Out of Touch: Depletion of Mechanosensors Drives Wound-Healing and Cancer – TMC News – Texas Medical Center News

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Additional dates:Next Event:February 11, 2020

Dr. Michael SheetzWelch Professor of BiochemistryMolecular MechanoMedicine ProgramBiochemistry and Molecular BiologyUniversity of Texas Medical BranchGalveston, TX

Out of Touch: Depletion of Mechanosensors Drives Wound-Healing and Cancer

Tuesday, February 11, 202012:30 1:30 PMBRC, 10th Floor, Room 1060 A/B

Abstract: Loss of matrix rigidity sensing in tumor cells enables transformed growth. In over forty tumor lines tested, they lack rigidity sensing complexes because components are altered (about 60% had low Tpm 2.1). The rigidity sensing complex (about 2 m in length) contracts matrix adhesions by ~100nm; and if the force generated is greater than ~25 pN, then cells can grow (Wolfenson et al., 2016. Nat Cell Bio. 18:33). However, if the surface is soft, then the cells apoptose by DAPK1 activation (Qin et al., 2018 BioRxiv. 320739). Although tumor cells grow on soft surfaces, restoration of rigidity sensing restores rigidity-dependent growth (Yang, B. et al., 2020 Nature Mat. 19: 239). Surprisingly, mechanical stretch of transformed cancer cells activates apoptosis through calpain-dependent apoptosis (Tijore et al., 2018 BioRxiv. 491746). Thus, stretch sensitivity is a weakness of cancer cells related to transformation and not to the tissue type or other factors.

Bio: Prof. Michael Sheetz has a long history in mechanobiological research and was most recently the Director of the Mechanobiology Institute at the National University of Singapore. Prior to that he was a Professor at Columbia University where he headed a program in nanomedicine. At Duke University Medical School, he was Chair of Cell Biology from 1990 to 2000. He has received many awards including the Lasker Prize, Wiley and Massry Prizes.

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Out of Touch: Depletion of Mechanosensors Drives Wound-Healing and Cancer - TMC News - Texas Medical Center News

Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials

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GDA 2014 Honoree: Dr. Omid Farokhzad Wall Street Journal Interview Cellular Surgeons: New Era of Nanomedicine New York Academy of Sciences Event ecancertv: Polymeric Nanoparticles for Medical Applications Our Research

Nanotechnology has generated a significant impact in nearly every aspect of science. Our research seeks novel nanomaterials and nanotechnologies in order to develop advanced drug delivery systems with the promise to improve health care. Highly interdisciplinary and translational, our research is focused on multifunctional, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. We seek to improve nanoparticle synthesis and formulation and its therapeutic efficacy. Additionally, we develop robust engineering processes to accelerate translation of nanoparticle-based drugs into the drug development pipeline. At the same time, we emphasize a fundamental understanding of the interface between nanomaterials and biological systems. Read our recent reviews below:

See below for some of our selected research articles. Click on images for more detail:

Transepithelial transport of fc-targeted nanoparticles by the neonatal fc receptor for oral delivery:

A study on the immunocompatibility properties of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles with heterogeneous surface functional groups:

Engineering of targeted nanoparticles for cancer therapy using internalizing aptamers isolated by cell-uptake selection:

Synthesis of Size-Tunable Polymeric Nanoparticles Enabled by 3D Hydrodynamic Flow Focusing in Single-Layer Microchannels:

Effects of ligands with different water solubilities on self-assembly and properties of targeted nanoparticles:

Development of poly(ethylene glycol) with observable shedding:

Congratulations to Nazila Kamaly for her appointment as an Associate Professor at Technical University of Denmark (01/01/16)

Congratulations to Jun Wu for his appointment as a Professor at Sun Yat-sen University, China (01/01/16)

Congratulations to Christian Vilos for securing the Chilean Grant (Fondecyt)! (01/30/16)

Congratulations to Naomi Morales-Medina for securing an undergraduate National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) Fellowship for minorities in STEM fields! (10/19/15)

Congratulations to Christian Vilos for his promotion to Associate Professor at Center for Integrative Medicine and Innovative Science (CIMIS) in Faculty of Medicine in Andres Bello University! (09/10/15)

Congratulations to Won Il Choi for securing a Senior Researcher position at the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology! (09/10/15)

Congratulations to Jining Huang for getting admission in the Bioengineering PhD Program at Caltech. (03/24/15)

