San Jose State University Biomedical Engineering Society

As the academic year comes to an end, along with my Presidency, I would like to reflect on the accomplishments we have made this year and the path we must continue to follow as a society.

During the past year, we visited ISIS, Philips Healthcare, and Boston Scientific, where we were able to see first-hand the jobs, goals and opportunities in the biomedical device industry. We hosted poster presentations on campus, providing students real-world feedback on their research and presentations. I attended the national BMES Conference to represent us as a strong and innovative chapter. Our most important accomplishment was planning and hosting the Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference 2010, held on March 30. We worked together to create a unique and engaging conference for biomedical device professionals, students and faculty.  Our efforts were recognized by San Jose State University when we were awarded the

Outstanding New Program Award at the annual Student Involvement Banquet.

As a society, we have made confident strides to expand our chapter and have made our presence known on campus; however, we must continue to grow. For the coming year, I have full confidence that our new executive committee will lead us to even more success.

Please join me in actively participating with and supporting our executive committee, under the leadership of our new President, Emily Wong. Let’s make this upcoming year even better than the previous one.

Sheena Deol

Volume 1, Issue 4

May 2010

A Message from the PresidentI N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

SJSU BMES Chapter Newsletter

Contact Info:

BMES @SJSU # 90, c/o Student InvolvementSan Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA 95192 – 0038

sjsubmes@gmail.comwww.facebook.com/sjsubmes

Message from the President 1

Interview with Dr. Mallika Keralapura 2

Bay Area Medical Device Conference 3Conference Photos 4

BMES Holds Bi-Annual Poster Session 5

BMES Holds Elections for 2010-2011 5

BMES Visits Boston Scientific 6

Interview with Dr. Mallika Keralapura

SJSU BMES Chapter Newsletter – May 2010Page 2

Did you know?

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Founded in 1985, NBCAM has been providing breast cancer awareness and education for the past 25 years. To learn more, visit http://www.nbcam.org.

Dr. Mallika Keralapura, assistant professor of Electrical Engineering, joined SJSU in 2008 and quickly established herself as a valuable addition to the burgeoning Biomedical Engineering programs. While pursuing her Ph.D. at UC Davis, Dr. Keralapura focused on breast cancer diagnosis using ultrasound. During post-doctoral work at UCSF she studied ultrasound applications for prostate cancer therapy. We spoke to Dr. Keralapura about her current research projects and the future of cancer detection.

What motivated you to pursue biomedical engineering after studying electrical engineering as an undergraduate?

Dr. Keralapura:

Electrical engineering provided good fundamentals, and biomedical engineering provided an application area upon which I could build. I was always fascinated with biology and anything that has to do with medicine, so I naturally gravitated towards biomedical engineering.

What are some of the research projects you and your students are working on?

Dr. Keralapura:

I work on ultrasound applications for both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, focusing mainly on breast cancer and prostate cancer.

We are trying to tackle breast cancer diagnosis using elastography (strain imaging). I am working with one of my students, Naema Hashmi, on the modeling aspects of

elastography, creating the image using FEM (finite element modeling) and then processing the image.

Could elastography be used in place of the standard mammograms that are currently performed?

Dr. Keralapura:

You don’t want to replace any current techniques that are used in the hospital, because they have some benefit. Instead, you always want to add information to the diagnostic test. If a mammogram comes back suspicious, a sonogram is performed. Some hospitals now use an elastogram alongside the sonogram.

Are you working on any other projects?

We are working on a breast cancer drug delivery project with Dr. Maryam Mobed-Miremadi, Professor of Bioengineering. We are trying to find ways to deliver local drugs to tumors, using microcapsules.

We also have two projects that focus on treatment monitoring of prostate cancer. We have a collaboration with the UCSF Thermal Therapy Group. They build devices for prostate cancer ablation that are tracked using MRI. We are trying to develop alternative algorithms to assist tracking.

What equipment do you use in the Biomedical Systems Lab (Engr. 317)?

We have a range of basic ultrasound equipment: power amplifiers, hydrophones, transducers, measurement systems for intensity and attenuation. We will soon be

getting a portable ultrasound scanner as well as a high-end microscope.

