October 02, 2009

Contact: Amy Hewes
Cal Poly Engineering
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu

Grants Open Doors for BMED Research

BMED Professors Scott Hazelwood, Robert Szlavik, and David Clague have been awarded research grants that allows them-and their students-to delve into the cutting edge of biomedical engineering research.

Dr. Scott Hazelwood:  Hazelwood received a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to research the long-term effects of bisphosphonate therapy on bone. Hazelwood received the grant while at UC Davis and nearly $150,000 was transferred when he came to Cal Poly. This project is a collaborative effort between Cal Poly, UC Davis and the Indiana University School of Medicine.

With the grant, Hazelwood is developing computational models to investigate the effects of bisphosphonate treatment on postmenopausal osteoporosis.  A trabecular bone model will be able to simulate the effects of mechanical loading, estrogen deficiency and bisphosphonate treatment on bone remodeling. Three Cal Poly students have assisted Hazelwood with the first part of the project. Hazelwood says, "results indicate that increasing the amount of bone with long term bisphosphonate treatment may sufficiently reduce the amount of damage formed in bone." Meaning that fracture risk will not increase past the first two years of treatment.

This early model made predictions for treatment over a two or three year time span and will eventually be compared to data as it becomes available. In the second part of the project, Hazelwood will refine the model and create a 3D geometric model of the canine rib to predict the effects of treatment on bone remodeling and fracture risk.

Dr. Robert Szlavik:  Szlavik and a team of students are working hard to advance the simulation, modeling and experimental application of biological neural systems and integrated neural-electronic systems.

The project is funded by a $50,000 grant from the California Central Coast Research Project (C3RP). With this money, Szlavik will develop a model to look at the chemical behavior of the neuromuscular junction when there is a neural toxin present. Due to the increasing prevalence of chemical warfare agents like nerve gas, it is becoming difficult to detect these agents and assess the threat. Szlavik's research will work towards a real-time detection system, which could better determine the theoretical impact of neural-toxin levels on an organism.

Two experimental procedures using the neuromuscular junction of leeches have been developed to validate the proposed model. Graduate and undergraduate students have created and implemented challenging leech dissection protocols for the project.

Chandra Miller a junior, Electrical Engineering major who plans on getting her master's in Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly, says, "When I'm done with school, I want to design various internal medical devices and to apply my electrical engineering undergrad work to the medical field." This project gives her a chance to utilize both skill sets.

Dr. David Clague:  Clague is leading a team of 20 graduate and undergraduate students in biofluidics research. Biofluidics combines the characterization of fluids with microfluidics. Cal Poly has two microfluidic test stations for students equipped with video microscopes, syringe pumps and computer workstations with software for experimental analysis and designing microfluidic devices.

Currently, students are working on a proprietary project for a Japanese company and a project for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA). For the Japanese company they are developing a portable system to detect disease biomarkers in blood serum, and are targeting cancer biomarkers in order to look for the recurrence of cancer.

"To augment this effort, and to benefit the University as a whole, BMED has helped us purchase a Surface Plasmon Resonance instrument," says Dr. Clague. Having the right equipment gives students a full experience working with biofluidics and ensures CENG can meet customer requirements.

The goal of the DARPA project is to develop a portable system to detect bio and chemical markers in sweat. Both the DARPA and the Japanese project require students to develop microfluidic devices. Sub-projects will result in prototype devices. Clague says they will seek follow-up funding in order to develop a system that integrates all of the prototype devices.