August 2018:
Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program
Congratulations to Lilit Garibyan MD, PhD for receiving the 2018 Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program for Scholars in Medicine Award for having a promising career as an independent investigator.
May 2018:
Maiman Student Paper Competition
Sheldon Kwok of Andy Yun's lab was awarded an Honorable Mention of OSA Maiman Student Award for the Maiman Student Paper Competition. This competition began in 2008 and acknowledges students who have excelled in innovation as well as research and in their presentation skill in the fields of laser technology and electro-optics.
Congratulations Sheldon!
May 2018:
Thirteen Awards on Quarter 1 of FY 2018
Congratulations to all of Wellman for receiving thirteen awards in the first quarter of 2018!
Here is a listing of those who received an award for their research.
April 2018:
Second Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair Established
The MGH recently celebrated the second endowed chair established within the Research Institute. Thanks to a generous gift from the Remondi Family Foundation, the Remondi Family Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair will support – in perpetuity – research that improves patient care through innovation. We salute Guillermo (Gary) Tearney, MD, PhD, of the Department of Pathology and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, who has been named the inaugural incumbent of this chair. We are confident that Gary's passion for pioneering approaches to early diagnosis and treatment of disease will accelerate our ability to deliver the very best care to patients here in Boston and around the world.
April 2018:
2018 ASLMS Research Grant Award
Congratulations to Leon Leanse, PhD along with his mentor Tianhong Dai, PhD on receiving the 2018 ASLMS Research Grant Award.
Project Title: Elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in antimicrobial blue light (aBL) therapy and its synergistic action within quinine.
Source and type of award: American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) Research Grant
Brief summary of specific aims:
With the rise in antimicrobial resistance, it is essential that we look to other, 'non-antibiotic' strategies, e.g.
antimicrobial blue light (aBL), as alternative methods to treat infections. aBL therapy is a novel and effective
approach for the treatment of infections caused by different pathogens. Although aBL has been shown to be highly
effective in inactivating pathogens, varied sensitivities are often observed between microbial species, with some
eliciting significantly high relative resistances. Therefore, it is vital that approaches, such as aBL combination
therapies, are investigated, so we may improve microbial inactivation while simultaneously providing safer and
more timely care to patients. This proposal represents the first instance where the synergistic effect of aBL and
quinine will be investigated. Our hypotheses are (1): aBL-quinine therapy will offer an improved inactivation
efficacy of numerous microbial species; (2): elucidating the transcriptional portrait of bacteria exposed to aBL or
aBL-quinine will reveal novel mediators of their respective activities. Therefore, the following aims will be
completed:
Aim 1: Investigate the synergistic effect of aBL-Q-HCL therapy against numerous bacteria: in vitro and in vivo. Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria will be treated with aBL-Q-HCL to determine whether any improvement in the antimicrobial efficacy is observed (against aBL or Q-HCL alone). Inactivatoon of planktonic cells and cells within biofilms (monomicrobial and polymicrobial) will be tested, with different aBL irradiances and Q-HCL concentrations. Superficial mouse skin infections caused by different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria will be treated (after a 3 or 24-hour incubation) with aBL-Q-HCL to establish any improvement in the treatment efficacy (against aBL or Q-HCL alone). Scanning and transmission electron microscopy will be performed on cells treated with aBL-QHCL to predict the mechanism of action. Any cytotoxic effect of aBL-Q-HCL therapy to host cells will be determined using the MTT tetrazolium assay.
Aim 2: Elucidate the transcriptional portrait of P. aeruginosa, when exposed to aBL or aBL-Q-HCL, in vitro, using RNA-seq. We will elucidate the transcriptional portrait of, P. aeruginosa, when exposed to aBL or aBL-Q-HCL, in vitro. Highly differentially expressed genes will be targets of defined mutagenesis. Up-regulated genes will be deleted from the chromosome, using a sacB markerless mutation strategy. Mutants found to be significantly more resistant/sensitive to aBL or aBL-Q-HCL will be heterologously complemented with the native gene using pUCP19. Complemented strains that regain wild-type sensitivity to aBL or aBL-Q-HCL, represent mediators of aBL or aBL-QHCL activity.
Congratualtion Leon!
March 2018:
2018 Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research (SAASCR) Award
Dr. Tayyaba Hasan has been selected to receive the 2018 Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research (SAASCR) award for her outstanding scientific contributions in the field of cancer research. This award will be presented at the Annual American Association of Cancer Research meeting in Chicago, IL on April 15, 2018.
February 2018:
National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellows
Congratulations to Rox Anderson, MD who has been chosen for induction into the National Academy of Inventors to the rank of NAI Fellow for 2017.
The NAI Fellows Selection Committee chose Dr. Anderson for induction as he has "demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society." The Fellows Induction Ceremony to receive this award will be held on April 5, 2018 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.
Please see the NAI Fellows Program for more information or for the full list of current NAI Fellows.
January 2018:
Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award 2018
Dr. Tayyaba Hasan has been named the 2018 recipient of the Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award.
The Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award is presented in recognition of her trailblazing contributions to the field of Photodynamic Therapy and its clinical translation, her leadership and her service to the photonics community.
The award was presented to Dr. Hasan by Maryellen L. Giger, Ph.D., SPIE President, at the SPIE Photonics West meeting on January 27th in San Francisco, CA.
January 2018:
SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Fellowship Award
Congratulations to Haley L. Marks, PhD Research Fellow in Evans Research Laboratory on receiving The Inaugural SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.
ABSTRACT: Dr. Marks will continue her work to further develop a luminescent bandage material capable of assessing local tissue oxygenation to alert physicians of tissue viability and allow for more accurate dispensing of therapeutic molecules on demand through the dressing into open or weeping wounds. The proposed bandage incorporates a clinically validated phosphorescent oxygen-sensing dye into a second generation drug-releasing polymer matrix to provide clinicians with visual feedback of overall tissue health and improve treatment efficacy in dermal wound monitoring. The bandage, called SMART for Sensing, Monitoring, And Release of Therapeutics, tracks tissue oxygenation by changing color and is designed to even administer drugs.
The award supports interdisciplinary problem-driven research and provides opportunities for translating new technologies into clinical practice for improving human health. Dr. Marks will have the benefit of co-mentorship under this grant from both Dr. Evans, for research, and Dr. Gabriela Apiou, for translational sciences.
The award will be presented to Marks during the BiOS Hot Topics event, part of SPIE Photonics West, on Saturday, 27 of January. Marks will also be presenting related research at SPIE Photonics West. Her presentation, entitled "An oxygensensing phosphorescent liquid bandage for post-operative flap monitoring", will be on Sunday, 28 January in a session on luminescence methods for clinical applications.
Award announcement details: http://spie.org/about-spie/press-room/press-releases/ inaugural-75000-spie-franz-hillenkamp-postdoctoral-fellowship-awarded-to-dr-haleymarks
The SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship annual award of $75,000 supports interdisciplinary problem-driven research and provides opportunities for translating new technologies into clinical practice for improving human health.
January 2018:
Chairing an OSA Technical Group
Congratulations to Amira Eltony, PhD for being elected Chair of the Microscopy and Optical Coherence Tomography (BM) technical group within the Optical Society of America. This group has 2,042 members and Dr. Eltony will be chairing this committee for a term of 3 years.
Congratulations Amira!
January 2018:
2018 Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship Award recipients
Congratulations to Kwon-Hyeon Kim, Ph.D. along with his mentors Andy Yun, PhD and Peng Yin, PhD as well as Matthias Müller, Ph.D. along with his mentors Martin Purschke, PhD and Kathryn D. Held, PhD on receiving the 2018 Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.
Dr. Kim's submitted title and abstract was:
Project title: Organic semiconductor micro-laser particles
The broad goal of this proposed research is to develop microscopic laser particles as novel probes in biomedical imaging and assays. The stimulated emission characteristics of laser particles are quite different from fluorescence. Their narrow linewidth (<0.5 nm) and high brightness make them attractive for multi-channel cytometry, histopathology, and deep-tissue animal imaging.
To realize lasers in small dimension, high-gain optical materials are critical. The concentra-tion quenching of organic dyes limits the maximum achievable gain coefficient to typically <100 cm-1. Here, I propose to investigate solid-state organic semiconductor gain materials.
I will investigate two candidate materials, organoboron (TPEQBN) and platinum complex (Pt(fppz)2), which I believe may avoid concentration quenching via their large steric hin-drance and stokes shifts and can produce efficient excimer emission and high quantum yield. I expect to obtain a gain coefficient of >1,000 cm-1, an order of magnitude higher than the best organic dyes known to date. Next, I will integrate the organic semiconductor gain media with dielectric micro-cavities to demonstrate laser particles with submicron sizes.
If successful, the expected results will establish organic semiconductors as promising gain materials for laser particles and will demonstrate the first submicron-laser particles ever built with such materials, which have potential as novel bright, multi-color optical probes.
Dr. Müller's submitted title and abstract was:
Project title: Targeting hypoxic cancer cells with UVC emitting nanoparticles
Cancer is a major cause of worldwide mortality. In 2012, 14 million new cancer diseases and 8 million deaths attributed to cancer occurred. Radiation therapy is the gold standard treatment for inoperable malignant tumors, which is very effective but still requires multiple treatments with surrounding tissue damage. The irradiation of normal tissue can lead to deleterious side effects such as fibrosis. One reason for the suboptimal efficacy is the heterogenicity of the tumor tissue, in particular the variation of the O2 concentration within a tumor. Hypoxic areas, mainly located towards the center of the tumor are up to 3 times more radioresistant compared to normoxic areas.
To increase the efficiency of radiation therapy, we propose combining traditional X-ray treatment with tumor-localized UVC emitting LuPO4:Pr3+ nanoparticles (NPs). Using the combined treatment, X-rays are converted by the NPs into UVC radiation inside the tumor. UVC damages the DNA via an oxygen-independent mechanism that could improve treatment efficacy. Especially within hypoxic tumor areas, an increased efficacy is expected. In addition, due to the limited penetration depth of UVC radiation, only tumor tissue will be affected by local UVC exposure, while normal surrounding tissue will be spared.
The inorganic compound LuPO4:Pr3+ is a scintillating material. Under excitation with X-rays, LuPO4:Pr3+ emits UVC radiation in the range from 225 to 290 nm in the electromagnetic spectrum. Interaction between radiation with these wavelengths and the DNA leads to the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers as well as 6-4 photoproducts and eventually to cell death. Further, absorption of X-rays by LuPO4:Pr3+ also produces lower energy X-rays and electrons with higher energy deposition rates.
The research project will focus on the application of the UV emitting NPs to prove the concept of the project idea. For this purpose, a cancer cell line will be treated with the NPs and subsequently irradiated with X-rays. After the combined treatment, the viability of the cells will be measured. In addition, the unselective toxicity of the nanoparticles will be evaluated. In a further step, the experiments will be conducted in absence of oxygen to investigate the impact of the combined treatment under hypoxic circumstances.
Congratulations to you all!
October 2017:
2017 Clinical Research Day Award
We are delighted to announce this year's winner of the Clinical Research Day Award for the Department of Dermatology. The winner is Matthias Mueller, PhD, for the projected entitled "Combined treatment of X-rays with UVC emitting nanoparticles results in a synergistic decrease in cell viability". This work was carried out with Drs. Rox Anderson, Kathryn Held and Martin Purschke at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine.
