{"id":3576,"date":"2019-09-11T09:36:26","date_gmt":"2019-09-11T13:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/ideas\/?page_id=3576"},"modified":"2020-02-26T09:19:34","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T14:19:34","slug":"fall19","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/ideas\/archives\/fall19\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall 19"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY<\/span>\u00a0 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, COMPUTING AND APPLIED SCIENCES<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
FALL 2019<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY<\/span> – FALL 2019<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/a><\/span>

Creating Healthier Communities<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>

A backpack that could help children remain mobile during chemotherapy is just one example of how our research ecosystem supports innovation and entrepreneurship, with the goal of creating a healthier, happier and more productive world.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Creating Healthier Communities<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>

A backpack that could help children remain mobile during chemotherapy is just one example of how our research ecosystem supports innovation and entrepreneurship, with the goal of creating a healthier, happier and more productive world.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

IN THIS ISSUE<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

From the Dean<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>
Creating Medical Devices for the World<\/a><\/h5>\n

Forty-one teams gathered in May to present new devices that help treat cancer, remove tonsils and put broken bones back together, just to name a few examples.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Excellence in Medical Research<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>

\u25a0 \u00a0Engineering New Medicines<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u00a0Personalized Medicine<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u00a0Seeking New Treatments<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u00a0Precision Medicine<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Collaborating for Better Health<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>

\u25a0 \u00a0Working Together<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u00a0Partners in Progress<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

Honoring Those Making a Difference<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>

News from Around the College<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>

Departments<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>
Spotlight<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>

\u25a0 \u00a0Artisphere<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u25a0 \u00a0Explore Mobile Lab<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

FROM THE DEAN<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>

Clemson University\u2019s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences is creating an ecosystem of innovative, interdisciplinary research that addresses some of the critical issues of today. One of these issues, healthcare, is the focus of this installment of IDEAS, and our partnerships with South Carolina\u2019s top healthcare practitioners, in particular our close relationships with Prisma Health\u2013Upstate (formerly Greenville Health System) and The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), are key to our success. Collaboratively, we are working to find solutions to complex challenges with the goal of improving our treatment of disease and providing modern medical technology across the globe.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most successful of these collaborations is between Hai Yao and Michael Kern, whose 13-year relationship is featured in this issue. Together, Yao, the Ernest R. Norville Endowed Chair of Bioengineering at Clemson, and Kern, a professor at MUSC, have generated millions in research funding and provided students with unparalleled research opportunities. We also feature Kevin Taaffe and Dan Simionescu, Clemson professors in industrial engineering and bioengineering, respectively, who work closely with healthcare practitioners at Prisma Health. Both hold professorships named for the late mechanical engineering alumnus Jerry Dempsey, whose generosity and vision led to the partnership between Clemson and Prisma Health. Dempsey is one of several top alumni featured in this issue<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the research our faculty and students are conducting is also highlighted in this issue. For example, Marc Birtwistle, a faculty member in chemical engineering, is using computational modeling to improve cancer care. In the bioengineering department, Hunter Endowed Chair Naren Vyavahare is working on what could become the first therapy to reverse vascular calcification, a condition that can lead to hypertension and death, while faculty member Agneta Simionescu\u2019s research is helping improve our understanding of cardiovascular disease in diabetics, potentially laying the groundwork for new treatments, and faculty member Will Richardson\u2019s research could lead to personalized risk assessments and treatments for patients suffering from cardiac fibrosis.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, this issue focuses on one of our most significant healthcare programs. Every senior bioengineering major is part of a team that develops a medical device aimed at addressing a real-life healthcare need. Students not only create the devices but also test and develop a plan for marketing them on a global scale. In a single academic year, their projects go from idea to prototype.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/p>\n

The most promising projects are further developed by master\u2019s students, and the best are spun out of the college and the University into startup companies. The experience that these students gain positions them to serve as leaders in the healthcare industry, meaning they are prepared not only to fill the jobs of the future but also to create them.<\/span><\/p>\n

This issue concludes by highlighting the accomplishments of the three newest members of the Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists\u2013I.V. Hall, Denise Rutledge Simmons and Vanessa Wyche\u2013and our three newest Outstanding Young Alumni\u2013Chelsea Ex-Lubeskie, Allison Godwin and Amol Janorkar. All serve as excellent examples of what is possible with a Clemson degree.<\/span><\/p>\n

