Both Kevin Manning, Psychiatry and Erin Mead, Medicine of the 2016 Pre-K Scholar Award cohort were recently notified of funding for their K awards. The Connecticut Convergence Institute congratulates them on their hard work and expertise.

The Pre-K Scholar Award Program is a 2-year interactive program designed to equip junior faculty with the knowledge and competencies to effectively apply for an NIH Research Career Development Awards (K award) as well as become leaders in clinical and translational science. The long-term goal is to increase the pipeline of researchers applying for K awards and a culture that supports this goal.

The Pre-K Scholar Award Program curriculum assists faculty in writing a successful NIH K award by focusing on finding mentorship, writing specific aims, developing research plan, determining career development needs, obtaining letters of support, institutional support, etc. Pre-K Scholars are awarded 30% protected time, as well as funding for travel to national conferences.

Named in honor of a distinguished member of the Society For Biomaterials, Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., the Travel Fellowship supports under-represented minorities in the field of biomaterials by providing undergraduate student resources to attend the annual meeting of the Society For Biomaterials, and to become a member of the Society. The goal of this initiative is to stimulate and encourage recipients to pursue a career in biomaterials.

Studies conducted by the National Science Foundation and others have concluded that African-Americans, Latinos, Native-Americans and Native Alaskans are disproportionally under-represented in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Their underrepresentation represents a barrier to excellence in these fields.

This travel fellowship includes registration, airfare, hotel, transfers, and meals to the SFB Annual Meeting and Exposition held annually. Each awardee will also be given a complimentary membership in the Society For Biomaterials and assigned a graduate student mentor to guide them through the annual meeting, and help them pursue their advanced degree and career goals.

 

On June 13^th Dr. Cato Laurencin delivered the keynote speech at The Pearl Seiden Symposium in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Dr. Laurencin presented his expertise on Regenerative Engineering: The Future of Tissue Regeneration.

The Pearl Seiden Symposium represents the apex of research in the field of regenerative medicine and stem cell research. Throughout the event experts in the field presented and discussed significant achievements in the field of Regenerative Medicine – Regenerative Treatment Models,  Soft Tissue Replacement, Cell Therapy, Stem Cell Bioprocessing, Immunomodulation Therapy, 3D-Biopringting, Biomaterials, Artificial Organ, Applications of Tissue Engineering, and Stem Cell Technologies.

 

The Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative provides awards to undergraduate institutions across the country to implement and study innovative approaches to engaging and retaining students from diverse backgrounds in biomedical research. In 2014, the National Institute of Health (NIH) granted 10 five-year BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) awards. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was one of the 10 core institutions to receive the award which led to the formation of the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity: Southwest Consortium of Health-Oriented Education Leaders and Research Scholars (BUILDing Scholars) program. Under the UTEP BUILD award, there are 13 Research partners, with UConn being the only academic institution from the northeast.

The BUILDing Scholars program is designed to include a consortium of pipeline and research partners. Pipeline partners and UTEP work together to implement and co-develop programs that will enable students to master the coursework necessary to enter research careers as well as participating in mentoring activities. Research partners are intended to expand training, research and mentorship opportunities available to participating students, in addition to engaging faculty at UTEP through collaborations and/or training opportunities. The BUILDing Scholars are students who have finished their freshman, sophomore or junior year.

As a BUILDing Scholar, each student, through the Chronus online mentoring platform, was matched with faculty from UConn or UConn Health who expressed an interest in participating as a BUILD mentor. Once matched, mentors and students engage in conversation related to their summer research project and interests. Housing and travel are covered under the BUILD award for each student, as well as a monthly BUILD stipend for the summer. In addition, the BUILD mentor receives funding for research supplies needed in order for their student to complete their summer project.

