Experimental Molecular Imaging Laboratory at Beckman Institute

Experimental Molecular Imaging Laboratory at Beckman Institute group is at in San Antonio, TX. Today, Michael Nelappana, EMIL group member and a Ph.D. student from UI Department of Bioengineering and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology presented his poster on novel and efficient method to process fluorescent microspheres for quantification of organ perfusion.

Our new paper on RAGE imaging in prostate cancer has been recently published. Read the press release from the Cancer Center at Illinois at:
https://cancer.illinois.edu/ccil-member-develops-probe-assess-prostate-cancer-aggressiveness
Congratulations!

CCIL Member Develops Probe to Assess Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness | Cancer Center at Illinois Many men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime, but most of these cancers are low-grade and non-aggressive. Current diagnostics, such as the serum test and physical exam, work well for detection, but don’t accurately identify the stage or grade of the disease. To improve precision, Illino...

The fruits of good collaboration. Together with Prof. Kalsotra's group, EMIL group members, Dr. Jamila Hedhli and Prof. Dobrucki have recently published an article about myotonic dystrophy, which generates lethal heart dysfunctions.

Team deciphers how myotonic dystrophy generates lethal heart dysfunctions In a new study, researchers traced the molecular events that lead to heart abnormalities in myotonic dystrophy and recreated the disease in a mouse model.

It is a truly collaborative work between EMIL and Prof. Insana's group. Without great resources at Beckman Institute and talented group of postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate researchers, this work will not be possible.

Diabetes patients who don't recognize some effects of the disease may have help on the way, as Bioengineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign develop combined imaging tech for better, earlier detection of diabetes-caused issues such as peripheral artery disease. https://bioengineering.illinois.edu/news/article/34912

EMIL is at Biomedical Engineering Society - BMES 2019 in Philadelphia presenting two posters and Prof. Dobrucki will chair a session. Graduate Ph.D. student Denise Medina Almora (in the photo below) presents her poster on the visualization of multidimensional datasets in peripheral arterial disease. Elizabeth Breen, an undergraduate REU student who did summer research in our group will present a poster on the effects of dietary advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) on the development of prostate cancer.

Christian Konopka, a member of EMIL gave a great talk on imaging the effects of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) supplemented diet on prostate cancer development at Nutrition 2019 meeting in Baltimore, MD. This is a collaborative work with John Erdman and Erik Nelson groups at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The project was partially funded by the Cancer Center at Illinois and all work was done at Beckman Institute.
https://meeting.nutrition.org/

Christian Konopka, a senior MD PhD student and member of EMIL group has been featured in Beckman Institute Spotlight communication. Congrats!

Student Researcher Spotlight: Christian Konopka, News, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois is an interdisciplinary research institute devoted to leading-edge research in the physical sciences, computation, engineering, biology, behavior, cognition, and neuroscience.

Than Huynh, an undergraduate researcher in the EMIL, received an honorable mention in the Image of Research – UR Edition competition for 2019! Congratulations. Below is his submission...

"Ancestors and Astronomy to Scientists and Cancer"
Astronomy is the oldest science. Even records of the earliest cave paintings depict prehistoric humans gazing at the stars and tracking their positions. Across cultures, the interpretation of the darkness and its stars provided insight into all aspects of life and has guided humanity for thousands of years. Connections between what was seen looking up and how the world changed around them, derived into a reliance on the stars for navigation and as predictors of weather for agriculture.
In the field of cancer biology, instead of looking up for answers, we look down into a microscope. Like our ancestors, we look for signs as we gaze into the unknown. We look for patterns and connect these patterns to health and disease. The image is of a Melanoma tumor slice. With the advance of imaging technologies, we can see and track the position of cells (blue) and other structures within the tissue such as blood vessels (red). In doing so, we hope to make a connection between what we see looking down and how these markers change when diseased. In a sense, imaging is our guide for navigating and predicting the unknowns of cancer.

Christian Konopka, a member of EMIL group has been awarded a COM-UC Summer Research Assistantship to continue his studies on imaging prostate cancer. Congratulations!

Today, we officially welcomed our new Department Head. Welcome to the Bioengineering family, Mark!

Prof. Dobrucki has been named co-chair of Integrative Imaging theme at Beckman Institute. Whole story below.

Dobrucki Named Co-chair of Integrative Imaging Research Theme, News, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois is an interdisciplinary research institute devoted to leading-edge research in the physical sciences, computation, engineering, biology, behavior, cognition, and neuroscience.