There were numerous excellent research contributions for the department this year and we are delighted to see such high quality discoveries being made in our department.
Congratulations to Matthias and all the clinical researchers for this outstanding effort.
September 2017:
2018 OSA Fellow Elections
We are delighted to share the exciting news that Andy Yun, PhD was elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. The OSA has a rich 100+ year history fostering advances in optics and presently has over 20,000 members from over 100 countries. Each year, the society elects at most 0.5% of its membership to the rank of Fellow. Nominations are submitted by current OSA Fellows and typically are supported by 4 or 5 letters from other Fellows.
From our understanding, Andy's package was thought to be among the very strongest and it was unanimously endorsed. Please join me in congratulating Andy on this very well-deserved honor.
September 2017:
2018 Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship
We are now accepting applications for the 2018 Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Proposal deadline: 5:00 pm – November 1, 2017
Award decision: December 22, 2017
PhD, MD and MD PhD research fellows are eligible for this award. Criteria for funding are scientific quality, an enabling collaboration that might not occur otherwise, potential medical and scientific impact, and career development of the Fellow.
Candidate must be at the postdoctoral training level at the time of the award.
Combined mentorship and collaboration between two Harvard Medical School faculty members, at least one of whom is based at the Wellman Center, is required. An external collaborator is preferred. It is anticipated that the fellow will perform the majority of their research at the Wellman Center.
The Fellowship will provide one year of support. An award of up to $60,000 direct costs is anticipated. The award will be administered by the Wellman Center. Funds may be used for stipend (minimum effort 60%), fringe benefits and research supplies.
The fellowship will begin on or about January 1, 2018 and is intended for one year. The fellowship review committee will consider a one-time 6 month no cost extension (maximum project duration, 18 consecutive months). Any remaining funds at the end of the award period will be forfeited.
For additional information and instructions regarding the application, process please refer to the announcement.
September 2017:
Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award 2018
Dr. Tayyaba Hasan has been named the 2018 recipient of the Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award.
The Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award is presented annually in recognition of outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of biomedical optics through the development of innovative, high impact technologies. The award particularly honors pioneering contributions to optical methods and devices that have facilitated advancements in biology or medicine.
The award will be presented to Dr. Hasan at the Photonics West meeting January 2018.
May 2017:
ARVO Outstanding Poster Award
Congratulations to Sheldon J.J. Kwok, a MD/PhD Candidate, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology, HMS, under the supervision of Dr. Andy Yun, for winning the outstanding poster award at this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference in Baltimore, MD. He won the award for his work on flexible optical waveguides for scleral crosslinking, selected from over 200 posters in the category of Anatomy & Pathology/Oncology.
April 2017:
Martha L. Gray Prize for Excellence in Research
Sangyeon Frederick Cho, PhD, a student in Dr. Seok-Hyun Yun's lab, is a recipient who received a Martha Gray prize in the division 'Imaging, Acoustics and Optics'. The title of Sangyeon's poster was "Laser particle stimulated emission microscopy". Only six students were selected to receive this award, one recipient in each division.
The six divisions and receipients of the 2017 Martha L. Gray Prize for Excellence in Research are as follows:
Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics
Travis Hughes (MD/PhD), "Seq-Well: a portable, low-cost platform for a single-cell RNA sequencing of low-input clinical samples"
Biomedical Devices
Lina Colluci (MEMP),
"Magnetic Resonance Methods for Quantifying Fluid Overload Using Portable MR Sensors"
Cell and Molecular Biology
Rohit Thummalapalli (MD), "Epigenetic de-repression and sensing of endogenous retroviral elements prime immunogenicity in a small cell lung cancer model"
Imaging, Acoustics and Optics
Sangyeon Frederick Cho (MEMP), "Laser particle stimulated emission microscopy"
Physiology and Systems Biology
Alison Hamilos (MD/PhD), "Determining the role of direct and indirect pathway balance in the timing of self-initiated movement"
Regenerative and Rehabilitative Biomedical Engineering
Greco Song (MEMP), "Engineering of vascularized and perfusable 3D organ-on-a-chip platform for supporting tissue-specific
functions in vitro"
Congratulation Sangyeon!
April 2017:
Rox Anderson featured in the Boston Globe
Scott Kirsner, a Globe Columnist, featured Rox Anderson, MD in an article describing him as "one of the most important medical entrepreneurs you've never heard of." Mr. Kirsner speaks of technology that he and the Wellman Center has developed and in world wide use, including some every day products as well as some of the companies that have launched as a result of the innovation that come out of the lab.
This link is a PDF printout of the article that appeared on April 14, 2017.
April 2017:
2017 ASLMS Best of Cutaneous Applications Session
Congratulations to
Arisa E. Ortiz, M.D.,1 R. Rox Anderson, M.D.,2,3 Catherine DiGiorgio, MD,2,3 Faiza Shafiq, MBBS,1 and Mathew M. Avram, M.D., J.D.2,3
who where awarded
"The Best Clinical Abstract Award for the 2017 American Society for Laser Surgical Medicine Meeting" in San Diego, California.
Title: An Expanded Study Of Long-Pulsed 1064nm Nd:Yag Laser Treatment Of Basal Cell Carcinoma
The study "AN EXPANDED STUDY OF LONG-PULSED 1064nm Nd:YAG LASER TREATMENT OF BASAL CELL CARCINOMA" won the 2017 ASLMS Best of Cutaneous Applications Session. The objective of this larger study was to confirm preliminary results of previously conducted pilot study that the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser is a safe and effective method for treating BCC off the face. They concluded that the 1064 nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser is a safe, scarless and effective alternative for treating BCC off the face for those that are poor surgical candidates. The results will be presented at this year's ASLMS meeting in San Diego.
1UC San Diego, San Diego, CA 92122 (AEO, FS)
2Dermatology Cosmetic and Laser Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114 (RRA, CDG, MMA)
3Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA 02114 (RRA, CDG, MMA)
March 2017:
William Silen Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to Rox Anderson, MD on receiving the Harvard Medical School & Harvard School of Dental Medicine 2016-2017 Excellence in Mentoring Award - William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award. Only three recipients were recognized with this honor with Rox Anderson being one of the selected.
The 2016 –2017 Excellence in Mentoring Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 12, 2017 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm in the Carl W. Walter Amphitheater, TMEC, Harvard Medical School.
For more information on this award please refer to the Excellence in Mentoring Awards from Harvard Medical School's Office for Diversity Inclusion & Community Partnership website.
February 2017:
NAALT Endre Mester Lifetime Award in Photomedicine
On Sunday, February 5th, Michael Hamblin is receiving the NAALT Endre Mester Lifetime Award in Photomedicine from the North American Association for PhotobiomoduLation Therapy.
This award is named after the pioneer Professor Endre Mester, who made the seminal observation on the therapeutic benefits of low dose laser treatments. The award recognizes a clinician or researcher who has made significant contributions to the understanding of light-biological tissue interactions and its therapeutic benefits, specifically in the area of Photobiomodulation Therapy.
Dr. Hamblin's 330+ Pubmed-indexed papers, which have over 21,000 citations, an H-index of 76 and i-10 index of 270, are tangible markers of his contributions as a pioneer and outstanding scientist in the field of Photobiomodulation. Dr. Hamblin's work in his lab, as well as collaborations with colleagues all over the world, have established a solid foundation for this field that is rapidly emerging into mainstream healthcare.
December 2016:
Photochemical Tissue Bonding (PTB) featured on Netflix!
Dr. Irene Kochevar and Dr. Robert Redmond's research on Photochemical Tissue Bonding (PTB) has made it to home entertainment on Netflix! Their work is featured on the series called "White Rabbit Project" in Episode 8. This series is new and all the episodes are about ideas that had been proposed for the future, e.g., hoover boards, driverless cars, flying cars, etc. and where the technology actually is now.
If you subscribe to Netflix, you will be able to see their work featured as well.
Drs. Kochevar and Redmond also have an article published this month in the magazine The Biochemist, Volume 38, No. 6, pp. 20-23 and the title of this article is "Light-activated wound healing and tissue modification".
Watch, learn, and enjoy!
November 2016:
2016 NIH Director's Pioneer Award
Congratulations to Andy Yun who is one of 12 recipients of the
2016 NIH Director's Pioneer Award. This award is intended to challenge investigators at all career levels to pursue new research directions and develop groundbreaking, high-impact approaches to a broad area of biomedical or behavioral science.
Andy's submission was on Massive Wavelength-Division Multiplexing and Imaging With Laser Particles.
November 2016:
Wellington and Irene Loh Fellowship
Sheldon J. J. Kwok, a graduate student who has been working in Andy Yun's lab has received the Wellington and Irene Loh Fellowship for this academic year (2016-2017). Generous donors have provided MIT with permanent funds in support of fellowships. The Office of the Dean for Graduate Education administers a number of these endowed fellowships through an annual competition in March. The Wellington and Irene Loh Fellowship provides financial support to graduate students of Chinese ancestry and provides tuition, health insurance and a standard stipend for a period of nine months.
September 2016:
2016 Inspirational Physicians
Rox Anderson and Lynn Drake have been recognized among this year's American Medical Association-Women's Physicans Section (AMA-WPS) Inspirational Physicians. In this program, physicans have the opportunity to nominate and recognize the men and women who have taken the time to mentor and support them during and throughout their careers. Please see the attached PDF to see what was mentioned about both Rox and Lynn as well as the other recipients.
Congratulations Rox and Lynn!
September 2016:
Bullock Fellowship 2016 applications
We are pleased to announce that the Bullock Postdoctoral Fellowship has recently been posted on the HMS Foundation Funds website, http://hms.harvard.edu/bullock-wellman-postdoctoral-fellowship
Proposal deadline: 5:00 pm – November 1, 2016
Award decision: December 20. 2016
PhD, MD and MD PhD research fellows are eligible for this award. Criteria for funding are scientific quality, an enabling collaboration that might not occur otherwise, potential medical and scientific impact, and career development of the Fellow.
Candidate must be at the postdoctoral training level at the time of the award.
Combined mentorship and collaboration between two Harvard Medical School faculty members, at least one of whom is based at the Wellman Center, is required. An external collaborator is preferred. It is anticipated that the fellow will perform the majority of their research at the Wellman Center.
The Fellowship will provide one year of support. An award of up to $60,000 direct costs is anticipated. The award will be administered by the Wellman Center. Funds may be used for stipend (minimum effort 60%), fringe benefits and research supplies.
The fellowship will begin on or about January 1, 2017 and is intended for one year. The fellowship review committee will consider a one-time 6 month no cost extension (maximum project duration, 18 consecutive months). Any remaining funds at the end of the award period will be forfeited. For additional information and instructions regarding the application process please refer to the fellowship announcement.
