A
4
s the fastest growing concentration in the university,
biomedicine is rapidly becoming an intrinsic part
of education and research at NJIT.
Rajesh Dave (above
technique developed
standing) oversees
at NJIT, she attaches
doctoral student
nanoparticles to
Lauren Beach, who
the surface of larger
is studying the flow
host particles to
properties of pharma-
improve flow and
ceutical powders
handling properties,
to optimize manufac-
critical factors in
turing of solid dosage
both manufacturing
forms, such as pills and
and formulation of
tablets. Using the
pharmaceuticals.
dry particle coating
P r e s i d e n t ’s R e p ort
Sergei Adamovich
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2009
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2010
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F o s t e r i n g N at i o n a l R E c o g n i t i o n i n B i o m e d i c i n e
FOSTERING NATIONAL RECOGNITION
(left) and graduate
student Qinyan Qiu
IN BIOMEDICINE
(right) work with
the VR Piano Trainer,
developed to play
the appropriate
notes as they are
pressed by the
virtual fingers.
This activity was
designed to train
the patient’s ability
to move the hand
through space
accurately and
flex each finger
independently.
Associate Professor
Treena Livingston
Arinzeh (left) uses
adult stem cells in
combination with
scaffolds of calcium
A
s the fastest growing concentration in the
university, biomedicine is rapidly becoming an intrinsic part of education and
research at NJIT. Encompassing health care, life
sciences, and pharmaceuticals, the university’s
biomedical focus draws from every department
and discipline with an array of educational programs ranging from bioelectronics to health care
systems management. Research projects investigate such areas as tissue engineering, engineered
particulates for pharmaceutical coatings, rehabilitation medicine, and data mining.
Helping stroke patients regain use of their hands
and arms through innovative robotic and virtual
reality-based video game therapies is the goal of
Sergei Adamovich, associate professor of biomedical engineering. With funding from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), he leads a team in the
design of optimal, personalized, and dynamic
strategies for rehabilitation of hand and arm
function in patients with such disorders as cerebral palsy and stroke. The team utilizes brain
imaging to evaluate the effects of sensory manipulation on brain activation patterns and to learn
more about the changes that take place in the
brain during rehabilitation.
phosphates to
repair and regrow
bone. Cheul Cho,
(right) assistant
professor of
biomedical
engineering,
received a Coulter
Foundation
Translational Award
to develop a device
that uses liver cells
Adamovich and graduate student Qinyan Qiu
work with the VR Piano Trainer, developed to play
the appropriate notes as they are pressed by the
virtual fingers. The position and orientation of
both hands, as well as the flexion and abduction
of each finger are recorded in real time using a
Data-Glove and translated into movement in their
three dimensional counterparts. This activity was
designed to train the patient’s ability to move the
hand through space accurately and flex each
finger independently.
derived from
stem cells for the
treatment of
liver failure.
Nanoscale particulates designed to produce better
medicines and improve the ways in which drugs
are manufactured are the work of the NSF-
supported Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Composites, a collaboration among
NJIT, Rutgers University, Purdue University and
the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. Rajesh
Dave, distinguished professor of chemical engineering, lead investigator at NJIT, heads a team developing tailored particulate materials with unique
properties. The team is developing pharmaceuticals with higher drug loadings and improved quality, as well as nano-sized drugs that are more water
soluble, and can be administered as edible films.
Dave oversees doctoral student Lauren Beach,
who is studying the flow properties of pharmaceutical powders to optimize manufacturing of
solid dosage forms, such as pills and tablets. Using
the dry particle coating technique developed at
NJIT, she attaches nanoparticles to the surface of
larger host particles to improve flow and handling
properties, critical factors in both manufacturing
and formulation of pharmaceuticals. Techniques
such as near-infrared spectroscopy and positron
emission particle tracking are used to measure
results and to evaluate different methods used
during the coating process.
Tissue engineering is a major research focus in
NJIT’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Associate Professor Treena Livingston Arinzeh
uses adult stem cells in combination with scaffolds of calcium phosphates to repair and regrow
bone. Working with Research Professor Michael
Jaffe, she has also developed a new technique for
building the scaffolds using electrospinning, in
which an electrical charge draws nanoscale fibers
from a liquid. She recently received a Coulter
Foundation Translational Award to develop this
product and establish its pre-clinical efficacy. She
is also leading an NSF-funded project, with Jaffe
and Boris Khusid, professor of chemical engineering, to investigate using piezoelectric materials as
scaffolding for stem cells in regenerating severe
cartilage defects.