Welcome Dr. Sejin Son to join our team! (10/31/14)

Welcome Dr. Dmitry Shvartsman to join our team! (09/19/14)

Welcome Dr. Harshal Zope to join our team! (06/15/14)

Welcome Dr Yanlan Liu, Dr. Xiaoding Xu and Dr. Arif Islam to join our team! (03/12/14)

Welcome Dr. Basit Yameen to join our team! (09/09/2013)

Congratulations to Dr. Archana Swami for her poster prize at the MIT Polymer Day Symposium! (05/02/2013)

Welcome Dr. Mikyung Yu, Dr. In-hyun Lee, Dr. Won IL Choi, Dr. Renata Leito and Dr. Cristian Vilos to join our team! (05/02/2013)

Congratulations to Dr. Archana Swami for receiving an 'Outstanding Paper' award from the ASME at NEMB2013! (31/01/2013)

Welcome Dr. Giuseppe Palmisano to join our team! (04/01/12)

Congratulations to Steffi Sunny for securing a PhD position on the Applied Science and Engineering PhD program at Harvard University! (04/01/12)

Congratulations to Shrey Sindhwani for securing a Physician Scientist Training Program (MD-PhD) position at the University of Toronto! (04/01/12)

Congratulations to Dr. Xiaoyang Xu on the award of his National Cancer Institute funded Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Post-doctoral Fellowship! (01/03/2012)

Congratulations to Dr. Jinjun Shi on the award of his National Cancer Institute K99/R00 Career Award! (11/30/2011)

Congratulations to Dr. Jinjun Shi for his BWH Biomedical Research Institute award! (11/10/2011)

Welcome Dr. Nazila Kamaly to join our team! (01/25/2011)

Welcome Dr. Jun Wu, Dr. Xueqing Zhang and Changwei Ji to join our team! (11/15/2010)

Welcome Dr. Suresh Gadde to join our team! (12/15/2009)

Welcome Dr. Xiaoyang Xu to join our team! (10/19/09)

Welcome Dr. Archana Mukherjee to join our team! (08/19/09)

Immunocompatibility properties of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles with heterogeneous surface functional groups, Salvador-Morales C, Zhang L, Langer et al, Biomaterials, 30 (2009) 2231.

Engineering of targeted nanoparticles for cancer therapy using internalizing aptamers isolated by cell-uptake selection, Xiao Z, Levy-Nissenbaum E, Alexis F et al, ACS Nano, 6 (2012) 696.

Synthesis of size-tunable polymeric nanoparticles enabled by 3D hydrodynamic flow focusing in single-layer microchannels., Rhee M, Valencia M, Rodriguez MI et al, Advanced Materials, 23 (2011) H79.

Effects of ligands with different water solubilities on self-assembly and properties of targeted nanoparticles, Valencia PM, Hanewich-Hollatz MH, Gao W et al, Biomaterials, 23 (2011) 6226.

Poly (ethylene glycol) with Observabel Shedding, Valencia PM, Hanewich-Hollatz MH, Gao W et al, , 23 (2010) 6567.

Preclinical Development and Clinical Translation of a PSMA-Targeted Docetaxel Nanoparticle with a Differentiated Pharmacological Profile, Hrkach J, Von Hoff D, Ali MM et al, Science Translational Medicine, 4 (2012) 128ra39.

Targeted polymeric therapeutic nanoparticles: design, development and clinical translation, N Kamaly, Z Xiao, P Valencia et alChem. Soc. Rev, 41 (2012) 2971.

Precise engineering of targeted nanoparticles by using self-assembled biointegrated block copolymers, F. Gu, L. Zhang, B. A. Teply et alPNAS, 105 (2008) 2586.

Quantum dot-aptamer conjugates for synchronous cancer imaging, therapy, and sensing of drug delivery based on bi-fluorescence resonance energy transfer, V Bagalkot, L Zhang, E Levy-Nissenbaum et alNano Lett., 7 (2007) 3065.

Targeted nanoparticle-aptamer bioconjugates for cancer chemotherapy in vivo, O. Farokhzad, J. Cheng, B. A. Teply, et al PNAS, 103 (2006) 6315.

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Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials

Dr. Lawrence Mayer – President and Head of Research at Celator Pharmaceuticals – Video

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Dr. Lawrence Mayer - President and Head of Research at Celator Pharmaceuticals
Script: As you probably know, treatment of AML have been the same for the last 30 years; and it has not been particularly effective. You uses two drugs: cyta...

