NJIT Ne xt
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S t r at e g i c d i r e c t io n s
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2012
s t r at e g i c F o c u s : s u s ta i n a b l e s y s t e m s
STRATEGIC FOCUS:
Life and
The structural applications of composite and renewable materials are a research interest of Ala Saadeghvaziri, professor of
civil and environmental engineering (left), and his graduate
student Amin Jamali (right). They have been studying recycled
aggregate concrete (RAC), to learn what level of stresses and deformations recycled concrete can withstand under a seismic event.
Healthcare Science
and Engineering
I
n just 10 years since its establishment, the Department of
Biomedical Engineering has emerged as one of the university’s
strongest departments with research programs that are already
nationally recognized in such areas as tissue engineering and rehabilitation medicine. The health sciences have become a pervasive theme
throughout the university with contributions to research and education in nearly every department:
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Robert Miura, distinguished professor of mathematics, is leading a
research team in a study of cortical spreading depression (CSD), a nonlinear chemical and electrical (slow) wave phenomenon in the cortices
of different brain structures known to be connected with migraine
with aura, and possibly with stroke and transient global amnesia.
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They developed a mathematical model for predicting the
impact of high levels of stresses and strains on response of the
RAC structures, and conducted extensive experimentation with
the material in NJIT’s High Performance Concrete Laboratory.
Although additional testing is required, they project that RAC
may be suitable for structural use.
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Zeyuan Qiu, associate professor of chemistry and environmen-
tal science, studies the close land-water connections. With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he helps local
agencies develop a riparian restoration plan for agricultural
lands in New Jersey’s Raritan River Basin. The restoration plan
identifies agricultural lands in riparian areas, prioritizes restoration projects, estimates restoration costs, identifies and evaluates available funding sources to complete the riparian restoration projects and also details comprehensive education and outreach activities for farmers and the general public.
The development of new or improved synthetic materials from
corn derivatives is the goal of a partnership among NJIT researchers and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. With NSF support and industrial partners, the research team, lead by Michael
Jaffe, research professor of biomedical engineering, is developing cost-effective corn based chemistries and processes relevant
to the commercial polymer industry. The study focuses on
isosorbide, a substance derived from corn sugar that is currently
used in pharmaceuticals but could replace other chemicals in
the production of plastics.
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Cheickna Sylla, professor of management, published an article proposing a cost/benefit justification framework for the establishment
of a workplace ergonomics program that will reduce the incidence
of musculoskeletal disorders. The paper appeared in the International
Journal of Networking and Virtual Organization.
Carol Venanzi, distinguished professor of chemistry, uses computational chemistry and molecular modeling techniques to analyze the
relationship of molecular structure to biological function through
computer-aided drug design. In an NIH-supported project, she has
been studying salvinorin A, a substance that shows promise both
in the treatment of stimulant abuse and for the development of
analgesics with a reduced tendency for tolerance and dependence.
Her team is working in collaboration with scientists at the National
Institutes of Health and the University of Iowa.
The research of Ecevit Bilgili, assistant professor of chemical, biological and pharmaceutical engineering, is aimed at enhancing the
bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Recent projects have employed nano-particle coated pellets and the
fluidized bed (FB) technology developed at NJIT’s New Jersey Center
for Engineered Particulates.
Associate Professor of History Stephen Pemberton studies the 20thcentury history of medicine, biomedical sciences and technology, and
the history of public health to understand how social issues intersect
with scientific breakthroughs. His most recent book deals with
efforts to manage hemophilia and other hereditary bleeding disorders
and how those advances eventually devolved into the AIDS crisis. His
earlier book, The Troubled Dream of Genetic Medicine: Ethnicity and
Innovation in Tay-Sachs, Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle Cell Disease, looks
at the role of ethnicity in medical innovation and treatment.
Applied Life Sciences in Education
Biomedical engineering and science have become an
intrinsic part of the educational landscape at NJIT, with
life and health sciences majors and graduate programs
developing in every department, the most recent a BS in
Biophysics approved this year. Pre-college programs also
reflect the bio-related emphasis, and the successful
Medibotics program, designed to train middle and high
school teachers to teach science and math through
simulated robotic surgery, will be expanding this year
under a grant from ExxonMobil. The new project will
develop a distance learning program to share Medibotics
with teachers throughout New Jersey and across the U.S.
Student research is also a major curricular emphasis.
a film of graphene – a
two-dimensional carbon
material that is a single
atom in thickness – on a
nanoscale copper screen.
