The potential of microscopic organ-on-a-chip devices that mimic the way real organs work, so that scientists and engineers can model the effects of therapies more accurately, will be discussed by a pioneer in bioengineering at Imperial College London this week.
Professor Don Ingber, Director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, will deliver the inaugural Bagrit Lecture, which will be held at Imperial on Thursday 19 May 2011, from 17.30 to 18.30. He will talk about advances by scientists and engineers who are using biology as the inspiration for the development of novel technologies for use in medicine, industry and the environment, and the challenges they face.
The lecture forms part of the College's celebration of 20 years of research, teaching and innovation in bioengineering at Imperial. The celebrations also provide an opportunity for the department to commemorate the ongoing support from the Sir Leon Bagrit Memorial Trust, which helped to establish bioengineering at the College.
Professor Ingber's most recent innovation is a complex, three-dimensional model of a breathing lung on a microchip that incorporates living human lung cells into computer chip technology. This device mimics how the lung works so that scientists can more accurately model the effects of environmental toxins on human lungs. Researchers can also use the device to monitor how the lungs absorb aerosolized pharmaceuticals and to assess the safety and effectiveness of new drugs.
In his lecture, Professor Ingber will talk about some of the advantages of using organ-on-a-chip technologies, which could accelerate the introduction of new drugs to market, provide an alternative to animal studies, and lower research costs.
Professor Ingber is also a pioneer in investigating the fundamental design principles that govern the way that molecules are structured into living cells and how these cells are in
'/>"/>
| Contact: Colin Smith cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk 44-207-594-6712 Imperial College London Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. New book on intermediary metabolism reveals intriguing complexity
2. Illinois professor chairs committee that recommends immediate calories, protein for TBI
3. EULAR 2011 media update
4. Integrating instructional multimedia in nursery management, production courses
5. Protecting ecosystems, pollution remediation goals of research at UH
6. Media alert: ACMG 2011 Clinical Genetics Meeting -- press registration is now open
7. Media advisory -- Partnering to Fight TB: The Role of a TB Vaccine PDP
8. Petrol stations pollute their immediate surroundings
9. SRNL demonstrating low-energy remediation with patented microbes
10. Oil spill symposium to convene scientists, media, policymakers and community leaders
11. Oceanic garbage patch not nearly as big as portrayed in media
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |