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IEEE EMB Society Atlanta Chapter | |
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CHAIR
Chair: Dr. Philip FitzSimons
President, FitzSimons Automation, Inc.
(Business) 770-935-8649
www.fitzsimonsautomation.com
fitzsimo@mindspring.com
Other officers:
Vice-Chair: Dr Xiaoping Hu; Professor and Georgia Research Alliance,
Endowed Eminent Scholar in Imaging, Coulter Department of Biomedical
Engineering Georgia Tech and Emory University
Secretary: Chip Standifer, Vice President of Product Development at LifeSynch
Treasurer: Liang Guo, Ph.D Candidate at Georgia Tech
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
You are invited to the next meeting of the Atlanta Chapter of the
IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Information will be posted
here when available.
Date:
Time:
Where:
Abstract:
Bio:
Directions:
Questions? Contact Dr. Philip FitzSimons (fitzsimo@mindspring.com)
PAST ACTIVITY
On January 28, 2010, Michael Sorensen, Ph.D. presented "How to solve
math fast: low-cost, high-performance biophysical simulation on
multi-core processors and GPUs." The multi-core revolution is over:
2, 4, or even 8-core
workstations are now common for most technical computing professionals. The
next revolution in computing is already beginning: massively multi-core
hardware in which 100s of processor cores will be available. nVidia, Inc.
has been leading the charge with the introduction of their CUDA architecture
for general-purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) computing, and their
Tesla series of GPGPU processors.
Effective multi-core programming is, however, still underutilized by most
users, who have neither the technical background, time, or inclination to
parallelize their code for these new architectures. Simatra's simEngine
compiler is an application designed to automatically parallelize numerical
simulations for multi-core and massively multi-core architectures. For
scientists and engineers looking to create powerful numerical simulations
with a minimal amount of coding, the simEngine platform provides an
intuitive, flexible, and powerful workflow. Michael discussed
the background of simEngine and how it can be used to
provide performance gains over 300 times greater than a conventional
single-core processor.
Michael Sorensen founded Simatra Modeling Technologies in 2006 with Randy Weinstein and
Robert Lee from the Georgia Tech Laboratory for Neuroengineering. The IEEE
EMB Society is grateful to Mr. Sorensen for giving this presentation.
On October 29, 2009, Joseph L. Long, Esq., P.E. spoke on
"Intellectual Property for Scientists and Biomedical Engineers"
He gave an overview of intellectual property issues of relevance to engineers,
scientists, and managers. He began with a brief comparison of the different
types of intellectual property including patents, copyrights, trademarks,
and trade secrets. The remainder of the presentation focused predominantly
on patents including the types of patents available, patentable subject matter,
inventorship, and patent ownership. He continued with a discussion
of patentability, the parts of a U.S. patent application, and a typical timeline
and process for obtaining a patent in the United States.
Joseph Long (IEEE Senior Member) is a Patent Attorney with well over a decade
of engineering experience. Joe is also licensed as a Professional Engineer
by the State of Georgia, and is registered to practice before the United
States Patent and Trademark Office. The IEEE EMB Society is grateful
to Mr. Long for giving this presentation.
On August 25, 2009, Rafael V. Andino, President and CEO Biofisica, spoke on
"Creating a New Venture in the Medical Device Industry".
The talk discussed considerations that should be reviewed in the creation
of a new medical device company. Topics included product development, market
selection, development of a team, sales and marketing, manufacturing, and finance.
The presentation aimed to give the audience an appreciation of
the process and the general requirements necessary to build a successful medical device
company from the ground up.
Mr. Andino founded Biofisica, Inc. in 1999 with the vision of developing breakthrough
products to expedite wound healing and regeneration of connective tissue in humans.
In late 2006, Mr. Andino and his management team launched the first
wound care product of its kind, POSiFECT®, in the United Kingdom. The IEEE EMB Society is grateful
to Mr. Andino for giving this presentation.