August 2016:
Summer Institute Program 2016 Award Recipients
Yao Su Awards
| Name | Mentor(s) | Project Title | |
| REU - Hasan team |
Jane Frederick Texas A & M University |
Ann-Laure Bulin PhD & Mans Broekgaarden PhD |
Monitoring Characteristics of Tumor Growth in a 3D Heterocellular Model of Pancreatic Cancer |
| REU - Anderson team |
Lee Roger Chevres Fernandez University of Puerto Rico |
Walfre Franco PhD & Will Lewis | Mobile Phone-Based UV Fluorescence Microscopy for the Identification of Dermatophytes |
| KAIST - Tearney team |
Seyeob Kim KAIST Student |
Dongkyun Kang PhD | Improvement of Confocal Endomicroscopy Capsule |
| International - Nadkarni team |
Satoru Egawa University of Tokyo |
Diane Tshikudi PhD & Markandey Tripathi PhD | A Portable Optical Blood Coagulation Sensor for Clinical Use |
PEOPLE'S cHOICE AWARD
| Name | Mentor(s) | Project Title | |
| International - Hasan team |
Xin Su Tongji University |
Yan Baglo PhD & Siraram Anbil | Biomodulatory Strategies to Improve Photodynamic Therapy Efficacy for Pancreatic Cancer |
July 2016:
Lasers in Medicine & Biology Gordon Research Conference
Pallavi Doradla, PhD and Zeinab Hajjarian, PhD were poster award winners at this year's Lasers in Medicine & Biology Gordon Research Conference: Optical Innovations Solving Challenges in the Life Sciences. This year's conference was held July 10-15, 2016 at West Snow in West Dover, Vermont.
Pallavi's poster title was "Quantitative Analysis of Atherosclerotic Plaque Collagen and Lipid Contents using Polarization-Sensitive Optical Frequency Domain Imaging" and Zeinab's poster title was "Biomechanical Profiling of Breast Cancer."
Congratulations to you both!
July 2016:
Low-level lasers and bleeding disorders
A team at Wellman Center just published a paper in the Science Translational Medicine of a study they conducted on how using low-level laser therapy may help treat a dangerous bleeding disorder, thrombocytopenia. This, in turn, may be used to potentially develop an therapy that is not dependant upon donated blood products.
Massachusetts General Hospital has broadcasted a news release with more information and detail to this topic.
April 2016:
Class of 2016 MGH Research Scholars
Congratulations
to Seok-Hyun (Andy) Yun, PhD who was selected as one of the 6 recipients to this year's MGH Research Scholars with 91 submitted applications. This award is given to investogators who are conducting impressive work that is both challenging and inspiring. The title of Andy's application is "Barcoding cells with laser mitochondria."
Congratulations Andy!
March 2016:
National Institutes of Health RO1Research Grant
Congratulations
to Tianhong Dai , PhD for being selected as this year's grant recipient from the Smith Infections Disease Foundation. The title of his grant submission was "Antimicrobial blue light therapy against infectious Keratitis."
Brief Summary: Infectious keratitis is a potentially blinding ocular condition of the cornea. Treatment of infectious keratitis must be rapidly instituted to minimize the destruction of corneal tissue, limit the extent of corneal scarring and prevent vision loss. A novel light-based antimicrobial approach, antimicrobial blue light (aBL) therapy, has attracted increasing attention due to its intrinsic antimicrobial effect without the involvement of exogenous photosensitizers. The corneal transparency and the superficial nature of keratitis make keratitis an ideal candidate for aBL therapy. In this study, we will investigate the effectiveness of aBL (415 nm) therapy against infectious keratitis using an ex vivo rabbit model and an in vivo mouse model. A bioluminescent strain of P. aeruginosa was used as the causative pathogen, allowing noninvasive monitoring of the extent of infection in real time.
March 2016:
Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Member Research Grant Award
Congratulations
to Tianhong Dai , PhD for being selected as this year's Orthopaedic Trauma Association's Member Research Grant Award recipient. The title of his grant submission was "Antimicrobial blue light therapy for treatment of post-traumatic implant-related infections in orthopaedics."
Brief summary: The treatment of an implant-related infection is exceedingly difficult. Bacteria form biofilms on implanted materials that block penetration of immune cells and antibiotics, promoting bacterial survival. Continued emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has further complicated treatment. Using murine models, this proposal is to investigate the utility of a novel non-antibiotic approach, antimicrobial blue light, for treatment of posttraumatic implant-related infections in orthopeadics, particularly those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
March 2016:
National Institutes of Health RO1Research Grant
Congratulations to Tianhong Dai , PhD for being awarded a RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The title of his grant submission was "Antimicrobial Blue Light Inactivation of Pathogenic Microbes."
Brief Summary: Drug resistance of pathogenic microbes in healthcare and community settings is a quickly growing and extremely dangerous health threat. There is consequently a critical need for the development of alternative therapeutics to tackle drug resistance. The objective of this ROl application is to investigate a novel non-antibiotic approach, antimicrobial blue light (aBL), to target/treat microbes including drug-resistant strains.
March 2016:
Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program Award
Congratulations
to Mohd Shahid, PhD who works with Dr. Mei Wu for being selected as this year's Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program Award. This award was created to assist junior faculty at their most vunerable point in their careers where they are juggling the responsibilities of teaching, submitting for publications to the plethera of
existing clincal, academic, and research journals, and competing for funding opportunities as well as managing home life and other responsibilities.
For more information on this progam, please see the Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program for Scholars in Medicine.
February 2016:
The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation
Anne-Laure Bulin, PhD, Research Fellow in the Hasan Laboratory, was one of 14 recipients of the prize for young researchers from the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation. The prize is awarded annually to young doctors of science or medicine to enable them to do their postdoctoral internships in the best foreign laboratories.
February 2016:
Bullock Fellowship Award 2016
Congratulations to the two recipients who were awarded the Bullock Fellowship Award this year. The two individuals are Meena Siddiqui, PhD, a Research Fellow in Ben Vakoc's group and Lauren A. Austin, PhD, a Research Fellow in Conor Evans' group. Meena's project was "An intraoperative PS-OCT camera for quantitative assessment of peripheral nerve injury" and Lauren's project was "A Highly Sensitive Microfluidic Imaging System for the Evaluation of CA125-Immune Cell Binding Profiles".
January 2016:
What a "Photo Finish"!
The Hasan Laboratory and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine are "In The News" both at MGH (see the attached MGH News Release, "Nanoparticles combine photodynamic and molecular therapies against pancreatic cancer") and "Photo Finish" on the HMS Website. The HMS article is also seen in PDF format.
October 2015:
Nanomaterials and fashion materials?
Elizabeth Gibney from the journal, Nature, interviews Ali Yetisen from Dr. Seok-Yun (Andy) Yun's group about research in the lab with nanotechnology and biosensors to make materials that could ultimately be used for fashion such as clothing, tattoos, accessories, and contact lenses. Here is the Q&A interview article talking about this technology.
October 2015:
Wellman Center's 40th Anniversary Celebration
Wellman Center's 40th Anniversary was celebrated with a symposium on October 30, 2015. Click here for the symposium program. A brochure is available that includes descriptions of Wellman Center history and current research programs as well as historical photos and comments by former Wellman researchers. Click here for the brochure.
May 2015:
Director for Translational Research Training and Development
Congratulations to Gabriela Apiou being appointed as Director for Translational Research Training and Development at the MGH Research Institute!
In addition to her Wellman role as Director of the Translational Research Core, Gabriela will develop and launch new initiatives to train MGH faculty and to facilitate and accelerate the transfer of MGH innovations to clinical practice for the recently established Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute.
The Research Institute's mission is to support, promote and guide the hospital's diverse research enterprise with its community of over 6,000 people working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments.
www.massgeneral.org/researchinstitute
May 2015:
ASLMS 2015 Student Research Grant
Congratulations to Yucheng Wang for winning the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery 2015 Student Research Grant! Her grant applicationwas on "Antimicrobial blue light inactivation of biofilms: in vitro and in vivo studies".
Abstract:
Biofilms affect more than 80% of bacterial infections in human, with urinary catheter use associated with up to 90% of these infections. Biofilm-related infections are commonly persistent. The situation is exacerbated by the increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. New approaches are required to tackle biofilm-related infections. The goal of this proposed research is to investigate the utility of a novel non-antibiotic approach, antimicrobial blue light (aBL), for inactivation of biofilms.
Specific Aims:
Aim 1: To determine the efficacy of aBL inactivation of a wide range of clinically important bacterial pathogens in biofilms in vitro.
Aim 2: To evaluate the potential side effects of aBL on relevant host cells.
Aim 3: To determine the efficacy of aBL inactivation of biofilms in a mouse model of urinary tract infection.
March 2015:
Women's Dermatologic Society President's Award
The Women's Dermatologic Society, founded in 1973, is dedicated to helping dermatologists fulfill their greatest potential and assisting them in making a contribution to Dermatology and society. The Society relies on the active participation of its members to promote leadership, advocate excellence in patient care and education, and to promote the highest ethical standards.
The President's Award is given at the discretion of the President of the WDS to an individual who supported the President in an extraordinary way during her term to help make the Society a better organization.
Lynn received this prestigious Award at the Society's Annual Luncheon, held at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
March 2015:
President of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS)
Dr. Mathew Avram, affiliated faculty member of Wellman Center, has been elected President of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) for 2017. The election was by vote of the 4,000 members of the multidisciplinary society. Dr. Avram will serve as Vice President in 2015 and President-Elect in 2016.
ASLMS is the world's largest professional organization dedicated to promoting excellence in patient care by advancing laser applications and other energy-based technologies. ASLMS' membership includes physicians and surgeons representing more than 51 medical specialties, physicists involved with product development, biomedical engineers, biologists and equipment manufacturers. There are over 700 international members of ASLMS.
December 2014:
Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Congratulations to Heebeom Koo, PhD. He was selected to receive the Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the MGH ECOR (Executive Committee on Research of Massachusetts General Hospital).
April 2014:
Ruth and William Silen, MD Award
Congratulations to Imran Rizvi, PhD for receiving the Ruth and William Silen, MD Award.
The Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Awards recognize participants who deliver outstanding oral presentations and create exceptional scientific posters across all scientific categories.
Imran's invited oral presentation, Targeting Physical and Stromal Determinants of Tumor Heterogeneity in Bioengineered 3D Models, was among the top three presentations selected to receive The Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Award.
The Award was presented on April 6, 2014 at the New England Science Symposium (NESS) at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School.
The NESS accepted approximately 200 abstracts (including 12 invited talks) from a large pool of outstanding submissions from around the country. The top three talks received The Ruth and William Silen, M.D. Award for oral presentations.
The NESS was established in 2002 by Joan Reede, MD, MS, MPH, MBA, the first Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at HMS, and is co-sponsored by the Biomedical Science Careers Program. The Symposium has since become a tremendously successful forum for postdoctoral fellows; medical, dental and graduate students; post-baccalaureates; and college and community college students (including under-represented minorities) to share their biomedical and health-related research activities.
March 2014:
2014 Rose Hirschler Award
Congratulations to Lynn Drake, MD for receiving the Rose Hirschler Award! The award was presented to her at this year's Women's Dermatological Society's annual conference in Denver, Colorado.
The Rose Hirschler Award is named in honor of Dr. Rose Hirschler, the first known female dermatologist in the United States. The award is presented annually by the Women's Dermatologic Society to a physician chosen for their significant contributions to medicine and dermatology, and who by their achievement, have served to enhance the role of women in the dermatologic specialty.
March 2014:
2014 ASLMS Research Grant
Congratulations to Co-PIs Tianhong Dai, PhD and Seok-Hyun (Andy) Yun, PhD on their 2014 ASLMS Research Grant! Dr. Dai and Dr. Yun won the 2014 ASLMS Research Grant for their research proposal "Interstitial delivery of antimicrobial blue light to deeply-seated soft tissue infections using a novel fiber-optic micro-needle array bandage."
