2006 |
Mcgoron, Anthony J |
R15Activity Code Description: Supports small-scale research projects at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation’s research scientists but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. The goals of the program are to (1) support meritorious research, (2) expose students to research, and (3) strengthen the research environment of the institution. Awards provide limited Direct Costs, plus applicable F&A costs, for periods not to exceed 36 months. This activity code uses multi-year funding authority; however, OER approval is NOT needed prior to an IC using this activity code. |
Respiratory Motion Compensation in Pet Molecular Imaging @ Florida International University
[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This research intends to increase the sensitivity and prognosis value of molecular imaging with 18FDG- PET/CT of small (<1 cm in diameter) malignant lung lesions that move significantly during respiration. The long-term objective is to provide an early and more accurate diagnosis and prognosis of malignant lung lesions than is currently available. The importance of this research is to develop and validate a practical and low cost solution to the problem of respiratory motion for the accurate interpretation and quantitation of 18FDG uptake of lung 18FDG-PET images. Currently there is no validated practical methodology that can be applied to compensate for respiratory motion in lung PET studies. The solution to this problem would improve the identification and accuracy of 18FDG uptake quantitation of small lesions. Improving the detection of a malignant lung lesion in its initial stage will positively impact the care of patients with lung cancer, a major health problem in the United States. This research will be conducted by: a) developing and validating a respiratory-gating system based on the reflection of structured light as a function of the respiratory motion, b) verifying the accuracy of the respiratory-gating system by developing and using a physical phantom that simulates the motion of the abdomen and lung lesions during the respiratory cycle, c) developing and validating a motion track computer-assisted algorithm for the integration of lung PET images at different gated time bins into a reference time bin within the respiratory cycle, and d) verifying the accuracy of the motion track algorithm for detection of lesions and 18FDG uptake quantitation by conducting experiments with the physical phantom and computer simulations using the four-dimensional (4D) NCAT computerized phantom. By integraging the counts of gated time bins into only one referenbce bin, the best compromise between noise and PET scan time can be achieved, and clinical analysis would be easier and faster. All the development and research work of this project is oriented to demonstrate the feasibility of the practical implementation of inexpensive software and hardware tools for compensating respiratory motion into the clinical setting. Results of this project will provide research tools and preliminary data for initiating clinical research oriented to the detection and identification of small (<1 cm) malignant lung lesions using 18FDG-PET. Results of this research will also be useful in planning radiation therapy of lesions that move significantly during respiration. [unreadable] [unreadable]
|
0.958 |
2009 — 2010 |
Mcgoron, Anthony Li, Chenzhong (co-PI) [⬀] Lin, Wei-Chiang (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
25th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference in Miami, Fl From May 15-17, 2009 @ Florida International University
0902139 McGoron
This project will support the 25th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference (SBEC) to be held May 15-17, 2009 in Miami FL (hosted by Florida International University). The SBEC aims to assemble students, researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders in Biomedical Engineering to disseminate information in this rapidly growing field. The SBEC will provide a multidisciplinary, educational forum for discussing new ideas and future concepts in the field of Biomedical Engineering. The SBEC serves a special purpose of encouraging student participation by providing opportunities for students to present their research through a student paper competition. In keeping with the emphasis on student participation, the SBEC also plans to present student awards based on performances in both paper competitions and presentations. Additionally, this project will sponsor student registration fees and publication support. Due to the venue's location, the conference is expected to have higher Hispanic and Latino student participation. The conference will be of great educational benefit and will inspire junior researchers and students within the Biomedical Engineering field. This meeting will also promote the interaction among US and South and Central American scientists to impact the region and the nation.