The technique could yield
Amrita Banerjee has
a faster and more precise
developed a method for
characterization of diverse
detecting swine and avian
biological materials,
flu viruses using infrared
including E. coli and
spectroscopy. She and
Salmonella bacteria, as well
Professor Haim Grebel
as a superior approach to
created a bio-compatible
researching targeted drug
platform that enhances
delivery and evaluating
infrared signals by forming
the efficacy of drugs.
An extracorporeal bio-artificial liver assist device with human stem cellderived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver failure is the goal of
research by Cheul Cho, assistant professor of biomedical engineering
(above). His project aims to differentiate human embryonic stem (ES) cells
into functional hepatocytes and to evaluate their therapeutic efficacy in
a bio-artificial liver for the treatment of acute liver failure. He has
developed a novel method that differentiates embryonic stem cells into
hepatocytes with high purity. Incorporating these cell-derived hepatocytes into a device to treat fulminant hepatic failure has improved
animal survival, thereby underscoring the cells’ therapeutic potential.
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NJIT Ne xt
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S t r at e g i c d i r e c t i o n s
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2012
Jorge Golowasch, associate professor of mathematical sciences and biological sciences (left), has a grant from the National Institute of Mental
Health to study the relationship between biological rhythms and neuroactive substances such as neuromodulators, hormones and neurotransmitters. He is looking into the mechanisms by which neuromodulators and the neuronal networks’ own activity regulate rhythmic pattern
generation to understand the normal function of the nervous system.
The capacity to recover stable neuronal output following disease or
trauma may be of enormous therapeutic relevance and lead to the design
of effective treatments for trauma, memory and sleep disorders.
Kamalesh Sirkar, distinguished professor of chemical engineering, and
Applied Life Sciences in Education
rial construct that can
contract with cardiac tissuelike rhythm. Chitosan, a
natural polysaccharide
biopolymer that is biocompatible, biodegradable,
16
Kamalesh
Sirkar,
distinguished
professor of
chemical
engineering, and
director of the
Interior design students
non-toxic, and cost-
Tristan Pashalian, Ida
effective, was used as the
Torres and Peter Khalil
main structural biomaterial
comprised a team that
for producing the nano-
placed third in the national
fibrous scaffolds. Assistant
Center (below
Interior Design Educators
Professor Cheul Cho was
right, left photo),
Council (IDEC) Student
his advisor.
is leading a new
Competition for their
Membrane
Science,
Engineering and
Technology
NSF-funded
design of a healthcare clinic
project to
for the city of Newark. The
develop a
nanoparticle
team’s design considered
coating system
both the economic and
that enables
ethnic makeup of the community and created a
Yamin Noor* (above), along
welcoming, accessible
with fellow biomedical
healthcare facilty equipped
engineering majors
to provide basic health
Angela Calderon, Bushra
services and education to
Hossain, and Marieme
an underserved population.
Dembele*, placed third
in the Undergraduate
Design Competition of
the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers. The
drug release in
a sustained/
controlled
manner.
Rajesh Dave,
distinguished
professor of
chemical
engineering,
(below, far right),
team designed a stereo-
heads a team
scopic motion tracking
collaborating to
Ali Hussain, ’11 (above),
system for the HandsUp
develop tailored
was part of a team in the
gaming system developed
Stem Cells and Tissue Engi-
by NJIT’s Rehabilitation
neering Laboratory that
Engineering Research
developed an alternative
Center, led by Richard
therapy to heart transplan-
Foulds, professor in the
tation. He has designed a
department of biomedical
three-dimensional (3-D)
engineering.
vascularized nanobiomate-
*Albert Dorman Honors scholar
director of the Membrane Science, Engineering and Technology Center,
an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (MAST) is leading a new NSF-funded project to develop a continuous, scalable, nanoparticle coating system that enables drug release in a sustained/controlled
manner, improves drug bioavailability and patient compliance by reducing drug administration frequency, allows nano-sized drug particles to
overcome a mucus barrier and target specific body organs, and prevents
immune cells (macrophages) from engulfing and eliminating nano-sized
drug particles in the bloodstream. Bristol-Myers Squibb, the industrial
partner, will test model devices with pharmaceutically relevant systems
and will collaborate in scale-up and commercialization possibilities.
particulate
materials with
unique qualities
to produce
better medicines
and improve the
ways in which
drugs are
manufactured.
Technologies designed to produce better medicines and improve the
ways in which drugs are manufactured are the work of the NSFsupported Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (C-SOPS), 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. C-SOPS is working to commercialize its continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing technology that will enable significant
improvements in product quality, process robustness and productivity,
and overall economic performance of the manufacturing process.
The development of neural prostheses – devices and technologies for
interfacing with the central nervous system – is the focus of research by
Mesut Sahin, associate professor of biomedical engineering. His current
project, funded by a grant from the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, is to develop and test a technique he calls FLAMES
– floating light activated micro-electrical stimulators – for wireless
activation of the central nervous system. Implanted in the spinal cord
and energized by an infrared light beam through an optical fiber located
outside the dura mater, these micro-stimulators can allow victims of
spinal cord injuries to regain the control of paralyzed muscles.
s t r at e g i c F o c u s :
L i f e a n d h e a lt hc a r e s c i e n c e a n d e n g i n e e r i n g
Research Professor of Physics Reginald Farrow (right, in photo at top left),
with postdoctoral student Alokik Kanwall, explores the interface between
nanotechnology and biophysics. He and Research Professor of Chemistry Zafar Iqbal received a patent recently for an improved method of
fabricating arrays of nanoscale electrical probes. Their discovery may
lead to improved diagnostic tools for measuring the spatial variation of
electrical activity inside biological cells.
New mathematical formulations that ensure accurate, cost-effective
polymer-based delivery of drugs to their target sites are the focus of research by Laurent Simon, associate professor of chemical, biological and
pharmaceutical engineering. He has worked with a number of variations, including transdermal, a patch worn on the skin, and oral transmucosal, a slow-dissolving lozenge. He studies critical issues such as
how long it takes to reach the desired delivery rate and the time required
to release the drug from the patch. A recent study sought to broaden the
applications of controlled-release technology to include treatment for
colorectal cancers or other types of malignancies.
Yehoshua Perl, professor of computer science, has continuing support from
the National Library of Medicine for his work in simplifying and refining
medical vocabularies – such as UMLS (Unified Medical Language System)
and SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical
Terms) used in patient records, decision support systems and healthcare
administrative systems. The goal is to eliminate errors and redundancies
in large, complex clinical databases, thereby reducing healthcare costs.
Laurent Simon,
Applied Life Sciences in Education
associate professor of chemical,
biological and
Biology
Enas Shehadeh (top) and
major and
Sandhya Venkataraman
Albert
(bottom), both biology
Dorman
majors and Albert Dorman
focuses on new
Honors
Honors scholars, work
mathematical
scholar
with Associate Professor of
formulations
Mousa
Physics Camilla Prodan to
that ensure
pharmaceutical
engineering
(above, left)
accurate,
Hamad is researching de-
understand microtubules,
pression at Rutgers’ Cogni-
a part of living cells that
cost-effective,
tive Research Lab. He has
shrink and grow continu-
polymer-based
been studying the role of
ously in a phenomenon
dopamine in depression
called dynamical instability
and reward and punish-
(DI). Their study focused
ment learning. In a recent
on the chemotherapy drug
delivery of
drugs to their
target sites.
project in which he tested
Taxol and
the learning patterns of
how it
associate profes-
healthy undergraduates, he
alters the
sor of biomedical
found a correlation in learn-
physical
ing from punishment but
properties
not from reward. He also
of micro-
traveled to Palestine to
tubules to
study depression because
slow the
Mesut Sahin,
The emerging field of tissue engineering is the research focus of Treena
Livingston Arinzeh, professor of biomedical engineering (below, left).
She is leading an NSF-funded project with Research Professor Michael
Jaffe and Boris Khusid, professor of chemical engineering, to investigate
using piezoelectric materials as scaffolding for stem cells to be used in
regenerating severe cartilage defects. The piezoelectric material acts as
a highly sensitive transducer that generates charges in response to
minute mechanical deformations. By developing a piezoelectric, fibrous
scaffold, the researchers can achieve a local electric field that is a physical
property similar to the natural tissue environment observed during
development and regeneration.
A non-invasive self-tonometer that allows glaucoma patients to measure their own intraocular pressure was developed by an NJIT research
team led by Gordon Thomas, professor of physics (below, right), in collaboration with Robert Fechtner, MD, director of the glaucoma division
at UMDNJ. A patent is pending on the invention, and NJIT and UMDNJ
have executed a license agreement with The Incubation Factory, St. Louis,
MO, a unique investor that serves as a commercialization agent for national laboratories, universities and research institutes worldwide.
engineering
(above, right) is
focused on the
development of
devices and
technologies
more than 37 percent of
growth of
the people of Palestine are
cancer
with the central
clinically depressed.
cells.
nervous system.
for interfacing
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