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Dr. Lawrence Mayer - President and Head of Research at Celator Pharmaceuticals - Video

New hope for leukemia patients

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Kochi, Oct 15 (UNI)

Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, part of the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre has claimed to have discovered a potential cure for drug resistant leukemia.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) responds well to a drug named 'Imatinib', however, when drug resistance sets in, which is in about 20-25 per cent of the cases, the patients has little chance of survival, a press release said here today.

Drug resistance was due to certain point mutations in the leukemia cells as a result of which the cells find an alternative pathway for survival, preventing the drug from killing the cancer cells, it said.

The Centre has developed a nanomedicine which had shown significant ability to kill the drug reststant cancer cells.

The nanomedicine was developed over the past three years and has shown success in in-vitro (or cell line based) studies, it added.

The Centre was now conducting animal trials or pre-clinical studies of the drug, it said, adding that it is expected that if pre-clinical trials are successful the new nano medicine can be submitted for clinical trial after approval from the government.

This was the first such discovery in the world of nanomedicine that effectively solves the problem of severe drug resistance in blood cancers.

The senior scientists involved in the research and development was Dr Manzoor Koyakutty, Professor and Dr Shantikumar Nair, Centre Director and Dean of Research.

Clinicians from the hospital who are involved in the research are Dr Pavithran, Dr Neeraj and Dr Prabhu. The PhD student who has worked on this as part of her PhD thesis is Archana Ratnakumari, it added.

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New hope for leukemia patients

Deakin University – Practical Science – Nano medicine – Video

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Deakin University - Practical Science - Nano medicine
http://www.deakin.edu.au An interview with Deakin University research fellow Dr Rupinder Kanwa as she discusses Deakin Uni #39;s groundbreaking Nano Medicine research Another one of many great reasons to come to Deakin University Open DayFrom:deakinuniversityViews:44 0ratingsTime:01:14More inEducation

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Deakin University - Practical Science - Nano medicine - Video

How 3D Printers Are Reshaping Medicine

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Printing off a kidney or another human organ may sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but with the advancements in 3D printing technology, the idea may not be so far-fetched.

BioprintingWhile 3D printing has been successfully used in the health care sector to make prosthetic limbs, custom hearing aids and dental fixtures, the technology is now being used to create more complex structures - particularly human tissue.

Organovo (onvo), a San Diego-based company that focuses on regenerative medicine, is one company using 3D printers, called bioprinters, to print functional human tissue for medical research and regenerative therapies.

"This is disruptive technology," said Mike Renard, Organovo's vice president of commercial operations. "It's always interesting and fun, but never easy."

(More From CNBC: 15 Surprising Global Technology Cities)

Traditional 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using additive processes, in which an object is created by laying down successive layers of material such as plastic, ceramics, glass or metal to print an object. Companies including Boeing (ba), General Electric (ge) and Honeywell (hon) use this type of 3D printing to manufacture parts.

Bioprinters, though, use a "bio-ink" made of living cell mixtures to form human tissue. Basically, the bio-ink is used to build a 3D structure of cells, layer by layer, to form tissue.

Eventually, medical researchers hope to be able to use the printed tissue to make organs for organ replacement.

However, growing functional organs is still at least 10 years away, said Shaochen Chen, a professor of nano-engineering at the University of California, San Diego, who uses bioprinting in researching regenerative medicine.

But even though developing functional organs may still be a decade off, medical researchers and others are using bioprinting technology to make advancements in other ways.

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How 3D Printers Are Reshaping Medicine

NanoGuardian's On-Dose NanoEncryption Brand Protection Technology to Be Presented at AAPS Annual Meeting

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SKOKIE, IL--(Marketwire - Oct 11, 2012) - NanoGuardian, a division of NanoInk, Inc. that delivers on-dose brand protection solutions to the pharmaceutical industry to fight counterfeiting and illegal diversion, announced today that it will give a poster presentation at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, which is being held on October 14 - 18, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The abstract, "Can Nanofabrication be used to Combat Counterfeit Medicines by Applying On-dose Authentication Features without Disrupting the Integrity of the Medicine?" will be presented on Monday, October 15, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Hall F by Bjoern Rosner, director of research and development, brand protection for NanoGuardian.