|
1 |
2011 — 2012 |
Mcgoron, Anthony J |
R21Activity Code Description: To encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. (Support generally is restricted in level of support and in time.) |
Imaging For Y90 Microscphere Sirt Planning @ Florida International University
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microsphere radioembolization, known as Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), via hepatic arterial administration is a treatment for patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer because the primary blood supply to liver tumors is from the hepatic artery while the majority of the blood supply to the normal liver is from the portal vein. The micro-vascular density of liver tumors is 3-200 times greater than the surrounding liver parenchyma further improving the selectivity of the therapy to the tumor. In this treatment, 30 5m diameter spheres labeled with the radioactive isotope Y-90 (a high-energy beta particle-emitting radioisotope) become lodged in the arterioles within the tumor and destroy the tumor while leaving the normal liver tissue mostly unharmed. For treatment planning Tc-99m-macro aggregated albumin (MAA) is infused into the proper hepatic artery and a perfusion scintigraphy is performed. However, the significant difference in size, shape, and other properties of the MAA and the Y-90 microspheres complicates the treatment planning because the MAA particles cannot be expected to distribute the same as the Y-90 microspheres. Thus it is desirable to develop and use a new biodegradable sphere for accurate SIRT planning. Nano and microparticles of biodegradable materials like Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), Polyanhydrides, and Chitosan, have been investigated widely for drug delivery. They have been shown to be both biocompatible and biodegradable. More recently, a new synthetic biodegradable elastomer Poly(glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) has been developed for medical devices and tissue engineering scaffolds. These polymers will be used, employing different emulsion techniques, to produce approximately 30 5m size biodegradable microspheres to match the size and shape of the Y-90 microspheres used in the treatment. Once obtained, the different particles will be submitted to in vitro degradation studies in phosphate buffer and characterized with respect to shape, size, size distribution, surface roughness, and porosity using scanning electron microscope. Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microsphere radioembolization, known as Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), via hepatic arterial administration is a treatment for patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer because the primary blood supply to liver tumors is from the hepatic artery while the majority of the blood supply to the normal liver is from the portal vein. The use of a specific chelator (coupling chemical) attached to the surface of the particles will also be evaluated for labeling yields, radiochemical purity and stability of the final product. The final step of the project is the in vivo evaluation of the particles;which will be evaluated in Sprague Dawley rats. The animals will be euthanized at different times and the samples of blood, lung, liver, kidney, and spleen will be collected for measuring of radioactive content in a gamma well counter. Numerical dosimetry calculations will be done to evaluate the radiation field and dose distributions and assure radioprotection standards are met. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies in industrialized nations, ranking fourth behind lung, breast and prostate cancers. About 140,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States according to the American Cancer Society. A new biodegradable spherical radio-microsphere used for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) planning will decrease the risk of lung and stomach damage, bone marrow suppression, liver and other organs failure that could result from Y-90 SIRT and thus improve the therapeutic effects of the SIRT in patients.
|
0.958 |
2012 — 2013 |
Mcgoron, Anthony Collins, Jerry Murray, Teresa [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Aemb 2012 Broader Impacts Educational Sessions At Bmes, October 24-27, 2012, Atlanta, Ga @ Louisiana Tech University
1261495 Murray
The number of bioengineering degree programs in the United States has skyrocketed over the past decade. There are more than 70 ABET accredited undergraduate Biomedical Engineering/Bioengineering programs, and this is expected to exceed 100 within the next few years. Likewise, the range of new devices and technologies in the healthcare field has increased dramatically. While the products and services that Biomedical Engineers design and implement are intended to improve health and well-being, they can also create a range of social and ethical dilemmas, especially for leading-edge technologies. As an example, potential difficulties stem from implantable or wearable sensors that can store and transmit personal health information which emergency care providers could electronically access. Yet, this same information might also be accessed by insurance companies or identity thieves. A device that could save people's lives could also be the gateway to harm them. Additionally, public policy has an effect on the funding for innovation and on the laws that regulate it. Thus, students would benefit from exposure to the process of the public policy debate.
Biomedical Engineering (BME) students today are only a few years away from becoming a part of the process driving the development of new biomedical technologies. It is imperative that this generation of engineers be well-equipped to identify potential social and ethical issues that may arise from their inventions. It is equally important that they learn how public policy impacts their work and how to effectively engage with policy makers and the general public to ensure that conditions for innovation are optimized for the benefit of all. Most BME academic programs include ethics and social impact of medical devices only as integrated components in a selected course or courses, and few programs cover public policy. In 2005, AEMB determined to fill in the gaps by hosting an intensive educational ethics session for students during the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, a leading national conference. Today, AEMB sponsors three sessions at the BMES Annual Meeting, including ethics, public policy and societal impacts. Funding from this grant will be used to (1) provide matching travel grants to students to attend the conference and these three sessions, and (2) to produce professional video recordings of each session for free use by schools and student groups. Students receiving these grants will participate in all three sessions. After they return home, they will facilitate training sessions at their schools using videos and other materials from these sessions. Other student leaders and faculty that attend these sessions will be asked to host sessions at their campuses, as well. Furthermore, AEMB will contact each US BME program chair to request that they use the session materials. This should promote wide use of the content.
