University of Florida Alumni Association’s Post

Honored to be invited this past week by Dr. Madeleine Oudin to give a lecture to her mixed levels undergraduate and graduate Biomedical Engineering class at Tufts University on #disparities in the delivery of #cancercare to patients with #melanoma #brain #metastasis. Take home points from the Q&A session with these bright, intelligent, and engaging #stemeducation students: 1) #braintumor patients in the state of #massachusetts do NOT have access to ANY form of #cancercare while they are admitted to a rehab faciltiy to recover from their #braintumor #surgery. How do we improve access to cancer care for these #braintumor patients so that they can get timely post-surgical adjuvant treatments for their brain tumors? 2) The #costs of a brain tumor surgery and downstream care of brain tumor patients can be formidable on patients who do not have good #healthinsurance in America. How do we interface with #healthpolicy makers and insurance companies to help provide more affordable care to this #vulnerable patient population? 3) Emerging data suggests that the race and genetics of a patient can affect their response to #immunotherapy. How do we improve #personalizedmedicine approaches to determine which therapies should be used in different patient populations to achieve the maximum treatment benefits?

🔬🧪🧫🥼 Don't miss Professor Jamie Craig present on "Clinical Markers of Glaucoma Progression" at The Glaucoma NZ 'Back to the Future' Professional Symposium on 16 June 2024! 🌟 Learn how you can leverage advanced imaging technologies and AI to improve patient outcomes. 🤖 Register now: https://lnkd.in/gvfE45UQ #GlaucomaNZ #GNZProfessionalSymposium2024 #Ophthalmology #Glaucoma #Innovation This abstract provides an overview of clinical markers used to monitor the progression of glaucoma, a chronic optic neuropathy characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell loss and corresponding visual field deficits. The identification and monitoring of glaucoma progression are paramount for guiding treatment decisions and optimizing patient outcomes. Traditional clinical markers such as intraocular pressure (IOP), optic nerve head changes, and visual field progression remain cornerstones in glaucoma management. However, advancements in imaging technologies, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO), have enabled the detection of subtle structural changes in the optic nerve head and retinal nerve fiber layer, facilitating earlier identification of progression. Additionally, functional assessments such as frequency-doubling technology (FDT) perimetry and standard automated perimetry (SAP) provide complementary information regarding visual field deterioration. Furthermore, novel techniques such as machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence hold promise in enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of glaucoma progression detection. Integrating these diverse clinical markers into a comprehensive monitoring strategy enables clinicians to detect progression promptly, tailor treatment regimens, and preserve patients' visual function and quality of life. Further research is warranted to refine existing methods and validate emerging technologies to optimize glaucoma management in clinical practice. Professor Jamie Craig is the Chair and Academic Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Flinders University and a Consultant Ophthalmologist, Professor Jamie Craig specialises in the care of patients with glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness. Professor Craig is a clinician-scientist and NHMRC Practitioner-Fellow, who translates laboratory-based research into clinical practice. Having developed an exceptional track record in synergising clinical practice and laboratory-based research, Professor Craig’s pioneering work establishing the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma has been critical to Australia leading the world in discovery and translation of glaucoma genetics. His clinical practice and ongoing leadership of the world’s largest glaucoma progression study enable significant translational outcomes to be achieved by more rational use of available tools, coupled with innovative concepts.

A study by the University of Rochester Medical Center published in 2022 shows that racial and gender inequities still plague marginalized populations. We know that minimally invasive mitral valve surgeries provide patients with the best possible outcomes, but that black women are significantly less likely to be offered a minimally invasive valve surgery. I have personally seen drastic patient benefits due to advances in treatment and surgical approaches. However, I am devastated to know that specialized cardiovascular care is just out of reach for some populations. Because of research like this, health care systems can continue to identify strategies to unravel institutional racism and gender disparities, in order to allow all patients the best possible treatment. The American Heart Association contributes significantly to the research being done at the University of Rochester Medical Center and across the United States. They provide grants to support local research, which has led to breakthroughs in cardiovascular and stroke discovery, translation, and clinical application. Ask a cardiologist if they have ever participated in AHA-funded research. They will likely say yes. We can all support this mission. Consider donating to support cardiovascular research (https://lnkd.in/erasiNT4), and/or you can choose to participate in clinical trials. •Only 38% of participants in clinical cardiovascular trials are women. You can help us change this through Research Goes Red! •You don’t need to be sick or unwell to participate in research – in fact, we need all women to help us better understand how cardiovascular disease uniquely impacts women. •Research Goes Red is empowering women to accelerate scientific discovery by harnessing the power of technology – without having to leave home. Your participation can help change the future of women’s health. By joining Research Goes Red, you can: o Contribute via clinical research, surveys and focus groups o Only participate in the studies that you're interested in o Help shape the future of disease management and care o Learn about your own health while helping improve health for all

🎓 Exciting Thesis Defense! Sofia Erelund from Umeå University's Department of Surgery and Perioperative Sciences is set to defend her thesis on a vital topic in healthcare: "Heart and Lung Function in Health and Disease." 🔍 Erelund's research focuses on the importance of sex- and population-adapted reference values for accurate heart and lung function diagnosis. Her work reveals significant disparities in current diagnostic practices, emphasizing the need for tailored reference values that account for sex and age differences. 💡 Key findings include the underestimation of lung function in northern populations by international standards and the crucial role of heart rate variability as an autonomic function indicator. #MedicalResearch #HealthcareInnovation #UmeåUniversity #HeartAndLungFunction #PersonalizedMedicine #ThesisDefense #BiomedicalResearch

In the ever-evolving field of medicine, one of the most awe-inspiring advancements is the area of fetal surgery and interventions. This intricate field of operations is performed on unborn babies to correct life-threatening conditions before birth. Initially considered science fiction, fetal surgery has transformed into a vital part of prenatal care, with the first successful procedure performed in the 1980s. Today, we are not only capable of diagnosing a multitude of congenital abnormalities through advanced imaging techniques but also intervening with precise, sometimes minimally invasive, surgical procedures. These interventions can range from correcting spina bifida, where the spinal cord is exposed, to repairing congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which affects the development of the lungs. Recent developments include a growing understanding of fetal physiology and the improvement of surgical instruments. Innovations in robotics and imaging have led to less invasive surgeries with the aim of reducing post-operative complications and improving outcomes. The ethical considerations are substantial, involving decision-making that balances the risks to the fetus and the pregnant individual, and multidisciplinary teams, including surgeons, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, and anesthesiologists often shadow these sophisticated procedures. As researchers in medicine or biology, you understand the magnitude of orchestrating such interventions. They are not just technical feats but also gateways to unprecedented prenatal care that can alter the trajectory of a child's life. The long-term implications of this field are vast, from personalized in-utero treatments to harnessing stem cells and gene therapy to tackle genetic disorders before birth. For those eager to learn more and dive deeper, I encourage you to visit https://www.sciqst.com, a platform dedicated to providing the scientific community with substantial, peer-reviewed research and discoveries. Connect with fellow experts, access comprehensive studies, and enhance your understanding of the complexities and triumphs associated with fetal surgery and interventions. #FetalSurgery #PrenatalCare #Medicine #Biology #Research #SciQst

📍 Stanford Medicine researchers build an eye ‘aging clock’ that could lead to treatments for ocular diseases 🔸 The scientists looked at nearly 6,000 proteins in the fluid and found that they can use 26 of them to predict aging. Using artificial intelligence, they developed an eye-aging “clock,” indicating which #proteins #accelerate #aging in each disease and revealing new potential targets for therapies. 🔸 “This is one of the best connections ever made that suggests disease triggers accelerated aging,” he said. To glean the most information possible with small, renewable samples, Mahajan and his team developed a #technique — #TEMPO, or tracing expression of multiple protein origins. By tracing proteins to a type of cell where the RNA that creates the proteins resides, TEMPO allows the scientists to understand the #cellular #origin of disease-driving proteins with the hope that eventually they can target the cells with personalized medical treatments. 🔸 Team analyzed liquid biopsies taken from the aqueous humor — fluid between the lens and the cornea — while patients were locally anesthetized during surgery. The fluid was collected in patients with three types of eye diseases: #diabetic #retinopathy, which causes blood vessels in the eye to leak, leading to vision loss; #retinitis #pigmentosa, which causes light-sensitive cells in the back of the eye to break down; and #uveitis, inflammation inside the eye. Using eye fluid from 46 healthy patients, Mahajan and his team trained an AI algorithm to predict the age of the patient. They then fed the algorithm the nearly 6,000 proteins present in the fluid to see if a subset of these proteins could predict the patient’s age. 🔸 Comparing the diseased eye fluid with the healthy fluid, they found that patients with diseased eyes had proteins that indicated a higher age: 12 years older in patients with early-stage diabetic retinopathy, 31 years in those with late-stage diabetic retinopathy, 16 years in retinitis pigmentosa patients and 29 years in uveitis patients. 🔸 The model also found that the cells responsible for indicating increased age were different with each disease: vascular cells in late-stage diabetic retinopathy, retinal cells in retinitis pigmentosa and immune cells in uveitis. 🔸 They also found that some cells commonly targeted in treatment are not the ones most involved in disease, encouraging a #reevaluation of #therapies. For example, diabetes drugs commonly target blood vessel cells because they become leaky with disease, but they found a big increase in proteins from healthy to late-stage diabetic retinopathy is in macrophages, an immune cell that removes dead cells. 🔸 The researchers found that some cells had showed accelerated aging before symptoms appeared. Treating the molecular pathway early, Mahajan said, could prevent disease damage before it becomes irreparable. Read ➡ https://lnkd.in/eDYa-zEH #eyediseases