On January 13, 2009, Dr. Zhong Lin (Z.L.) Wang,
Regents Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology, spoke on "Nanotechnology for energy
harvesting: from nanogenerators to nanopiezotronics". Energy and
technologies are desperately needed for
independent and continuous operations of implantable biosensors,
ultrasensitive chemical and biomolecular sensors, nanorobotics,
micro-electromechanical systems, remote and mobile environmental
sensors, homeland security and even portable personal electronics.
A nanorobot, for example, is proposed to be a smart machine that may
be able to sense and adapt to the environment, manipulate objects,
taking actions and perform complex functions. A key challenge
is to find a power source that can drive the nanorobot without
adding much weight. An implanted wireless biosensor requires a
power source, which may be provided directly or
indirectly by charging of a battery. It is highly desired for
wireless devices and even required for implanted biomedical
devices to be self-powered without using battery. This
talk focused on nanotechnologies that have been developed for
harvesting energy from our living environment with a focus on
mechanical energy. An introduction was given about nanogenerators
for generating electricity using sonic waves and body movements.
Finally, a new field on nano-piezotronics was introduced, which
uses piezoelectric-semiconducting coupled property for fabricating
novel and unique electronic devices and components.
Dr. Zhong Lin (ZL) Wang has authored and co-authored four scientific reference
and textbooks and over 540 peer reviewed journal articles, 55 review papers
and book chapters, edited and co-edited 14 volumes of books on nanotechnology,
and holds 20 patents and provisional patents. Dr. Wang was in the world's top 25 most
cited authors in nanotechnology from 1992-2002 (ISI, Science Watch). His entire
publications have been cited over 23,000 times. The H-index of his citations is 73.
Dr. Wang discovered the nanobelt in 2001, which is considered to be a ground-breaking work.
The paper on nanobelt was the second most cited paper in chemistry in 2001-2003 world-wide.
His paper on piezoelectric nanosprings was one of the most cited papers in materials
science in 2004 world-wide. His recent invention of world's first nanogenerator will
have profound impacts to implantable biosensors and molecular machines/robotics.
In 1999, he and his colleagues discovered the world's smallest balance, nanobalance,
which was selected as the breakthrough in nanotechnology by the America Physical
Society. He was elected to a fellow of American Physical Society in 2005, fellow
of AAAS in 2006, has received the 2001 S.T. Li prize for Outstanding Contribution
in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, the 2000 and 2005 Georgia Tech Outstanding
Faculty Research Author Awards, Sigma Xi 2005 sustain research awards, Sigma Xi
1998 and 2002 best paper awards, and the 1999 Burton Medal from Microscopy
Society of America. Details can be found at: http://www.nanoscience.gatech.edu/zlwang
The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Wang for giving this presentation.
On October 28, Dr Maysam Ghovanloo, assistant professor in the School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, spoke
on "Novel technologies to improve the quality of life for individuals
with disabilities."
Maysam Ghovanloo is director of the Georgia Tech Bionics Laboratory
(GT-Bionics), which has a goal of enhancing the state-of-the-art by
developing new implantable microelectronic devices and novel assistive
technologies. Details about Dr. Ghovanloo's research projects can be
found at:
http://www.ece.gatech.edu/research/labs/gt-bionics/index_files/My_Research.htm
The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Ghovanloo for giving this presentation.
On August 27, 2008, Dr Srini Tridandapani presented "Freezing the Heart:
A Proposal for Research in Cardiac Computed Tomographic Angiography".
Cardiac computed tomography (CT), particularly CT coronary
angiography, is at the cusp of revolutionizing cardiac diagnosis. The
chief challenge is that CT slices need to be acquired during the
portion of the cardiac cycle where the heart is quasi-stationary or
quiescent. This has thus far been limited because the current
solution -electrocardiography (ECG)-based gating, does not accurately
and reliably predict the instantaneous position of the heart. Dr Tridandapani
believes that echocardiography or ultrasound (US), a real-time modality
just like ECG, can provide a better trigger since it actually images
the exact position of the heart. He proposed to 1) prove that US is
superior for this purpose, and 2) develop a real-time US-based trigger for purposes
of CT slice acquisition. The ultimate expected outcome of this
development would be a reduction in the number of normal, diagnostic,
invasive coronary angiograms.