We hope that you enjoy this issue and that our efforts not only make you proud to be an alumnus or friend of the college but also inspire you. As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments, and we look forward to seeing you on our campus as we begin a new academic year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gramopadhye<\/a><\/p>\n

Anand Gramopadhye, Dean<\/span>
\nCollege of Engineering and Science<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

INNOVATION<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

The RX Bag, created by students, is designed to allow children to remain mobile while undergoing chemotherapy, rather than having to remain tethered to a cumbersome IV pole twice their size.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

CREATING MEDICAL DEVICES FOR THE WORLD<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The powder-blue backpack looks like the kind of bag a kindergartener might use to carry lunch to school, but unzipping a flap reveals something more.<\/p>\n

A medication pump is tucked inside.<\/p>\n

The RX Bag was designed so that children with cancer would be able to stay mobile instead of remaining tethered to an IV pole while undergoing chemotherapy. They would be able to fidget, roam the halls with their parents or visit the playroom.<\/p>\n

The device was created by Tyke Medical, a team of four senior bioengineering majors, and it is just one example of the biomedical innovations that students, faculty and staff are developing at Clemson University. The RX Bag was unveiled to the public for the first time at the Clemson Bioengineering Design Symposium, held each year at the Greenville Convention Center.<\/p>\n

In few places is the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship more evident. Forty-one teams gathered in May for the most recent installment to present new devices that help treat cancer, remove tonsils and put broken bones back together, just to name a few examples.<\/p>\n

Several students said they saw opportunities to market their devices not only in the United States but globally.<\/p>\n

The symposium gave all the students a chance to show their work to faculty, alumni and potential collaborators. But at the center of the event were 22 teams of seniors.<\/p>\n

Each team worked with clinicians to identify a need, design a prototype, build it and begin testing, all in a single academic year. All seniors who major in bioengineering participated.<\/p>\n

Martine LaBerge, chair of the Department of Bioengineering, said the real-world experience is the \u201ccapstone\u201d on their undergraduate education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clinically driven to assure that patient and health care needs are met,\u201d LaBerge said. \u201cThe bioengineering curriculum at Clemson is focused on educating students to meet the current and future needs of health care practitioners so they can better serve patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ideas for the devices came from medical care practitioners across South Carolina, including some from Prisma Health, The Medical University of South Carolina and Roper St. Francis Healthcare.<\/p>\n

Physicians suggest ideas in some cases. In others, students themselves recognize the needs while working in hospitals as part of programs such as CU DeFINE.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

“Clemson provides students with the unique experiences that prepare them to create a healthier global society and the skills they will need to be leaders and entrepreneurs in health care\u2014not only in the United States but around the world.”<\/h3>\n

\u2013 Anand Gramopadhye, Dean<\/p>\n<\/div>

Through their capstone projects, students become inventors in their own right, said John DesJardins, the Robert B. and Susan B. Hambright Leadership Associate Professor of Bioengineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a class assignment,\u201d he said. \u201cWe give them the framework, the guidelines and the resources to do it, and we mentor them. They embrace the challenge and produce amazing results.\u201d<\/p>\n

The devices with the highest commercial potential are further developed by students in the Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering program. The best of the best is patented and spun out of the University through startup companies.<\/p>\n

As many devices as there were at the symposium, it was just a sampling of the biomedical innovation happening every day at Clemson.
\nDelphine Dean, for example, has overseen several teams of students who have created medical devices based on needs they found on their trips to Tanzania. One team, Kifua Pampu, is creating a breast pump that would deactivate HIV, allowing mothers to breastfeed their children without fear of infecting them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re teaching students, and they\u2019re gaining skills, but at the same time we\u2019re accelerating development \u2014 and there are not many places that can do that,\u201d said Dean, the Gregg-Graniteville Professor of Bioengineering.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s for good reason, because Clemson was one of the first in the field.<\/p>\n

The University is renowned as the birthplace of the field of biomaterials and was among the first universities in the United States to start a bioengineering program, awarding its first Ph.D. in 1963. Clemson also played a central role in creating the Society for Biomaterials.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tradition of excellence that continues today.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The product:<\/span><\/strong> IntraFix<\/p>\n