 

Additional seminar information – 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming important in clinical needs for on demand patient matched implants due to better functionalities, lower cost and shorter lead time to manufacture. Establishing process property relationships for different AM techniques are vital towards successful implementation of these manufacturing practices in biomedical devices. Additive manufacturing of multiple materials in single operation is also an exciting innovation. Hard biomaterials, e.g., calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics being compositionally similar to the inorganic part of bone, are often used in bone implant applications, as both 3D printed tissue engineering scaffolds and surface modified hip and knee implant devices. We have used CaP scaffolds, fabricated using 3-D printing technology, for bone tissue engineering.  Dopant chemistry in CaP plays a vital role in controlling their resorption or degradation kinetics as scaffolds, mechanical strength, and biological properties of resorbable CaPs. 3D interconnected channels in CaP scaffolds provide pathways for micronutrients, improved cell-material interactions, and increased surface area allows improved mechanical interlocking between scaffolds and surrounding bone. Use of polymer helps in controlling drug release kinetics. In vivo studies show improved osteogenesis, angiogenesis and controlled drug delivery using natural medicinal compounds (NMCs) in these 3D printed scaffolds and coatings. These systems show promise for use in orthopedic and dental devices while eliminating the need for the autografts and the second site surgery for harvesting, as well as improving current hip / knee implant lifetime. The presentation will address design of next generation bone tissue engineering scaffolds and hip / knee devices based on clinical needs in fixation of bone disorders and scientific challenges

Susmita Bose, Ph.D. – Susmita Bose is the Herman and Brita Lindholm Endowed Chair Professor at the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, affiliate faculty of Department of Chemistry and Elson Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University. Prof. Bose’s interdisciplinary research interest lies at the interface of Chemistry, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biology, focusing on 3D printed bone scaffolds, implant materials and drug delivery vehicles. Prof. Bose received the CAREER award and the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientist and Engineers (PECASE) from the National Science Foundation. She has advised over 40 graduate students for their MS and PhD, published over 250 technical articles including over 200 journal articles, 15 book chapters, 7 edited books, 12 patents. Her research papers have been cited ~ 15,000 times (‘h” index 67, Google scholar). She was invited as “Kavli fellow” by the National Academy of Sciences, received the PACE and Fulrath Awards from the American Ceramic Society. In 2015, Prof. Bose was named as Life Science Innovation Northwest Women to Watch Honoree, by the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. In 2016, she received the International Society for Ceramics in Medicine research excellence award. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Materials Research Society (MRS), ASM International, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). In 2017 she has been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences, in 2018 she received WSU distinguished faculty address award and in 2019 WSU Sahlin faculty excellence award for research scholarships and art. Prof. Bose’s group research on 3D printed bone tissue engineering scaffolds with controlled chemistry has been featured by the AP, BBC, NPR, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, and many other TV, radio stations, magazines and news sites all over the world

The Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative provides awards to undergraduate institutions across the country to implement and study innovative approaches to engaging and retaining students from diverse backgrounds in biomedical research. In 2014, the National Institute of Health (NIH) granted 10 five-year BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) awards. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was one of the 10 core institutions to receive the award which led to the formation of the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity: Southwest Consortium of Health-Oriented Education Leaders and Research Scholars (BUILDing Scholars) program. Under the UTEP BUILD award, there are 13 Research partners, with UConn being the only academic institution from the northeast.

 

BUILDing Scholar	Research Mentor	UConn Health Department
Isaac Gandara	Anne Delany	Molecular Oncology
Diana Moreno	Leslie Caromile	Vascular Biology
Nickolas Ortiz	Raj Verma	Neuroscience
Priscilla Parada	David Steffens	Psychiatry
Margarita Romero	Henry Smilowitz	Cell Biology

 

 

Dr. Cato Laurencin, of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering and Sports Medicine Department and Dr. Anthony Alessi, of the Neurosport Department attended the CES MMA 56 Fight at the Connecticut Convention Center last Friday. Dr. Laurencin serves as the Commissioner of Boxing for the State of Connecticut and Dr. Alessi showcased his expertise as the ringside doctor for the fight. Previously, Dr. Laurencin served as a ring side boxing physician for professional boxing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut. He has been a physician for the USA Boxing Elite Men’s Team and serves on the National Medical Advisory Board for USA Boxing. He continues to interlace his passion for boxing with his mastery in sports medicine.