes, proteins and neural systems those so-called soft, pliant and sometimes living biomaterials.

So, about four years ago, it really started to make sense to form a group to strategize about how we could grow this area at ASU, both in the labs and the classrooms, said Haynes, a synthetic biologist and assistant professor of biomedical engineering in ASUs Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

We needed to start connecting with each other, to share knowledge and to collaborate to bring these new things happening in the biomedical field to the forefront here, said Rege, a professor of chemical engineering in the Fulton Schools.

The Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Group made its public debut of sorts with the inaugural Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Symposium at ASU in 2016, followed by a second symposium last spring that drew almost 150 participants, nearly doubling attendance at the first event.

The gatherings included not only university faculty and graduate students from across Arizona but also representatives from industry and state health agencies.

Audiences saw presentations and heard talks about an expanding array of biomedical techniques being developed that hold promise for treating diseases, healing damaged organs and alleviating various disorders.

There are therapeutic gene editing and DNA sequencing techniques being developed with the aim of curing disease.

Researchers are exploring the use of certain proteins produced by our bodies to treat diseases proteins that could potentially be more effective than the chemical compounds in the drugs that are now widely used.

With our ability to figure out how DNA is expressed and translated into a protein, we now have a much clearer picture of all the different types of coding sequences in DNA and the proteins that are produced by the body, Haynes explained.

Assistant Professor Karmella Haynes (right) says a stronger emphasis on educating students about the biological side of biomedical engineering can broaden their skills and boost their career prospects. Photo by: Jessica Hochreiter/ASU

That capability, she said, enables us to take a healthy cell and compare it to a diseased cell, and then say This is what is right in the healthy cell and these are the things that are wrong in the unhealthy cell. Then we could introduce the right things into the diseased area to try to fix it.

Reges research team is investigating other aspects of such regenerative medicine.

One project involves experimentation with efficiently delivering therapeutic molecules into cells that could target areas of disease.

Techniques like that could also be part of new processes to perform body tissue repair, helping to seal internal organs after surgical incisions in conjunction with the use of laser light to activate sealing and even healing organ tissues damaged by injury or disease.

Other Fulton Schools faculty members are doing work that demonstrates the myriad possibilities of applying new bioengineering skills to improve human health.

Assistant Professor Jeffrey La Belles team is developing implantable and wearable point-of-care sensing systems for disease diagnosis and management.

The technologies utilize molecular recognition of such things as enzymes, antibodies and DNA for sensing particular molecular targets that provide information about certain health conditions.

By sensing multiple biomarkers, the devices can help medical professionals better determine proper care by more accurately assessing patients conditions, La Belle said. They can be particularly effective in enabling people with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and abdominal organ transplants to monitor their health, and for improving evaluation of the status of trauma patients.

Associate Professor Xiao Wang is involved in the design and construction of gene circuits. That entails deeper understanding of the bodys complex gene-regulation networks and what triggers the cell differentiation process, by which stem cells transform into a range of specialized cells critical to the functioning of essential bodily systems.

The aim is to find ways to more effectively determine cell fate, Wang said. Controlling those transitions would make it possible to produce cells designed to help treat infections and diseases, and repair tissues and organs.

Achieving that could help reduce the need for transplants and improve therapies and treatments for spinal injuries and perhaps even Alzheimers Disease and blindness.

Associate Professor Sarah Stabenfeldt is focusing on new and improved therapeutics and diagnostics for brain injury, employing techniques springing from discoveries in molecular biology, neuroscience and materials science to develop and evaluate those diagnostic and treatment systems.

She is experimenting with the use of engineered nanobodies therapeutic proteins derived from antibodies that contain structural and functional properties of naturally occurring antibodies.

The goal is to develop nanoparticle systems that can be introduced into the bloodstream as targeting probes that locate the molecular and cellular source of brain damage.

Those tiny probes would be able to recognize the complexity and severity of neural injury to the brain at the molecular level, thus providing more relevant information to guide treatment of traumatic brain injury, Stabenfeldt said.

Assistant Professor Rachael Sirianni is employing similar approaches to develop more effective treatments for cancer and other degenerative diseases.