Brief summary of specific aims:
Antimicrobial blue light therapy has been attracting increasing attention due to its intrinsic antimicrobial effect without the involvement of exogenous photosensitizer. However, due to the limit of blue light penetration inside tissue, topical light delivery may not be able to reach deeply-seated infections. In this project, we will investigate the use of a novel fiber-optic micro-needle array bandage for interstitial delivery of antimicrobial blue light to deeply-seated infections.
March 2014:
Award from the Harvard Catalyst Reactor Program
Giuliano Scarcelli, PhD, a member of Seok-Hyun (Andy) Yun's team has recently received an award from the Harvard Catalyst Reactor Program. Dr. Scarcelli's submitted a projected titled "Diagnosis of keratoconus using biomechanical metrics via Brillouin microscopy".
Here is a brief abstract of this project and its specific aim(s):
Despite the importance of corneal biomechanical properties in the development and progression of keratoconus, current diagnostic techniques rely on corneal morphology. Irregular morphologic patterns often precede vision impairment and can be detected by topography and pachymetry. However, morphological signs are not necessarily correlated with the biomechanical stability of the cornea. As a result, a major clinical need remains outstanding, i.e. a reliable and early diagnosis of keratoconus and of its rate of progression. To address this need, during a pilot clinical study funded by Harvard Catalyst, we have developed a clinical instrument based on Brillouin microscopy, which can measure corneal elasticity with 3D resolution without contacting or perturbing the eye. Leveraging on this novel technology, the overall goal of this research program is introduce elasticity-based metrics for keratoconus diagnosis and CXL therapy monitoring. Our central hypothesis, based on human data we collected during the pilot keratoconus study, is that Brillouin-measured stiffness is a suitable indicator of corneal biomechanical stability and thus can serve for early diagnosis of keratoconus progression and for evaluation of CXL treatment outcome.
March 2014:
Partners In Excellence award 2014
Congratulations to Pinar Avci, PhD and Bernadette Vijayakanthan for receiving a Partners in Excellence award this year. Pinar was recognized in the area of Leadership and Innovation, and Bernadette was recognized in the area of performance, teamwork, and committment to excellence.
February 2014:
2014 ECOR Deliberative Interim Support Funding
Congratulations to Tianhong Dai, PhD for receiving the award fpr funding from the ECOR Deliberative Interim Support.
Tianhong Dai, Ph.D. |
Award: ECOR Deliberative Interim Support Funding Project Title: Specific Aims: |
January 2014:
2014 Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award Recipients
The Wellman Center for Photomedicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital is pleased to annouce the recipients to the 2014 Bullock-Wellman Postdoctoral Fellowship Award for research aimed at understanding and solving important biomedical problems.
| Girgis Obaid, PhD |  |
Project Title: A multifunctional drug delivery system for image-guided combination of PDT and anti-angiogenic agent in an in vivo glioblastoma model Abstract: The goal of this research is to evaluate a new combination therapy for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) where one therapy sensitizes the tumor to the other, thus producing an overall enhanced treatment outcome. Of all primary malignant gliomas and tumors of the central nervous system diagnosed, the most common (54.4%) and deadliest form is GBM. Five-year survival rates of GBM do not exceed 5% and the median patient survival rates are 12-15 months.1-3 Front-line treatments for GBM including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy; however their effect on prognosis of aggressive gliomas such as GBM remains modest.1 The research plan proposes to utilize powerful imaging techniques to probe the outcome of a PDT-based combination treatment aimed at simultaneously controlling angiogenesis, a major factor in GBM related mortality. References: |
| Toshihiko Oki, MD, PhD | Project Title: Defining the relationship of microanatomic location, quiescence and drug resistance in AML Abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common adult acute leukemia with a high relapse rate. Treatment-resistant AML is uniformly fatal and to overcome drug resistance to prevent relapse is indispensable for improving long term outcome of the disease. Several reports have indicated that the quiescent, non cycling, population of AML cells is drug resistant and that the external supports from the bone marrow microenvironment (niche) are important for the maintenance of quiescence (G0 phase) of AML cells. However, the localization of their niche and how the niche regulates the cell cycle and drug resistance of AML cells have not been clearly shown, especially by using syngeneic immunocompetent mice. The goal of this proposal is to clarify the link between AML drug resistance and cell cycle and to understand which interactions between AML cells and their microenvironment influence their cell cycle status. We have developed a novel realtime cycle indicator system for quiescent cells. Our novel indicator system does not require fixation of the cells or long-term chasing periods as the other methods to detect quiescent cells and it effectively labels Ki-67 negative quiescent cells. In this proposal, we will investigate localization, cell cycle status, and drug response of AML cells by using the novel realtime cell cycle indicator system in combination with state-of-art in vivo imaging, live cell sorting and immunohistochemistry. This work will be conducted with collaborations between laboratories of Dr. Charles P Lin and my mentor Dr. Scadden. |
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| Giovanni Ughi, PhD | Project Title: Clinical translation of dual modality intravascular imaging for the assessment of coronary artery disease: combination of optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) with near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men >35 years old in the United States of America. Direct and indirect costs were estimated to be >300 billion dollars per year in the United States only and constantly increasing. Intravascular OFDI is rapidly becoming the method of choice for the investigation of atherosclerosis, which is the main cause of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Although intravascular OFDI is capable of visualizing vessel wall microstructure and intraluminal objects (e.g., stent struts and intracoronary thrombus) in great detail, the combination with near infrared fluorescence (NIRF), enabling for the simultaneous acquisition of complementary cellular and molecular functional information, may greatly enhance its clinical utility. As a matter of fact, dual-modality OFDI-NIRF may allow for the first time to simultaneously acquire co-localized information of vessel wall microstructure, composition and functionality (e.g., inflammatory activity) in vivo, holding an enormous potential for an improved understanding and management of the coronary artery disease. The focus of this project is the development and the clinical translation of catheters and systems for dual modality OFDI-NIRF intravascular imaging performing the first-in-human pilot study. |
December 2013:
Grant award for Dr. Tianhong Dai
| Tianhong Dai, PhD | Title: Blue Light for Prophylaxis and Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Combat-Related Wound Infections |
October 2013:
2014 Caroline and William Mark Memorial Award
Congratulations to Reginald Birngruber, PhD who will be the recipient of the 2014 Caroline and William Mark Memorial Award honoring his lifetime of contributions to the research field.
The award will be presented during the annual American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) Conference in Phoenix on April 4. The Award is given to an individual whose lifetime contributions in the research or clinical fields is of a caliber recognized by his/her colleagues.
We extend our warmest congratulations to Reginald.
September 2013:
2013 Yao Su Student Award Winners
September 2013:
Applications for the 2014 Bullock-Wellman Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Wellman Center for Photomedicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital is pleased to invite applications for the Bullock-Wellman postdoctoral fellowship for research aimed at understanding and solving important biomedical problems. PhD, MD and MD PhD research fellows are eligible for this award.
This multidisciplinary fellowship was created to foster interactions between researchers from diverse fields of science and medicine. Combined mentorship and collaboration between two Harvard Medical School faculty members, at least one of whom is based at the Wellman Center, is required. It is anticipated that the fellow will perform the majority of their research at the Wellman Center.
The Fellowship will provide one year of support. An award of up to $60,000 direct costs is anticipated. The award will be administered by the Wellman Center. Funds may be used for stipend (minimum effort 60%), fringe benefits and research supplies. Recipients will be required to submit periodic progress reports, present their work at a noon lecture and submit a final written report.
Criteria for funding are scientific quality, an enabling collaboration, potential medical and scientific impact, and potential for career development of the Fellow.
Proposal deadline: 5:00 pm – November 14, 2013
Award decision: December 20, 2013
Eligibility and other award information.
April 2013:
Partners In Excellence award 2013
Congratulations to Nicole DeVoe, MBA for receiving a Partners in Excellence award this year. Nicole was recognized for her distinction and committment to excellence in the category of Teamwork. Well done!
January 2013:
2013 Vietnam Vascular Anomalies Center Benefit Concert
Members from around the Boston research community and beyond came together at the Goethe Institute in Boston for a benefit concert to help raise funds for the Vietnam Vascular Anomalies Center. The evening included Vietnamese cuisine, a silent auction, and an all-Schumann music program from performers from all over the country and Vietnam.
For more information on this event, please see the article that appeared in the January 18, 2013 MGH Hotline.
January 2013:
2013 Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award
Michalina Gora and Markandey Tripathi are this year's 2013 Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award recipients.
Michalina Gora, PhD, was recently selected as one of two recipients of this year’s Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award. Michalina is working with her mentors, Dr. Gary Tearney and Dr. Norman Nishioka, to develop an inexpensive, well tolerated, and accurate method for screening for Barrett’s Esophagus (BE).
Markandey Tripathi, PhD, was recently selected as one of two recipients of this year’s Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award. Markandey is working with his mentors Dr. Seemantini Nadkarni and Dr. Elizabeth Van Cott to develop and validate a prototype optical device that can be utilized for real time comprehensive blood coagulation measurement at patient’s bedside.
January 2013:Barrett's Esophageal Cancer
Gary Tearney and his team have developed a new system for doctors to use for broader screening of esophageal cancer and other conditions.
Please see the article "Pill-sized device provides rapid, detailed imaging of esophageal lining" published in Eurekalert!
November 2012:
Boston Magazine: Top Docs 2012
Rox Anderson and Hensin Tsao have been named as Top Doctor of 2012 specializing in Dermatology in the December 2012 edition of Boston Magazine.
With the number of hospitals and medical practices within the Boston area, there are many more physicians comprised in each location. Among the thousands of physicians working in the area, Boston Magazine puts together a list of the best of the top doctors from approximately 57 specialties serviced in the region. Each of the top doctors are chosen among their own peers, that is, doctors would recommend friends or family to see these particular specialists. Two of the Wellman faculty have been recognized among their peers to be the best doctor in their specialty. Rox Anderson and Hensin Tsao have named to be the best doctors within their field of dermatology.
Congratulations to you Rox and Hensin!
November 2012:
Grant Award: MGH ECOR Interim Support Fund
Title: Ultraviolet C light for drug-resistant skin and soft tissue infections
Source and type of award: MGH ECOR Interim Support Fund
Award dates: October 1, 2012 – September 30, 2013
Brief summary of specific aims: The purpose of this proposal is to investigate a potential novel therapy, ultraviolet C (UVC) light therapy, for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). Two specific aims are proposed.
Aim 1: In vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of UVC and the effects of UVC on host cells.
Aim 2: Evaluation of the efficacy of UVC therapy for SSTI in rodent models and the potential side effects of UVC on host cells and tissue in vivo.
Successful completion of these specific aims will provide the foundation required to assess the efficacies as well as the possible side effects of UVC therapy for SSTI, and will help establish protocols for the use of this therapeutic option.
Congratulations Tianhong!
October 2012:
Wellman Center teamed with Harvard Medical School to host this year's conference with specialists from around the globe. Specialists gathered to discuss and explore the realities regarding Laser & Aesthetic Skin Therapy. Another successful year to a great conference!
"Laser & Aesthetic Skin Therapy: What's the truth?" 2012 conference was scheduled for October 26-27, 2012.