Need:<\/strong><\/span> Doctors often face a hard choice when deciding how to treat rib fractures. They can perform major surgery, making a large incision to screw a plate onto the rib. Or patients can be sent home to heal on their own without surgery, which can mean weeks of bed rest and pain medicine. The IntraFix aims to treat more patients without major surgery. Students said the IntraFix could help patients heal faster and give them more mobility during recovery. About 300,000 people a year are treated for rib fractures, and many more are sent home to heal in pain, students said.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/strong> <\/span> The surgeon would make a small incision in the patient, drill a hole 30 millimeters from the fracture, clean out the inside of the bone and align the fracture. The IntraFix would be placed into the hole, across the fracture. The IntraFix would expand inside the rib, and barbed tips would help hold the device in place. The surgeon would then drill another hole to insert a screw into a plate that would also help hold the IntraFix in place. A separate handle could be attached to a suture loop, allowing the surgeon to pull until satisfied with device engagement.<\/p>\n

How they did it:<\/strong> <\/span> The device is made from stainless steel. A hot metal wire with electricity running through it cuts the piece. Then it\u2019s bent in a vise, and a hole is drilled.<\/p>\n

Commercialization potential:<\/strong><\/span> Students have received a provisional patent and are pursuing a full patent.<\/p>\n

Global dimension:<\/span> <\/strong> One of the advantages of the IntraFix is that it would require only minimally invasive surgery. It would be ideal in settings where sterility assurance levels are low.<\/p>\n

Advisor:<\/span><\/strong> Jeremy Mercuri, assistant professor of bioengineering<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The product:<\/span><\/strong> HIFree<\/p>\n

Need:<\/strong><\/span> Deciding between HIV and malnutrition is a choice no mother should have to make, but it\u2019s a stark reality in many parts of the world, including Tanzania, where students got the idea for the device. About 40 percent of babies with HIV contract it through breastfeeding, the team says. And it\u2019s a stigmatized disease. One of the big challenges the team faces is making an HIV filter as inconspicuous as possible to avoid identifying its users as HIV-positive. The team is creating HIFree to be marketable to all women.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/strong> <\/span> The team\u2019s name, Kifua Pampu, roughly translates to breast pump in Swahili, which is exactly what the team created. One of its features is a filter made out of a special material designed to deactivate HIV. The product would allow mothers with HIV to feed their children breast milk without fear of infecting them. The filter can also kill some of the bacteria in milk that causes it to spoil. The HIFree could allow a mother to pump milk and store it for longer than is currently possible \u2014 a crucial need in areas where refrigeration may be limited.<\/p>\n

How they did it:<\/strong> <\/span> Alex Harrison had the idea of creating a material to deactivate HIV, and Maggie Elpers came up with the idea of making a low-cost breast pump. The two projects came together in Creative Inquiry, a program that encourages undergraduate research.<\/p>\n

Accolades:<\/span> <\/strong> The HIFree was a finalist at the Rice 360 Global Health Design Competition.<\/p>\n

Global dimension:<\/span> <\/strong> The HIFree is a response to needs that students found in Tanzania, and they continue to work closely with collaborators in the East African nation.<\/p>\n

Advisor:<\/span><\/strong> Delphine Dean, Gregg-Graniteville Associate Professor of Bioengineering<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The product:<\/span><\/strong> Biopsy PolyGuide<\/p>\n

Need:<\/strong><\/span> The Biopsy PolyGuide would eliminate one of the procedures currently involved in all lumpectomy surgeries. Patients arrive at the hospital hours before their surgeries so that a guide wire can be inserted into the breast, a procedure called localization. It can be painful, and the patient is often left waiting hours for surgery with a wire sticking out of her breast. Students said that 12.4 percent of American women will get breast cancer, and 60 percent of all breast cancer patients will opt for lumpectomy. In the United States alone, 312,000 breast tumor localization procedures are performed each year, students said. Students estimated the cost of each procedure involving the Biopsy PolyGuide at less than $100 and the guide wire procedure at $662.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/strong> <\/span> The Biopsy PolyGuide would be used during the biopsy, which is performed determine whether a mass is benign or cancerous. As part of the biopsy, a thin tube called a cannula is inserted into the breast to help extract a tissue sample. Once the sample has been taken, the syringe-like Biopsy PolyGuide would be inserted into the mass through the cannula. The doctor would use the device\u2019s plunger to push a polymer insert into the mass. The Biopsy PolyGuide would be removed from the breast, leaving behind the polymer insert. The doctor would cut the polymer insert at the surface of the skin. If the mass turns out to be cancerous, the surgeon who performs the lumpectomy could use the polymer insert as a guide to find the mass. The polymer insert would not need to be removed, whether the mass is cancerous or not, because it is bioabsorbable and would degrade until fully dissipated.<\/p>\n