🌟 Attention Medical Students! 🌟 Marfan syndrome is a connective tissue disorder caused by mutations in the fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene located on chromosome 15. These mutations lead to abnormal fibrillin function. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, meaning that a person only needs to inherit one copy of the mutated gene from one parent to develop the condition. Interestingly, it is speculated that President Abraham Lincoln may have had Marfan syndrome, although this remains uncertain and speculative. For medical students, understanding Marfan syndrome is crucial as it exemplifies the genetic basis of certain disorders and highlights the importance of recognizing its clinical features. Learning about Marfan syndrome helps medical students develop diagnostic skills, understand its potential complications, and appreciate the interdisciplinary approach required for its management. #MarfanSyndrome #ConnectiveTissueDisorder #Fibrillin1 #GeneticDisorder #MedicalEducation #MedSchool #MedicalStudents #RareDisease #Genetics #Cardiology #Orthopedics #Ophthalmology #Awareness #Healthcare #PatientCare #Research #viswabharathicolleges #Viswabharathihospital #Viswabharathimedical #MedicalEducation #Syndrome #MedicalStudents #ClinicalEducation #MedicalGuide #GeneticDisorders #AwarenessMonth

We are delighted to announce the award of one of the CTMCT pilot awards to Dr. Emin Maltepe & Dr. Aijun Wang for their research project "Stem Cell Based Extracellular Vesicles for Neuroprotection in Newborn Brain Injury". Birth asphyxia, or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), is a global driver of infant mortality and cerebral palsy. The only therapy for HIE—therapeutic hypothermia (aka, cooling)—is not effective globally where 95% of disease burden resides. Novel therapies are urgently needed. We propose to conduct preliminary biodistribution studies of our stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle (EV) product in a highly clinically relevant model of newborn hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. We previously demonstrated that this product was neuroprotective in vitro and in small animal models. Using our model designed for the global setting, we additionally propose to determine safety endpoints to help guide future pre-clinical development efforts. Our stem cell-derived product is highly translatable with a potential to improve outcomes globally for infants born in the setting of birth injury. University of California, San Francisco UCSF DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS UC Davis Department of Surgery #ctmct #celltherapies

We all have that friend that never seems to get old. 🏃♀️ 💪 This is actually a true phenomenon in biology, the concept of biological ageing has caught researchers attention in the recent years. This happens when your chronological age (How old are you?) and your biological age (How old is your body functionally?) are not synchronized any more. What if I told you that it is possible to measure how fast your arteries are ageing using modifications found in your DNA? In our study we measured this ageing in atherosclerotic plaque tissue from patients who underwent an endarterectomy and we found out that this matters for how well your cardiovascular system will do in the future. We show that patients with accelerated ageing in their arteries do worse after the surgery than patients with biologically younger arteries. Female arteries are biologically 2 years younger than male arteries 💁♀️ and patients with diabetes and high body mass index were more likely to have biologically older arteries ❗. We wanted to know more about what are the causes of this accelerated ageing, so we used 'omics data and in vitro experiments to identify that the endothelial cells lining your vessels play an important role in this ageing process. This work was started and conceived originally by Robin Hartman and as it happens often in research I inherited it to complete it. So big thanks to Robin! Also, to the rest of the CVD in women team (https://cvdinwomen.nl/) at UMC Utrecht and collaborators for their input. If you want to know more about this you can read the article published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) here: https://lnkd.in/e9n-J5tV Hester den Ruijter Daniek Kapteyn Marian Wesseling Tim Sakkers Yannicke Sloots Gerard Pasterkamp Michal Mokry Sander W. van der Laan Marie Depuydt Koen Prange Menno de Winther Dominique De Kleijn Arjan Boltjes Lotte Slenders Gert Jan de Borst Johan Kuiper Mete Civelek N. Charlotte Onland-Moret Steve Horvath UMC Utrecht Circulatory Health UMC Utrecht

Join Medics4RareDiseases and FOP Friends for a unique evening reception, at the prestigious Hunterian Museum, at the Royal College of Surgeons of England on 13th February 2024. 'First, Do No Harm: Expert Reflections on a Rare Bone Disease' is an opportunity to learn about how patients and families contribute to a greater understanding of rare disease through the story on one rare bone condition, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. Clinicians, patients and advocates will share stories about the lived experience of people with FOP from the 18th century to the present day. Attendees will also be able to visit the Hunterian Museum and the skeleton of a man who lived with this condition in the 1700s. FOP is an example of a rare genetic condition that has been familiar to medicine for hundreds of years, but is not familiar to the average healthcare professional. It is characterised by the abnormal development of bone in skeletal muscles and connective tissues, progressively locking joints in place and limiting movement. However without healthcare professional awareness of FOP the basic tenet of medicine, ‘First, do no harm’, is easily missed. When living with FOP any trauma, including surgery, can trigger a flare response resulting in abnormal bone growth in the affected area. You will hear from clinicians and advocates who have been pivotal in working towards treatment and improving the lives of those living with this rare condition. They will also serve as a reminder about the principles of clinical care that can make all the difference to those living with rare diseases. 💬 Talks from advocates and clinicians 🎟 Visit the Hunterian Museum and RCSEng Anatomy and Pathology Museum, skeletons of two people who lived with FOP, two centuries apart, one in the mid 1700s the other at the end of the 20th century. 🥂 Drinks and canapés 🔗 Networking reception Reserve your place here https://lnkd.in/eCVr_2iZ The Royal College of Surgeons of England #RareDisease #RareDiseaseDay #RareDiseaseDay24 #surgicaleducation #museum #genetics #PatientAdvocacy #Research #History