September 2012:
Grant Awards
Dr. Mei X. Wu recently received a one-year NIH-NIAID R21 grant award. The title of her project proposal is "Laser-facilitated delivery of malarial sporozoites from the skin to the liver" and the overall objective of this proposal is to demonstrate that laser pre-illumination can enhance skin-to-liver delivery of sporozoites (SPZs), augmenting SPZ-based vaccines.
Dr. Tianhong Dai, from Dr. Michael Hamblin's team, recently received a one-year CIMIT Innovation grant award. The title of his project proposal is "Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy for Prevention and Treatment of Surgical Site Infections" and the overall objective of this proposal is to continue our study previously supported by an OTA award using antimicrobial photodynamic therapy for the prevention and treatment of this type of infections, especially those caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria.
Congratulations to you both!
September 2012:
U54 Point of Care Grant Awards
Three of Wellman's faculty members received U54 Point of Care Grant Awards.
The projects each of them received awards are below.
| Tayyaba Hasan, PhD | Project Title: Rapid Fluorescence-Based Determination of Antibiotic Susceptibility Project Overview: This proposal pursues the rapid definition of ß-lactam resistance and indication of appropriate antibiotic therapy by combining chemistry/ photochemistry with optics and spectroscopy to generate chemical probes and optical devices for use at hospital and non-hospital sites. |
| Seemantini Nadkarni, PhD | Project Title: Optical-based Blood Coagulation Profiling Device Project Overview: The goal of this project is to establish the technical proof-of-concept for a novel optical technology to improve point-of-care assessment of blood coagulation status, termed Optical Thromboelastography (OTEG) that will evaluate coagulation and fibrinolysis metrics critical in the evaluation of a coagulopathy in patients. |
| Gary Tearney, MD, PhD | Project Title:Optical Device for Otitis Media Diagnosis Project Overview: The goal of this project is to build and test the technical proof of concept of an inexpensive lightweight tool that can non-invasively probe middle ear fluid and provide an accurate diagnosis of otitis media. |
Congratulation Tayyaba, Seemantini, and Gary!
September 2012:
CIMIT Innovation Grant Award
Tianhong Dai, PhD, from Dr. Michael Hamblin's team recently won the CIMIT Innovation Grant award for his project titled "Ultraviolet-C Light for Prophylaxis and Treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant Infections Associated with Burns in the Combat Casualty". Part of the overview is of this project is as follows:
Thermal injury is common to all military conflicts, and burns have comprised 5% to 20% of all combat casualties. Despite advances in military wound care and management, infections remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in wounded service members. The administration of topical antibiotics at the time of injury is considered standard of care. However, current evidence strongly suggests that the massive use of antibiotics may be an important factor in building resistant bacterial strains, causing the infections that cannot be treated with existing antibiotics. As a result, there is a pressing need for the development of alternative treatment regimens.
Congratulations Tianhong!
August 2012:
2012 Yao Su Student Research Prize
July 2012:
Cover Article in Nature Protocols
Dr. AndyYun and his team are featured in this month's publication issue of Nature Protocols. Their publication "Fabrication and operation of GRIN probes for in vivo fluorescence cellular imaging of internal organs in small animals" appears as the cover article in this month's issue.
Here is more information about the cover from the journal's website.
Congratulations Andy!
July 2012:
American Academy of Dermatology 2013 Marion B. Sulzberger, MD Award and Lectureship
Dr. Hensin Tsao was selected as the 2013 Sulzberger Lecturer, one of the highest honors bestowed by the American Academy of Dermatology. The Sulzberger Lecture was established to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions to clinical research or basic science with important clinical implications while actively engaged in laboratory investigation.
This award will be presented to Dr. Tsao at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), March 1-5, 2013 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, FL.
Congratulations Hensin!
June 2012:
One year DARPA grant
Rox Anderson, MD recently received a one-year grant from DARPA.
Award Period: 4/11/2012 - 04/10/13
Project Title: “Live Tissue Copying”
Project Overview: The practical goal of this project is to replace missing or dead tissue in wounds suffered by warfighters, in a way that allows very rapid healing with little or no scarring, by harvesting and assembling thousands to millions of microscopic autografts into a “copy” of living tissue. The copy and the donor sites heal by remodeling, a fast microscopic form of natural tissue repair, rather than by scarring. Tissue copying is a new paradigm that could potentially speed up wound healing by more than an order of magnitude.
Congratulations Rox!
June 2012:
NIH R01 grant award
Benjamin Vakoc, PhD recently received an NIH R01 grant.
Award Period: May 2012 – May 2017
Project Title: “Development of a preclinical optical frequency domain angiography instrument.”
Project Overview: Tumor-induced angiogenesis plays a central role in the progression of tumors to malignancy, provides the critical transport of blood-born therapies into the tumor space, and supplies oxygen to effectuate oxygen-dependent radiological and light-based therapies. Pre-clinical research in tumor angiogenesis and tumor microvascular function has traditionally relied on histological methods, which suffer from well-known limitations, or fluorescence-based confocal and multiphoton microscopy, which provide high- resolution three-dimensional mapping of multiple parameters but support imaging over limited fields of view and depths of penetration. By contrast, optical coherence tomography approaches support a relatively larger field of view and depth of penetration and have the potential, if translated into the biological laboratory, to reveal critical and previously hidden aspects of the tumor microvasculature. In our laboratory, we have demonstrated the principles of a unique preclinical optical imaging technology that will be a powerful tool for investigating blood vessels and the biological microenvironment in vivo. The technology, optical frequency domain angiography (OFDA), supports high- resolution three-dimensional imaging similar to multiphoton and confocal microscopy. In this proposal, we propose optical, engineering, computational, and software solutions that will be required to realize a practical and robust OFDA instrument for translation into the biological laboratory. Our approach will unite investigators and resources at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Physical Sciences, Incorporated (PSI). Innovations to the OFDA instrumentation and core algorithms will be performed by the MGH team, while construction of the computational hardware and software that is needed to improve processing will be performed by the PSI team. Our goal is to move OFDA technology from the engineering to the biological laboratory, which may catalyze research into basic cancer biology and cancer therapeutics. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: In nearly all aspects of cancer biology and cancer therapeutics, the tumor microvasculature plays a significant role, and preclinical imaging tools are invaluable in investigations of the tumor microvasculature. In this grant, we propose to develop a preclinical optical frequency domain angiography instrument and deliver it to the biological investigator.
Congratulations Ben!
June 2012:
Tayyaba Hasan ORCD Poster of Prestige
Congratulations to Bryan Sears, PhD, recipient of the Tayyaba Hasan ORCD Poster of Prestige.
Bryan Sears, PhD, was one of three recipients of the Tayyaba Hasan ORCD Poster of Prestige, presented at the Awards Ceremony of the MGH Office for Research Career Development (ORCD) Research Fellow Poster Celebration on May 24. The award was named in honor of the founding Director of the MGH Office for Research Career Development, Tayyaba Hasan, PhD, Professor of Dermatology and Health Sciences and Technology (Harvard-MIT). Dr. Hasan was the Director of the ORCD from 2005 to 2011.
Bryan’s abstract, “Using Nanotechnology for Multi-Compartmentalized Delivery of Photosensitizer and c-Met Inhibitor to Enhance Treatment of Cancer” was one of three abstracts selected by the Poster Review Committee for this award.
The ORCD’s Research Fellow Poster Celebration included approximately 60 posters, as well as lectures by Rakesh Jain, PhD, Director of the MGH Edwin L. Steele Laboratory of Tumor Biology, and Orfeu Buxton, PhD, of the BWH Sleep Medicine Division.
Congratulations Bryan!
June 2012:
2011 Partners in Excellence Award Recipient
At the 16th Annual Partners in Excellence awards ceremony on Monday, April 16, Oliver Klein, a member on Conor Evans' team, received a Partners in Excellence Award for exemplary performance in the area of Leadership and Innovation.
Congratulations Oliver on this special recognition!
June 2012:
Biomedical Enterprise Program (BEP) Teaching Award
Rox Anderson, MD has been selected to receive the 2102 BEP Teaching award in recognition for all of the energy and resources he put into his teaching, particularly in Clinical Experience, as well as his generosity with regards to the time and effort given to supporting students. His efforts and enthusiasm allow everyone to get the most out of their experiences, and help explore new and interesting areas of clinical medicine. This award was given to Dr. Anderson on behalf of the Students of the Biomedical Enterprise Program.
Congratulations Rox!
May 2012:
Harvard Catalyst Advanced Imaging Pilot Grant
Giuliano Scarcelli, PhD was awarded the Harvard Catalyst Advanced Imaging Pilot Grant for his proposal “Early detection of corneal ectasia with in vivo Brillouin optical imaging of corneal biomechanical properties.” Co-Principal Investigators are Seok-Hyun (Andy) Yun, PhD and Roberto Pineda MD, assistant professor ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
The abstract to his proposal is as follows:
The biomechanical properties of the cornea are essential for its function. Corneal collagen fibers provide the mechanical strength to withstand the intraocular pressure; if corneal tissue becomes abnormally weak, corneal ectasia (i.e. thinning and bulging) ensues, causing severe vision degradation. Abnormal weakening of the cornea occurs due to degenerative ocular conditions, e.g. keratoconus, affecting ~1/2000 of the general population or as a complication of LASIK surgery. Concerns about post-LASIK ectasia prevent about 15% of prospective patients from benefitting from laser vision correction. When clinical symptoms manifest, corneal ectasia is often at an advanced stage that leads to corneal transplant. If inherent corneal weakness were detected early, corneal collagen crosslinking could stop the degenerative bulging and at-risk subjects could be consulted to avoid LASIK surgery. Early detection requires an imaging technique that uses elasticity as a contrast mechanism; current clinical instruments only provide morphological information. This proposal addresses this need by bringing Brillouin imaging to corneal applications. Brillouin imaging can map the elastic modulus of material without contact and with 3D resolution. A pilot clinical study will be performed to compare normal to keratoconus corneas (Aim 1) and normal to post-LASIK ectasia corneas (Aim 2). This proposal is the result of collaboration between the inventors of Brillouin imaging and an expert in ophthalmology and corneal refractive surgery.
Congratulations Giuliano!
May 2012:
2012 MGH Research Scholars
It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2012 MGH Research Scholars. Congratulations to Guillermo Tearney, MD, PhD for work on efforts to improve the understanding and diagnosis of disease by imaging the human body at the highest possible level of detail in vivo.
Please join us in congratulating Gary on being an exceptional MGH researcher, who was selected from 96 outstanding applications submitted by investigators across the entire MGH research community. Selecting from among so many outstanding investigators doing impressive work was both challenging and inspiring.
April 2012:
ASLMS Research Grant Award
Giuliano Scarcelli, PhD was selected by the ASLMS Research Committee to receive funding for his proposal “A pilot study to identify “at-risk” subjects for post-LASIK ectasia using Brillouin microscopy.”