What students learned:<\/strong> <\/span> \u201cIt helped me find my passion and where I want to go,\u201d Yvette Ramirez said. \u201cI want to create devices that help a significant amount of people in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global dimension:<\/span> <\/strong> Students said that the cost of manufacturing and using the Biopsy PolyGuide would be low, making it ideal for low-resource settings worldwide.<\/p>\n

Advisor:<\/span><\/strong> John DesJardins, the Robert B. and Susan B. Hambright Leadership Associate Professor of Bioengineering<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The product:<\/span><\/strong> RX Bag<\/p>\n

Need:<\/strong><\/span> Children who currently need chemotherapy must stay in one place or drag an IV pole twice their size with them when they move. It\u2019s a tall order for a child who has to undergo chemotherapy for four hours at a time, multiple days a week. The idea for the product came from Sarah Dorsey, who went to The Medical University of South Carolina to identify clinical needs as part of the CU DeFINE Summer Program. She and her CU DeFINE team noticed that IV poles can be tripping hazards.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/strong> <\/span> The RX Bag would allow pediatric patients to remain mobile and even visit hospital playrooms while they receive chemotherapy. Children would wear a backpack with a medication pump inside. A tube would connect the pump to the child\u2019s medication port. Without medication, the system weighs 2 pounds and is designed for children from 50\u201380 pounds.<\/p>\n

How they did it:<\/strong> <\/span> In one academic year, Tyke Medical took their product from idea to prototype. They used an off-the-shelf backpack purchased on Amazon and built the pump from scratch. The group used a 3-D printer in the Makerspace at the Watt Family Innovation Center to create the pump case.<\/p>\n

What students learned:<\/strong><\/span> \u201cYou learn how to work within a team,\u201d Haven Hendrix said. \u201cThat\u2019s how the real world works. No engineers work by themselves. And we learned the whole process of design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global dimension:<\/span> <\/strong>\u201cInfusion therapy is used around the world; it\u2019s not just in the U.S.,\u201d Emaleigh Beeler said. \u201cOur product could be for any type of infusion therapy, not just chemotherapy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advisor:<\/span><\/strong> John DesJardins, the Robert B. and Susan B. Hambright Leadership Associate Professor of Bioengineering<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The product:<\/span><\/strong> The Apollo<\/p>\n

Need:<\/strong><\/span> The number of femoral fractures worldwide is expected to grow from 1.7 million in 2010 to 8.2 million in 2050, driven in part by aging populations, students said. While current methods of cable application take 5-15 minutes per pass, The Apollo can help a surgeon complete a single pass in 3-5 minutes, students said. They estimate that it could save 40 hours of surgical time per year, significantly reducing the risk of blood loss and infection. The Apollo would also reduce frustration for surgeons.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/strong> <\/span> The surgeon would use The Apollo to feed a cable around the bone. The cable would then be tightened to bring the fractured bone back together so that a metal plate, screw or other medical device could be affixed. Devices currently in use travel only part way around the fractured bone. Surgeons then have to use their fingers to locate the device in the patient\u2019s flesh to secure the cable, students said. A big part of what makes The Apollo unique is that a U-shaped \u201cpasser\u201d goes through the flesh, and the tip emerges on the other side of the bone. The surgeon would then press a lever-like \u201cpusher\u201d to extend a proboscis from the passer. The tapered end of the cable would be fed into the proboscis and through the passer to enclose the fracture. Then the proboscis would be retracted, and the passer would be removed, leaving the cable in place.<\/p>\n

What students learned:<\/strong> <\/span> \u201cWe learned a lot about the whole designing process, going from an initial problem to researching patents to how manufacture it,\u201d Amanda Chernick said. \u201cGoing from a problem to the end result \u2014 there\u2019s a lot in between, and we learned the parts that go into that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global dimension:<\/span> <\/strong>Students said the market for The Apollo is huge, with the number of femoral fractures to increase 500 percent globally from 2010-2050. \u201cThere\u2019s no limit for our device,\u201d Zack Richardson said.<\/p>\n

Advisor:<\/span><\/strong> John DesJardins, the Robert B. and Susan B. Hambright Leadership Associate Professor of Bioengineering<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The product:<\/span><\/strong> The AdjustaBite<\/p>\n

Need:<\/strong><\/span> About 600,000 tonsillectomies are performed in the United States each year, students said. The tonsillectomy treatment market is valued at $3 million per year and is expected to grow, they said. The AdjustaBite would result in quicker procedures, safer experiences for patients and reduced costs for hospitals, students said.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/strong> <\/span> Devices currently in use often fit improperly, reducing the surgeon\u2019s visibility of the tonsils. The AdjustaBite would be the first fully adjustable tool for holding open the mouth and depressing the tongue during tonsillectomies. It would allow the surgeon to better see the tonsils, taking the guesswork out of surgery. The device would also help prevent damage to soft tissue, which could result in less postoperative pain for the patient. The AdjustaBite would make the tonsils at least 90 percent visible. All surfaces that come into contact with teeth and gums would be soft. Padding could be easily inserted and removed on each side. While designed for tonsillectomies, students found it could also be used for dental procedures.<\/p>\n

What students learned:<\/strong> <\/span> Students said they learned a lot about the process of designing medical devices. \u201cIf you were to see the beginning device and compare it to what we\u2019ve got now, you\u2019d know that we put a lot into it,\u201d Chanty Brown said. \u201cThat whole process of changing it from what it was then to what it is now was my favorite part. It feels great to know that all our hard work paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verification and validation:<\/strong><\/span> When 540 pounds of pressure were applied, The AdjustaBite slightly deformed but did not fracture, and the locking mechanism remained intact.<\/p>\n

Advisor:<\/span><\/strong> John DesJardins, the Robert B. and Susan B. Hambright Leadership Associate Professor of Bioengineering<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL RESEARCH: Naren Vyavahare<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

ENGINEERING NEW MEDICINES<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>

Nanoparticles could reverse vascular calcification<\/span><\/h4>\n

By\u00a0Paul Alongi<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

New hope is brewing that Clemson University researchers could develop the first treatment to reverse the effects of a cardiovascular condition that affects millions of patients and can lead to complications ranging from hypertension to death.<\/p>\n

Naren Vyavahare, the Hunter Endowed Chair of Bioengineering, is working on a therapy to reverse vascular calcification, a condition that occurs when mineral deposits build up on blood vessel walls and stiffen them.<\/p>\n

The condition is most prevalent in aging patients and those with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes, Vyavahare said.
\n\u201cThe impact of an effective treatment would be tremendous,\u201d Vyavahare said. \u201cThis is a problem that\u2019s at least 5,000 years old and still not solved. There are no drugs or therapies that reverse it. Ours would be the first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vyavahare and his team are creating nanoparticles that are made of the protein albumin and are many times smaller than the width of a human hair. The nanoparticles would deliver two medicines to calcified blood vessels, targeting damaged elastin.<\/p>\n

Elastin is the body\u2019s version of elastic material, making it possible for arteries to push blood forward.<\/p>\n

One medicine, disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), would remove the mineral deposits that cause blood vessels to become calcified. Another medicine, pentagalloyl glucose (PGG), would return elasticity to the blood vessels.<\/p>\n

What makes the nanoparticles especially innovative is that they are designed to target elastin that has degraded and calcified while sparing healthy arteries. A relatively small amount of EDTA would be needed to treat vascular calcification.<\/p>\n

Without the nanoparticles, systemic injections of EDTA require high dosages that result in unwanted side effects, such as hypocalcemia, renal toxicity and bone loss.<\/p>\n

Vyavahare said the technology could be ready for clinical human trials within four years. His company, Elastin Therapeutics, has licensed the patented technology from Clemson, he said.<\/p>\n

The vascular calcification targeted in Vyavahare\u2019s study differs from atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/p>\n

The vascular calcification targeted in Vyavahare\u2019s study differs from atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n

Atherosclerosis is associated with calcification of a site in the vessel wall known as the intima. Vyavahare\u2019s research focuses on a different site in the vessel wall called the media.<\/p>\n

Calcification of the media can happen independently of atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n

Vyavahare\u2019s research could be a game-changer for some patients. Medial calcification has been linked to elevated systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. It also contributes to isolated systolic hypertension.<\/p>\n

Patients with chronic kidney disease are more likely to die from cardiovascular complications than kidney failure. In patients with type 2 diabetes, medial calcification was associated with a fourfold increased risk for lower extremity amputation and twofold enhanced cardiovascular mortality.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, there is no FDA-approved treatment available that reverses calcification in these millions of patients,\u201d Vyavahare said. \u201cThus, finding treatments that reverse calcification and improve elasticity of arteries is an urgent health care challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Institutes of Health is providing $2.2 million for the research through its R01 program. \u2732<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL RESEARCH: Will Richardson<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>