Sirianni is an adjunct biomedical engineering faculty member with the Fulton Schools whose primary appointment is with the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where she runs an academic research program that includes joint ASU/BNI neuroscience endeavors.

She is exploring the use of biomaterials for targeted drug delivery. tissue engineering and medical imaging. Shes confident that work in in these and related areas will eventually help bring about significant medical advances.

The range of problems we can tackle and the knowledge we can gain through these emerging aspects of bioengineering will eventually lead to better therapeutics and a big overall impact on the future of clinical care, she said.

Professor Kaushal Rege (second from left) says the Molecular, Cellular and Technology Group will work to earn more support for research training programs for graduate and postdoctoral students. Photo by: Nora Skrodenis/ASU

There are obstacles that must be overcome to achieve the scientific and engineering capabilities necessary to fulfill that promise, she added, but she believes collaborations like those being fostered by the Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Group could speed progress.

Along with about a half dozen other Fulton Schools faculty, colleagues in ASUs School of Life Sciences, the School of Molecular Sciences and research specialists with the Biodesign Institute are also engaged in advancing knowledge in molecular, cell and tissue biology.

Much of that work has drawn support from the likes of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the ASU Foundations Women & Philanthropy program, the American Heart Association and the Arizona Biomedical Research Commission, which also provided $20,000 to help fund this years ASU Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Bioengineering Symposium.

The ABRC, a part of the Arizona Department of Health Services, sees significant benefits for the state in helping to create a shared sense of community among engineers, scientists, industries and healthcare institutions interested in making medical advances, said Jennifer Botsford, the commissions program manager.

The faculty group has the potential to create opportunities for cross-fertilization of ideas that push the boundaries of science, said Betsy Cantwell,vice president of research for ASUs Knowledge Enterprise Development office

Their work is not only necessary, but genuinely innovative and inclusive, as demonstrated by their national stature and international connections, Cantwell said.

Such endorsements are motivating the group to put plans into action to more solidly establish its identity and pursue its long-range goals.

Haynes is hoping that by next year the symposium will start to become more of a regional event and draw prominent experts and industry leaders from throughout the Southwest.

She and Rege also hope to encourage more serious discussion with ASU leaders about ideas for a future lab complex or even a building where the universitys biomedical researchers could be headquartered.

To optimize our resources and make full use of our talents, its important to have an environment that allows us to see and talk to each other about our individual work, Rege said. That is how ideas get generated and collaborations happen.

On one front, the groups aspirations are already taking shape.

The Fulton Schools biomedical engineering program is in the process of launching a new curriculum track that will make this soft, squishy side of the field more of an educational focal point at ASU.

This is a huge deal, Haynes said, because we can offer more to students who want a stronger combination of medical education and engineering thats going to open up their career possibilities.

The group seeks to not only attract more funding for faculty research but also for research training programs for graduate students and postdoctoral students.

That would be a significant step toward elevating ASU among medical science and engineering education leaders.

Said Rege: We want this to be a place where people can come to see and learn about and contribute to really big things happening in all these fields. Thats our vision.

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'Soft' side of bioengineering poised to make big impacts - Arizona State University

Bioengineering Overview Sloan Career Center

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Biomedical engineers develop devices and procedures that solve medical and health-related problems by combining their knowledge of biology and medicine with engineering principles and practices. Many do research, along with medical scientists, to develop and evaluate systems and products such as artificial organs, prostheses (artificial devices that replace missing body parts), instrumentation, medical information systems, and health management and care delivery systems. Biomedical engineers also may design devices used in various medical procedures, imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and devices for automating insulin injections or controlling body functions. Most engineers in this specialty need a sound background in another engineering specialty, such as mechanical or electronics engineering, in addition to specialized biomedical training. Some specialties within biomedical engineering are biomaterials, biomechanics, medical imaging, rehabilitation engineering, and orthopedic engineering.

Major advances in Bioengineering include the development of artificial joints, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the heart pacemaker, arthroscopy, angioplasty, bioengineered skin, kidney dialysis, and the heart-lung machine.

Bioengineering Resources

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Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Whitaker Foundation.

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Bioengineering Overview Sloan Career Center


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