The abstract to his proposal is as follows:
The biomechanical properties of the cornea are essential for its function. Corneal collagen fibers provide the mechanical strength to withstand the intraocular pressure; if corneal tissue becomes abnormally weak, corneal ectasia (i.e. thinning and bulging) ensues, causing severe vision degradation. Abnormal weakening of the cornea is a dreaded complication of LASIK surgery. When clinical symptoms manifest, corneal ectasia is often at an advanced stage that leads to corneal transplant. If inherent corneal weakness were detected early, at-risk subjects could be consulted to avoid LASIK surgery; however, current clinical instruments only provide morphological information. This proposal addresses this need through Brillouin microscopy, a novel imaging technology that maps the elastic modulus of material without contact and with 3D resolution. The central hypothesis of the proposal is that low Brillouin elastic modulus is a predictor of post-LASIK ectasia. A pilot clinical study will be performed to compare normal, post-LASIK normal and post-LASIK ectasia corneas in vivo. Introducing elasticity-based risk factors is likely to change the current paradigm for LASIK pre-operative screenings and enable proper identification of at-risk candidates.
Congratulations Giuliano!
February 2012:
Journal of Investigative Dermatology’s list of 50 most cited papers
Congratulations to Rob Webb and Milind Rajadhyaksha!
Two of their publications ranked 3rd and 16th in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology’s list of 50 most cited papers.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology is celebrating 75 years, and has published a list of their 50 most cited papers. Their first paper “In Vivo Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy of Human Skin: Melanin Provides Strong Contrast” (1995) ranks third with 391 citations. Their second paper, “In Vivo Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy of Human Skin II: Advances in Instrumentation and Comparison With Histology” (1999) ranks 16th with 273.
February 2012:
Pascal Rol Award
Dr. Clemens Alt received the Pascal Rol Award for Best Paper in Ophthalmic Technologies at the 2012 SPIE conference held January 21-26, 2012 in San Francisco, CA.
Clemen's Alt was this award for the sumbission of his paper "In vivo quantification of microglia dynamics with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope in a mouse model of focal laser injury."
Congratulations, Clemens!
February 2012:
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Tenth Anniversary Mentor Award
Dr. Tayyaba Hasan has been selected as the recipient of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Tenth Anniversary Mentor Award. This award will be presented to her at the NPA 2012 Annual Meeting, March 16-18 in San Francisco, CA. Dr. Hasan was selected not only for her excellent record of mentoring postdocs but also with her efforts on their behalf at the institutional level, among which were establishing the MGH Postdoctoral Association (MGPA) and Guidelines for Research Fellows. Additionally, her support of family-friendly policies and philosophy of teamwork caused her to stand out among the nominees.
January 2012:
NinePoint receives FDA Clearance
NinePoint receives FDA clearance to be able to sell the high-resolution optical imaging device using the licensed intellectual property developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine within the Massachusetts General Hospital. Please see the following article from the Boston Globe for more information.
Decemeber 2011:
"Hot" Papers
We are very happy to announce one of our submissions to this year's upcoming 2012 Photonics West conference has been selected as one of 2012's "Hot Papers". This is a short list of recommended papers for SPIE attendees and was released as part of the October 3rd Photonics West Press Kit.
Congrats to Oliver, Brijesh, Yong Jin, and Conor Evans!
November 2011:
Fellow of SPIE
Michael Hamblin was recently informed on behalf of the SPIE Board of Directors and Fellows Committee that he has been elected to the grade of Fellow. Congratulations Michael!
October 2011:
Physics World's top 10 breakthroughs for 2011
The MGH news office recently informed us that Andy Yun and Malte Gather's GFP cellular laser is being included in Physics World's top 10 breakthroughs for 2011.
Congratualtions Andy and Malte!
Here is some additional information which Physics World provided: Malte Gather and Seok Hyun Yun at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have been named eighth place in Physics World magazine’s list of top 10 breakthroughs for 2011. The group was chosen by the judging team for their work on creating a living laser which featured in this news item on physicsworld.com. The top 10 breakthroughs list has been compiled by the Physics World team, who reviewed over 350 news articles about breakthroughs in the physical sciences published on physicsworld.com in 2011. The criteria for judging included:
· Fundamental importance of research
· Significant advance in knowledge
· Strong connection between theory and experiment
· General interest to all physicists
October 2011:
Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award Recipients
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Sedat Nizamoglu, 2011 Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award Project Title: “Photonic Implants: Dual-purpose Therapeutic and Diagnostic Biodegradable Devices for Flap Surgery” |
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Christine Fleming, 2011 Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award Project Title: “Optical Myocardial Biopsy using Micro-Optical Coherence Tomography” |
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September 2011:
Cover of Biophysical Journal
Giuliano Scarllie's paper, entitled "In Vivo Measurement of Age- Related Stiffening in the Crystalline Lens by Brillouin Optical Microscopy", appeared in the cover of Biophysical Journal, along with an interview.
Congratulations, Giuliano!
September 2011:
Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Award
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2012 Recipient of the Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Professional Development Grant funded by The American Society of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. Congratulations to Fernanda Sakamoto! |
September 2011:
Wellman's Award Recipients
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Tayyaba Hasan, Ph.D. received an NIH, RO1 grant Project Title: “Targeted Photoactivable Nanocells: Image-based Drug Delivery and Dosimetry in GBM” |
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Jonathan Celli, recently received a NIH K99/R00 Project Title: "Mechanism-based therapies for pancreatic cancer informed by stromal microrheology"
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Keehoon Jung, recently received an MGH ECOR Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Project Title: "The origin of Tumors - Investigation of colon tumorigenesis based on in vivo longitudinal imaging" |
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Linbo Liu, recently received an MGH ECOR Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Project Title: "Revealing autoregulatory mechanism governing fluid transport by motile cilia" |
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July 2011:
Rox at TEDx Boston
A short 12-minute Youtube video of Dr. Anderson's TEDx talk that summarizes much of the work that has been developed here.
Dr. Anderson gave this talk to a general audience and is useful to those who are curious about what we do here, because it can be understood by almost anybody.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design is aimed to "change the world" with people's action and ideas in a short talk.
July 2011:
Cell Lasers Live
Live interview with Wellman Center's Dr. Seok-Hyun Andy Yun and Dr. Malte Gather speaking on live lasers in human cells. Here is an article that Harvard Gazette published and here is the publication that prompted the interviews.
June 2011:
Wellman's Award Recipients
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Tayyaba Hasan, PhD |
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Meena Siddiqui |
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Mei X. Wu, MD, PhD |
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Jonathon Celli, PhD |
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May 2011:
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Tyler St. Denis, mentored by Dr. Michael Hamblin, attended the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California.
Intel's International Fair is highly competitive where more than 1,600 students compete for awards and only 20% of students get a dingle award (special or Grand Award).
In spite of the high competition, Tyler not only received one award, but rather was awarded 4 prizes:
1. First Place awarded by the US Air Force ($3,000)
2. First Place awarded by a society for innovators and ingenuity ($1,000)
3. Second Place by the US Patent Office ($150)
4. Third Place Grand Award in the Category of Microbiology ($1,000- against 100 international microbiologists)
Congratulation Tyler! You've done a superb job!
March 2011:
Ellet H. Drake Memorial Award
Dieter Manstein, MD, PhD is the recipient of the 2011 Ellet H. Drake Memorial Award for innovation in laser medicine at American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS).
The Ellet H. Drake Memorial Award was established in 1995 to recognize a practicing physician who has contributed to innovative laser procedures and/or laser products for medicine. The award is given in memory of Ellet Drake, M.D., co-founder of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. The award may be given to either members or non-members. The award which consists of $1,000 and a plaque will be presented to the award recipient at the Annual Conference. The award recipient will be required to present a lecture during a plenary session at the conference.
March 2011:
Wilma Bergfeld, MD Visionary and Leadership Award
This award was created in 2000 at the 25th Anniversary celebration of the WDS (Women’s Dermatological Society) to recognize dermatologists of national prominence who have been trailblazers for women in some aspect of Dermatology.
The award is not given on an annual basis, but on such occasion as the Awards Committee and Board of Directors of the Society feel that there is an individual who is especially deserving of this honor.
Lynn Drake MD is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the medical staff at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and is Director of Policy for the Wellman Center of Photomedicine in Boston, MA. She is board certified in Dermatology and Dermatopathology and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Dr. Drake is Past President of the American Academy of Dermatology, served on the National Advisory Board for NIAMS at the NIH, the Board of Directors of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, and as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and Congressional Fellow in Washington, DC. She received a Presidential Appointment as a U.S. Delegate to the World Health Organization and was on the National Policy Forum Council for Health Care Reform. Dr. Drake previously served as Chair of the Department of Dermatology at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Deputy Chair of the Department at Harvard Medical School where she was also Director of the Dermatology Clinical Investigation Unit. She has served on multiple FDA Advisory Panels and is currently Chair of the Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee (DODAC).
March 2011:
Caroline & William Mark Memorial Award
Franz Hillenkamp, PhD is the recipient of the 2011 Caroline & William Mark Memorial Award.
The Caroline and William Mark Memorial Award was established in 1982 to recognize candidates for their accomplishments either in the research or clinical field. The award is given in recognition of the candidate’s lifetime contribution rather then merely on the basis of activity during the preceding twelve months. The candidate’s work should have been of a caliber that has achieved previous recognition from his or her colleagues. The candidates should not be limited to individuals in academia alone but should also take into consideration areas of private clinical endeavor.
February 2011:
There is now available a non-invasive cosmetic treatment for getting rid of fat on the body by freezing it away! See the news report from Channel 5 News.
2010 Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award
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Vionnie Yu, PhD Project title: Defining the stromal contribution to leukemia development using a multi-fluorescent transgenic model. Project Abstract |
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Xinyuan Chen, PhD Project title: Needle- and Additive-Free Vaccine Delivery and Adjuvantation by Cutaneous Laser Illumination. Project Abstract |
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Abby S. and Howard Milstein Innovation Award
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Hensin Tsao, MD, PhD Project Title: Abby S. and Howard Milstein Innovation Project Title: “P53 rescue as a therapeutic strategy in melanoma” Project Overview: The project will define the molecular pathways which render melanoma cells susceptible to MDM2 antagonism as a therapeutic strategy. |
2011 Grant Recipients
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Tianhong Dai, PhD Grant Award: Airlift Research Foundation Research Grant Project title: "Defining the stromal contribution to leukemia development using a multi-fluorescent transgenic model" Project Abstract |
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Tayyaba Hasan, PhD Grant Award: NIH, RO1 grant Project title: "Targeted Photoactivable Nanocells: Image-based Drug Delivery and Dosimetry in GBM" Project Abstract |
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2010 Grant Recipients
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Conor L. Evans, PhD Grant Award: NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2) Project title: "Imaging and Overcoming Hypoxia-Induced Resistance in Metastatic Ovarian Cancer" Project Overview |
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Bryan Spring, PhD Grant Award: NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) Project title: "Hyperspectral Microendoscopy to Monitor VEGF During Pancreatic Cancer Therapy" Project Overview |
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November 2010:
New hope for burnt healing: After 25 years of having brun scars on her arms, there is now new hope of healing and repair. See the news report from Channel 5 News.
October 2010:
Announcing Tayyaba Hasan been selected as a co-recipient of the 2010 Catalyst Award for dedication to equity in science, engineering and technology. Tayyaba Hasan is one of two recipients of the 2010 Catalyst Award given by the Science Club for Girls.