"Counterfeit medicines have become such a problem that pharmaceutical manufacturers are evaluating how to best ensure the integrity of their medicines for patients early in the drug development process," said Dean Hart, chief commercial officer of NanoGuardian. "The AAPS poster presentation will demonstrate that NanoGuardian's NanoEncryption technology can be used to incorporate highly sophisticated nanoscale, authentication, and tracing features directly on film-coated tablets, gelatin capsules, and vial caps without affecting the dissolution or stability of the medication -- important considerations in the development and commercialization of a new medication."

NanoGuardian's NanoEncryption technology is the only on-dose, multi-layered, brand protection solution that enables pharmaceutical manufacturers to authenticate and trace every single dose, from plant to patient. NanoGuardian's Closed-Loop Protection Program combines the on-dose authentication and tracing benefits of NanoEncryption technology with a proactive supply chain auditing program to identify counterfeit or illegally diverted pharmaceuticals entering the global supply chain as early as possible.

NanoGuardian fights both counterfeiting and illegal diversion with a single technology that can be used to protect capsules, tablets, vial caps, and single-use syringes providing a layered security of overt, covert, and forensic features. The overt and covert security features allow dose-level authentication at any point in the supply chain, while the forensic and nano-scale NanoCodes provide comprehensive tracing information on each and every dose. NanoGuardian's technology provides a strong benefit over other on-dose technologies given that NanoGuardian's security features are implemented with no additional material or chemicals being added to the medication.

As evidence of the rapidly growing problem of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, a recent report from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement noted that the domestic value of counterfeit pharmaceutical seizures in fiscal year 2011 rose by more than $11 million, an increase of almost 200 percent. The implications for victims of counterfeit drugs are extremely serious, often resulting in unexpected side effects, severe allergic reactions and even death.

AAPS provides a dynamic international forum for the exchange of knowledge among scientists to enhance their contributions to health. It offers timely scientific programs, ongoing education, opportunities for networking, and professional development. More information is available at: http://www.aaps.org.

About NanoGuardian NanoGuardian, a division of NanoInk, Inc., focuses exclusively on delivering brand protection solutions to fight illegal diversion and counterfeiting. Anchored by NanoInk's novel NanoEncryption technology, NanoGuardian enables manufacturers to authenticate and trace the integrity of their products across the supply chain. More information about NanoGuardian is available at http://www.nanoguardian.net.

NanoInk, NanoGuardian, NanoEncryption and the NanoGuardian logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

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NanoGuardian's On-Dose NanoEncryption Brand Protection Technology to Be Presented at AAPS Annual Meeting

SENAI/SESI of Sao Paulo Selects NanoProfessor as Foundation for "Nanomundo" Nanotechnology Education Initiative

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SKOKIE, IL--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - NanoProfessor, the global leader in hands-on undergraduate nanotechnology education, announced today that SENAI (Servio Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial) and SESI (Servio Social da Indstria) of So Paulo, Brazil recently incorporated the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program into five mobile nanotechnology classrooms in launching its Nanomundo Nanotechnology Educational Program.

SENAI is Brazil's largest organization of professional and technological education in Latin America, while SESI is Brazil's leader in promoting improved quality of life for workers and their dependents including providing high quality basic education for students from first through twelfth grade.

The mobile Nanomundo nanotechnology classrooms can accommodate up to 30 students at a time and will travel between the SENAI/SESI network of schools within So Paulo.Each Nanomundo classroom comes equipped with nano-focused instrumentation provided by the NanoProfessor Program including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, a student-friendly atomic force microscope, and a best-of-class fluorescence microscope.The Nanomundo classrooms will also use the NanoProfessor textbook, "Introduction to Nanoscale Science and Technology," and the cutting-edge lab experiments provided by the NanoProfessor Program.Both the NanoProfessor textbook and lab guide have been translated into Portuguese to further support the Nanomundo Program.The SENAI/SESI teachers will undergo an intensive two-week training program in So Paulo conducted by NanoProfessor's Scientific Education Team.

"Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging industry that is responsible for life-changing breakthroughs in fields such as medicine, manufacturing, alternative energy, and electronics," said Professor Walter Vicioni, Diretor Regional and Superintendente Operacional of SENAI/SESI So Paulo."By using the NanoProfessor Program as the foundation of the Nanomundo Program and the five mobile nanotechnology classrooms, we are ensuring that students throughout our vast network of schools in So Paulo will have access to state-of-the-art nanotechnology education and be prepared for exciting jobs in the nanotechnology industry."

"We salute SENAI/SESI So Paulo for their ingenuity, visionary thinking, and strong commitment to nanotechnology education," said Dean Hart, Chief Commercial Officer of NanoProfessor."By integrating the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program into its five Nanomundo mobile nanotechnology classrooms, SENAI/SESI is not only providing their students with the skills and education needed to succeed in nanotechnology-related careers, but also building a nano-savvy workforce to help support the strong economic growth within So Paulo and Brazil as a whole."

In just over 24 months, the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program has been chosen to serve as the foundation for undergraduate hands-on nanotechnology education by over 20 institutions in five countries.The NanoProfessor Program alternates between classroom lectures and exciting, hands-on nanoscale lab work.The NanoProfessor curriculum includes a textbook authored by leading nanotechnology experts, covering the topics of Nanotechnology Instrumentation, Imaging and Nanofabrication techniques, Nanophysics, Nanochemistry, Nanobiology, and perspectives on Environmental, Health, and Safety within nanotechnology.In conducting the hands-on lab experiments, students work with state-of-the-art nano-centric instrumentation including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, the first desktop nanofabrication system allowing students to quickly and easily build custom-engineered nanoscale structures with a wide variety of materials from biomolecules to metal nanoparticles using NanoInk's proprietary Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN).

Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately one and 100 nanometers (nm), where unique phenomena enable novel applications which are not feasible when working with bulk materials.A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at the nanoscale.A study funded by the National Science Foundation projects that 6 million nanotechnology workers will be needed worldwide by 2020, with 2 million of those jobs in the United States.However, as of 2008, there were only 400,000 estimated workers worldwide in the field of nanotechnology, with an estimated 150,000 of those in the United States.

About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance undergraduate nanotechnology education and address the growing need for a skilled, nano-savvy workforce. The NanoProfessor Program, including state-of-the-art, nano-centric instruments, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for high schools, community colleges, technical institutes, and universities worldwide.More information is available at http://www.NanoProfessor.net or (847)679-NANO (6266).You can also like NanoProfessor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NanoProfessor1 and follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nanoprofessor1.

NanoInk, NanoProfessor, Dip Pen Nanolithography, DPN, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

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SENAI/SESI of Sao Paulo Selects NanoProfessor as Foundation for "Nanomundo" Nanotechnology Education Initiative

Delivering an integral approach to emotional and mental health

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Dr. Frank Maye, DOM (NMD)

When talking about an integral approach to emotional health, the term integral is not integrative or complimentary. Integral is not a mainstream approach. Integral simply implies that a team concept is adopted, and the team agrees to use whatever strategies work best for the patient. Patients benefit from a variety of disciplines which all work with one another. I believe these techniques are the future of all medical practice. I returned to school to obtain a PhD degree in Integral Health to ensure this approach took root in Miami.

Emotional and mental health includes a spectrum of conditions, including autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, ADD/ADHD, addictions, depression and anxiety. Some conditions require pharmacology and others call for counseling or talk-therapy. However, there is another alternative. Are you aware that there are nutritional causes of emotional and mental discomfort? You may ask how do I determine if these factors apply to me? There are tests available to help determine bacterial, nutritional, food allergies and toxicity, which are all causative factors. Even if you are already taking an anti-depressant or anxiety-relieving drug, you can I still benefit from these tests. Many side effects are minimized when the causative factors are identified.

At Maye Holistic Med, I spend two hours with every new patient. I ask myself Where did this patient lose their way? ! I owe this time to you and this question helps me guide you emotionally, physically and spiritually back to starting life over. The day you give up on your passion and dreams, the emotional, physical and spiritual you become depressed. The simple tests I conduct reveal and confirm how much this has affected you. Then, I can work to get you happy to be you again.

Psychiatrists, psychologists and natural healthcare providers can work as a team. Recently I attended a conference with 120 other physicians for the Integration of Mental Healthcare Teams. We all agreed that patient-centered healthcare is integral care. We band together as a team to deliver therapies that our patients need to get healthy and happy.

Join me at Maye Holistic Med as a patient or cooperating physician. Sometimes the answer to your problems is simple and sometimes it is complex. Let me help you put a team together.

