Welcome to the biweekly electronic newsletter from the Bio-X Program at Stanford University for members of the Bio-X Corporate Forum. Please contact us if you would like to be added or removed from this distribution list, or if you have any questions about Bio-X or Stanford.


Seed Grant Program

Seed Grants for Success, Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Program (IIP)

The BIO-X IIP SYMPOSIUM took place on Monday, September 26, 2011 at the Clark Center. Over 150 people attended the symposium, which included 6 talks and 131 poster presentations. The symposium represented collaborations from hundreds of faculty from at least 5 different Stanford schools and dozens of departments.

The Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Program represents a key Stanford initiative to address challenges in human health. The IIP awards approximately $3 million every other year in the form of two-year grants averaging about $150,000 each. From its inception in 2000 through the fifth round in 2010, the program has provided critical early-stage funding to 113 different interdisciplinary projects, involving collaborations from over 300 faculty members.

To view the talks presented on September 26, please click here. Talks from previous IIP symposia can be viewed here. Please note: the videos will work on both Windows and Mac operating systems with "typical" browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari). The Quicktime Player Plugin is required to view the video content, and it can be downloaded at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/. The videos are delivered in a streaming format; therefore, playback quality may be affected by the internet speed of the user.

 


News

Stanford software that models human motion travels to museum
Bio-X affiliated faculty Scott Delp
In a new exhibit at The Leonardo, a science and technology museum in Salt Lake City, a team of Stanford engineers is demonstrating an open source software package called OpenSim that accurately models human movement. OpenSim is free and in use across the world helping scientists understand the complex forces of movement to improve diagnosis of physical disabilities and prevent harmful wear and tear.


Role of GSK-3beta in the Osteogenic Differentiation of Palatal Mesenchyme
Publication in PloS One Vol 6 Iss 6 by Bio-X affiliated faculty Michael Longaker
The function of Glycogen Synthase Kinases 3beta (GSK-3beta) has previously been shown to be necessary for normal secondary palate development. Using GSK-3beta null mouse embryos, we examine the potential coordinate roles of Wnt and Hedgehog signaling on palatal ossification. ... Here, we identify a critical role for GSK-3beta in palatogenesis through its direct regulation of canonical Wnt signaling. These findings shed light on critical developmental pathways involved in palatogenesis and may lead to novel molecular targets to prevent cleft palate formation.


Immobilizing reporters for molecular imaging of the extracellular microenvironment in living animals - Publication in ACS Chem Biol Vol 6 Iss 10 by Bio-X affiliated faculty Sanjiv Gambhir and Jianghong Rao
We report here an immobilization strategy using a collagen binding protein to deliver and confine synthetic reporters to the extracellular microenvironment in vivo for noninvasively imaging the activity of targets in the microenvironment. We show that the immobilization of reporters on collagens in the local microenvironment is highly efficient and physiologically stable for repetitive, long-term imaging. By using this strategy we successfully developed an immobilized bioluminescent activatable reporter and a dual-modality reporter to map and quantitatively image the activity of extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in tumor-bearing mice. The inhibition of MMP activity by chemical inhibitor was also demonstrated in living subjects. We further demonstrated the general applicability of this immobilization strategy by imaging MMP activity at the inflammation site in a mouse model. Our results show that the in vivo immobilization of reporters can be used as a general strategy for probing the local extracellular microenvironment.


Template Engineering Through Epitope Recognition: A Modular, Biomimetic Strategy for Inorganic Nanomaterial Synthesis
Publication in Jour of Amer Chem Soc by Bio-X affiliated faculty Sarah Heilshorn
Natural systems often utilize a single protein to perform multiple functions. Control over functional specificity is achieved through interactions with other proteins at well-defined epitope binding sites to form a variety of functional coassemblies. Inspired by the biological use of epitope recognition to perform diverse yet specific functions, we present a Template Engineering Through Epitope Recognition (TEThER) strategy that takes advantage of noncovalent, molecular recognition to achieve functional versatility from a single protein template. ... Therefore, this general strategy represents a mix-and-match, biomimetic approach that can be broadly applied to other protein templates to achieve versatile and site-specific heteroassemblies of nanoscale biologic-inorganic complexes.


Stanford researchers build transparent, super-stretchy skin-like sensor
Chemical Engineering faculty Zhenan Bao
Using carbon nanotubes bent to act as springs, Stanford researchers have developed a stretchable, transparent skin-like sensor. The sensor can be stretched to more than twice its original length and bounce back perfectly to its original shape. It can sense pressure from a firm pinch to thousands of pounds. The sensor could have applications in prosthetic limbs, robotics and touch-sensitive computer displays.

 


Events

Cardiovascular Institute
November 1, 2011, 12 - 1 pm
Li Ka Shing Center, Paul Berg Hall, Stanford, CA
"Roles of Mechanical Force in Extracellular Matrix Remodeling"
Speaker: Alex Dunn, PhD, Professor of Stanford University
Endocrinology
November 2, 2011, 5 - 6 pm
300 Pasteur Dr, Grant S101, Stanford, CA
"Regulation of Adipose Cell Growth and Turnover, and Its Dysfunction in Insulin Resistance"
Speaker: Sam Cushman, PhD, NIH, NIDDK, Bethesda
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
November 4, 2011, 12 - 1 pm
Li Ka Shing, Rm 130, Stanford, CA
"Cardiac MRI and Sleep Apnea: Comprehensive Diagnosis of the Myocardium?"
Speaker: Phillip C. Yang, MD, Professor of Stanford University
MIPS/Philips Molecular Imaging Seminar Series
November 7, 2011, 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Clark Auditorium, Stanford, CA
"Applications of Proteomics to Characterizing Cancer Cell State"
Speaker: Christopher Contag, PhD, Professor of Stanford University
Developmental Biology
November 9, 2011, 4 - 5 pm
Clark Auditorium, Stanford, CA
FRONTIERS IN BIOLOGY - "Physiological Regeneration: An Ectodermal Organ Paradigm"
Speaker: Cheng Ming Chuong, MD, PhD, Professor of USC
Nanobiotechnology Seminar Series
November 15, 2011, 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Clark Auditorium, Stanford, CA
"Emergent Nanomedicine Drug Delivery and Imaging Technologies"
Speaker: Greg Lanza, MD, PhD, Professor of Washington University

 


Resources

Stanford University
Bio-X at Stanford University
Bio-X Seed Grants
The Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Program (IIP) provides seed funding for high-risk, high-reward, collaborative projects across the university, and have been highly successful in fostering transformative research.
Office of Technology and Licensing "Techfinder"
Search the OTL Technology Portal to find technologies available for licensing from Stanford.
Stanford Center for Professional Development
- Take advantage of your FREE membership!
- Take online graduate courses in engineering, leadership and management, bioscience, and more.
- Register for free webinars and seminars, and gets discounts on courses.
Stanford Biodesign Video Tutorials on how FDA approves medical devices
A series of video briefs recently produced by the Stanford Biodesign Program teaches innovators how to get a medical device approved for use in the United States. This free, online library of 60 videos provides detailed information on the Food and Drug Administration regulatory process, short case studies and advice on interacting with the FDA.

To learn more about Bio-X or Stanford University, please contact Dr. Hanwei Li, the Corporate Forum Liaison of Bio-X, at 650-725-1523 or lhanwei1@stanford.edu, or Dr. Heideh Fattaey, the Executive Director of Bio-X Operations and Programs, at 650-799-1608 or hfattaey@stanford.edu.

Release Date: 
October 28, 2011