September 2010:
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Martin Purschke, PhD won the ASLMS (American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery) 2010 Non-Student Research Grant Award Period: July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011
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Melissa Suter, PhD received a CIMIT New Innovation Grant Award Period:April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011 Project Title: “High-Resolution Optical Frequency Domain Imaging and Computed Tomography Imaging of the Pulmonary Airways” |
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Joshua Tam, PhD received a Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the MGH Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Award Period: September 1, 2010 to August 30, 2011 Project Title: “Cryolipolysis of Visceral Fat Tissue” |
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Durga Udayakumar, PhD received the Dermatology Foundation Research Grant Award Period: July 2010 - June 2011 Project Title: “Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of EPHA2- Mediated Melanoma Oncogenesis” |
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Benjamin Vakoc, PhD received a Harvard Catalyst Pilot Grant Award Period: August 2010 - July 2011 Project Title: “Clinical Imaging of Capillary Malformations Using Optical Frequency Domain Imaging” |
August 2010:
Our own Dr. Tayyaba Hasan was featured in the Journal of Biomedical Optics in a special edition honoring "Pioneers in Biomedical Optics" of the September/October 2010 issue.
Sumbissions are expected to reflect the impact of Dr. Hasan's contributions to the field of biomedical optics, specifically in the area of photodynamic therapy.
Read the editorial letter about the Biomedical optics issue honoring Tayyaba.
Congratulations Tayyaba!
April 2010:
Dr. R. Rox Anderson was awarded the 2010 Eugene J. Van Scott Award for Innovative Therapy of the Skin at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. In conjunction with this award, Dr. Anderson also presented the Phillip Frost Leadership Lecture at the plenary session of the Academy’s Annual Meeting which was noted in the April 2010 issue of Dermatology World publication.
“Dr. Anderson’s award recognizes his tremendous advancements in laser technology. He conceived and developed dermatology’s most precise surgical instruments – selectively absorbed pulsed lasers. His work pioneered non-scarring treatments for vascular malformations (birth defects affecting arteries or veins) as well as a wide variety of skin conditions. He also invented and clinically introduced permanent laser hair removal. Leading many collaborations, he developed laser tattoo removal and the concept of “fractional photothermolysis,” which is used in the treatment of photoaging, scars and melasma. Within the past five years, he co-developed a new strategy using polarized light analysis for rapid imaging of skin cancer margins, and co-invented the use of controlled tissue cooling to selectively and non-invasively remove body fat.” - American Academy of Dermatology
April 2010:
The American Association for Cancer Research has selected Prakash Rai, PhD as a recipient of the highly-competitive 2010 AACR-Merck Scholar-in-Training Award. Prakash is a research fellow in Tayyaba Hasan's lab working on developing nanotechnology towards the treatment of pancreatic and ovarian cancer.
Scholar-in-Training Awards recognize first authors of meritorious abstracts accepted for the AACR Annual Meeting. Fewer than 10 percent of applicants are selected for an award.
Prakash presented his abstract "Targeting intracellular VEGF using nanotechnology for subcellular delivery of bevacizumab improves efficacy of combination therapy against pancreatic cancer" in an oral presentation (Abstract #3853) at a minisymposium (Novel Combination Therapies) during the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010, April 17th through 21st in Washington, DC.
The American Association for Cancer Research provides a full listing of award recipients.
April 2010:
Dr. Tayyaba Hasan and her research fellow, Dr. Prakash Rai, were featured panelists for a press conference on emerging treatments in pancreatic cancer on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at the International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics held in Boston. Details about the conference can be found on the AACR News page. We welcome you to also listen to the press conference.
The conference was supported by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).
April 2010:
Pilhan Kim's paper appeared in the cover of Nature Methods in the April 2010 issue. Pilhan's paper is titled "In vivo wide-area cellular imaging by side-view endomicroscopy". Congratulations Pilhan! |
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March 2010:
Su Luo was awarded the Seed Grant award from the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation’s Seed Grant Research Program. Su was one of the only 38 people selected to receive the grant this year from the foundation.
Please view AMA's press release for more information.
Congratulations Su!
December 2009:
Malte Gather, PhD was the fourth recipient to receive the Bullock-Wellman Fellowship award. The title of Malte's proposal is "Biocompatible and bioabsorbable optical devices for Photomedicine". Malte has two Wellman faculty mentors: Andy Yun and Robert Redmond.
Proposals were evaluated for scientific quality, originality, enabling collaboration, potential medical and scientific impact and potential for career development of the Fellow. All proposals were considered to be excellent; covering a wide range of important topics. The committee sincerely regretted that only one proposal could be selected for the fellowship award.
October 2009:
We are very pleased to inform you that Tayyaba Hasan, PhD will receive the highly prestigious NIH Bench to Bedside Pioneer Award. The award ceremony will be held at the NIH Workshop in Bethesda, MD on Thursday, October 1st.
Here is an excerpt from the NIH Workshop website:
"The NIH Bench to Bedside Pioneer Award recipient is Prof. Tayyaba Hasan of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hasan's extraordinary contributions to Biomedical Optics include pioneering activities in basic research, clinical translation, and mentoring young scientists. Her career has spanned a range of topics in Photomedicine including basic photochemistry, photobiology, and photodynamic therapy (PDT), leading to the invention of PDT for treating patients with age-related macular degeneration. Her work in immunotargeting, optical spectroscopy, and in vivo optical imaging of tissue is ongoing through funding from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hasan's second appointment in the MGH Office for Research Career Development has her involved in mentoring scientists at all stages of their careers and helping establish pathways for career growth at one of the largest biomedical research institutions in the world."
August 2009:
We are extremely delighted to share with you that Clemens Alt and Pilhan Kim are recipients of the 2009 Tosteson Postdoctoral Fellowship Award funded by the Massachusetts Biomedical Research Corporation (MBRC).
Clemens' project title is: "Probing microglia microenvironment with adaptive-optics imaging and selective optical microsurgery" and Pilhan's title is "In vivo longitudinal imaging of colon tumorigenesis in conditional Apc knock-out mice" Please refer to their project summaries for additional information. This was a very competitive review, Clemens and Pilhan’s proposals were chosen from among 95 applications considered by the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) and the Subcommittee on Review of Research Proposals (SRRP). Only 10 proposals were awarded. Their one year fellowship will begin September 1, 2009.
July 2009:
Dr. Michael Hamblin's article "Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection with intra-gastric violet light phototherapy: a pilot clinical trial." (Lasers Surg Med, 2009 Jul) has been selected for Faculty of 1000 Medicine.
Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection with intra-gastric violet light phototherapy: a pilot clinical trial.
Lembo AJ, Ganz RA, Sheth S, Cave D, Kelly C, Levin P, Kazlas PT, Baldwin PC 3rd, Lindmark WR, McGrath JR, Hamblin MR.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Helicobacter pylori infects the mucus layer of the human stomach and causes peptic ulcers and adenocarcinoma. We have previously shown that H. pylori accumulates photoactive porphyrins making the organism susceptible to inactivation by light, and that small spot endoscopic illumination with violet light reduced bacterial load in human stomachs. This study assessed the feasibility and safety of whole-stomach intra-gastric violet phototherapy for the treatment of H. pylori infection.
STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: A controlled, prospective pilot trial was conducted using a novel light source consisting of laser diodes and diffusing fibers to deliver 408-nm illumination at escalating total fluences to the whole stomach. Eighteen adults (10 female) with H. pylori infection were treated at three U.S. academic endoscopy centers. Quantitative bacterial counts were obtained from biopsies taken from the antrum, body, and fundus, and serial urea breath tests.
RESULTS: The largest reduction in bacterial load was in the antrum (>97%), followed by body (>95%) and fundus (>86%). There was a correlation between log reduction and initial bacterial load in the antrum. There was no dose-response seen with increasing illumination times. The urea breath test results indicated that the bacteria repopulated in days following illumination.
CONCLUSION: Intra-gastric violet light phototherapy is feasible and safe and may represent a novel approach to eradication of H. pylori, particularly in patients who have failed standard antibiotic treatment. This was a pilot study involving a small number of patients. Further research is needed to determine if phototherapy can be effective for eradicating H. pylori.
June 2009:
Best Poster Award at the 12th World Congress of the International Photodynamic Association was given to Wellman Center's research fellows Ulysses Sallum, PhD and Xiang Zheng, PhD during this year's conference in Seattle, Washington. All of the authors on this poster were Ulysses W. Sallum, Xiang Zheng, Josiah Gruber, Sarika Verma, Conor L. Evans, Humra Athar, Brian W. Pogue, Tayyaba Hasan.
Their poster, “Optical Theranostics for Drug Resistant SSTIs” was one of 4 posters selected for a Best Poster Award this past June.
Fabulous work!
June 2009:
Prakash Rai, Adnan Abu-Yousif, Lei Zheng won awards for their posters during the Office for Research Career Development (ORCD) poster session on June 8th.
Poster of Distinction Poster of Excellence Poster of Merit
Prakash Rai, PhD Adnan Abu-Yousif, PhD Lei Zheng, PhD
Well done!
May 2009:
Tayyaba Hasan, PhD was recently elected as the next president of the American Society for Photobiology (ASP) starting August 9, 2009 at the ASP Summer Council Meeting.
Best wishes!
May 2009:
Mei Wu, MD, PhD recently received an award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for her continued research in infectious diseases. Mei's research funding is one of five projects mentioned in the Associated Press' article.
Great job Mei!
May 2009:
Wellman Center's Hensin Tsao, MD, PhD was recently inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), a highly esteemeed physician-scientist honor society. Only 79 members were inducted into ASCI this year.
For additional information ont the American Society for Clinical Investigation, please click on their website as well as a link to Hensin Tsao ’s profile on ASCI's website.
Fantastic Hensin!
April 2009:
The Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Tearney, MD, PhD as the first Associate Director of the Center. In concert with the Director and faculty of the Center, Dr. Tearney will focus on two objectives:
- Foster broader research programs that strategically combine multiple laboratories, technologies, and approaches.
- Strengthen Wellman Center’s capacity for translational research, including preclinical, clinical, intellectual property and technology transfer aspects.
Dr. Tearney is an Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, who joined the Wellman Center in 2001. He and colleague Brett Bouma, PhD have established an internationally recognized optical imaging program at the Wellman Center that creates, develops and shepherds new technologies all the way to achieving a clinical impact. Examples include advanced optical coherence tomography, cardiac and GI imaging catheters now in human studies, micro-endoscopes, and smart needle devices. Wellman Center also has pipeline of therapeutic innovations for cancer, wound healing, infection, scarring, birth defects and obesity pursued in its faculty laboratories, and a wide range of basic research with multiple collaborations. Wellman has already made a major impact on health care and biomedical science, but can do more. We welcome Dr. Tearney’s new role and expertise, to further capture the potential of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine.
April 2009:
Dr. R. Rox Anderson, MD of Wellman Center was recently inaugurated as the new president for the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) for 2009-2010 at this year's annual conference held in National Harbor, Maryland.
Please see the press release for more information.
March 2009:
Dr. Tayyaba Hasan has been selected as a recipient of the 2008-2009 William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award. This is a very prestigious award given to someone with a minimum of 20 years of service.
For more information, please see the Office For Diversity and Community Partnership.
Outstanding Tayyaba!
March 2009:
Dr. Alicia Carlson of Wellman Center was selected as the ECOR Medical Discovery Fund Award Winner.
Alicia Carlson, Ph.D. was recently selected to receive a Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the MGH Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD). Alicia’s application, "Two-photon in vivo flow cytometry of circulating leukocytes using endogenous tryptophan fluorescence contrast", was chosen from among a very competitive group of applications reviewed by the ECOR Subcommittee on Review of Research Proposals (SRRP).