Dr. Tridandapani is in the embryonic stages of building a laboratory to
develop advanced cardiac imaging techniques. The IEEE EMB Society is grateful
to Dr. Tridandapani for giving this presentation.
On April 1, 2008, Dr. Julian Alexander Bragg presented "From Engineering
to Medicine: Threshold Tracking". While the majority of medical school
applicants still enter with a
degree in life sciences, a small but significant number of them have
an engineering background. An engineering
education, with its training in systems-level thinking and problem
solving despite incomplete information, provides a solid intellectual
base for both clinicians and clinician-scientists.
One recent example of applying engineering techniques to clinical
problems is the development of threshold tracking techniques for
studying the excitability of peripheral nerves. While conventional
nerve conduction studies measure only the nerve's conduction velocity
and maximum response amplitude, threshold tracking allows noninvasive
determination of nerve excitability and how that excitability changes
with exposure to various stimuli. These techniques are being
investigated by multiple groups in hopes that they will serve as more
sensitive indicators of nerve dysfunction for diagnostic purposes and
also clarify the electrophysiologic abnormalities underlying various
peripheral nerve disorders.
Dr. Bragg's current research interests include the use of threshold
tracking techniques to noninvasively measure peripheral nerve
excitability and the use of stimulus artifact elimination techniques
to improve the quality and versatility of neuromuscular
electrodiagnostics. The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Bragg for giving this
presentation.
On January 29, 2008,IEEE-EMBS Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Yongmin Kim presented on
"Electronic House Calls: High-Tech Medicine at Your Doorstep" on the Georgia Tech Campus.
The traditional healthcare system is characterized by hospital or clinic-based
face-to-face contacts between the patient and care provides, which frequently occur
at times and locations that are inconvenient or difficult for the patient. The
healthcare delivery in the future needs to be provided in a distributed,
patient-centered manner. The distributed diagnosis and home healthcare (D2H2)
will benefit patients, particularly those with chronic disease, e.g., diabetes,
arthritis, and high blood pressure, by improving the quality, convenience and
efficiency of care, reducing the healthcare cost, and preventing medical errors,
thus leading to increasing access to affordable and effective healthcare. There are many
opportunities for engineers and scientists to innovate and contribute to this
21st century healthcare system.
Dr. Kim's biographical information is available online at
Dr. Kim's bio
The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Kim for giving this presentation.
On Thursday November 8, 2007 Dr. Pamela Bhatti, Assistant Professor, School of ECE, Georgia Tech
spoke on Cochlear Implants: Past, Present and Future. Dr. Bhatti’s current research interests are
in the general area of biomedical sensors and subsystems, bioMEMS, and microelectronics.
Specifically, she is interested in implantable cochlear electrode arrays, vestibular prostheses,
and the integration of controlled-release drug delivery technology with flexible neural
recording/ stimulating arrays.
Her speech gave a description of the ear and the function of cochlear
implants, explaining that they are only used in patients with hearing loss in both ears. She
briefly described the past and present of cochlear implants. Present systems typically use
signals at several megahertz to communicate from external microphone circuitry to the receiver
implanted in the cochlea and to power the implant. Post-surgery capabilities exist for Neural
Response Telemetry which helps determine how the nerve is responding to the implant. The largest
company is Cochlear Limited in Australia, and names used here are their device
names. The other manufacturers (MedEl and Advanced Bionics) have similar devices. Dr.
Bhatti said that the future of hearing improvement may include items from the following list that
are either enhanced uses of devices that are already approved for usage or new research devices.