How math could help treat heart failure<\/span><\/h4>\n

By\u00a0Paul Alongi<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

The millions of patients who live with a condition that contributes to heart failure could receive personalized risk assessments and treatments with the help of new research led by Will Richardson of Clemson University.<\/p>\n

Richardson\u2019s research focuses on cardiac fibrosis. The condition occurs when material builds up in heart walls, hampering the organ\u2019s ability to pump blood.<\/p>\n

When cardiac fibrosis progresses to heart failure, it can prove fatal. As many as 60 percent of patients die within five years of developing heart failure, which afflicts 6.5 million Americans, Richardson said.<\/p>\n

No drugs have been approved to treat cardiac fibrosis specifically, and doctors are often left with trial-and-error experimentation when treating patients who have it, he said.<\/p>\n

For Richardson, a better way could start with math.<\/p>\n

His team has taken what scientists already know about how molecules interact in the body and turned that information into mathematical equations. Richardson envisions a day when measurements from a patient\u2019s blood or tissue sample would be plugged into those equations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to have this computational tool where the clinician can come and say, \u2018This is your risk, and we\u2019ve simulated these 10 or 100 or 1,000 different drug combinations and regimens,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re never going to do trial and error for those many combinations, but a computer model can crank all those options overnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next day the cardiologist would say, \u2018This is the optimized drug regimen or therapy for your particular levels.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The central question that Richardson plans to address in his project is whether the mathematical model he has in place behaves as predicted and, if not, what ought to be changed. He plans to test the model with data gathered from heart failure patients at The Medical University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can test what the model predicts because we already know in those patients whether or not they got better or worse, or what their prognosis was,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cWe can test that against the model predictions to say, \u2018Is our model making good predictions or bad predictions?\u2019 And if it\u2019s making bad predictions, what part of the model is responsible for those bad decisions so we can come back and tweak that part of the model and improve it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Institutes of Health\u2019s R01 program is providing $1.9 million for the research.\u00a0\u2732<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL RESEARCH: Agneta Simionescu<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

SEEKING NEW TREATMENTS<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>

Cell research could lead to new diabetes remedies<\/span><\/h4>\n

By\u00a0Paul Alongi<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Clemson University bioengineers recently launched a new research project to better understand cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. Their findings could help lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at finding new treatments. The research is led by Agneta Simionescu, an associate professor of bioengineering.<\/p>\n

The impact could be significant, particularly in South Carolina, where 13.4 percent of adults reported that a health professional told them they have diabetes, according to a 2018 report by the United Health Foundation. That was fifth highest in the nation.<\/p>\n

Simionescu\u2019s project sharpens the focus on atherosclerosis, a condition that accelerates in diabetics.<\/p>\n

The condition occurs when plaque \u2014 made of cholesterol, cell debris, calcium and other substances \u2014 builds up on blood vessel walls, threatening blood flow. Plaque narrows arteries and has the potential to rupture and cause blockages, which could result in heart attack and stroke.<\/p>\n

Simionescu and her team are concentrating on the role of fibroblasts in atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n

When blood vessels are damaged, fibroblasts are deployed to make repairs by synthesizing collagen. But in diabetics, fibroblasts produce too much collagen. The vascular tissue becomes fibrotic and calcifies, researchers said.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cThe whole blood vessel becomes stiffer, and that\u2019s the hallmark of diabetes,\u201d Simionescu said.<\/p>\n

The Simionescu team is drawing from its experience in tissue engineering to learn more. They will use three-dimensional models to study how fibroblasts communicate with two types of cells in blood vessel walls \u2014 endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, both factors in atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cFibroblasts would not know what to do unless they get a signal from an endothelial cell or a smooth muscle cell,\u201d Simionescu said. \u201cThey need to interact with each other. That\u2019s what is hard to determine.\u201d<\/p>\n

When researchers create their models, they will start with pig arteries that have been thoroughly stripped of their cells. What\u2019s left are scaffolds of elastin and collagen that maintain the tubular structure of blood vessels.<\/p>\n

Researchers will inject human endothelial cells into a scaffold. Within a few hours, the endothelial cells will naturally spread throughout the scaffold.<\/p>\n

Then researchers will inject fibroblasts. Bioreactors will be used to simulate vascular biomechanics and diabetic conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be able to tell at the end of the experiment if endothelial cells send a signal to fibroblasts,\u201d Simionescu said.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>