This award is given on an annual basis; out of 889 applicants, only 22 recipients received the award this year.
Congratulations, Alicia!
March 2009:
Dr. Pawel Mroz of Wellman Center received the Genzyme-Partners Healthcare Initiative Translational Grant for his project titled "The Functional Inhibition of T Regulatory Cells by Anti-TBFβ Antibody Potentiates Photodynamic Therapy of Renal Cancer."
There was only one proposal selected for award.
March 2009:
Drs. Irene Kochevar and Robert Redmond have developed a technology that has the potential to replace the surgeon's needle and thread. Using surgical lasers and a light-activated dye, the researchers are prompting tissue to heal itself.
Please see MIT's Technology Review for more information on this innovative research.
Well done to you both!
January 2009:
Melissa Suter and Leilei Peng were both K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award Recipients to funding from National Institutes of Healths (NIH).
Melissa's project titled "Optical Imaging of the Pulmonary Airways in the Assessment of Lung Cancer" and Leilei's project titled "Densely Multiplexed Fluorescence Imaging by Fourier Transform Flourometry" were chosen from among many excellent proposals.
Congratulations Melissa and Leilei!
November 2008:
Brett Bouma and Gary Tearney's innovative imaging research was featured on ABC News: Good Morning America. This innovative research involves real-time imaging translated into a colorized video that doctors will be able to use to better investigate and examine the heart and early signs of heart disease.
The video segment is available through ABC's website.
Congratulation Brett and Gary!
November 2008:
Tianhong Dai, PhD was the third recipient to receive the Bullock-Wellman Fellowship award. The title of Tianhong's proposal is "Photodynamic therapy in-vivo for multi-drug resistant wound infections". Tianhong's Wellman faculty mentor is Mike Hamblin, the external collaborator is Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, MGH. The Bullock-Wellman Fellowship was featured in the fall Red Book solicitation for Harvard Medical School.
Proposals were evaluated for scientific quality, originality, enabling collaboration, potential medical and scientific impact and potential for career development of the Fellow. All proposals were considered to be excellent, and covered a wide range of important topics.
Congratuations Tianhong!
August 2008:
MGH Cancer Center honors Hensin Tsao, MD, PhD, one of Wellman's clinical dermatologists, in its first annual celebration of the one hundred. The one hundred honors individuals and groups who help contribute to MGH Cancer Center's success as a leader in cancer care and in cancer research.
For more information, please see the one hundred.
July 2008:
Conor Evans and Giuliano Scarcelli have both received a 2008 Tosteson Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the Massachusetts Biomedical Research Corporation (MBRC).
Conor's project titled "Multimodality Microendoscope for the Detection of Metastatic Ovarian Cancer" and Giuliano's project titled "Brillouin Confocal Microscopy for In Vivo Biomechanical Characterization of Cornea and Lens" were chosen from among 70 excellent proposals considered by the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR). This was a very competitive review, only 6 applicants received an award.
Congratulations Conor and Giuliano!
July 2008:
Multiple Wellam staff received awards in the 3rd Annual MGH Research Fellows Poster Celebration. This year's recipients included Zhiming Mai, Giuliano Scarcelli, Imran Rizvi, Pilhan Kim, Ulysses Sallum, and Jonathon Celli.
Fanstastic!
July 2008:
Joji Fujisaki, M.D. was recently selected as the second recipient of the Bullock-Wellman Fellowship Award. The title of Joji’s project is “Immune Privilege in the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche.”
Joji, along with his internal mentor Dr. Charles Lin and his external mentors Dr. David Scadden and Dr. Megan Sykes, is testing his novel hypothesis that the hematopoietic stem cell niche has local immune suppressive mechanisms to protect hematopoietic stem cells from pathogenic immunity.
Good job Joji!
June 2008:
Noemi Rubio Romero won a Frederick Urbach Memorial Travel award to attend the 34th Meeting of the American Society for Photobiology (June 20-25, 2008-Burlingame, CA). She presented an oral communication entitled: "Mechanisms of bystander signaling following photodynamic stress". The authors of the work are: Noemi Rubio and Robert W. Redmond.
Well done Noemi!
May 2008:
Frank Henry is one of the 2008 winners in the 15th Annual Surgical Resident and Fellow Research Presentation Day held at The Conference Center at Harvard Medical School on May 16, 2008. He won in the category of Basic Science presenting "Improved Outcomes following Peripheral Nerve Repair using a Photochemical Technique".
For more information, please click here.
Congratulations Frank! Well done!
April 2008:
Multiple Wellman staff received awards from this year's annual ASLMS conference in Kissimmee, Florida. Awards given to the Wellman recipients ranged from travel awards to research grant awards.
To view the list and abstracts of each recipient, please click here.
Congratulations everyone!
April 2008:
Wellman Staff receive the prize for their poster at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Cancer Center (DFCI/HCC) Ovarian Cancer Symposium held in April 2008. Recipients of this prize are: Imran Rizvi, Jonathan Celli, Conor L. Evans, Daina Burnes and Tayyaba Hasan.
To view the abstract of their poster, please click here.
February 2008:
The Lin group's flow cytometer helps study blood flow in mice retina by improving the method of scanning and the amount of volume scanned compared to the original cytometer.
For the full article, please click here.
February 2008:
Jeon Woong Kang, Ph.D. was recently awarded a travel prize by the Optical Society of Korea as an OSA-OSK 2008 for a research presentation on “Three dimensional shape measurement of a micro Fresnel lens with in-line phase-shifting digital holographic microscopy.”
For more information, please click here.
January 2008:
Giuliano Scarcelli and Seok-Hyun (Andy) Yun appeared in a journal article in Analytical Chemistry. They presented their work at this year's Photonics West BIOS conference and were noted for their innovative research using the Brillouin confocal microscope.
Well done!
For the link to this article, please click here.
Winter 2007/2008:
Wellman Center's Founder, Dr. John A. Parrish, and current Director, Dr. Rox Anderson, are joint recipients of the Dermatology Foundation's 2007 Discovery Award.
For the full article on the Dermatology Foundation award, please click here.
January 2008:
Brett Bouma has been named a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. He will be formally inducted at the Society's fall meeting.
Congratulations Brett!!!
For the full listing of named fellows, please click Optical Society of America.
November 2007:
Seemantini Nadkarni, Brett Bouma, and Guillermo Tearney’s poster "Development of laser speckle imaging: a new technique for the evaluation of unstable atherosclerotic plaque" received the award for first place at CIMIT’s 2007 Poster Competition in the Most Innovative Research category.
For more information on the poster, please click here.
Please click Center for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology (CIMIT) for more information on this center.
September 2007:
Wellman Center teamed with Harvard Medical School to host this year's conference with specialists from around the globe. Specialists gathered to discuss and explore the realities regarding Laser & Aesthetic Skin Therapy. Another successful year to a great conference!
"Laser & Aesthetic Skin Therapy: What's the truth?" 2008 conference has been scheduled for October 10-12, 2008. For information to the upcoming conference, please click here.
July 2007:
Frank Henry, MD and Chunqiang Li, PhD are the first recipients of the Wellman Bullock Fellowship Award. The title of their project is "In vivo microscopy of the peripheral nerve: assessment of structural and quantitative changes following injury and repair by photochemical tissue bonding". Their Wellman faculty mentors are Irene Kochevar, Charles Lin and Andy Yun. External collaborators are Mark Randolph and Daniel Côté.
Congratulations, Frank and Chunqiang!
June 2007:
Frank Henry, M.D., Research Fellow on Irene Kochevar's team, was the winner of the "Joseph E. Murray, M.D. Award" for the best presentation at the annual meeting of the New England Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, held June 1-3, 2007 in Newport, Rhode Island.
His presentation was titled:
"Real Time In Vivo Imaging of the Nerve Microenvironment with Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) Microscopy"
Congratulations, Frank!
Spring 2007:
Hyle Park-Optical Detection of Neural Activity with Phase Sensitive Interferometry awarded by NIH/NIBIB. This project aims to develop a minimally invasive optical method for detecting activity in single neurons and behavior in larger functional neural networks.
Ben Vakoc-Image Guided Therapy for Barrett's Esophagus awarded by NIH/NCI. This project aims to develop an endoscopic therapy system capable of localized targeting and controlled treatment of Barrett's Esophagus by integrating the capabilities of optical coherence tomography and laser thermal therapy.
Alexandra Chau- Development of an Intracoronary Raman Spectroscopy System awarded by NIH/NIBIB. The aim of this project is to investigate the combined use of fingerprint and high wavenumber Raman spectroscopy for diagnosing atherosclerosis by building and testing a catheter -based Raman spectroscopy system for plaque diagnosis suitable for in vivo human coronary artery use.
Brian Goldberg- Real Time Monitoring of Laser Ablation with OCT awarded by NIH/NIBIB. The overall goal of this work is to develop miniature, hand-held optical guidance methods that can be incorporated within a needle (an optical "smart" needle) to guide and improve results of fine needle aspiration for breast biopsy.
May 2007:
Presenting at the meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in May 2007, Dr. Johannes de Boer described how the development of ultra-high speed OCT at the Wellman Center has enhanced the clinical value of the technology for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of various eye diseases.
Please click here for more information on ultra-high speed OCT.
Congratulations, Johannes!
April 2007:
Wellman staff received awards at this year's American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery Conference (ASLMS) in Grapevine, Texas, where the world's leading experts present research in technological applications and clinical applications in laser medicine and surgery.
For a listing of the awards received to the Wellman staff, please click here.
February 30, 2007: Dr. Hensin Tsao presents on the human genome at the 65th Annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference in Washington, D.C.
Attendees of Dr. Hensin Tsao's lecture session at the 65th Annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference in Washington, D.C. were delighted during the presentation and discussion of the recent advancements on the understanding and the design of the human genome.
Full presentation of annoucement: please click here.
January 30, 2007: Dr. Robert Webb presents a tutorial on the basics of presentation skills.
Robert Webb, Ph.D. presented a tutorial on the required skills and techniques in order to have a successful presentation with your audience. Topics covered were non-ideal font types, background colors, text colors, and what is considered to be proper stances.
Full presentaion with notes: please click here.
November 19, 2006: Wellman optical imaging technology advance provides virtual biopsies of internal surfaces.
Scientists at Wellman Center for Photomedicine developed a new imaging technique that surpasses optical coherence tomography (OCT), another noninvasive imaging technique limited to smaller regions.
Full presentation of annoucement:
http://www2.massgeneral.org/news/releases/111906bouma.html
November 2006: Charles Lin, PhD honored by the Optical Society of America.
Charles P. Lin, Associate Professor at HMS and head of the Advanced Microscopy Lab at the Wellman Center, has been elected a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. Dr. Lin was cited by OSA for development of innovative biomedical imaging instruments for studying living animals and their use in answering significant questions in biology.
Fall 2006: As reported in Nature, Wellman scientists achieve a major advance in diagnostic imaging with their miniature endoscope.
Wellman Center scientists have achieved a major advance in diagnostic imaging within the human body with the development of a new, miniature endoscope capable of producing high resolution, three dimensional images.
Full presentation of annoucement: http://www2.massgeneral.org/news/releases/101806tearney.html