Dr. Frank Maye, DOM (NMD) is a Diplomate of Naturopathic Medicine and a Diplomate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Maye graduated from Community School of Traditional Chinese Healthcare, Inc. Dr. Maye continued his studies at American Naturopathic Medical Institute where he was awarded a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and a designation of (NMD). Along with his private practice, Dr. Maye currently researches for Scintilla Software Industries in the field of Bio-energetics, Resonance Homeopathy, and Nutritional Nano technology.

Dr. Maye can be reached at 305-668-9555 or email:mayeholisticmed@aol.com. Visit us at: mayeholisticmed.com

Short URL: http://www.communitynewspapers.com/?p=47396

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Delivering an integral approach to emotional and mental health

Regenerative Medicine Biotech Company, Eqalix, Names Scientific Advisory Board

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Eqalix Inc., an emerging regenerative medicine company, announces its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). This SAB gives Eqalix a depth and breadth of experience necessary to take it to the next level.

Reston, VA (PRWEB) October 09, 2012

"We are very pleased to bring together these key thought leaders to establish the Eqalix Scientific Advisory Board," stated Joseph P. Connell, Eqalix CEO and Chairman of the Board. "I have worked with Drs. Gold and Goldman for years and have always admired their abilities. Dr Lelkes technologies will make a profound impact upon aesthetic dermatology, wound healing and regenerating blood vessels, nerve endings and damaged organs with the guidance of this distinguished panel. It is not clich in any manner when I say that we are thrilled to work with this team. We look to their guidance, industry knowledge and network to help deliver these therapies into clinic and prospective patients as soon as possible, as I am confident our technologies will make a difference, said Connell.

The members of the Eqalix Scientific Advisory Board are:

Peter I. Lelkes, PhD: Chief Scientific Advisor; Dr. Lelkes is the Laura H. Carnell Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering at Temple University and the Inaugural Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering (TIME) at Temple Universitys School of Medicine. While at Drexel, Prof. Lelkes directed an interdisciplinary program in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, focusing on nanotechnology-based biomaterials and soft tissue engineering, employing developmental biological principles to enhance the tissue-specific differentiation of embryonic and adult stem cells. Dr. Lelkes has organized several Keystone conferences and published more than 160 peer-reviewed papers and 45 book chapters and made more than 400 presentations nationally and internationally.

Dr. Lelkes basic and translational research has been support by federal (NIH, NSF, NASA, DOE) and state funding agencies, (NTI and Dept. of Commerce, Tobacco Settlement Funds) and private Foundations, including the Coulter Foundation. Most recently, Dr. Lelkes has been named Director of the Surgical Engineering Enterprise, one of the major initiatives of the strategic plan of Drexel Universitys College of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Lelkes has been the team leader for tissue engineering at the Nanotechnology Institute of Southeastern Pennsylvania (NTI) and is the Co-Director of PATRIC, the Pennsylvania Advanced Textile Research and Innovation Center, focusing on BioNanoTextiles and Stem Cell Biology.

Dr Lelkes stated, "I am delighted and excited to partner with Eqalix to translate our inventions from the bench to the bedside in a timely fashion.

Mitchel P. Goldman, MD, Scientific Advisor, Founder and Medical Director of Goldman Butterwick Fitzpatrick, Groff & Fabi, Cosmetic Laser Dermatology. A graduate of Boston University, Summa Cum Laude, and the Stanford University Medical School, Dr. Goldman is a Volunteer Clinical Professor in Medicine/Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr Goldman is Board Certified by both the American Board of Dermatology and the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.

He is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the American Society of Liposuction Surgery. He is former President of the American College of Phlebology and President-Elect of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. He presently serves on the Board of Trustees for the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. He also has authored and/or co-authored 21 Textbooks on Dermatology, Sclerotherapy, Ambulatory Phlebectomy, Cutaneous Laser Surgery, Cellulite and Dermatologic Surgery as well as over 300 peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters.

Dr Goldman added: I am very interested and excited to work with the Eqalix team to make these technologies a success. I believe that my background lends well to truly shaping the successful commercialization of these products for my patients to improve outcomes.

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Regenerative Medicine Biotech Company, Eqalix, Names Scientific Advisory Board

Research and Markets: Micro-Nano Technology XIII from the 13th Annual Conference of Chinese Society of Micro-Nano …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d4wkjk/micronano) has announced the addition of the "Micro-Nano Technology XIII" report to their offering.

Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 13th Annual Conference of Chinese Society of Micro-Nano Technology, September 28-30, 2011, Changchow, China

These 81 papers, all written by Chinese researchers, are grouped into 8 chapters: Micro/Nano Transducer/Acutar/Robot, Microfluidic Devices and Systems, Micro/ Nano Fabrication and Measurement Technologies, Microfluidics and nano fluids, Nano Material Research/Nanotube/Nanowire Devices, MEMS/NENS and Applications, Nanometer Biological / Nano Medicine and Packaging Technology. This work offers an excellent overview of current research on MEMS and nano-technology in China. It will be invaluable to researchers, graduate students and engineers who work in the fields of MEMS and nano technology.

Key Topics Covered:

The Out-Rotator of Spin Traveling Wave Pump on Magnetic Fluid

Meng Zhao, Ji Bin Zou, Jing Shang

A Flush-Mounted Resonant Ice Detection Sensor with High Sensitivity

Qiang Shi, Jun Bo Wang, De Yong Chen, Yan Long Shang

Heating Carve Technique for Polymer Microfluidic Microchannel

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Research and Markets: Micro-Nano Technology XIII from the 13th Annual Conference of Chinese Society of Micro-Nano ...

$80M research facility to open at UMass Lowell

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The UMass Lowell Emerging Technologies Innovation Center will officially open next week.

The opening of the UMass Lowells 84,000-square-foot Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) is slated for next week.

Susan Windham-Bannister, president and COO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center told Mass High Tech that the $80 million education and research-based facility specializing in nanotechnology, molecular biology and plastics engineering, will not only support the university, it will position UMass Lowell as an integral member of the regions life sciences cluster and ultimately become a powerful resource for the entire state.

The North Shore has a very strong life science cluster, and with this investment, UMass Lowell is becoming a focal point for this cluster, said Windham-Bannister.

High on the list of facility assets is the nano-manufacturing research laboratories and clean room. These amenities equate to a $5 million-a-year operation is largely supported by federal grants.

In addition to high tech clean rooms, the facility located off VFW Highway in Lowell will also house a plastics-processing high bay. The facility mission is to educate students in the fields of life sciences, energy, national security and environmental protection and become a corporate and government-sponsored research site, a release states.

Officials said the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center will commit $10 million dollars and house nano medicine and biomaterial laboratories on the facilitys third floor.

We are very excited to not just support the university but to be creating a resource that will create value for the life sciences community more broadly, Windham-Bannister said.

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$80M research facility to open at UMass Lowell

Nano-revolution in drugs delivery

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Nano-medicine - using nano-sized particles to deliver drugs - has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of common maternal and fetal conditions, without side effects or risks to the mother or baby, according to a leading researcher.

Jeff Keelan, principal research fellow in the University of WA's School of Women's and Infants' Health, said nano-technology had the potential to create drugs that "boldly go where no drug has gone before".

"In conventional medicine you take a pill, aspirin say, and it gets dissolved in the stomach, enters the bloodstream and circulates around the body so all of the organs and tissues in your body get exposed to that drug," he said. "It is very non-selective."

Nano-medicine is a bit like adding a postcode to medications - it allows the drugs to be targeted to a specific destination in the body.

Nano-particles, which are the "envelopes" that contain the drugs, are usually made out of a biodegradable polymer and are about the size of a virus, ranging from one to 200 nanometres in diameter. A nanometre is one billionth of a metre.

The "envelope" or shell has a chemical structure that enables it to be targeted to a specific tissue. Once the envelope has reached and entered the target cell, it dissolves and the drug is released.

"Because it goes directly to the cell of interest, the dose you need to give of the drug is much, much smaller, maybe hundreds of times smaller," Professor Keelan said. The average dose of a drug is 10 to 1000mg whereas for nano-drugs the doses would typically be 0.1-10mg.

Professor Keelan is working on nano-particles for pregnancy with three different targets in mind - the mother, the placenta and the baby.

"Sometimes women in pregnancy have to take drugs that might be harmful to the baby," he said. These include drugs for epilepsy, cancer, hypertension and depression. So if you can figure out a way of designing a drug that does not cross the placenta, then you know that the drug is just going to act on the mother without affecting the baby," he said. "I call them 'fetal-friendly' drugs."

It might also be possible to devise therapies that targeted the fetus only; for example, if a test during pregnancy showed that the fetus had a genetic or metabolic defect, gene therapy could be delivered directly to the fetus using nano-delivery. Cystic fibrosis was an example of a genetic disorder that potentially could be treated with nano-medicine.

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Nano-revolution in drugs delivery