These include:
- improvements in Electro-Acoustic stimulation to keep the patients low frequency hearing and
supplement it by improving their high frequency hearing;
- improvements in BAHA Bone Anchored Hearing Aids;
- improvements in ABI Auditory Brainstem implants which connect directly to the auditory nerve;
- developing TIKI Totally Implantable Cochlear Implants;
- developing cochlear hair cell repair;
- and developing neurotropin delivery for treatment of neuron damage affecting the inner ear.
The EMBS Atlanta chapter is grateful to Dr. Bhatti for taking the time to give us her presentation.
On Thur Aug 2, 2007 we held a "planning/brainstorming" meeting for the Atlanta IEEE-EMBS chapter.
We discussed possibilities of job fairs, lab tours, student activities, local outreach to K-12,
hosting a regional biomedical engineering meeting, organizing a future meeting around the topic of
"Building Bridges Between Clinicians and Engineers," and scheduling an expert speaker funded by the
IEEE.
On April 23, 2007 Dr. Bill Hunt, Professor, School of ECE, Georgia Tech spoke about Acoustic Wave
Biosensors for Molecular Recognition and Detection of Conformational Change. The presentation was
given at Southern Polytechnic University.
Acoustic wave devices coated with a biolayer represent one biosensor approach for the
detection of medically relevant biomolecules. In a typical application, the acoustic wave device
is connected in an oscillator circuit, and the frequency shift Delta-f resulting from a
biomolecular event is recorded. Work has included the use of Rayleigh wave surface acoustic wave
devices for vapor phase
detection as well as ZnO resonators and quartz crystal microbalance devices for liquid phase
measurements. For most of the results presented the biofilm on the surface of the acoustic
wave device consists of a layer of antibodies raised against a specific target molecule or
antigen. Results were presented for the vapor phase detection of small molecules such as
uranine, cocaine, TNT and RDX as well as liquid phase detection of small proteins, lipids and
DNA. The data from these various experiments is the signature associated with the
biomolecular recognition events; that is, Delta-f(t). Also presented were the results of the
time-dependent perturbation theory work, which gives a potential method for
resolving the acoustic wave biosensor signature into information relating to molecular structure
changes during a molecular recognition event.
The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Hunt for giving this presentation.
On Mon January 29, 2007, Dr. Rosana Esteller talked about recent developments in
neural stimulation for control of epilepsy advanced by Neuropace. Dr. Esteller holds a Ph.D.
in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech. She is currently employed by Neuropace,
a company founded to design, develop, manufacture and market implantable devices for the treatment
of neurological disorders by responsive brain stimulation. Information about Neuropace can be
found at www.neuropace.com. The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Esteller for giving this
presentation.
On October 30, 2006, Dr. Melody Moore Jackson, Director, Georgia Tech BrainLab Graphics,
Visualization, and Usability Center, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
spoke about Direct Brain Interfaces: Communicating with Brain Signals. A Direct Brain-Computer
Interface (DBI) is a system that detects minute electrophysiological changes in brain signals,
and uses them to provide a channel to control computers and other devices. For people with
severe physical disabilities, such as locked-in syndrome and the aftermath of strokes, DBIs
can offer a channel of communication that does not depend on muscle movement. The BrainLab is
devoted to exploring the possibilities of real-world applications for DBI and other biometric
interfaces, both for assistive technology and mainstream applications. Dr. Jackson outlined
several approaches to both invasive (surgically implanted) and non-invasive (non-surgical) DBIs,
and presented the assistive technology systems that the BrainLab is currently researching.
The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Dr. Jackson for giving this presentation.
On Aug 1, 2006 at the Chamblee Branch of Dekalb Public Library, the inaugural meeting of the IEEE EMB
Society Atlanta chapter was held. Michael Fonseca, Director, MEMS Operations, CardioMEMS spoke about
the technology and products behind CardioMEMS.
CardioMEMS is an Atlanta-based medical device company that makes wireless pressure sensors.
This past year they received FDA marketing approval for their first product.
More info is at http://www.cardiomems.com
The IEEE EMB Society is grateful to Michael for giving this presentation.
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