Where do you see the field of cancer detection going in the future?

Each imaging modality has its own strengths – MRI, CT, Ultrasound, and Mammography all provide complementary images. More imaging fusion technology is coming, mixing, for instance, CT and MRI on the same image. This provides more information for diagnosis.

What led you to oncology research?

Cancer is a fascinating, unsolved problem. I’m particularly passionate about breast cancer and plan to continue working on breast cancer research for many years.

Do you have any advice for a student who wants to pursue cancer research?

It’s an exciting field with plenty of funding available through the NSF and NIH. Those pursuing a Ph.D. will find many fellowships available. When you contribute to cancer research, you directly benefit many lives. This makes it a very rewarding field.

Samir Shah

SJSU BMES Chapter Newsletter – May 2010Page 3

For more photos taken

from the Conference and

various BMES activities,

please visit our Picassa

album:

http://

picasaweb.google.com/

sjsubmes

Bay Area Medical Device Conference 2010

On March 30, 2010, the BMES Student Chapter at SJSU hosted the First Annual Bay Area Medical Device Conference in the Engineering Auditorium at San Jose State University. The Conference was intended to bring together students, faculty and industry professionals for an opportunity to gain knowledge and awareness of current advances in the medical device field, as well as to provide networking opportunities. At this first event, the attendance was 160; the Conference was sponsored by three companies and a professional society, enabling BMES@SJSU to keep registration costs at a very affordable rate.

Topics covered at the Conference this year encompassed many facets of the medical device industry. Featured presentations ranged from discussions on starting a medical device company, taking ideas from concept to products, discussions on the failure mechanisms of implantable medical devices, to selection of adequate animal models for pre-clinical trials. The sequence of the lectures as well as the thoroughness of the speakers allowed the audience to fully comprehend and associate the process of clinical trials with product development.

Among the attendees were undergraduate and graduate students of various disciplines from local universities, faculty from SJSU, and working professionals from various biotechnology, medical device, and engineering industries. The comments regarding the Conference as a whole, as well as feedback received, were very positive. The attendees commended the diverse yet connected topics, and the many opportunities dedicated to networking and student research presentations. Many were already inquiring about the next Conference.

The experience of BMES students, faculty advisor, and industry advisors, involved in the planning and preparation of the entire conference, was very rewarding and fulfilling. Together, the Planning and Advisory Committees worked collaboratively and efficiently to culminate an extensively, successful Conference. The BMES officers and students gained significant practical experience in planning, project management, communication and teamwork skills.

As a result, the Chapter received the 'Outstanding New Program' Award for this event at the annual 'Student Involvement Recognition Banquet' sponsored by Associated Students at San Jose State University. The Second Bay Area Medical Device Conference is tentatively scheduled for March 30, 2011, and the SJSU BMES Student Chapter looks forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces. For further information, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Chapter: sjsubmes@gmail.com

Emily Wong

Did you know?

The 2010 National BMES Conference is being held October 6-9 in Austin, Texas. More than 3000 participants, 1200 poster presentations, and three full days of symposia are expected. To learn more, visit http://www.bmes.org

Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference 2010 PhotosBMES Hosts Bi-Annual Poster Presentation

Summer 2010 Bioengineering Classes at SJSU:

Engr 177: Physiology for Engineers

Instructor: Dr. Michael SnearyTues-Thurs5:30 ~ 8:00 p.m.Room: DH 250

Engr 274: Regulatory, Clinical and Manufacturing Aspects of Medical Devices

Instructor: Dr. SelvadurayMon, Wed 5:30 - 8:20 p.m.Room: Engr 303

Fall 2010 Bioengineering Classes at SJSU:

Engr 115: Intro to Bioengineering

Instructor: Dr. Mobed-MiremadiTues 6:00 - 8:45 p.m.Room: CL 234

MatE 175: Biomaterials

Instructor: Dr. SelvadurayTues & Thurs 4:30 - 5:45 p.m.Room: IS 113

ME 267: Engineering Biomechanics

Instructor: Dr. El-HageTues & Thurs 6:00 ~ 7:15 p.m.Room: CL 202

Conference Organizing Committee

SJSU BMES Chapter Newsletter – May 2010Page 4 SJSU BMES Chapter Newsletter – May 2010Page 5

SJSU BMES held its bi-annual poster session on May 11, 2010, conveniently located in the lobby of the Engineering Building. Featured posters were from students in Biotransport Phenomena taught by Dr. Maryam Mobed-Miremadi, and Biomedical Imaging taught by Dr. Mallika Keralapura. What students gained through lectures was reflected and exhibited in their posters.

Posters on display were evaluated by a Faculty panel, comprised of Dr. Mobed-Miremadi, Dr. Keralapura, and Dr. Michel Goedert. Among those evaluated, awards were

presented to the following students: Arash Azarmi, Jacquana Diep, Sabra Djomehri, Reagan Dolendo, Yu

Feng, Henry Kao, Tetyana Mizina, Trupti Partani, Devanshi Patel, Alice Tsui, David Wright, and Sam Young. Congratulations to the winners!

Emily Wong

SJSU BMES Holds Elections for 2010-2011 On April 15, 2010, SJSU BMES held elections for the 2010-2011 Academic Year. After a brief message from outgoing BMES President Sheena Deol, the election process got underway. Following her nomination to the position of BMES President, Emily Wong gave a short speech and was unanimously voted in as President for the upcoming school year. In addition, Shruthi Thirumalai was elected Vice-President, Sukhdeep Chera was elected Secretary, and Larissa Clark was elected BMES Treasurer.

Once officer elections were complete, club members were elected to fill the various BMES committees that keep the club operational: membership, newsletter, historian, website/IT, corporate relations, events, finance, and chapter development.

Congratulations to the new officers and committee members!

Samir Shah

2009-2010 Officers and Committees:

President: Sheena Deol

Vice President: Nava Krishna

Secretary: Nandini Gurunathan

Treasurer: Nick Suuthipongsaward

Advisors: Edward Labrador Ricardo Duque

Newsletter: Emily Wong Samir Shah

Historian: Mrudhula Gampala

IT and Website: Edward Labrador

Corporate Sponsorship: Mark Mirigian

Finance: Ricardo Duque

Chapter Development: Nandini Gurunathan

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Guna Selvaduray

We’re on the Web!

http://engr.sjsu.edu/bmes/

SJSU BMES Chapter Newsletter – May 2010Page 6

Every semester, the BMES organizes an industrial tour at a medical device company in the Bay Area to enhance both learning and professional networking. This spring, the BMES had an opportunity to tour the Boston Scientific facility in Fremont as well as acquire familiarity on products in their Neurovascular department.

Boston Scientific is a company dedicated to developing and marketing less-invasive medical devices to benefit various fields, such as cardiology, endoscopy, urology, and neuromodulation.

The tour began with an in-depth presentation on the company's neurovascular products utilized to treat those affected by hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Following the

presentation, the members of BMES underwent a brief training session on the procedure for entering the clean room. Once in the clean room, members were exposed to the working environment, and had the opportunity to observe the assembling of neurovascular products.

Overall, the tour to Boston Scientific enabled members of BMES to attain a thorough view of successful medical devices as well as gain hands-on experience in the industry.

Emily Wong

BMES Visits Boston ScientificUpcoming Events:

End-of-the-Semester Celebration/Party

Date: May 26, 2010Time: 7:00 pmWhere: Hawgs Seafood Bar 150 S. Second St.

San Jose, CA 95113

Industrial Tour to Agilent Technologies

Date: June 11, 2010Where: 5301 Stevens Creek

Boulevard Santa Clara, CA 95051

BMD Orientation

Date: August 12, 2010Time: 5:00 pmWhere: Engr. 287, SJSU

Bay Area Biomedical Device Conference 2011

Date: March 30, 2011Time: 8:00 amWhere: SJSU College of

Engineering

For more information and to register, please visit:

http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/bmes/