When:
Thursday, May 11, 2017
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Where: McGaw Pavilion, 240 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611 map it
Contact:
Jody Hoks
(847) 467-1213
Group: McCormick - Biomedical Engineering Department (BME)
Category: Academic
John Georgiadis, PhD
Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering
R.A. Pritzker Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology
Host: Professor Todd Parrish
*Location: Daniel Hale Williams Auditorium, Chicago Campus
Title:
“Quantitative MRI of Human Brain and Muscle via Mechanics”
Abstract:
The explosive development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is primarily due to its non-invasiveness, its ability to exploit a multitude of contrast mechanisms, and the cross-pollination of ideas from basic science, technology, and medicine it affords its user. This seminar focuses on our use of proton-MRI to probe the human muscular and central nervous system in vivo. Two “firsts” are highlighted. We used Diffusion Tensor Imaging to link the effect of nutrition or exercise on the histoarchitecture and function of leg muscles in obese older women at risk for disability. We have also reported the highest resolution mapping of viscoelastic properties of the healthy human brain using Magnetic Resonance Elastography. The common thread through these investigations is the judicious coupling between theory and experiment in the pursuit of explaining rather than merely validating or modeling. The progress made in these projects highlights the role of quantitative imaging and non-invasive mechanical
When:
Thursday, May 25, 2017
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Where: Technological Institute, L361, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Contact:
Jody Hoks
(847) 467-1213
Group: McCormick - Biomedical Engineering Department (BME)
Category: Academic
Biqin Dong, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Hao Zhang’s Laboratory
Northwestern University
Host: Professor Hao Zhang
Title:
“Empowering functional biomedical imaging and spectroscopy with nanophotonics”
Abstract:
Nanophotonics has emerged as a major technology and applications domain, exploiting the interaction between light and nanometer-scale objects with the goal to gain ultimate control over all properties of light. Recently, innovations in photonic materials and instrumentation have led to high-performance optical imaging and single molecule detection through dramatically increased sensitivity and specificity. In this seminar, I will introduce two examples reflecting my adventure in bridging nanophotonics and biological imaging to gain the enhanced capability of functional biomedical imaging and spectroscopy. Firstly, I will discuss the development of a unique optical ultrasonic sensor based on a polymeric micro-ring resonator, which enables extremely high sensitivity, ultra-broad bandwidth, and wider angular sensitivity, satisfying the high demands of ultrasonic sensing in high-resolution functional photoacoustic microscopy. Secondly, I’ll introduce a wide-field spectroscopic nanoscopic imaging technology, called spectroscopic photon localization microscopy, which is capable of simultaneously capturing the spatial distributions of photons emitted by individual molecules with nanometer accuracy and their inherent spectroscopic signatures with sub-nm spectral resolution. By overcoming the diffraction barrier of analytical imaging methods, the new resolving capability can potentially provide new insights into biological processes and bring about significant research progress in the life sciences.
When:
Thursday, June 1, 2017
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Where: Technological Institute, L361, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Contact:
Jody Hoks
(847) 467-1213
Group: McCormick - Biomedical Engineering Department (BME)
Category: Academic
Ning Wang, PhD
Leonard C. and Mary Lou Hoeft Professor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Host: Professor Mark Johnson
Title:
“Force-induced direct gene transcription in living cells”
Abstract:
Despite decades of efforts, it remains elusive how physical forces influence gene expression in living cells and tissues. Here we show that gene transcription can be upregulated via force-induced direct chromatin stretching. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) to label multiple sites in a chromatin domain and inserting a gene of interest between GFP spots, we were able to quantify the degree of chromatin stretching and transcription in a living cell. We found that transcription upregulation depended on force magnitude, force directionality, and the degree of chromatin stretching as well as tension in the cytoskeleton. Disrupting the force propagating pathway from the cytoplasm to the nuclear lamina abolished force-induced transcription. We discovered two nuclear proteins that transmitted force from nuclear lamins to the chromatin. We highlight our recent findings that forces and matrix mechanics regulate stem cell differentiation, early embryonic development, and growth and metastasis of malignant tumor-repopulating cells. Our findings demonstrate the critical roles of mechanotransduction in stem cell biology and cancer cell biology.