Intellectual Merit This set of sessions is a new model for broadening the knowledge and skills of these important topics and for improving student involvement in their profession. Other societies will hopefully recognize the merits of this approach and use it as a template for exposing undergraduate and graduate students in other disciplines to these same problems. Furthermore, this method of educating students via a combination of presentations and discussions is known to be an effective educational approach. The students and faculty participants will be encouraged to use this approach when they run their own sessions and thus promote the increased use of active learning methods in BME education.
Broader Impacts It is expected that student participants will routinely consider ethics, public policy, and societal impact issues during the process of device and technology design and implementation; this will further improve technologies available to society. As they bring this knowledge to their communities they will also increase awareness in the wider society of the important consequences of both good and poor engineering design and practice. AEMB leadership is encouraging all faculty advisors to bring students from underrepresented groups to the conference and our session by applying for FASEB MARC Mentor/Student travel grants. Also, because many local AEMB student leaders are women, this travel grant program will ensure that women are well-represented. Additionally, the professionally recorded videos of each session and other materials will be available free of charge so that any school or student organization can present their content to students. Potentially, this can reach students in every BME program in the country.
|
0.945 |
2013 |
Mcgoron, Anthony J |
R15Activity Code Description: Supports small-scale research projects at educational institutions that provide baccalaureate or advanced degrees for a significant number of the Nation’s research scientists but that have not been major recipients of NIH support. The goals of the program are to (1) support meritorious research, (2) expose students to research, and (3) strengthen the research environment of the institution. Awards provide limited Direct Costs, plus applicable F&A costs, for periods not to exceed 36 months. This activity code uses multi-year funding authority; however, OER approval is NOT needed prior to an IC using this activity code. |
Novel Polymeric Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery Applications @ Florida International University
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A major disadvantage of conventional chemotherapeutic agents to treat cancer is poor specificity and dose- limiting toxicity. Improvements are needed to provide targeted delivery and controlled release. Nanotechnology provides an opportunity to attack cancer at the cellular and genetic level by detection and treatment with much greater precision and fewer side effects. Multimodal tailored approaches for diagnosis and treatment are more likely to result in clinically translatable advances by enhancing the efficacy and specificity of treatment. Doxil and Abraxane are clinically approved nanoformulations. Polymer nanocarriers have also shown promising results. Despite their numerous advantages, polymer nanoparticles (Nps) also have disadvantages, e.g., drug release that is typically biphasic and uncontrolled. The long term goal of this laboratory is to develop a technology to improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients by increasing survival and decreasing the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy. The objective of this proposal is to develop a new polymeric drug carrier combining imaging and chemotherapy with triggered and controlled release of chemotherapeutic drug and subsequent degradation of polymer vehicle. Many polymer materials are both biocompatible and biodegradable. Recently, a synthetic biodegradable elastomer Poly(glycerol Dodecanedioate) (PGD) has been developed for medical devices and tissue engineering. PGD is elastic like rubber, biodegradable, with mechanical and physical properties that can be tailored by adjusting its chemical composition and fabrication process. We modified PGD by adding malic acid and adjusting the ratio of malic acid to Dodecanedioate (DDA) during synthesis to make it less hydrophobic. The new polymer is Poly(glycerol-malic-dodecanedioate) (PGMD).The formulation that degrades at a desirable rate will be used to develop combined drug and imaging agent loaded Nps by emulsion techniques. We will tune the degradation and trigger the release profile of the drugs from the Nps. PGMD Nps simultaneously loaded with imaging agent and chemotherapy drugs (doxorubicin, cisplatin, or paclitaxel) will deliver the drugs to the tumor site with a greater payload than existing drug carriers (PLGA). The quantity of drug released is governed by laser light intensity and irradiation time. The combination of enhanced entrapment and triggered release will improve payload at the target. Specific aims: (1) Measure the physico-chemical properties (FTIR, glass transition temperature, MW, NMR and degradation) of the PGMD polymer and prepare Nps and characterize their size, shape and charge, loading efficiency, drug release, stability and degradation. (2) During synthesis, load PGMD Nps simultaneously with imaging and heat generating agent (IR820) and different anticancer drugs and identify which drugs are appropriate choices for incorporation in the PGMD system for cancer therapy and compare our novel carrier system with existing an system (PLGA) (3) Measure the cellular uptake and toxicity of the Nps through in vitro experiments with human and rat cancer cell lines and measure in vivo biodistribution in tumor bearing rats.
|
0.958 |