5
E
6
ncompassing health care, life sciences, and
pharmaceuticals, the university ’s biomedical focus
draws from every department and discipline with
an array of educational programs ranging from
bioelectronics to health care systems management.
Donald H. Sebastian,
widespread
(above) senior vice
meaningful use of
president for research
health IT and facilitate
and development, is
use of an electronic
principal investigator
health record for every
on a grant of more
person by the year
than $23 million
2014.
from the American
Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of
2009 to achieve
P r e s i d e n t ’s R e p ort
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2009
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2010
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F o s t e r i n g N at i o n a l R E c o g n i t i o n i n B i o m e d i c i n e
With NSF support,
Cheul Cho, assistant professor of biomedical engi-
Marino Xanthos,
neering, also received a Coulter Foundation
Translational Award to develop a device that uses
liver cells derived from stem cells for the treatment of liver failure. His invention provides for a
rapid, direct differentiation method that yields a
homogeneous population of endoderm-like cells,
which can then be further differentiated into
hepatocyte-like cells with hepatic morphology,
functionality, and gene and protein expression.
professor of chemical
engineering, is
leading a project to
develop a drug
manufacturing
technology based
on Hot-Melt
Extrusion (HME).
The goal is to help
commercialize
numerous drugs
that never
progressed to
the marketplace
due to poor
bioavailability.
Donald H. Sebastian, senior vice president for research and development, is principal investigator
on a grant of more than $23 million from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT
and facilitate use of an electronic health record for
every person by the year 2014. The university created the New Jersey Health Information Technology Extension Center to assist New Jersey’s health
care providers in their significant use of health information technology through outreach, consultation and user support for the state’s primary
care providers serving at-risk population centers.
With NSF support, Marino Xanthos, professor
of chemical engineering, is leading a project to
develop a drug manufacturing technology based
on Hot-Melt Extrusion (HME), a process widely
used in the plastics industry that holds the potential of improving the bioavailabilty of poorly soluble drugs. The goal is to help to commercialize
numerous drugs that never progressed to the
marketplace due to their solubility-caused poor
bioavailability, and change the delivery route of
some drugs from injection to oral.
Somenath Mitra, professor of chemistry, is
collaborating with Frank Witzmann, professor of
cellular and integrative physiology at the Indiana
University School of Medicine, in an NIHsponsored study to assess the potential biological
and toxicological impacts of carbon nanotubes.
The NJIT team will synthesize and characterize
reproducible nanotubes in order to generate protein biomarker candidates of the biological and
toxicological effects on the digestive system.
7
SHAPING THE AGE OF “DIGITAL EVERYWARE”
“D
Somenath Mitra,
professor of
chemistry, is
collaborating in an
NIH-sponsored
study to assess the
potential biological
igital Everyware” is NJIT’s name
for the ubiquitous computing
that has changed the way we work,
the way we learn, the way we play, and even the way
in which we interact with others. Computer chips
are adding functionality to just about everything,
from musical greeting cards to cars and appliances
to “smart” homes. Wireless technology adds mobility and flexibility, and voice, data, video and Internet are available everywhere, from tinier and
tinier devices. Social networking is part of the fabric of daily life, as are concerns about online security. NJIT researchers are working to create the tools
to help the digital world function and to evaluate
the impact of new technologies on society.
and toxicological
impacts of carbon
nanotubes.
NJIT’s Center for Communications and Signal
Processing, directed by Yeheskel Bar-Ness,
distinguished professor of electrical and computer
engineering, works to develop the infrastructure to
enable the next generation of wireless telecommunications. The group addresses such issues as privacy and security, interference and jamming, everheavier user traffic, and rapid transmission of data
through wireless networks. Current studies focus
on the concept of cooperative communications for
wireless networks, such as cellular networks, sensor
networks, and wireless ad hoc networks.
Osvaldo Simeone, assistant professor of electri-
cal and computer engineering, is leading a team
developing enabling technologies, and transmission models and protocols, and for cognitive
radio. In this wireless technology, either network
or wireless node itself changes particular transmission or reception parameters to execute its